Local briefs: Pullman Police searching for vehicle prowl suspects

The Pullman Police Department is asking for the public’s help to catch two vehicle prowl and theft suspects who fled from police Tuesday.

Police are searching for Christopher Holverson and Casey Murphy, both out of Spokane. They are suspected of several vehicle break-ins Sunday and Monday night. Police believe they stole credit cards and used the cards at local stores.

Pullman Police Department Cmndr. Jake Opgenorth said their investigation led police to the Quality Inn in Pullman on Tuesday. When police arrived, Jeremy Reeves and Holverson jumped out of a window in an attempt to flee.

Reeves was arrested but Holverson ran away. Opgenorth said Holverson, a Spokane resident, might be looking to get a ride out of Pullman. Opgenorth advised that anyone who comes across Holverson should call the police and not try to apprehend him themselves. He was last seen wearing a black T-shirt and tan shorts.

Murphy also was involved in the vehicle prowls, but he also has fled and police are unsure of his whereabouts.

BLM bans campfires, shooting on land in Washington counties

The Bureau of Land Management has issued fire restrictions for Whitman County and other Washington counties that will take effect Thursday.

The fire restrictions order includes prohibiting the discharging of a firearm, except while engaged in lawful hunt pursuant to state, federal or tribal law and regulations. The building, maintaining, attending or using a fire, including charcoal briquette fires, except when contained within provided metal rings, also will be prohibited.

Off-road vehicles and smoking are also prohibited on public lands administered by the BLM and the Bureau of Reclamation in Eastern Washington.

The new restrictions are expected to be in effect until fire conditions change.

Moscow writers earn $5,000 fellowship awards

A pair of writers based in Moscow have been awarded literature fellowships from the Idaho Commission on the Arts.

Brian Blanchfield and Lauren Westerfield will each receive $5,000. The awards, given every two years, recognize outstanding writers honoring work deemed to exhibit the highest artistic merit during peer review, according to a news release from the commission.

Applicants were reviewed anonymously by panelists from out of state and were judged on the basis of existing work and professional history.

Blanchfield is the author of three books of poetry and prose, most recently “Proxies: Essays Near Knowing”, which received a 2016 Whiting Award in Nonfiction and was a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award in Gay Memoir. Blanchfield lives with his partner, John, in Moscow and is associate professor of English and director of creative writing at University of Idaho.

Westerfield is a Moscow-based writer, editor and educator. Her essays and poetry have most recently appeared or are forthcoming in Seneca Review, Willow Springs, Denver Quarterly, Indiana Review and Ninth Letter. She is an assistant professor of English at Washington State University, where she serves as the creative nonfiction and managing editor of Blood Orange Review.

For more information about fellowships and other 2022 Idaho Commission on the Arts awards, see arts.idaho.gov/press/.

Authors to sign books at Saturday market

The authors of “Idaho Rocks!: A Guide to Geologic Sites in the Gem State” and “Roadside Geology of Idaho” will be available from 10 a.m. to noon, Saturday outside BookPeople in downtown Moscow to discuss their work.

Reed Lewis and Mark McFaddan (“Idaho Rocks”), Keegan Schmidt (“Roadside Geology of Idaho”) and illustrator Chelsea Feeney will be in front of the store during the Moscow Farmers Market.

“Idaho Rocks!” is a guide to 60 of the most compelling geologic sites in Idaho. In the revised edition written by experienced field geologists, “Roadside Geology of Idaho” guides readers describing the rocks and landscapes visible outside your car window.

BookPeople is located at 521 S. Main St. in downtown Moscow. For more information, see bookpeopleofmoscow.com.