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WILDFIRE-LAWSUIT
Idaho sues timber company over N. Idaho wildfire
(Information in the following story is from: Lewiston Tribune, http://www.lmtribune.com)
LEWISTON, Idaho (AP) — Idaho officials have filed a lawsuit against a timber company and its contractor contending they're responsible for a wildfire that killed a 20-year-old Forest Service firefighter and burned more than 300 acres in northern Idaho.
The Lewiston Tribune reports the state filed the lawsuit Monday in 2nd District Court seeking an unspecified amount in monetary damages for costs in fighting the fire.
Anne Veseth of Moscow died Aug. 12, 2012, after being struck and killed by a falling tree while fighting the Steep Corner Fire near Orofino.
The lawsuit names Potlatch Land and Lumber, Potlatch Forest Holdings, Clearwater Paper Corp., Potlatch Corp., and DABCO Inc., a Kamiah-based logging contractor.
Idaho officials contend a logging crew started the fire using equipment that didn't meet Forest Service standards required by law.
CHILD INJURY
S. Idaho man charged with injuring infant
(Information in the following story is from: The Times-News, http://www.magicvalley.com)
TWIN FALLS, Idaho (AP) — A south-central Idaho man accused of fracturing a 4-month-old boy's skull by shaking him has been charged with two felony counts of injury to a child.
The Times-News reports that 25-year-old Robert Wayne Welch of Twin Falls was charged Monday in 5th District court.
Doctors say the infant also suffered severe malnutrition and will likely have permanent brain damage and developmental complications.
Authorities say the boy weighed 8 pounds and sustained the fracture to his skull probably one or two months before being examined by doctors.
Welch has denied any wrongdoing. He's being held in the Twin Falls County Jail on $100,000 bail.
LUNAR ECLIPSE-ARRESTS
Men arrested after eclipse viewers report threats
(Information in the following story is from: Idaho State Journal, http://www.journalnet.com)
POCATELLO, Idaho (AP) — Two eastern Idaho men police say threatened several residents who stayed up late to watch the recent lunar eclipse face charges.
The Idaho State Journal reports that 23-year-old Brian Andrew Beach and 23-year-old Mark Stephen Jackson are charged with one count each of resisting and obstructing.
Police in Pocatello say they were called to a home at about 1 a.m. Tuesday where residents told officers the two men harassed them and said they'd return with guns.
Police say Beach and Jackson then appeared again but failed to follow police instructions and ran away in opposite directions.
Both men were taken into custody and incarcerated at the Bannock County Jail.
Neither was listed on the jail's roster on Wednesday.
KIDNAPPING-SENTENCE
N. Idaho kidnapper gets life sentence
(Information in the following story is from: Coeur d'Alene Press, http://www.cdapress.com)
COEUR D'ALENE, Idaho (AP) — A 58-year-old homeless man who kidnapped a Rathdrum woman in northern Idaho has been sentenced to life in prison.
The Coeur d'Alene Press reports that Mitchell Lee Walck received the sentence Tuesday in 1st District Court and must serve 20 years before being eligible for parole.
Walck in February pleaded guilty to robbery, second-degree kidnapping and aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer.
In late 2012 Walck shot at Idaho police and eluded them during a car chase. He kidnapped a northern Idaho woman, using her vehicle, and traveled to Montana, where he released her unharmed.
He was taken into custody in North Dakota after pulling a gun on a trucker and being found hiding in a tractor-trailer.
He received a 10-year sentence for his crimes in North Dakota.
IDAHO SOS RACE-ENDORSEMENT
Labrador endorses Denney for secretary of state
BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Republican Rep. Raul Labrador of Idaho has endorsed Midvale Rep. Lawerence Denney to be Idaho secretary of state.
Labrador made the endorsement Tuesday in Boise.
Labrador cited Denney's business and political experience as well as his dedication to conservative principles and fair elections.
Idaho State Treasurer Ron Crane also endorsed Denney on Tuesday.
The race for the GOP nomination is already crowded, with Ada County Chief Deputy Clerk Phil McGrane and former state senators Evan Frasure and Mitch Toryanski running. Boise Rep. Holli Woodings is the only Democrat vying for the post.
Idaho's secretary of state is the top election official, responsible for keeping track of campaigns and lobbyists. The secretary of state also holds a seat on the Idaho Land Board.
SPJ-SIGMA DELTA CHI AWARD
AP reporter Rebecca Boone wins industry award
BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Associated Press reporter Rebecca Boone has won a national Sigma Delta Chi Award for excellence in public service journalism for a series of stories covering understaffing at Idaho's largest prison.
Boone's investigation revealed that private prison company Corrections Corporation of America falsified staffing records in violation of the company's $29-million-a-year state contract. She also examined how the state missed warning signs of problems at the prison despite increased oversight of CCA's operations.
The fallout from the investigation prompted Idaho to sever its relationship with CCA and take control of the prison, and the FBI to launch an investigation into whether CCA committed fraud.
The Society of Professional Journalists announced the Sigma Delta Chi winners on Wednesday.
SUSPECT ESCAPES-ACCOMPLICE
Man charged with aiding escape arrested
(Information in the following story is from: Bozeman Daily Chronicle, http://www.bozemandailychronicle.com)
BOZEMAN, Mont. (AP) — A Montana man charged with driving the suspect in an assault and attempted rape to Missoula after he escaped police custody in Bozeman has been arrested.
The Bozeman Daily Chronicle reports 29-year-old William Michael Smith of Bozeman was arrested Tuesday by police in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. He remained jailed there on Wednesday.
Smith was one of five people charged Monday with obstruction of justice for aiding Kevin Briggs after his Feb. 1 escape. Briggs was arrested Feb. 21 in Portland, Ore.
Gallatin County Attorney Marty Lambert said Smith was in custody in Bozeman from Feb. 6 to March 20, when he was returned to Shoshone County in Idaho on a warrant alleging he violated his probation in a drug case. He was released from jail in Wallace on April 8. A $100,000 warrant was issued for Smith's arrest.
CALIFORNIA WOLF-LISTING
California delays decision on protecting gray wolf
FRESNO, Calif. (AP) — A state board says it needs more time to hear from the public before deciding whether to list gray wolves as an endangered species in California.
The California Fish and Game Commission voted Wednesday to delay a decision by 90 days on whether to grant legal protections to the species that's showing signs of a comeback after being killed off in the 1920s.
State Department of Fish and Wildlife Director Chuck Bonham says he doesn't support the listing because there haven't been wolves in California for decades and there's no scientific basis to consider them endangered. He supports other conservation efforts.
A renewed interest by advocates to protect the species started in 2011, when a lone wolf from Oregon was tracked crossing into California. Ranchers oppose protections, saying wolves threaten their livestock.
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