BLAINE – After weeks of trapping and searching, Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) entomologists have located an Asian giant hornet nest on a property in Blaine – the first ever such nest found in the U.S.

Olympia - The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) is releasing new data about how many cases of Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C) are occurring statewide. This report will be published monthly and include county-level counts of MIS-C cases.

A student at McSorley Elementary, a student at Whitman Elementary, two students at Lewiston High School and a staff member at Jenifer Middle School were diagnosed with COVID-19.  Public Health is currently conducting contact tracing and anyone who is determined to have been in close contact with this individual will be provided additional information.

OLYMPIA – Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) Director Kelly Susewind and Southwest Region Director Kessina Lee will host an online meeting from 6-7 p.m. on Oct. 27, 2020 to discuss sea lion management in the Columbia River basin and take questions on other local topics. 

SPOKANE – A Deer Lake resident was fined $10,000 for illegally burning brush and slash on property he owns near Deer Lake, in Stevens County.

Spokane, Wash. Oct. 22, 2020: Winter weather forecasted to begin Friday morning across Avista’s Washington and Idaho service area will bring the possibility of outages. Wet snow, weighing heavily on branches that have yet to lose their leaves, could result in falling trees or tree limbs, causing downed power lines. Avista is prepared to respond and is urging customers to prepare for potential storm damages and outages.

Olympia – This is an update to the original Washington State Patrol (WSP) Independent Investigation Team (IIT) press release on July 23, 2020. WSP IIT is sending out this release as the required weekly update regarding the independent investigation into the death of Mr. Manuel Ellis. Mr. Ellis died while in the custody of Tacoma Police Department on March 03, 2020.

Asthma is a common and complex chronic disease of the pulmonary airways, with symptoms that include breathlessness, coughing, wheezing, and chest tightness. The severity, frequency, and progression of these symptoms vary greatly among individuals and age groups. Limitations in daily activity and generalized deconditioning can occur.

BOISE – United States Attorney Bart M. Davis announced today that Assistant United States Attorneys (AUSAs) Raymond Patricco, Jack Haycock, and Traci Whelan will lead the efforts of his office in connection with the Justice Department’s nationwide Election Day Program for the upcoming November 3, 2020 general election. AUSAs Patricco, Haycock, and Whelan have been appointed to serve as District Election Officers for the District of Idaho, and in that capacity are responsible for overseeing the District’s handling of complaints of election fraud and voting rights concerns in consultation with Justice Department Headquarters in Washington, DC.

KAMIAH, Idaho (October 21, 2020) – Forest Service fire managers on the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests’ Palouse Ranger District have plans to conduct a variety of prescribed burning activities on the district in the coming weeks as conditions allow. The public should expect to see some smoke output from these prescribed burning activities, although smoke from a controlled burn is much less than can be expected from a wildfire. Visitors to the district should also expect to encounter Forest Service personnel, vehicles, and equipment in areas where prescribed burning is taking place.

(Moscow, Idaho) -- City of Moscow Fire Officials have announced the  2020 fall burning season will be Oct. 22 – Nov. 1 in Moscow city limits.

The Clarkston Farmers Market will be open 2 extended season dates on the last two Saturdays, October 24 and 31, from 10am to 2pm. The market will be operating at the United Methodist Church at 1242 Highland Ave. in Clarkston during the 5th annual Lewis-Clark Valley Pumpkin Patch Habitat for Humanity fundraising event.

PULLMAN, Wash. –The Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art at Washington State University is pleased to invite visitors to enjoy a new program for October with educator and curator Namita Gupta Wiggers.