Stimulus checks, with a catch

Updated at 5:46 p.m. | BOISE – Low-income Americans who receive government benefits are getting perhaps a surprising message from the federal government about their economic stimulus checks: Use it or lose it.

Cataldo residents watch the river rise

Updated at 5:43 p.m. | About 200 Idaho residents in the Cataldo area are on alert today, watching the Coeur d’Alene River rise. The river “has come up about 2 1/2 feet since this morning.” The National Weather Service predicts it will rise to nearly three feet above flood stage before cresting as early as noon Saturday.
Related stories:
Runoff returns historic Marcus to lake's depths
Lake Roosevelt old towns going back underwater
Flood-level watch: National Weather Service prediction map

Lilac parade begins Saturday evening

Updated at 5:28 p.m. | Small band or big, being in the Lilac parade remains a big deal, as it has been since the 1940s. The parade will feature 39 bands, 22 floats, antique cars, police motorcycles, clowns, princesses, politicians — more than 200 entries in all. It all gets under way at 7:45 p.m., with the boom of a cannon and a fly-over by a KC-135.
From last week's Junior Lilac: List of winners (PDF) | Photo slideshow

Dead man found in Deer Park

A man was found dead this afternoon in a truck behind a vacant store in Deer Park. Spokane County Sheriff's detectives are investigating the man's death as a homicide. No more details were immediately available.

From Boise, advice on police oversight

An independent ombudsman fielding citizens' complaints helps "bridge the divide" between local police and community members, the Spokane City Council was told Thursday by Boise ombudsman Pierce Murphy.
Audio: Listen to excerpts from this meeting

Slideshow: Today in pictures

Photographers capture the destruction near the epicenter of Monday's devastating earthquake in China. George Bush visits Saudi Arabia to push for increased oil production. And an Australian golfer gets his feet wet to play his second shot in Limerick, Ireland. View a slideshow of these images and more.
Related slideshows: Thursday | Wednesday | Tuesday | Monday

In 7: Don't fear the metal scene

Updated at 4:51 p.m. | Often overlooked, metal has provided a rock-solid foundation for the Spokane live music scene. These days, there is a brigade of veteran players holding it down for the new breed of hardcore kids elbowing their way in to be heard.
Things to do this weekend:
See: 'Narnia' worth a return
Eat: Say 'cheers' to Stem & Stein, other events
Hear: Two hip-hop legends come to Spokane

Raw sewage seeps into Hayden Lake

Up to 11,000 gallons of raw sewage may have spilled into Hayden Lake near Cooper’s Bay this week because of a plugged pipe, perhaps from residents flushing diapers and baby wipes, according to the regional sewer district. Officials advise homeowners near Toblers Marina with water intakes in the lake not to use that water until test results come back.

Man killed by deer through windshield

A Bonners Ferry man was killed and a woman was injured this morning when another car hit a deer and the carcass then came through their windshield. The Idaho State Police and Bonner County deputies responded to the crash at 8:30 a.m. this morning at mile post 490 on U.S. Highway 95 near the Elmira store.
More public safety news:
House fire near Oldtown, Idaho, kills man, 84
Crash kills trucker near Grangeville
Burglar steals blind woman's TV

Idaho Supreme Court candidates face off

The two competing candidates for the Idaho Supreme Court clashed over everything from the state’s judicial selection process to political influence on the court, in a debate broadcast live on Idaho Public Television on Thursday night.
Video: Watch the debate

 California's top court overturns gay marriage ban
 Here's the Dirt: Inland Power wants to go green
 Auditing firm hired to review Empire Health sale
 Raceway could reopen this summer
 Spokane Valley lawyer disbarred

Breaking news via RSS What's this? | Email alerts

Huckleberries' Best of the INorthwest: May 16
Inland NW news and commentary, updated each weekday.

Spokane Naval Trophy comes to Spokane

The Spokane Naval Trophy – listed first among the historical collections at the U.S. Naval Center, the Navy’s central history office in Washington, D.C. – is returning to Spokane on the occasion of its centennial. It will be on display for the public Monday through Friday at the Navy Operational Support Center.

Sewage leak at Hayden Lake

Up to 11,000 gallons of raw sewage may have spilled into Hayden Lake near Cooper's Bay this week because of a plugged pipe, perhaps from residents flushing diapers and baby wipes.

» Eugster attorney hopeful

» Man disbarred for draining funds

» Auditor will examine Empire Health assets

» Rivers rising fast; many will top flood stage

» Jail officials see more inmate violence

McCain sees Iraq pullout by end of his first term

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Sen. John McCain on Thursday offered for the first time what he hopes will be an end date for the war in Iraq, part of a vision he presented in which his policies lead to peace and prosperity at home and abroad by 2013, the end of what would be his first term as president.

» Court lifts gay marriage ban

» China quake toll expected to hit 50,000

Local teams aim to advance

The next to last weekend of the 2007-08 high school sports season is a busy one as area athletes in seven sports and all classifications compete in state tournaments or for the chance to advance to state.

» Time to break the ice

» Zimmer takes stock of stock cars

UPS climbs aboard Big Brown bandwagon

NEW YORK – A horse by any other name simply wouldn't have worked for UPS.Capitalizing on the buzz around thoroughbred racing's biggest event, UPS has inked a sponsorship deal with Kentucky Derby winner Big Brown, who was named in honor of the shipping giant known for its distinctive brown trucks and uniforms.

» Cabela's targets real estate market

» Markets rise on better economic news

Markets rise on better economic news

NEW YORK – The stock market notched its second straight daily advance Thursday, with investors assuaged by a pullback in oil prices and some better-than-expected economic data.

» Parsons' project

Robert Scheer: End doesn't justify torture

Ah, yes, those torture confessions have proved so useful. That, at least, was the claim of our president in justifying one of the most egregious assaults ever on this nation's commitment to the rule of law. But now comes news that charges have been dropped against the so-called Sept. 11 attack's 20th hijacker, one of dozens so identified, because the "evidence" he supplied under torture and later recanted is not credible enough to go to trial.

» Our view: Tenacity paying off

» Michael Smerconish: Racehorses need human advocates

All of today's news