CdA lands $5,000 recreation grant
The Coeur d’Alene Recreation Department is getting a $5,000 grant for its special needs recreation program.
The grant is from the Governor’s Generation of the Child Initiative.
Currently 183 children with disabilities are served through the Camp Allstars Program of day camps during school breaks and summer vacations.
The camps allow children with developmental disabilities such as autism, Down syndrome and head injuries a chance to “just be kids.”
For more information on special needs recreation, call Angie Goucher at 755-6781 or 769-2317.
U.S. 95 traffic light repairs may take days
Sandpoint The traffic signal that controls travel through a busy U.S. Highway 95 intersection in downtown Sandpoint was knocked out this week and may take a few more days to repair.
An automobile crash Thursday knocked out the signal at Fifth and Cedar streets, and now the signal is running in flashing red mode. Temporary stop signs have been posted at the intersection, and warning reader-board signs have been placed on U.S. Highway 95 north and south of town, according to the Idaho Department of Transportation.
Motorists are asked to use caution as they travel through Sandpoint during the next week because there will be increased congestion while repairs are made.
Derailed freight cars block Empire Builder
Essex, Mont. Twenty-one cars of a freight train carrying corn and soybeans derailed near the southern border of Glacier National Park on Friday, blocking the tracks that carry Amtrak’s Empire Builder passenger train from Chicago to Seattle.
BNSF Railway spokesman Gus Melonas in Seattle said it was not immediately clear what caused the derailment, but an investigation is under way. He said no one was injured.
Amtrak passengers were being taken by bus between Havre and Whitefish. Melonas said officials hoped to have at least one of the tracks reopened by Saturday morning.
The train was headed from Willmar, Minn., to Kalama, Wash., when the cars derailed at Blacktail, near the town of Essex at the southern end of Glacier National Park. Three cars tipped over, spilling their loads of corn, Melonas said.
Crews were working to clear the tracks and to clean up the corn so it does not attract wildlife, Melonas said.
Motorcycle drawing to benefit Kralicek
The Kootenai County Deputy Sheriff’s Association will be drawing the winner of the Mini-Chopper Motorcycle raffle to benefit injured Coeur d’Alene Police Officer Mike Kralicek this weekend.
The drawing is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Sunday at the K-9 booth at the Kootenai County Fair.
The motorcycle was donated by Tom Addis Motors. Tickets are still available at Tom Addis Motors and the Kootenai County Fairgrounds.
Kralicek is recovering from a gunshot wound he suffered in the line of duty. He spent several months in a rehabilitation hospital in Colorado and now is continuing to recover at his home in Post Falls.
Small fire ignites south of Liberty Lake
A small fire was burning in timber Friday night south of Liberty Lake near Mica Peak, the state Department of Natural Resources reported.
The size of the fire was unclear, but it might be as small as an acre, said Lynn Kenworthy, the DNR’s northeast region dispatch supervisor.
The fire was burning in timber and slash piles leftover from logging, Kenworthy said.
The DNR and Spokane County Fire District 8 crews fought the fire, which was discovered about 4:45 p.m. A helicopter and plane were used to douse flames.
More firefighters and a bulldozer will be brought on scene today, Kenworthy said.
The blaze was burning on land owned by Inland Empire Paper Company, which is a subsidiary of Cowles Publishing Co., the owner of The Spokesman-Review.
Radio talk show host in critical condition
The host of a nationally syndicated radio show remained in critical condition Friday night from injuries she sustained in a motorcycle crash.
Laurie Roth was airlifted to Sacred Heart Medical Center after she collided with a deer Thursday afternoon on state Highway 206 near Mount Spokane State Park.
Roth, 45, is broadcast locally 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. weekdays on KQNT 590 AM. Produced in Spokane, her show is heard on about 40 stations nationwide.
Producer of Roth’s show, Rick Still, said in a message to listeners on the program’s Web site that the show will continue to be aired using a mix of substitute hosts and reruns.