Most rivers down from flood levels
The Spokane River finally receded Thursday below flood stage of 27 feet, according to the National Weather Service.
The St. Joe River at St. Maries continues to drop and is a little more than a foot above the flood stage of 32.5 feet. It’s expected to finally drop below the flood stage at 5 a.m. Sunday.
The Pend Oreille River at Albeni Falls continues to rise and was flowing Thursday morning nearly 98,000 cubic feet per second. However, it’s not expected to get above flood stage, which is 100,000 cfs.
Spokane
Easter Seals walk set for Saturday
Easter Seals Washington will hold a new local fundraising event called Walk With Me, pairing teams of walkers and individuals with someone who benefits from Easter Seals-funded programs.
The event, which includes a 5-kilometer fitness walk and 1 mile family walk, begins with registration at 11 a.m. Saturday in Riverfront Park. Walkers will have the chance to meet with their Easter Seals “honorary ambassador” before the walk, hear their personal stories, and later cross the finish line together. The organization’s Spokane chapter provides services to more than 1,200 children and adults with disabilities.
Register for the walk at www.walkwithme.org /Spokane or (509) 326-8292.
Walla Walla
Salmonella cases show no links
More than a half dozen cases of salmonella in Walla Walla and Umatilla counties are being investigated.
The county health departments are waiting for results from state labs that could indicate whether these cases are related to a national salmonella outbreak, department administrators said.
Locally, some of the infected people have been hospitalized, but they are all recovering, Crowder said.
The three cases in Walla Walla County and four in Umatilla County identified last week haven’t been linked to a single source, such as a shared meal, water source or restaurant.
“We can’t find common ground,” said Harvey Crowder, Walla Walla Health Department’s adminstrator.
In fact, the Umatilla County cases were found on both the east and west sides of the county, said Genni Lehnert, the administrator for Umatilla County Public Health.
“It could very well be linked to the national outbreak,” she said. But only lab results identifying the strain will tell.
The national outbreak that is likely caused by raw tomatoes had not yet hit Washington state as of Wednesday, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.