In brief: Man robs north Spokane Subway restaurant

An armed man robbed a Subway restaurant Sunday afternoon in Spokane.

The suspect entered the business in the 5000 block of North Division Street just before 3:15 p.m., Spokane police said. He displayed a handgun and demanded money from a clerk, then fled westbound on foot with an undisclosed sum.

He is described as white, in his mid-30s, about 6 feet tall, and of medium to heavy build. He wore a white athletic-style long-sleeve shirt, white baseball cap, sunglasses and blue jean shorts.

Anyone with information on the robbery is asked to call Crime Check at (509) 456-2233.

Wildfire evacuations downgraded in Glacier

GLACIER NATIONAL PARK, Mont. – Evacuation levels in Montana’s Glacier National Park are being downgraded as the weather improves and more firefighters arrive to battle the blaze.

Some 570 firefighters are now on hand to battle the blaze, now estimated at about 5 square miles. The fire is about 20 percent contained.

Evacuation orders have been lifted for National Park Service employee housing and administrative areas.

Activists protest Shell ship’s arrival in Oregon

PORTLAND – Environmental activists in Portland protested the arrival Saturday of the Fennica, a vessel that Royal Dutch Shell PLC plans to use in its Arctic offshore drilling project after it’s repaired.

The damaged ship, a 380-foot icebreaker, arrived at a Swan Island dry dock about 3 a.m. Saturday. The icebreaker is a key part of Shell’s exploration and spill-response plan off Alaska’s northwest coast. It protects Shell’s fleet from ice and carries equipment that can stop gushing oil.

The Fennica was damaged earlier this month in the Aleutian Islands when it struck an underwater obstruction, tearing a gash in its hull.

About 75 “kayaktivists” and other protesters in boats were on the water Saturday afternoon, near where the Fennica is docked, holding a peaceful on-the-water rally against arctic offshore drilling, activist Mia Reback said.

SNOQUALMIE, Wash. – The King County Sheriff’s Office said a handcuffed suspect managed to steal a deputy’s patrol SUV.

The Seattle Times reported the man had been arrested Saturday in the Snoqualmie area on warrants for vandalism, drug paraphernalia and possession of stolen property. Sgt. Stan Seo said he somehow got behind the wheel of the SUV and drove away, eventually ditching the vehicle near Rattlesnake Lake and running into the woods.

Authorities found the man again after searching for about five hours with dogs and a helicopter.

Seo said the deputy whose patrol car was stolen was “embarrassed to say the least.”