NW today: Idaho revises rules on use of road kill
What’s news in the Northwest today:
BOISE — Idaho Fish and Game officials are developing new rules that would allow residents to salvage road kill wildlife. The Idaho Fish and Game Commission last week directed agency staff to research and draft rules that would allow public salvage for personal use and commercial salvage, such as selling pelts. Existing state rules do not allow for personal or commercial use of accidentally killed wildlife. Earlier this year, Fish and Game officials opposed a bill that would have allowed the public to snatch up roadkill found along the side of the highway. At the time, the agency said it collected information about animals killed on roads to help determine the length of hunting seasons. St. Maries Republican Rep. Dick Harwood introduced the bill, saying it didn’t make sense to ban people from using dead animals.
Spokane man sentenced for interstate chase
BOZEMAN, Mont. — A 22-year-old Spokane man who led Montana authorities on a chase that included driving backward on the interstate and jumping into a creek before surrendering has been sentenced to four years in prison. The Bozeman Daily Chronicle reports Anthony E. Burke was sentenced Monday by District Judge Mike Salvagni. The term will run concurrently with a federal sentence for possessing ammunition after having been committed to a psychiatric institution. Burke was wanted on a federal probation violation in April when a Three Forks gas station clerk reported seeing a man punch out a car window, get in the vehicle and drive off. Gallatin County officers and Montana Highway Patrol troopers chased Burke for nearly an hour, trying to stop him with spike strips and road blocks as he swerved wildly on Interstate 90 in the Bozeman area.
Former North Idaho lawmaker, civic activist dies
POST FALLS — Hilde Kellogg, who served in the Idaho Legislature for 20 years and was a fixture in public service in Post Falls for decades, has died. She was 92. Relatives and friends say she died Monday of natural causes at the Kootenai Medical Center. Kellogg retired from the legislature at age 88 after serving 10 terms. She was a member of the House Revenue and Taxation and Transportation committees and was instrumental in laying the ground work for the major construction upgrades now taking place along U.S. Highway 95 in North Idaho. Before her statehouse career, Kellogg served on the Post Falls planning and zoning board and the city council. She was also a former president of the Post Falls Chamber of Commerce and the first female member of the Post Falls Kiwanis club.
Air Force fires 2 in document mix-up
WASHINGTON — Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz says two people have been fired from the service’s aerial refueling tanker program after confidential information was mistakenly sent to competing contractors. The document mix-up was the latest flub in the troubled program. The Air Force has tried since 2003 to replace its Eisenhower-era fleet of refueling tankers. Schwartz told reporters today that competing contractors Boeing Co. and EADS had received a one-page efficiency analysis of the other’s proposal, but that the information did not include proprietary or pricing data. Schwartz called the mistake a “profound disappointment” but said it didn’t give either company an advantage.
Oregon state trooper jailed on theft charges in Umatilla
UMATILLA, Ore. — A man accused of falsifying his Oregon State Police time sheet and using a department card to pay for his own gasoline was booked into the Umatilla County Jail Monday on theft and misconduct charges. The OSP says 40-year-old Anthony Andrew Atkins worked as a trooper for more than 16 years, most recently at Hermiston. He was placed on leave in August when the investigation began. He’s accused of taking more than $5,000 through falsified time reports and $1,000 worth of unauthorized gasoline over three years. Atkins resigned at the end of October, was indicted Nov. 18 by a grand jury and will be arraigned Dec. 7 in Umatilla County Circuit Court.
Oregon man dead after police response to disturbance
PORTLAND, Ore. — A family argument that resulted in an exchange of gunfire in a Portland neighborhood has ended with the death of an Oregon man. Police said 46-year-old Craig Boehler was found dead at a southeast Portland house where officers were called about 12:40 a.m. today. Police arrived to find a man, his adult son and adult daughter in an argument after some gunfire. Officers were able to get the man and his daughter safely out of the house but the son remained behind and fired at police. An officer on the police Special Emergency Reaction Team returned fire. The Portland Fire Bureau was called in when a fire was spotted in the rear of the house. It was brought under control but no other details were immediately available.
Suspect arrested in Springfield church burglaries
SPRINGFIELD, Ore. — Police say a man who was caught walking out of a Springfield church with stolen items is suspected of breaking into three other churches in the city. An officer noticed a broken window and arrested 28-year-old Ryan Schroder early Monday at the New Life Center. Police believe he’s also responsible for break-ins in the past month at the Church of the Nazarene, First Baptist Church and Springfield Lutheran Church. The Register-Guard reports that in 2005 Schroder was sentenced to 13 months in prison after pleading guilty in Lane County Circuit Court to burglaries at six churches and an elementary school.
13 illegal immigrants rounded up in East Idaho
IDAHO FALLS, Idaho — Federal immigration officers arrested 13 illegal immigrants across southern Idaho last week and all but one are expected to be immediately deported. The Post Register reports the Boise office of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested 10 men and three women in a four-day sweep that ended last Friday. Seven people were arrested in Idaho Falls, with one each in: American Falls, Firth, Hamer, Lewisville, Shoshone and Sugar City. ICE spokeswoman Lorie Dankers says 12 have final orders of deportation. One man was turned over to the Bonneville County sheriff’s office for an outstanding arrest warrant on battery charges.
Sheridan couple died of carbon monoxide poisoning
BUTTE, Mont. — Madison County officials say an elderly Sheridan couple died of accidental carbon monoxide poisoning after forgetting that their vehicle was running in the garage. Walter and Norma Perkins were found dead in their home on Nov. 15. Sheriff’s Sgt. Phil Fortner tells The Montana Standard that tests at the state crime lab indicated they died of carbon monoxide poisoning. Fortner says a vehicle in the garage had idled until it ran out of gas. Walter Perkins was 85 and his wife was 83.
Girl taken into custody after duplex fire
HELENA, Mont. — A 14-year-old Helena girl has been taken into custody on suspicion of starting a fire in a duplex that caused about $100,000 worth of damage. Helena Police Chief Troy McGee says the girl was taken to a juvenile detention center in Great Falls. The fire started at about 4 p.m. Sunday. McGee says the initial investigation found some curtains were set on fire and the fire spread to the building. Helena Fire Marshal Craig Trapp says the fire caused significant damage to one unit and smoke damage to the other. No injuries were reported.