In brief: Otter signs parental notification law

Gov. Butch Otter on Tuesday signed into law a bill that requires minor girls to get permission from a parent or guardian for an abortion.

The measure marked the latest attempt by state lawmakers to require parental consent for minors’ abortions, after courts declared previous such laws unconstitutional.

Effective July 1, all unemancipated, unmarried minors must get consent from a parent or guardian before getting an abortion, or get a judge’s permission.

A judge could approve the procedure in cases of incest or abuse, a medical emergency or if a minor was mature enough to decide on her own.

In 2005, U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill ruled Idaho’s 2005 law violated guarantees of abortion rights based on the U.S. Supreme Court’s 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling.

Sen. Russ Fulcher, R-Meridian, sponsor of the bill Otter signed Tuesday, said the new law is constitutional because it protects the anonymity of minors seeking abortions, while the previous law did not.

Kootenai County

Property tax relief deadline looms

Eligible Kootenai County residents have until 5 p.m. April 16 to apply for property tax relief through the state’s “circuit breaker” program.

Last year the Idaho Legislature increased the income limit to $28,000. It was previously $22,630.

The program is aimed at giving property tax relief, in some cases up to $1,300, to the elderly and disabled. Eligible applicants must apply every year for the program.

To qualify, property owners must fit into one of the following categories: at least age 65; widow/widower of any age; disabled; blind; fatherless or motherless child under age 18; former war prisoner or hostage.

To apply, contact the Kootenai County assessor’s office at (208) 446-1500. The office is located at 415 Government Way in Coeur d’Alene.

Washington border

Bridge piece garners attention

A key chunk of the new Tacoma Narrows Bridge, ruled too heavy to travel across state roads last week, has become a tourist attraction at the state line weigh station where it has been stranded 11 days.

“We had a lot of looky-loos over the weekend, people stopping by to take pictures of it,” said Nicholas Hopper, spokesman for the State Patrol’s commercial vehicle division.

Employees at the Interstate 90 weigh station just west of Idaho stopped the load March 17 after it tipped the scales at 330,000 pounds. That’s 13,000 pounds more than the load and trailer’s permit allows.

The Washington Department of Transportation reports Texas-based Big Boat Movers, the company hauling the part, is still working on a way to make the load pass state requirements, which probably means lengthening the 149-foot trailer on which the 73-foot by 15-foot part sits.

Spokane

BNSF bridge work will close I-90 lane

The BNSF Railway Co. will be repairing a bridge over eastbound Interstate 90 from about 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. today.

Railroad crews will repair the bridge over the eastbound freeway, which is at the west edge of downtown between the U.S. Highway 195 interchange and the Maple/Walnut interchange, said Al Gilson, a spokesman for the Washington State Department of Transportation.

Eastbound I-90 traffic will be reduced to one lane, and motorists should expect slow or stopped traffic.

In addition, northbound traffic should use extreme caution when entering eastbound I-90 as traffic may be backed up, Gilson said. Drivers should watch for flaggers directing traffic.