Published: Monday, August 16, 2010
Northwest briefly: 2 troopers hurt in crash
TACOMA -- The Washington State Patrol said two of its troopers were injured when a car struck their motorcycles in Pierce County near Mount Rainier.
The patrol said troopers Tony Brock and Willie Boxhorn were taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle after the Saturday morning accident. They are reported in stable condition.
Officials say the officers were riding in tandem when they collided with a turning car at the intersection of Alder Cutoff Road and State Route 7. The 72-year-old driver of the car was treated at Good Samaritan Hospital in Puyallup and released.
Wenatchee: Large apple crop predicted
Washington state apple growers say this year's crop could approach a record.
The Wenatchee World reported that growers' associations forecast the 2010 fresh apple crop at about 108.8 million boxes -- just shy of the record-breaking crop of 109 million in 2008.
Nationally, the total crop is expected to be down from last year, which should help Washington growers sell their large crop. And on the international market, Washington may benefit from lower-than-usual European crop estimates and poor weather than may have affected China's crop.
Chimacum: Toads head for the woods
Millions of dime-size toads are hopping on Washington's Olympic Peninsula, heading for the woods.
The tiny Western toads are leaving their lake and wetland nurseries to migrate to forests. It's what the toads do after becoming ex-pollywogs. The toads are found throughout the West, but the Peninsula Daily News said they are blanketing the shoreline at Anderson Lake, a state park south of Port Townsend.
Park ranger Mike Zimmerman estimates there are at least a million of the amphibians, more than he's seen in the 14 years he's been at the park.
Spokane: River channel going dry
The Spokane River's north channel through downtown Spokane will be shut off Sunday evening as Avista works to remove rock and sediment from the river bed.
The Spokesman-Review said the utility needs to perform tests on the river bed to meet license requirements. It can control the flow of the river through diversion dams.
Avista said the work will help improve fish habitat, water quality and the appearance of the river.
The closure is to last three weeks, with intermittent flows. Avista warns people to stay out of the channel, which could suddenly fill with water if something happens upstream.
From Herald news services
Pasco: Low-income housing concerns
Hundreds of low-income families are finding it tough to find a place to rent in the Tri-Cities.
The Tri-City Herald reported that apartment occupancy is more than 98 percent. Kennewick Housing Authority executive director Karlene Navarre said that has low-income people competing against people with high incomes for places to live.
Her agency has 64 families with federal housing vouchers looking for rentals -- and 780 families on a waiting list. Agencies for Franklin and Benton counties say they have similar problems and likewise have long waiting lists.
Idaho: Runner struck by car dies
A motorist crossed over the center lane of a northern Idaho highway, killing a Washington state woman riding a bicycle and injuring a 17-year-old girl who was running a relay race Saturday morning, the Idaho State Police said.
Police said 46-year-old Patricia A. Lambie of Greenacres, Wash., died in the collision on U.S. Highway 41 near Blanchard in northern Idaho.
Police did not give the girl's name or injuries. She was covering a portion of the Spokane to Sandpoint team foot race, a 185-mile route that starts in Washington state and ends in Idaho. Lambie was riding her bicycle as support crew for the race.
Police said the driver of the vehicle, 31-year-old Bowden S. Kahuhu of Newport, Wash., was not injured and faces a manslaughter charge.
Police say Lambie and the girl were on the west shoulder when Kahuhu crossed over the center line into the opposing lane and onto the shoulder, hitting the two.
Police say both Lambie and the girl were wearing reflective gear when they were hit at about 6:30 a.m.
Alaska: Survivor of plane crash released
An Anchorage hospital has released one of the four people who survived a plane crash that killed former U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens and four others.
A Providence Alaska Medical Center spokeswoman said 13-year-old Willy Phillips Jr. has been released. He is the son of lobbyist Bill Phillips, who died in the Aug. 9 crash north of Dillingham.
It's unclear when the teen was released.
Spokeswoman Kirsten Schultz said lobbyist Jim Morhard remains hospitalized in fair condition.
She said the family of the other two survivors -- NASA head Sean O'Keefe and his son, Kevin O'Keefe -- has asked that their condition not be released.
O'Keefe was listed in serious condition Saturday and his son was in fair condition.
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the crash.
From Herald news services
The patrol said troopers Tony Brock and Willie Boxhorn were taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle after the Saturday morning accident. They are reported in stable condition.
Officials say the officers were riding in tandem when they collided with a turning car at the intersection of Alder Cutoff Road and State Route 7. The 72-year-old driver of the car was treated at Good Samaritan Hospital in Puyallup and released.
Wenatchee: Large apple crop predicted
Washington state apple growers say this year's crop could approach a record.
The Wenatchee World reported that growers' associations forecast the 2010 fresh apple crop at about 108.8 million boxes -- just shy of the record-breaking crop of 109 million in 2008.
Nationally, the total crop is expected to be down from last year, which should help Washington growers sell their large crop. And on the international market, Washington may benefit from lower-than-usual European crop estimates and poor weather than may have affected China's crop.
Chimacum: Toads head for the woods
Millions of dime-size toads are hopping on Washington's Olympic Peninsula, heading for the woods.
The tiny Western toads are leaving their lake and wetland nurseries to migrate to forests. It's what the toads do after becoming ex-pollywogs. The toads are found throughout the West, but the Peninsula Daily News said they are blanketing the shoreline at Anderson Lake, a state park south of Port Townsend.
Park ranger Mike Zimmerman estimates there are at least a million of the amphibians, more than he's seen in the 14 years he's been at the park.
Spokane: River channel going dry
The Spokane River's north channel through downtown Spokane will be shut off Sunday evening as Avista works to remove rock and sediment from the river bed.
The Spokesman-Review said the utility needs to perform tests on the river bed to meet license requirements. It can control the flow of the river through diversion dams.
Avista said the work will help improve fish habitat, water quality and the appearance of the river.
The closure is to last three weeks, with intermittent flows. Avista warns people to stay out of the channel, which could suddenly fill with water if something happens upstream.
From Herald news services
Pasco: Low-income housing concerns
Hundreds of low-income families are finding it tough to find a place to rent in the Tri-Cities.
The Tri-City Herald reported that apartment occupancy is more than 98 percent. Kennewick Housing Authority executive director Karlene Navarre said that has low-income people competing against people with high incomes for places to live.
Her agency has 64 families with federal housing vouchers looking for rentals -- and 780 families on a waiting list. Agencies for Franklin and Benton counties say they have similar problems and likewise have long waiting lists.
Idaho: Runner struck by car dies
A motorist crossed over the center lane of a northern Idaho highway, killing a Washington state woman riding a bicycle and injuring a 17-year-old girl who was running a relay race Saturday morning, the Idaho State Police said.
Police said 46-year-old Patricia A. Lambie of Greenacres, Wash., died in the collision on U.S. Highway 41 near Blanchard in northern Idaho.
Police did not give the girl's name or injuries. She was covering a portion of the Spokane to Sandpoint team foot race, a 185-mile route that starts in Washington state and ends in Idaho. Lambie was riding her bicycle as support crew for the race.
Police said the driver of the vehicle, 31-year-old Bowden S. Kahuhu of Newport, Wash., was not injured and faces a manslaughter charge.
Police say Lambie and the girl were on the west shoulder when Kahuhu crossed over the center line into the opposing lane and onto the shoulder, hitting the two.
Police say both Lambie and the girl were wearing reflective gear when they were hit at about 6:30 a.m.
Alaska: Survivor of plane crash released
An Anchorage hospital has released one of the four people who survived a plane crash that killed former U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens and four others.
A Providence Alaska Medical Center spokeswoman said 13-year-old Willy Phillips Jr. has been released. He is the son of lobbyist Bill Phillips, who died in the Aug. 9 crash north of Dillingham.
It's unclear when the teen was released.
Spokeswoman Kirsten Schultz said lobbyist Jim Morhard remains hospitalized in fair condition.
She said the family of the other two survivors -- NASA head Sean O'Keefe and his son, Kevin O'Keefe -- has asked that their condition not be released.
O'Keefe was listed in serious condition Saturday and his son was in fair condition.
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the crash.
From Herald news services
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