Week in Review
Richard Butler’s racist views were formed elsewhere. But Butler, who was found dead Wednesday at the age of 86, will always be linked with North Idaho – and it to him. Looking for a white homeland, the man who considered Hitler a hero moved from California to Hayden in 1973 and soon started the Church of Jesus Christ Christian and the Aryan Nations. His group sponsored hate parades, youth gatherings and an annual “Aryan World Congress” that drew racists from throughout the country. Some of Butler’s followers would be found guilty of robbery, murder and other crimes committed in the name of white supremacy. Human-rights groups formed in response, Idaho enacted strong anti-hate laws and Butler eventually lost his 20-acre “compound” in a court settlement. But the Inland Northwest became known as a haven for people who wear swastikas. Idaho was described on the cover of Gentleman’s Quarterly as “Fascistville” and young cancer patients sometimes felt obligated to explain that they weren’t skinheads. “I just hope with him gone we have a little bit of peace in the Hayden area,” the town’s mayor said Wednesday.
MONDAY
Washington has spent $162 million in state and federal money helping nearly 60,000 laid-off workers get training for new careers. Idaho, which uses only federal money, has spent about $20 million on worker retraining. In 2001-2002, 77 percent of the workers retrained in Washington found jobs in the state, though often at lower pay than in their previous careers.
“A Spokane motorcyclist and his Hayden Lake passenger were killed in a head-on collision with a car. The accident occurred near Murray, Idaho, on the scenic Thompson Pass Road, which has become a popular day trip for motorcyclists.
“Washington schools face sanctions if special education students don’t pass the same achievement tests given all fourth-, seventh- and 10th-graders. School officials say that’s unrealistic. Some districts, including Spokane, plan to sue the state for providing too little money for special ed.
“ Lucas Lemmon, age 12 months, is the 30th member of his extended family to be dedicated in the same linen gown, starting in 1902.
TUESDAY
Hundreds of miles of old logging and mining roads make Idaho’s Shoshone County a paradise for ATV riders. But the growing popularity of the all-terrain machines is taxing the county sheriff’s department, which warns riders that help can be hours away from the scene of a backcountry emergency.
“Gene and Millie Eastman of Weippe, Idaho, contend the Forest Service has misplaced portions of the Lolo Trail, which was first used by the Nez Perce tribe to reach bison herds east of the Bitterroots. It was on the trail that the Lewis and Clark expedition suffered its bleakest days, finding little food and deep snow.
“Lively conversation filled the halls as students returned to Spokane Public Schools, Mead and other districts. It was the inaugural day of classes for River City Middle School in Coeur d’Alene, built with $7.13 million approved by voters in 2002. Several other districts start later this week.
WEDNESDAY
The Coeur d’Alene Tribe is set to buy a 40-acre camp from Washington State University for $1.4 million in cash and another $1 million pledged toward Native American studies at the Pullman campus. The camp on Lake Coeur d’Alene was designed for children with disabilities and opened in the 1950s. WSU plans to sell it rather than spend more than $2.5 million on repairs and improvements.
“Racist literature was thrown from a car onto scattered lawns in Spokane Valley over the Labor Day weekend. The fliers urged readers to join the White Revolution, a neo-Nazi group based in Arkansas.
“A Thurston County judge has ruled Washington’s ban on same-sex marriages unconstitutional, the second such decision in a month. The matter now goes to the state Supreme Court. Some Spokane-area pastors have organized a “Coalition for Authentic Marriage,” which urges Christians to vote for “biblical righteousness.”
“A national study ranks Spokane 74th out of 85 cities for traffic congestion. Spokane drivers spend an average of nine hours a year stuck in traffic, compared to 46 hours in Seattle, which ranked 17th, and 93 hours in Los Angeles, the nation’s most gridlocked city.
“Spokane voters will be asked in November to approve $117.3 million in street repairs. The City Council agreed to put the measure on the ballot, even though voters overwhelmingly rejected a $50 million proposal in 2002. Taxes for a $100,000 home would increase $68 a year.
THURSDAY
Thirty-three Libertarians are running for the Washington Legislature, and the party has candidates in many other races, too. But they have little chance of appearing on the November ballot under new rules enacted this year. Candidates must get at least 1 percent of the vote in the September primary in order to advance to the general election.
“Injured while practicing motocross, 17-year-old Shiri Howell recently awakened from a month-long coma. The accident happened just days after the East Valley High School student placed fourth at a national competition.
“A man died and his mother was critically injured when their car was rear-ended by a logging truck near Naples on U.S. Highway 95. The car was behind an ambulance that had stopped so an occupant could remove debris from the road.
FRIDAY
A Spokane County deputy prosecutor will switch to defense for the next year, as a member of the Judge Advocate General’s Corps. Patrick Johnson, an Army reservist, has been called to active duty and could be assigned to cases involving anything from rape to desertion. He doesn’t know where he’ll be stationed.
“Light-rail advocates are eyeing a recently passed Spokane Transit Authority sales-tax increase as a possible way to fund a proposed new rapid transit system. The tax was designed to bail STA out of a financial crisis that could have severely limited bus service. STA board members say they’ll require another vote before diverting the money to light rail.
“Some folks in Millwood have started a drive to recall Mayor Jeanne Batson. A judge will have to decide first whether Batson, 82 and a lifelong Millwood resident, has done anything to merit recall a year before her term expires. If so, her opponents will have 180 days to collect enough signatures to put the issue on a ballot.
COMING UP
Washington’s primary election is Tuesday. Read the results Wednesday in The Spokesman-Review.