Kevin Keating

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News >  Nation/World

Groups To Put 3 Levies Before Bonner Voters ‘Now We Are All In A Position Of Competing With Each Other For Those Tax Dollars’

Mon., Jan. 22, 1996

Bonner County officials are lining up at the property tax feeding trough, hoping for a helping of nearly $10 million from taxpayers. The East Bonner County Library District wants to pass a $3.8 million levy next month for a new building.

News >  Nation/World

Snow Crews Sculpt Mountains For Skiers Groomer Pilots Take Wild Ride To Smooth Schweitzer Slopes

Mon., Jan. 22, 1996

Ron "Hangman" Robinson works his way over the top of a ridge at Schweitzer. Photo by Craig Buck/The Spokesman-Review

News >  Idaho

Star Of Show Finally Shows Snow Makes Welcome Appearance To Start Annual Winter Carnival

Sun., Jan. 21, 1996

In the middle of Saturday's snowstorm, 20 people here stripped down to shorts and bikinis for a plunge into Lake Pend Oreille. "In Idaho, we will do anything for entertainment," said Allan Krebs. He climbed out of the 32-degree water waving a rainbow trout he bought at a local grocery store.

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News >  Idaho

Corps Sued Over Pend Oreille Drawdown

Fri., Jan. 19, 1996

Bonner County residents who want more water - and kokanee salmon - left in Lake Pend Oreille filed a lawsuit Thursday against the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The Lake Pend Oreille Idaho Club, which boasts 465 members, filed the suit in U.S. District Court in Coeur d'Alene.

News >  Idaho

Divers Find Body Of Missing Fireman Dive Teams Gave Search ‘Another Shot’ Before Storm Moved Into Area

Fri., Jan. 19, 1996

Divers pulled the body of a Kootenai County firefighter from the icy Clark Fork River Thursday afternoon, ending a search for the man who drowned more than a month ago. "At least now the man's family can put this to rest and have some peace of mind," said Bonner County Undersheriff Nick Krager.

News >  Nation/World

Deputies Denounce Prosecutor Hull Not Doing His Job, Bonner County Officers Say In Ad

Wed., Jan. 17, 1996

Bonner County law enforcement officers publicly denounced Prosecutor Tevis Hull this week, saying he'd rather plea-bargain than take a tough case to court. The officers are steamed because Hull hasn't filed charges against a man who allegedly shot and wounded a deputy two months ago.

News >  Idaho

Illegal Dump Muddies Creek Water From Wal-Mart Site Makes A Mess Of Sand Creek

Wed., Jan. 17, 1996

Company discharges dirty water into stream again. Runoff from the future parking lot at Wal-Mart in Ponderay, caused by rains and thaws, has created problems with sediment in nearby Sand Creek. Photo by Jesse Tinsley/The Spokesman-Review

News >  Idaho

Sandpoint Braces For Wal-Mart Downtown Stores Must Change To Survive, Consultant Says

Wed., Jan. 17, 1996

Critics fear shoppers in downtown Sandpoint may thin out after a Wal-Mart store opens in nearby Ponderay. Photo by Jesse Tinsley/The Spokesman-Review

News >  Nation/World

New Building Stopped At Schweitzer Ski Resort’s Sewage System Has Reached Its Capacity; Officials Worry About Possible Failure, Pollution

Mon., Jan. 15, 1996

Bonner County has halted new construction at Schweitzer Mountain Resort after environmental officials said the ski hill's sewer system is maxed out. "Until we see a plan from Schweitzer, we agreed to put a hold on any more expansion up there," said Bonner County Commissioner Dale VanStone.

News >  Idaho

Hepatitis A Outbreak Hits School Health District Offers Shots; Source Of Illness A Mystery

Wed., Jan. 10, 1996

The spread of hepatitis A at Northside Elementary School has stumped health officials here. One case of the virus, which causes severe flulike symptoms, was confirmed at the school last month. Since then, another 11 cases have cropped up, all of them linked to the school.

News >  Idaho

Manager Accused Of Stealing From Patient Head Of Monarch House Fired By Board For Allegedly Taking $400 From Retarded Resident

Wed., Jan. 10, 1996

The manager of the Monarch House, a home for mentally retarded adults, has been fired for allegedly stealing $400 from one of the residents. Susie Munson was ousted last week by the board of directors for Panhandle Special Needs, a non-profit agency that runs the Monarch House.

News >  Idaho

It’s No Worker’s Paradise Bonner Has Beauty, But Few Good Jobs

Tue., Jan. 9, 1996

With its lakes, mountains, clean air and low crime rate, Bonner County has become an ideal place to live. But it's also becoming a tough place to make a living, a state labor analyst said Monday. "It's a beautiful area that has attracted a lot of people, but the challenge is finding jobs for all the new people moving in," said Kathryn Tacke, an analyst for the Idaho Department of Employment.

News >  Idaho

Bonner Officials Hope To Try Again For New Jail Committee Looks At Cost-Cutting Measures After Two Narrow Defeats

Fri., Jan. 5, 1996

Bonner County wants to try again to build a new jail to replace its 87-year-old facility that is overcrowded and costly to maintain. Three times in the past four years, the county has asked voters for $5 million to pay for a new jail. Two of the levies gained 65 percent voter approval, just short of the two-thirds supermajority needed to pass such levies.

News >  Idaho

Planning Official Kicked Out Wife Of New Councilman Voted Off Board Because Mayor ‘Uncomfortable With It’

Thu., Jan. 4, 1996

The wife of a newly elected city councilman was booted off the planning commission here after city officials said it was a conflict of interest for both to hold city positions. Monica VanFossen was appointed to the city's planning commission a year ago. She was asked to resign by Mayor James Hunt because her husband, Roger, was recently elected to the City Council.

News >  Nation/World

Boom Times In Ponderay New Commercial District Brings Giant Boost To City’s Budget

Tue., Dec. 26, 1995

Ponderay Mayor James Hunt is proud of his town's new commercial district. Photo by Jesse Tinsley/The Spokesman-Review

News >  Nation/World

Merry Christmas, Sandpoint Festival Coldwater Creek Offers $75,000 In Matching Funds

Sat., Dec. 23, 1995

Coldwater Creek stuffed a tidy sum into the Festival at Sandpoint's Christmas stocking Friday, agreeing to donate up to $75,000 to the cash-strapped organization. "This is a huge boost and a vote of confidence in the festival's future," said festival president Dave Slaughter.

News >  Nation/World

Soggy Roads Idle Log Trucks Mild Temperatures, Rains Turn Logging Roads Into Mud Pits; Mills Facing Shutdowns

Fri., Dec. 22, 1995

Loggers wishing for a cold Christmas. Russ Carrier scales a load of logs at J.D. Lumber in Priest River, Idaho, as the mill is trying to build the number of logs on hand to carry it through the spring breakup. Photo by Craig Buck/The Spokesman-Review

News >  Idaho

Tons Of Energy High School Students’ Holiday Competition Assures Timely Surge Of Goods For Region’s Food Banks

Fri., Dec. 22, 1995

Packing it in. Sandpoint High School students, fron to back, Sherean Neville, Shannon Thompson and Kira Zimmerman help pack in the donated food. Photo by Jesse Tinsley/The Spokesman-Review

News >  Idaho

Batt Steps Up To Plate For Sandpoint Many Of City’s Good Features Lost In Media Glare, Governor Says

Wed., Dec. 20, 1995

When former Los Angeles detective Mark Fuhrman moved to Sandpoint last summer, the national media followed. Before reporters and television cameras left, they attached a scarlet letter to this town - a capital "R" for racists.

News >  Idaho

Festival Still In Disarray But Large ‘Challenge Grant’ Could Help It Erase Debt

Fri., Dec. 15, 1995

The Festival at Sandpoint is still without an executive director or office staff. The organization is in debt: It lost $60,000 on this year's concert season and owes another $30,000 in expenses.

News >  Nation/World

Hunter Drowns In Idaho Kootenai County Firefighter Pulled Under After Boat Capsizes In The Clark Fork River

Thu., Dec. 14, 1995

Pat Bistline and Terry Bonzales load up their boat after helping to rescue two of three hunters whose boat capsized in the Clark Fork River on Wednesday. Photo by Jesse Tinsley/The Spokesman-Review

News >  Nation/World

New York Hunters Bag A Hereford Apiece Cows Were Fair Game After Fleeing Canadian Customs In August

Wed., Dec. 13, 1995

A pack of wily cows - escapees from a Canadian cattle truck - have Boundary County hunters envisioning freezers full of free beef. A dozen cows lumbered away from a Canadian customs checkpoint in mid-August. A few were herded back, but seven of the bovines made a break for the Idaho mountains.

News >  Idaho

Library Plans, Levy Drive Ready Board Needs $3 Million To Pay For 24,000-Square-Foot Building

Tue., Dec. 12, 1995

After a year of work, the East Bonner County Library board is ready to unveil designs for a new 24,000-square-foot building. Now all the board needs is $3 million from residents to pay for it.

News >  Nation/World

Remote Homes Far From City Craziness Residents Like The Isolation That Comes With Winter Along Shores Of Lake

Sun., Dec. 10, 1995

1. Cliff and Gwen Gentry moved to Lakeview 16 years ago as an answer to their search for the perfect place to live. They run two resorts on Lake Pend Oreille. Photo by Craig Buck/The Spokesman-Review 2. Dick Boler, front, and Richard McKinney greet the mail boat at the Lakeview docks on Lake Pend Oreille. Photo by Craig Buck/The Spokesman-Review

News >  Idaho

Man Busted After $1 Million Spree Files $1 Million Tort

Fri., Dec. 8, 1995

A Seattle man who went on a million-dollar spending spree in Sandpoint, only to be arrested for battery and committed for a mental evaluation, is now suing Bonner County. Michael Lemberg, 51, filed a $1 million tort claim against the county and the Bonner County sheriff's department this week.