News Briefs

Ice Age Floods lecture and field trip looks at outburst

Did a collapse of an Ice Age glacial lobe cause a massive flood that inundated the Spokane Valley area and buried it in sand and gravel up to 700 feet thick?

A lecture May 6 and field trip May 7 sponsored by the Cheney/Spokane Chapter of the Ice Age Floods Institute will examine that question in detail. The lecture, “Spokane Before, During and After Glacial Lake Missoula Outburst Megaflood,” by former Eastern Washington University geology professor Mike B. McCollum will provide the background for that question.

McCollum will discuss the geology that attracted settlers to live along the Spokane River near its falls, and whether a catastrophic collapse of the Purcell Trench lobe restraining glacial Lake Missoula caused an outburst flood that filled Glacial Lake Columbia with sand and granule gravel to a thickness of up to 700 feet. 

The lecture is Friday, May 6, from 7 – 9 p.m. at Spokane Community College’s Lair Auditorium in building six and is free and open to the public.

The field trip is Saturday, May 7, from 7:30 a.m. – 6 p.m. within and around the Spokane area, stopping for lunch at Arbor Crest Winery. Four expert leaders will narrate along the way.

A short lecture and raffle drawing will occur while at Arbor Crest. No individual under the age of 21 is permitted on this field trip.

Access the registration form at http://www.iafi.org/Events for specific details and then fill out the registration form and mail it to reserve your seat on one of the two chartered, deluxe buses.

Airway Heights community clean up day Saturday, May 7

The city of Airway Heights is helping residents get ready for warm weather by disposing of loose and unwanted household debris along with garden and yard waste.

This Saturday, May 7, from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m., Parks and Recreation Department staff and volunteers from the Heights Church will be helping residents unload vehicles into designated dumping receptacles at Sunset and Shorty Combs parks. The city is accepting trimmed branches less than 2 inches in diameter and less than 6-feet in length, tree leaves, pinecones and needles, grass clippings and thatch along with garden vegetation.

The city is also accepting general household debris. What are not being accepted are dirt, sod, rocks and untrimmed tree branches and limbs.

Also not allowed are hazardous materials such as batteries and oil, along with furniture, motors, appliances, transmissions and vehicle body parts.

Two injured in one-car rollover at Interstate 90/Salnave exit

Two Spokane Valley residents were injured in a one-car rollover accident that took place late Sunday night at the Interstate 90/Salnave Road exit.

According to the Washington State Patrol press memo, at approximately 11:30 p.m., a black, 2005 KIA Spectra driven by Ian S. Almberg, 25, was traveling eastbound on I-90 approaching exit 264 at a high rate of speed. The KIA attempted to leave the interstate at the exit but failed to negotiate the off ramp, rolled and came to rest down an embankment.

Both Almberg and his passenger, 20-year-old, Kelsee F. Anderson, were injured and transported to Sacred Heart Medical Center. The vehicle was totaled, and while the accident is still under investigation, the State Patrol is charging Almberg with vehicular assault.

Cheney Police discontinue Monthly Accountability Report

The Cheney Police Department has discontinued publishing its Monthly Accountability Report that details crime activity in the city.

The report, which the department began releasing over 10 years ago under then-Police Chief Jeff Sale, not only detailed criminal activity but also provided a monthly look at other aspects of law enforcement such as investigations, communications activity and finances. Police Chief John Hensley said in an email the report was being discontinued for a number of reasons.

Compiling the information is “labor intensive” requiring the time of four officers, Hensley said. At times, information in the report has conflicted with similar numbers run by other departments.

Hensley said his policing philosophy is “about customer service and quality police work,” rather than gathering statistics, and his officers have told him they feel the MAR conflicts with this approach. A year-end report will still be prepared each January.