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from The Spokesman-Review
The big dig-out: New England, NY slammed with snow
Jay Lindsay Associated Press
The Associated Press
Law enforcement on lookout throughout region
Greg Risling Associated Press
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Thief steals from 10-year-old Camp Fire girl
Several witnesses, Safeway employees cover loss with donations
Chelsea Bannach The Spokesman-Review
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Fifth-grade Colville boys accused of plotting to kill peers
Thomas Clouse The Spokesman-Review
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Horse meat scandal widens
Henry Chu Los Angeles Times
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Paul will give response to State of Union
Lisa Mascaro McClatchy-Tribune
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Senators seek accord on gun background checks
Group includes longtime supporters of NRA
Alan Fram Associated Press
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Kerry: U.S. mulling Syria plan
Secretary sidesteps question about arming rebels
Bradley Klapper Associated Press
Los Angeles Times
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Tunisia buries politician as instability grows worse
Bouazza Ben Bouazza Associated Press
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Fashion show in Kabul aims to break barriers
Amir Shah Associated Press
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Ohio Amish beard-cutting ringleader gets 15 years
Judge says attacks were violation of Constitution
Associated Press
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Hundreds rally for guns in Olympia
Lawmaker says mental health, school safety must be focus
Jim Camden The Spokesman-Review
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Bill eases autopsy disclosures
Senate-sponsored measure covers police-involved deaths
Jim Camden The Spokesman-Review
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State of the City speech calls for making Spokane the ‘city of choice’
Jonathan Brunt The Spokesman-Review
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In brief: From Wire Reports:
Houston – Turns out even former presidents can fall prey to hackers.
A mysterious email hacker apparently accessed private photos and messages sent between members of the Bush family, including both retired commanders in chief.
The Secret Service is investigating the breach, which appeared to yield little more than a few snapshots and some family discussions. But the incident illustrated how easily hackers can pry into private lives, even those of one of the nation’s most prominent and closely guarded political clans.
Kerry pledges fair review of pipeline
Washington – Secretary of State John Kerry on Friday promised a “fair and transparent” review of a Canadian company’s plan to pipe oil from western Canada to refineries in Texas.
In his first comments about the controversial Keystone XL pipeline since becoming secretary of state, Kerry said he is waiting for a review begun by his predecessor, Hillary Rodham Clinton, and hopes to make a decision in the “near term.” The State Department has jurisdiction over the $7 billion pipeline because it crosses an international border.
Kerry, who met with Canadian Foreign Minister John Baird on Friday, praised Canada as a close ally and the largest supplier of energy to the U.S. He declined to comment on the pipeline’s merits, but he said the review process begun under Clinton is well under way.
Suicide bomber targets checkpoint
Gao, Mali – A suicide bomber blew himself up at a military checkpoint outside the northern Mali city of Gao on Friday, in the first sign that al-Qaida-linked militias may be adopting new tactics since being driven back by a French-led invasion.
A man on a motorcycle approached a group of soldiers at a military checkpoint and detonated explosives, according to a military officer contacted by the Los Angeles Times. The attack was confirmed by Gao Mayor Sadou Diallo.
The bomber died and one Malian soldier was injured.
An al-Qaida-allied militia, the Movement for Unity and Jihad in West Africa, or MUJAO, claimed responsibility for the attack, news agencies reported, and it vowed to carry out more.
Mob tortures, immolates woman
Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea – A mob stripped, tortured and bound a woman accused of witchcraft, then burned her alive in front of hundreds of horrified witnesses in a Papua New Guinea town, police said. It was the latest sorcery-related killing in this South Pacific island nation.
Bystanders, including many children, watched and some took photographs of Wednesday’s brutal slaying. Grisly pictures were published on the front pages of the country’s two largest newspapers, while the prime minister, police and diplomats condemned the killing.
In rural Papua New Guinea, witchcraft is often blamed for unexplained misfortunes.
Kepari Leniata, a 20-year-old mother, had been accused of sorcery by relatives of a 6-year-old boy who died in a hospital on Tuesday.
Google exec to sell 40 percent of stock
Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt plans to sell more than 40 percent of his stock in the Internet search leader this year.
The plan disclosed Friday calls for Schmidt to sell up to 3.2 million shares. If he were to sell all that stock at Google’s current price, Schmidt would realize a $2.5 billion windfall.
Schmidt ended December with 7.6 million Google shares, or a 2.3 percent stake in the Mountain View, Calif., company.
Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin are the only company executives who own more stock than Schmidt. Page controls an 8.7 percent stake and Brin holds an 8.5 percent stake.
The 57-year-old Schmidt was Google’s CEO for a decade before turning over the job to Page in April 2011.
Major shareholder balks at deal to sell Dell
SAN FRANCISCO – Dell Inc.’s decision to sell itself for $24.4 billion to a group led by its founder and CEO is being ridiculed as a rotten deal by a major shareholder who estimates the slumping personal computer maker is really worth $42 billion.
In a letter to Dell’s board of directors, Southeastern CEO O. Mason Hawkins threatened to lead a shareholder mutiny unless the company came up with an alternative to the deal announced earlier this week.
Under Dell’s proposal, Southeastern and other stockholders will be paid $13.65 per share to leave the company in control of Michael Dell, who founded the business in his University of Texas dorm room in 1984.
Hawkins derided the price of the proposed sale as “woefully inadequate” and laid out a scenario that values Dell at $23.72 per share, or about $42 billion.
Southeastern would lose about $270 million on its Dell holdings if the company is sold at $13.65 per share.
Coffee rust brews farming emergency
GUATEMALA CITY – Guatemala’s president has declared a national emergency over the spread of coffee rust, a fungus that is affecting 70 percent of the country’s crop.
President Otto Molina Perez also has ordered the release of more than $14 million to aid coffee growers.
He says the funds are aimed at helping 60,000 small farmers to buy pesticides and to teach them how to prevent the disease and stop it from spreading.
Coffee rust is currently affecting plantations in Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras and Costa Rica.
Bolivar to be devalued after Carnival
CARACAS, Venezuela – Venezuela’s government announced Friday that it is devaluing the country’s currency, a long-anticipated change expected to push up prices in the heavily import-reliant economy.
Officials said the fixed exchange rate is changing from 4.30 bolivars to the dollar to 6.30 bolivars to the dollar.
The devaluation had been widely expected by analysts in recent months.
It was the first devaluation to be announced by Hugo Chavez’s government since 2010, and it brought down the official value of the bolivar by 46.5 percent against the dollar. By boosting the bolivar value of Venezuela’s dollar-denominated oil sales, the change is expected to help alleviate a difficult budget outlook for the government, which has turned increasingly to borrowing to meet its spending obligations.
Planning and Finance Minister Jorge Giordani said the new rate will take effect Wednesday, after the two-day holiday of Carnival.
Schweitzers donate $1 million to Boy Scouts camp in Idaho
Ed and Beatriz Schweitzer, founders of Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories Inc., have donated $1 million to upgrade Camp Grizzly, a Boy Scouts camp near Potlatch, Idaho.
The money will be used to build a new shower and restroom facility, an environmental education center, a leadership and training lodge, a new maintenance and storage building and to make dining hall improvements, according to the Inland Northwest Council of Boy Scouts.
Camp Grizzly, 12 miles east of Potlatch, is celebrating its 75th year this summer. Nearly 1,000 scouts are registered to attend camps this summer, the news release said.
Schweitzer Engineering Labs was started in 1982 by Ed Schweitzer, a former Washington State University professor. The Pullman company provides products and services to electric utilities and large commercial and industrial customers.
Allegiant sets fares for Honolulu flights
Allegiant Air announced introductory fares of $140 each way for its weekly flights between Spokane to Honolulu.
Tickets must be purchased by Feb. 16 for travel by Aug. 15.
The airline specializes in serving smaller cities like Spokane.
The Honolulu flights will depart Spokane International Airport at 8 a.m. on Saturdays, and arrive on Oahu at 12:30 p.m. The return flights are Fridays arriving in Spokane at 7 p.m.
Man in fight died of head injury
A Spokane man killed in Sandpoint this week died of blunt force trauma to the head during a fight, KHQ television is reporting.
The Bonner County deputy coroner told KHQ that Alberto Tuinzing, 36, got into an argument with Anthony Viola, 25.
Tuinzing is suspected of drawing his gun. Viola was shot in the arm. Tuinzing hit his head on the ground and died.
Sandpoint police have not yet labeled the case a homicide or self-defense.
Trade deficit plunges
Gap hits three-year low, largely in energy sector
Christopher S. Rugaber Associated Press
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Labor drop pushes immigrant reform
Farmers pin hopes on Congress’ latest effort
Ricardo Lopez Los Angeles Times
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Weightlifter charged in steroid case
Chelsea Bannach The Spokesman-Review
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Jim Kershner’s this day in history
Runaway Burke ore train
Jim Kershner The Spokesman-Review
GOP should stand firm on cuts
Charles Krauthammer
Jim Kershner The Spokesman-Review
GOP should stand firm on cuts
Charles Krauthammer
California success irks right
Froma Harrop
Froma Harrop
Leave artifacts where they lie
Chief Allan
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First, he’d like to raise a banner
Gebbers plans to bring up daughter back on Brewster farm
Jim Allen The Spokesman-Review
Ex-congressman defends saying UM recruited ‘thugs’
Associated Press
Chief Allan
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First, he’d like to raise a banner
Gebbers plans to bring up daughter back on Brewster farm
Jim Allen The Spokesman-Review
Ex-WSU coach Sweeney, 83, dies
Coached Cougars football 1968-75
Coached Cougars football 1968-75
Associated Press
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Lifestyle changes may help BPH
Anthony L. Komaroff Universal Uclick
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