In brief: Ballots begin going out today to voters across Washington

County elections offices around the state will begin mailing ballots today to Washington voters. Spokane County elections officials say they will mail more than 275,000 ballots today and Thursday.

If you are registered to vote and don’t get a ballot by July 25, call the Elections Office, which in Spokane is (509) 477-2320.

If you aren’t registered to vote but would like to be, you have until July 28 to sign up in person at the Elections Office, which in Spokane is at 1033 W. Gardner Ave.

Primary ballots must be marked, placed in the signed envelope and returned, either by depositing them in an official ballot drop box before 8 p.m. Aug. 5, or by mailing them back so they are postmarked no later than Aug. 5. In Spokane County, drop boxes can be found at public libraries, as well as the Elections Office and the STA Plaza in downtown Spokane. 

Crews dig fire line surrounding blaze south of Liberty Lake

A fire burned a heavily forested ridge south of Liberty Lake near the end of Henry Road on Tuesday.

A helicopter made repeated water dumps on the fire throughout the afternoon Tuesday, aided by a small plane dumping fire retardant.

As of 6:30 p.m. the blaze had grown to 27 acres but was surrounded by a fire line dug by a bulldozer and hand tools, said Washington State Patrol spokesman Trooper Jeff Sevigney. The fire was unchanged at 8:30 p.m.

“The line is holding,” Sevigney said. “Things are looking good.”

The terrain in the area is steep and rugged. “There’s no road in there,” Sevigney said. “Crews are having to hike in 40 minutes just to get there.”

Fire crews from Spokane County Fire District 8, the Department of Natural Resources and the Spokane Valley Fire Department were on scene.

The cause of the fire is unknown, but a nearby resident told Sevigney that he saw lightning hit the ridge during Monday’s thunderstorm.

No homes are threatened and no evacuations have been ordered, Sevigney said.

Dog found dead was tied to fence without water or shade

A dog was found dead on Tuesday after being tied up to a fence without water or shade, according to the Spokane County Regional Animal Protection Service.

SCRAPS is calling the incident another case of animal cruelty and negligence by pet owners during a heat wave. As of 3 p.m. Tuesday, SCRAPS had responded to 12 cases of animals confined in hot cars, said Nicole Montano, field operations manager for SCRAPS.

But, Montano said, “this is the first time this season that we had a dog die tethered to a fence.”

The owners had reportedly tied two pit bulls to a fence the night before and were inside their home on the 800 block of East Rowan Avenue as the dogs became sick, according to SCRAPS. By the time an animal protection officer arrived in the afternoon, one of the dogs had died and the other had “heat-related distress.”

The deceased dog was taken to a veterinarian for examination. SCRAPS allowed the owners to keep the other dog under the order that it also be taken to a veterinarian for treatment.

SCRAPS is investigating the owners on charges of first-degree animal cruelty.

Lightning storm sparked 6 fires on Colville National Forest

Monday’s lightning storm sparked six small wildfires on the Colville National Forest.

The largest is 5 acres and is called the Twin-Sisters fire, said Franklin Pemberton, forest spokesman. It’s burning on the Three Rivers Ranger District, about halfway way between the communities of Curlew Lake and Boyds.

No structures are threatened, Pemberton said. About 29 people are on the scene, including eight smokejumpers and a hand crew.

The remaining fires are a quarter acre or smaller, and are staffed with local engines and firefighters.

Officers identified in shooting near Sandpoint hospital

Three Sandpoint police officers shot and killed 35-year-old Jeanette Riley on July 8 when she refused to drop a knife outside Bonner General Hospital, the Bonner County Sheriff’s Office said.

Officers Skylar Ziegler, Mike Valenzuela and Garrett Johnson fired the rounds that killed Riley on Third Street in front of the emergency entrance, according to a news release. The officers have all been employed by the Sandpoint Police Department for five years or less, according to the release. Valenzuela has been with the department for five years, Ziegler for three and Johnson for one.

Riley exited a white van armed with a knife after a call came in of a weapons offense, according to the news release. The Sheriff’s Office said Riley walked toward the officers and ignored repeated commands to drop the knife, so they opened fire.

Those with information about the incident are asked to contact Sgt. Gary Johnston, a detective with the Sheriff’s Office, at (208) 263-8417 ext. 3058.