Bicyclist collides with dump truck
A bicyclist was injured Thursday afternoon when she collided with a dump truck north of Spokane.
The woman, whose name was not released, was riding down a hill on Shoemaker Lane off of state Highway 291, Spokane County Sheriff’s spokesman Dave Reagan said in a press release. About 1:30 p.m., she went almost head-on with a dump truck that coming up the hill, pulling a trailer with a backhoe.
The crash occurred where the 60-foot-long truck was forced wide to make a turn. The bicyclist was traveling fast, Reagan said.
The driver of the truck, Brian C. Inch, 19, had to drive a short distance to get service for his cell phone, Reagan said. However, when he called authorities, he reported that the accident occurred at Little Spokane Drive and Riverview Drive, Reagan said. The incorrect information delayed deputies and Washington State Patrol troopers for more than half an hour.
The bicyclist, who is a triathlete, was not wearing a helmet. She was taken to a hospital with multiple fractures, said Reagan, who described her injuries as serious but not life-threatening.
Brush fire burns hundreds of acres
Prosser, Wash. A brush fire in the Horse Heaven Hills south of here burned more than 800 acres Thursday, briefly threatening some homes, fire officials said.
No evacuations were ordered and no injuries were reported late Thursday night.
The fire, which started Thursday afternoon, burned near some homes, but fire crews were able to protect them, said Prosser Fire Chief Doug Merritt.
The fire was believed to be human-caused, Merritt said.
About 80 firefighters from Benton and Yakima counties were expected to fight the southcentral Washington fire overnight.
Merritt said the west side of the blaze was contained but the east side was not.
Q’emiln boat ramp open for summer
Avista Utilities has begun normal summer operations at the Post Falls dam by closing the spill gates. The boat ramp at Q’emiln Park will be open today through Monday.
The boat ramp will be closed Tuesday through June 5 to accommodate the annual Post Falls Days event held at the park, Avista said in a news release. The reopening of the boat ramp is expected on June 7, subject to weather.
The level of Lake Coeur d’Alene is currently at its normal summer elevation of 2,128 feet above sea level. Avista will attempt to maintain that level through Labor Day, the news release said. Heavy precipitation may necessitate the opening of the spill gates to avoid flooding. In that case, city regulations require that the boat ramp be closed until the spill gates are shut again.
Increased patrols on Highway 291 expected
Watch your driving along Highway 291 in the coming months.
The Spokane Police Department and Spokane County Sheriff’s Office will be conducting emphasis patrols starting today from Freya Street to just north of Wind River Drive.
The patrols are part of a safety program that also incorporates public education and road work to improve safety along the Highway 291 corridor, which includes Francis Avenue and Nine Mile Road.
Traffic officers will be on the lookout for dangerous drivers – those who are driving aggressively or committing other infractions that might cause collisions.
Early-bird deadline approaching for raffle
Tuesday is the early-bird deadline to buy tickets for the North Idaho College Foundation’s Really BIG Raffle and the chance to win a $200,000 custom home built by NIC carpentry students.
Those who purchase a ticket by Tuesday will be entered into a special drawing for a 32-inch color TV and a DVD/VHS player. Tickets, sold for $100 each, will continue to be available until all 4,500 are sold or until the July 6 drawing is held.
The grand prize in this year’s drawing is under construction at 1374 Coquille Ct. in Post Falls, in the Montrose subdivision. The 3,500- square-foot rancher features covered front and back porches and a three-car garage on a landscaped corner lot.
Other prizes in the drawing include a $20,000 car or boat, a $3,500 travel package and a $2,000 shopping spree. Proceeds help fund student scholarships to NIC.
Tickets are available at the NIC Foundation Office and online at www.nic.edu/foundation/rbr. For information, call (208) 769-3271.
Tickets will also be sold during open houses at the grand prize home on June 5, 12 and 19.
Discovery of remains spurs roadside dig
Arlington, Wash. State Transportation Department crews have reduced state Route 530 in northern Snohomish County to one lane as crews excavate an area where Indian remains were found last week.
Crews unearthed the remains while installing equipment for a new traffic signal at the intersection of Route 530 and Arlington Heights Road. A skeleton and another skull were found, and state archeologists believe the remains are most likely ancestors of the Stillaguamish Tribe.
To keep drivers from being distracted, transportation officials have put up tarps and will install concrete barriers.
Excavation work is expected to take about two weeks.
“Now we need to set up our work stations to find out better the extent of this site … what remains and artifacts are there,” said Colleen Jollie of the Transportation department.
St. Helens road now open all day long
Mount St. Helens National Monument, Wash. Access to Mount St. Helens is now available at any hour.
The state Transportation Department said Wednesday the last 9 miles of the Spirit Lake Memorial Highway beyond Coldwater Ridge will remain open 24 hours a day. Transportation officials had been keeping the section closed between 9 p.m. and 7 a.m. to help maintain public safety.
Transportation officials recently learned that U.S. Geological Survey scientists monitor electronic readouts from the volcano at least every two hours through the night.
Also, Cowlitz County sheriff’s deputies are regularly patrolling the 52 miles between the highway’s Interstate 5 interchange at Castle Rock and the place where the road dead-ends at Johnston Ridge.
The highway reopened for daytime use on May 6.