From the Associated Press:

GOVERNMENT CAMP, Ore. — Large chunks of falling ice hit a woman climbing Mount Hood and sent her 400 feet to her death on Wednesday, authorities said.

Brooke Colvin and her husband, Thad Stavn, were at about 10,000 feet on the 11,239-foot mountain when the accident occurred, said Clackamas County sheriff’s detective Jim Strovink.

Strovink said Stavn saw his 31-year-old wife hit by falling ice and thrown down the mountain. Strovink said Stavn was able to get to her, but she died instantly. Rescuers were trying to recover the body.

Stavn was able to get back down to Timberline Lodge from the area of the accident, known as the Pearly Gates. An Oregon Army National Guard Blackhawk helicopter was called to airlift the pair off the mountain, authorities said, but was recalled after one climber was reported dead and the other had climbed down on his own.

Strovink said warm weather has created treacherous climbing conditions on Oregon’s highest mountain by making snow unstable and loosening boulder-size chunks of ice. The fall was at the same spot as an accident Saturday that also required a rescue.

Mount Hood, about an hour’s drive east of Portland, is one of the more frequently climbed glacier-covered peaks in the United States.

In 25 years it has claimed at least 36 lives, including three who attempted the more dangerous north face in December 2006.

Clif Bar is voluntarily recalling a host of its energy bars containing peanut butter as a national salmonella investigation continues.

Here's the statement from the company:

On January 19, 2009, we announced a voluntary recall of 14 U.S and 4 Canadian products including CLIF Bar, CLIF Builder’s, CLIF MOJO, CLIF Kid Organic ZBaR and LUNA Bar, in the U.S. and Canada because the peanut butter in those products was sourced, for a limited period of time, from the Peanut Corporation of America (PCA). PCA is a manufacturer and supplier of peanut butter for many food companies and manufacturers.

=> Read more!

Quick, head for the mountain. The road to Paradise is open this afternoon and tomorrow.

Thanks to near perfect weather conditions at Mount Rainier National Park -- alhtough it’s hard to tell from fog-bound Tacoma -- the road to the popular winter play area is temporarily open on weekdays.

Park officials announced last week that the road to Paradise would be open only on weekends and holidays because of a slide that took out one lane of the road on Glacier Hill.

But sunny skies and warm temperatures are allowing the park to open the road at least for today and tomorrow.

Drivers should watch for stop signs or other traffic controls that will be used to get vehicles through the damaged area. About 100 feet of roadway slid 30 to 40 feet on the hill above the Nisqually River bridge.

The park is stationing flaggers above and below the slide to control traffic on weekends and holidays, when there is more traffic. Acting superintendent Randy King said the road would be closed weekdays because the park didn’t have the money to have flaggers there seven days a week.

On Wednesday morning, the park announced the change.

“When the weather conditions are pretty much perfect, they will open the road on weekdays,” said spokeswoman Patti Wold.

That means weekday visitors shouldn’t get their hopes too high. Springlike conditions at Paradise -- highs in the upper 50s and low 60s -- have allowed this opening.

“Under normal winter conditions, we likely won’t open the road on a weekday,” Wold said. “It’s just too dangerous with rock fall and avalanche dangers.”

Park visitors can call 360-569-2211 for the latest road conditions. Wold said she also is building a Web page to allow visitors to check on the road’s status.

A citizen’s tip resulted in a Thurston County man with previous felony convictions and a history of big-game poaching being arraigned Tuesday on multiple charges of illegal firearms possession and unlawfully possessing big game.

Here is the rest of the news release, sent out Tuesday afternoon:

William Wilder, 65, was arraigned in Thurston County Superior Court on 11 counts of unlawful possession of a firearm in the second degree, which is a class C felony. The additional charge for unlawful possession of big game is a gross misdemeanor. He pleaded not guilty to the charges.

According to court records, Wilder has a history of felony convictions, including theft, welfare fraud and a felony hunting violation, said Thurston County Prosecuting Attorney Andrew Toynbee.

If convicted of current charges, he could face up to five years in prison on each of the firearm charges, and one year on the gross misdemeanor, Toynbee said. Each of the felonies carries a fine of up to $10,000. He could also face a $2,000 civil penalty if convicted of the big-game violation.

Charges were filed by the Thurston County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office earlier this month following a deer-poaching investigation conducted by Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife enforcement officers last October.

In the past, WDFW has removed illegally hunted deer and elk from Wilder’s residence, resulting in a revocation of his hunting privileges, said Mike Cenci, deputy chief of WDFW’s enforcement program.

"As a convicted felon he’s not allowed to own or possess firearms and because his hunting privileges were revoked, he’s definitely not allowed to hunt," Cenci said.

Acting on a citizen tip that Wilder was hunting illegally, WDFW enforcement officers searched his residence and seized Wilder’s vehicle along with 11 firearms and hunting equipment, which were forfeited to the state. During the investigation officers also confiscated a dead deer they found on the premises.

Cenci commended the citizen who reported the poaching activity.

"One of our priorities is to stop the worst offenders and protect the state’s natural resources," he said. "It’s encouraging that members of the community will step forward to help us ensure sustainable fish and wildlife populations."

Cenci asks that anyone who witnesses poaching violations to call WDFW’s toll-free Poaching Hotline at 1-877-933-9847. The identity of those reporting violations is kept confidential.

The 22nd edition of the Washington Sportsmen’s Show opens at noon today and will run through Sunday at the Puyallup Fairgrounds.

This year's show features the “Steelhead River,” an Army marksmanship trainer and the Gore Extreme Weather Chamber. Attendees will also be hear to from several members of the U.S. Olympic shooting team.

In Thursday's Adventure section, I list my top 10 reasons for attending this year's show.

Hours: Noon to 8 p.m. Wednesday-Friday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday.

Admission: adults, $10 or $7 with a coupon; children ages 6-16, $5; and children 7 and younger, free. Discount ticket locations and discounts online/

Information; 503-246-8291, www.otshows.com