Regional news
Test shows bat had rabies
A bat that recently flew into a Spokane Valley home has tested positive for rabies, the Spokane Regional Health District announced Friday in a press release.
A small number of bats test positive for the disease annually in Spokane County.
In humans, signs of rabies can show up one to three months after they were exposed. Once symptoms start, the disease usually is lethal, the district said. However, vaccine given soon after a bite prevents the disease from progressing.
The district offers several tips about bats, including:
“If a person wakes up and finds a bat in his or her room, he or she may have been bitten without knowing it. The bat should be tested for rabies.
“Anyone who has direct contact with a bat or who has found a bat in their home should contact the health district.
“Keep vaccinations up to date for pets and seek veterinary care if a pet is bitten by a wild animal.
“Teach children never to handle unfamiliar animals.
First cable strung for Tacoma bridge
Tacoma Builders of the new Tacoma Narrows Bridge connected a single steel cable from land to the top of a 510-foot tower a quarter-mile away, signifying a turning point in the construction of the $849 million suspension bridge.
After three years of foundation work, the Tacoma Narrows Contractors will begin weaving the thousands of miles of cable that will hold up the deck bridge.
“Wires across the water, that’s what suspension bridges are all about,” said Andy Hoff, TNC superstructure engineer. “This is the first wire across the water.”
Over the next few days, workers will use the line to ferry 24 more cables to the tower, 16 of which will be used to hang suspended catwalks. Crews will use those walkways during the cable-spinning process.
The initial line to another tower is scheduled to go up Aug. 30.
The new bridge is slated to open in 2007, while upgrades to the existing span are expected to wrap up in 2008.
Idahoan confirmed for federal post
Boise The U.S. Senate has confirmed former Idaho farmer and watermaster Mark Limbaugh as the Interior Department’s assistant secretary for water and science.
Interior Secretary Gale Norton praised Limbaugh’s confirmation.
“He now will be able to carry his ethic of collaboration and stewardship to the wider arena of the department’s water and science issues,” Norton said in a statement.
Since 2002, Limbaugh has been deputy commissioner of the Bureau of Reclamation, where he shepherded an initiative aimed at helping Western communities deal with chronic water shortages.
Limbaugh grew up in Fruitland, west of Boise, and until 1995 worked on his family’s farm growing apples, plums and peaches. He also was watermaster of the Payette River Basin and executive director of the Payette River Water Users Association.