In brief: Suspect in park sex assault sought

A 62-year-old woman was sexually assaulted late Tuesday afternoon in Upper Lincoln Park on Spokane’s South Side.

The woman was walking around 4 p.m. in the park, at 2100 E. Southeast Blvd., when she noticed a man in the bluff area, a news release from the Spokane Police Department said.

The man followed her near a wooded area and sexually assaulted her. He then ran from the area.

The woman described her attacker as a white man, between 25 and 30 years old, about 5-foot-9 and 160 pounds. She said he has short, straight jet-black hair with bangs that covered his forehead. She said his eyes were very dark brown and his skin was olive. He was clean-shaven with a smooth complexion. He was last seen wearing a black hooded sweatshirt.

Witnesses are asked to call Crime Check at (509) 456-2233 and ask for Detective Lebsock.

Police say man shot in car killed himself

One man is dead and another injured following a shooting in a vehicle in Kellogg early Wednesday.

Shoshone County sheriff’s deputies and Kellogg police officers responded to the Bunker overpass off Interstate 90 in Kellogg around 3:30 a.m.

The passenger in a vehicle had killed himself with a .40-caliber handgun, a news release from the Kellogg Police Department said.

The driver, Brian Septer, was injured by the same bullet and was taken to Shoshone Medical Center, then airlifted for additional care, the release said.

The name of the deceased is being withheld pending notification of next of kin.

Tribe’s workshop will teach teachers

The Kalispel Tribe and the David Thompson Bicentennials Partnership will sponsor a June 28-30 encampment along the Clark Fork River near Thompson Falls, Mont.

Teachers from Washington, Idaho and Montana can get credit for attending the event. Members of the general public are also welcome, but preregistration is required due to limited space. For more information, go to www.montanahistorical society.org and click on “2012 teacher workshops.”

Instructors include Salish language speakers and historians from the Northern Plateau teaching tepee construction, fish traps and hooks, preparation of camas bulbs, basketry and plant uses. Friends of Spokane House will offer classes in traditional fur trade skills, and the Northwoods Canoe Co. will have replica fur trade canoes on hand for paddling on the Clark Fork River.

Comment deadline on ski runs Tuesday

A years-old effort to expand lift-assisted skiing to the “back side” of Mount Spokane will enter its final stage with Tuesday’s deadline for public comment on environmental impacts.

Mt. Spokane Ski and Snowboard Park has been seeking permission from Washington State Parks to add a lift and expand the downhill ski area into the forested northwest side of the mountain. Ski area managers say they need to expand their terrain to remain competitive with other area ski resorts.

Washington Fish and Wildlife Department biologists have warned that clearing ski runs could impact wetlands and other wildlife habitat in the remaining third of the upper mountain not already impacted by the ski area.

Groups such as the Lands Council, Spokane Mountaineers and Sierra Club oppose the expansion, saying the resort should spend money upgrading existing facilities rather than invading an intact forest and meadows favored by backcountry skiers.

Information and comment links are online at parks.wa.gov/plans.

Hiawatha bike trail opens this weekend

The Route of the Hiawatha rail-trail near Lookout Pass will open for the season Saturday, said Phil Edholm at Lookout Pass Ski Area.

That’s great news for folks planning bicycling outings over the Memorial Day weekend. The nationally acclaimed 15-mile rail-trail uses the abandoned Milwaukee Railroad grade between the old town site of Taft, Mont., and the North Fork of the St. Joe River near Avery, Idaho. 

The unpaved route features 10 tunnels and seven trestles as high as 230 feet within the Loop Creek canyon at the crest of the scenic Bitterroot Mountains. The grade is a gentle 1.6 percent.

Trail passes, shuttle tickets, mountain bike rentals, souvenirs and picnic lunches are available at Lookout Pass Ski Area, just off Interstate 90 at the Idaho/Montana border, 12 miles east of historic Wallace. 

Call (208) 744-1301 or visit www.ridethe hiawatha.com for trail information. Equipment reservations are recommended.