Vandals suspected in sewage spill
Coeur d’Alene officials suspect vandals caused about 52,000 gallons of sewage to spew out of a manhole.
Officials said there was no immediate threat to drinking water as a result of the spill near a private gravel pit on Kathleen Avenue, but a hydrogeologist has been hired to evaluate the impact. The city’s Hanley water well is about 1.25 miles from the site.
The Idaho Department of Environmental Quality also has been notified of the spill, which was caused by a large plastic traffic cone lodged in an outlet pipe. Lime was spread on the spill as a disinfectant.
Reward offered in robbery
Crime Stoppers is offering a reward for information in an armed robbery in Hayden on Tuesday.
The two men were wearing black clothes and dark ski masks, authorities said, and were in their early 20s.
One man was about 6-foot-4 and 180 pounds, authorities said. The second was six feet tall and 210 pounds. Both men had dark hair.
About 6 p.m. Tuesday, the men entered the Medicine Man Pharmacy at 8093 N. Cornerstone Drive, brandished pistols and demanded Oxycontin from employees.
Anyone with information is encouraged to call (800) 222-8477. Tipsters do not have to leave a name to receive the reward, but they should leave a code name or number.
SALEM
Couple lose custody of deer
The Oregon Court of Appeals says Snowball, the deformed deer nursed back to health by a Molalla, Ore., couple, won’t be going back home with them.
The court said James Filipetti and Francesca Mantei lacked state permits and thus never really owned the deer.
The ruling reverses a Clackamas County decision.
Snowball is at Wildlife Safari in Winston, Ore.
The couple found her as a fawn in 2001 and paid for surgery to repair her deformed hind legs. She lived in their house, then moved to an outdoor enclosure and mated with a blind buck, giving birth to Bucky.
In March 2007 police seized both animals. Bucky was released into the wild. The blind buck had died.
Snowball, raised as a pet, likely would not have survived the wild.
HELENA
Yellowstone Club gets financing
A bankruptcy judge approved short-term financing Wednesday that will allow the exclusive Yellowstone Club to keep its doors open through the busy ski season.
U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Ralph Kirscher said he will let the club borrow money from another lender, even though current loan agent Credit Suisse opposed the plan.
CrossHarbor Capital of Boston will lend the club $20 million at 15 percent interest to allow it to pay hundreds of employees who run the lavish club’s operations.
The Montana resort caters to the extraordinarily rich and features a private ski hill, multimillion-dollar homes and members such as Microsoft tycoon Bill Gates and Los Angeles Dodgers owner Frank McCourt.
The Yellowstone Club, owned by Edra Blixseth, former wife of founder Tim Blixseth, claims it has assets of $780 million, much of it wrapped up in undeveloped real estate. Its debts are $400 million, including a $307 million loan that Credit Suisse manages for a group of investors.