In brief: Property taxes due by Tuesday

Kootenai County property owners have until Tuesday to pay the second half of their 2005 property taxes.

The Treasurer’s Office, 451 Government Way in Coeur d’Alene, is open 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. starting today.

There are several other ways to make payments:

“ By U.S. mail: Payments must be postmarked by Tuesday.

“ Drop off at three local US Bank locations: Third Street and Sherman Avenue; Fourth Street and Government Way; the Post Falls branch.

“ By credit card on the phone: Contact Official Payments at 1-800-272-9829. Use jurisdiction code 2213.

“ By credit card online. Go to www.officialpayments.com. There is a separate charge for this service.

The Treasurer’s Office does not accept credit cards.

Payments received after Tuesday’s deadline will become delinquent and have a 2 percent late charge added to the tax and 1 percent interest per month from Jan. 1, 2006, to the date of payment.

For more information, call (208) 446-1005.

– Erica Curless

Coeur d’Alene

NIC names VP for student services

The dean of student affairs at the University of Montana-Western has been hired as North Idaho College’s new vice president for student services.

Eric Murray has worked at the Dillon, Mont., university for nine years, including one year as the executive assistant to the chancellor, two years as the associate dean of students and nine years teaching a psychology class every semester.

Murray has bachelor’s degrees in psychology and Germanic languages and a master’s degree and doctorate in psychology from UCLA. He served as director of a 900-student residence hall at UCLA and taught several classes there from 1995 to 1997, according to an NIC news release.

He’ll take over July 24 for Bruce Gifford, who has accepted a job as dean of students at Pueblo Community College in Colorado.

– Meghann M. Cuniff

Spokane County

Ex-pharmacy worker at prison guilty

A former pharmacy technician at the Airway Heights Corrections Center pleaded guilty Wednesday in U.S. District Court to five counts of stealing prescription drugs that he was supposed to be dispensing to inmates.

Douglas D. Steinke, of Rathdrum, was fired in January after the thefts, mostly of painkillers, came to light. Steinke, 44, had worked as a state prison pharmacy technician at Airway Heights since 1995.

He pleaded guilty to five counts of acquiring and obtaining a controlled substance by fraud, misrepresentation, deception and subterfuge.

The five counts encompass separate thefts that began on May 15, 2002, and continued until Dec. 29, 2004, said Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Harrington. Court documents, including a plea agreement, say Steinke was involved with multiple thefts, but he was only charged with five.

Steinke acknowledged stealing more than 22,000 tablets of hydrocodone, Lortab, diazepam, clonazepam and alprazolam, all of which are controlled prescription drugs.

Sentencing is set for Sept. 19.

– Bill Morlin