In Brief

Mon., Feb. 9, 2015

The “milky rain” that coated parts of the Inland Northwest on Friday may have contained dust kicked up in northwestern Nevada, according to a blog item written by the National Weather Service in Spokane.

A large dust storm that caused poor visibility and traffic accidents in the Reno area Thursday night is the “most plausible explanation” of the rain that left cars spotted and smeared with a white or gray residue across much of Eastern Washington and into North Idaho, the Inland Northwest Weather Blog stated.

The northwestern Nevada desert has experienced several years of drought, making it prone to blowing dust that is milky white or gray, the blog said.

Standoff ends with man’s arrest

A man who barricaded himself inside a workshop next to a Spokane Valley home was arrested Sunday afternoon following a standoff with police that lasted several hours.

The man, whose name was not released, left the home near East Fifth Avenue and South Coach Court after a report of a domestic dispute about 2:30 a.m. He returned about noon, shut himself inside the shop and refused to come out, according to the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office.

SWAT officers used tear gas, a police dog and nonlethal measures to subdue and arrest the suspect at about 4:30 p.m.

Temperatures set records

The temperature at Spokane International Airport set a record high of 54 degrees Sunday, beating the 1995 record for Feb. 8 by 1 degree. Record highs for the date also were set in Colville (54 degrees), Davenport (53), Ritzville (58) and Odessa (59).

The National Weather Service issued a flood warning Sunday for the Coeur d’Alene River at Cataldo because of recent rain and melting snow.

Local journalism is essential.

Give directly to The Spokesman-Review's Northwest Passages community forums series -- which helps to offset the costs of several reporter and editor positions at the newspaper -- by using the easy options below. Gifts processed in this system are tax deductible.

Meet Our Journalists

Jesse Tinsley

Meet Jesse Tinsley. As a certified drone pilot, this veteran Spokesman-Review photographer often can be seen capturing beautiful aerial photographs of our region. Sometimes though, the job requires getting down with the dogs.
Jim Meehan

Jim Meehan is no stranger to Zag Nation. As the lead writer covering the Gonzaga men’s basketball team, he tells the stories behind the game and gets fans a bit closer to their favorite players.
Molly Quinn

There is no artist in Spokane like Molly Quinn. Her whimsical style is instantly recognizable to readers of The Spokesman-Review. She has painted gorgeous illustrations that instantly elevate the journalism accompanying it. She brings to life the stories that defy photography. She makes our pages better.
Rob Curley

Spokesman-Review editor Rob Curley loves to talk with people and learn about their lives, whether it's a best-selling author or a stranger he meets downtown on his walk to lunch. It's that inquisitive nature combined with a playful sense of storytelling that helps make our newspaper different than most.