Week in Review
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says it has never seen worse storm-water violations at a construction site than those at the U.S. Highway 95 construction project south of Coeur d’Alene. The Idaho Transportation Department and its contractor violated the Clean Water Act at least 170 times, sending massive amounts of mud into Mica Creek and Lake Coeur d’Alene, the EPA contends. “It’s hard to imagine more egregious violations,” said the EPA’s acting regional chief. As a result, the state and Seattle-based Scarsella Brothers may face millions of dollars in penalties, plus the cost of bringing the Mica Bay project into compliance. That’s on top of a lawsuit filed by Mica Bay landowners who want mud as deep as 10 feet removed from the bay where boat launches no longer are usable and the Postal Service has stopped delivering mail by boat. The IDT acknowledges water quality problems but contends “natural forces” are to blame for mudslides at the site. “Protecting Idaho’s environment is one of our highest missions,” said an IDT spokesman.
MONDAY
Baby boomers dropping off freshmen for college tend to be “helicopters,” administrators say. They hover, more reluctant than past generations to say goodbye to their children. Some experts speculate that the parents have a consumer’s viewpoint, looking to get the most from the emotion, resources and money they’ve invested in child-rearing.
• The plumcot, a cross between a plum and an apricot, is drawing lots of attention at farmers markets in the Boise area. Developed in California, the fruit grows better in southern Idaho, thanks to chilly waters, warm springs and hot summers.
TUESDAY
Sound the Alarm, an Edmonds-based Christian group, sponsored a training session in Spokane last week, where about 50 pastors were urged to recruit others for the cause of defending “authentic marriage.” The group opposes gay marriages, and is recruiting Northwest Christians to participate in an Oct. 15 “Mayday for Marriage” rally in Washington, D.C.
• The union representing licensed practical nurses and other laid-off workers at Sacred Heart Medical Center says it will file an unfair labor practice charge, saying the hospital should negotiate on job retraining and extension of health insurance benefits. A dispute over severance could lead to a separate grievance.
• The U.S. Forest Service hopes to use newly streamlined regulations to approve management projects in the Myrtle Creek watershed, where 3,600 acres burned last year. Projects could range from commercial logging to thinning narrow bands of forests near Bonners Ferry. Some environmental groups worry the projects will be approved without thorough review.
WEDNESDAY
Environmental groups vow to continue fighting a 4,000-foot road that would be punched through a roadless area in northeastern Washington. Stimson Lumber Co. wants access to a 558-acre island of private land surrounded by Colville National Forest. A judge recently declined to stop the road.
• The city of Coeur d’Alene is considering turning one-way Third and Fourth streets into two-way streets in the Midtown neighborhood. Proponents say the change would slow the pace of traffic, making life easier for pedestrians and shoppers, and accommodate on-street parking.
THURSDAY
It’s a wrap for Spokane’s Newport 8 movie theater. It’s closing because most customers now go to Northtown Mall’s 12-screen theater. The closure represents a national trend. Two Coeur d’Alene theaters are expected to close next year when a 14-screen multiplex opens there.
• The Idaho Supreme Court says the Legislature can’t order judges to make districts raise taxes to fix schools. The Legislature passed such a law in 2003 as a way to combat a lawsuit brought by districts seeking more state money to build and maintain schools. The law applied only to those districts participating in the suit. A 2001 court decision said Idaho’s system of funding school work is unconstitutional because it relies almost entirely on local property taxes, putting poor districts at a disadvantage.
FRIDAY
New census figures show the poverty rate growing nationwide. Spokane County’s rate was well above the national average, with 15.9 percent of county residents living in poverty in 2003 compared to 13.3 percent in 2000. Idaho’s rate also climbed from 11.5 percent to 13.8 percent.
• A Pullman man who uses marijuana to battle glaucoma faces possible felony charges after a drug task force seized 34 plants from the motel he owns. The case against Loren Hanson, 61, will likely test the state’s voter-approved medical marijuana law, which is vague on such issues as how much pot patients can have and where they’re supposed to get a drug that’s illegal to grow or sell.
• National Guard soldiers from North Idaho and Pennsylvania have been in Texas together for the past two months for combat training. But about 50 of the soldiers may be going home instead of to Iraq. They’ll soon hit the statutory limit on full-time service for part-time soldiers, although the Army is trying to convince them to sign voluntary waivers.
COMING UP
The senior population of Idaho’s five northern counties has increased by 43 percent since the 1990 census. The growth rate is the fifth fastest in the nation. Learn what that means for agencies and nonprofit groups that provide social services, in The Idaho Spokesman-Review on Monday.