Dave Nichols

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Sports >  High school sports

Annual Tri-State wrestling tournament cancelled for 2020

UPDATED: Sat., Sept. 19, 2020

The 50th annual Tri-State Invitational, a popular high school wrestling tournament hosted each December by North Idaho College and widely recognized as the unofficial start of the wrestling season in the area, was cancelled for 2020, announced by organizers on Friday citing COVID-19 concerns.

Sports >  High school sports

Week 3 preview: Post Falls hosts Lake City in early-season nonleague litmus test for both teams

UPDATED: Thu., Sept. 17, 2020

More nonleague play between league rivals is scheduled this week in the 5A ranks and one team finally gets at least a reasonable facsimile of a home game in Week 4 of the Idaho prep football season.

Sports >  Outdoors

Dave Nichols: Building hunting memories as satisfying as harvesting game

Thu., Sept. 17, 2020

Despite looking the part with my “Grizzly Adams” beard, I’m not much of an outdoorsman, if I’m being honest.

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Sports >  Outdoors

S-R Hunting Outlook 2020: Washington big game hunters have opportunity for harvest

Thu., Sept. 17, 2020

If you’re a big game hunter in Eastern Washington or North Idaho, you may have already spent time out in the woods scouting, setting up stands or, if you’re an archer, actually hunting. If not, what’s keeping you?

News >  Spokane

Bloomsday officials extend race dates due to poor air quality

UPDATED: Wed., Sept. 16, 2020

With smoke from the Pacific Coast wildfires wrecking havoc on the region’s air quality and casting the area under a pall of hazy smoke, Bloomsday officials announced on Tuesday they have extended the deadline for area runners to participate in “Virtual Bloomsday.”

Sports >  Outdoors

Reader photo: Distant companion

Wed., Sept. 16, 2020

A bull moose enjoys the abundant tree leaves among the tombstones in the cemeteries along Government Way in Spokane during the second week of September.

Sports >  Outdoors

Recreation becomes ‘wreckreation’ as careless outdoor adventures turn destructive

Mon., Sept. 14, 2020

Recreation is turning into “wreckreation,” as COVID-cabin-fevered hikers, campers and day-trippers venture out and damage public lands all over the state – including, it seems, sparking wildfires with careless or clueless behavior.

Sports >  Seattle Mariners

Out of Right Field: Mariners stop-and-start season more like extended spring training

UPDATED: Sat., Sept. 12, 2020

With 16 games left in the 2020 season entering play on Saturday, the Seattle Mariners sat five games behind the New York Yankees (LOL) for the eighth and final playoff seed in MLB’s cash-grab of expanded postseason due to (and in conjunction with) the pandemic.

Sports >  High school sports

Prep football: Noah Range scores twice; Post Falls grinds out win over Lewiston

UPDATED: Sat., Sept. 12, 2020

It was supposed to be a showdown between two of the highest-scoring teams in the Idaho 5A ranks after the first two weeks of the season.

Sports >  High school sports

Week 3 preview: Offensive fireworks display scheduled in Lewiston

Thu., Sept. 10, 2020

The most interesting game of the week pits a pair of league rivals against each other in a nonleague game. Yes, there are quite a few of those this season due to rescheduling efforts caused by the pandemic.

Sports >  Outdoors

In brief: DNR closes recreation on Eastern Washington lands due to fire danger

Wed., Sept. 9, 2020

The Washington State Department of Natural Resources on Tuesday closed all of the lands it manages east of the Cascades to recreation due to high fire danger. The closure will last at least through Friday, Sept. 11, and DNR staff will evaluate the possibility of extending it as the week progresses.

Sports >  Outdoors

Reader photo: Keep your head up

Wed., Sept. 9, 2020

Submit your own outdoors-related photographs for a chance to be published in our weekly print edition and browse our archive of past reader submissions online at spokesman.com/outdoors.

Sports >  Outdoors

Field reports: US wildlife officials aim to remove wolf protections in 2020

Tue., Sept. 8, 2020

The Trump administration plans to lift endangered species protections for gray wolves across most of the nation by the end of the year, the director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said Monday.

Sports >  High school sports

Prep football: Jack Prka picks up where he left off; leads Coeur d’Alene in season opening win

UPDATED: Sat., Sept. 5, 2020

Jack Prka might have been named newcomer of the year in the Inland Empire League last season, but the senior quarterback looked very much at home Friday night as he led Idaho 5A No. 1-ranked Coeur d’Alene in its season opener over visiting 4A Sandpoint 55-0 in a nonleague game.

Sports >  Outdoors

Gov. Inslee directs drafting of new rules for wolf management

UPDATED: Fri., Sept. 4, 2020

Gov. Jay Inslee on Friday directed the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission to draft new rules governing the department’s lethal removal of wolves involved in conflicts with livestock.

Sports >  Outdoors

First phase of Safe Passage 97 project completed with private funding

Fri., Sept. 4, 2020

Conservation Northwest announced last week the completion of the first phase of the Safe Passage 97 project.

Sports >  High school sports

Week 2 preview: Coeur d’Alene kicks off campaign against Sandpoint

Thu., Sept. 3, 2020

Most Idaho schools began their season last week, but the state’s top-ranked 5A school kicks off Friday – and the 4A ranks added another competitor.

Sports >  Outdoors

Reader photo: Blue heaven

UPDATED: Wed., Sept. 2, 2020

Submit your own outdoors-related photographs for a chance to be published in our weekly print edition and browse our archive of past reader submissions online at spokesman.com/outdoors.

Sports >  Outdoors

Grizzly charges unsuspecting hikers at Glacier National Park

UPDATED: Wed., Sept. 2, 2020

Visitors to Glacier National Park are inundated with warnings about potential encounters with wildlife in the park – specifically what to do if you run into a bear in its natural habitat. 

Sports >  Outdoors

Field reports: WDFW seeks information on mule deer poaching case

Tue., Sept. 1, 2020

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife is seeking help from the public to solve a poaching case in Eastern Washington.

Sports >  High school sports

Student-athlete group in Washington petitions for fall sports

UPDATED: Mon., Aug. 31, 2020

A group calling itself the Student Athletes of Washington (SAW) has set up an online petition asking Gov. Jay Inslee to lift the restrictions in place due to the pandemic to allow for the resumption of fall sports.

Sports >  High school sports

Close to business as usual for North Idaho football opener

UPDATED: Sat., Aug. 29, 2020

The scene at Lake City High School Friday evening for the first football game of the season looked – surprisingly – much like business as usual.

Sports >  High school sports

Prep football: Chris Irvin leads Lake City over Lakeland in season opener

UPDATED: Sat., Aug. 29, 2020

Returning All-Inland Empire League quarterback Chris Irvin threw two touchdown passes and ran for a score and Lake City beat visiting Lakeland 26-20 in a nonleague season opener for both teams on Friday.

Sports >  High school sports

Prep football: North Idaho schools kick off 2020 season

Fri., Aug. 28, 2020

Amid uncertain circumstances, the 2020 football season for North Idaho high schools kicks off Friday night with nine games in the region. Whether the season will finish while the pandemic rages on is still anyone’s guess.

Sports >  Outdoors

Dave Nichols: Glacier National Park provides thrilling ride, spectacular views

UPDATED: Thu., Aug. 27, 2020

I’d venture to say that I have visited more national parks and other National Park Service units than most folks. And it has nothing to do with my job.