This day in history: A sneaky Labor Day speed trap and a historic fire in Hope, Idaho, made headlines

From 1975: The Washington State Patrol warned that it was using new technology – and lots of it – to spy on speeders over Labor Day weekend.

A driver going across the state would have his speed “observed at least five times by a State Patrol unit, whether you know it or not,” a spokesman for the agency said.

A new radar technology was being employed, which “reads oncoming traffic speeds while the patrol unit is in motion.”

The troopers were also camouflaging their radar units in unlikely vehicles – perhaps a beige van or a blue truck – on highway shoulders.

Also, aircraft would be monitoring speeds from high above.

The goal, said the State Patrol, was a “fatality-free Labor Day weekend.”

From 1925: A late-night fire swept through the business district of Hope, Idaho, wiping out a general store, a union hall, a warehouse and the Odd Fellows Lodge.

The fire started on the town’s main street and “burned both ways.” The cause was unknown.

Also destroyed was the Twin Wo Store and lodging house, “which catered to the oriental trade of the district.”

A bucket brigade was formed, carrying water from Lake Pend Oreille, but firefighters were unable to quell the fire. Many residents of the town packed “their household effects and made ready to desert their homes” for fear that the fire would reach the residential districts.

Several homes were destroyed, but favorable winds prevented further damage.