In brief: Four fires burn in region, two reported suspicious

Several fires across the Spokane area Tuesday kept fire crews busy, and two of the fires have been deemed suspicious in nature.

The Spokane Fire Department responded to a blaze near People’s Park about 4:30 p.m.

Then Spokane County Fire District 10 and state Department of Natural Resources crews responded to a fast-moving brush fire near Greenwood Memorial Terrace and Riverside Memorial Park, which burned one to two acres of grass and timber.

District 10 Deputy Chief Robert Ladd said that fire and the People’s Park fire are suspicious in origin because they started in the same area about the same time.

“Both fires are still under investigation,” Ladd said. “There’s no known link, other than they are in the same general area. They’re basically on each side of our border with each other.”

Then District 10 responded to a fire in Riverside State Park near Bowl and Pitcher that burned about 1 ½ acres. Investigators said the fire, which is still under investigation, was human caused, but do not believe it was related to the other two. The district also responded Tuesday morning to a fire in Airway Heights. Fire officials are advising that with the warmer weather, lighter fuels such as brush dry out very quickly and become prone to quickly spreading fires.

Oil may hit North Dakota

LAUREL, Mont. – Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer says he believes that oil from a broken pipeline under the Yellowstone River has traveled hundreds of miles into North Dakota.

The governor said Tuesday that the river was flowing about 7 mph, so it was a given that some oil has reached the state’s eastern neighbor. North Dakota is about 270 miles downstream from the Laurel area, where the break spilled about 1,000 barrels of crude oil into the waterway on Friday.

Schweitzer called on people downstream to report any oil sheens.

Exxon Mobil Corp. and the Environmental Protection Agency say the farthest downstream they’ve seen oil is about 25 miles from the broken line.

The Yellowstone River is expected to rise above flood stage on Tuesday, raising concerns the oil could spread.

Driver hurt on U.S. 195

One person was in critical condition Tuesday after a four-car crash on U.S. 195 south of Colfax that was caused when a wheel fell off a horse trailer.

The trailer was being towed about 10 a.m. by a northbound Chevrolet Silverado driven by Zane R. Ford, 21, of Heppner, Ore. The wheel hit the hood of a southbound Mercedes ML350 driven by Velerie M. McIlroy, 79, of Spokane, according to Washington State Patrol. McIlroy lost control, crossed the centerline and struck a Saturn Ion driven by Christopher W. Beaver, 29, of Prosser.

McIlroy’s car rolled and came to rest on its top on the northbound shoulder. Beaver’s vehicle and the vehicle behind him, a Kia Soul driven by Jack E. Rogers, 53, of Warrensburg, Miss., came to rest in the northbound ditch.

Beaver was in critical condition Tuesday at St. Joseph’s Regional Medical Center in Lewiston. Ford was uninjured, and McIlroy and Rogers were treated and released at a Colfax hospital.

Judge blocks union law

BOISE – A federal judge has blocked a new Idaho law that targeted unions.

The law, which passed with heavy Republican support during the 2011 session, would have prohibited unions from using the dues they collect to subsidize members’ wages, as part of efforts to help union contractors submit winning bids on projects.

But the Idaho Statesman reports that U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill issued a preliminary injunction on Friday after unions sued.

The unions argued the law was unconstitutional because Idaho sought to pre-empt matters already governed by Congress.

In his decision, Winmill agreed the unions had a good chance of succeeding.

Watershed forum set

Issues related to Lake Coeur d’Alene and its watershed will be presented by state, tribal and federal officials Thursday afternoon at the Coeur d’Alene basin information forum.

The meeting is open to the public. It runs from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. at Centennial Distributing, 701 W. Buckles, Hayden.

Agenda items include: bank stabilization at Mica Creek; the East Mission Flats Repository; modeling and sampling on the Lower Coeur d’Alene River; monitoring of cutthroat trout on the Coeur d’Alene Reservation; and an update on invasive aquatic species.