In brief: Fiberglass eggs stolen from park
Two giant, fiberglass eggs were stolen and a third was damaged late last month at Spokane Valley’s popular Discovery Playground.
Park maintenance staff noticed the theft and vandalism during a routine check of the playground on Oct. 24, the city of Spokane Valley said in a news release. The playground, near the CenterPlace Regional Event Center, is closed for the season and locked, but the “culprit or culprits” likely climbed over the fence, the release said.
The city has reported the theft to police, but hopes someone comes forward with information on the eggs’ whereabouts. “They would be pretty hard to miss,” Parks & Recreation Director Mike Stone said. The eggs are cream-colored and together are 2 ½ feet high by 4 feet long.
Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Check at (509) 456-2233.
Water-saving rebates available
Rebates up to $300 are available for residents of the Little Spokane River watershed who install water-saving washing machines and toilets.
The offer covers two toilets certified by the WaterSense label and an Energy Star-certified washer, each for $100. However, the toilet rebate is available only for homes built in 1994 or earlier.
Homes built after 1994 were required to have water-saving toilets.
About 8,000 households are eligible for the rebates, offered by a coalition of governments dubbed the Little Spokane WaterSmart Alliance.The coalition includes the state Department of Ecology, which put up $50,000 for the rebates.
Communities in the watershed include Diamond Lake, Elk, Chattaroy, Camden, Colbert, Deer Park, Sacheen Lake, Riverside, Eloika Lake, Fan Lake, Clayton and Denison.
For more information, call (509) 477-7678 in Spokane and Stevens counties and (509) 447-6454 in Pend Oreille County, or visit www.littlespokanewatersmart.org.
Nuclear plant improvements urged
RICHLAND – The Northwest’s only commercial nuclear power plant has been rated one of two in the country in greatest need of some improvements.
The nonprofit Institute of Nuclear Power Operations, which is funded by the nuclear industry, inspects the nation’s 104 nuclear plants every two years.
The group found that the Columbia Generating Station is in need of operational and human performance improvements. The plant, operated by Energy Northwest, had a series of unplanned shutdowns in 2008 and 2009.
The inspection covered plant operations from October 2008 to September.
Energy Northwest spokeswoman Rochelle Olson told the Tri-City Herald newspaper for a story Tuesday that the plant has been operating reliably with no unplanned shutdowns for almost a year.
Pilot error blamed in bad landing
YAKIMA – A Yakima fire official says pilot error caused a light plane to make a belly landing Tuesday at the Yakima Air Terminal.
Battalion Chief Mitch Cole said the pilot was alone in the four-seat plane and escaped without injury.
The plane skidded about 900 feet down a runway, causing substantial damage to the aircraft.
Cole told the Yakima Herald-Republic he doesn’t know how experienced the pilot was but notes, “He forgot to put the wheels down. That’s important.”
Teacher can return to classroom
YAKIMA – An administrative law judge has ruled that a Yakima teacher who was acquitted of sex crimes with two teenage boys can return to the classroom.
When Michele Taylor, 32, will return to work at East Valley School District has not yet been determined.
Michael Patterson, an attorney for the school district, told the Yakima Herald-Republic on Tuesday that there apparently were credibility issues with the two boys. The district hasn’t decided whether to appeal.
Taylor, a physical education teacher, was found not guilty in June of charges of sexual misconduct and communicating with a minor for immoral purposes. She was accused of having sex with a 16-year-old and sending sexual text messages to a 15-year-old.
WSP says driver blamed coffee
VANCOUVER, Wash. – The Washington State Patrol says an SUV driver who veered off Interstate 5 and crashed into a parked car told a trooper he might have been taking a sip of coffee.
Trooper Jason Gainer reports there was coffee all over the inside of the SUV’s dashboard.
Both vehicles were destroyed in the Tuesday morning crash. Combined with thick fog, it caused a backup for southbound rush-hour commuters.
The Columbian reports that 50-year-old Ronald L. Belland, of Vancouver, was treated at a local hospital for a separated shoulder, a head cut and knee injuries.
He was cited for investigation of driving on the shoulder.