In brief: WSP identifies man killed on Highway 2
The Washington State Patrol has identified the pedestrian who died Friday night after being struck by a vehicle on U.S. Highway 2 north of Spokane as James E. White, 40, of Elk.
White was struck by a Toyota Sienna van driven by Valena M. Day, 42, of Spokane, around 8:15 p.m., about 16 miles north of Spokane near the highway’s intersection with Deer Park Milan Road, according to the WSP. No charges were filed.
This marks the third pedestrian killed by a vehicle in Spokane County in the past week. Ray H. Wise, 75, died Thursday after being struck Tuesday night by a truck at the intersection of First Avenue and Cedar Street in Spokane. An unidentified man was struck and killed while crossing Hayford Road in Airway Heights on Wednesday.
Holiday will affect government offices
Monday is Presidents Day, and the holiday will affect the following services:
• Federal, state and most local government offices will be closed. City of Spokane offices will be open, but metered parking in the city will be free.
• All courts will be closed.
• Post offices will be closed.
• Most banks will be closed.
• All Spokane County Library District facilities will be closed, as will those in Coeur d’Alene and Kootenai County. Spokane Public Library branches will operate on their normal schedule.
• Liquor stores will be open in Washington and Idaho.
• Spokane Transit Authority bus routes will run on the holiday/Sunday service time schedule.
• Garbage and recycling service will not be affected in Spokane and Kootenai counties.
• Riverfront Park attractions will be open.
BLM fee raises will be focus of meeting
A proposal to increase fees at Bureau of Land Management recreation sites in North Idaho will be discussed at a Wednesday meeting in Coeur d’Alene.
Local managers said the higher fees are needed for repairs and maintenance at the sites. Fees collected at each location are spent at that site.
The proposed fee increases are:
Blackwell Island Boat Launch and Mineral Ridge Boat Launch would increase from $4 per day to $6 per day, and season passes for these facilities would increase from $30 per year to $40 per year.
Tent camping at Mica Bay Boater Park, Killarney Lake Recreation Site, Huckleberry Campground and Windy Bay Boater Park would rise from $8 per night to $10 per night.
Trailer camping fees at the Huckleberry Campground along the St. Joe River are proposed to be $18 per night, an increase of $3 per night.
The meeting begins at 9:15 a.m. at BLM’s Coeur d’Alene District Office, 3815 Schreiber Way. Public comments will be accepted from 11-11:30 a.m. Written comments may be emailed to: BLM_ID_Coeurd’Alene Office@blm.gov.
Multiple crashes close pass briefly
SNOQUALMIE PASS, Wash. – Interstate 90 near Snoqualmie Pass reopened Saturday evening after bad weather and multiple car crashes forced its closure around 4 p.m., state transportation officials said.
According to the Washington State Department of Transportation website, Snoqualmie was open as of 8 p.m., but chains are required for all vehicles except those with all-wheel drive. Snow and slush are on the roadway, and more snow is expected.
Up to a foot or more of snow was expected to fall through Saturday night in the Cascades before tapering off to 1 to 3 inches today, according to the National Weather Service.
Town makes Sunset’s Top 20
WAITSBURG, Wash. – The tiny town of Waitsburg, which is about 56 miles east of the Tri-Cities, was named one of Sunset magazine’s Top 20 Fantasy Towns in its February issue.
The magazine based its choices on population and average home prices – $147,500 – to choose places that the magazine thought were ideal for those people looking for a simpler way of life.
The magazine described Waitsburg – population 1,215 – as “twenty minutes north of Walla Walla” with a “tiny Main Street backed by golden hills.”
“There are also a growing handful of new businesses, like the Jimgermanbar, which is a magnet for classic cocktails.”
For more information about Waitsburg, go to cityofwaitsburg.com.