Northwest Briefly: Colville Reservation fire threatens homes

NESPELEM — A wildfire on the Colville Indian Reservation has burned more than 29 square miles of rugged land and sagebrush.

Fire information officer Cynthia Bork said about 20 homes and 40 outbuildings are in the vicinity. It’s burning 9 miles west of Nespelem between the Columbia River and Highway 155 in north-central Washington.

No one has been evacuated, no structures have been lost and no injuries have been reported.

There’s no word on what started the fire Thursday. It spread rapidly through grass, brush and some timber.

About 200 firefighters have been building fire lines and water has been dropped from a couple of air tankers and a half-dozen helicopters.

Seattle: Auburn woman accused of shooting neighbor’s dog

An Auburn woman accused of shooting a neighbor’s dog because it barked too much has been charged with animal cruelty.

The 46-year-old woman, Denise J. Leahy, was charged Thursday by King County prosecutors and jailed on $50,000 bail. She’ll be arraigned Aug. 20.

The owner of the dog, a mastiff named Taz, returned home on the Fourth of July and found it fatally wounded in a pool of blood.

Olympia: State raises camping fees in Washington parks

The Washington Parks and Recreation Commission has voted to raise fees for camping in state parks, beginning in November.

Commission spokeswoman Virginia Painter says the cost for campsites will go up by $1 per night. Campsites currently cost $17 to $22 per night, or $23 to $31 for sites with electrical hookups.

Rental fee for yurts, cabins and houses and other structures the state park system rents out will also go up.

Painter said the commission approved the increases on Friday to cover increasing costs. She said 27 percent of the state parks and recreation budget comes from user fees.

Kent: Man wounded in police shooting

A 24-year-old Bonney Lake man was wounded in Kent after police opened fire.

Kent Fire Department spokesman Kyle Ohashi says the shooting happened about 3:10 p.m. Friday. He says the wounded man was taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle and is expected to survive.

Officers reportedly were trying to arrest the man, who they say led them on a chase a week ago after a routine traffic stop. At the time, police called off the chase when it became too dangerous.

When they tried to arrest him Friday, he reportedly became violent and two officers fired their guns.

It’s not immediately known how many shots were fired, or whether the man was armed.

His name was not immediately released.

Associated Press

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