Police investigate claims teens racing
As police investigate claims that two teenagers were racing their cars before a fatal, three-car crash Friday on Kathleen Avenue in Coeur d’Alene, the mother of the victim remains in serious condition at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.
“We are seeing improvement,” a hospital spokeswoman said of 52-year-old Hayden resident Glenda M. Norris, the mother of 14-year-old Isaac W. Norris.
Glenda Norris was attempting to turn west onto Kathleen Avenue from Howard Street – a left-hand turn – late Friday morning when the 1987 Chevy Caprice she was driving was struck by an eastbound 2006 yellow Ford Mustang driven by 19-year-old Dominick F. Salois. A 2005 white Subaru Impreza driven by 17-year-old Daniel W. Cutting was also traveling east on Kathleen and swerved to avoid the collision.
Cutting overcorrected, causing the vehicle to roll, according to the Idaho State Police.
ISP Capt. Wayne Longo said the police have about 30 witness statements, many of which say the teens were racing. Investigators are examining the skid marks to determine how fast they were traveling, Longo said.
– Meghann M. Cuniff
Huetter
Nightclub being sued by copyright firm
The Grail nightclub in Huetter is being sued by a music organization in Nashville, Tenn., for copyright infringement
Broadcast Music Inc., which works to protect the copyrights of approximately 6.5 million songs by 300,000 musicians, filed suit Friday. A number of big-name musicians, including Marilyn Manson, Jimmy Buffett and Sheryl Crow, as well as their recording labels, were named as plaintiffs.
Businesses that play copyright songs by musicians under BMI are required to have a license issued from BMI, and the lawsuit says The Grail has failed to get one.
BMI spokesman Jerry Bailey said the company tries to be patient with businesses that aren’t complying.
“We’ve been attempting to license them since May 2003,” Bailey said. “We’ve called them 33 times; we’ve sent 45 letters to them.
“There’s a limit to our patience.”
Grail owner Lang Sumner could not be reached for comment, and his attorney, Susan Weeks, didn’t know of the suit when contacted Monday.
– Meghann M. Cuniff
Region
Recent rainfall tops summer’s total
More rain has fallen on the Spokane area in the past two days than was recorded all summer.
According to the National Weather Service, just over a half-inch of rainfall was registered at Spokane International Airport from June 15 to Oct. 14. The normal amount of rainfall during that time is 3 inches, said National Weather Service meteorologist Ron Miller.
Over the weekend, 0.84 inches of precipitation was measured at the airport, Miller said.
The North Idaho Panhandle and some locations in north Spokane County have also seen significant rain, Miller said.
Today and Wednesday are expected to be mostly dry.
Also, the National Weather Service has issued a hazardous weather warning because snow levels have dropped to 4,000 feet.
– Jody Lawrence-Turner