WASHINGTON - With an intense fire season under way, the U.S. Forest Service is employing some new tools and strategies to fight wildfires in the West, said Marc Rounsaville, the agency's deputy director for fire and aviation management.

In a wide-ranging interview Monday, Rounsaville said indexes show the wildfire season is running two to three weeks ahead of schedule in some parts of the West. The most recent updates show an above-normal potential for fire during the next 30 days in southwestern Montana.

(WDFW)- Ocean salmon fishing got off to a strong start during the first week in July along the Washington coast, where many anglers went home with two-fish limits.  Coho made up the bulk of the catch in most areas, although anglers fishing off Westport have also been catching good numbers of chinook salmon averaging about 18 pounds apiece.

"This fishery is off to the best start we've seen in several years," said Doug Milward, ocean salmon manager for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW).  "The fish are good-sized, and anglers are catching them all along the coast."

On the southern coast, Marine Area 1 (Ilwaco) is open daily for salmon fishing, while Marine Area 2 (Westport) is open Sundays through Thursdays.  On the north

A Navy document dated May 22, 1981, said the material included 160 pounds of soil and two animal carcasses laced with strontium-90, an isotope that causes cancer of the bone and soft tissue and leukemia.

Maribor, Slovenia (USA Shooting)- A Soldier of the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit of Fort Benning, Ga., has won a Bronze Medal in the International Shooting Sport Federation World Cup.

Two-time Olympian Pfc. Walton "Glenn" Eller III took home the Bronze Medal at the ISSF Shotgun Maribor World Cup July 3. In the Men's Double Trap competition, Eller was tied for fifth place going into the finals and shot a 47 finishing with a total score of 188 to claim the Bronze.

Italy's Francesco Daniello won the Gold with a final score of 192, while Hakan Dahlby of Sweden

Kim Minugh
Sacramento Bee

SACRAMENTO, CA- Authorities disrupted a gruesome cockfighting operation involving as many as 600 birds, some of whose carcasses littered the property.

Officials characterized the bust Wednesday as large in scale and symptomatic of a growing problem, as California's laws against cockfighting lag behind those of neighboring states.

"It's horrifying," said Paul Bruce, a veterinary technician with the Humane Society of the United

AUSTIN, Texas (TPWD)— With the passage of House Bill 12 by the 80th Texas Legislature, it is now unlawful to hunt any wild bird or animal on a public road or the right-of-way of a public road.

Prior to this year, it was unlawful to hunt game animals or game birds on a public road — meaning that nongame species such as snakes, turtles, frogs and most mammals other than deer, bighorn sheep, javelina, and pronghorn antelope could be legally taken, provided that the take was not by firearm and did not occur from a vehicle.

YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Wyo. (AP)- A heat wave has warmed the Firehole River to as much as 82 degrees, killing hundreds of rainbow and brown trout.

Park officials noticed the kill Friday. Yellowstone spokesman Al Nash said temperatures above 73 degrees can be stressful or even fatal for trout.

OLYMPIA, WA (WDFW)- A special fishery for wheelchair-bound anglers opens today (July 7) at a new fishing site developed by Tacoma Power near the new outfall structure at the trout hatchery on the Cowlitz River.

The new fishing site, located within 100 feet of the Cowlitz Trout Hatchery outfall, is reserved for anglers who use a wheelchair.  Those anglers must follow fishing rules in effect on the lower Cowlitz River.

"Wheelchair-bound anglers have limited options to go fishing," said Wolf Dammers, a fish biologist for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW).  "This wheel-chair accessible site, developed by Tacoma