City raises fees at golf courses
It will soon cost more to play golf at the city of Spokane’s four golf courses.
The Spokane Park Board unanimously voted on Thursday to increase fees to play 18 holes by $2 and nine holes by $1.
The decision marks the first increase in city course rates in three years, said Pamela McKinzie, Spokane’s golf and parks administration manager.
Starting next year, Mondays through Fridays it will cost $27 to play 18 at Indian Canyon and $25 for 18 at the city’s other three courses. On weekends and holidays, it will cost $29 to play 18 holes at any city course.
Portland
S-R photographer wins Cowles Cup
For the second year in a row, Brian Plonka of The Spokesman-Review has won the Cowles Cup, the top prize in the Washington-Oregon AP Photo Contest, for a photo package on identical twin brothers from Idaho who enlisted in the Marine Corps.
The cup is named for William Hutchison Cowles, former publisher of The Spokesman-Review. It goes to the best entry of the contest, regardless of category. The winner was announced Thursday at the Pacific Northwest Newspaper Association meeting.
The paper has embarked on a multiyear project following Robert and Matthew Shipp as they have readied for service, trained as Marines and gone to the Middle East, where Plonka followed to continue taking images of the twins.
His 2008 winning entry from the “Brothers in Arms” work was a photo package on the brothers that began with their weddings and followed them on their deployments
Coeur d’Alene
Information sought on arson in park
A reward is being offered for information about who is responsible for the Wednesday arson that damaged the Fallen Heroes Memorial Plaza in Coeur d’Alene.
Crime Stoppers of the Inland Northwest will provide a cash reward for information leading to the arrest of the person or people responsible for setting on fire a synthetic cloth covering a basalt column, which is part of the Sept. 11 memorial at Cherry Hill Park. Fires were also started in three park bathrooms.
Callers with tips are not required to use their own name. Reach Crime Stoppers at (208) 667-2111 or toll-free (886) 667-2111.
MCCHORD AIR FORCE BASE, Wash.
Cargo plane makes Antarctica medevac
A C-17 cargo plane from McChord Air Force Base conducted an emergency medical evacuation in Antarctica.
The Air Force says a 56-year-old man with heart trouble was flown Wednesday from McMurdo Station to receive medical care in Christchurch, New Zealand.
The McChord plane and crew is operating out of Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii, in support of the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Antarctic Program.
Pocatello, Idaho
Search intensifies for state worker
Authorities are intensifying efforts to find an Idaho Transportation Department employee reported missing earlier this week.
Eric Elle, 60, of Pocatello, was last seen Monday morning. Elle, a motor vehicle investigator, was last heard from Monday afternoon when he used his cell phone to call his wife, Linda. Authorities believe he was driving a state vehicle, a Ford Taurus with a state seal on both front doors.
Search efforts now include planes, back-road patrols and the use of roadside electronic signs asking motorists for help in the hunt.
Idaho State Police Capt. Eric Dayley said the Civil Air Patrol dispatched three planes Wednesday, covering an area from Burley to Idaho Falls.
Olympia
Ferries urged to slow down
A consultant says the Washington state ferry system could save money if ferries slowed down on their routes and didn’t run their engines at the terminals.
The consultant says the fuel savings could amount to millions of dollars.
The study was presented Wednesday by Kathy Scanlan of the Cedar River Group to members of the Joint Transportation Committee in Olympia.
Scanlan says ferries could reduce fuel use considerably if they stop the practice of running engines to push into slips while cars are loading and unloading. She says the engines could be shut off if the ferries were tied up securely.
Bellingham
Measles reported in Whatcom County
The Whatcom County Health Department says the county has its first case of measles in 13 years.
A 48-year-old woman was diagnosed with the disease this month and most of her contacts have been identified. Investigators are looking for possible sources of the infection.
Earlier this year 16 measles cases were reported in Moses Lake. Symptoms include a runny nose, cough, fever and rash that can lead to more serious complications.
Bellevue
Talks continue in teachers’ strike
Negotiations continued Thursday in the Bellevue teachers’ strike after the school board decided not to seek a court injunction to order them back to work.
The board made the decision at Wednesday night’s meeting after taking public comment and a show of support from members of the audience who were given red and green cards to flash yes or no opinions.
The strike started Sept. 2.