In brief: Authorities say wolf caused calf’s death
A calf in northeast Washington died last week after being attacked by a wolf, state wildlife officials have confirmed.
The July 22 investigation revealed puncture wounds and bruising consistent with a wolf attack, said Jay Shepherd, a Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife conflict specialist. The incident occurred in the Wedge, a remote area near the Canadian border where the department sharpshooters killed an entire pack last year after the pack was linked to repeated attacks on one producer’s livestock.
The recent incident involved a neighboring rancher.
Shepherd also investigated the death of another calf in the Wedge on July 3. Both wolf and coyote tracks were found in the area. Not enough of the animal remained to determine which predator killed it, Shepherd said.
National Guard scraps armory plan
The Idaho Army National Guard has abandoned plans to build an $8 million armory north of Sandpoint due to a lack of federal funding.
The Guard also will close the temporary armory it placed on the 10-acre site in 2008, and about 40 soldiers who train there will now do so at the Post Falls armory.
“Considering all of the conditions and variables, we feel this action is the most prudent option for our organization,” Maj. Gen. Gary Sayler, commander of the Idaho National Guard, said in a news release Wednesday.
The National Guard proposed building the 33,000-square-foot “readiness center” on Bonner County property at the Sandpoint Airport and hoped to receive $8 million in federal military construction funds. But waiting for the money to come through could have taken another five to 10 years, said spokesman Col. Tim Marsano.
Leasing and maintaining modular buildings at the site costs $50,000 to $60,000 a year and is a strain on the Guard’s budget, Marsano added.
About 40 water purification specialists with the 145th Brigade Support Battalion, Company A, trained at the armory one weekend each month.
Female inmate commits suicide
Authorities say a Spokane woman used her bed sheets to hang herself in her cell at the Okanogan County Corrections Center on Tuesday night.
A jail officer found Sophia A. Stewart, 32, at 7:14 p.m., said Undersheriff Joe Somday. She was taken to Mid-Valley Hospital in Omak, where she was pronounced dead.
Somday said Stewart was placed in a cell by herself Tuesday afternoon and locked down after an altercation with another inmate.
Jail administrator Noah Stewart said officers had been in her cell several times and hadn’t seen anything unusual. He said they check every cell hourly, and had last checked on her at 6:47 p.m.
She was an inmate since March, awaiting trial on charges of first-degree burglary, theft of a firearm and unlawful possession of a firearm.
Rollover near Ritzville injures five
Five occupants in a 2007 Ford Focus were injured in a rollover accident Wednesday afternoon west of Ritzville on Interstate 90, the Washington State Patrol said.
Ornaldo Zalpa, 56, was driving the vehicle occupied by four others, all of Federal Way, Wash., when it rolled over shortly before 2 p.m. near mile marker 200, according to a news release. The westbound car drifted into the median, then left the roadway to the right before flipping.
The WSP reported two of the passengers, who range from ages 6 to 56, were trapped in the vehicle. Ornaldo Zalpa-Barajas, 18, was airlifted from the scene and taken to Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center. He was listed in satisfactory condition Wednesday night.
Other injured passengers were taken to East Adams Rural Hospital in Ritzville via ambulance. All five occupants were wearing seat belts. The rollover partially blocked traffic on I-90 for more than two hours, according to the WSP.
Hydroplane race needs volunteers
Organizers of the Diamond Cup hydroplane races are in need of volunteers for the return of the event to Lake Coeur d’Alene during Labor Day weekend.
About 40 more volunteers are needed for such tasks as security, guest services and vendor liaisons. Around 300 volunteers are expected to help during the races Aug. 30 through Sept. 1.
Volunteers must be at least 16 years old and follow a dress code.
Information: www.diamondcup race.com or (208) 664-3338 or 664-3339.
Hot Toddy robbery suspect arrested
A man suspected of spraying a barista with pepper spray in June before fleeing with her truck was arrested Tuesday.
Police say Andrew W. Carr, 27, robbed the Hot Toddy’s Coffee Shop at West Francis Avenue and North Atlantic Street before 6 a.m. on June 10. The victim said Carr jumped in the window of the coffee stand after ordering a latte, demanding money and threatening the her with a knife, according to an affidavit. When the victim refused and tried to fight back, he sprayed her with pepper spray, took her car keys and fled.
The barista was not permanently injured, and her truck was found a few blocks away.
Carr was identified by a Department of Corrections employee who saw surveillance photos released to media outlets. Carr had once lived with the man.
Carr faces charges of first-degree robbery, first-degree burglary and third-degree assault. Superior Court Judge James Triplet set Carr’s bail at $75,000 on Wednesday based on his flight risk. Triplet said Carr had fled to the west side of the state after the incident.