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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

In brief: Two shot after bar fight, hospitalized, police say

From Staff And Wire Reports

Spokane police said a man shot a person after a fight in a bar Sunday night, then shot himself and tossed his gun onto the roof of a nearby restaurant.

Both the suspect and victim were hospitalized with injuries not considered life-threatening and the gun was recovered, police said.

The shootings happened about 8:30 p.m. at North Market Street and East Garland Avenue outside a Panda Express restaurant. It followed an assault at the Special K Pub and Grill across the street, police said.

Valley duplex fire displaces residents

A fire did an estimated $60,000 in damage to a Spokane Valley duplex Sunday morning.

Two dozen firefighters fought the blaze at 804 S. University Road, the Spokane Valley Fire Department said. The fire was reported at 10:33 a.m. and extinguished about 11 a.m., with assistance from Spokane County Fire District 8.

“Fire crews made an aggressive attack on the rear of the structure through the carport,” the department said in a news release. Firefighting was concentrated on one side of the duplex and in the attic space.

The cause is under investigation. Both sides of the duplex were damaged. The American Red Cross helped the displaced residents find places to stay. No one was injured.

Conservation group questions wolf count

BOISE – Idaho officials are overestimating the number of wolves in the state for a number of reasons, including relying on sightings by hunters rather than using only trained professionals, a conservation group said.

“Since 2009, more than 1,300 wolves have been hunted or trapped in Idaho, and another nearly 500 have been lethally removed from Idaho’s landscape,” Andrea Santarsiere, an attorney with the Center for Biological Diversity, said in a statement. “In the face of these astounding numbers, it’s no wonder that Idaho may have experienced a nearly 50 percent drop in breeding pairs.”

In a 70-page report released April 3, the Idaho Department of Fish and Game said at least 770 wolves were in the state, with a minimum of 26 breeding pairs, as of Dec. 31. The Center for Biological Diversity noted that’s a steep drop from the 49 breeding pairs in 2009, when wolves in Idaho reached their peak.

The center also questions the state agency’s estimate of 6 1/2 wolves per pack, a key number as it’s part of an equation – when multiplied by the number of packs in the state – to tally the overall population.

Jim Hayden, a Fish and Game biologist, defended the state report’s estimate of the minimum number of wolves in Idaho. Hayden is listed as an editor of the report.

“The 770 is a number we’re very confident with,” he said. “We know the actual truth is higher than that, we just don’t know how far higher.”

He said the agency stopped counting breeding pairs of wolves after surveying 43 packs because it’s expensive and the number had cleared the minimum as required by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The federal agency could retake management control of the Idaho wolf population if numbers fall below certain criteria.

Bozeman skier dies in avalanche Saturday

BIG SKY, Mont. – A 28-year-old Bozeman skier died after being swept over a rock face by a small avalanche in Gallatin County.

Authorities said the incident occurred about 1:30 p.m. Saturday near the Hanging Garden on Beehive Peak north of Big Sky.

The victim was identified as Jens Hagen Anderson.