In brief: Van under repair rolls free, hitting child who later dies

MOSES LAKE – A toddler died Thursday evening after being struck by a food service van in the Larson subdivision north of Moses Lake.

The van was undergoing repairs in a residential driveway when it rolled away and ran over the 20-month-old boy about 8 p.m., said Chief Deputy Ryan Rectenwald of the Grant County Sheriff’s Office.

The child’s parents took him to Samaritan Hospital, where the child was later pronounced dead, Rectenwald said.

It is unclear why the van began to roll backward, he said.

The Grant County Sheriff’s Office was investigating.

Chelsea Bannach

Fall wolf season in Panhandle may add trapping to hunting

Plans for a wolf trapping season are being drafted in addition to the wolf hunting season scheduled to open this fall in the Idaho Panhandle.

“Two years ago, hunters took 27 wolves legally in the Panhandle Region during the hunting Sept. 1-March 31 hunting season,” said Jim Hayden, Idaho Fish and Game Department Panhandle Region wildlife manager. “We need to take significantly more than that this fall.”

Hunters cannot kill enough of the elusive wolves to bring the wolf population down to management goals, Hayden said.

A lawsuit canceled last year’s scheduled wolf season, allowing wolf packs to grow larger and have an even greater impact on elk herds, he said.

“We’re only in the initial stages of putting together proposals,” Hayden said Friday.

The Idaho Fish and Game Commission is scheduled to set fall hunting and trapping seasons for wolves at its July 27-29 meeting in Salmon.

Rich Landers

Blackwell Island boat launch reopens as Lake CdA water level falls

The Blackwell Island public boat launch was reopened Friday as water levels on Lake Coeur d’Alene continued to drop, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management announced.

Based on new stream flow predictions, the launch facility should remain open for the season, said Kurt Pindel, BLM outdoor recreation planner.

The launch was closed on May 27 after being inundated with 2 feet of water as runoff poured into the lake.

Other Lake Coeur d’Alene facilities affected by the high water included BLM’s Windy Bay site, Mica Bay Boater Park, Killarney Boat Launch and Huckleberry Campground. Pindel said all sites have been reopened.

Rich Landers