In brief: County approves guns for deputies

GRANGEVILLE, Idaho – Idaho County commissioners have approved spending $13,400 to replace weapons carried by sheriff’s deputies that were confiscated as part of an investigation involving a fatal shooting last week.

Chief Deputy Jim Gorges said county officers buy their own guns, and that all four officers involved in the shooting were carrying a handgun and a rifle. He said the sheriff’s office has a limited arsenal to replace the weapons.

Deputy Fred Carey was shot in the abdomen and ankle and 47-year-old Curtis Scrivner was killed Nov. 18 in a shootout east of Riggins. Sheriff Doug Giddings said Carey was expected to be able to return home this week.

Gorges said Deputy Stan Denham was using a specialized sniper rifle when he fired the shot that killed Scrivner, who was wanted in Colorado.

“Without it we could still be on a manhunt today,” Gorges said. “I don’t know anybody else who could have made that shot.”

Portland counts more bicyclists

PORTLAND – After a one-year decline, bicycle traffic in Bike City U.S.A. is growing again, according to a 2010 Portland Bureau of Transportation count released Tuesday.

There are now roughly 17,500 bicyclists per day crossing the Willamette River via four bike-friendly bridges: the Hawthorne, Steel, Burnside and Broadway, according to the study. That’s an increase of 12 percent over 2009.

The bike counts, conducted at more than 150 locations around Portland by trained volunteers and automatic hoses on bike routes, show an 8 percent jump in bicycle trips overall.

The 2010 report arrives on the heels of a new U.S. Census Bureau community survey that shows Portland is still No. 1 in bicycle commuting among the 30 largest cities in the country. In that survey, 6.8 percent say they prefer to bicycle to work in Portland.

Deputies discover gift-wrapped pot

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa – A Portland woman was arrested after sheriff’s deputies in southwest Iowa found 65 pounds of marijuana in two large, gift-wrapped boxes.

The Daily Nonpareil in Council Bluffs said sheriff’s deputies stopped 51-year-old Robin Klein on Monday afternoon on Interstate 80 in Pottawattamie County. A drug dog sniffed out marijuana hidden in the boxes, which were wrapped with bows. Nearly $6,000 in cash was also found in Klein’s car.

She was charged with possession of marijuana with intent to deliver, among other charges. She was released on bond on Monday.