In brief: Cat shot, thrown in trash bin

Spokane County animal protection officers are asking for the public’s help as they investigate a case of animal cruelty.

A cat had to be euthanized Monday after SCRAPS officers found it shot in the head in a trash bin at the Viewpoint Villa Apartments, 5911 E. Woodlawn Ave., in Spokane Valley.

A woman had reported a cat screaming from the bin, and the apartment manager found the bleeding, injured cat inside a garbage bag wrapped in a blanket.

The cat was taken to a veterinarian and euthanized. Investigators say the cat also sustained traumatic injuries to its body.

Anyone who may have seen or heard something is asked to call (509) 477-2532 immediately. Callers’ names and contact information will remain confidential with SCRAPS.

Grant will fund cat neutering

Pet Savers, a local nonprofit spay and neuter clinic, has received a grant from PetSmart Charities to fix feral cats.

The $55,900 grant will target feral cats in two ZIP codes, 99207 and 99217, which have some of the highest rates of free-roaming cats, according to a Pet Savers news release. The goal is to spay or neuter 75 percent of feral cats in those areas, or about 1,000 cats.

ZIP code 99207 is north of Mission Avenue between Division Street and Greene Street. ZIP code 99217 includes Hillyard and extends northeast of there to the Orchard Prairie area.

Anyone feeding stray cats can get them spayed or neutered, vaccinated for rabies, and ear tipped for $5.

Fixing strays helps reduce the number of cats coming into shelters, and trap, neuter and return programs can reduce stray cat populations by 20 to 40 percent in five years.

A residential education meeting will be held Thursday at 6 p.m. at SpokAnimal, 710 N. Napa St.

Bus riders use halved dollars

WENATCHEE – Link Transit drivers have this request for riders: Show me the money.

A few weeks ago, a tally of bus fare boxes found 37 halves of dollar bills. Some Link customers had torn their bills in half and folded the halves before depositing them, making it look to the drivers as if they’d inserted the proper amount.

Now drivers have been encouraged to ask riders to insert their bills unfolded to confirm they’re whole.

“That’s what brought this on,” said Link spokesman Eric West. “Somebody’d basically been doubling their money.”

Link riders pay $1.25 for one-way trips locally, $2.50 for trips between multi-city zones. The bill-ripper or -rippers managed to drop their single-zone costs to around 75 cents.

It wasn’t a total loss to the transit system, West noted.

“The other half turns up eventually, so we’re able to get a buck out of it,” he said. “But in the meantime, we’ve got a drawer full of half dollar bills.”

Mussel harvesting closed

SALEM – The Oregon Agriculture Department has closed recreational mussel harvesting on a large portion of the Oregon coast because of elevated levels of paralytic shellfish toxins.

The closure announced Friday affects an area from Tillamook Head south to Heceta Head, about 13 miles north of Florence on the central coast.

The closure does not affect recreational clam harvesting on the Oregon coast. Also, crab are not affected by this level of toxin and are safe to eat.

All coastal areas north of Tillamook Head and south of Heceta Head remain open to all recreational shellfish harvesting.

Shellfish contaminated with the toxins can cause minor to severe illness or even death. Cooking will not destroy the toxins, which are produced by algae.

Police say boy, 8, shot friend

BILLINGS – A 5-year-old boy was in stable condition Friday after authorities said he was shot in the abdomen by an 8-year-old boy he had been playing with near a Billings dog park.

The younger boy, who was not identified, was being treated at St. Vincent Healthcare’s pediatric intensive care unit, Billings police said.

The boys had been playing together Thursday, then got permission from their parents to go to the undeveloped area northwest of High Sierra dog park, police Sgt. Matt Brewer said.

The 5-year-old boy was found by two girls, ages 12 and 13, who were riding their bikes through the area.

Brewer said it appeared that the boy had been shot at least 15 minutes before the girls found him. He was taken to St. Vincent Healthcare and underwent surgery.

The circumstances leading up to the shooting were not immediately clear.

A small-caliber gun and ammunition were found at the scene, Brewer said. It is unclear where the gun came from, he said.

Candidate apologizes for push

PORTLAND – A Portland mayoral candidate is apologizing for two incidents of sports conduct.

KATU-TV reports that in one case candidate Jefferson Smith punched an opponent during a pickup basketball game and in another pushed an opponent in a soccer match. The latter offense got him ejected.

Smith apologized Thursday. Both incidents happened last year.

Asked whether he has a temper, Smith said when he gets pushed physically “sometimes I push back, and I should do a better job of turning the other cheek.”

Smith said he should hold himself to a higher standard and “act in a way that is appropriate for the office.”