Big Country News

LACROSSE, WA - A 65-year-old Washington man was hospitalized with serious injuries following a single engine plane crash Friday afternoon in Whitman County. The Whitman County Sheriff's Office, Washington State Patrol and local emergency crews from the Lacrosse area responded to the scene at approximately 2:00 p.m. Friday afternoon. The crash was reportedly in proximity of a small airstrip near milepost 104 on State Route 26 in Whitman County.

MOSCOW - On Friday, Latah County Commissioners voted to purchase the property at 1313 S. Blaine Street in Moscow with plans to renovate the interior of the former bank building and use it for the Latah County Department of Motor Vehicles and Driver's Licensing offices. The County is hopeful that...

AHSAHKA, ID - A U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Walla Walla District employee was found dead inside of Dworshak Dam Thursday morning. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Walla Walla District Public Affairs Office confirmed the report with Big Country News Connection on Friday. As of Friday afternoon, no further...

CLARKSTON - In an effort to encourage safe and sober boating practices, the Asotin County Sheriff's Office will be on the Snake River conducting emphasis patrols this Fourth of July Weekend. From July 2-4, 2022, the ACSO will participate in the 'Operation Dry Water,' a heightened awareness and enforcement campaign...

COEUR D'ALENE - 20-year-old Qaya Mikel Gordon, of Lapwai, has been found guilty of two counts of Assault with a Dangerous Weapon by a federal jury stemming from an incident in November 2021 when he attacked and injured his mother and her boyfriend with a hammer. Chief U.S. District Judge...

BOISE - Idaho Governor Brad Little has proclaimed July 2 as Idaho Wildland Firefighter Day. The proclamation recognizes the highly dangerous work Idaho wildland firefighters accomplish in the protection of 6.3 million acres of private, state and federal land. Last year Idaho’s wildland firefighters fought 413 wildfires on 142 thousand...

PRIEST RIVER - Idaho State Police are investigating a single vehicle crash that occurred at approximately 8:00 p.m. on June 30th, on Freeman Lake Road, just west of Priest River in Bonner County. The driver of a Yamaha side-by-side was traveling westbound on Freeman Lake Road when the driver left...

OLYMPIA – In 2021, the Washington State Fire Marshal’s Office says it received 180 reports of fireworks-related incidents reported by hospitals, clinics, and fire agencies. These incidents resulted in 70 injuries and 110 fires that occurred across Washington State. Officials say fireworks-related incidents most often occur on the Fourth of July.

With thousands of people a day pouring into Eagle Pass, Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott said at a news conference Wednesday in the small border town that the state's border security operations are expanding. He made the announcement after sheriff’s deputies in a county further north apprehended human smugglers and dropped...

In an historic move that will change the landscape of college sports on the West Coast, USC and UCLA are departing the Pac-12 for the Big Ten in 2024. The move became official late Thursday afternoon after news broke about the possibility Thursday morning. The departure by the Los Angeles...

YAKIMA — Attorney General Bob Ferguson announced Thursday a Yakima County Superior Court judge has sentenced an Idaho man to nearly five years in prison following his guilty plea for charges related to felony attempted child rape. A different Yakima judge earlier this month sentenced an Ellensburg man to nearly six years in prison for his role in a 2019 law enforcement operation in Yakima targeting individuals who sought to rape children.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Thursday the Environmental Protection Agency does not have the authority to regulate greenhouse gases as pollutants, siding with a group of Republican attorneys general and coal companies in a major blow to the executive branch’s power to curb climate change. The opinion was a...

A new alert system for missing Indigenous people in Washington goes live early Friday morning. Washington State Patrol will launch the new alert system at the beginning of the day Friday, according to a news release. The agency's Missing and Unidentified Persons Unit will add the new designation to existing alerts, such as Amber Alerts highlighting missing children, Silver Alerts highlighting missing seniors and endangered alerts for missing adults.

The state of Idaho is swimming in an ocean of cash and poised to post its second consecutive record state budget surplus. State budget analysts are projecting that the state ended fiscal year 2022 on Thursday with a surplus of about $1.3 billion, Idaho Division of Financial Management Director Alex Adams told the Idaho Capital Sun on Wednesday. State budget officials will likely know the exact figure on about July 20, after the state closes the books and completes year end transfers and bookkeeping work.

LEWISTON - Effective Monday, July 18, 2022, the Nez Perce County Driver's License Office will adjust their hours of operation. The office's new hours will be Monday through Friday from 7:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. You must have a scheduled appointment. Appointments can be made by calling (208)799-3138 during business...

LEWISTON - This July, the Idaho Fish & Game will stock over 13,000 catchable-sized rainbow trout into ponds and other bodies of water in the Clearwater Region. The locations, dates and number of fish being stocked in each location are as follows:. Campbells Pond (July 4-8) -- 1,600. Fenn Pond...

BOISE - In 2021, the average wage for all occupations in Idaho was $23.05 per hour, according to recently released data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program. The $23.05 average hourly wage rate was an increase of $0.55 over the gem state's...

SMELTERVILLE, ID - On the afternoon of Wednesday, June 29, 2022, the Shoshone County Sheriff’s Office received a phone call requesting a welfare check on 41-year-old Aaron Peterson, of Smelterville, ID. A responding patrol Sergeant arrived on scene at the residence and attempted to contact anyone inside, however initially...

BOISE - The State of Idaho has approved plans to roll out $300 million in water and wastewater infrastructure project funding benefiting 63 communities across Idaho, a step that could help local governments keep property taxes low as they formulate their budgets this summer and fall, according to Governor Brad Little.

COEUR D'ALENE - On the morning of Thursday, June 30 at approximately 6:00 a.m., officers with the Coeur D'Alene Police Department responded to the area of Hanley Avenue and N Courcelles Parkway after receiving a report of an abandoned newborn baby that was left on the doorstep of a nearby apartment.