In brief: Demonstrators declare corporations not people
About 60 people braved snowy conditions Friday to protest a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that found corporations have the same legal rights as individual citizens, including the right to speak out about elections.
Carrying signs that read “Corporations are not people” and “Amend the Constitution to prevent corporate control of our elections,” the group chanted for several minutes before they walked over to City Hall for a 2 p.m. rally and panel discussion.
Former Spokane County Commissioner Bonnie Mager joined the group at the Thomas S. Foley U.S. Federal Courthouse. “What could be more important than defending democracy?” she said.
The Occupy the Courts/Occupy City Hall event was endorsed by Occupy Wall Street supporters as well.
Snowblower dispute leads to gunshots
A man fired two shots at his neighbor during a dispute over a snowblower Thursday, police said.
Arnim Roland Olsen, 50, was arrested on a second-degree assault charge after his neighbor in the 19300 block of North Austin Road reported the shooting to 911.
The neighbor, William E. Rice, said he contacted Olsen at his home regarding the use of his snowblower. They argued about that and about a dog Rice gave Olsen’s wife, according to court documents.
Olsen pointed a revolver at Rice and fired twice, barely missing his right ear, documents allege.
Deputies said they found a revolver in Olsen’s home with four live .22-caliber rounds and two shell casings, which was consistent with Rice’s account.
Queen Latifah event moves to INB center
A March benefit featuring Queen Latifah has changed venues.
The YWCA of Spokane benefit, which was scheduled to take place at the Star Theatre at Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena, will be held at the INB Performing Arts Center.
Current ticket holders for a Conversation with the Queen will be contacted by a TicketsWest representative to exchange their tickets, the YWCA said in a news release. Ticket holders may also contact TicketsWest by calling (800) 325-7328.
The YWCA said the INB “will provide an ideal setting” for the event. Tickets for the March 22 event are still available.
Meth, cash seized at trailer near air base
Spokane police seized more than 6 pounds of methamphetamine and $60,000 from a trailer near Fairchild Air Force Base on Thursday.
Gerardo S. Miramontes, 35, and Rigoberto Ayala, 32, face drug and gun charges after a search warrant was served at 15610 W. Highway 2.
A confidential informant bought methamphetamine through Miramontes on Jan. 5 and Jan. 11, according to court documents. The informant exchanged money for meth with a man who identified himself as “Creeps,” who police say is Ayala.
Along with the drugs and cash, police found scales and sandwich baggies in the trailer, as well as three firearms.
Miramontes has a previous felony conviction for second-degree assault. Ayala has a felony conviction in Nevada for possession of a stolen vehicle.
The men are in the Spokane County Jail after appearing in Superior Court on Friday on drug and gun charges.
GOP leaders’ authority to fire pair doubted
BOISE – The Idaho attorney general’s office said Friday that House Speaker Lawerence Denney and state Republican Party Chairman Norm Semanko likely can’t fire their Republican redistricting commissioners, something they’ve threatened on grounds the two commissioners helped create new legislative boundaries that are too favorable to Democrats.
Denney, R-Midvale, said he’s considering ousting former state Rep. Dolores Crow, of Nampa, from the panel that draws up Idaho’s new maps to reflect population changes every decade. He asked for her resignation, he told the Associated Press.
Semanko also asked Randy Hansen, his appointee, to quit.
Crow said she’ll fight Denney’s attempts to stop her from joining the five other commissioners on Thursday to work on new maps, after the Idaho Supreme Court ruled this week their first plan was illegal, in part, because it split too many counties.
According to the attorney general’s opinion issued to Idaho Secretary of State Ben Ysursa, political leaders like Denney and Semanko can appoint commissioners, but they don’t appear to have the authority to remove them.
Pair held briefly at Occupy protest
PORTLAND – Authorities briefly detained two people at a Portland protest where shouting and a brief shoving match erupted between Occupy Portland protesters and U.S. marshals outside a federal courthouse.
A U.S. Marshals Service spokesman said two people were cited during the Friday confrontation on charges of failure to comply with orders.
More than 200 people marched for two hours as part of a national protest to express opposition to a Supreme Court decision that removed most limits on corporate and labor spending in U.S. elections.
The mostly peaceful protesters shouted “Whose court? Our court” outside the federal Pioneer Courthouse, which houses the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
One protester in a yellow jacket shoved a U.S. marshal on the courthouse steps and was dragged inside.