In brief: Gonzaga’s Martin picked as Drake University president

An administrator at Gonzaga University will become the next president at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa.

Earl F. Martin, Gonzaga’s executive vice president, will become the 13th president at Drake in July.

At Gonzaga, Martin has provided administrative and operational oversight since 2010. He also served as academic vice president and dean of Gonzaga’s School of Law during his tenure at the university.

Martin also has served as chairman of Spokane’s Use of Force Commission.

Martin joins Drake as the school works to advance STEM initiatives and complete a $200 million fundraising campaign.

Associated Press

Grocery manager claims woman bit him

A shoplifting suspect sent a grocery store manager to the hospital when she allegedly bit him after returning several stolen packages of meat.

Tabitha S. Brown, 24, also told a responding officer she had MRSA, or methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, which can cause abscesses and, more rarely, life-threatening infections, according to police.

The manager told police he saw Brown leave the Rosauers store at 907 W. 14th Ave. on Sunday without paying for a package of shrimp and two steaks. According to court documents, he followed her outside and asked her to return the packages.

The manager said she eventually handed him the meat, but refused to come inside the store to discuss the theft. When he took her arm and tried to bring her back inside, she bit his arm hard enough to cause bleeding, according to court records.

Rachel Alexander

Fish consumption rule tied to measure

SEATTLE – The state Department of Ecology has proposed a draft water-quality rule tied to how much fish people eat, but its adoption may depend on whether lawmakers are willing to give the agency new authority to ban certain toxic chemicals to prevent water pollution.

The draft released Monday came after two years of debate pitting tribes and environmental groups against businesses and municipalities over the issue of how clean state waters should be.

Federal law requires rivers and other water bodies to be clean enough so people can safely swim and eat fish from those waters.

Monday’s proposed rule dramatically raises the current fish-consumption rate to 175 grams a day, which would protect people who eat about a serving of fish a day. It’s in line with a plan that Gov. Jay Inslee outlined last summer.

The state is under pressure to finalize a rule this year. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which must approve any state plan, also is coming up with a plan for Washington in case the state fails to do so.

As part of his plan to improve water quality, Inslee is seeking support for new legislation aimed at reducing toxic pollution at its source, before it enters state waters. Under the proposal, Ecology would identify chemicals that are most problematic and ban their use if safer alternatives are found.

Associated Press