Two people killed in I-90 crash
Two people died Saturday morning after a semitruck rear-ended an illegally parked pickup on Interstate 90.
The driver of the semitruck was taken to Adams County Rural Hospital, according to a Washington State Patrol press release. Richard Green, 62, of Manson, Wash., and Carrie Green, 53, of Chelan, Wash. – the driver and the passenger in the pickup – were pronounced dead at the scene.
About 5:27 a.m., the semitruck, driven by 53-year-old Robert Raine, was eastbound on I-90 when it struck the Ford F250 pickup about 65 miles west of downtown Spokane, according to the Washington State Patrol.
The location of the parked pickup and the darkness contributed to the crash, officers said.
Reward offered for tip in alleged molestation
A cash reward is being offered for information that leads to the arrest of a man wanted for allegedly molesting a child recently in Spokane.
He is Bernard Rials, 42. In 1996, he was convicted of molesting a 7-year-old girl in King County.
Rials, 42, is 5-foot-10 and 185 pounds with dyed brown hair and brown eyes.
Anyone with information can contact Secret Witness at 327-5111. Callers do not have to give their name to be eligible for the reward.
Teenager rescued; second dies in lake
Manson, Wash. An 18-year-old was rescued from a Lake Chelan canoeing incident but his 17-year-old friend was found dead on Saturday, the Chelan County Sheriff’s department reported.
A Chelan County Sheriff’s helicopter found the body of Anthony Sanchez of Bellevue on Saturday morning in about 25 feet of water about 100 yards from where his friend, Jim Baker of Renton, was pulled out of the water Friday night, near Wapato Point, said Sheriff’s Sgt. Mike Harris.
A lakeside resident called 911 at 10:29 p.m. Friday to report hearing calls for help from the lake, a sheriff’s office dispatch log said. Ken Reid said Saturday morning that his wife called authorities while he got his boat ready to search.
Deputy Jeremy Mathena arrived within a couple of minutes and went with Reid in the boat, Reid said. In less than five minutes, they spotted Baker floating face-up in the water. “Only his face was showing in the water; he wasn’t trying to swim,” said Reid, a 33-year-old geologist from Seattle. “It was all he could do to raise his arms.”
Ex-governor improves after heart attack
Beaverton, Ore. Former Oregon Gov. Vic Atiyeh’s health is improving following a mild heart attack, according to a family spokesman.
Atiyeh was upgraded from serious to satisfactory condition on Saturday and taken off a ventilator at Providence St. Vincent Medical Center, said Denny Miles, who also was spokesman for Atiyeh during his two term as governor.
Atiyeh suffered the attack Tuesday while working in his office in downtown Portland. Doctors performed a quadruple-bypass operation Wednesday and additional surgery Thursday after bleeding occurred.
Miles said he told Atiyeh’s son, Tom, that “he’s getting a little grumpy. And his son said, ‘Good. He must be getting better.’ “
Progress made on Montana fire
Containment of a 7,500-acre wildfire in the Plains, Mont., area rose to 50 percent Saturday after crews benefited from three consecutive days of weather that kept smoke close to the ground.
Firefighters braced for weekend wind with the potential to fan the Seepay 2 fire, burning trees, brush and grass on the Flathead Indian Reservation.
The fire and the risk of new burning prompted leaders of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes to close some tribal land as hunting season got under way.
Containment of the fire is expected by Sept. 15. About $2 million has been spent to fight the blaze, which was reported last Sunday, information officer Wayne Johnson said. Nearly 650 people have been assigned to the blaze.
Four miles south of Skalkaho Pass in southwestern Montana, the Signal Rock fire grew to about 10,000 acres after being fanned by wind and a smoke inversion, fire information officer Terina Mullen said. The fire’s growth forced crews to retreat on Friday, officials said.