In brief: Teenager in custody in transient fire case
A Spokane teenager was arrested on a charge of attempted first-degree murder Monday, two weeks after a transient was set ablaze as he slept near Sprague Avenue east of downtown.
The 16-year-old boy is in police custody following an investigation that court papers show originally centered on the girlfriend of the victim, Peter Krueger, whose age was not immediately available.
Krueger walked into Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center after midnight May 4 with second-degree burns that nearly led to the amputation of both hands, according to a search warrant filed May 5 in Spokane County District Court.
Fairchild Air Force Base
Security forces, band facing deployment
Some three dozen members of the Air National Guard’s security squadron based at Fairchild Air Force Base are being called up this summer for duty in Iraq, and 10 members of the Air Guard’s Band of the Northwest will spend about a month performing for troops in the Middle East.
Members of the 141st Air Refueling Wing’s security forces are being called up in August to begin a six-month tour, said Capt. Sandy Smock, the wing’s spokeswoman. Members of the 560th Band of the Northwest will be departing at the end of May for a tour that will include more than 10 stops.
Another 42 members of the Air Guard’s 256th Combat Communications Squadron will spend a month this summer in Australia for a joint training exercise involving military units from that country and the United States.
Spokane county
Flights to be diverted during runway project
Flights in and out of Spokane International Airport will be diverted to an east-west runway until mid-September while crews begin infrastructure work that will set the stage for a 2,000-foot extension of the main runway next year.
The $30.7 million, two-year project will also change the main runway gradient, signage and lighting, spokesman Todd Woodard said. Electric Avenue will be rerouted slightly to the southwest.
He said South Hill residents may notice planes overhead on alternate headings as they approach the airport.
A longer runway is needed because hot days reduce lift, forcing airlines to reduce loads, he said.
The project will be funded by fees charged to outbound passengers, supplemented by $7 million in federal stimulus money, Woodard said.
Another $11 million in federal money will cover upgrades to airport ramp areas, he said.
When rebuilt, the main runway will extend 11,000 feet. The east-west runway is 8,199 feet long.
Bert Caldwell
Kootenai County
Group to host forum on land-use plan
Citizens for Balance, a nonprofit group concerned about land-use issues, will hold a forum on Kootenai County’s draft comprehensive plan from 4 to 6 p.m. Wednesday in Coeur d’Alene.
“We’re trying to educate the community about what’s in the plan and propose some alternatives,” said Carrie Oja, a manager at Century 21 Beutler & Associates and the group’s secretary. “From a development perspective, that’s the most important thing that’s been going on in the county.”
Kootenai County commissioners in 2007 directed the Planning and Zoning Commission to update the 1994 comprehensive plan. The planning commission released its third and final draft March 20 following public hearings and revisions. It is available on the county Web site at www.kcgov.us. The county has scheduled additional public hearings on the plan on May 27, May 28 and June 1.
The forum will be held in the Century 21 Emma Conference Room at 1836 Northwest Blvd.
Alison Boggs