Statesman-Examiner (The)

A main was jailed in Stevens County earlier this week, after stealing a school bus, hitchhiking across the state and driving a front loader into his home.

As of 3:50 p.m. on Friday, July 23, a section of Highway 20 near Black Lake is closed due to spread of the Spruce Canyon fire that is now burning near mile marker 373, about 18 miles east of Colville, is close to the Little Pend Oreille Wildlife Refuge.

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife announced that biologists captured, collared and released a female grizzly bear near Metaline Falls today.

The Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation declared a state of emergency about a number of uncontrolled fires today, closing the reservation to industrial activities and the general public.

A Spokane angler, Caylun Peterson, caught the biggest tiger trout in Washington State history out of Loon Lake late June, weighing in at a staggering 24.49 pounds.

An 82-year-old woman was killed in a vehicle collision 1-mile south of Colville last night, according to a press memo from the Washington State Patrol.

Communities in Stevens County celebrated a hot, dry Fourth of July in varied ways. Kettle Falls offered a parade and party in the park that was attended by Miley Mae Icenogle, 4, pictured, and other families decked out in their patriotic finest.

The Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation have banned the sale and ignition of fireworks on tribal lands within Reservation boundaries from July 1 to October 1, in efforts to mitigate fire risks.

Colville Mayor Ralph Lane Jr. has issued an executive order banning the use of all fireworks except “ground devices” in the city due to record high temperatures and a prolonged heat wave that is expected to continue through the weekend.

The Northeast Tri County Health District sent out an advisory warning about heat related illness, as the region prepares for hazardously high temperatures.