Becky Kramer

Western land managers could shrink the carbon footprint of wildfires by setting more prescribed burns, a new study says. Igniting small, controlled fires reduces fuel buildup in the forest, helping to stave off the catastrophic fires that release millions of tons of carbon, according to research by the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colo.

Seattle City Light has reached a proposed settlement over the relicensing of Boundary Dam on the Pend Oreille River in northeast Washington. The proposed settlement was submitted earlier this week to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Seattle City Light agreed to protect and restore fish habitat and recreational opportunities in return for public support of a new dam license.

Seattle City Light has reached a proposed settlement over the relicensing of the Boundary Dam on the Pend Oreille River in northeast Washington.

The Washington State Department of Health will use a $97,000 federal grant to investigate the use of potentially deadly folk remedies.

The number of people moving out of rural Idaho increased between mid-2008 and mid-2009 as the recession reached into every corner of the state.

Downturn starting to ease for lumber mills

Rural Idaho loses residents

Former sawmill owner buys Potlatch plant

Potlatch Corp. has sold its Post Falls particleboard plant to Todd Brinkmeyer, a former sawmill operator.

Though most of the snow has disappeared from the region’s black bear dens, wildlife biologists say the jury’s still out on whether an early spring will result in earlier-than-usual bear activity. Last year’s bumper huckleberry crop sent most bears into hibernation with full bellies. It’s a tossup whether the mild temperatures will coax bears out of their dens, or whether their extra fat stores will prompt a longer snooze, said Wayne Wakkinen, a wildlife biologist for the Idaho Department of Fish and Game.

Though most of the snow has disappeared from the region’s black bear dens, wildlife biologists say the jury’s still out on whether an early spring will result in earlier-than-usual bear activity.

Potlatch Corp. has sold its Post Falls particleboard plant to Todd Brinkmeyer, a former sawmill operator.

A North Idaho company offered to pay a $1.25 million penalty over unpaid smelter royalties from the Sunshine Mine near Big Creek, Idaho. Sterling Mining Co. reached the proposed agreement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Coeur d’Alene Tribe to settle an outstanding claim against Sterling in the company’s bankruptcy proceeding.

A former North Idaho contractor accused of bilking his customers out of tens of thousands of dollars agreed Tuesday to pay $116,000 in restitution as part of a plea agreement. But the proposed payback schedule – a minimum of $100 per month – left victims angry. At that rate, it would take Myck T. Beard more than 1,000 years to pay off his debts, former customers said.

Kootenai County Sheriff’s deputies are still searching late tonight for a suspect wanted for a fatally shooting another man at a Hayden apartment complex. The suspect, Chad Moore, 35, was last seen heading northbound on Government Way in a blue Toyota pickup with a white stripe, Idaho license plate K433586. He is believed to be armed and dangerous.