Northwest Briefs July 25, 2010
Old burn area is helping contain Yellowstone fire
YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Wyo. - Firefighters were using an old burn area to help contain a wildfire burning in 300-year-old lodgepole pine trees in the backcountry in Yellowstone National Park.About 270 personnel were at the scene Saturday of the 520-acre wildfire burning near the center of the park, northwest of Yellowstone Lake. Firefighters were digging fire lines from the western and northern perimeters and mopping up hot spots on the south and southwest boundaries of the blaze. The fire remained 43 percent contained.
Fire information officer Gary Hoshide said a burn area from a fire last year is keeping the fire from spreading east.The cause of the fire remained under investigation.
Officials offer teachers a second chanceIDAHO FALLS - Idaho education officials said teachers convicted of crimes can sometimes redeem themselves and make it back into the classroom.
Superintendents of Idaho Falls' two school districts said they have staff members in their districts who had their teaching certificates taken away due to professional or legal problems.Former Blackfoot High School Spanish teacher Adrien Coronado pleaded guilty in 2000 to five counts of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and served his full sentence of 46 months in federal prison.
He spent a decade turning his life around through volunteering, getting a master's degree in education, and in 2007 was reinstated as a certified teacher.He's now teaching at Emerson High School in Idaho Falls where officials say he's getting exemplary performance reviews.
Spring and summer chinook fishing seasons to closeBOISE - The Idaho Department of Fish and Game said fishing for ocean-run spring and summer chinook will end Aug. 4.
The fishing season ends when anglers are close to reaching the non-tribal share of the runs.That means non-tribal chinook fishing is closing on the Clearwater, Middle Fork Clearwater, South Fork Clearwater, Lochsa, Snake, Lower Salmon, Little Salmon, and Upper Salmon rivers.
Officials assessing damage to parkTWIN FALLS - A Twin Falls official said the damage to Auger Falls Park from a fire still needs to be assessed before a plan can be made for restoration.
Park and Recreation Director Dennis Bowyer said he would like to reseed the area with native plants to replace the many nonnative species that burned.The Auger Falls Fire burned about a square mile earlier this week in the Snake River Canyon north of Twin Falls and forced the evacuation of some homes.
The U.S. Bureau of Land Management said a carelessly discarded cigarette is suspected of causing the fire.Sun Valley police dog returns after suspension
SUN VALLEY - A police dog in the central Idaho resort town of Sun Valley is back on duty after a few weeks off the job following what authorities describe as an unprovoked attack on a small black schnauzer.Sun Valley Police Chief Cameron Daggett said the 5-year-old dark-colored German shepherd named Dax will receive more training to prevent a reoccurrence of what Daggett says was an unfortunate situation.Dax is a four-year veteran of the force trained to find evidence at a crime scene, illegal drugs and missing people.
On June 26 authorities said Dax attacked a schnauzer named Max just off Sun Valley Road and owned by a Sun Valley resident. The owner said the city is paying the $600 veterinarian bill.
- The Associated Press