In brief: Respiratory virus arrives in Idaho

BOISE – Idaho health officials say an unusual respiratory virus that’s been causing illness among children across the U.S. is in Idaho.

The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday confirmed the presence of the enterovirus D68.

Officials said a child hospitalized in eastern Idaho tested positive for the virus. The child has since been released from the hospital.

Health and Welfare spokesman Tom Shanahan said the Idaho Division of Public Health is working with health workers to identify elevated levels of respiratory illnesses.

He said there has been a slight increase in Idaho Falls and southwest Idaho, but levels appear normal in other areas.

The virus causes mild to severe illness, with the worst cases needing life support for breathing difficulties.

January sentencing set in wife’s slaying

MOSCOW, Idaho – A North Idaho man convicted of killing his estranged wife is scheduled to be sentenced Jan. 5.

The Lewiston Tribune reported in a story Thursday that Charles A. Capone is facing a sentence of up to life in prison for killing 40-year-old Rachael Anderson from Clarkston, Washington, in April 2010. The body of the mother of four hasn’t been found.

Capone also was convicted Sept. 17 of failure to notify officials of a death and conspiring to commit failure to notify officials of a death. Authorities say he dumped the body in the Snake River.

A 2nd District Court jury also found Capone, 53, to be a habitual offender.

That means he’s facing a life sentence for the murder and another life sentence for being a habitual offender.

Officials want to ban pot smoking in cars

OLYMPIA – State officials want the Legislature to tweak the state’s recreational marijuana law so it’s illegal to smoke marijuana in a car.

The Washington Traffic Safety Commission notes that under the state’s new recreational pot law, there’s no explicit language addressing marijuana in vehicles, the News Tribune of Tacoma reported Thursday.

The commission plans to ask lawmakers to create a clear rule covering both drivers and passengers’ ability to smoke or have open packages of marijuana inside a vehicle, said Darrin Grondel, director of the Washington Traffic Safety Commission.

Even though Initiative 502 prohibits smoking marijuana in public view, officials say many people don’t think of their car as a public place.