In brief: Pair paid IRS using fake checks

Six months under house arrest and five years on probation are the penalties for two Ronan, Mont., residents who tried to pay taxes by using fake checks.

David Paul and Anita Paul, both in their 60s, also must perform community service. A federal judge in Helena sentenced them Thursday. Earlier they pleaded guilty to obstructing Internal Revenue Service laws.

Defense attorney Tammi Fisher says the Pauls are remorseful.

Fisher says it was 2000 when the two found themselves deeply in debt. She says they fell for the debt-relief portion of a talk by an anti-government group at a barbecue to which the couple was invited.

Two fake checks were sent, one for about $192,000 and the other for about $16,000, as payment of taxes for 1998 through 2001.

COOS BAY, Ore.

Sitter cited after girl falls out of car

A woman who was baby-sitting a 5-year-old girl has been cited by police in Coos Bay after the child fell out of a car while rounding a corner at a slow speed.

Witnesses told police the driver stopped, put the girl back in the car and continued driving. Officers responded to the scene and stopped the vehicle.

Police cited 33-year-old Stacey Marie Irvin for failure to use a seat belt and endangering a child passenger. The child was not in a booster seat.

Investigators say they are not sure why the door opened as the car made the turn at about 10 mph.

The girl was not injured.

Inland Northwest

Holiday will affect some services

Monday is Presidents Day. As a result, many government offices and services will have the day off.

Most banks will be closed. There will be no mail delivery, and federal and state offices will be closed. Spokane County offices and most county court offices will be closed. The Municipal Court clerk and probation offices will be open to answer telephone calls.

Spokane County libraries will be closed, while the Spokane library Shadle and South Hill branches will be open. Spokane Valley City Hall will be closed.

Spokane City Hall will be open, as will the Riverfront Park attractions. The Carrousel, however, is closed for maintenance through Feb. 27. Parking at metered spaces in downtown Spokane will be free for the day. Garbage and recycling pickup will not be affected.

In Kootenai County, city and county offices will be closed. State liquor stores, however, will be open, and garbage service for rural and city residents will not be affected by the holiday.

COEUR D’ALENE

Meeting will cover kindergarten plan

Parents of incoming kindergartners living in the Atlas, Ramsey and Skyway elementary school boundaries are invited to a meeting Wednesday about a proposed kindergarten center opening in the fall.

The Coeur d’Alene School District has proposed reopening the Hayden Center – formerly known as Hayden Lake Elementary School – as a kindergarten center to address space issues in the northern edge of the district’s boundaries.

Parents of children who will turn 5 on or before Sept. 1 and living within the schools’ boundaries can attend the meeting at 6 p.m. at the Ramsey Elementary School gym, 1351 W. Kathleen Ave.

School officials will explain the concept and answer any questions parents may have. Anyone unable to attend can contact Pam Pratt at (208) 664-8241.