Briefly

Boy hurt as van hits horse he was riding

A 12-year-old boy remained in serious condition Sunday after the horse he was riding was struck by a van north of Spokane near Deer Park on Saturday night, according to a report from the Washington State Patrol.

The boy was first flown to Sacred Heart Medical Center in Spokane and then transferred to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle where he was listed in serious condition Sunday night.

The Clayton boy was riding a horse that was being led by a man across U.S. Highway 395 when a northbound van struck the horse and veered off into the ditch, according to the report. The two people in the van were treated and released. The horse was killed.

Plane gets diverted after its tires shred

Boise A flight from Montana to Phoenix made an unscheduled landing at the Boise Airport on Saturday because the plane’s front tires shredded during takeoff at Glacier Park International Airport.

Forty-six people were on board the 50-passenger America West Express plane, airline spokeswoman Janice Monahan said.

Flight 6332 was scheduled to take passengers directly from Kalispell, Mont., to Phoenix. But it diverted to Boise so crews could assess the tire damage, Monahan said.

The tires may have shredded because of a blowout during takeoff, she said.

Once in the air, the landing gear would not retract. Emergency crews were waiting for the plane to land at about 4:30 p.m., but it touched down fairly smoothly on its back wheels and the rims of the front wheels.

No one on board was injured, Monahan said.

Passengers on the diverted flight were rescheduled for other flights bound for Phoenix on Saturday and Sunday.

Two grizzlies collared as part of monitoring

West Glacier, Mont.Two female grizzly bears in Glacier National Park have been trapped, fitted with radio collars and released as part of a study to assess how grizzlies are faring in the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem.

The project began in the spring and will continue for five or six years. The work includes monitoring the survival and reproductive rates of female grizzlies.

The study developed by the state wildlife agency includes cooperation by federal and tribal land managers.

The two bears collared last week were trapped in Glacier’s Granite Park area. Previous attempts to capture and collar bears in the North Fork and McDonald Valley areas failed.