In brief: CdA eighth-grader wins spelling bee

Coeur d’Alene eighth-grader Sarah-Jessica Sedy won the ninth annual North Idaho Regional Spelling Bee, beating out 44 other fourth- through eighth-graders and earning a trip to the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C.

It was the Woodland Middle School student’s first time in the regionwide competition, said Mindy Patterson, an NIC spokeswoman. And it was a tough win. Sedy battled 13 rounds with last year’s champion, Rebekah Pinkerton, a sixth-grade Rockford Bay home-schooled student, before being crowned champ.

Sedy won by correctly spelling keeshond, Patterson said.

Patterson was pleased with the regional bee, which lasted 40 rounds, twice as long as any regional bee.

“Every year the poise and ability of the participants just blows me away,” she said.

Man sentenced for shooting at house

A Spokane man who shot at the house of a nightclub bouncer during a drive-by shooting pleaded guilty to a reduced charge Monday and was sentenced to 17 months in prison.

Derek L. Wilson, 25, originally was charged with seven counts of first-degree assault and seven counts of drive-by shooting following a Feb. 3, 2011, incident at 2812 E. Hoffman Ave. Wilson reportedly was angry at the bouncer for checking his girlfriend’s age.

According to court records, the bouncer approached Wilson’s girlfriend, Kassandra Darby, after he recognized her as someone he had frequently kicked out of the nightclub Raw, 723 W. First Ave., for underage drinking. This time, though, Darby was able to show she had recently turned 21 and was allowed to stay. But Wilson and Darby – according to court records – followed the bouncer home and Wilson fired seven shots into the home. No one was injured.

On Monday, Deputy Spokane County Prosecutor Tom Treppiedi amended the charge to a single count of third-degree assault and Superior Court Judge Kathleen O’Connor sentenced Wilson to 17 months in jail, with credit for 17 months served.

Judge reverses liquor decision

A Cowlitz County judge on Monday ruled that a voter-approved initiative privatizing liquor sales in Washington is constitutional, reversing an earlier decision that had left the measure’s fate in question.

Initiative opponents said they would appeal the ruling directly to the state Supreme Court, but the decision enables the state to continue to move forward with implementation. The initiative takes effect June 1.

Voters approved Initiative 1183 last fall to privatize liquor sales and dismantle Washington’s state-run liquor system, which was formed in the 1930s in the aftermath of Prohibition. The measure, backed heavily by Costco, allows stores larger than 10,000 square feet to sell liquor, though it could allow smaller stores to sell liquor if there are no other outlets in a trade area.

Opponents filed suit, arguing that it violates state rules requiring initiatives to address only one subject because it included a provision to set aside $10 million for public safety.

Council will wait to consider casino

The Spokane City Council will wait until next week to consider opposing a Spokane Tribe of Indians casino project proposed for the West Plains.

Councilman Mike Fagan is sponsoring a resolution opposing the casino. He requested last week that the council suspend normal public notice requirements to allow a vote on Monday instead of giving the public more than a week’s notice before a vote. He said at the meeting Monday, however, that he had changed his mind after hearing from constituents who were opposed to moving forward without following the usual procedure. Council President Ben Stuckart said there wasn’t enough support on the council to suspend the rules. At least five of seven members would have had to agree.

The council also opted not to vote on a $4.1 million contract to build a sewage overflow tank. City administrators had requested the council also suspend public notice requirements for that proposal.

Both issues will be considered at the council’s March 26 meeting, which will be held at the East Central Community Center, 500 S. Stone St.

Links to burglary, poaching found

While investigating thefts in Whitman and Spokane counties on Sunday, investigators discovered a link to a 2009 burglary, along with potential links to old theft and poaching cases.

Michael J. Fullerton, 29, of Rosalia, Wash., was booked into the Whitman County Jail on suspicion of burglary, theft, trespassing, vehicle prowling and marijuana possession, according to a Monday news release from the Whitman County Sheriff’s Office.

Investigators from the Whitman and Spokane county sheriff’s offices, along with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife served search warrants on Sunday, one in Whitman County and one in Spokane County, in relation to a recent spree of thefts.

As a result, investigators recovered numerous items associated with the recent car prowling and battery thefts.

Investigators also discovered information linking the recent cases to a burglary from the Pine City area in 2009. In that case, a safe containing more than 20 guns, valuable coins and jewelry, and tools was taken from a home, the release said.

Fish and Wildlife investigators are looking into potential game violations after finding numerous game animal remains at both locations where warrants were served, the release said.