Arrow-right Camera
The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

NW today: 200 headstones knocked over at cemetery

Compiled from wire reports
What’s news in the Northwest today:

GREAT FALLS, Mont. — The superintendent at Highland Cemetery in Great Falls says vandals pushed over as many as 200 headstones, breaking some that were at least 100 years old. Superintendent Bob Stewart says 13 monuments or headstones were knocked over in the modern section of the cemetery and cemetery workers righted them. He says every headstone in the older portion of the cemetery was knocked over. Cascade County Sheriff’s Capt. Ray Hitchcock says investigators will need help from citizens to solve the case. He declined to speculate on a motive. Stewart says it would have taken up to six people to push over some of the headstones and workers are using a tractor with a front-end loader to set them back up.

Home invasion robbery near WSU campus in Pullman
PULLMAN — After a home invasion robbery near the Washington State University campus, police are advising residents to lock their doors and not open them to strangers. KREM reports two men forced their way into an apartment Tuesday, tied up the resident, took a number of items and got away. The victim was not seriously hurt.

Small craft breweries hopping in Poulsbo
POULSBO, Wash. — At the beginning of the year Poulsbo had no breweries. Now it has four. The Kitsap Sun reports the breweries produce small batches in kegs. None are bottling yet, but they hope to grow. Many of the small breweries arise from home-brewers who decide to go commercial. So far, they haven’t had any trouble selling out. Brad Ginn of Sound Brewery says they’re doing well in a slow economy because craft beer is seen as an affordable luxury.

Snohomish County airports note decline in aviation
EVERETT, Wash. — In the past decade the number of takeoffs and landings at Paine Field has dropped by nearly half. The Snohomish County airport at Everett serves Boeing and aircraft maintenance businesses. But, most of the decline is among small private aircraft. The Daily Herald reports that similar declines at Arlington Airport and Harvey Field in Snohomish are part of a national trend. Aviation is affected by high fuel prices. Fewer people are learning to fly and flying their own planes.

Mom files lawsuit in Indian child suicide outbreak
HELENA, Mont. — The mother of a teenager who killed himself last year during a rash of child suicides on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation has filed a lawsuit against the school district and Montana. Roxanne Gourneau, a judge in Fort Peck’s tribal family court, claims school officials were negligent and are responsible for the death of her 17-year-old son Dalton. Dalton Gourneau’s death in Wolf Point in November followed the suicides of five middle school students and 20 suicide attempts on the reservation. Tribal officials declared an emergency on the reservation and federal health officials were sent in to provide counseling. In her lawsuit filed last month in state court, Roxanne Gourneau says the school district and the state were negligent and did not properly train school staff to handle crisis situations.

Yakima flooding wipes out homeless camps
YAKIMA — Recent flooding has wiped out homeless camps along the Yakima River between Selah and Yakima. KAPP reports some of the homeless are reclaiming spots, despite concerns about safety and trespassing. Much of the land is owned by the Yakima Greenway Foundation. The director of the non-profit, Al Brown, says it’s doesn’t have the resources to run off transients along its 20 miles of shoreline.

Oregon rivers rise with rain, melting snow
PORTLAND, Ore. — The Columbia River has moved to more than a foot above flood stage in the Portland metro area while rising water on one of its main tributaries forced the closure of a popular floating dock in downtown. The National Weather Service said the Columbia had reached 17.2 feet by Tuesday afternoon at Vancouver, Wash., well above flood stage of 16 feet. The river was expected to hover at just over 17 feet to 17.5 feet as rain and melting snow keep the level high. In downtown Portland, a large portion of the Vera Katz Eastbank Esplanade was closed Tuesday, due to rising water in the Willamette River. Portland officials decided to close the gangway and floating dock to all cyclists, joggers and pedestrians as a safety precaution.

Bear spotted near Oregon elementary school
TUALATIN, Ore. — Police in Tualatin just south of Portland are tracking a bear seen roaming in a wooded area near an elementary school. A Tualatin police spokeswoman told The Oregonian that officers were monitoring the adult black bear this morning near Tualatin Elementary School. Officials say the school’s opening has been delayed until at least 9 a.m. and that parents and staff were being notified. Police spokeswoman Jennifer Massey said Oregon State Police wildlife troopers and the Oregon Zoo have been called to help remove the bear. She said officers were using sirens to isolate the animal and keep it from wandering.

Hamilton man shoots mountain lion, sheep killed
HAMILTON, Mont. — State wildlife officials say a Hamilton-area man shot a mountain lion as it attacked a goose in his front yard. Geoff Mahar told the Ravalli Republic a cougar killed one of his sheep at his house northwest of Hamilton on Saturday morning. Fish, Wildlife and Parks biologist Lou Royce gave Mahar permission to kill the cougar. A friend showed up with his hounds, but they were unable to locate the cat. Mahar and his wife were eating dinner Saturday night when they heard a ruckus. Looking out the window, they saw a mountain lion run up the driveway and pounce on their goose about 10 yards from their front door. Mahar shot the cat. Royce estimated the mountain lion was 3 years old and weighed between 100 and 130 pounds.

Richland man summits Mount Everest for 15th time
KENNEWICK – Strong winds and snow made this year’s expedition to summit Mount Everest challenging. But it didn’t stop a Richland man from reaching the top of the world’s highest peak – again. Ang Dorjee Sherpa reached the 29,036-foot summit at 4 a.m. May 13, marking the 15th time he has completed the feat. “This year wasn’t that great, until May 1,” Ang Dorjee said Tuesday at his Richland home. “It was very windy and snowy.” Ang Dorjee, a world-renown mountaineering guide, was the second of three teams from the New Zealand-based Adventure Consultants to reach the summit.