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Becky Kramer

Becky Kramer is a reporter for The Spokesman-Review in the Idaho department. She covers environment and natural resource issues.

How to contact Becky

Email: beckyk@spokesman.com
Phone: 208-765-7122
Fax: 208-765-7149

Recent stories by Becky

Metals supplier recasts victory

February 9, 2010 in Idaho on Page A1 If Lindsey Vonn wins a gold, silver or bronze during the Winter Olympics, the U.S. skier will be wearing metal recycled from old computers and cell phones around her neck. …
Olympic medals forged from humble beginnings

February 8, 2010 in Business, City, Idaho, Green Breaking News More than 6,000 pounds of metal went into the medallions that will be awarded to top athletes during the 2010 Vancouver Olympic and Paralympic games. The metals were provided by …
EPA adds lead rules to painters’ prep work

February 3, 2010 in Idaho on Page A1 Spokane’s South Hill provides painting contractor Shon Vantuyl with most of his clients. Many of the Craftsman-style homes he works on date to the early 1900s, when lead was a … 2
Even small jobs spread lead dust

February 3, 2010 in Idaho on Page A9 Even routine remodeling activities can generate hazardous amounts of lead dust, says Patrick Lehne, the owner of Western Regional Lead Training Center in Portland. Lehne, who recently taught classes on …
Mining company auction delayed

February 3, 2010 in Business on Page A10 A federal bankruptcy judge has given Sterling Mining Co. another four months before the company, which controls the lease of the historic Sunshine Mine near Kellogg, is auctioned off. The …
Superfund outcry grows louder

January 27, 2010 in Idaho on Page A1 More than 70 grass-roots groups from around the nation have joined Silver Valley activists in asking the Obama administration for new ways of dealing with pollution from cleanup of the …
Dredged marina soil to go to dump

January 20, 2010 in Idaho on Page A6 In a move hailed by environmental groups, Hagadone Hospitality will haul 18,000 cubic yards of dirt tainted with heavy metals to a landfill instead of storing it in the Spokane …
Youth urges peers to try to help others

January 16, 2010 in Idaho on Page B3 At the tender age of 12, Zach Bonner is a seasoned activist. The Florida sixth-grader has raised thousands of dollars for homeless children, organized drives that sent backpacks filled with …
BPA postpones plan

January 16, 2010 in Idaho on Page B3 The Bonneville Power Administration has temporarily shelved its request to raise and lower Lake Pend Oreille by up to 5 feet this winter, with agency officials saying they will study …
Beetle fight gets more funds

January 15, 2010 in Idaho on Page A6 The U.S. Forest Service is getting an additional $14 million to fight a bark beetle outbreak in Idaho that has left mountainsides covered with dying, red-needled trees. The tiny beetles …
Region’s snowpack lackluster

January 13, 2010 in Idaho on Page A6 El Niño isn’t doing much for the Pacific Northwest’s mountain snowpack. Snow accumulations that broke records in parts of Washington during November are melting under an onslaught of mild January …
Avista ending 7 percent monthly surcharge

January 12, 2010 in City, Idaho on Page A5 Avista Corp. plans to drop a monthly surcharge paid by its 232,000 Eastern Washington electric customers that dates to the 2001 West Coast energy crisis. The 7 percent surcharge costs …
Charges dropped in wolf kill

January 9, 2010 in Idaho on Page B1 Russell Glen Frachiseur was drinking coffee with his wife and in-laws when a wolf trotted up the driveway of his rural home south of Priest Lake. The 75-pound male wolf …
Report predicts less snow

January 6, 2010 in Idaho on Page A7 Snow that piles up on streets, shuts down schools and immobilizes communities could be a distant memory in Spokane and Coeur d’Alene by the end of the century. But wildfire … 1
Program lets volunteers help prepare Colville forest artifacts

January 5, 2010 in City on Page A1 About 9,000 years ago, toolmakers near modern-day Republic, Wash., chipped away at slabs of basalt, crafting arrowheads and spear points. They left behind stone flakes, a cache of unfinished products … 1
Filters show promise in river cleanup

December 27, 2009 in Idaho on Page B1 Each day, cities along the Spokane River dump millions of gallons of phosphorus-rich wastewater into its waters. As the state of Washington embarks on an ambitious plan to reduce the …
Partial Avista rate hike approved

December 23, 2009 in Idaho on Page A11 Effective Jan. 1, energy costs are going up for Avista Corp.’s Eastern Washington customers. On Tuesday, the state Utilities and Transportation Commission gave the Spokane-based utility approval to charge more … 2
More residents struggle to keep heat on

December 23, 2009 in Idaho on Page A1 The sluggish economy is affecting Inland Northwest residents’ ability to heat their homes. Utilities are reporting higher rates of delinquent payments and shut-offs. And entities that provide energy assistance have … 1
Forest Service may close off-road area to snowmobiling

December 20, 2009 in Idaho on Page B1 Only a few rogue snowmobilers willfully ride into off-limits areas of protected Selkirk caribou habitat, organized snowmobile groups say. But the actions of a few are jeopardizing access for the … 1
Federal budget allots $1.5 million to expand Turnbull refuge

December 17, 2009 in City on Page A1 The Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge will receive $1.5 million to purchase nearly 500 additional acres of Eastern Washington’s Channeled Scablands. The federal appropriation will help preserve one of the world’s …