In brief: Geiger inmate escapes, center seeks public help

An inmate escaped from Geiger Corrections Center about 5:40 p.m. Tuesday, and Spokane County Detention Services officials are asking for the public’s help to find him.

A preliminary investigation suggests that Danny T. Kolle, 33, may have had help from another inmate in his escape, Geiger officials said in a news release.

Kolle was booked into the Spokane County Jail on Oct. 23 on charges of motor vehicle theft, possession of motor vehicle theft tools and forgery. Bail was set at $10,000.

Kolle is white, 5 feet 9 inches tall and 190 pounds with brown hair, a goatee and hazel eyes. Kolle last was seen in a black-and-white jumpsuit with “SC INMATE” written on the back and a tan jacket.

Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Check at (509) 456-2233. Anyone who comes into contact with Kolle is asked to call 911.

Inland Imaging donates scans for anatomy class

A dozen cadavers used by medical students at Spokane’s Riverpoint campus have been given full-body CT scans as part of an effort to enhance anatomy training.

Inland Imaging donated the scans, estimated at nearly $55,000, to the five-state medical training program known as WWAMI. The scans enable students to study CT scans before making dissections in Washington State University’s new Spokane anatomy lab and then refer to the images to gain valuable experience interpreting cross-sectional and 3-D images.

“It’s critical for today’s medical students to understand the role that imaging technology can play in understanding a patient’s condition and coordinating the most effective possible care,” Inland Imaging President Jayson Brower said in a news release.

Seven more claim abuse at Idaho detention center

BOISE – Seven more people have come forward to say they were sexually abused by staffers at a state-run detention center in southwestern Idaho.

The new allegations were detailed in a tort claim filed with the state Tuesday afternoon. So far at least 10 former detainees at the Idaho Department of Juvenile Correction detention center in Nampa have brought sex abuse allegations against the state since last year, identifying at least half a dozen suspected abusers.

In the new tort claim, six boys and one girl make similar allegations – that they were sexually abused multiple times by staffers, that in some cases they were supplied with illicit drugs by a nurse at the detention center, and that the center’s director and other staffers knew of the abuse but failed to intervene.

The group contends the sex abuse happened between 2008 and 2012. They’re seeking damages totaling $8.4 million.

Teacher outlines reaction during school shooting

MARYSVILLE, Wash. – A teacher who tried to intervene to stop a school shooting last week said she reacted just as any of her colleagues would have.

Officials have said Marysville-Pilchuck High School teacher Megan Silberberger ran toward Jaylen Fryberg after he opened fire in the school’s cafeteria Friday. She did not have any physical contact with the shooter.

Fryberg fatally shot two students and gravely wounded three others before killing himself.

Silberberger issued a statement through the Washington Education Association on Wednesday.

“I am a schoolteacher, and like all teachers, I am committed to the safety and well-being of my students,” she said. “My thoughts and prayers are with all those affected by this incident.”

The Tulalip Indian tribes, of which Fryberg was a member, released a statement Wednesday denouncing his “horrific actions” and saying they were the “acts of an individual, not a family, not a tribe.”

China will reopen imports of Washington apples

After a two-year market closure, China will once again buy Washington apples.

U.S. agriculture officials said China will once again import Red and Golden Delicious apples from Washington, starting immediately.

The Washington Apple Commission made the announcement Wednesday.

The Chinese government ceased imports in 2012 over concerns about a fungus. Officials from both nations negotiated for two years before reaching a deal.

The Apple Commission said China bought 3 million boxes of apples during the 2010-11 marketing year, the fourth-biggest market for Washington apples that year.