In brief: Moths attacked trees in region last summer
Tussock moths chewed their way across 68,000 acres of the Idaho Panhandle last summer, leaving behind red-topped trees.
The native pests primarily attack Douglas firs, grand firs and subalpine firs. Aerial surveys indicate the moth outbreak also affected 1,600 acres in eastern Spokane County and about 9,000 acres in the Blue Mountains of southeast Washington and northeast Oregon, according to the Washington Department of Natural Resources.
Tussock moth outbreaks typically peak in 10-year cycles. The outbreak in Spokane County will probably subside this year, but the Idaho Panhandle could see an increase in the number of acres affected, forest entomologists say.
Tussock moth caterpillars feed on both old and new foliage. Though the trees appear dead, many survive if they can form buds that last through the winter. However, repeat defoliation can stunt tree growth, cause top-kill and make trees more susceptible to later attacks from bark beetles.
Outbreaks typically collapse within two to four years, due to a buildup of natural enemies, including a viral disease. Birds and parasitic wasps also help keep tussock moth populations in check.
Suspected shooter found competent to stand trial
The suspected shooter charged with the July 17 killing of a 63-year-old Colville man has been found competent to stand trial.
Stevens County Prosecutor Tim Rasmussen said Monday that 26-year-old Eric L. Booth is expected to appear next Tuesday to schedule a trial, if one becomes necessary.
Booth is charged with first-degree murder along with 27-year-old Jesse J. Fellman-Shimmin and 25-year-old Collette Marie Pierce in what detectives described as a botched robbery in which Booth shot 63-year-old Gordon Feist.
Rasmussen said Booth and his attorney, Paul Wasson, have been working with law enforcement. Based on preliminary discussions, a trial may not be necessary, Rasmussen said.
Vehicular homicide suspect turns herself in
A 21-year-old vehicular homicide suspect who missed her court appearance on Monday is back in jail after turning herself in.
Hannah Kay Hahn was arrested Tuesday at her lawyer’s office, KHQ-TV reports. She was booked into jail about 5:15 p.m. on charges of vehicular homicide and hit-and-run for a crash early Saturday that killed pedestrian Dennis Burgess, 47, at North Market Street and East Providence Avenue. Her bond is set at $50,000. She’ll appear before a judge today.
Police say Hahn smelled of alcohol and had “some small bottles of alcohol” on her when they stopped her SUV as it sped north on Market near Hawthorne Road about 2:17 a.m. Saturday.
The SUV’s windshield was broken and its front end and hood were damaged.
Burgess was a father of three and worked as a carpenter and landscaper, his family said.
Rock smashes window at Ron Paul’s headquarters
BELLEVUE – Republican Ron Paul’s presidential campaign says someone threw a rock through the window of Paul’s Washington state campaign headquarters in Bellevue.
The Seattle Times reported that volunteers and staff were working in the office when the rock crashed through a window about 6 p.m. Sunday. No one was hurt.
A campaign coordinator ran outside and spotted a gray vehicle driving away, the Times reported.
Bellevue police responded to take an incident report.
In a statement, Paul’s National Campaign Chairman Jesse Benton called the incident “regrettable.”
The Texas congressman has been organizing for months in Washington ahead of the state’s March 3 GOP caucuses.
Explosion at Sequim marina injures man, damages boats
SEQUIM, Wash. – A 40-foot boat that exploded at a marina on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula Tuesday evening broke windows, inflicted shrapnel-type damage on other nearby vessels and seriously injured a 78-year-old man, firefighters said.
The force of the blast sank the boat, briefly trapping the lone occupant in the hull in the water, said Clallam County Fire District No. 3 spokesman Patrick Young. Two people on a neighboring boat quickly pulled debris off the man and rescued him.
The injured man is believed to have lived on the boat, Young said. Medics said he suffered burns and fractures.
He was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, a police dispatcher said. He wasn’t immediately identified.
Young said he didn’t know exactly how many other boats were damaged along the slip at the John Wayne Marina in the town of Sequim. But he said boats as far away as 75 yards received damage.
The Coast Guard and police are investigating the cause of the explosion.
Spill response crews worked to mop up an undetermined amount of fuel from the shattered boat.