In brief: School supplies reach 1,400 pupils

Thanks to donations by community supporters, the Salvation Army provided school supplies to more than 1,400 students this week during its two-day back-to-school distribution.

On Monday, supplies were exhausted less than two hours after the event began.

On Tuesday, organizers received additional supplies to help those previously turned away. Officials reported Wednesday they were still receiving donations and continued to distribute at its drop-in center, open Wednesdays only.

“We are overwhelmed by the support,” said Kyle Smith, the officer in charge of the Salvation Army in Spokane.

Smith said they will continue to give donated supplies to families in need by appointment. Families should call (509) 325-6821.

Damage closes campground

The Porcupine Bay campground on Lake Roosevelt will be closed for at least a few days while docks and other equipment are repaired.

The campground’s docks, swim platform and swim barriers were damaged Tuesday by a wave that the National Park Service is calling a “minor tsunami.” A news release Wednesday said a landslide on the opposite shoreline the previous day created a wave estimated at 8 to 12 feet high.

Park Service officials will decide today whether to reopen the campground for the weekend.

Nuisance turkeys will be adopted

LA CONNER, Wash. – Troublesome wild turkeys in the small northwest Washington tourist town of La Conner have been spared the chopping block.

The Skagit Valley Herald reports the City Council has decided that adoption is the best way to thin the flock of about 20 birds down to a more manageable number of seven. The newspaper reports that adoption offers flooded the council after reports circulated that the birds might face a grim end.

Residents have been complaining that the birds ruin yards, peck at houses and leave behind clouds of feathers and droppings.

Two council members had suggested eliminating the birds. But on Tuesday, the turkeys were spared.

Mayor Ramon Hayes says he lost sleep thinking about the ramifications of removing the turkeys entirely. The birds have become a bit of a tourist draw for the town. In Tuesday’s decision, the council decided that Hayes will have to figure out how to trap the birds.