Around Oregon and Idaho
Thursday, September 3, 2009 10:28 AM PDT
Man who struck ex with cast-iron skillet appeals
SANDPOINT (AP) — A man who is serving a minimum of 10 years in prison for breaking a cast-iron skillet over his former wife’s head says he should get a new sentence because his defense attorney was ineffective.
Jeffrey Paul Favreau, 41, has appealed to the 1st District Court to overturn his sentence, the Bonner County Daily Bee reported. Favreau says he was assured that the court would retain jurisdiction when he was sentenced for the 2005 attack, giving him a shot at just six months in prison followed by probation.
But 1st District Judge Steve Verby sentenced Favreau to 10 to 15 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
Wildlife managers say chukars on the
rebound
BOISE (AP) — The state Department of Fish and Game says Idaho’s chukar population appears to be on the rebound. For more than two years, the birds declined in southwest Idaho because of harsh winters and drought, prompting state wildlife managers to predict it could take years for the chukar population to recover.
Wildlife biologist Jake Powell says hunters should be encouraged, though, because the Department of Fish and Game counted nearly 900 of the birds in the highlands along Brownlee Reservoir in central Idaho last month. Powell says about 73 chukars per square mile were found at the site, which is almost double the number counted last year and the largest amount recorded since 2005.
Ore. issues West Nile virus health advisory
PORTLAND (AP) — Oregon health officials have issued a public health advisory about new cases of West Nile virus. Six cases of the mild, flu-like disease spread by mosquitoes have been reported recently by the Oregon State Public Health Laboratory. The Oregon Department of Human Services is advising the public to take precautions against mosquitoes in order to avoid the risk of infection. Precautions include eliminating sources of standing water that are a breeding ground for mosquitoes, avoiding outdoor activities at dusk and dawn when mosquitoes are most active, and long-sleeved shirts and long pants.
The current cases of West Nile virus appear to be concentrated along the Columbia River in Eastern Oregon and in Baker and Malheur counties.
Tests have also found West Nile virus in birds and horses in those counties and in Baker County.
