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

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News >  Nation/World

Floods, Slides Close Roads; Drivers Told To Use Caution

North Idaho drivers watched as their roads turned into flood zones Thursday. Officials shut down Ramsey Road between Dalton and Prairie avenues as water filled the major Coeur d'Alene thoroughfare. The sheeting rain and melting snow caused rock and mud slides on several area highways.
News >  Nation/World

Region Battles Raging Deluge Idaho Residents Say Flooding Is Wet, ; But Wild, No Despite Road Closures, Washouts And Mudslides, Residents Say It Was Worse Last November

1. Clark Mabbutt passes another sand bag along a chain of volunteers who turned out to shore up a levy threatened by rising water in Colfax, Wash. Photo by Dan McComb/The Spokesman-Review 2. Brad Brunko is one of 18 Idaho National Guardsmen who responded to a request for sandbags from the Rose Lake General Store. Photo by Craig Buck/The Spokesman-Review 3. Thelma McDonald of French Gulch surveys a homemade berm of plastic and gravel. Photo by Jesse Tinsley/The Spokesman-Review 4. Steve York hands belongings to Steve Matthews as they unload Matthews' pickup during a hasty evacuation Thursday in Cataldo. Photo by Craig Buck/The Spokesman-Review
News >  Nation/World

Runoff Imperils Crops A Quarter Of Garfield County’s Winter Wheat Damaged

Thirsting for moisture just two years ago, Palouse farmers now wish the rain would stop. "It's 99 percent runoff," said Dave Strong, manager of Latah County Grain Growers Inc. in Moscow. "This kind of moisture is not helping anyone." Flooding Thursday stopped Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corp. from moving grain cars into the Palouse while farmers watched overrun creeks forge new routes across fields planted with wheat.
News >  Nation/World

Waters Rage Across Northwest Many Hands Join The Fight Against Mean, Muddy River After Standoff With Fire Officials, Colfax Residents Strengthen Dike With Sandbags

1. Clark Mabbutt passes another sandbag along a chain of volunteers who turned out to shore up a levee threatened by rising water in Colfax. Wash. Photo by Dan McComb/The Spokesman-Review 2. The Palouse River roars through downtown Colfax. Many residents said they had never seen the river this high, and it was still rising Thursday night. Photo by Christopher Anderson/The Spokesman-Review 3. Kelsey Brooks, 12, leads her duck, "Pingers," to higher ground Thursday in Colfax. Photo by Dan McComb/The Spokesman-Review 4. Colfax firefighters help sandbag the levee at the north end of town Thursday afternoon. Photo by Dan McComb/The Spokesman-Review
News >  Nation/World

Waters Rage Across Northwest Worst Flooding In 30 Years Forces Thousands To Flee

The Pacific Northwest's worst flooding in more than 30 years pushed rivers over their banks and closed highways from Oregon to Western Montana Thursday. Fast-melting snow and days of heavy rains triggered the deluge. Hundreds of tired workers, many of them volunteers, battled surging waters with plywood and sandbags from downtown Portland to small farm towns like Colfax and Palouse in Whitman County.
News >  Nation/World

Ice Blocks Trestle Creek, Floods Rv Park More Flooding Expected As Warmer Weather Sends Runoff Into North Idaho Waterways

Idaho Transportation Department crews battled an ice jam that dammed Trestle Creek on Sunday and sent water pouring into a nearby recreational vehicle park. "They removed tons of ice, logs and debris," said neighbor Scott Hancock. "We have ice floes here that are 4 and 5 feet across." The ice jam near Hope was the first big one this year, Transportation Department district engineer Tom Baker said.
News >  Spokane

Man Killed In Collision Near Addy

Emergency crews rushed across icy Eastern Washington on Monday evening, dealing with more than 100 accidents, including a lethal two-car wreck in Stevens County. C.W. Miller, 60, of Colville died of head and internal injuries after the car he was riding in was struck head-on north of Addy on Highway 395. Washington State Patrol troopers said the highway was slick with water and ice when the accident occurred about 4 p.m.
News >  Washington Voices

Baby, It’s Cold Outside Some Are Coping Better Than Others With The Below-Zero Temperatures

1. Snow and ice is piled several feet deep at a bus stop on Sprague where Greg Picou waits for a bus to University City. Photo by Steve Thompson/The Spokesman-Review 2. Ande Alama walks to his bank past piles of snow and a temperature sign that proclaims it's 119 degrees outside. Photo by Steve Thompson/The Spokesman-Review 3. Joe Nelson wrapped himself in a scarf Thursday to protect his face against the cold during a trip to the grocery store. Photo by Steve Thompson/The Spokesman-Review
News >  Spokane

Cold Shuts Off Heat In Montana Town

A frozen valve shut down Choteau's natural gas system Thursday night, leaving shivering residents in emergency shelters and huddled by fireplaces and space heaters as temperatures fell to 30 below zero. Gov. Marc Racicot declared a state of emergency in Teton County and Choteau, and the Air National Guard rushed large heaters to Choteau from its headquarters in Great Falls.
News >  Nation/World

Heavy Snow In Northern Japan

A severe storm over northern Japan dumped more than 22 inches of snow by Thursday evening and another 40 inches could fall before the storm is over, forecasters said. Some isolated mountain areas in the northern part of Honshu, the island that Tokyo is on, could get twice that, they said.
News >  Nation/World

Storm Dumps Snow, Strands Drivers

A winter storm that dumped heavy snow throughout Washington made Sunday a good day to stay inside and watch the Super Bowl. Slippery driving kept law enforcement officers and tow trucks busy. "Treacherous conditions, compact snow and ice throughout the state" was the Washington State Patrol's road report. Snowfall ranged from 5 inches in Spokane to 9 inches at Lake Margaret in King County. In Eastern Washington, icy roads, fog and blowing snow made driving hazardous, especially in the Colfax area of Whitman County. More than 200 motorists were stranded in that area early Sunday morning because of hazardous roads. Conditions improved later in the day. Heavy snow and high winds whipping across western Montana prompted authorities to close a portion of Interstate 90 near the Idaho border to emergency travel only. In Spokane, police recorded a small number of scattered accidents Sunday, none involving serious injuries. Plows were out in force and city officials were asking motorists to remove parked vehicles from streets to aid plowing. Icy winds dropped the wind chill factor to 30 below zero Sunday night in Spokane, the National Weather Service reported. Today's forecast calls for clear and cold weather, with a high of 14 degrees and winds gusting to 20 mph.