White sturgeon habitat protected

About 18 miles of Kootenai River have been designated as critical habitat for white sturgeon by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

In 1994, the fish were listed as endangered species. They’re one of 18 land-locked white sturgeon populations in western North America.

Kootenai white sturgeon are found in Idaho, Montana and British Canada. Modifications of the Kootenai River’s habitat have changed the hydrology of the river, altering white sturgeon spawning, egg incubation and rearing habitats. As a result of these changes, fewer young sturgeon survive. The adult population has also been decreasing at a rate of 9 percent per year.

Critical habitat identifies areas important for the survival of threatened or endangered species. Federal agencies that undertake, fund or permit activities that could affect critical habitat must first consult with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Seattle

9-year-old dies after shooting

Hospital officials said a boy who was shot near the Apple Capital Recreation Loop Trail in East Wenatchee, apparently by his mother, has died.

A staffer at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle said 9-year-old Spencer Hepko-Hilliard died early Wednesday morning.

East Wenatchee police said they found his mother, 37-year-old Taunya L. Hilliard, dead at the scene on Monday with a 9mm semiautomatic gun in her hand. Police Chief John R. “Randy” Harrison said Tuesday that investigators believe she shot the boy in the head and then committed suicide.

The shootings were reported by a man who said he was walking his dog on the trail and heard gunshots and a scream. Police said a handwritten note was found, but the contents had not been released Wednesday.

Woman stabbed with high heel

Seattle police are looking for a man accused of stabbing a woman with the stiletto heel of her own boot.

A police report says the man attacked the woman at a June 29 barbecue at a friend’s house.

The 40-year-old Tukwila woman suffered an injury to her left hand that required surgery Saturday for a bacterial infection. The report says the man had asked the woman to perform a sex act and when she refused he slapped her face, removed her boot and stabbed her with the heel.

Tacoma

Miss Washington sorry about photos

Miss Washington Elyse Umemoto has apologized for pictures of her in embarrassing poses made public by the gossip Web site TMZ.com.

In a press conference, Umemoto says the pictures were stolen and police have been contacted. She says the pictures were taken before she was Miss Washington.

TMZ.com posted pictures of Umemoto flipping off the camera while wearing a crown, playing a college drinking game, and making suggestive hand signs.

Umemoto says the pictures were taken in a private setting and that her trust was violated. She adds she was clowning around when the pictures were taken.

The Wapato native was the second runner-up in the Miss America Pageant.

Miss Washington Scholarship Organization’s field director, Mike Miller, says Umemoto will not be disciplined for the photos. A new Miss Washington will be chosen this weekend.

East Wenatchee

Downed power line sparks wildfire

Firefighters working through the night stopped a wildfire that came within 50 yards of 911 radio towers on Badger Mountain near East Wenatchee.

The assistant fire chief for Douglas County Fire District 2, Doug Miller, says about 45 firefighters at the scene Wednesday should be able to finish containing the 1,300-acre fire.

It broke out about 5 p.m. Tuesday, reportedly from a downed power line, and spread rapidly in grass and scattered timber about six miles northeast of East Wenatchee.

Douglas County commissioners declared a state of emergency because of the threat to the radio towers that provide communications for police and fire dispatchers.

Miller says three ranch homes were threatened, and firefighters burned out grass around one to save it from the wildfire.

Boise

Wildfire near INL forces evacuations

A wildfire on the Idaho National Laboratory nuclear reservation has spread to two square miles, or about 1,200 acres, forcing evacuation of some employees.

Workers at the INL’s Materials & Fuels Complex were taken Wednesday to Idaho Falls as a safety precaution.

The fire is burning in the desert between the Materials & Fuels Complex, a test center for nuclear power systems, and the central facilities area, the main service and support center for INL’s transportation, maintenance, construction and monitoring activities.

BLM crews as well as INL firefighters are at the scene.

Separately, there was an injury car accident near the entrance to the Materials & Fuels Complex. INL officials say they don’t believe the accident was related to their evacuation.

U.S. Highway 20 is closed from Idaho Falls to its junction with U.S. Highway 26.

Ammon, Idaho

Sporadic shortages after water limits

Officials in the eastern Idaho town of Ammon say residents ignoring a city conservation order limiting when they can water their lawns has resulted in sporadic water shortages.

The order on May 15 restricted watering to odd and even days depending on a resident’s address.

The city council gave residents an informal grace period to avoid fines that could rise to $100 on a third offense.

Mayor Bruce Ard says the grace period will now end.

The city also plans to improve two of its eight functioning wells, and is in the process of adding two additional wells.