In brief: Town honored for reducing pollution

The city of Sandpoint will be honored Thursday by the state of Idaho for its efforts to reduce air pollution.

The community recently switched from burning to chipping leaves, trees and other woody debris. The switch means less smoke and also provides a good source of mulch, said Mark Boyle, an official with the state Department of Environmental Quality.

The effort has been helped by Cannon-Hill Industries, of Post Falls, which donated use of a large shredder, Boyle said.

After a brief awards ceremony at 10 a.m. Thursday, the city and state will demonstrate the wood-chipping machinery at the old Northern Lights Building at Division and U.S. Highway 2.

Inland Northwest

More snow, rain expected today

Holiday travel will be wet again today and could be treacherous for drivers at higher elevations.

Snow and rain that fell over the Inland Northwest on Tuesday are expected to continue today – with snow above 2,500 feet.

Meteorologists predict 6 to 10 inches of snow in the mountains. Other areas above 2,500 feet are expected to receive 1 to 2 inches. Downtown Spokane is at 1,890 feet; Spokane International Airport is at 1,998 feet.

Travel conditions were relatively good Tuesday because most of the falling snow was melting. Mountain passes had a mix of conditions from mostly wet on Snoqualmie and Fourth of July passes to partly snow-covered on Lookout Pass.

Fog limited visibility to as low as a quarter-mile at Spokane International Airport on Tuesday. Fog was reported in areas north of Spokane also.

Mullan Pass, near Lookout Pass on the Idaho-Montana state line, had record precipitation Monday with .73 inch recorded. That broke the previous daily record of .71 inch set in 1957.

Lewiston

Driver flees after high-speed chase

Police are looking for the Christmas Day joy rider who led Nez Perce County deputies on a high-speed chase along country roads and across a field before driving into a ravine and escaping on foot.

After responding to calls about an erratic driver Monday afternoon, police chased a 1998 Chrysler Sebring at speeds up to 75 mph down a winding 35 mph road, police said.

The car had been reported stolen Saturday night after its owner had left it running outside a residence, said Nez Perce County deputy Bill Madison.

Police picked up the car’s passenger, an unidentified 18-year-old, about two miles from where the vehicle crashed. The passenger had demanded to be let out of the car, Madison said.

Police have not identified the driver.

Vancouver, Wash.

Lewis-Clark park may get go-ahead

The state of Washington is working with the Chinook Tribe to resume construction of a Lewis and Clark park near the mouth of the Columbia River in the spring.

Construction on the $6 million Station Camp was halted in September 2005 after workers unearthed the ancient remains of six Indians.

The 13-acre site is a mile northwest of the Astoria-Megler Bridge on U.S. Highway 101. Meriwether Lewis and William Clark spent their first night in view of the Pacific Ocean there in 1805.

The state has agreed to revise the park and move the highway about 60 feet from its location in the original design to accommodate the burial site. If the tribal council allows work to resume, the park could be completed next year.