In brief: Fish ladder changes at Columbia dams working, officials say
Modifications to fish ladders at Wanapum and Rock Island dams are allowing salmon and steelhead to pass over the mid-Columbia dams, utility officials said Wednesday.
Fish counts show that 31 spring chinook and 102 steelhead passed over Wanapum Dam near Vantage, Wash., this week. Thirty-eight miles upstream at Rock Island Dam, three steelhead and eight whitefish passed over that dam.
The reservoir behind Wanapum Dam has been drawn down since late February, when a crack was discovered in the concrete support for one of the dam’s 12 spillway gates. As a result of the lower reservoir, fish ladders had to be modified to allow for salmon passage.
To further test the effectiveness of the fish ladder adaptations, 250 hatchery-reared spring chinook salmon will be released below Wanapum Dam and their progress through the two dams will be tracked.
Sheriff’s Office dog Laslo improving after attack
Spokane County Sheriff’s Office dog Laslo is recovering from a pit bull attack, and it appears surgery will no longer be required to treat injuries.
Laslo was attacked April 7 while he and handler Deputy Jeff Thurman were responding to a burglary and assault call in the 19100 block of East Cane Circle. According to the Sheriff’s Office, Thurman was trying to get Laslo back into his patrol car when the pit bull attacked. Thurman shot and killed the pit bull as it remained clamped on Laslo’s rear leg.
Laslo received six staples in his leg the night of the attack and was scheduled for surgery Monday but improved rapidly over the weekend, according to police spokesman Deputy Mark Gregory.
“Laslo is finding it hard to sit still as he recovers, and every morning runs out to Deputy Thurman’s patrol car and puts his nose to the door handle expecting to go to work,” Gregory said.
Man arrested, accused of hitting four with gun
A man suspected of hitting four people in the face with a gun at a party near Athol on Saturday was arrested Wednesday just south of Coolin, Idaho, near Priest Lake.
Terry Andrew Clark, 25, is facing four charges of aggravated battery. All four victims had significant facial injuries, and at least one required surgery.
The arrest was made by the North Idaho Violent Crimes Task Force and the Bonner County Sheriff’s Office after tips were received about Clark’s location. Some of the tips indicated that Clark was hiding from police with a family member, according to the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office.
Reward offered in McDonald’s robbery
Crime Stoppers of the Inland Northwest is offering a cash reward for information that leads to an arrest in the armed robbery of a McDonald’s at 6321 N. Monroe St. around 8 p.m. Tuesday.
A man reportedly came up to the drive-thru window, reached inside and grabbed the money tray from a till. He may have been armed with a gun, a Spokane County Sheriff’s Office news release said.
Deputies and Spokane police officers were unable to locate the man. He is described as white with a medium build. He was wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt and had a block cloth covering his face.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Crime Stoppers tip line at (800) 222-TIPS or visit www.crimestoppersinlandnorthwest.org.
Woman found in river in winter still unidentified
Spokane County Sheriff’s Office detectives are still trying to identify a woman found dead in the Spokane River near East Empire Avenue in Spokane Valley on Jan. 10.
The woman is between 30 and 55 years old. She was about 5 feet 2 inches tall and about 144 pounds with dark brown to black hair and brown eyes. She had no tattoos or scars. She was wearing a green sweater that buttoned up the front and black sweatpants with a red waistband.
The Sheriff’s Office teamed up with Fairmount Memorial Park Cemetery and Hennessey Smith Funeral Home to bury the woman last month.
Anyone with information about the woman’s identity is asked to call the Spokane County Medical Examiner’s Office at (509) 477-2296.
Toy grenade in mailbox leads to investigation
A toy grenade left in a Spirit Lake mailbox brought Spokane’s bomb squad to investigate Wednesday morning.
The suspicious item was discovered before 8 a.m. east of 12th Avenue between Blackwell and Delaware streets. Spirit Lake police evacuated several nearby homes and called in the Spokane Police Department’s Explosive Disposal Unit, which determined the item was not a real grenade.
“All reports of suspicious activity and potential threats are taken very seriously and are investigated thoroughly to ensure the utmost safety and protection of our citizens,” the police department said.