Oregon Zoo takes in wild bobcat kitten

PORTLAND, Ore. - The Oregon Zoo has taken in a 2-month-old bobcat kitten that was removed from the wild near Eagle Point, Ore. by well-intentioned but misguided humans.

The zoo said in a statement Thursday that the kitten will remain behind the scenes while he awaits transport to another zoo that can house him permanently.

The cub was taken from the woods in July, and wildlife authorities determined that after the human contact, he could not survive on his own if released back into the wild.

The zoo said that cubs that appear abandoned actually probably have their mother nearby and anyone who finds an animal in distress should call authorities.

Bobcats - named for their short, bobbed tails - can appear cuddly but are fierce predators that can take down small deer.

Trump to visit Washington and Oregon within next month

OLYMPIA - Campaign officials said Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump will be traveling to the Pacific Northwest within the next month for rallies and fundraisers.

Republican Sen. Doug Ericksen of Ferndale, the deputy director for the Washington state campaign, said Thursday that while the dates and locations are still being worked out, Trump will visit Washington and Oregon in late August or early September. Trump last visited the region in May, with rallies in both states.

Ericksen said that Trump believes Washington state - which hasn't voted for a Republican presidential candidate since 1984 - is in play, and "he's coming out to rally the troops."

He said Trump "doesn't want to treat Washington state like an ATM machine."

"He's committed to doing some big rallies," he said.

Portland appoints the city's first-ever tribal liaison

PORTLAND, Ore. - Mayor Charlie Hales has appointed the city's first-ever tribal liaison.

In a statement Thursday, the mayor said Patricia Davis Gibson, a tribal court judge and tribal attorney, will represent Native American interests and strengthen communication with various tribes.

Gibson is an enrolled member of the Comanche Tribe of Oklahoma, and is a direct descendant of Chief Ten Bears.

She is also has tribal connections to the Muskogee Creek Nation and Seminole Nation of Oklahoma. She grew up in Wyoming, by the Wind River Indian Reservation, and later by the Crow Nation.

Gibson earned her undergraduate degree at Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colo., near the Southern Ute Indian Reservation.

She got her law degree from Lewis & Clark Law School in Portland.

She begins Aug. 15.

Montana fire that destroyed 14 houses is 7 percent contained

HAMILTON, Mont. - Cooler weather helped firefighters in western Montana gain a little ground on a blaze that has burned 12 square miles of land and destroyed 14 homes and dozens of outbuildings.

Officials on the Roaring Lion Fire in the Bitterroot National Forest southwest of Hamilton said the fire is 7 percent contained, but they don't expect to have the fire fully contained until the end of the month.

Cooler temperatures and higher humidity levels on Wednesday helped firefighters make progress on hand lines and mop-up in some areas. However, hotter and drier weather is predicted with the possibility of thunderstorms beginning Friday and through the weekend.

The fire began Sunday, and residents of more than 600 homes remained evacuated Thursday, with another 200 on alert. The cause is still under investigation.

Police: Utah woman, girl drown at Bear Lake in eastern Idaho

FISH HAVEN, Idaho - A 37-year-old Utah woman and her 11-year-old daughter have drowned in Bear Lake in eastern Idaho.

The Jordan School District in Utah said Jennifer Lambourne of South Jordan taught at Eastlake Elementary and her daughter, Brooklyn, would have been entering sixth grade at the school.

The Bear Lake County Sheriff's Office said the girl was reported missing Wednesday at the lake that is divided in half by the Idaho-Utah border.

Officials said Jennifer Lambourne and an 8-year-old girl were taken to Bear Lake Memorial Hospital where Lambourne was pronounced dead. The 8-year-old girl was treated and released.

Officials said Brooklyn's body was recovered from the lake at about 7 p.m. Wednesday.

The sheriff's office said Thursday it plans to release more information on the drowning.

Associated press