Police Problems In Spirit Lake

The Keystone Kops shtick in Spirit Lake, Idaho, took a turn for the worst last week when a man who should have been jailed wasn’t. As you may recall, Mayor Bob Knapp fired his police chief last month, and since then, the department has been run with two full-time officers and two part-time reservists. Last Wednesday, an unsupervised reservist decided to give Donovan McCreary a break by driving him home rather than arresting him for driving without a license. McCreary didn’t have any outstanding warrants against him, but he does have a long history of Idaho and Washington arrests. (The Kootenai County Sheriff’s Department said it would have jailed McCreary in a heartbeat.) Once home, McCreary allegedly bragged to friends about his good fortune, then allegedly badly beat his sister and ransacked her house. Spirit Lake residents had reason to fear law enforcement would deteriorate under the Band-Aid approach taken by Knapp. Let’s hope no one is killed before the problem is fixed.

Montana isn’t the autobahn - yet

Civilization, as we know it, hasn’t ended because Montana has no posted daytime speed limits. In fact, speed hasn’t been a factor in any of the 12 deaths on Montana highways since the federal speed limit was repealed Dec. 8. Traffic studies show the average speed on interstates, which used to be posted with a 65 mph limit, inched up only 2 mph - from 72 to 74 mph - during December. (Yeah, yeah, I know. Wait till the roads aren’t icy.) Despite the speed limit repeal, you shouldn’t let it all hang out when traveling in Big Sky country. The highway patrol has a “reasonable and proper” standard and isn’t shy about issuing tickets. An astonished out-of-state reporter was given a $70 ticket for speeding - just after he had filed a story on the demise of Montana’s speed limit.

Sweet Potatoes for Cougar Bay protectors

A proposed development overlooking environmentally sensitive Cougar Bay deserves the scrutiny it has gotten since 1993. And the appeals. And the lawsuits. Die-hard foes forced Kootenai County commissioners to set stiff conditions before Friday’s approval of a 92-home subdivision proposed by McCormack Properties of Idaho. (The board has a spotty record on planning decisions.) Still, there are those who fear, with reason, that any development above the wetlands and wildlife habitat just west of Coeur d’Alene is hazardous to Cougar Bay. The area is home to waterfowl, cougars and bears. The watchdogs deserve a helping of Sweet Potatoes for forcing this project through an environmental gantlet. Their job isn’t over.

, DataTimes MEMO: D.F. Oliveria’s “Hot Potatoes” runs Tuesdays and Thursdays. You can comment on the items by calling (800) 344-6718 or (208) 765-7125.