NW today: Disease resistant pines tested
What’s news in the Northwest today:
PORTLAND, Ore. — Biologists say they hope they can breed a disease resistant version of the whitebark pine, a tree found at high altitudes in the West. Oregon Public Broadcasting reports that pine cones from Crater Lake National Park in Oregon and Mount Rainier in Washington state are being used to cultivate whitebark seedlings with a natural resistance to blister rust, a fungus that is threatening the trees. Beetles are also infesting the trees, which thrive in bad soil and high elevations. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said earlier this month the whitebark pine deserves protection under the Endangered Species Act but the agency held off listing it immediately because of other priorities and lack of funding. Biologists say they will plant four hundred of the disease-resistant whitebark pines this fall.
Pelosi calls for ethics probe into Wu sex report
WASHINGTON — Oregon Democratic Rep. David Wu faced increased pressure today after House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi called for an ethics investigation over an 18-year-old woman’s claim of an “unwanted sexual encounter” with him. Pelosi sent a letter today to leaders of the House Ethics Committee, saying an investigation is warranted. “Recent press reports and statements attributed to our colleague, Representative David Wu, indicate that he may have engaged in inappropriate activities,” Pelosi wrote. Meanwhile, lawmakers will find it harder to avoid questions about their position on Wu’s future, a scenario similar to six weeks ago when they had to deal with the distraction of former Democratic Rep. Anthony Weiner, who had sent lewd photos of himself to women online. Unlike the media frenzy that ensued in the Weiner case, Wu’s situation has prompted little attention so far because of the intense focus on lawmakers’ struggle to reach a deal on raising the national debt ceiling. Wu and Pelosi had a telephone conversation Saturday but neither politician has disclosed details. Wu’s only response so far has been a brief statement late Friday: “This is very serious, and I have absolutely no desire to bring unwanted publicity, attention or stress to a young woman and her family.”
Park Service continues to allow private cabins
SPOKANE — The National Park Service will continue allowing private vacation cabins to exist within the Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area. An environmental assessment found that continuing to issue permits for the cabins would not significantly impact the recreation area. But cabin owners will have to take some actions intended to protect the shoreline and minimize the appearance of private ownership of public beaches near the cabins. They will also be required to provide documents that their individual septic systems are fully operational. Only a handful of private cabins are located within the recreation area.
I-84 eastbound reopens after Ore. tanker crash
PORTLAND — The eastbound lanes of Interstate 84 have reopened in the Columbia River Gorge after a gasoline tanker truck crash closed one side of the freeway for about 15 hours. KPTV reports the driver of the truck suffered minor injuries in the rollover wreck near Multnomah Falls just east of Portland about 5 p.m. Sunday. Oregon State Police say the truck and trailer contained about 3,000 gallons of unleaded gasoline.
Washout closes highway near Marsing
MARSING, Idaho — The Idaho Department of Transportation says a culvert failed and irrigation waters washed away a 20-foot-wide section of Highway 55 near its junction with U.S. Highway 95 east of Marsing. IDT spokesman Reed Hollinshead says the culvert failed either because there were holes in the pipe that allowed water to seep through or debris plugged the pipe, causing the water to wash away the ground under the roadway. Water from the North Diversion Drainage canal continued to undermine the roadway into the evening on Sunday, cutting more than halfway under the highway. A detour is in place until crews repair the road, which may not happen until this weekend. Water master John Eells says repairs could be made while the water still flows so that irrigators aren’t affected.
Victim in road rage was software engineer
KIRKLAND, Wash. — A man killed in an apparent road-rage crash in Kirkland over the weekend was a well-liked software engineer. KING-TV reports that Steve Lacey had not been involved in the incident, but was simply was out shopping on Sunday when a Hyundai Sonata that had been chasing after another car lost control and slammed into his BMW. The driver of the Sonata survived with minor injuries and could be charged with vehicular homicide. The State Patrol says the suspect appeared to have been drinking. Lacey worked at Google and had previously spent 11 years at Microsoft, where he led teams that worked on the Flight Simulator series of games. He had two children, and he and his wife had just celebrated their 10th wedding anniversary.
Firefighters rescue alligator from burning home
LEWISTON — Firefighters in Lewiston made an unusual rescue when they pulled an alligator from a burning home. Neighbors reported the fire in the single-wide trailer Friday evening. Owner Joseph Witherup told the Lewiston Tribune that neither he nor his family were home at the time, but a few pets were — including the roughly foot-and-a-half-long alligator, which was in a cage. He says the home is a complete loss, but all the important things — including his pets — made it out safely. Firefighters were able to keep the gator in its cage when they removed it from the home, and then they transferred the animal to a cooler. Fire investigators say the blaze may have been caused by a stove burner that was left on.
Cameras malfunctioning at women’s prison
BELFAIR, Wash. — A system of about 50 security cameras at a state women’s prison in Belfair has been malfunctioning, and officials are looking into whether it was intentionally damaged. The Kitsap Sun reports that the cameras at Mission Creek Corrections Center can still provide a video feed, but they’ve stopped recording footage that can be watched later. Prison Superintendent Wanda McRae says the problems began more than a month ago. The company that installed the cameras is sending new equipment that should arrive next week. The prison is operating normally in the meantime. The cameras were installed around 2008 following passage of the federal Prison Rape Elimination Act, which aimed to reduce sexual assault behind bars.
Wheat harvest runs behind normal
WALLA WALLA – Cold weather makes some things hard to start and the 2011 wheat harvest is no exception. Cool temperatures, along with wet spring weather, have pushed back harvest locally and regionally, but the extra rain may boost yields in some areas. In Walla Walla County, “we’re about two weeks behind right now,” said Dave Gordon, general manager for Northwest Grain Growers. Only about six growers along the Touchet River are currently cutting wheat right now, he said. Another local farmer, Curtis Coombs, summed conditions up in two sentences. “It’s just too green. It’s super late right now,” he said. Another unknown in this year’s harvest will be how much damage fungus stripe rust has caused. The damp spring weather caused a severe infestation throughout the wheat-growing areas, forcing some farmers to apply double or even triple the amount of fungicide to their fields. The fungus stunts the development of wheat grains, which significantly reduces yields. But how much is yet to be seen.
Police say 3 Oregon men took LSD, fought naked
SALEM, Ore. — Police in Salem say three men were arrested last weekend after officers responded to a report of the men fighting naked. Police said officers later found out that all three men took the hallucinogenic drug LSD. Officers used stun guns on two of the men without any apparent effect before they were subdued. One was found lying naked in a street and the other was hiding in a back yard. But police were able to talk the third man into surrendering. Police said none of the men suffered any serious injuries in the Sunday incident but all were charged with disorderly conduct.
Man dies in motorcycle crash in Glacier National Park
WEST GLACIER, Mont. — Officials in Glacier National Park say a Canadian man has died in a motorcycle crash on the Going-to-the-Sun Road. Park rangers tell KECI-TV that 70-year-old Richard Fish of Alberta, Canada was driving a motorcycle when it collided with a vehicle east of the Avalanche parking area at 5:30 p.m. Saturday. No one else was hurt. The National Park Service is still investigating the collision.
Judge: Transferring pot among caregivers illegal
KALISPELL, Mont. — A second state judge has ruled Montana’s medical marijuana law does not allow caregivers to transfer marijuana among themselves. The Daily Inter Lake reports District Judge Stewart Stadler ruled that the Montana Medical Marijuana Act clearly states that caregivers may provide marijuana only to “qualifying patients.” Thursday’s ruling came in a lawsuit filed against Flathead County Attorney Ed Corrigan by the Medical Marijuana Growers Association. It could have implications for the criminal cases filed against two men after a February traffic stop in which officers found three pounds of marijuana. In April, District Judge John Larson made a similar ruling in a Missoula County case, saying the marijuana law prohibits a caregiver from providing marijuana to anyone other than a qualifying patient who is registered with that caregiver.
Anaconda that escaped in Longview gets new home
LONGVIEW, Wash. — An 8-foot long anaconda that briefly escaped from a Longview home this month has been transferred to a licensed reptile handler. The snake and two others — a 10-foot Colombian red tail boa constrictor and a 6-foot Burmese python — slipped out of a garage at the home on July 12. By the time authorities arrived the owner had already corralled them. The Cowlitz County Humane Society let the owner keep the boa constrictor and the python, which are considered less dangerous, after he agreed to get locks and stronger screens for their tanks. But The Daily News of Longview reports that the anaconda has been transferred to a reptile handler because it’s too dangerous to keep in the community. It will eventually be placed in a wildlife refuge or zoo. Anacondas can grow to more than 25 feet long.