In brief: Kayaker rescued from Spokane River

Wed., June 11, 2014

One kayaker was rescued from the Spokane River on Tuesday evening while two other kayakers made it to shore by themselves.

The three were traveling together when one kayak flipped near the Sandifur Bridge, Spokane Fire Department Battalion Chief Steve Sabo said. “He was able to grab onto some weeds offshore,” Sabo said.

Rescue crews were able to quickly pull him from the river. A second kayaker was able to get to shore near the bridge while the other drifted downstream before he was able to reach shore. Crews used a powerboat to get downriver to find the third.

“We had good information and good reports of where people were,” Sabo said of the quick rescue effort.

The three kayakers, who were wearing life jackets, appeared unscathed. They declined to comment.

Man stabbed with golf club critical

A man stabbed by a broken golf club in Spokane Valley was in critical condition late Tuesday.

Deputies were called to a home near 32nd Avenue and Best Road about 8:45 p.m. by a resident who apparently stabbed a man with the club, said Spokane County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Deputy Craig Chamberlin.

Details of the incident were sketchy late Tuesday. Two men on bicycles came to the home three times looking for a female resident who was not around, Chamberlin said. The third time, one of the bicyclists threw a rock at a male resident, sparking a fight. The resident used a golf club to hit one of the bicyclists. When the club broke, he stabbed one of the men with it.

The resident called police and the man who was stabbed was taken to a hospital where he was in critical condition.

“They had to use CPR to bring him back,” Chamberlin said.

Chamberlin said the resident was being interviewed late Tuesday.

Public comments sought on caribou

Public comments on the federal government’s plan to downgrade the status of woodland caribou from “endangered” to “threatened” will be accepted through Aug. 6.

After a petition from the Pacific Legal Foundation, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service reviewed the status of the South Selkirk caribou herd, which has habitat in North Idaho, northeast Washington and British Columbia. Agency officials determined that the herd’s 27 caribou were part of a larger B.C. population of 15 herds estimated at 1,657 caribou.

Since the B.C. population also is shrinking, Fish and Wildlife officials said the South Selkirk herd should remain federally protected. But agency officials are recommending a downgrade to threatened status under the Endangered Species Act, instead of endangered.

Members of the public can learn more about the proposal at a June 25 meeting in Sandpoint at the Bonner County Administration Building, 1500 U.S. Highway 2; and a June 26 meeting at Bonners Ferry High School, 6485 Tamarack Lane. An informal meeting from 2-5 p.m. takes place at both locations, followed by a 6-8 p.m. public hearing.

For more information, visit www.fws.gov/idaho.

Chase, SNAP host 5K benefit run

Chase Bank and SNAP will host a 5-kilometer run June 22 to raise money and awareness for programs benefiting low-income areas of Spokane.

The run will start at 10 a.m. at the Plantes Ferry Sports Complex, 12308 E. Upriver Drive, in Spokane Valley.

Registration is $10 and official race T-shirts are available for an additional $10. Proceeds benefit programs for energy assistance, foreclosure prevention, money management, weatherization, micro-enterprise development, affordable housing and more for the residents of Spokane County.