In brief: FBI confirms ricin in letter to Fairchild
The deadly poison ricin was present in a letter sent from Spokane to Fairchild Air Force Base last month, the FBI confirmed Friday.
Four other letters are believed to have been addressed in the same manner and sent at the same time to a federal judge, a post office, President Barack Obama and the Central Intelligence Agency. Two were intercepted by postal inspectors at the downtown Spokane post office on May 14.
Ricin had been previously confirmed in three of the letters. The one addressed to the CIA has not been recovered, FBI spokeswoman Ayn Sandalo Dietrich said. No one has been hurt by the letters.
The investigation is ongoing, Sandalo Dietrich said.
A Spokane man is in custody on a charge of making death threats in one of the letters, addressed to U.S. District Court Judge Fred Van Sickle. Matthew Buquet, 38, was arrested May 22.
ACLU: Wolfinger misinterpreted law
The Idaho ACLU charged Friday that Kootenai County Sheriff Ben Wolfinger misinterpreted the law when he said sodomy was unlawful in Idaho, as part of his concerns about continuing a charter for a Boy Scout troop chartered by the sheriff’s department.
The organization said the U.S. Supreme Court in 2003 invalidated criminal statutes that regulate sexual activity among consenting adults.
Wolfinger said Thursday that he hadn’t decided whether to continue to charter the troop. His concern stemmed from the national organization’s decision to permit gay youth to join Scout troops.
Chicago flights get music, pizza send-off
Southwest Airlines is kicking off its inaugural flight from Spokane to Chicago’s Midway International Airport with live music and Chicago-style pizza for passengers on Sunday.
The airline will run the daily nonstop flights through Sept. 7 to take advantage of the busier summer travel season. The flights depart Spokane at 12:45 p.m. on the return leg of a roundtrip flight that originates in Chicago at 10:25 a.m. and arrives in Spokane at 12:10 p.m.
During Sunday’s departure, airport firefighters will shoot up a water arch for the plane to taxi beneath in a traditional send-off for an inaugural flight, said Todd Woodard, airport spokesman.
Climbing down bank will raise funds
Special Olympics Washington invites the community to go over the biggest drop in Spokane next month in the “ultimate challenge for charity.”
The organization will host the third annual Over the Edge Spokane on June 22. Participants who pledge to raise $650 can rappel from the roof of the Bank of America Financial Center.
All proceeds will support Special Olympics Washington athletes, including uniforms, training and medical costs, event coordinator Jennifer Suniga said.
The event supports Special Olympics’ mission of encouraging its participants to go out of their comfort zones, Suniga said. Athletes have to face their fears every day to play in the games despite physical or mental disabilities. Even though participants may be afraid of heights, she said, every rappeller has made it over the building and to the ground safely.
“The event is all about courage matching courage,” she said.
The Spokane event has struggled in past years, Suniga said. Special Olympics has reduced the required fundraising amount and moved the event to Saturday to make it more accessible. There are 80 spots available, and about 30 have signed up.
To sign up, visit specialolympics washington.org.
Fire destroys vacant home
A vacant home in northeast Spokane was destroyed by fire Friday morning.
The Spokane Fire Department responded around 12:42 a.m. to a fire on a hillside north of Princeton Avenue near Florida Street.
Crews could see the fire and smoke from blocks away, a news release said. When they arrived, fire was coming through the roof of the two-story structure and from every door and window.
The fire was under control within 45 minutes, but crews stayed on scene throughout the night.
State: Fire chief’s pension improper
SEATTLE – State officials are seeking to collect more than $550,000 from the city of DuPont to cover excess pension payments that were provided to the local fire chief.
The Department of Retirement Systems determined in an audit released Friday that the city improperly classified Fire Chief Greg Hull as a contractor when he was hired after retiring from a position at another fire department. Hull’s pension payments would have stopped if he had been properly classified as a regular employee, so the state is now seeking to have the city repay that extra money.
State officials recently notified Hull that his pension payments would be stopped, and city officials said this week that Hull is resigning for “personal reasons.” Dave Nelsen at the Department of Retirement Systems said Hull will be able to apply for pension payments again starting next month.
The retirement system began examining DuPont’s procedures after an Associated Press investigation related to state pensions.