Becky Kramer

Mt. Spokane Ski and Snowboard Park will be allowed to expand into pristine terrain on the mountain’s northwest face. The Washington state Parks and Recreation Commission voted 4-0 Thursday to allow the controversial expansion to move forward, after hours of discussion about recreation desires versus the need to protect old-growth forest, meadows and wetlands at Mount Spokane, the state’s largest park.

SILVERTON, Idaho – U.S. Silver Corp. has agreed to pay $87,000 in penalties to settle federal water quality violations from discharges of copper, lead and mercury into the South Fork of the Coeur d’Alene River. U.S. Silver owns the Galena and Coeur mines and milling operations in Idaho’s Silver Valley. The fines cover permit violations and unpermitted discharges that occurred from 2008 to 2010.

Mt. Spokane Ski and Snowboard Park will be allowed to expand into pristine terrain on the mountain’s northwest face. The Washington State Parks and Recreation voted 4-0 Thursday afternoon to allow the expansion to move forward, after hours of discussion about recreational desires versus the need to protect old growth forest, meadows and wetlands at Mount Spokane, the state’s largest park.

Avista Utilities is again asking Washington regulators for permission to raise rates. The utility’s request, filed Monday, asks for a 9.3 percent jump in electrical service rates and a 5.1 percent hike for natural gas service by next spring.

Avista reports strong first quarter

Avista Corp. reported net income of $41.9 million, or 73 cents per share, for the first quarter of 2011, compared to $28.8 million, or 52 cents per share, for the first quarter of 2010.

Water from Lake Pend Oreille could be used to recharge the region’s drinking water supply, but it’s a costly option, a new study concludes. The study looked at capturing spring flows from Lake Pend Oreille by drilling wells at the lake’s southern tip. The water would be pumped back into ground at other locations to recharge the Spokane Valley/Rathdrum Prairie Aquifer, which is the sole source of drinking water for nearly 600,000 of the region’s residents.

Idaho Department of Fish and Game has started selling wolf tags – $11.50 for resident hunters and $186 for out-of-state hunters. Tags are available at license vendors and Fish and Game offices. A valid 2011 Idaho hunting license is required to buy a tag.

A proposal to expand Mt. Spokane Ski and Snowboard Park could end up as a compromise that allows a new chairlift and runs but protects areas of old growth forest from development. Operators of the nonprofit ski area want to expand into the undeveloped northwest side of Mount Spokane State Park, saying the expansion would extend Mt. Spokane’s season by giving skiers access to deeper snow on north-facing slopes.

The Lucky Friday Mine is back in operation, Hecla Mining Co. officials said today.

Recent high water has raised concerns about the integrity of an earthen dam on Hayden Lake. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers plans to do some mitigation work to reinforce the structure, which is also known as the Hayden Dike Road.

Federal investigators began searching Monday for answers in the April 15 cave-in that claimed the life of a Lucky Friday miner. “No miner should ever have to die for a paycheck,” U.S. Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis said in a prepared statement announcing the investigation. The family of Larry “Pete” Marek “deserves to have answers.”

Day six of rescue efforts at the Lucky Friday Mine passed without any word on the fate of a miner trapped by a rockfall. Rescue workers were able to insert a video camera used by plumbers through a 180-foot-long drill hole to Larry “Pete” Marek’s work area. The tiny camera revealed a space amid the boulders and other debris that fell Friday night during a cave-in at the Mullan, Idaho, silver mine. But so far, the camera hasn’t captured any images of Marek.

Gray wolves in most of the Northern Rockies will be removed from the endangered species list under a policy rider attached to Congress’ budget bill. The rider returns wolf management to Idaho and Montana, ending two years of court battles over whether wolf populations are thriving or endangered. And it allows public wolf hunts this fall.

A popular cave near Chinook Pass in central Washington will be closed for part of the tourist season to help prevent the spread of the deadly white-nose syndrome in bats. Boulder Cave attracts about 35,000 visitors each year who hike though coniferous forests along a short, National Scenic Trail to explore the 475-foot long cave. During normal years, the cave and the trail are open April 1 through Oct. 31.

When it comes to water quality in Lake Coeur d’Alene, local residents are pretty savvy. They think the lake is cleaner now than it was 40 years ago. That’s generally true. Upstream mining companies no longer dump tailings into the Coeur d’Alene River, and tighter pollution controls have reduced erosion from logging and construction activity.