The Spokesman-Review from Spokane, Washington • 13

rnq i Mwyiiny miiinnyii Vandals nearly derail Amtrak road tracks. The train crew spotted the truck on the tracks near Fairchild Air Force Base and started braking before the collision, said Ron Scolaro, chief administrative officer for Amtrak. We were expecting something gory but it wasnt," said Fire District 10 Fire Chief Monte Steinmetz. There was a lot mass confusion. Scolaro did not know how fast the train was going at the time of the crash but said, If they had been going 79 (mph)," the legal speed limit, they would have derailed.

The two engines and seven cars stayed on the tracks and flipped the truck over several times before the train stopped. The truck, used for welding and valued at $120,000, caught fire and was de By Kelly McBride Staff writer An Amtrak passenger train speeding across the West Plains early Wednesday morning slammed into a 2'A-ton truck apparently abandoned on the track by vandals starting a fire and causing thousands of dollars in property damage. The train did not derail and no one, including the 1 10 passengers, was injured in the crash. Im sure everybody on board got quite a jolt, said one Amtrak official who declined to give his name. It was to the crew's credit that it didnt derail.

Its miraculous that it didnt. The train had left Spokane, heading to Seattle, when the crash occurred. At about 3:20 a.m. the Amtrak train hit a Burlington Northern Railroad welding truck, which was abandoned on the rail stroyed, said Gus Melonas, a BN spokesman. Earlier in the night, vandals apparently burglarized a Burlington Northern Railroad maintenance facility behind the Air Force base.

The keys to the truck were inside the building. The vandals took the truck for a joy ride around the maintenance facility and then apparently got it stuck on the tracks, just west of a crossing. The crew working at the maintenance yard clocked out about 4 p.m., said Kenny Townsend, a yard superintendant in Spokane. The Amtrak engine sustained between $10,000 and $20,000 damage. Firefighters from Fairchild and Fire District 10 doused the fire, which was ignited by flying sparks.

Passengers were left on the train during the two-hour delay. Airport 4 miles o' Staff map I Fairchild balks at giving aid to dad in need Steve Smiths life right now is one big emergency. His wife of 22 years died of cancer last March. He must raise his three teenage daughters alone. And now the Clarkston High School teacher suffers from a bone disease that requires 30 daily treatments in a hyperbaric chamber a pressurized device that pumps extra oxygen into the body's cells.

Trouble is, the only hyperbaric chamber in the area is located at Fairchild Air Force Base. After that, you must go to Seattle or Portland hospitals to Find one. But Smith doesnt think it would be good to leave his daughters for a month. His hope is that Air Force officials will allow him to use the bases chamber so he can commute back and forth from home. Speaker of the House Tom Foley feels the same way.

But despite pressure from his office, U.S. Air Force bureaucrats have refused to help the teacher. His situation, they say, isnt enough of an emergency. Its been very frustrating, says Smith, who teaches agricultural science at the high school. My daughters have had a lot of hard times ever since their Mom died.

I just dont want to leave them alone. Smiths current need for a pressure chamber stems back to a malignant growth he had on his jaw 20 years ago. Radiation therapy killed the cancer, but also destroyed some of the bone. As a result, he has developed an open cavity inside his jaw that wont heal on its own. Breathing oxygen-rich, pressurized air will stimulate the growth of new tiny blood vessels called capillaries.

This will help his jaw heal after surgery. Its a shame the Air Force cant be a little more accommodating here. I get so frustrated with all the federal abuses of money, says Smiths boss, Clarkston High School principal Jim Poindexter. It would be nice to see them help out a local person like Steve. Civilians can be treated in a military facility if there is a clear life-threatening situation or if the person is approved as a secretarial designee by the Secretary of the Air Force.

Foley's office tried to get such an approval for Smith, but was denied in late July. Mr. Smiths care would involve six to seven medical personnel for more than three hours a day over the course of 30 treatments, wrote Lt. Col. John Madison, a member of the Congressional Inquiry Division in Washington D.C.

This would severely impact the bases ability to train students, maintain equipment and facilities and complete other ancillary functions. Based on chamber and staffing limitations, as well as the negative impact on the training mission, we regret that we are unable to provide Mr. Smith assistance But does giving Smith time in the chamber really represent that big of an inconvenience? Nathan Fahrer, who researched the case for Foley, didnt think so. Fahrer, in an August response to Madisons letter, pointed out that a Fairchild emergency room physician and a flight doctor told him Smith could easily be treated on the base. In addition, he wrote, they stated that the chamber is not in constant use and has considerable down time during which Mr.

Smith could receive treatment. Seattles Virginia Mason Medical Center, which has a hyperbaric chamber, uses a staff of four. A treatment for someone like Smith is a simple matter. Basically, he would sit and breathe for two hours inside the chamber. Maybe read a book.

Because of his otherwise good health, Smith could 'get by without a nurse, cutting the number of personnel down to three. Based on the concurring opinions of four different doctors as well as the statements by two active-duty Air Force personnel, wrote Fahrer to Madison, we find your position unacceptable. So do I. Steve Smith deserves a break. Terry Smiths cancer took over three years to kill her.

She died last spring, a few days after she watched her daughter, Sarah, play for Asotin High in the State Basketball Tournament in Spokane. It was a devasting blow to Smith and his girls. Weve gone to a counselor and its helped some, but having to leave them right now wouldnt be good," says the teacher. It wouldnt be good for them. It wouldnt be good for me.

Staff photo by Sandra Bancroft Billings STEADYING INFLUENCE. Fire District 8 EMT Frank Schade move her to a waiting ambulance Wednesday. Shoemaker's auto colltd-holds Rebecca Shoemakers head steady as his co-workers carefully ed with another vehicle at the intersection of Palouse Highway and 57th. Police investigate disappearance of murdered prostitutes friend Woman sentenced for role in robbery of elderly couple By Kara Briggs Staff writer A 19-y ear-old Deer Park native was sentenced to 15 months in prison for her role in the brutal robbery of an elderly couple who were regular customers for the Camp Fire candies she sold as a youth. Jennifer Dickison and her friends returned last April to a home where she once sold candy to the residents, kicked open the front door, woke up the sleeping couple and pointed a sawed-off shotgun in the husbands face, according to Stevens County Superior Court.

If it hadn't been for Jennifer they wouldnt have found us. Our home is extremely remote, said the 71 -year-old wife, who asked not to be identified. When they said it might be Jennifer, we said, No, we used to buy Camp Fire mints from her. We let her into our house alone to use the bathroom. My husband drove her to town when her car broke down.

But none of those elements was present April 10 when the homeowner, while looking out from under the pillow case over her head, spied the tall blonde woman. It was brutal, the homeowner said Wednesday. They threatened to kill us. They tied us so tightly that my arms were bleeding. Dickison pleaded guilty last week to first-degree burglary, and Stevens County Superior Court Judge Larry Kristianson sentenced her to 15 months in prison.

Please see ROBBERY: B5 Police are asking anyone with information about her whereabouts to call Crime Check at 456-2233. Norman, 25, occasionally stayed with Pleasant when she and her young daughter lived at Del-Mar Apartments on West Third. Pleasant was devastated by her friends death. She was like a little puppy. Shed latch onto someone and every time you turned around shed be there," Pleasant said.

I cant believe shes gone. Residents at the apartments said Norman used drugs and speculated she was killed over a bad drug deal. Clarence Frey, 41, charged with Normans death last month, is scheduled to be arraigned in court today. Detectives said murder charges may be filed against others in the case. Pleasant moved from the Del-Mar Apartments to the Merlin Apartments on West Second, but moved again about a month ago, said owner Don Barr.

By Jeanette White Stiff writer The close friend of a prostitute shot to death last spring is missing. Roseann Pleasant, 33, a prostitute, was last seen Sept. 29 at Ash and Nora after a friend dropped her off there, according to a statement issued by police Wednesday. Pleasant was a friend of Pamela Anne Norman, whose decomposed body was found face-down near Spangle Creek June 2. She had been shot in the head.

Police said it isnt typical for Pleasant to be away' from her family members this long without contacting them. She is black, 3 feet 9 inches tall and weighs about 143 pounds. She has short black hair and brown eyes. Pickets want to change school bus rules Markham said other neighborhoods need help too. Were not going to quit until we make all the parents happy, she said.

The group's Never Say Never" T-shirts refer to a comment on the issue made by a district official in a news story, she said. District transportation director Kathy Ely said she will estimate how many additional students would ride the bus if the district went to a one-mile limit. With that information, Ely will recommend that the school board add a one-mile alternate bid when the district bids a new contract for bus service. The current contract with Laid-law Transit expires after this school year. The expiration of the busing contract makes it possible to consider changing to a one-mile rule, Ely said.

We could have it ready to go next fall, she said. By Carla K. Johnson Staff writer With signs reading Two Miles is Absurd and 2 Miles 2 Far 4 Kids, parents seeking school bus service in their neighborhoods picketed Wednesday outside the Spokane School District building. Inside, district officials said they are working to provide bus service to the North Side neighborhood where most of the protesters live. District administrators are also studying whether to change the two-mile transportation limit for the entire district, said Assistant Superintendent Kay Frizzell.

Currently, children ride the school bus if they live two miles or more away from school. Exceptions to the two-mile rule are made in areas with hazardous walking conditions. The protesting parents call themselves the Concerned Parents, Association and claim about 20 members. They say two miles is too far for kids to walk to school, especially along busy streets like Francis Avenue or Monroe Street. In subfreezing weather, the parents would rather keep their children home from school than allow them to walk for 45 minutes, said parent Pam Lacey, whose daughter was asked to get off a school bus last' month after Lacey threatened to block the bus.

The parents, some of whom spoke at a school board meeting last month, were pleased the district is reviewing the two-mile rule. I think weve definitely gotten their attention, said parent Pam Markham, who helped organize Wednesdays picketing. Frizzell said the school board will be asked to declare Markhams neighborhood specifically the area east of Ash and north of Francis a hazardous walking zone for students bound for Salk Middle School. I Staff photo by Anna William Students dcmonstrsta outside the offices of the Spokane. School District on Wednesday to protest thedistricts busing policy.

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