Briefly

Tornado touches down in Coolin, Idaho

A tornado touched down about 5 p.m. Friday in Coolin, Idaho, spewing hail and high winds and damaging some buildings.

No injuries were reported.

“It held together quite a bit as it moved south from Coolin to Sandpoint,” said Todd Lericos, of the National Weather Service, which issued a severe storm warning for parts of North Idaho just before the tornado hit. “Before it reached Sandpoint, it started falling apart.”

Lericos said winds were measured nearby at up to 40 mph, and nickel-size hail was reported near Coolin. Weather service crews will perform a storm survey Monday to determine the damage and scale of the tornado.

“It sounded like a loud whistle,” said Allen Lieske, assistant chief of the Coolin Cavanaugh Bay Fire District. “I saw three trees snap off right in front of my eyes at my neighbor’s house.”

Lieske said the area has had several strong windstorms in the past six months, and he didn’t think the storm was a big deal. Then he noticed a damage path and trees twisted from their trunks.

Lieske estimated that eight homes and businesses were damaged. A portion of the steel roof above the Fire Department garage peeled away. Some power lines were downed. It wasn’t clear Friday how many power customers were affected.

It was the second tornado this year in the Inland Northwest. One hit Spokane County in May.

“Tornadoes are kind of rare up here,” Lericos said.

Lericos said the threat of severe thunderstorms, rain and hail could continue today.

Woman killed in motorcycle accident

A 53-year-old Missouri woman was killed Friday night when the motorcycle she was riding on crashed on Highway 2 near Fairchild Air Force Base, the Washington State Patrol reported.

Trisha L. Halverson was a passenger on a motorcycle driven by Scott M. Halverson, also 53. They were traveling through the Spokane area from Fulton, Mo.

The motorcycle was eastbound on the highway about 5 p.m. when Halverson lost control and left the roadway to the right, crashing onto the shoulder.

Both of the Halversons were transported to Sacred Heart Medical Center, where Trisha Halverson was pronounced dead, WSP said. Scott Halverson was in stable condition at the hospital late Friday night, a hospital spokeswoman said.

Both eastbound lanes of the highway were blocked for several hours while crews worked to clear the wreckage, WSP said. The road was open again by 9 p.m.

Accused National Guardsman enters no plea

Fort Lewis, Wash. A Washington National Guardsman accused of trying to help terrorists and facing a court-martial did not enter a plea at his arraignment Friday.

Ryan G. Anderson, 26, also declined to say whether he wanted to be tried by a jury or a judge.

His lawyer asked the government to pay for a psychologist to help prepare the defense case. Judge Col. Debra Boudreau denied the request, adding that although the motion did not justify having the government pay for an expert, the defense was free to pay one on its own.

Anderson, a Muslim convert and National Guardsman in the 81st Armor Brigade, was arrested at his Lynnwood apartment in February and charged with five counts of trying to provide the al Qaeda terrorist network with information about U.S. troop strength and tactics, as well as methods for killing American soldiers.

He could face life in prison if convicted.

His court martial is set for Aug. 16 at this Army base south of Tacoma.

Anderson’s wife and father were in the courtroom but did not speak with reporters.

Raised Lutheran, Anderson grew up in Everett, where classmates at Cascade High School described him as a paramilitary enthusiast who was passionate about guns. He began studying Islam while attending Washington State University.

At an Article 32 hearing in May, the Army recommended that he face a court-martial.

Earlier this month, Lt. Gen. Edward Soriano, commander at Fort Lewis, made the final decision to order the military trial.

Minor quake shakes area near Mount Rainier

Morton, Wash. A minor earthquake shook an area southwest of Mount Rainier on Friday, the University of Washington’s Pacific Northwest Seismograph Network reported.

There were no immediate reports of any damage or injuries.

A preliminary report by UW seismologists said the 3.7-magnitude quake happened at 2:48 p.m. and was centered 27 miles south-southwest of Mount Rainier, about a quarter mile below the earth’s surface.

The quake was felt as far away as the Portland, Ore., suburb of Tigard. A spokesperson from the Pacific Northwest Seismograph Network said the quake was probably felt so far away because of its shallow depth.

Portland Mayor Katz released from hospital

Portland Portland Mayor Vera Katz was released from a hospital Friday after receiving dialysis treatment for side effects from chemotherapy.

Katz intended to return to work in city hall next week, according to a statement from her office.

The 70-year-old Katz, a breast cancer survivor, recently learned that she now suffers from a form of cancer called adenosarcoma.

The mayor was in the hospital since the middle of last week.

The dialysis restored the function in her kidneys, lost due to a combination of recent heavy anti-inflammatory medication for back pain, dehydration and side effects from drugs being used for her chemotherapy, according to a statement released by Katz’s office.

During dialysis, the blood is circulated outside of the body and cleansed inside a machine before returning to the patient.

Grounded air tankers might fly again

Carson City, Nev. The first group of old, heavy air tankers grounded last month for safety concerns could be flying again for the U.S. Forest Service by July 4, the chairman of a House forest subcommittee said Friday.

“We’re making headway,” Rep. Greg Walden, R-Ore., said after meeting Thursday in Washington, D.C., with representatives of the Forest Service, Federal Aviation Administration, National Transportation Safety Board and the Bureau of Land Management.

Walden said the Forest Service and FAA have given air tanker contractors the criteria they must meet to have their planes certified as airworthy, and the first inspections could be completed by early July.

“If those aircraft pass the test, the Forest Service could have a new contract in place within 24 hours,” Walden said.

The meeting was the third arranged by Walden and Rep. John Mica, R-Fla., chairman of the House aviation subcommittee, since the Forest Service canceled $30 million in contracts with operators of 33 air tankers May 10. The action came two years after two tankers broke up in the air, killing five people.

Four companies, accounting for 20 of the grounded tankers, have submitted new engineering reports for review. Walden said the first decision is expected to be on a proposal by Aero Union of Chico, Calif., with other decisions to follow by mid-July.

While Walden was optimistic, a Forest Service representative told Western governors last Sunday that the odds of using the decades-old planes are slim.