The Spokesman-Review from Spokane, Washington • 7

47 Tuesday, December 9, 1997 Page B3 Spokane, Wash. Coeur d'Alene, Idaho Northwest DiBartolo witness changes his story Girl dies i in accidental, shooting Moments later, man holding the gun commits suicide Park to collect insurance money and end his marriage. McNeal was supposed to testify he was with two men the night of the murder and heard one talk about shooting a woman earlier in the evening. In a hearing Monday afternoon without jurors present, McNeal this time only was asked what type of jackets the men in his car wore than night. He said one wore a Raiders coat, the other a Seahawks jacket.

Before the trial, McNeal had told investigators the man in back had worn a White Sox jacket. The other man that night, McNeal had earlier told investigators, said to the man in back: You didnt nave to shoot the bitch. Moreno had hoped that statement or at least the description of the White Sox jacket, would bolster DiBartolos chance of acquittal. DiBartolo, 43, has said he and his wife were Jurors wont hear testimony of man who disappeared before trial date By Tom Sowa Staff writer The minor drama that surfaced during Tom DiBartolos murder trial would jurors hear a witness say he knew the real killer of Patty DiBartolo ended with a whimper Monday. Witness Sam McNeal, who disappeared before testifying last week, came to court Monday, smiling and ready to talk.

But he never testified, after defense attorney Maryann Moreno learned McNeals recollection of the night Patty DiBartolo was murdered had changed in the past few months. Last week', McNeal failed to appear as a defense witness on behalf of Tom DiBartolo, accused of shooting his wife to death in Lincoln walking in Lincoln Park and were attacked by two men, one of whom wore a black coat with a White Sox emblem. DiBartolo said the man with the White Sox emblem took a handgun from their minivan in the park, killed his wife and wounded him during a struggle. But during Mondays hearing, McNeal insisted no one was wearing a White Sox jacket on Nov. 2, 1996.

Soon after, McNeal was leaving the courtroom and never came back as a witness. Also Monday, Spokane forensic pathologist Dr. George Lindholm told jurors he could not state with accuracy how long Patty DiBartolo had been dead before arriving at Sacred Heart Medical Center around 9:30 p.m. A doctor called as a prosecution witness said he thought, based on blood pooling in her body and carbon dioxide tests, that she had been dead 30-45 minutes by the time he saw her in the emergency room. Prosecutors say not only did DiBartolo kill his wife with a gunshot to the head, he waited several minutes before taking her to the hospital.

Later, 15-year-old Katrina DiBartolo, one of the couple's five children, told jurors she paged her father at 9:08 p.m., a time that helps support his account of what happened at Lincoln Park. She said she made the call from home feeling a moment of concern that someone might be prowling nearthe familys Medical Lake home. She said she remembered it was 9:08 because she looked at a microwave clock and was following an earlier suggestion by her father to always take note of when anything suspicious happened. Prosecutors say DiBartolo killed his wife shortly after 9 p.m. Newport will furl tattered flags, shelf nickname along with them By Adam Lynn Staff writer Breanna McMichael was working to overcome one tragedy when another struck her down Monday.

The 14-year-old Spokane Valley girl accidentally was shot to death inside her familys blue duplex in the 7400 block of East Euclid, sheriff deputies said. McMichael, who was raped by a carnival worker in March, stopped breathing Monday despite friends and neighbors efforts to save her. She died at a hospital less than an hour later, deputies said. The 18-year-old man who was handling the gun when it fired turned the weapon on himself moments after the shooting, committing suicide in a snowy alley about a block away. Deputies have, not released his name, pending notification of relatives.

The shooting occurred about 3:15 a.m. as McMichael, the 18-year-old man and several other people were sitting in the front room of the duplex, witnesses said. The 18-year-old apparently pulled a handgun out of his coat and was holding it when it fired, deputies said. It appears the pistol was being handled inappropriately, sheriff Lt. John Simmons said.

He didnt use proper gun-handling safety. The bullet hit McMichael in thg-stomach, deputies said. The man then ran out of the house. Deputies were on the scene 1 investigating when a shot rang out -about a block to the east. They ran to the alley to find the man dead.

McMichael recently was named student of the week at Spokane Valley High School, where she. was enrolled in a contract-based education program, said David Smith, superintendent of the West Valley School District. Id like to see them keep it, Leslie said. It kind of sets us off from the other towns. City Clerk-Treasurer Yvonne Doolittle said the council left the door open to reviving the flag theme, perhaps as a small cluster of flags that would be easier to maintain.

She noted that the trademark registration on the City of Flags logo on city stationery doesnt expire until spring. Councilwoman Marian Gerimonte, one of the dissenters in the vote to deep-six the flag theme, favors the scaled-down cluster idea. She agrees, though, that the present system cant continue. The upkeep was just more than anybody anticipated, Gerimonte said. The flags just seem to deteriorate something fierce.

Outgoing Mayor Kevin Murphy said hes ambivalent about the theme, which will soon be Mayor-elect Dee Opps problem. He encouraged the City' Council to ask residents for suggestions. If they can improve it somehow and make it a draw to bring people into town, fine, but I dont know if flags are really a draw, Murphy said. Its had some good points, but basically it has just gone downhill over the years. A group of teenagers wandering through town with one skateboard among them failed to see any tragedy in the demise of the flag theme.

Oh, so they are like blaming us or what? asked Ben Stark, 14. He came from Spokane to hang out with his friends in Newport, where they all insist theres nothing to do. What Newport needs more than flags, said Taylor Napolsky, 14, is a good skateboard park. City, of Skateboards. Hmm.

By John Craig Staff writer NEWPORT, Wash. Newport is giving up on its 10-year effort to join that elite club of cities with nicknames people remember. A good nickname says something about a city: the Eternal City, the City of Lights, the Big Apple, the Big Easy. A mediocre nickname at least says something about the foliage: the Emerald City, the Rose City, the Lilac City. Then theres the City of Flags.

You know: Newport. Some say it was always a dubious proposition that this old mining town could attract tourists by calling itself the City of Flags. Still, many think the late Christine Hodgkins had a nice idea when she won a contest to give the city an attention-getting theme. Dozens of state flags flapping from poles lining the sweeping curve of U.S. Highway 395 at the south end of town provided a splash of color.

Its just a neat sight when you come through town on a warm summer day and you see them lining the street, said Susan Hurst, a clerk at Newport Video. The trouble is, lack of maintenance threatened to make Newport the City of Rags. City officials worried that the faded banners would detract from a downtown renovation that will introduce 1920s-style street lamps. It looked like a Civil War battlefield. said City Councilman P.J.

Hillcstad, who recently persuaded the council to furl the tattered ensigns. The flags just look tacky. They haven't been taken care of in years. He said the city has been paying the Newport-Oldtown Chamber of Commerce John CraigThe Spokesman-Review The City of Flags flags. to maintain the flags, but the job' wasnt getting done.

In fact, no one has gotten around to implementing the City Councils 3-2 decision Nov. 18 to remove the flags. Even thieves and vandals wont take them, as they used to do with some regularity. Thats the problem, Chad Leslie said as he surveyed the frayed flags in front of the body shop where he works. Nobody wants to take care of them.

He wishes someone would, though. I g.h rhd4 From staff reports Briefly Maybe the big city could learn something from its little neighbor, Doug Clark says. Millwoods no Spokane, and they like that The Spokesman-Review ome woman in Bangor, Maine, tries to track down a document. A reporter in Boise wants information on a City Council meeting. A guy in Boston needs to talk to a zoning official.

These people havent met. The only thing they have in common is that whatever theyre after centers in the Spokane City Hall. So they dial 1-509-555-1212 and a phone company android gives them a number. Thats when the weirdness sets in. For reasons perhaps known only to Rod Serlings ghost, the number given these people and scores of others across the country connects them not with Spokanes governmental hub, but with the Millwood Town Hall.

Yes, Millwood, that dont-blink-or-youH-miss-it community of 1,700 people seven miles east of Spokane, This phone foolishness has been going on for months, say workers inside the citys folksy command center. It has brought an unexpected flash of chaos to an otherwise snoozy place. 1 Get a load of some actual recent Millwood calamities: An elderly resident called the Town Hall to get her hot water tank switched on. Another woman called in a panic about crows in her yard. A man accidently locked himself out of his home, Now, as many as five or six times a day, Im getting calls from people who think were Spokane, complains Eva Colomb, Millwoods city clerk and treasurer.

Well, I dont have time to take care of Spokanes problems. Ive got to take care of Mayberry here. Weve got dogs piddling on neighborhood shrubs: Eva is too polite to hang up on errant callers. She. instead grabs a telephone book and digs out the number of whatever Spokane department is requested.

Maybe I should start charging them a dollar for every number I look up, she says, Eva says shes talked to telephone supervisors in a vain effort solve this. It just cracks me up. Theyre one of the biggest companies in the world and all they can say is, Duh, I dont know. As proof of her frustration, she asked me for help. Trouble is, Im nearly as aggravated by telephone miscues as she is.

According to recent news reports, has been a wrong number factory ever since it began offering its own long-distance directory assistance two years ago. Maybe Millwood's problem is connected to that. Who knows? I recently tried to get a number for Metaline Falls. An operator assured me the town didnt exist. But Ive been there, protested.

Sorry, said the operator, Im showing no listings. Maybe Millwood should relax and enjoy being mistaken for a big city. The mail here bears a Spokane postmark, a result of the Millwood Post Office closing a couple years back. Bigger is not better, sniffs Millwoods three-term Mayor Jeanne Batson, whose father, I lorace, settled here in 1910. Goober and Barney would love Millwood.

Surrounded by Spokane Valley sprawl, it is a tidy pocket of modest homes and businesses. The Town 1 lall doesnt have Voice Mail. That alone makes me want to move there. Because Millwood is well-funded by taxes from a paper mill, the city provides many services like leaf removal or chasing away crows. The sewer and water systems are new.

Snow plowing is prompt. If theres a house for sale, its for sale about a week, Jeanne says. Somebody usually has to die before you can get into Millwood. I Imm. Maybe the plethora of wrong numbers in Millwood is a sign.

Are cosmic forces trying to tell us that Spokane would be better off in Millwood's hands? We could probably end the Lincoln Street bridge bickering over warm cinnamon rolls that Mayor Jeanne often sets on the pink Formica counter tops in the Millwood Town Hull kitchen. I never saw Spokane Mayor Jack Geraghty doing any baking. Sorry, Mayor Jeanne says at my suggestion. We dont want to be Spokane. We like being little Millwood.

Lakeland Litter Control A Pet SpayNeuter Vaccination Clinic Has opened its doors at 802 Main in Rathdrum. Surgery Is By Appointment Only Please help stop the pet overpopulation problem, by getting your pet sterilized, before any more littering occurs! APPOINTMENTS CAN BE MADE BY CALLING 687-4188 If you would like to view the facility and meet the staff, please feet free to stop by and introduce yourself. Sherron McKelvey, D.V.M. Twyla Mercil, L.V.T. Man sought in ferret deaths What would you do with $1.92 million per year, $160,000 per month, $36,923 per week, and $5,274 per day for the next 25 years? Play Wednesday's Powerball with an estimated jackpot of $48 million and find out! Wednesdays Tri-West Lotto jackpot will be an estimated $375,000.

Now thats a kick in the cash! It must be a winning streak! There was another Powerball attack at the Kwik Stop in Pocatello. Yet another lotto player won $5,000 by matching four white numbers and the powerball. Could you be next? lOTTfffvi.iPr)Tf iSPcBiHfDFVFOYT tFIfAV Tminspiv ANfKtNPAY vnf FVV fX A)C RFPANTv bftWFETwf SmOWN fOf Nr iMf hi UPsHf no- A lyf QUA 4 Ji. rY Police are searching for a 20-year-old Spokane man suspected of killing 87 ferrets at a north Spokane home. Lance A.

Seurer is wanted on eight felony counts of animal cruelty in the stubbing deaths of ferrets owned by Jean Smith, the Spokane Police Department said in a statement. Seurer was staying at Smiths home at the time of the killings, she Seurer said. Discover 12 costly misconceptions about wills and 9 dangerous estate planning mistakes when you join respected attorney Tom Prohaska for his unique, fact-tilled seminar How To Protect Your Assets Using A Living Trust 12 costly misconceptions about wills How to save your family thousands of dollars is probate costs and attorney's' fees How to reduce the time it takes to settle your estate from one year (or longer!) to just 2 weeks How to avoid expensive guardianships and conservatorships The best wav to help someone who is incapacitated How to keep judges and lawyers out of your personal affairs How to avoid a double probate if you own property in two states 10 dangers of owning property joint tenancy 9 dangerous estate planning mistakes Why form kits are hazardous to your estate plan's health The most effective way to keep heirs from quarreling over your assets How to set up an efficient estate plan that doesn't involve the courts How to avoid estate taxes as high as 55 How to keep your affairs private so they aren't spread over courthouse records How to greatly reduce stress on your spouse and family members 13 ways you beneht from a revocable living trust 8 potential problems with living trusts How to make sure you don't become a burden to your children 12 tough questions to ask before you hire an attorney and much more. You'll receive written matenals you can keen for reference. You can ask your individual questions." Plus you'll receive a free one-hour consultation with Tom Prohaska valued at $165.

Smith, who breeds the animals, left the house about 10 a.m. on Nov. 19 and returned around 1 p.m. to find most of her 139 ferrets dead or dying. An examination by Washington State University of eight ferrets determined they had been stabbed to death with a weapon similar to a syringe, police said.

The arrest warrants against Seurer are based on those examinations, police said. Sketches may lead to fraud suspect Police have released two composite sketches of a man or men believed to have bilked elderly Spokane and North Idaho women out of thousands of dollars in the past two years. Detectives are investigating 15 cases in which a man posing as a hank examiner or police officer phones the women. I le asks them to withdraw large sums of cash from their bank accounts to help in a theft investigation, Spokane Police Dot. Larry Evans said.

The women withdraw the money and are asked to deliver it to the man, who is usually on foot in the NorthTown Mall parking lot. No legitimate business ever asks customers for money in such a manner, Evans said. Anyone with information about these seams should call Crime Cheek at (5(19) 456-2233. Thomas F. Prohaska is an attorney at law with The Prohaska Law Firm.

He Saduated from the University of Idaho iw School in Moscow in 1988 with a Juris Doctor degree. Tom is a member of the Idaho, Arizona and District of Columbia Bar. He is a member of the Taxation, Probate and Trust Law Section of the Idaho State Bar; the Probate and Trust Law Section of the Arizona State Bar; the Estates, Trusts and Probate Law Section of the District of Columbia Bar; as well as the Real Property, Probate and Trust Law Section of the American Bar Association. In addition, Tom is a member of tire Coeur d'Alene Estate Planning Council, the Spokane Estate Planning Council, Central Arizona Estate Planning Council, and the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys. Mark your calendar now to attend! Coeur I lene Wednesday, December lllth, at 2 p.m.

and 7 p.m. Spokesman-Review Conterence Center 608 Northwest Blvd. Admission Is free nn (I seats ennnnt he reserved, sn please arrive early. If you lime ipiestions, ill mar d'Alene call 86 4-9228. In Sandpoint, call 265-4506.

In mil tna areas, call toll-free l-KX8-R7(M4tMI. Pitas tear out and iav this adlPlaslnvit your frioads to attnd with yo.