SPOKANE – A 2-year-old boy was found cold but safe inside a van that also contained the body of his father, police said Friday.
The boy was cold but did not appear to be injured, police said.
His father, Jason Hanen-Bauer, 30, had driven from Montana to Spokane on Thursday to visit a friend. When he failed to show up, the friend called the man’s father in Bozeman and was told the two should have arrived, police said.
Employees noticed the van in the parking lot of a retail center Thursday night but did not investigate, police said. An employee went to the van Friday morning and tried to awaken the man, then called police.
The child was sitting in his father’s lap and told an officer, “Daddy’s sick,” police said.
Associated Press
Grandview: Chemical fire finally burns out
A chemical fire that burned for nearly two days finally went out on Friday, freeing authorities to allow some of the hundreds of evacuated residents to return home. State and federal authorities continued to monitor air quality in the area, said Lt. Jim Keightley, spokesman for the Washington State Patrol. “The fire is out. The building is gone,” Keightley said. Now, he said, the focus will be on conducting air and soil samples to ensure no residual chemicals have been left by the fire. The blaze sent up a plume of toxic smoke, and hundreds of people were evacuated when fog and clouds kept the smoke close to the ground.
Associated Press
Kirkland: Man pulls his wife from blaze
A couple in their 70s survived an early morning house fire after the husband was able to drag his wife to safety, said Robin Paster, Kirkland Fire Department spokeswoman.
Kirkland fire crews were called about 2:30 a.m. to the home of Raymond Jim and Agnes Fifer at 13599 108th Ave. NE. Fire poured out of windows on three sides of the home, firefighters said. The fire apparently started when a cigarette was accidentally dropped into a wastebasket, Paster said.
King County Journal
Bellingham: Lummi casino expansion begins
The Lummi Nation celebrated the ceremonial groundbreaking of its casino expansion on Thursday to the sound of drums and the chimes of video slot machines. The Silver Reef Casino dedication included the unveiling of early architectural plans for a planned hotel and additional casino space. At the start of the ceremony, the Tom family, descendants of Lummi spiritual leader Isadore Tom Sr., led participants through the casino while singing and beating on handmade drums. The hotel will have more than 100 rooms, a spa, an Asian restaurant and a meeting space. The casino will expand by 135,000 square feet and will include 125 additional video slot machines and two new gaming tables.
Bellingham Herald
Sequim: Folks flock to new Home Depot
About 2,500 people visited the new Home Depot store on Thursday, the first day the city’s newest large retailer was officially open. “It’s everything we expected – we’ve probably got everybody from Sequim here today,” manager Sam Schakromonov said. Company policy prevented Schakromonov from divulging the amount of business transacted during the day. “An average Home Depot will do about $100,000 a day in revenue at this time of the year,” he said.
Peninsula Daily News
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