Reward offered in decade-old slayings

Secret Witness is offering a cash reward for information about an Athol man who allegedly killed his wife and daughter 10 years ago.

Other children who were home at the time said Vernon Ray Henry fatally shot his wife, Connie Marie Henry, 42, and daughter, Heather Jenee Henry, 14, in their living room on Aug. 12, 1996, after a heated argument.

Kootenai County deputies found evidence in the home that suggested Henry might have planned the crime ahead of time.

He was last seen leaving the scene, driving a maroon 1986 Toyota Camry northbound on U.S. 95. The license plate was K22671.

Henry is 54, 5-foot-10 and 145 pounds. He has brown hair, blue eyes and a beard.

He has relatives in the area, as well as in Alaska and Nebraska. He ran an upholstery shop in Idaho and may have sought similar work.

He loved to fish and was seen as an “anti-government, survivalist type,” according to Secret Witness of Kootenai County.

Anyone with any information about Henry’s whereabouts is asked to call (208) 667-2111.

Callers do not have to provide their own name to be eligible for a reward.

– Rasha Madkour

Coeur d’Alene

Residents invited to rename playhouse

Coeur d’Alene residents may soon be referring to the theater formerly known as the Lake City Playhouse.

After getting new management, new board members and new goals – not to mention new seats – the venue wants a new name. And the public will get to help pick it.

“This theater belongs to the community and should be named by the community,” Brian Doig, a board member, said in a statement.

“We thought a fun contest would encourage the public to get involved.”

Entries will be accepted through May 1 via e-mail at playhouse@imbris.com.

Playhouse staff and board members will pick four finalists. A graphic artist will design a logo for each, and the public will be able to vote on the choices starting June 1.

The new name will be announced at a fundraiser on July 1, and the brainchild behind the winning name will receive season tickets for 2006-07 and other prizes.

The theater was established in 1961 as the Coeur d’Alene Theater and Academy and changed its moniker in the mid-‘90s to avoid confusion when the Carousel Players became the Coeur d’Alene Summer Theater.

Now, with the new image the theater is trying to create, another name change was deemed in order.

– Rasha Madkour