Why did the ATV cross Highway 41 in Spirit Lake? Because it's legal. Utility and all-terrain vehicles can now cross Highway 41 in Spirit Lake without being ticketed. State law prohibits the ATVs and UTVs from crossing state highways in cities without an encroachment permit - a practice that has been commonplace in small, outdoorsy Spirit Lake nonetheless - but the city obtained a permit from the Idaho Transportation Department to legally allow the passage. “It's been done for years, but the issue started to come up,” said Spirit Lake Police Chief Pat Lawless, adding that he was unaware of the state law until last year. His department didn't issue any tickets as a result. But apparently Idaho State Police, which patrols Highway 41, took notice/Brian Walker, Coeur d'Alene Press. More here. (SR file photo for illustrative purposes)

Question: Do you ride an ATV?

A woman was escorted away from the scene of an officer involved shooting in Hayden earlier today. A 33-year-old North Idaho man was shot and killed by a police officer after reportedly using his car to strike an Idaho State Police trooper. (SR photo: Kathy Plonka)

Latest: A North Idaho man with an extensive criminal history was shot and killed by a Post Falls police officer early today after striking a state trooper with his car, police say. Justin Earl Nicholas Todd died at Kootenai Medical Center after a nearly 20-minue police chase ended with shots fired in a residential area near St. Estephe Court and Bordeaux Drive, just west of Ramsey Road and south of Honeysuckle Drive in Hayden. The Idaho State Police trooper had tried to stop Todd’s car after the car triggered an alert system on Interstate 90 that detects stolen vehicles and fugitives. Todd had an arrest warrant in Kootenai County for eluding police/Meghann M. Cuniff, SR. More here.

Scanner Traffic Redux (from 5:28 p.m. Wednesday, March 7: “Officer chased man wanted named Justin on felony warrants in white Nissan from 4th & Best until losing him near Dragonfly & Acorn. Fleeing man was speeding at 55-60 mph on city streets — and is wanted on felony charge of eluding police.

Thoughts?

Leadfoots beware: The Idaho State Police plans to crack down on aggressive driving, from tailgating to quick lane changes to speeding, in or around trucks on I-90 through North Idaho all week. Sgt. Jim Eavenson of the Idaho State Police said 70 percent of crashes that involve both big trucks and cars are caused by the car. “The problem is, when cars and trucks collide, the cars usually lose,” he said. Many motorists don’t realize that big trucks have blind spots and can’t stop as quickly as cars, so it’s not safe to cut them off or dart in front of them. The ISP’s “Targeting Aggressive Cars and Trucks Program,” or TACT, already has run enforcement pushes in the Boise and Pocatello areas; the Coeur d’Alene area is up this week, through Saturday. More here/Betsy Russell, Eye on Boise

Question: Who’s worse, auto drivers or semi drivers?

A 22-year-old Tensed man was killed this morning as he was walking along Desmet Road at Ajot Road when he was struck by a vehicle at the crest of a hill. Patrick A. Gourneau was pronounced dead at the scene after he was hit by an eastbound vehicle driven by Andrea George, 18, of Desmet, at 5:56 a.m.. George was taken by Life Flight to Sacred Heart Hospital in Spokane. Ashley Justice, 20, of Desmet, a passenger in the George vehicle, wasn’t injured. According to an Idaho State Police report, alcohol was involved in the accident. ISP report here.

Starting tomorrow, the Idaho State Police will have extra officers working “the high crash areas in the Coeur d’Alene-Post Falls area” as part of a statewide program to reduce crashes involving commercial trucks. The target: Any aggressive drivers around commercial trucks, whether they’re in cars or trucks, who do things like speed, tailgate, and cut off other vehicles. “The economic and human costs of commercial vehicle crashes are significant, not only in dollars, but more importantly the impact that crashes have on people’s lives,” said ISP Commercial Vehicle Safety Lt. Bill Reese.  “We want to reduce the number of people affected by aggressive driving and make the roads safer for all of us.”

Question: What’s your experience with big trucks on the road? What do you think would make things safer?

Item: ISP feeling budget pinch/Betsy Russell, Eye On Boise

More Info: The governor’s recommended budget for next year for ISP calls for an 8.2 percent cut in state general funds, and a 5.1 percent cut overall. However, it’s one of the few areas where the governor is calling for adding staff, with a proposal for three new positions in forensics. He’s also recommending most, though not all, of the requested funding to move the department into its newly constructed Region 1 office in Coeur d’Alene, which is expected to be completed in late June

Question: Overall, do you have a positive or negative impression of the Idaho State Police?