In brief: Car flips, injures 3 in north Spokane

A young man was critically injured Wednesday night in north Spokane when his car went off the road, went through two yards, hit a retaining wall and flipped.

Ali Muhammad Altharwa, 19, was still in critical condition Friday night at Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center. Two passengers were also injured: a 19-year-old man who was seriously injured and a 17-year-old girl who was thrown from the car but only sustained minor injuries.

A news release from the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office said speed and alcohol were factors in the accident.

Altharwa was driving a 2011 Chevrolet Camaro north on Country Homes Boulevard around 11:20 p.m. when he lost control of the vehicle at the left curve at Excel Drive.

Population growth is mild in county

Kootenai County’s population grew to 144,265 residents in 2013, reflecting a 1.4 percent gain from the previous year, according to new U.S. Census Bureau estimates.

Bonner County’s population of 40,699 reflected a 0.6 percent increase, and Boundary County grew 0.2 percent to 10,853 residents.

Elsewhere in the Panhandle, Shoshone County’s population of 12,690 reflected a 0.1 percent decrease, and Benewah County’s population fell 1.1 percent to 9,044.

Statewide, the steady shift of Idaho’s population from rural to urban counties slowed in 2013, as rural counties saw their combined population increase for the first time in three years, state officials said.

Idaho’s 33 rural counties saw a combined net gain of about 1,200 residents, according to an analysis by the Department of Labor.

Idaho’s statewide population rose 1 percent to just over 1.6 million.