Sixth-grader hit by school bus
A Woodland Middle School sixth-grader was hit by a school bus while walking home from school Friday.
Police said the student suffered minor injuries in the accident and that the bus wasn’t moving at a high rate of speed when it struck the girl.
The Coeur d’Alene School District said in a press release the student “reportedly darted across the street directly in front of the bus” near the intersection of Dalton Avenue and Ste. Michelle Drive in the Coeur d’Alene Place neighborhood. According to the press release, the driver “immediately applied the brakes” and the student was struck by the right-hand edge of the bumper.
The district said the bus had picked up students at Lake City High and was headed to Woodland to pick up more students. After the accident, another bus and driver transported students from the scene. The injured student was taken to Kootenai Medical Center for examination.
District spokeswoman Janet Feiler said the student was in stable condition. The district and police are investigating the accident.
Shooting report sent to prosecutor
The Idaho State Police completed most of its investigation Friday into the Dec. 28 shootout in Hayden that killed a suspect and seriously injured a Coeur d’Alene Police officer.
The paperwork was sent to Kootenai County Prosecutor Bill Douglas.
Kootenai County Sheriff Rocky Watson said the ballistics tests and toxicology reports have not been completed, but Douglas received the rest of the ISP investigation.
Douglas will determine whether any laws were broken when Deputies Kevin Smart and Justin Bangs shot and killed 39-year-old Michael Madonna. He was handcuffed but somehow escaped, ran inside his Grouse Meadows home, grabbed a loaded .357-caliber pistol and fired two shots.
Coeur d’Alene Police Officer Michael Kralicek was shot during the shootout and remains in serious condition in the intensive care unit at Seattle’s Harborview Medical Center.
Douglas could not be reached late Friday about how long he expects his review to take.
Douglas previously cleared Bangs for shooting and killing 33-year-old Frank Saucedo Jr. on June 18 in Rathdrum.
In that case, Saucedo refused deputies’ orders to drop his knife, withstood three shotgun beanbag rounds and continued advancing on a deputy when Bangs fired twice with a .223-caliber rifle.
Drive-by shooting under investigation
Coeur d’Alene Police are investigating a drive-by shooting that happened early Tuesday morning in the 1000 block of Harrison Avenue, according to a press release from Lt. Jay Heintz.
No one was injured in the incident, which happened between 4 and 5 a.m., police reported. Police could not be reached to provide further details.
Hayden hires city administrator
Hayden The City of Hayden on Friday announced it has hired a city administrator.
Jay Townsend, an Idaho native with a history of management in Fortune 500 companies, will take the job formerly held by Lila Erickson. She stepped down from the position in November to become Hayden’s finance director.
According to a press release from the city, Townsend will begin his new job in March. The city said Townsend spent 11 years in the military as an Army officer. He is currently city administrator for Salmon, Idaho, a position he has held for 2½ years.
Townsend is married with two young children. The family plans to move to Hayden.
School district to refinance bonds
Post Falls The Post Falls School District announced Friday that it would save $733,000 by refinancing the bonds it sold in 1998 to build a new high school.
The school board met Friday to approve refinancing of the Post Falls High School construction bonds. In December, the school board gave approval for district administrators to look into refinancing to save the district money.
“The district is doing everything it can to soften the tax burden on our patrons,” trustee Donagene Turnbow said in a press release Friday.
Molester sentenced to 12 years in prison
A Bonners Ferry man convicted of engaging in sexual acts with a 5-year-old boy was sentenced Tuesday to 12 years in prison followed by five years of supervised release.
Dale Van Morehouse, 33, had pleaded guilty to aggravated sexual abuse, according to a press release from the U.S. Department of Justice.
U.S. District Judge Edward J. Lodge commented during sentencing about “the need to protect society” from Van Morehouse, according to the release. Lodge asked the Bureau of Prisons to provide sex offender treatment to Van Morehouse while in custody.
He ordered Van Morehouse to register as a sex offender and not to have unsupervised contact with minors after his release from prison.
Three WSU students struck by car
Three students walking to Thursday’s Washington State University men’s basketball game were injured when they were hit by a car outside Beasley Coliseum, WSU police said.
A female student was airlifted to a Spokane hospital with possible skull fractures, said WSU police Administrative Lt. Scott West. Her condition was unavailable Friday night because police have not released the names of the injured students.
Another female and male were taken to Pullman Memorial Hospital with minor injuries.