In brief: Holiday today affects services

The following offices and services will be affected by the Labor Day holiday today:

• All Kootenai and Spokane counties city and rural garbage pickup will be one day late for the week.

• City, county, state and federal offices will be closed.

• Post offices will be closed.

• State liquor stores in Washington and Idaho will be open.

• Most banks will be closed.

• Riverfront Park and its attractions will be open. Open swim times and lap swims are planned at A.M. Cannon and Witter aquatic centers. Visit http://spokaneparks. org/Parks/page/47/ for times.

• Free on-street parking will be available in downtown Spokane today.

BASE jumper dies in Southern Idaho

TWIN FALLS, Idaho – Authorities said a 38-year-old Alabama man has died in a BASE jumping accident in Southern Idaho.

The Twin Falls County Sheriff’s Office said the man’s parachute only partially deployed early Saturday when he was BASE jumping off a bridge.

The Sheriff’s Office said boaters were able to pull the man from the Snake River minutes after his fall and perform CPR but could not revive him.

The man, who authorities had not identified, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Two die in crash of small plane

CALDWELL, Idaho – Authorities said two people were killed when a small airplane crashed on takeoff in Caldwell.

Caldwell Industrial Airport manager Rob Oates said both passengers were killed when the homemade aircraft crashed Sunday morning.

He identified the airplane as a Kitfox, a popular single-engine airplane kit assembled by owners. The Federal Aviation Administration classifies such airplanes as experimental.

Officials said details on the passengers were not being released until after relatives are notified.

Airport upgrade would ease travel

GREAT FALLS, Mont. – The Great Falls International Airport is eyeing a multimillion- dollar makeover that promises to make it easier to fly into and out of the airport.

Airport director John Faulkner said the projected $5 million or $6 million in improvements could be completed by the spring of 2013.

Consultants are expected to complete plans by winter, with the expected one-year construction project starting in March or April.

The plan is contingent on final FAA approval of about $3.6 million in grants. The airport will use bonding revenue and airline contributions to pay for the rest of the project.

Searchers find camper’s body

YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, Calif. – A search in Yosemite National Park for a 69-year-old Washington man has come to a sad ending.

Park officials said search crews found the body of Gene Hall in his tent around 2:30 p.m. Saturday. The cause of Hall’s death has not been determined, but officials said it appears he died of natural causes.

Hall’s body was found near Fletcher Lake, which is in the vicinity of the Vogelsang High Sierra Camp.

Officials said Hall had set out alone on a backpacking trip last Monday. He was reported missing when he did not return to his car on Thursday.