Space gizmo finder to get $100 reward
It stands 15 inches tall, is bright pink, and if you find it, it’s worth $100.
It’s the Pepto Gizmo, and it’s missing.
The pink capsule, used by University of Idaho students to conduct high-altitude experiments, went up Oct. 29 and its tracking system failed. Now, the NASA program that uses the device has offered a reward for the return of the capsule, believed to have fallen in Whitman County – around Steptoe Butte, Garfield, Palouse and Colfax.
“We’re hopeful that a hunter or somebody out there will notice it,” said April Christenson, program director for the NASA Idaho Space Grant Consortium, a coalition of schools and businesses headquartered at the UI.
The capsule has a red-and-blue parachute attached. It is used by engineering students for experiments on temperature, acceleration and other qualities in the atmosphere. Students launch the capsule with a large balloon that can reach an altitude of 100,000 feet before it bursts.
April Christensen, consortium program director, said the experiments help train students and may also be used in future applications – including a possible probe of the atmosphere of Venus, a viciously hot, high-pressure environment.
If you find the gizmo, call the consortium at (208) 885-6438 or e-mail isgc@uidaho.edu.
WSU kicks off $15 million fund-raiser
Washington State University has kicked off a $15 million fund-raising drive intended to expand its research and attract more scientists to do projects for government agencies and businesses.
The fund-raising campaign would create an endowment for the Applied Sciences Laboratory in Spokane, which is part of the school’s Institute for Shock Physics and which performs contract research.
Stacey Cowles, chairman of the endowment steering committee and publisher of The Spokesman-Review, announced a $1 million pledge to the campaign from the Harriet Cheney Cowles Foundation, consisting of a $250,000 donation and a $750,000 challenge grant.
The director of the shock physics institute, Yogi Gupta, said the lab could be a strong force in the regional economy. The lab is supported by facilities in Pullman and on the WSU-Spokane campus.
Avista manager appointed to CCS board
A manager with Avista Utilities has been named to the Community Colleges of Spokane’s board of trustees.
Gov. Christine Gregoire appointed Patty Shea to a five-year term on the board, replacing Betty McInturff. She is the emergency services manager with Avista in Spokane, and has worked for the company for 24 years, the school said in a news release Friday.
The Senate must confirm the appointment, and that’s expected after the first of the year when the Legislature convenes.
Shea earned two associate’s degrees from Spokane Community College in 1979, and got her bachelor’s degree and a master’s in business administration at Eastern Washington University. She has also taught part time at SCC, and been a longtime volunteer and advocate for community colleges, CCS said.
She served on the CCS Foundation board from 1998 to 2002.
Boil order issued after E. coli found in Sprague
Residents of Sprague, Wash., were advised Friday to boil their drinking water after E. coli bacteria were found in the city’s water system.
The problem was discovered Thursday and confirmed in a test Friday, said Sprague Mayor Mike Evans. Evans and other employees went door to door giving residents notice about the boil order.
Any Sprague water used for drinking, cooking, brushing teeth, making ice or dishwashing should be boiled for three to five minutes before use, according to the state Department of Health. Water also should be boiled for pets, Evans said.
No illnesses related to the tainted water have been reported, Evans said.
“We’re just following the normal, precautionary rules,” Evans said.
Evans said the problem appears to be coming from a waterline that serves about 15 residents on the east side of the town. If that is confirmed, the boil order could be lifted for most residents by Monday, he said.
Officials seeking violent sexual predator
The Kootenai County Sheriff’s Department is looking for a violent sexual predator last known to be living near Hayden.
Ricky Lee Milks, 39, failed to notify the department of a recent address change and is wanted on a warrant. Milks’ last known address was on Hudlow Road, which is north of Hayden.
Milks is a white male, 6 feet 1 and about 210 pounds. He has brown hair, blue eyes and wears wire-frame glasses.
He was convicted in Kootenai County for sex abuse of a minor under age 16 in 1990.
Anyone with information about Milks is asked to contact local law enforcement or the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Department at (208) 446-1300.
Sexual graffiti found in restroom on I-90
Disturbing writings were discovered this week in a women’s restroom stall at the Huetter Rest Area off westbound Interstate 90.
According to reports from the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Department, the author indicated that he was a man who liked to dress in drag and masturbate while women used the restroom stalls. The caretaker of the rest stop told the Sheriff’s Department that there are men who hang out at the rest area late at night. The caretaker said she didn’t have any specific suspects.
If indeed something illicit was taking place at the Huetter Rest Area this week, it wouldn’t be the first time.
In the late 1980s, police sting operations resulted in several arrests after men were caught masturbating in the restrooms and some made sexual advances toward plainclothes officers.
The Idaho State Police announced the formation of a task force to clean up the rest stop in 1995 because men complained about being solicited there. An Idaho State Police captain said in a 1995 article that the rest area had ongoing problems with graffiti, condoms being left behind and sinks being torn from the walls.