In brief: Highway 395 crash kills Chewelah man

A 32-year-old Chewelah man died from injuries sustained in a two-car collision on U.S. Highway 395 near Addy early Friday, the Washington State Patrol said.

Aaron Huff was pronounced dead at St. Joseph’s Hospital shortly after 7 a.m. Friday, according to a news release. He was killed after a 1993 Ford pickup driven by 20-year-old Jacob Kraght crossed the centerline and struck Huff’s 2002 Kia sedan head-on, according to the WSP.

The incident, which occurred shortly after 6 a.m., closed both lanes of the north-south highway for several hours.

Kraght was taken from the scene to Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center with injuries. Both vehicles were totaled in the collision. Huff was wearing a seat belt at the time of the collision; it is unknown whether Kraght was wearing one.

The collision is under investigation and charges may be filed, the WSP said in the release.

Two drivers injured in collision on I-90

Veradale resident Shirley A. Sabin, 65, was injured Friday when she lost control of her vehicle on Interstate 90 while traveling through Lookout Pass, according to the Idaho State Police.

Sabin was heading westbound and passing vehicles when she lost control in the ice and slush, according to the ISP. Her Nissan Altima hit the median concrete barrier, slid across both lanes and then hit the concrete barrier on the right shoulder. Her spinning car hit a Dodge pickup truck driven by Robert H. Lane, 50, of Kingston, Idaho.

Both Sabin and Lane were taken to the Shoshone Medical Center to be treated for their injuries, the ISP said. A passenger in Lane’s truck was uninjured. One westbound lane was blocked for about two hours.

Man, 61, dies from fire injuries

A 61-year-old man has died from burns and smoke inhalation sustained in a north Spokane house fire that broke out early Sunday, the Spokane Fire Department said in a news release.

Gregory Paul Case died from injuries he sustained around 3 a.m. Sunday before evacuating a burning single-story structure at 609 E. Euclid Ave., according to the fire department. Six people were inside when the fire began, according to fire officials. Case and an unidentified female, who had a minor knee injury, were the only two injured, officials said.

Case sustained second- and third-degree burns in addition to smoke inhalation. He was first treated at Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center before being flown to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, where he died, the fire department said.

Spokane firefighters quickly extinguished the fire, which was confined to a basement hallway and stairs.

Case’s death is the first fire-related fatality this year in Spokane, according to the fire department. Two people died as a result of fires in Spokane last year, Assistant Chief Brian Schaeffer said.

Copper wire stolen from Valley site

The owner of Jewell Excavating reported 400 pounds of copper wire stolen from his property in the 3600 block of North Flora Road in Spokane Valley on Thursday.

The wire was on four separate rolls. It is described as three-phase, insulated wire about as thick as an adult’s pinky finger. It will cost about $5,000 to replace. Anyone with information on the theft is asked to call Crime Check at (509) 456-2233.

Portland’s Packy has active TB

PORTLAND – Oregon Zoo officials say their most famous elephant, Packy, now has a case of active tuberculosis and is not reacting well to his treatment drug.

Zoo staffers have been treating another elephant, named Rama, for active TB and a blood test last summer indicated Packy had a latent case. A recent nasal culture showed Packy’s TB is now active.

While Rama, 30, has tolerated his medications well, Packy has not. Blood tests show the drug isoniazid reacts poorly with the nearly 52-year-old elephant’s liver, the Oregonian reported. He stopped eating several times.

Last week, Packy’s appetite was back. Chief zoo veterinarian Mitch Finnegan is waiting for the elephant’s liver function to normalize before trying more gradual doses.

“I don’t want to give up on this drug,” Finnegan said. “It’s the best drug but it’s the drug you worry about with toxic side effects.”

If necessary, Finnegan said he’ll turn to a different class of drugs. However, the other options haven’t been used as frequently with elephants so data is limited.

In elephants, as in people, tuberculosis attacks the respiratory system and if left untreated can be fatal.