In Brief: Lookout Pass Ski Area opens after fresh snowfall
Lookout Pass Ski Area in North Idaho opened Sunday after several days of wavering over when to start the season.
The ski area had said it would open Friday, then postponed its first day until Saturday due to strong winds and warmer-than-anticipated temperatures. It couldn’t open Saturday, either, but skiers were able to get on the slopes Sunday after the mountain received 4-6 inches of fresh powder overnight.
The weather also forced Mt. Spokane Ski and Snowboard Park, Silver Mountain Resort and 49 Degrees North Mountain Resort to delay their opening days. All had planned to crank up the lifts after Thanksgiving. As of Sunday, there was no word on when they would open.
Only Schweitzer Mountain Resort near Sandpoint has opened for the season. It was open over the long holiday weekend and will reopen Friday.
Two suffer smoke inhalation in fire
Two people suffered smoke inhalation in a kitchen fire Saturday night in Liberty Lake.
A teenager living in a house at Fairway and Boone forgot to shut off the stove, resulting in a fire on the stove that spread to cabinets above, the Spokane Valley Fire Department said Sunday. The occupant was warned by a smoke detector.
The fire, reported at 7:39 p.m., was knocked down by a neighbor who brought over his fire extinguishers. The fire would have been more extensive if not for the neighbor having fire extinguishers and knowing how to use them, Battalion Chief Stan Cooke said.
The teenager and the neighbor suffered smoke inhalation but were stable. They were evaluated by paramedics.
Tickets spike after I-84 speed increase
JEROME, Idaho – The Idaho State Police said troopers have issued more speeding tickets since the speed limit increased to 80 mph along stretches of Interstate 84.
Spokeswoman Teresa Baker said state police wrote 2,066 speeding tickets on I-84 between July 24 and Nov. 13. That’s up nearly 20 percent from the same period in 2013, when 1,731 speeding tickets were issued.
Speed limits on some rural stretches of interstates 84, 86 and 15 rose from 75 mph to 80.
The Times-News reported the spike in tickets could be because troopers have been strictly enforcing the speed limit at 80.