In brief: Driver dies in crash near Priest River

A 60-year-old driver was killed when his car went down an embankment off U.S. Highway 2 near Priest River on Saturday, according to the Idaho State Police.

Jerry A. Slinger, of Oldtown, Idaho, was westbound at 2:22 p.m. when his 1978 Chevy pickup truck veered left and went down an embankment, an ISP news release said. The truck hit two trees, and Slinger died at the scene.

Slinger was wearing a seat belt, the release said.

Otter says shutdown not hurting state yet

BOISE – Gov. Butch Otter said the federal shutdown’s impact on Idaho state programs has been modest so far but could intensify if President Barack Obama and Congress can’t soon reach agreement on a stop-gap funding measure.

So far, 130 Idaho military division employees who get their paychecks from Washington, D.C., have been furloughed.

Otter’s spokesman, Jon Hanian, said Friday the Department of Health and Welfare’s federal programs have largely been “front-loaded” – there’s sufficient funding to last through the middle or end of October.

But if Obama, the U.S. House and the Senate don’t iron out differences, Hanian said, priorities including a nutrition program for women, infants and children could run out of cash.

Officer injured when car hits utility pole

SEATTLE – A Seattle police officer was hospitalized in serious condition after losing control of his vehicle and crashing into a power pole.

The accident occurred early Saturday morning, Seattle police said. Officials say they aren’t sure why the officer lost control of his vehicle and they are working to reconstruct the events. The force of the crash sheared the power pole off at the base, and the vehicle then struck three unoccupied cars before coming to rest against a tree.

The unnamed officer was transported to Harborview Medical Center with serious injuries that weren’t life-threatening.

Body may be that of missing kayaker

VANCOUVER, Wash. – Clark County authorities have recovered the body of a man who matches the description of a kayak fisherman who has been missing since late September.

Sgt. Fred Neiman said deputies responded Saturday to a report of a body floating in the water near a boat ramp on the North Fork Lewis River.

Thad Roberts was salmon fishing from a kayak when he went missing Sept. 28. Rescuers found his unoccupied kayak about a mile from where he had last been seen.