Becky Kramer

An Australian mining company will conduct exploratory drilling this summer on the Idaho Panhandle National Forests near the Canadian border. MMG Ltd. is looking for zinc deposits in the Hall Mountain area, said Sally Cox, the company’s general manager for stakeholder relations.

An Australian mining company will conduct exploratory drilling this summer on Forest Service land in Boundary County near the Canadian border.

An Idaho District Court judge has unsealed the transcript of a hearing for a 14-year-old accused of killing his father and brother, saying open court proceedings are the bedrock of the American justice system. Monday’s decision by Judge Richard Christensen will allow eventual public access to the evidence portion of the preliminary hearing for Eldon Gale Samuel III, who is charged with first-degree murder in the death of Jonathan Samuel, 13, and second-degree murder in the death of Eldon Samuel Jr., 46. The shootings occurred March 24 in an emergency housing unit in Coeur d’Alene owned by St. Vincent de Paul.

Eldon Gale Samuel III blamed his family’s troubles on his younger brother’s autism, saying the stress of having a disabled child was responsible for his dad’s addiction to painkillers and his mother’s decision to leave the family, according to information disclosed Friday in court. “Eldon, when asked why he did what he did, said ‘If he wasn’t there … we’d be a happy family,’ ” said Magistrate Judge Barry Watson.

The Coeur d’Alene Tribe is preparing to use a $4.1 million federal settlement to buy back lands on its North Idaho reservation. The program targets parcels with “fractionalized ownership,” which is a widespread problem on American Indian reservations, said Heather Keen, the Coeur d’Alene Tribe’s public relations director.

Northeast Washington ranchers have begun moving their cattle to remote Forest Service meadows, where many of the herds will spend the summer grazing in territory occupied by the state’s growing wolf population. With a high potential for conflicts, eight environmental groups have petitioned state officials to create rules that would place limits on killing wolves that attack livestock.

There’s a new hurdle for Coeur d’Alene’s hydroplane races scheduled for Labor Day weekend. Kootenai County is working on a new review process for hydroplane races on Lake Coeur d’Alene after the county’s community development director determined the land portion of the event isn’t allowed under current code.

Idaho Department of Fish and Game officials say the value of the information gained about wolf pup behavior and survival is worth the slight risk that accompanies handling and collaring the young animals. “The potential risk to the pups is very low, extremely low,” said Jim Hayden, the department’s biologist for wolves, bears and lions. “This has been documented through prior work with wolf pups.”

Avista Corp. has found a buyer for its subsidiary Ecova, which provides management services for energy use, expenses and data to Fortune 500 companies and other firms. The Spokane-based utility has signed an agreement to sell Ecova for $335 million to Cofely USA, a subsidiary of GDF SUEZ, a French multinational electric utility company. The deal is expected to close July 1.

Idaho’s backcountry skiers, snowmobilers and wolverine population could be competing for territory on the same shrinking snowfields in years to come, research compiled by the state suggests. Some climate models project that Idaho will lose 40 percent of its spring snow by 2060 and about 80 percent by the century’s end. Given wolverines’ dependence on cold, snowy habitat, and a growing demand for winter recreation, conflicts could develop, according to the Idaho Department of Fish and Game’s draft wolverine conservation plan.

Neighbors are raising concerns about a marina proposed for Lake Coeur d’Alene’s Bennett Bay, saying it could affect the lake’s water quality and recreation along a popular part of the Centennial Trail. The East Lake Village Marina would have 74 boat slips, a convenience store and a public pump-out station, according to an application submitted to the Idaho Department of Lands.

The tiny caribou herd in the South Selkirk Mountains will keep its federally protected status. Just 27 animals are believed to remain in the herd, which uses habitat in North Idaho, northeast Washington and southern British Columbia.

Avista Corp. reported a 14 percent increase in earnings during the first quarter, citing higher energy sales from a colder than normal winter.