Archive
December 27th
State regulators on Dec. 26 conditionally approved a multi-party settlement agreement that will allow Avista to raise electric and natural gas rates for the next two years for its Washington customers.
The Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission (WUTC) accepted a settlement that allows Avista to implement a rate increase for electric and natural gas customers over the next two years. New rates went into effecton Jan. 1.
December 21st
Updated Dec. 22 — One driver needed to be extricated following a two-car accident around 4 p.m. Friday at the intersection of H Street and U.S. Highway 395.
The female driver of a Honda sedan needed to be extricated. A child in the back seat was taken to the hospital as a precautionary measure.
Washington State Patrol investigators said the driver of the Honda tried to enter the highway when she was struck by a northbound Ford Explorer.
The driver of the Ford Explorer was taken to the hospital with minor injuries.
December 20th
Area residents making the Wednesday afternoon commute had to navigate extremely slick roadways and then spent the next day digging out from a winter first storm that left 8-plus inches in its wake.
Spokane County law enforcement agencies reported almost 250 traffic accidents on Wednesday, most of them slide-offs.
City of Deer Park snowplow crews spent most of Thursday cleaning city streets.
Mary Walker School District officials closed school on Thursday. Deer Park and Riverside School districts had begun their two-week holiday schedule earlier in the week.
December 19th
Spokane County Major Crimes detectives arrested a pair of men in connection with a stabbing outside a Chattaroy restaurant on Wednesday morning.
Dwayne Hackley, 42, and Brian Reinhart, 25, were arrested later in the day and charged with first-degree assault.
December 14th
Area school district officials offered sympathy to the victims of the elementary school shooting in Newton, Conn., but tried to assure parents that there are steps in place students safe.
“It is with great sadness that we hear of the news of the tragic shooting in an elementary school in Connecticut. Our thoughts and prayers are with those who were victims of this senseless violence, ” in a statement released by Deer Park School District Superintendent Becky Berg.
December 12th
Spokane County Sheriff’s deputies continue to investigate the details of a large-scale marijuana growing operation that was discovered in Elk on Dec. 11.
Investigators discovered the operation after two Inland Power and Light Co. transformers blew up because of the growing operation’s high power use. A subsequent search of a nearby building on the Newport Highway uncovered nearly 100 marijuana plants, 40 grow lights and 40 electrical ballasts.
The Deer Park Stags got nine points from Canyon Nielson and Travis Pierce in the final 3 minutes to edge the Riverside Rams 47-45 on Tuesday.
The Stags saw their lead trimmed to 39-38 on a basket by Riverside center Jeff Reed with 2:59 to play. Deer Park responded with baskets by Nielson and Pierce only to have Ram guard Andrew Kramer hit a three-pointer to cut the lead to 43-41 with 2 minutes to play.
Nielson hit another basket and a free throw to extend the Stag lead to 46-41. Kramer and Reed responded with baskets of their own but the Rams could not get any closer.
What Riverside’s Hannah Holm started, she finished on Tuesday night.
The senior scored the first basket of the game against Deer Park. The hoop put the Lady Rams a head 2-0, a lead they would never relinquish. Holm scored the final basket of the game to secure the 51-23 win.
Following Holm’s first basket, the Lady Rams, using a suffocating defense rolled out to an 18-2 lead by the end of the first quarter.
Riverside head coach Buddy Wood was pleased with the intensity his team showed at the start of the game.
December 8th
The Deer Park Stags, unleashing a balanced attack, easily handled the Medical Lake Cardinals 66-50 on Friday.
It was the Stags’ first win in four tries this season. The Cardinals fell to 2-2.
Four Stags scored in double figures, led by point guard Caleb Guske, who tossed in 18 points, 15 of them in the second half.
Guske scored the first basket of the game and the Stags never trailed the rest of the way.
Medical Lake’s Becky Trout snapped a 28-28 fourth quarter tie with a three-pointer and the Cardinal defense shut down the Deer Park offense rest of the way to pull out a 35-31 win on Friday.
The Lady Stags, despite having their best offensive performance of the year, were limited to a Savanna Sitton free throw and field goal in the final 6:28 as they fell to 0-4 on the young season.
Deer Park head coach Chuck Chaffee said his team is getting used to play together.
The Lady Stags led 21-16 at halftime, the first time this season they led at intermission.
