In brief: Worley woman killed in accident south of Coeur d’Alene
A Worley woman was killed early Sunday in an auto accident on U.S. Highway 95 about 12 miles south of Coeur d’Alene.
Stacey L. Pluff, 37, was thrown from a Ford Escape when the southbound car left the highway, entered the median and rolled, the Idaho State Police said. She died at the scene.
Joseph E. Pluff, 41, also was in the car and was injured. It is unknown which of them was driving, police said Sunday.
Emergency crews responded about 4:30 a.m.
Study may allow gray whale hunts
SEATTLE – A federal agency has released a study that could open the door for hunting of the North Pacific gray whale by the Makah Indian tribe off the Washington coast.
The draft report from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s fisheries division that was released Friday proposes six options that range from prohibiting the annual hunt for North Pacific gray whales to allowing the harvest of up to 24 whales in a six-year period, the Seattle Times reported.
“This is a first step in a public process … that could eventually lead to authorization for the tribe to hunt gray whales,” said Donna Darm, associate deputy regional administrator for NOAA Fisheries in the West Coast region.
The gray whales were removed from the endangered species list in 1994. NOAA estimates that about 20,000 gray whales roam the North Pacific.
Teen dies in collision at motocross track
LONGVIEW, Wash. – A 17-year-old Oregon teen has died after his motorcycle collided with a water truck at a motocross track in southwest Washington.
The Cowlitz County Sheriff’s Office said Dylan Bunnell, of Mulino, Oregon, and another boy were riding off-road motorcycles at Riverdale Raceway on Saturday but didn’t realize the tracks were temporarily closed for watering to keep dust down.
The teens had rounded a curve and climbed a large hill when they struck a water truck coming in the opposite direction. They apparently didn’t see the truck because of the large hill.
Bunnell died at the scene. The other boy, 14, was taken to a local hospital with minor injuries.
Both wore helmets and other protective gear. Their parents were at the raceway.
The sheriff’s office said Sunday it did not expect any charges to be filed.
Fugitive caught after Facebook post
CALDWELL, Idaho – An Idaho fugitive was caught Saturday after he made a post on Facebook inviting friends to join him at batting practice in Boise.
KTVB TV station in Boise reported that Caldwell police officers showed up at the softball field after seeing the post on social media and arrested 22-year-old Joey Patterson.
He was wanted on a felony warrant for violating his probation on a fraud case out of Twin Falls.
Patterson was booked into Canyon County Jail, where he is being held without bond.
Caldwell police Sgt. Joey Hoadley said police often use social media to track down a fugitive. Hoadley said “even fugitives can’t keep from updating their Facebook status, and it leads to some great arrests.”