Nagging husband slain; heat worries Northwest; jogger fights off bear
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Odd and interesting news from around the West.
- Updated
GILLETTE, Wyo. (AP) — A judge has sentenced a woman who killed her husband for nagging her too much to 20-30 years in prison.
Deborah Johnson, of Gillette, originally was charged with first-degree murder for killing Brian Johnson but pleaded guilty to the second-degree murder.
The Gillette News-Record reports (http://bit.ly/2uXoNvu ) Wyoming District Judge John Perry sentenced Johnson on Tuesday. Perry told Johnson he doubted she would kill again but noted her history of drug and alcohol abuse.
Johnson apologized for shooting her husband, whom she called her "best friend ever."
Johnson shot him as he watched television in January 2016. Her blood-alcohol content was more than three times the legal limit for driving.
She told police her husband constantly nagged her and she wanted him to shut up.
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Information from: The Gillette (Wyo.) News Record, http://www.gillettenewsrecord.com
- By SOPHIA BOLLAG and KATHLEEN RONAYNE Associated Press
- Updated
OREGON HOUSE, Calif. (AP) — A sheriff's deputy ran into a house in Northern California to pull two wounded colleagues to safety after a shootout with a suspect near a marijuana farm belonging to a Rastafarian church.
The two deputies were expected to survive after their fellow officer, a 22-year veteran, went alone into a house where the gunman had fled, Yuba County Sheriff Steve Durfor said. The wounded deputies were in fair condition at a hospital, the sheriff's department said Wednesday on Twitter.
The deputy did not see the suspect or hear gunfire while rescuing the pair Tuesday. SWAT team members later found the suspect dead, likely from shots fired by the deputies, Durfor said, though it's possible they were self-inflicted.
The suspect had been working for about a month at the farm owned by Sugarleaf Rastafarian Church, which believes that marijuana is sacred and grows it about 55 miles north of Sacramento.
The church's leader, Heidi Lepp, said she received a call from members who worked on the farm saying the man, who she knew only as "Sawyer," was ripping up plants and wielding a gun. She told the workers to leave and called authorities.
When the deputies arrived, the suspect fled about 100 yards  up a hill toward homes on the property. A woman gave the deputies permission to enter her home, and the man opened fire when they entered. The deputies shot back.
The third deputy, who had taken a position at the back door, then ran inside to get his colleagues.
Authorities have not identified the suspect or any of the officers.
The sheriff said the wounded deputies, one of whom has been with the department for 14 years and the other for 10, were airlifted to a hospital and arrived "conscious, talkative and stable." They underwent surgery.
Lepp said a branch of her church owns the property. It does not have a permit to grow medical marijuana in Yuba County.
Her attorney, Joseph Tully, said the church has a good relationship with law enforcement.
"They had no problem calling the authorities, because they were having a problem there," Tully told the Sacramento Bee newspaper. "They have a very open-door relationship."
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Associated Press writer Paul Elias contributed to this story.
- Updated
GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK, Ariz. (AP) — Authorities at Grand Canyon National Park are searching for a Texas woman who's been reported missing.
Park officials say 38-year-old Sarah Beadle of Fort Worth had reservations to stay at the Bright Angel Campground on Tuesday, but didn't arrive.
They say she was hiking down the South Kaibab Trail and her backpack was found near the junction of the South Kaibab Trail and the River Trail.
Park officials say Beadle was hiking with two children — ages 10 and 11 — who are safe and accounted for.
They say Beadle is an experienced backpacker and hiker who last hiked at the Grand Canyon in 2002.
- Updated
CASTLE DALE, Utah (AP) — The Bureau of Land Management and the Emery County Sheriff's Office have launched an investigation after a photographer reported seeing members of the sheriff's search and rescue team harassing wild mustangs.
The Salt Lake Tribune reports (http://bit.ly/2vtOC7C ) the photographer captured images of men on ATV and bikes chasing horses July 9. She has another photograph that shows the vehicles were transported in a truck with the sheriff's logo.
BLM spokeswoman Lisa Reid says the photographer handed over the photos and a video to the BLM, which has begun an investigation.
A spokeswoman for the sheriff says the men were in the area to searching for a missing family. She told the newspaper on Monday that their search brought them close to the wild horses and the men reported that to the sheriff.
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Information from: The Salt Lake Tribune, http://www.sltrib.com
- Updated
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Police in New Mexico's tourist-popular capital are increasing patrols and 24-hour surveillance amid tensions between two motorcycle gangs.
Santa Fe police spokesman Greg Gurule said Wednesday patrols have been expanded around the area of a drive-by shooting by a member of the Vagos Motorcycle Club. Gurule says the home of a Bandidos Motorcycle Club member also is under 24-hour surveillance after his house was targeted in the shooting.
Gurule says police want to make sure residents and visitors feel safe.
The shooting late Saturday comes amid an ongoing tuft war in New Mexico between the California-based Vagos Motorcycle Club and the Texas-founded Bandidos.
That shooting forced a temporary lockdown at Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center when Vagos members crowded an emergency room to visit an injured member.
- Updated
ALBUQUERQUE . (AP) — Albuquerque will honor an acclaimed World War II war correspondent who died before he was able to return home.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reports (http://bit.ly/2vtxf71 ) that Ernie Pyle was known for publishing harrowing, firsthand accounts of the war and the sacrifices the young soldiers made. Pyle was born in Indiana and had bought a home in Albuquerque in 1940, where he planned to live after the war.
New Mexico has honored the writer since the Legislature declared Aug. 3 as Ernie Pyle Day in 1945. Event organizers will celebrate Pyle's 117th birthday on Thursday with a keynote address by longtime war correspondent Joe Galloway and a speech by a University of New Mexico journalism professor.
Event organizers and participants hope that Pyle will one day receive his own national holiday.
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Information from: The Santa Fe New Mexican, http://www.sfnewmexican.com
- Updated
SANDPOINT, Idaho (AP) — Officials say an 11-year-old Idaho boy drowned while trying to save his older brother in a northern Idaho river.
The Bonner County Sheriff's Office tells KBOI-TV (http://bit.ly/2wm6lKM) that the boys had been swimming at Pend Oreille River with their mother on Tuesday when the 17-year-old began to struggle and panic. Officials say both brothers were inexperienced swimmers.
According to the sheriff's office, the mother jumped in to help her eldest son but was going under herself because of his struggles. Police say the younger boy tried to rescue his brother after their mother went back to shore to call for help.
The older brother was taken to a nearby hospital in critical condition. Divers recovered the 11-year-old's body in about six to seven feet of water. Officials say he died at the scene.
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Information from: KBOI-TV, http://www.kboi2.com
- Updated
SPANISH FORK, Utah (AP) — An 11-year-old girl was airlifted to a Utah hospital after a horse bucked her off and rolled onto her.
Aleah Hermansen was preparing to compete in horsemanship in a 4-H competition at the Spanish Fork Fairgrounds when her horse reared up.
Aleah's father, Chris Hermansen, says her horse reared up then sat on its hind legs, rolling over Aleah's lower body and causing her to hit her head with some force on the ground.
Chris Hermansen says Aleah underwent X-rays and a CT scan. He says she has a concussion and some deep bruising but no internal bleeding or fractures.
- Updated
BELLINGHAM, Wash. (AP) — The body of a Bellingham woman will remain on a North Cascades National Park glacier indefinitely after a recovery team decided a mission to the site would be too dangerous.
The Bellingham Herald reports (https://goo.gl/u1x7Cv ) a team of national park climbing rangers trained in search and rescue made the decision Monday.
Mountaineer Susan Bennett died July 22 in a fall while rappelling from Forbidden Peak, one of the region's most treacherous rock faces. She was with a group of four climbers who had reached the summit.
A helicopter rescue crew located her body in a 30-foot crevasse, but could not reach her. Two other attempts were aborted.
Forbidden Peak is east of Marblemount along Highway 20, in the area of Cascade Pass.
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Information from: The Bellingham Herald, http://www.bellinghamherald.com
- By The Associated Press
- Updated
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The premiere of "Star Trek: Discovery" on CBS' subscription streaming service, CBS All Access, was postponed nine months to maintain the quality of the brand.
Executive producer Alex Kurtzman told the Television Critics Association Tuesday that they "spent a lot of time" discussing how to create this new world for TV that felt authentic to the "Star Trek" universe.
Also during that time, executive producer Bryan Fuller decided to exit the series as showrunner to focus on other projects.
Kurtzman said "it became clearer and clearer" that the targeted January debut would "compromise the quality of the show," so it was pushed with the blessing of CBS Chairman and CEO Leslie Moonves.
"Star Trek: Discovery" stars Sonequa Martin-Green of "The Walking Dead," as central character, First Officer Michael Burnham. She's the foster daughter of the Vulcan Sarek, who is Spock's father.
"We are telling a story that we believe in. Everyone is so passionate. The craftsmanship here in our entire company, behind the camera and in front of the camera, is nothing short of stellar," said Green.
Kurtzman also debuted the theme song for "Star Trek: Discovery" performed by a 60-piece orchestra. It plays homage to the original theme and the entire song will play under a credit sequence in each episode.
The timeline for the series is 10 years prior to the original series, or TOS, as Trekkies say.
Executive producer Akiva Goldsman said, "We are going to cross paths with components that 'Trek' fans are familiar with, but it is its own standalone story with its own characters and its own unique vision of 'Trek.'"
"Star Trek: Discovery" also stars Jason Isaacs, Michelle Yeoh and Shazad Latif.
The series premiere will broadcast on CBS Sept. 24. Immediately following, the first and second episodes will stream on CBS All Access. New episodes going forward will be available on Sundays.
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GILLETTE, Wyo. (AP) — A judge has sentenced a woman who killed her husband for nagging her too much to 20-30 years in prison.
Deborah Johnson, of Gillette, originally was charged with first-degree murder for killing Brian Johnson but pleaded guilty to the second-degree murder.
The Gillette News-Record reports (http://bit.ly/2uXoNvu ) Wyoming District Judge John Perry sentenced Johnson on Tuesday. Perry told Johnson he doubted she would kill again but noted her history of drug and alcohol abuse.
Johnson apologized for shooting her husband, whom she called her "best friend ever."
Johnson shot him as he watched television in January 2016. Her blood-alcohol content was more than three times the legal limit for driving.
She told police her husband constantly nagged her and she wanted him to shut up.
___
Information from: The Gillette (Wyo.) News Record, http://www.gillettenewsrecord.com
- By SOPHIA BOLLAG and KATHLEEN RONAYNE Associated Press
OREGON HOUSE, Calif. (AP) — A sheriff's deputy ran into a house in Northern California to pull two wounded colleagues to safety after a shootout with a suspect near a marijuana farm belonging to a Rastafarian church.
The two deputies were expected to survive after their fellow officer, a 22-year veteran, went alone into a house where the gunman had fled, Yuba County Sheriff Steve Durfor said. The wounded deputies were in fair condition at a hospital, the sheriff's department said Wednesday on Twitter.
The deputy did not see the suspect or hear gunfire while rescuing the pair Tuesday. SWAT team members later found the suspect dead, likely from shots fired by the deputies, Durfor said, though it's possible they were self-inflicted.
The suspect had been working for about a month at the farm owned by Sugarleaf Rastafarian Church, which believes that marijuana is sacred and grows it about 55 miles north of Sacramento.
The church's leader, Heidi Lepp, said she received a call from members who worked on the farm saying the man, who she knew only as "Sawyer," was ripping up plants and wielding a gun. She told the workers to leave and called authorities.
When the deputies arrived, the suspect fled about 100 yards  up a hill toward homes on the property. A woman gave the deputies permission to enter her home, and the man opened fire when they entered. The deputies shot back.
The third deputy, who had taken a position at the back door, then ran inside to get his colleagues.
Authorities have not identified the suspect or any of the officers.
The sheriff said the wounded deputies, one of whom has been with the department for 14 years and the other for 10, were airlifted to a hospital and arrived "conscious, talkative and stable." They underwent surgery.
Lepp said a branch of her church owns the property. It does not have a permit to grow medical marijuana in Yuba County.
Her attorney, Joseph Tully, said the church has a good relationship with law enforcement.
"They had no problem calling the authorities, because they were having a problem there," Tully told the Sacramento Bee newspaper. "They have a very open-door relationship."
___
Associated Press writer Paul Elias contributed to this story.
GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK, Ariz. (AP) — Authorities at Grand Canyon National Park are searching for a Texas woman who's been reported missing.
Park officials say 38-year-old Sarah Beadle of Fort Worth had reservations to stay at the Bright Angel Campground on Tuesday, but didn't arrive.
They say she was hiking down the South Kaibab Trail and her backpack was found near the junction of the South Kaibab Trail and the River Trail.
Park officials say Beadle was hiking with two children — ages 10 and 11 — who are safe and accounted for.
They say Beadle is an experienced backpacker and hiker who last hiked at the Grand Canyon in 2002.
CASTLE DALE, Utah (AP) — The Bureau of Land Management and the Emery County Sheriff's Office have launched an investigation after a photographer reported seeing members of the sheriff's search and rescue team harassing wild mustangs.
The Salt Lake Tribune reports (http://bit.ly/2vtOC7C ) the photographer captured images of men on ATV and bikes chasing horses July 9. She has another photograph that shows the vehicles were transported in a truck with the sheriff's logo.
BLM spokeswoman Lisa Reid says the photographer handed over the photos and a video to the BLM, which has begun an investigation.
A spokeswoman for the sheriff says the men were in the area to searching for a missing family. She told the newspaper on Monday that their search brought them close to the wild horses and the men reported that to the sheriff.
___
Information from: The Salt Lake Tribune, http://www.sltrib.com
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Police in New Mexico's tourist-popular capital are increasing patrols and 24-hour surveillance amid tensions between two motorcycle gangs.
Santa Fe police spokesman Greg Gurule said Wednesday patrols have been expanded around the area of a drive-by shooting by a member of the Vagos Motorcycle Club. Gurule says the home of a Bandidos Motorcycle Club member also is under 24-hour surveillance after his house was targeted in the shooting.
Gurule says police want to make sure residents and visitors feel safe.
The shooting late Saturday comes amid an ongoing tuft war in New Mexico between the California-based Vagos Motorcycle Club and the Texas-founded Bandidos.
That shooting forced a temporary lockdown at Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center when Vagos members crowded an emergency room to visit an injured member.
ALBUQUERQUE . (AP) — Albuquerque will honor an acclaimed World War II war correspondent who died before he was able to return home.
The Santa Fe New Mexican reports (http://bit.ly/2vtxf71 ) that Ernie Pyle was known for publishing harrowing, firsthand accounts of the war and the sacrifices the young soldiers made. Pyle was born in Indiana and had bought a home in Albuquerque in 1940, where he planned to live after the war.
New Mexico has honored the writer since the Legislature declared Aug. 3 as Ernie Pyle Day in 1945. Event organizers will celebrate Pyle's 117th birthday on Thursday with a keynote address by longtime war correspondent Joe Galloway and a speech by a University of New Mexico journalism professor.
Event organizers and participants hope that Pyle will one day receive his own national holiday.
___
Information from: The Santa Fe New Mexican, http://www.sfnewmexican.com
SANDPOINT, Idaho (AP) — Officials say an 11-year-old Idaho boy drowned while trying to save his older brother in a northern Idaho river.
The Bonner County Sheriff's Office tells KBOI-TV (http://bit.ly/2wm6lKM) that the boys had been swimming at Pend Oreille River with their mother on Tuesday when the 17-year-old began to struggle and panic. Officials say both brothers were inexperienced swimmers.
According to the sheriff's office, the mother jumped in to help her eldest son but was going under herself because of his struggles. Police say the younger boy tried to rescue his brother after their mother went back to shore to call for help.
The older brother was taken to a nearby hospital in critical condition. Divers recovered the 11-year-old's body in about six to seven feet of water. Officials say he died at the scene.
___
Information from: KBOI-TV, http://www.kboi2.com
SPANISH FORK, Utah (AP) — An 11-year-old girl was airlifted to a Utah hospital after a horse bucked her off and rolled onto her.
Aleah Hermansen was preparing to compete in horsemanship in a 4-H competition at the Spanish Fork Fairgrounds when her horse reared up.
Aleah's father, Chris Hermansen, says her horse reared up then sat on its hind legs, rolling over Aleah's lower body and causing her to hit her head with some force on the ground.
Chris Hermansen says Aleah underwent X-rays and a CT scan. He says she has a concussion and some deep bruising but no internal bleeding or fractures.
BELLINGHAM, Wash. (AP) — The body of a Bellingham woman will remain on a North Cascades National Park glacier indefinitely after a recovery team decided a mission to the site would be too dangerous.
The Bellingham Herald reports (https://goo.gl/u1x7Cv ) a team of national park climbing rangers trained in search and rescue made the decision Monday.
Mountaineer Susan Bennett died July 22 in a fall while rappelling from Forbidden Peak, one of the region's most treacherous rock faces. She was with a group of four climbers who had reached the summit.
A helicopter rescue crew located her body in a 30-foot crevasse, but could not reach her. Two other attempts were aborted.
Forbidden Peak is east of Marblemount along Highway 20, in the area of Cascade Pass.
___
Information from: The Bellingham Herald, http://www.bellinghamherald.com
- By The Associated Press
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The premiere of "Star Trek: Discovery" on CBS' subscription streaming service, CBS All Access, was postponed nine months to maintain the quality of the brand.
Executive producer Alex Kurtzman told the Television Critics Association Tuesday that they "spent a lot of time" discussing how to create this new world for TV that felt authentic to the "Star Trek" universe.
Also during that time, executive producer Bryan Fuller decided to exit the series as showrunner to focus on other projects.
Kurtzman said "it became clearer and clearer" that the targeted January debut would "compromise the quality of the show," so it was pushed with the blessing of CBS Chairman and CEO Leslie Moonves.
"Star Trek: Discovery" stars Sonequa Martin-Green of "The Walking Dead," as central character, First Officer Michael Burnham. She's the foster daughter of the Vulcan Sarek, who is Spock's father.
"We are telling a story that we believe in. Everyone is so passionate. The craftsmanship here in our entire company, behind the camera and in front of the camera, is nothing short of stellar," said Green.
Kurtzman also debuted the theme song for "Star Trek: Discovery" performed by a 60-piece orchestra. It plays homage to the original theme and the entire song will play under a credit sequence in each episode.
The timeline for the series is 10 years prior to the original series, or TOS, as Trekkies say.
Executive producer Akiva Goldsman said, "We are going to cross paths with components that 'Trek' fans are familiar with, but it is its own standalone story with its own characters and its own unique vision of 'Trek.'"
"Star Trek: Discovery" also stars Jason Isaacs, Michelle Yeoh and Shazad Latif.
The series premiere will broadcast on CBS Sept. 24. Immediately following, the first and second episodes will stream on CBS All Access. New episodes going forward will be available on Sundays.
___
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