Becky Kramer

Washington’s best wolf habitat is in the southern Cascade Mountains, where vast federal lands support more than 20,000 elk in the state’s two largest herds. State biologists expect wolves to discover this prime territory and thrive there by 2022, after gradually dispersing south along the Cascade range.

The state of Washington has adopted rules governing how much water must flow in the Spokane River. The levels, announced Tuesday, disappointed rafters and environmental groups, who had pushed for keeping more water in the river.

The state of Washington adopted instream flows for the Spokane River today, but the levels are likely to disappoint rafters and environmental groups, who had pushed for higher flows.

Obesity and mental illness are the top public health concerns in northern Idaho, according to a study released Thursday. Both kids and adults struggle with their waistlines, the study found. And depression and suicide rates are high, particularly among young Native American men and men age 75 and older.

Obesity and mental illness are the top public health concerns in North Idaho, according to an assessment released today.

About 750,000 Idaho residents, or nearly 47 percent of the state’s population, consider themselves hunters or anglers. Yet less than half of them buy hunting or fishing licenses each year. Idaho Department of Fish and Game officials want to increase annual participation in hunting and fishing with the goal of raising additional revenue.

Six Washington residents who blame their chronic health problems on a Canadian smelter’s industrial pollution can continue their lawsuit against the smelter’s owner, a federal judge ruled this week. The plaintiffs are current or former residents of Northport, Washington, which is about 15 miles downwind and downriver of Teck Metals Ltd.’s smelter in Trail, British Columbia. The smelter dumped millions of tons of waste containing heavy metals into the Columbia River over nearly 100 years, and blew more pollutants out of its smokestacks.

Veronica Rutledge grew up around guns in North Idaho and retained her interest in them as a wife and young mother. She was a hunter and a recreational shooter who enjoyed target practice with her husband, Colt. Since she frequently carried a concealed weapon, he got her a purse with a holster for Christmas.

The gun that a toddler used to shoot his mother at Wal-Mart Tuesday was in the zippered pocket of a purse designed to hold a concealed weapon, the woman’s father-in-law said today.

Washington State University is launching an online certificate program in American Indian studies next year, with the goal of broadening understanding of native history and culture. The online courses are aimed at several audiences, including professionals who interact with tribal governments or tribal business enterprises, said Michael Holloman, coordinator for the American Indian Studies minor and certificate program.

An environmental group has petitioned the federal government to reintroduce grizzly bears to the Selway-Bitterroot mountains of Idaho and Montana, saying the region is critical to the bears’ recovery in the Lower 48 states. Re-establishing grizzlies in the Selway-Bitterroots would provide a link between genetically isolated bear populations in Yellowstone National Park and the Northern Rockies, said Andrea Santarsiere, the Center for Biological Diversity’s staff attorney. Past studies indicate that the 16 million-acre region could support 300 to 600 grizzlies.

North Idaho governments will use a $36,000 federal grant to update their emergency preparedness plans to address the growing number of oil trains rumbling through their communities. On average, two to three loaded oil trains pass through Spokane daily. But before they hit the Inland Northwest’s largest city, the trains travel along the Kootenai River, pass through downtown Bonners Ferry, cut through Sandpoint, cross Lake Pend Oreille and follow U.S. Highway 95 before heading west into Washington.