Pot lovers deplete supply; firefighter's world record; death to bears
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Odd and interesting news from around the West.
- By REGINA GARCIA CANO Associated Press
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LAS VEGAS (AP) — Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval on Thursday authorized state regulators to consider an emergency regulation that would allow officials to determine whether the state has enough marijuana distributors to keep its retail shops supplied.
Sandoval's approval came after dispensaries across the state reported higher than expected demand for marijuana since recreational sales of the drug became legal in Nevada on Saturday. The Nevada Tax Commission is expected to take up the regulations Thursday.
The measure voters approved in November legalizing the sales dictates that licensed alcohol wholesalers have the exclusive rights to pot distribution licenses for 18 months. But no alcohol wholesalers have completed the licensing process.
A judge's order in an ongoing court fight between the state and the alcohol distributors does not allow pot dispensaries to transport marijuana from a cultivation facility to the store. Before recreational sales began last weekend, most dispensaries selling medical marijuana were authorized to serve as their own middleman.
About a week before sales began, Sandoval's office had indicated he wouldn't go for an emergency regulation for distribution. He reversed his stance after sales exceeded expectations.
"We previously were informed the dispensaries may have up to 60 day supplies of product," Michael Willden, Sandoval's chief of staff, said in an email. "We are now informed that many have only days or weeks of product to be sold."
Those 21 and older with a valid ID can now buy up to an ounce of pot. The Nevada Department of Taxation has licensed 47 dispensaries to sell recreational marijuana.
The department on Thursday said the shops have recorded well over 40,000 retail transactions, and some of them sold more than double of what they had expected.
Carson City District Judge James Wilson last month ruled the regulation the commission adopted in May that could have opened distribution up to others was invalid.
Wilson said the Tax Commission engaged in "ad-hoc rulemaking" outside the legal process when it made a preliminary determination earlier this year that the liquor industry didn't have enough interest in entering the pot business to ensure enough distributors would seek applications to meet the anticipated high demand.
"The department has not determined whether exclusively licensing liquor wholesalers as temporary marijuana distributors will result in an insufficient number of licenses," Wilson wrote.
- By LINDSAY WHITEHURST Associated Press
- Updated
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A federal judge struck down a Utah law banning secret filming at farm and livestock facilities Friday as an unconstitutional violation of free speech rights.
U.S. District Judge Robert Shelby wrote in his ruling that the law appears tailored toward preventing undercover animal-rights investigators from exposing abuses at agricultural facilities.
Shelby said the state does have an interest in protecting the agricultural industry and a variety of ways to do it.
"Suppressing broad swaths of protected speech without justification, however, is not one of them," he wrote.
It wasn't immediately clear if the state would appeal the decision. Utah Attorney General's Office spokesman Dan Burton said Friday the office is reviewing it.
The law was passed amid a wave of similar measures around the country known as "ag-gag" rules, including one in Idaho that was struck down last year. That ruling is being appealed.
Animal Legal Defense Fund attorney Matthew Liebman applauded the Utah decision and said it makes the laws passed elsewhere vulnerable to legal challenges.
"We're already eyeing which statutes to go after next," Liebman said.
The seven other states with similar laws are Kansas, Montana, North Dakota, Iowa, Missouri, Arkansas and North Carolina.
The state of Utah has argued the First Amendment doesn't allow people to enter private property under false pretenses and record however they want. State attorneys say the law protects property rights and makes agricultural workers safer by barring unskilled undercover operatives from potentially hazardous places.
The Utah case, filed by animal-rights groups, was the first lawsuit in the U.S. to challenge one of the ag-gag laws. It came after a woman was charged in 2013 when she filmed a front-end loader dumping a sick cow outside a suburban Salt Lake City slaughterhouse.
The case was dismissed because she was standing on a public street when she made the recording.
Charges against four animal activists from California who were cited outside a large Utah hog farm in 2015 were also later dropped because the farm didn't want to pursue them.
The measure made it a misdemeanor to enter a farm under false pretenses and take video or sound recordings.
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SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A majority of the oldest artifacts in the permanent collection of the Mexican Museum in San Francisco are either forgeries or not up to national museum standards, a new report has determined.
Only 83 of the 2,000 artifacts in the museum's pre-Hispanic, or pre-Columbian, era collection could be authenticated, the report said. The other 1,917 are considered decorative and will probably be donated to schools or smaller museums.
The museum board told the San Francisco Chronicle (http://bit.ly/2tyqY6g) in a story Thursday that it was shocked by the results of the $80,000 study conducted as a Smithsonian Institution requirement.
The Mexican Museum was founded in 1975 and operated as a community museum until it was accepted as a Smithsonian affiliate in 2012, which raised the bar on the quality of artifacts that can be displayed.
By going through the collection and determining what items should be kept, the Mexican Museum is signaling to donors that it is serious about being a national museum, officials said.
In the early years, the museum built its collection on donations, and basically anything was accepted, said Andrew Kluger, chairman of the museum's board of trustees.
All of the items included in the study — fake and real — were donated, and no tax deductions were given to donors without independent authentication, Kluger said.
"It happens all the time that museums accept things that are not real," he said. "People donate pieces because their children don't want them."
That practice, however, is not acceptable for museums that accept artifact loans from the Smithsonian.
An independent team of museum curators from Mexico City conducted the study and submitted its findings in late June.
It was the first in a series of authentication studies to be done on the museum's more than 16,000 artifacts. While almost 96 percent of the museum's pre-Hispanic artifacts cannot be authenticated, Kluger does not expect that to be the case with later periods in the collection.
"Most of it is good," he said, "and everything in the Latino art and Chicano art collection appears to be authentic."
He said a recent gift of 86 or so authenticated pre-Hispanic sculptures from a Berkeley collector will join the 83 authenticated male and female figures, jars, bowls, vases and necklace ornaments going back 2,500 years.
The museum plans to consolidate its collection in time for its 2019 move into its new $86 million home.
- By RACHEL D'ORO Associated Press
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ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — The world's most famous sled dog race has gained a major sponsor, weeks after a national bank dropped its longtime sponsorship amid pressure from animal rights groups campaigning against the Iditarod.
Anchorage-based Northrim Bank's entry in Alaska's Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race was announced Friday. It was hailed by Iditarod officials, who said the new partnership will provide support needed to run the nearly 1,000-mile (1609-kilometer) annual race.
The announcement fills a sponsorship void for the Iditarod after Wells Fargo pulled its support in May.
Race officials blamed animal rights groups like PETA for pressuring corporate backers outside Alaska by implying the Iditarod condones cruel treatment of the dogs. Wells Fargo declined to discuss specific reasons for the San Francisco-based bank dropping the sponsorship.
Northrim dismissed any concerns about being associated with the race.
"We are proud to be Alaskans, and we see this as a great community engagement opportunity for the bank and for the Iditarod race," spokeswoman Kari Skinner said.
"The continued growth and success of the Iditarod depends on companies like Northrim and others who recognize the opportunity and importance of not only preserving but enhancing this rich Alaskan tradition," Iditarod CEO Stan Hooley said in a statement.
Both Iditarod and Northrim officials declined to disclose the dollar amount of Northrim's support. But it's significant enough for the bank to earn a spot as a "Lead Dog" sponsor, the second-highest tier among four sponsorship levels. Northrim also won the designation as the Iditarod's official bank, a title once held by Wells Fargo.
PETA, or People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, has said it alerted Wells Fargo that five dogs connected to this year's race died, bringing the total dog deaths to more than 150 in the Iditarod's history. That number is disputed by race officials, who say there are no records of dog deaths during the early years of the race, and an accurate count is not available.
PETA spokeswoman Stephanie Shaw said thousands of PETA supporters opposed to the race have written to other Iditarod sponsors and Northrim can expect it will hear from the public as well. PETA also plans to reach out to the bank about a race it calls "so dangerous" that as many as half the dogs running it don't finish it.
"Northrim would be wise to run far away from this deadly event," Shaw said.
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Follow Rachel D'Oro at https://twitter.com/rdoro
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MISSOULA, Mont. (AP) — A Montana firefighter and triathlete holds the world record for running a mile in firefighting gear — including boots — and he plans to attempt the half-marathon record this weekend.
The Missoulian reports (http://bit.ly/2tyRcFT ) the Guinness Book of World Records certified Andy Drobeck's time of 6 minutes, 8.46 seconds posted in the Missoula Mile last month as a record, eclipsing the old mark by more than 34 seconds.
Drobeck — who has also won the last six firefighter stair climb competitions in Seattle — hopes to best the half-marathon record of 1 hour, 39 minutes and 20 seconds in the Missoula Half Marathon on Sunday.
Drobeck, a Missoula city firefighter, says he plans to pack bags of ice inside his uniform to help keep him cool and have friends stationed along the course to hand him frozen towels.
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Information from: Missoulian, http://www.missoulian.com
- PAUL DAVENPORT Associated Press
- Updated
Grand Canyon National Park officials are planning to replace much of the decades-old, problem-plagued pipeline that crosses the canyon to supply water to hotels, campgrounds and other facilities on the popular South Rim.
Crews regularly have to descend into the canyon by trail or helicopter to fix costly breaks to the 6-inch aluminum pipe from rockslides. The park periodically imposes water conservation measures and has had to temporarily restrict visitor services until repairs are complete.
The National Park Service is seeking public comment on the project before reviewing its possible impact on the environment. Officials are considering replacing the entire 12.5-mile pipeline serving the South Rim or just replacing about one-third of it.
The current pipeline was constructed in the 1960s and Olson says it has already outlasted its designed 40 years of use.
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GREAT FALLS, Mont. (AP) — Federal investigators have recovered a large portion of the more than $21,000 in professional fireworks and equipment stolen a day before the City of Great Falls' planned July 4 fireworks display.
Great Falls Police credit Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives agents with recovering the explosives.
The fireworks were stolen from a cargo trailer owned by Big Sky Fireworks. They were replaced in time for the city-wide display.
Sgt. Jim Wells says some of the fireworks are still missing and are dangerous. He described them as looking like a cannonball wrapped in cardboard with what appears to be a fuse, but is not one. He said attempting to light one could lead to serious injury or death.
Officials did not say where the fireworks were recovered or if any arrests have been made.
- By STEPHEN HAMWAY The Bulletin
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JOHN DAY, Ore. (AP) — If you spend enough time at prayer circles organized by the Rainbow Family of Living Light, you'll likely hear the Legend of the Rainbow Warriors, which refers to a group of people from all races and creeds who rise up to save the Earth during a time of environmental crisis.
The legend refers to the Rainbow Family, a disparate counterculture community that has brought around 15,000 people to the Malheur National Forest north of Burns to camp, barter, pray, spin fire and more for a week.
However, threats of trampled meadows, disturbed wildlife and other impacts have U.S. Forest Service officials concerned that an unpermitted gathering loosely intended to save the Earth could end up harming the portion it occupies.
"Any time you put close to 10,000 people in a spot, you're going to have problems," said Dave Halemeier, Blue Mountain district ranger for the Malheur National Forest.
While Forest Service officials tend to worry whenever the Rainbow Family comes to a new environment — because the group eschews permits and other trappings of organized events — members of the family say the federal government's concerns are overstated. Some attendees at this year's gathering say the Malheur National Forest environment will return to normal within a year and express frustration with Forest Service employees for what they see as excessive interference.
"It's going to look like we were never here," said Adam Buxbaum, a Rainbow Family member who works at the group's information center.
The Rainbow Family, which bills itself as the "largest non-organization of non-members in the world," has held large, semiofficial annual gatherings, which are open to all, on Forest Service land since 1972.
Halemeier said the tribal council, which chooses locations for future gatherings, identified several spots in the Malheur National Forest in early June before narrowing the choice to Flagtail Meadow.
People can stay shorter or longer, but the group typically meets from July 1 through July 7, with the peak occurring July 4, when the Rainbow Family holds a massive peace prayer on the "main meadow," at the center of the 3.5 square miles the group is occupying. During that week, a parade of cars, trucks and derelict school buses descends on public lands. Rainbow Family members set up close-knit clusters of tents, rows for people to barter goods in lieu of money, impromptu stages and a large central fire circle for group-wide events.
Halemeier said the Forest Service, which patrols the edges of the area and counts cars in the parking area, noted more than 13,000 people in the area for the prayer. Having that many people, and their vehicles, in the area, has done serious damage to the main meadow, he said.
"It's basically been reduced to dirt."
Halemeier added that the meadow would likely take years to recover fully. Other meadows have less dramatic, but still visible, impacts.
"We've seen compaction (of grasses); we have loss of vegetation," Halemeier said.
In addition, the Forest Service says animals, including elk, have been displaced by the gathering. Many attendees have dogs and other pets, which run free and cause problems for local wildlife, said Halemeier.
However, Buxbaum, who goes by "Finch" during the gathering, said overreactions and exaggerations follow the Rainbow Family to each new forest it visits.
He said the Rainbow Family pays to clean up sites and it takes trash to local landfills, using thousands of donations collected by passing around a "magic hat" during dinner. While trash bags and other debris are clearly visible in portions of the Flagtail Meadow camp, there's also clear evidence that trash is being sorted with an eye toward cleaning it.
"It's just a persistent rumor every year," he said.
Tim, an Ashland resident who declined to give his last name, said he has attended Rainbow Family gatherings since 1981 and hasn't noticed lasting negative impacts on the environment during his time in the forest.
"This amount of impacting and compacting is gone by next year," he said. "About the time the cycle comes around again next year."
He added that the land used at Rainbow Family gatherings is typically leased to local ranchers and far from pristine to begin with.
Documents from the Forest Service after gatherings from previous years tell a more mixed story. Messages from staff after the 1999 gathering in the Allegheny National Forest in Pennsylvania, obtained under the federal Freedom of Information Act, refer to trash left over after the event. However, in a separate document, the district manager concludes that there will be "minimal long-term negative resource impacts" on the forest.
Halemeier said the Rainbow Family has gotten in trouble in the past for damaging Native American artifacts in the forest.
This year, the gathering has worked with the Burns Paiute Tribe in Eastern Oregon to put up signs and set up an information area near the main meadow where tribal members can answer questions.
Wildfires, both human- and lightning-caused, are a concern in the Malheur National Forest this time of year, and Halemeier said there has been at least one uncovered campfire at the gathering that could have caused problems. However, hand-drawn, cardboard signs telling attendees to cover their fires abound throughout the campsite.
While Tim said there are a few bad apples during any gathering, the majority of visitors attempt to treat the wilderness with respect.
"There's a purity, a sincerity here that's not common," he said.
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Information from: The Bulletin, http://www.bendbulletin.com
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PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Good Samaritans have stepped up to help a South Korean man whose dreams of a two-year bike trip were seemingly dashed by a Portland thief.
The Oregonian/OregonLive reports (http://bit.ly/2sOWeRg ) Minhyeong Kim was 35 days into his Canada-to-Argentina trip when someone stole his bike outside a southeast Portland supermarket.
The 25-year-old planned to return to his country because he didn't have the money and gear to complete the trip. But Portlanders heard about what happened and decided to help.
Bryan Hance of the stolen bike recovery nonprofit Bike Index organized a gathering Thursday evening to help Kim out. Money started coming in before the event and at least five people offered bikes.
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BREMERTON, Wash. (AP) — The family of a woman killed by a car while sitting at a bus shelter is suing the driver, the city and the bus company for $10 million.
The Kitsap Sun (http://bit.ly/2tUnZaw ) reported Thursday the family of Margaret Parnel, who was struck Sept. 8, has filed a lawsuit against the driver, Calob Courtney. Claims have been sent to the city of Bremerton and Kitsap Transit, which have 60 days to respond.
Attorney Phil Arnold, who is representing the family, says if parties don't respond, they'll also become defendants.
The suit claims Kitsap Transit built the shelter in a vulnerable area, and the city issued a permit to allow it.
Courtney says he used methamphetamine and marijuana before crashing. He was sentenced to more than nine years for vehicular homicide.
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DURANGO, Colo. (AP) — Colorado Parks and Wildlife Spokesman Joe Lewandowski says four bears were killed in the Durango area on Wednesday.
The Durango Herald reports (http://bit.ly/2ty6Otf ) two bears were shot by homeowners after the bears entered their homes and two were tracked by Wildlife Services and euthanized.
A fifth bear was caught in a bear trap north of Durango but will be released.
One of the two bears that were euthanized killed a llama in Cortez and the other one killed pigs and chickens in Pagosa Springs.
In the past week, Park and Wildlife officials have received more than 100 calls about bear sightings that qualify as conflict situations.
Lewandowski says his crew hates to euthanize bears, but human safety comes first.
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Information from: Durango Herald, http://www.durangoherald.com
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ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — An Anchorage man was sentenced to five years in prison for a conviction of driving under the influence of alcohol for the sixth time in 20 years.
Anchorage television station KTVA (http://bit.ly/2sONw5F) reports 41-year-old Bernard Jack was sentenced Thursday.
Jack previously was convicted of driving under the influence in 1998, 2000, 2002, 2011 and 2012.
A caller in May 2016 reported a vehicle weaving and hitting curbs off Boniface Parkway and the Glenn Highway in Anchorage.
Police found Jack passed out in a car parked sideways in a driveway. Breath testing indicated a blood alcohol content of 0.25 percent.
Jack pleaded no contest in September to felony driving under the influence.
Superior Court Judge Michael Corey described Jack as extraordinarily dangerous to the community with zero prospects for rehabilitation.
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Information from: KTVA-TV, http://www.ktva.com
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CAMAS, Wash. (AP) — Firefighters in Washington have saved a dog that got stuck in a canyon.
The Columbian reports (http://bit.ly/2txIZBM ) the Camas-Washougal Fire Department received a call early Thursday about a dog barking in a canyon.
They arrived and had the German shepherd out two hours later. Firefighters had to create a make-shift harness to get the dog out.
The dog was taken to the West Columbia Gorge Humane Society, where staffers will try to find its owner.
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Information from: The Columbian, http://www.columbian.com
More like this...
- By REGINA GARCIA CANO Associated Press
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval on Thursday authorized state regulators to consider an emergency regulation that would allow officials to determine whether the state has enough marijuana distributors to keep its retail shops supplied.
Sandoval's approval came after dispensaries across the state reported higher than expected demand for marijuana since recreational sales of the drug became legal in Nevada on Saturday. The Nevada Tax Commission is expected to take up the regulations Thursday.
The measure voters approved in November legalizing the sales dictates that licensed alcohol wholesalers have the exclusive rights to pot distribution licenses for 18 months. But no alcohol wholesalers have completed the licensing process.
A judge's order in an ongoing court fight between the state and the alcohol distributors does not allow pot dispensaries to transport marijuana from a cultivation facility to the store. Before recreational sales began last weekend, most dispensaries selling medical marijuana were authorized to serve as their own middleman.
About a week before sales began, Sandoval's office had indicated he wouldn't go for an emergency regulation for distribution. He reversed his stance after sales exceeded expectations.
"We previously were informed the dispensaries may have up to 60 day supplies of product," Michael Willden, Sandoval's chief of staff, said in an email. "We are now informed that many have only days or weeks of product to be sold."
Those 21 and older with a valid ID can now buy up to an ounce of pot. The Nevada Department of Taxation has licensed 47 dispensaries to sell recreational marijuana.
The department on Thursday said the shops have recorded well over 40,000 retail transactions, and some of them sold more than double of what they had expected.
Carson City District Judge James Wilson last month ruled the regulation the commission adopted in May that could have opened distribution up to others was invalid.
Wilson said the Tax Commission engaged in "ad-hoc rulemaking" outside the legal process when it made a preliminary determination earlier this year that the liquor industry didn't have enough interest in entering the pot business to ensure enough distributors would seek applications to meet the anticipated high demand.
"The department has not determined whether exclusively licensing liquor wholesalers as temporary marijuana distributors will result in an insufficient number of licenses," Wilson wrote.
- By LINDSAY WHITEHURST Associated Press
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A federal judge struck down a Utah law banning secret filming at farm and livestock facilities Friday as an unconstitutional violation of free speech rights.
U.S. District Judge Robert Shelby wrote in his ruling that the law appears tailored toward preventing undercover animal-rights investigators from exposing abuses at agricultural facilities.
Shelby said the state does have an interest in protecting the agricultural industry and a variety of ways to do it.
"Suppressing broad swaths of protected speech without justification, however, is not one of them," he wrote.
It wasn't immediately clear if the state would appeal the decision. Utah Attorney General's Office spokesman Dan Burton said Friday the office is reviewing it.
The law was passed amid a wave of similar measures around the country known as "ag-gag" rules, including one in Idaho that was struck down last year. That ruling is being appealed.
Animal Legal Defense Fund attorney Matthew Liebman applauded the Utah decision and said it makes the laws passed elsewhere vulnerable to legal challenges.
"We're already eyeing which statutes to go after next," Liebman said.
The seven other states with similar laws are Kansas, Montana, North Dakota, Iowa, Missouri, Arkansas and North Carolina.
The state of Utah has argued the First Amendment doesn't allow people to enter private property under false pretenses and record however they want. State attorneys say the law protects property rights and makes agricultural workers safer by barring unskilled undercover operatives from potentially hazardous places.
The Utah case, filed by animal-rights groups, was the first lawsuit in the U.S. to challenge one of the ag-gag laws. It came after a woman was charged in 2013 when she filmed a front-end loader dumping a sick cow outside a suburban Salt Lake City slaughterhouse.
The case was dismissed because she was standing on a public street when she made the recording.
Charges against four animal activists from California who were cited outside a large Utah hog farm in 2015 were also later dropped because the farm didn't want to pursue them.
The measure made it a misdemeanor to enter a farm under false pretenses and take video or sound recordings.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A majority of the oldest artifacts in the permanent collection of the Mexican Museum in San Francisco are either forgeries or not up to national museum standards, a new report has determined.
Only 83 of the 2,000 artifacts in the museum's pre-Hispanic, or pre-Columbian, era collection could be authenticated, the report said. The other 1,917 are considered decorative and will probably be donated to schools or smaller museums.
The museum board told the San Francisco Chronicle (http://bit.ly/2tyqY6g) in a story Thursday that it was shocked by the results of the $80,000 study conducted as a Smithsonian Institution requirement.
The Mexican Museum was founded in 1975 and operated as a community museum until it was accepted as a Smithsonian affiliate in 2012, which raised the bar on the quality of artifacts that can be displayed.
By going through the collection and determining what items should be kept, the Mexican Museum is signaling to donors that it is serious about being a national museum, officials said.
In the early years, the museum built its collection on donations, and basically anything was accepted, said Andrew Kluger, chairman of the museum's board of trustees.
All of the items included in the study — fake and real — were donated, and no tax deductions were given to donors without independent authentication, Kluger said.
"It happens all the time that museums accept things that are not real," he said. "People donate pieces because their children don't want them."
That practice, however, is not acceptable for museums that accept artifact loans from the Smithsonian.
An independent team of museum curators from Mexico City conducted the study and submitted its findings in late June.
It was the first in a series of authentication studies to be done on the museum's more than 16,000 artifacts. While almost 96 percent of the museum's pre-Hispanic artifacts cannot be authenticated, Kluger does not expect that to be the case with later periods in the collection.
"Most of it is good," he said, "and everything in the Latino art and Chicano art collection appears to be authentic."
He said a recent gift of 86 or so authenticated pre-Hispanic sculptures from a Berkeley collector will join the 83 authenticated male and female figures, jars, bowls, vases and necklace ornaments going back 2,500 years.
The museum plans to consolidate its collection in time for its 2019 move into its new $86 million home.
- By RACHEL D'ORO Associated Press
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — The world's most famous sled dog race has gained a major sponsor, weeks after a national bank dropped its longtime sponsorship amid pressure from animal rights groups campaigning against the Iditarod.
Anchorage-based Northrim Bank's entry in Alaska's Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race was announced Friday. It was hailed by Iditarod officials, who said the new partnership will provide support needed to run the nearly 1,000-mile (1609-kilometer) annual race.
The announcement fills a sponsorship void for the Iditarod after Wells Fargo pulled its support in May.
Race officials blamed animal rights groups like PETA for pressuring corporate backers outside Alaska by implying the Iditarod condones cruel treatment of the dogs. Wells Fargo declined to discuss specific reasons for the San Francisco-based bank dropping the sponsorship.
Northrim dismissed any concerns about being associated with the race.
"We are proud to be Alaskans, and we see this as a great community engagement opportunity for the bank and for the Iditarod race," spokeswoman Kari Skinner said.
"The continued growth and success of the Iditarod depends on companies like Northrim and others who recognize the opportunity and importance of not only preserving but enhancing this rich Alaskan tradition," Iditarod CEO Stan Hooley said in a statement.
Both Iditarod and Northrim officials declined to disclose the dollar amount of Northrim's support. But it's significant enough for the bank to earn a spot as a "Lead Dog" sponsor, the second-highest tier among four sponsorship levels. Northrim also won the designation as the Iditarod's official bank, a title once held by Wells Fargo.
PETA, or People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, has said it alerted Wells Fargo that five dogs connected to this year's race died, bringing the total dog deaths to more than 150 in the Iditarod's history. That number is disputed by race officials, who say there are no records of dog deaths during the early years of the race, and an accurate count is not available.
PETA spokeswoman Stephanie Shaw said thousands of PETA supporters opposed to the race have written to other Iditarod sponsors and Northrim can expect it will hear from the public as well. PETA also plans to reach out to the bank about a race it calls "so dangerous" that as many as half the dogs running it don't finish it.
"Northrim would be wise to run far away from this deadly event," Shaw said.
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Follow Rachel D'Oro at https://twitter.com/rdoro
MISSOULA, Mont. (AP) — A Montana firefighter and triathlete holds the world record for running a mile in firefighting gear — including boots — and he plans to attempt the half-marathon record this weekend.
The Missoulian reports (http://bit.ly/2tyRcFT ) the Guinness Book of World Records certified Andy Drobeck's time of 6 minutes, 8.46 seconds posted in the Missoula Mile last month as a record, eclipsing the old mark by more than 34 seconds.
Drobeck — who has also won the last six firefighter stair climb competitions in Seattle — hopes to best the half-marathon record of 1 hour, 39 minutes and 20 seconds in the Missoula Half Marathon on Sunday.
Drobeck, a Missoula city firefighter, says he plans to pack bags of ice inside his uniform to help keep him cool and have friends stationed along the course to hand him frozen towels.
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Information from: Missoulian, http://www.missoulian.com
- PAUL DAVENPORT Associated Press
Grand Canyon National Park officials are planning to replace much of the decades-old, problem-plagued pipeline that crosses the canyon to supply water to hotels, campgrounds and other facilities on the popular South Rim.
Crews regularly have to descend into the canyon by trail or helicopter to fix costly breaks to the 6-inch aluminum pipe from rockslides. The park periodically imposes water conservation measures and has had to temporarily restrict visitor services until repairs are complete.
The National Park Service is seeking public comment on the project before reviewing its possible impact on the environment. Officials are considering replacing the entire 12.5-mile pipeline serving the South Rim or just replacing about one-third of it.
The current pipeline was constructed in the 1960s and Olson says it has already outlasted its designed 40 years of use.
GREAT FALLS, Mont. (AP) — Federal investigators have recovered a large portion of the more than $21,000 in professional fireworks and equipment stolen a day before the City of Great Falls' planned July 4 fireworks display.
Great Falls Police credit Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives agents with recovering the explosives.
The fireworks were stolen from a cargo trailer owned by Big Sky Fireworks. They were replaced in time for the city-wide display.
Sgt. Jim Wells says some of the fireworks are still missing and are dangerous. He described them as looking like a cannonball wrapped in cardboard with what appears to be a fuse, but is not one. He said attempting to light one could lead to serious injury or death.
Officials did not say where the fireworks were recovered or if any arrests have been made.
- By STEPHEN HAMWAY The Bulletin
JOHN DAY, Ore. (AP) — If you spend enough time at prayer circles organized by the Rainbow Family of Living Light, you'll likely hear the Legend of the Rainbow Warriors, which refers to a group of people from all races and creeds who rise up to save the Earth during a time of environmental crisis.
The legend refers to the Rainbow Family, a disparate counterculture community that has brought around 15,000 people to the Malheur National Forest north of Burns to camp, barter, pray, spin fire and more for a week.
However, threats of trampled meadows, disturbed wildlife and other impacts have U.S. Forest Service officials concerned that an unpermitted gathering loosely intended to save the Earth could end up harming the portion it occupies.
"Any time you put close to 10,000 people in a spot, you're going to have problems," said Dave Halemeier, Blue Mountain district ranger for the Malheur National Forest.
While Forest Service officials tend to worry whenever the Rainbow Family comes to a new environment — because the group eschews permits and other trappings of organized events — members of the family say the federal government's concerns are overstated. Some attendees at this year's gathering say the Malheur National Forest environment will return to normal within a year and express frustration with Forest Service employees for what they see as excessive interference.
"It's going to look like we were never here," said Adam Buxbaum, a Rainbow Family member who works at the group's information center.
The Rainbow Family, which bills itself as the "largest non-organization of non-members in the world," has held large, semiofficial annual gatherings, which are open to all, on Forest Service land since 1972.
Halemeier said the tribal council, which chooses locations for future gatherings, identified several spots in the Malheur National Forest in early June before narrowing the choice to Flagtail Meadow.
People can stay shorter or longer, but the group typically meets from July 1 through July 7, with the peak occurring July 4, when the Rainbow Family holds a massive peace prayer on the "main meadow," at the center of the 3.5 square miles the group is occupying. During that week, a parade of cars, trucks and derelict school buses descends on public lands. Rainbow Family members set up close-knit clusters of tents, rows for people to barter goods in lieu of money, impromptu stages and a large central fire circle for group-wide events.
Halemeier said the Forest Service, which patrols the edges of the area and counts cars in the parking area, noted more than 13,000 people in the area for the prayer. Having that many people, and their vehicles, in the area, has done serious damage to the main meadow, he said.
"It's basically been reduced to dirt."
Halemeier added that the meadow would likely take years to recover fully. Other meadows have less dramatic, but still visible, impacts.
"We've seen compaction (of grasses); we have loss of vegetation," Halemeier said.
In addition, the Forest Service says animals, including elk, have been displaced by the gathering. Many attendees have dogs and other pets, which run free and cause problems for local wildlife, said Halemeier.
However, Buxbaum, who goes by "Finch" during the gathering, said overreactions and exaggerations follow the Rainbow Family to each new forest it visits.
He said the Rainbow Family pays to clean up sites and it takes trash to local landfills, using thousands of donations collected by passing around a "magic hat" during dinner. While trash bags and other debris are clearly visible in portions of the Flagtail Meadow camp, there's also clear evidence that trash is being sorted with an eye toward cleaning it.
"It's just a persistent rumor every year," he said.
Tim, an Ashland resident who declined to give his last name, said he has attended Rainbow Family gatherings since 1981 and hasn't noticed lasting negative impacts on the environment during his time in the forest.
"This amount of impacting and compacting is gone by next year," he said. "About the time the cycle comes around again next year."
He added that the land used at Rainbow Family gatherings is typically leased to local ranchers and far from pristine to begin with.
Documents from the Forest Service after gatherings from previous years tell a more mixed story. Messages from staff after the 1999 gathering in the Allegheny National Forest in Pennsylvania, obtained under the federal Freedom of Information Act, refer to trash left over after the event. However, in a separate document, the district manager concludes that there will be "minimal long-term negative resource impacts" on the forest.
Halemeier said the Rainbow Family has gotten in trouble in the past for damaging Native American artifacts in the forest.
This year, the gathering has worked with the Burns Paiute Tribe in Eastern Oregon to put up signs and set up an information area near the main meadow where tribal members can answer questions.
Wildfires, both human- and lightning-caused, are a concern in the Malheur National Forest this time of year, and Halemeier said there has been at least one uncovered campfire at the gathering that could have caused problems. However, hand-drawn, cardboard signs telling attendees to cover their fires abound throughout the campsite.
While Tim said there are a few bad apples during any gathering, the majority of visitors attempt to treat the wilderness with respect.
"There's a purity, a sincerity here that's not common," he said.
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Information from: The Bulletin, http://www.bendbulletin.com
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Good Samaritans have stepped up to help a South Korean man whose dreams of a two-year bike trip were seemingly dashed by a Portland thief.
The Oregonian/OregonLive reports (http://bit.ly/2sOWeRg ) Minhyeong Kim was 35 days into his Canada-to-Argentina trip when someone stole his bike outside a southeast Portland supermarket.
The 25-year-old planned to return to his country because he didn't have the money and gear to complete the trip. But Portlanders heard about what happened and decided to help.
Bryan Hance of the stolen bike recovery nonprofit Bike Index organized a gathering Thursday evening to help Kim out. Money started coming in before the event and at least five people offered bikes.
BREMERTON, Wash. (AP) — The family of a woman killed by a car while sitting at a bus shelter is suing the driver, the city and the bus company for $10 million.
The Kitsap Sun (http://bit.ly/2tUnZaw ) reported Thursday the family of Margaret Parnel, who was struck Sept. 8, has filed a lawsuit against the driver, Calob Courtney. Claims have been sent to the city of Bremerton and Kitsap Transit, which have 60 days to respond.
Attorney Phil Arnold, who is representing the family, says if parties don't respond, they'll also become defendants.
The suit claims Kitsap Transit built the shelter in a vulnerable area, and the city issued a permit to allow it.
Courtney says he used methamphetamine and marijuana before crashing. He was sentenced to more than nine years for vehicular homicide.
DURANGO, Colo. (AP) — Colorado Parks and Wildlife Spokesman Joe Lewandowski says four bears were killed in the Durango area on Wednesday.
The Durango Herald reports (http://bit.ly/2ty6Otf ) two bears were shot by homeowners after the bears entered their homes and two were tracked by Wildlife Services and euthanized.
A fifth bear was caught in a bear trap north of Durango but will be released.
One of the two bears that were euthanized killed a llama in Cortez and the other one killed pigs and chickens in Pagosa Springs.
In the past week, Park and Wildlife officials have received more than 100 calls about bear sightings that qualify as conflict situations.
Lewandowski says his crew hates to euthanize bears, but human safety comes first.
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Information from: Durango Herald, http://www.durangoherald.com
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — An Anchorage man was sentenced to five years in prison for a conviction of driving under the influence of alcohol for the sixth time in 20 years.
Anchorage television station KTVA (http://bit.ly/2sONw5F) reports 41-year-old Bernard Jack was sentenced Thursday.
Jack previously was convicted of driving under the influence in 1998, 2000, 2002, 2011 and 2012.
A caller in May 2016 reported a vehicle weaving and hitting curbs off Boniface Parkway and the Glenn Highway in Anchorage.
Police found Jack passed out in a car parked sideways in a driveway. Breath testing indicated a blood alcohol content of 0.25 percent.
Jack pleaded no contest in September to felony driving under the influence.
Superior Court Judge Michael Corey described Jack as extraordinarily dangerous to the community with zero prospects for rehabilitation.
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Information from: KTVA-TV, http://www.ktva.com
CAMAS, Wash. (AP) — Firefighters in Washington have saved a dog that got stuck in a canyon.
The Columbian reports (http://bit.ly/2txIZBM ) the Camas-Washougal Fire Department received a call early Thursday about a dog barking in a canyon.
They arrived and had the German shepherd out two hours later. Firefighters had to create a make-shift harness to get the dog out.
The dog was taken to the West Columbia Gorge Humane Society, where staffers will try to find its owner.
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Information from: The Columbian, http://www.columbian.com
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