Pia Hallenberg

The pile of railroad ties that caught fire Thursday evening next to the Spokane Interstate Fairgrounds continued to smolder Friday. The property is owned by Wal-Mart, which has hired an independent contractor to assist the Spokane Valley Fire Department.

Authorities say Dominik Adams was barely a month old when he was beaten so badly his skull was fractured. On Monday, his father, Bobby Daniel Adams, 25, of Ponderay, Idaho, was charged with felony injury to a child. Adams is being held in Bonner County Jail on a $100,000 bond.

A Spokane police officer is on paid administrative leave while under investigation for an alleged misdemeanor assault that occurred when the officer was on duty Friday night. The incident allegedly took place in the 3200 block of West Hoffman Avenue during the arrest of a man who led police on a lengthy pursuit through the Shadle Park area, said Officer Jennifer DeRuwe, of the Spokane Police Department.

There is a place in the middle of Washington where sandhill cranes stop for a rest and a snack in the spring, before they continue their migration. They congregate in the fields and wetlands around Othello, Wash., where they stand around in flocks, omit throaty whoops, and suddenly take off in a flutter of giant wings and dangly legs, as if on a secret signal. Toward the end of March is prime crane watching time, but that doesn’t mean Seep Lakes and Potholes Reservoir Wildlife Areas aren’t worth a visit at a different time of the year.

Summer vacation is over and it’s time for students across the Inland Northwest to write their “what I did this summer” essays. So, what did you do this summer? I know what I did: writing for this spot in the Monday paper I’ve driven close to 2,000 miles around the Inland Northwest, looking for road trip destinations. During that time, I watched the wheat ripen and I saw fresh hay bales the color of Granny Smith apples being stacked. I’ve assessed rumps of yearlings and squinted at a blue sky for a rain cloud that was never there. It seems like the sun was shining all summer – except for that brief hailstorm in Missoula. I’ve hiked through sagebrush for miles and miles, the sand and the rock so hot the scent of warm sage made me sneeze and think of beef stew.

The name white settlers gave them was a mistake. The Nez Perce – which loosely translates to “pierced noses” – never practiced nose piercing. Hunters and gatherers, formidable horse people and warriors, they were given the name Nez Perce by early French settlers.

If you’re already in Metaline Falls, there’s an underground treat waiting for you just a bit farther north. In Crawford State Park – which is so close to the Canadian border that you can walk there – you’ll find Gardner Cave. “We are kind of in the Siberia of the Washington parks system,” said Julia Mathison, interpretive assistant at the caves. “I don’t have a TV signal, I have no Internet, no cell phones work up here, I barely have radio, but I love it out here.”

It’s harvest time on the Palouse. Almost anywhere you stop amid the rolling, golden wheat fields, you can hear the hum of combines and see the white harvest dust clouds rise on the horizon. Heavy grain trucks rumble by on narrow roads, tractors scramble back and forth, coolers sit in the shade of old trees. But there are many other things going on around the Palouse besides farming. Here’s a “Palouse loop” that includes art, great food, 100-year-old newspapers, a science center and a view that will take your breath away.

The Columbia River Road wildfire, just west of Nespelem, grew to more than 21,000 acres Saturday. “It is about 15 percent contained at this point,” said Karen Ripley, spokeswoman for the Columbia River Road wildfire. “Essentially there is good containment on the southern edge of the fire, but the winds continue to push it toward the northwest.”

When it becomes difficult to put food on the table, some families turn to food banks for help. Feeding a family that way is a challenge – but when you add a few pets, things can get really tough. . “More people are calling and showing up, asking for pet food, than ever before,” said Dori Peck, outreach coordinator for the Humane Society in Spokane. “Last year we gave out 20,000 pounds of pet food to low-income and homeless people. We ask for basic information and log people, but we don’t turn anyone away.”

There’s no mistaking the excited squeals that echo off the cement walls at the Riverfront Park Pavilion: the rides remain a summer hit. Sure, the park turned 30 years old this weekend, and from an adult’s perspective not much is new. But judging from the hordes of sunscreen-scented kids that run from ride to ride, that really doesn’t matter. Lines still form at the bumper cars, the tiny little train and the scary black Spider.

Everyone knows that skiers flock to Schweitzer Mountain Resort every winter to enjoy world-class skiing just a short drive from downtown Sandpoint. But for those not so comfortable on the slopes, summer may be a better time to visit. Skiers sure will be jealous that for just $15 you can get a daylong lift ticket.

The Coeur d’Alene Library has gone to the movies. Four Wednesdays in a row, beginning on Aug. 6, there will be free children’s movies shown in the Shirley Parker Theater at the library at 11 a.m. “Depending on how long they are, you may get one or two each time,” said Peggy Smith, youth services clerk at the library.