In brief: Two drivers injured in Trent head-on
Two men suffered serious injuries Thursday afternoon in a head-on crash that closed Trent Avenue near Harvard Road for about three hours.
A westbound pickup driven by Gerardo Martinez Rodriguez, 37, crossed the center line and hit an eastbound dump truck head-on, said Washington State Patrol Trooper Jeff Sevigney. The driver of the dump truck, 60-year-old Shannon Coberly of Chattaroy, drove partially off the road in an unsuccessful attempt to avoid the collision.
Both drivers had to be extricated from their vehicles and sustained serious injuries, Sevigney said. Both drivers were taken to Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center; Martinez Rodriguez was flown there by MedStar.
A third vehicle was hit by debris, but the driver was uninjured.
The Department of Ecology responded to the scene to clean up diesel fuel from the dump truck. Martinez Rodriguez is facing a charge of negligent driving. Use of drugs or alcohol is not suspected as a factor in the crash, WSP said in a news release. Both drivers were wearing seat belts.
Young inventor to enter ‘Shark Tank’
Teenage entrepreneur Brooke Martin of Spokane will be featured on an episode of “Shark Tank” airing on KXLY at 9 p.m. Friday as she attempts to get investment funding for her invention, the iCPooch.
The device Martin invented for an eighth-grade school project is a dog treat dispensing device that can be controlled by a smartphone app. A phone or tablet also can be mounted on the device so animal owners can see and speak to their pet when they are not home.
The show features several “sharks” who interview entrepreneurs about their products and decide whether or not to invest money in them. Martin, now 15, has been selling the devices since July.
Former deputy jailed in Shoshone County
Former Shoshone County Sheriff’s Deputy Shawn A. Clark, 40, was arrested at his home in Pinehurst, Idaho, today on a charge of lewd conduct with a minor.
Clark was a Shoshone County deputy from November 2002 to August 2005. One of his assignments during those years was as the Wallace School Resource Officer.
Shoshone County Sheriff Mitch Alexander said the case against Clark includes allegations of sexual abuse of a minor over a period of 10 years. Some of the abuse likely occurred while Clark was working as a deputy, Alexander said.
Clark left the department to take a construction job, Alexander said. He had been working as a purchasing agent at the Sunshine Mine but was laid off recently, he said.
Clark has been booked into the Shoshone County Jail. Anyone with information about other possible criminal activity by Clark is asked call (208) 556-1150.
Fire truck, pickup collide on Highway 2
A Pend Oreille County fire truck with its lights and sirens on was involved in a crash Wednesday at U.S. Highway 2 and Gray Road just before 5 p.m.
The fire truck also was using its air horn as it headed east on Gray Road and approached the intersection, according to the Washington State Patrol. The truck went through the stop sign at a high speed and collided with a southbound Ford F-150 pickup truck driven by Newport resident Arthur A. Alvarez, 79.
Alvarez and his passenger, 76-year-old Judian D. Alvarez, were injured and taken to Newport Hospital. The driver of the fire truck, 30-year-old Adam L. Benkel, also was taken to Newport Hospital for treatment of his injuries. The passenger in the fire truck, David J. Hoisington, was not injured.
No charges will be filed against either driver, said WSP Trooper Jeff Sevigney.
Crews pull pieces of Bertha to surface
SEATTLE – Workers at the Seattle tunnel project have started pulling pieces of the broken tunneling machine called Bertha to the surface for repairs.
Washington transportation officials say crews began lifting the 270-ton section of the machine’s upper body Thursday afternoon.
This is the first of four large pieces of Bertha that Seattle Tunnel Partners will lift from the rescue pit. It’s part of their repair plan.
Bertha broke down in December as it worked to build a tunnel to replace the Alaskan Way Viaduct – damaged in a 2001 earthquake.
STP hopes to start drilling again in August.
Idaho Senate OKs funding for wolf kill
BOISE – The Idaho Senate has approved spending $400,000 to kill wolves.
The plan passed Thursday would give the Idaho Wolf Depredation Board the same funding it had during its first year of operation last year.
Democratic Sen. Roy Lacey from Pocatello said he would have spent less money, since the board only spent about two-thirds of its budget last year. But Republican Sen. Bert Brackett from Rogerson said it’s wiser to wait a few years before making changes.
The plan passed 29-5, garnering opposition from five of the six Democrats present.
Republican Sen. Steve Bair from Blackfoot said Idaho is home to more than 600 wolves – well above the 100 wolf federal minimum.
The bill now goes to the House for consideration.