NW today: 3 hunters recovering from CO poisoning
What’s news in the Northwest today:
BUTTE, Mont. — Three Montana hunters who suffered carbon monoxide poisoning while sleeping in a wall tent with a propane heater are recovering at a Salt Lake City hospital thanks to some young family members. Sheri Cook of Missoula said five teenage boys who were hunting with their fathers and grandfather in the Lima area pulled the men out of the tent Monday morning and called for help. Randy Cook, 44, of Missoula; Bret Butler, 50, of Frenchtown; and Carl Saunders, 65, of Frenchtown were upgraded from critical to serious condition Tuesday. The hunting party arrived at the camp site in southwestern Montana on Sunday evening, put up their tents and went to sleep. The men were in a wall tent with a propane heater, and the boys, ranging in age from 13 to 16, were in another tent with a wood stove for heat. When the boys woke up, they found the men unconscious, Hansen said.
Institutional investors eye Idaho farmland
BOISE — Officials at investor groups and lending institutions say farmland in south-central and eastern Idaho is being targeted by institutional investors who want to buy it and then lease it back to farmers. The Idaho Business Review reports that pension funds, foundations and endowments are looking for a hedge against inflation and a safe place for their money. Bob Morrison is a senior appraiser for Northwest Farm Credit Services. He says he’s never seen more interest in farmland in his 35 years in the business.
40 pounds of pot seized in Oregon traffic stop
MEDFORD, Ore. — A Washington state man and woman are facing charges after Oregon State Police found 40 pounds of marijuana in their car during a traffic stop on Interstate 5 near Medford. The Mail Tribune reported that 28-year-old Benjamin Christopher Stanton of Shoreline, Wash., and 23-year-old Guadalupe Carrazco each were charged with possession, distribution and manufacture of marijuana. No city was listed for Carrazco, who lives in northern Washington. Troopers said the pair were stopped for speeding last Saturday and the marijuana was discovered by a police dog.
1 killed in Pierce County home invasion
TACOMA, Wash. — A suspected robber has been shot and killed in a home invasion in the Midland area of Pierce County. Sheriff’s spokesman Ed Troyer told The News Tribune another suspect is on the run. Troyer says the two men forced their way into the home about 6:30 a.m. Tuesday and the homeowner got a gun and fired.
Deer hunter accused of killing man near Silverton
SALEM, Ore. — Marion County sheriff’s deputies arrested a deer hunter in the shooting death of a man who was gathering plants for floral arrangements in the woods east of Silverton. The sheriff’s office says after 20-year-old Elias Sontay of Woodburn was shot Tuesday afternoon, a friend going for help noticed the hunters driving away. The Oregonian reports Oregon State Police troopers stopped the car and 50-year-old William C. Rogers of Brooks was arrested, facing a negligent homicide charge. Rogers said he fired at what he thought was a deer, saw a deer run away and thought he had missed.
SW Idaho officials investigate train-truck crash
PARMA, Idaho — Authorities in Canyon County in southwestern Idaho are investigating a collision between a train and an empty tractor-trailer cattle rig near Parma. The Canyon County Sheriff’s Office says no one was injured in the crash that happened about 8:50 p.m. Tuesday when 27-year-old Nathaniel Halser of Vale, Ore., crossed the tracks on U.S. Highway 20 in a 2001 Peterbuilt and the front tires of the tractor-trailer became stuck in loose dirt. Halser saw the train coming and was able to get out of the truck and to a safe area. The train was hauling hazardous materials but none of those containers were damaged.
Montana man arrested in Mississippi on child porn charges
BILLINGS, Mont.— The U.S. marshals service says a Jefferson County man who fled the state while facing federal child pornography charges has been arrested in Mississippi after five months on the run. Glenn Scott was taken into custody Monday in Tupelo, Miss. Chief Deputy U.S. Marshal Rod Ostermiller says Scott had been arrested in January on a warrant charging him with receipt and possession of child pornography and destruction or removal of property to prevent seizure. Prosecutors say he removed his electronic monitoring device on June 6 and went on the run.
New farmers take over Puyallup filbert orchard
PUYALLUP, Wash. — A 60-year-old filbert orchard in the Puyallup Valley has been saved by a couple who decided to become farmers. Jonathan and Alison Nichols took over the 9-acre spread in 2009 and have been working to make it a viable enterprise. The News Tribune of Tacoma reports they sell the nuts — also known as hazelnuts — at the farm and a Saturday farmer’s market. They have added vegetables and berries and are raising chickens they hope to take to market. Chris Benedict with Washington State University Extension is cheering on the Nichols. He says Pierce County has been losing farmland but there’s a new trend — people without traditional agriculture backgrounds becoming farmers.