In brief: Sagle man killed when machine traps him in pond

A 41-year-old Sagle, Idaho, man died Saturday after the excavator he was operating tipped over into a pond, trapping him inside the cab under water.

Justin Peine was working with the excavator near a pond on his property in the 100 block of Dufort Road about 4:30 p.m. when the accident occurred, the Idaho State Police reported.

Peine died on the scene, police said, and his next of kin has been notified.

From staff reports

Lumberjack show among today’s highlights at fair

Today’s highlights at the Spokane County Interstate Fair include:

•Rooster crowing contest, 10 a.m., Poultry/Rabbit Barn.

•N.W.L.A. Texas Longhorn show, 10:30 a.m., Covered Show Area.

•Weaving demonstration, 1-3 p.m., Home Arts, Bay 3.

•Fine Arts Demonstration, 3 p.m., Bay 4.

•P.R.C.A Rodeo, 4 p.m., Grandstand.

•International Lumberjack Show, various times, South Lawn.

Fair admission is $8 for adults at the gate; $5 for kids ages 7 to 13 and seniors 65 and older; and free for kids 6 and younger.

Staff reports

Police follow sound of cough to remnants of meth lab

Spokane police say they found remnants of a methamphetamine lab Saturday morning when they heard a man coughing and gagging inside a fourplex at 2409 E. Sharp Ave.

The officers had been asked to accompany firefighters who responded at 4 a.m. to a report of strong chemical odors coming from the apartment. Police said a man inside the unit didn’t respond when they knocked on the door.

A spokesman said officers broke in to help the man, who wasn’t the tenant, when they heard him gagging.

The incident remained under investigation.

John Craig