In brief: New red light cameras start issuing tickets

The Spokane Police Department sent out a reminder that the warning period for three new red light cameras expired Sunday at midnight. As of now, anyone who is caught on camera running a red light will receive a ticket in the mail.

The affected intersections are southbound Browne Street at Third Avenue, southbound Maple Street at Second Avenue and westbound Second Avenue at Walnut Street. The three cameras went live on July 1, and officers have sent out 500 warning notices since they were installed, said police spokeswoman Teresa Fuller.

The city has issued more than 25,000 citations for running a red light since the first cameras were installed, Fuller said. The fine that goes with the citation is $124.

Hecla Mining settlement subject of public meeting

Hecla Mining Co.’s proposed settlement for historic releases of mining waste in the Coeur d’Alene Basin will be discussed at a public meeting from 4-8 p.m. Monday at North Idaho College’s Driftwood Bay Room, 1000 W. Garden Ave., Coeur d’Alene.

Hecla agreed to pay $263.4 million plus interest, resolving one of the nation’s largest Superfund lawsuits. The settlement was reached earlier this year with the U.S. Department of Justice, the Coeur d’Alene Tribe and the state of Idaho.

The money would be used to clean up lead, arsenic and other heavy metals in the Coeur d’Alene Basin.

BPA plans open houses on Lake Pend Oreille plan

The Bonneville Power Administration has scheduled two open houses on its proposal to alter Lake Pend Oreille’s winter lake levels.

To provide more flexibility for power generation, the agency has proposed operating Albenai Falls Dam to allow for a 5-foot fluctuation in the lake’s elevation between December and March. Currently, fluctuations in lake levels are kept within a 1-foot range.

BPA and the Army Corps of Engineers, which operates the dam, will discuss the impacts of the change at the open houses:

• 5-7 p.m. Wednesday, in Usk, at the Camas Center for Community Wellness, 1821 N. LeClerc Road

• 4-7 p.m. Thursday, in Sandpoint, at the Sandpoint Center, 414 Church St.

The preliminary findings are available for review at http://bit.ly/n0a0wx.