In brief: Shooting on South Hill injures man

A man was shot Tuesday evening on the South Hill, and police said they were searching for two suspects.

The victim entered a 7-Eleven, 1317 S. Grand Blvd., about 8:20 p.m. and announced he had been shot, said Spokane police Lt. Joe Walker.

The man was shot a block or two south of the 7-Eleven and drove to the store in a pickup, Walker said.

Walker said police have developed two suspects and are searching for them. He did not release their names.

The victim was shot in the shoulder and appeared to have lost a significant amount of blood. Initial reports indicated, however, that injuries were not life-threatening, Walker said.

Police also said they were not certain if the victim knew the shooters.

The victim told police that he came in contact with the men near the store and they demanded money and shot him, Spokane police spokeswoman Monique Cotton said in a news release.

Gun rights activist pleads not guilty

A gun rights activist who refused a federal agent’s request to leave the plaza outside the federal courthouse in Spokane while holding his AK-47 entered a not-guilty plea Tuesday on a charge of failure to comply.

Anthony Bosworth was arrested Feb. 25 during a protest in front of the courthouse while armed with an AK-47 rifle and a 9 mm handgun. Video posted online shows that federal officers asked Bosworth to leave the property several times before arresting him.

A crowd of sympathizers gathered outside the courthouse Tuesday. Several carried what appeared to be AR-15 rifles and one held a sign demanding that authorities return Bosworth’s “stolen” guns.

Bosworth’s federal public defender could be heard telling Bosworth before his court hearing began that his guns would not be returned until the case was complete.

Cleanup set for smelter pollution

Cleanup will begin this summer on Stevens County properties where the soil is polluted with lead from a Canadian smelter’s emissions.

Priority will be given to residential properties where young children or pregnant women live, said Marc Stifelman, toxicologist for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. But other landowners may have to wait five years for a cleanup, until additional EPA studies are done.

Property owners expressed frustration with the delay at a Tuesday meeting in Spokane.

“Now, we have a stigma attached to our property. Our resale value is going to hell. We’re stuck,” said Matt Wolohan, who had elevated lead readings on his property.

More than 70 rural residential properties were tested for heavy metals, which were carried downwind from Teck Resource’s smelter operations in Trail, B.C. More than 30 properties had lead concentrations above 250 parts per million, which is the state’s threshold of concern. The federal threshold is 400 parts per million. At this point, EPA has not decided which lead standard will trigger a cleanup, said Laura Buelow, an EPA project manager.

Special session closer to reality

OLYMPIA – The Washington Legislature will almost certainly need to go into overtime to complete work that includes passing a $38 billion budget that directs how the state spends its money for the next two years.

Gov. Jay Inslee acknowledged as much Tuesday, saying his staff is making plans for a special session, but he is consulting with legislative leaders on when to call it or when it would start. At a mid-morning brief press conference, Inslee agreed with an assessment by House Appropriations Committee Chairman Ross Hunter, D-Medina, that work on the budget won’t be finished before Sunday, which is the last day for the regular 105-day session.

But he’d like legislators to get “as much as humanly possible” done in what’s left of the regular session on key bills, including major changes in oil train safety laws.

Senate Majority Leader Mark Schoesler, R-Ritzville, said later he still has “a little hope” a special session won’t be needed. Some of his members, however, admitted they were preparing for the session to be extended.