Tribes join effort to keep Yellowstone grizzlies protected
BILLINGS, Mont. - Leaders of American Indian tribes in the Rocky Mountains and Great Plains are signing onto an effort to retain federal protections for grizzly bears in and around Yellowstone National Park.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is expected to decide this year whether it will move to lift protections for the roughly 1,000 grizzlies scientists say live in the Yellowstone region.
The campaign to enlist tribal backing for continued protections - including a prohibition on hunting - is being coordinated in large part by wildlife advocates.
Organizers said more than two dozen tribes have signed on through resolutions or other declarations of support.
Grizzlies received federal protections in 1975 after getting wiped out across much of their range.
Federal grizzly recovery coordinator Chris Servheen said letters of consultation were sent to four tribes in April but none responded.
Police say men win $5,000 at casino, get robbed
MARYSVILLE, Wash. - Police say they've arrested a suspect who robbed two men of as much as $5,000 they won at a casino.
The men, both in their 20s, had taken their winnings from Quil Ceda Casino on the Tulalip Reservation and planned to head to a McDonald's to get some food Sunday morning. But they noticed someone they had spoken with at the casino was following them.
Instead, they went to a different fast food joint, a Jack in the Box in Marysville, and saw the same man there. Police said the man got in their car, pulled out a gun and demanded the winnings.
The suspect then got in his own vehicle and took off. Police couldn't find the suspect, but eventually identified him using surveillance video from the casino. Mill Creek police found him and arrested him after a short foot chase.
Marysville police said the man had a large amount of cash when he was arrested.
Three teens die in car crash on Kitsap Peninsula
SEABECK, Wash. - Sheriff's deputies said three teenagers are dead after a car crash on the Kitsap Peninsula, and impairment and speed may have been causes.
The Kitsap Sun reported the 17-year-old driver survived with minor injuries and was booked for investigation of vehicular homicide.
The Kitsap County Sheriff's Office said the teens had been at a party together before the crash in Seabeck early Sunday morning. The deceased were identified as 18-year-old Luther James Wiggins-Stoudermire, 16-year-old Kassidy Miranda Clark and 14-year-old Jenna M. Farley. All three were from Bremerton.
A passer-by called 911 at about 3:16 a.m. after finding the 1996 Toyota Corolla on its roof in a ditch.
The driver was taken to Harrison Medical Center in Bremerton and then to Kitsap County Youth Services Center, where he was booked.
Investigators said they were authorized to take a blood sample from the driver.
Oregon sheriff's amnesty offer pays off in dognapping case
SALEM, Ore. - An unusual offer of amnesty has paid off in an Oregon dognapping case.
The Marion County Sheriff's Office said that three days after a chocolate Lab named Brewer disappeared from his owner's yard near Marion, south of Salem, someone returned the animal Sunday afternoon. Deputies had offered a 48-hour amnesty period for whoever took the animal to return it, no questions asked.
Authorities said they had been investigating a neighbor's complaints that the dog was not being cared for, but found nothing criminal about Brewer's care. The dog was taken Thursday night after someone made a Facebook post indicating an interest in rescuing the dog.
Brewer was to remain at Marion County Dog Control until today before being returned to his owner.
Dog theft is a felony in Oregon. The sheriff's office said it offered the amnesty because of the "emotionally charged" nature of the case.
Pilot dies in Prineville plane crash
PRINEVILLE, Ore. - Officials said a pilot is dead after a small plane crashed as it was taking off from Prineville Airport on Sunday afternoon.
KTVZ-TV reported the plane was a single-engine RV-9, an amateur-built plane from Vans Aircraft of Aurora, Ore. The crash sent up a plume of smoke.
Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Ian Gregor said that according to local authorities, only the pilot was on board.
Prineville Airport Assistant Manager Brian Way said both runways were closed for the investigation.
Associated Press
