In brief: The Dirt replaces News Quiz in Sunday lineup

Readers will see a couple of changes to The Spokesman-Review’s lineups on Sunday and Monday, starting this week. The weekly news quiz, That’s NEWS to You, is being replaced by The Dirt, a roundup of construction projects and tenant moves that has been appearing on Mondays. In its place Monday is a new column called Web Gems, rounding up what stories, photos and videos were the most-read and most-shared online the previous week.

After four years, participation in the news quiz was falling, while interest in the local development and real estate column that’s reported by Treva Lind is growing, judging from the attention it gets online.

The new column, Web Gems, shows what content has created the most buzz in recent days. You might be surprised – or in some cases, puzzled – by those lists.

The final news quiz winners are: Patrick Madden, of Spokane, who won the $50 Davenport gift card, and George Plante, also of Spokane, who won the movie tickets. Thanks for playing.

Suspected robbers burn getaway car

Suspected bank robbers set fire to their getaway vehicle Friday before making their escape in another vehicle in Lincoln County.

The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office was notified of a robbery at the Coulee Dam Credit Union in Creston around 3:45 p.m. Friday. It was reported that the robbers were in a light tan or gold extended cab Chevy truck and had headed north, according to a Sheriff’s Office news release.

Deputies searched county roads for the truck, finding it about an hour later on fire on Telford Road. It had been reported stolen from the Kennewick area. It is assumed that the robbers had another car waiting.

Anyone who may have seen the truck or anything unusual is asked to call the Sheriff’s Office at (509) 725-3501.

Blaze near Walla Walla continues to burn

WALLA WALLA – Crews continue to fight a wildfire in southeast Washington that destroyed one home and seven outbuildings.

The Blue Creek fire has burned more than 9 square miles of grass, shrubs and timber about 10 miles east of Walla Walla, a city of 60,000 people. As of Saturday afternoon, it was 25 percent contained.

Authorities said they’re “cautiously optimistic” the flames won’t reach a watershed that provides drinking water for the city of Walla Walla. They said a low-pressure system moving into the area is bringing cooler temperatures and higher humidity.

Evacuation orders are in effect for two rural areas. The fire, which started Monday, was likely human-caused and is still under investigation.

Oregon bee die-offs caused by insecticide

PORTLAND – State investigators found lethal levels of a banned insecticide in the bees found dead last month in Portland.

The Oregon Department of Agriculture on Friday said the pesticide was responsible for several bee die-offs in June.

The Oregonian reported investigators collected 400 dead bees, although witnesses said the total death toll could have been larger. Officials said the bees had been feeding on the nectar of linden trees in or near a park.

The pesticide found in the bees is imidacloprid, a neonicotinoid that scientists have linked to other bee deaths.

Oregon banned use of the chemical on linden trees in February, following several bee die-offs. Investigators said property managers told them the chemical applications that killed the bees in June happened before the ban took effect.