In brief: Brush fire destroys outbuildings near Fairchild
A small brush fire swept through the 2400 block of North Chris Lane north of Fairchild Air Force Base Thursday afternoon, destroying a large outbuilding and small shed.
The fire was held to five acres and was 100 percent contained within a couple hours. Spokane County Fire District 10 Deputy Chief Robert Ladd said he was able to pull firefighters from the Fish Lake Fire.
“That was one thing that really helped us,” he said.
A small plane and a helicopter dropped water on the fire quickly. Crews were to remain on scene overnight to mop up hot spots.
District 10 was assisted by the Medical Lake Fire Department, Spokane County Fire District 5 and Fairchild Air Force Base Fire Department.
CdA renewal agency unveils new name
Coeur d’Alene’s urban renewal agency has changed its name and brand to “ignite cda.”
The new identity, with all lowercase letters, replaces the more formal Lake City Development Corp., or LCDC as it has been known for years.
The goal is to better connect with the community, the agency said Thursday.
“Research we commissioned in 2014 identified a significant shortfall in awareness of our agency’s role in the projects we have helped our community achieve,” said Denny Davis, chairman of the board.
Those include The Salvation Army Kroc Community Center, the Riverstone development, the higher education campus along Northwest Boulevard and the Coeur d’Alene Public Library. Despite its role in helping fund those high-profile projects, two-thirds of local survey participants had no awareness of LCDC, Robinson Research found last fall.
The new name was selected as a symbol of the energy the agency has helped create through its development projects, according to a news release.
Seattle charter school to stay open
SEATTLE – Washington’s first charter school, First Place, is on track to stay open for a second year.
The statewide Charter School Commission voted Thursday to not revoke the school’s charter, despite continuing concerns about the school’s financial situation.
At a meeting in Seattle, commissioners decided the school had made tremendous progress in improving its educational program, but had not fully answered all their concerns.
A motion to revoke the school’s charter failed on a vote of 4-3. But the commission planned to keep the Seattle school on probation for the immediate future.
Oregon birth control proposal advances
SALEM – A proposal permitting pharmacists to prescribe hormonal birth control is advancing through the Legislature.
The bill allows women to skip their doctor’s visit for a birth control prescription. A pharmacist could prescribe oral birth control or hormonal patches after she completes a 20-question risk-screening assessment.
It cleared a Senate panel Wednesday.
Lawmakers have given bipartisan support to the measure, but the Oregon Catholic Conference says they oppose it. They said they couldn’t support expanding access to contraception.
Last week, Oregon became the first state requiring insurance companies to cover up to 12 months of birth control at a time.
Bend Republican Rep. Knute Buehler said the two measures combined allow Oregon women to have the easiest access to birth control in the nation.
Man sentenced for clinic break-in
KALISPELL, Mont. – A judge has ordered a Columbia Falls man to spend five years in prison for breaking into a Kalispell abortion clinic and causing hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage.
District Judge Ted O. Lympus on Thursday sentenced 25-year-old Zachary Klundt to 20 years with 15 years suspended. Klundt pleaded guilty in April to burglary, theft and criminal mischief for the 2014 break-in at All Families Healthcare.
The clinic was the only one in the Flathead Valley that provided abortions. Owner Susan Cahill has not reopened the clinic since the break-in.
Lympus ordered Klundt to pay Cahill and the building’s owner $669,000.
Klundt described himself as “pro-life” at his April hearing, but told Cahill what he did does not reflect his values.