Ambush on Canfield Mountain was premeditated, says Kootenai County sheriff
The Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office announced that the deadly ambush on firefighters on Canfield Mountain late June was premeditated.
Officials presented their evidence during a news conference Tuesday.
Investigators found drawings in Wess Roley’s apartment on Sherman Avenue in Coeur d’Alene.
One seems to show a gun aimed at multiple people. There are mountains in the background and the words “Kill, kill, kill” on the left.
Another shows a figure either standing up or lying on his back. Words to the right say “into the void” and “goodbye Wess.”
A letter was also found in Roley’s truck.
"It says, 'Hello, Father. Tomorrow I shall go into battle. I bid thee farewell,'" Kootenai County Sheriff Bob Norris read aloud during the Tuesday news briefing. "'I beg that you do not fall into the traps of modern existence with media and other false pleasantries that have plagued the minds of individuals today.'"
Norris said these documents lead him to believe Roley’s ambush on firefighters was premeditated.
Roley is the person who started the fire, but Norris said he was not the person who called 9-1-1. The caller was an uninvolved civilian on the mountain.
There is still no known tie between Roley and any extremist groups.
Kohberger faces sentencing for U of I killings today
The man who admitted he fatally stabbed four University of Idaho students in 2022 will be sentenced today.
Bryan Kohberger signed on to a plea agreement that makes it likely he’ll spend the rest of his life in prison. He also agreed to waive his right to appeal his conviction and sentence.
Both the defendant and family members of his victims will have a chance to address the court.
"Obviously, we have numerous victims and victims who share unique, excuse me, who share unique perspectives on this and we want to make sure that they all have time to express their feelings to the court," Latah County Prosecutor Bill Thompson said during Kohberger’s plea hearing.
A gag order on information related to the case is expected to be lifted at the conclusion of the sentencing, Ada County District Court Judge Steven Hippler said.
Idaho health director takes sharp questioning in federal confirmation hearing
Idaho’s health and welfare director told U.S. senators Tuesday morning he would work to better the country’s foster care and adoption systems if confirmed as an undersecretary for family support.
Alex Adams has spent much of the last several months in Idaho recruiting foster parents and transitioning foster kids out of temporary Airbnbs.
He said he has similar priorities at the federal level.
“Where I intend to spend a disproportionate time of my energy and a disproportionate amount of my effort is improving child welfare – specifically the foster care and adoption systems,” Adams said.
Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Oregon) said his staff has gathered more than 100 claims of discrimination by LGBTQ foster youth across the country.
Wyden asked Adams what he will do to stand up for these kids.
“Following the best interest of the child and ensuring all kids are treated with respect and dignity and protected from harm and following the law is my operating principle,” he replied.
Adams says he’s not sure of the specifics in these cases and wants to review them. A representative from Wyden’s office said they expect to release more specifics of these claims in the coming weeks.
If confirmed, Adams would not only oversee foster care and adoption services. The division includes more than 60 programs with a budget of $70 billion – the second largest division within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Some of those include cash benefits for low-income families through the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program, or TANF, and home heating subsidies.
The division also oversees Head Start early childhood learning programs, which have recently been cut by the Trump administration.
Multiple Democratic senators asked Adams if he would push to restore these clawbacks or support the initiatives in the future.
He responded that he’s a supporter of Head Start programs, noting his wife’s grandmother ran one in Blackfoot. But he stopped short of promising any restoration of the cuts.
“[DHHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.] wants to make Head Start better and brighter by the end of this term and I share that commitment.”
Adams’ nomination must be confirmed by the full senate before he can assume the position.
We’re at Preparedness Level (PL) 4 this fire season. But what does that mean?
As fires rage across the country, federal wildfire officials recently raised the national Preparedness Level to 4. If things get more intense, that could mean calling on the military and other countries for help.
The National Preparedness Level—or PL—system is a 1 to 5 scale that indicates how busy a season is. When determining the PL, officials consider fuel and weather conditions, current fire activity and the availability of resources throughout the country to respond.
“When we reach Preparedness Level 3, we usually have several geographic areas that are competing for resources,” Sean Peterson, the manager of the National Interagency Coordination Center in Boise, explained. “And we're usually able to meet most of those resource needs nationally.”
“We're at PL4 right now because our national resources are heavily committed, including our hotshot crews, our air tankers, our helicopters, and those types of resources,” he continued. “And our resources are starting to get stretched thin.”
He said the country reached PL4 this year a little quicker than is typical, but a more active season has been in the forecast for months, which allowed officials to prepare, according to Peterson.
At PL5, which was reached on July 18 last year, things get a bit more intense. That’s when active military can be brought in to assist, along with firefighters from Canada and other international partners. Peterson says nearly 200 soldiers are training at the U.S. Army’s Fort Carson in Colorado in case they are needed. Forecasters expect this season to be heavy through September.
“I am highly confident that – together on an interagency basis – we are well prepared for resources to respond to this wildland fire season across multiple geographic areas,” Peterson said.
This story was produced by the Mountain West News Bureau, a collaboration between Wyoming Public Media, Nevada Public Radio, Boise State Public Radio in Idaho, KUNR in Nevada, KUNC in Colorado and KANW in New Mexico, with support from affiliate stations across the region. Funding for the Mountain West News Bureau is provided in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
- - -
Reporting by Eliza Billingham, Doug Nadvornick, James Dawson and Murphy Woodhouse.