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FATHER FINDS MISSING CHILD
Child safe after separated from family in Utah mountains
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — An Idaho father has been reunited with his 9-year-old son who went missing during a hike with extended family in Utah. KSL-TV reported that Summit County Sheriff Justin Martinez says the dad drove to Utah where his son, Stratton Joshua Wright, became separated from his uncle, cousins and siblings Wednesday around 8 p.m. during a hike near Bear Lake. Wright was found by his dad in an open field Thursday. He was slightly dehydrated and tired, but otherwise healthy. Helicopters, trained search and rescue crews and horses had also been searching for him.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-OREGON-RISING CASES
Oregon thought it had controlled COVID-19, then came surge
SALEM, Ore. (AP) — Coronavirus numbers are surging and stretching into small Oregon communities that at the start of June had had few confirmed cases. The Oregon Health Authority said Thursday there were 375 additional confirmed and presumptive cases of the coronavirus statewide. The previous record was 281 cases. Over the past month, the case count more than doubled – surpassing 9,000. While the case count has been increasing across the state, authorities say there have been significant increases in rural counties. And they worry heading into the holiday weekend about family and friends gathering for parties
IDAHO UNEMPLOYMENT
New Idaho unemployment claims jump 26% to 5,500
BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Idaho officials say new unemployment claims jumped 26% last week to about 5,500. The Idaho Department of Labor said Thursday that it received about 1,100 more new claims last week compared to the week before that. Idaho's unemployment numbers have been edging down under Republican Gov. Brad Little's reopening plan during the coronavirus pandemic. But a spike in new infections in recent weeks has led to the closing of bars and the return of tougher restrictions in highly populated Ada County. Idaho's unemployment rate is 8.9%, with about 80,000 people looking for work.
LOOKOUT TOWERS-ACCESS LIMITED
Visitor access restricted to northern Idaho fire lookouts
COEUR D'ALENE, Idaho (AP) — The U.S. Forest Service says visitors to six active fire lookouts in northern Idaho won't be able to access the top level of the lookouts due to the coronavirus pandemic. The agency says the restrictions from early July to early September are needed to protect the health of people working at the fire lookouts in the Idaho Panhandle National Forests as well as visitors. The lookouts with restrictions are Sundance Lookout, Lookout Mountain Lookout, Hughes Ridge Lookout, Gisborne Lookout and Middle Sisters Lookout.
AP-US-FOURTH-OF-JULY-FIREWORKS-RISK
More fireworks in Americans' hands for July 4 raises risks
ATLANTA (AP) — For many Americans, the Fourth of July won't be about big festivities but setting off fireworks themselves. Hundreds of cities have canceled shows Saturday because of the coronavirus pandemic, and sales of consumer fireworks are booming. Some officials are concerned about fires and injuries with more pyrotechnics going off in backyards and at block parties. In fire-prone states like Arizona, some residents have called on the governor to ban fireworks this summer. While it’s not clear what's driving people to shops, some sellers believe fireworks are a diversion for people who have been stuck at home during the pandemic.
BASE JUMPER-BODY FOUND
Body of south-central Idaho man recovered in Snake River
TWIN FALLS, Idaho (AP) — The body of a man who moved to south-central Idaho to train as a BASE jumper has been found in the Snake River several weeks after he went swimming following a successful jump. The Jerome County sheriff's office says that searchers found the body of Austin Carey on Wednesday morning near Pillar Falls. Carey went missing June 18 after he tried to swim across the river near the falls. BASE stands for building, antenna, span and earth _ the objects jumpers leap from and parachute down. Carey last summer moved from California to the area that has a high bridge spanning the Snake River that's used by BASE jumpers.
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