In brief: Bus line fined $800 for overloaded trip

Northwest Trailways, based in Spokane, has been fined $800 for overloading a bus traveling from Leavenworth to Monroe, forcing eight passengers to stand in the aisle for the 85-mile trip.

An investigation by the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission found the bus line violated safety regulations when forcing passengers to stand for a distance of greater than 35 miles during the Jan. 6 trip, the WUTC said in a news release.

The bus has a capacity of 56 passengers. The investigation resulted from a passenger complaint.

Northwest Trailways has six routes through Washington and Idaho and served 90,000 passengers last year, the WUTC said.

Sheriff’s police dog helps track suspect

A Spokane County sheriff’s dog helped Spokane Tribal Police locate a suspect who escaped their custody Tuesday.

The suspect escaped from the back of a tribal police vehicle near the area of Craig and Deno roads in Airway Heights.

Law enforcement officers surrounded the area while Spokane County sheriff’s deputies released K9 Ekko and his handler. The dog tracked the suspect to the ORV Park in Airway Heights. Ekko tracked him to a 10-foot chain-link fence, which police couldn’t climb and figured the suspect couldn’t either.

Ekko found the suspect hiding behind a tree near the fence. After a warning from Ekko’s handler, the suspect came out and was taken into custody without further incident.

Spokane Tribal Police declined to give further details about the escape.

Volunteers sought for county panels

Spokane County is seeking to fill a series of vacancies on its volunteer boards and committees.

The Spokane County Parks Advisory Committee has three vacancies – one for each of the county’s three commissioner districts.

The Spokane County Regional Board of Health has one opening in Commissioner District No. 1 in north Spokane County.

In addition, there are openings on the Construction Review Board, Developmental Disabilities Board, Housing and Community Development Advisory Committee, the Mental Health Advisory Board and Substance Abuse Advisory Board.

To apply for any of these positions, go to spokanecounty.org/ Commissioners and click on boards and commissions.

For more information, call Ginna Vasquez, assistant to the clerk of the board, at (509) 477-2268 or email gvasquez @spokanecounty.org.

State National Guard has Hanford plans

RICHLAND – The Washington National Guard wants to use 5,000 acres of the Hanford Nuclear Reservation for training grounds.

The Guard also wants to build an armory that would be located near the Hanford Patrol Academy and the Energy Department’s Hazardous Material Management and Emergency Response training center.

There are no Hanford facilities on the 5,000 acres and the armory and training grounds would be compatible with plans for industrial use, the Tri-City Herald reported.

The Energy Department will consider the Guard’s request.

Woman found dead near Moses Lake

MOSES LAKE – Sheriff’s detectives in Grant County are investigating the death of a woman in her 20s found in a home north of Moses Lake.

The sheriff’s office said a person who came to visit the woman Tuesday found her dead.

While there were no obvious signs of foul play, detectives opened an investigation based on the woman’s age and uncertainty about what caused her death.

The woman was not immediately identified.

Four women report attacks in Seattle

SEATTLE – Police in Seattle are investigating four separate reports of women who said they’ve been attacked since Friday.

Police so far have not found any links among the assaults but are investigating the possibility that the incidents are related, the Seattle Times said.

A woman jogging around Green Lake was grabbed early Monday by a man who tried to pull her into some bushes, but she screamed and broke free.

A woman walking near a grocery store on Sunday evening in northwest Seattle said two men in a white van stopped near her and one man tried to shove her into the vehicle. She fought free and the van drove off.

On Monday, a third woman told police she’d been tackled early Sunday as she left a bar in north Seattle. She said she screamed, punched and kicked and the man ran.

A fourth woman said she was pulled into bushes and sexually assaulted Friday evening as she walked home from Northgate Mall.