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Sheriff's Office searching for man suspected of assaulting ex-girlfriend

Sheriff's Office searching for man suspected of assaulting ex-girlfriend

Pend Oreille County Sheriff's Office needs help locating a man who is suspected of assaulting an ex-girlfriend on Monday. Sheriff's Deputies say they have probable cause at this time to arrest Meckler for felony domestic violence assault and anticipate an arrest warrant being issued soon. 

He was last seen around the Newport, Washington area wearing jeans and a black and white hoodie. Deputies describe him as 5'5" tall and weighs about 160lbs. He has blue eyes and brown hair.

Meckler also goes by the name Justin M. Shanks and lives a transient lifestyle, known to frequent Newport and Priest River, Idah.

Add these 5 astronomical events to your 2012 calendar

Add these 5 astronomical events to your 2012 calendar

Get out your 2012 daily planner, you’re going to need it for these neat astronomical events that Inland Northwest neighbors will be able to view from their own backyard - or at least a very tall hill. 

This is simply a general reminder. When it comes closer to the event, we’ll coordinate with your region’s astronomy clubs to see where the best place to view them will be.

Quadrantid Meteor Shower

North America is also the prime viewing location for this annual meteor shower. Quadrantid is named after a now extinct constellation. Astronomers believe the Quadrantids come from a parent asteroid.

The best viewing time is the morning of January 4th around 3 a.m. local time until dawn. Dress warmly.

Annular Eclipse

The Western United States has a chance to watch an annular eclipse of the sun on May 20th. The eclipse is completely visible from our neck of the woods and only partially visible from the rest of North America.

Will your region have a White Christmas?

Will your region have a White Christmas?

Consider this our holiday greeting card arriving just in time for the holiday weekend. It's a map displaying the probability of a white Christmas in areas around the United States using data from the National Climatic Data Center.

There's no way to zoom in, but if you look carefully at the Eastern Washington and North Idaho regions, our chances of a white Christmas range from 26-100 percent depending on where you're located.

Have a safe weekend and don't forget to email weather photos at news4@kxly.com.

Copy-cat Layaway Angels strike in Oldtown

We’ve heard about copy-cat crimes, but this is a copy-cat incident you can appreciate. Three employees at Oldtown’s Ben Franklin store got to witness the first Layaway Angel incident in their store’s history.

A shift supervisor called KXLY to say a group of four to five people came in with $200 of pooled money to pay off about five layaways of clothes and toys.

A store representative said it wasn’t a lot, but for the people that did this generous donation - it was. The group remains anonymous. Nobody at the store knew who they were or had ever seen them before.

The mysterious group of angels simply went through the lay away box and started adding up what they could pay for with $200.

They did reveal one bit of information that explained their inspiration. They saw a similar story on KXLY about Spokane-area Layaway Angels. They wanted to do the same thing and make the same difference.

Enjoy a White Christmas Buffet at Lookout Pass

Enjoy a White Christmas Buffet at Lookout Pass

A lack of snow is leaving a white Christmas in doubt at the lower elevations in the inland northwest, but winter is in full swing at Lookout Pass Ski Area. The mountain is open seven days a week through January 2nd. A full slate of family holiday activities is highlighted by Lookout’s annual Christmas buffet, served from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Dec. 25.

Ski, Ride and Feast this Christmas

Kids can ski with Santa at noon Christmas Eve and Lookout opens at 10:00 a.m. on Christmas Day. Families can spend a day on the snow and enjoy a Christmas buffet in the lodge for $12.99 a person. Kids under 12 are $7.49. Diners can whet their appetites with teriyaki meat balls, deviled eggs, little smokies and cucumber rounds on rye. The main course features pot roast, ham, mashed potatoes and gravy and mixed vegetables. Huckleberry ice cream, peanut butter cheesecake and Bavarian cream tarts will be served for dessert. Egg nog, coffee or soft drinks are included.

Santa Claus is Coming to Town, but He's Going to Go Skiing First!

Santa Claus is Coming to Town, but He's Going to Go Skiing First!

Santa wants to get in some turns at our local ski areas before he makes the rounds on Christmas Eve!  

Odds are, you'll find St. Nick skiing or riding down the slopes wherever your weekend plans take you, but he's scheduled to be on Schweitzer Mountain with Mrs. Claus Friday from 1:00 until 3:00. 

Saturday, Santa will make a Christmas Eve stop at Mt. Spokane in the morning, and then he and Mrs. Claus will be back at Schweitzer in the afternoon.

You can challenge Santa to a ski race on NASTAR, join the other good girls and boys for the balloon parade, and tell Santa your last minute Christmas wishes in the Selkirk Lodge from 3-4p.m..

The best news of all?  We must have all been extra good this year, because Santa is bringing us fresh pow, with a chance of snow almost every day starting Saturday.