Region in brief: KMC volunteers are Brightest Stars
A volunteer services group at Kootenai Medical Center in Coeur d’Alene has been awarded top honors in Idaho’s annual Brightest Stars awards, which honor volunteers across the state.
Kootenai Health’s Volunteer Services was lauded as “one of the strongest volunteer programs in the Northwest.” The organization includes teens, volunteer nurses, retirees, former patients, child safety experts and pet therapists.
Sixty-seven individuals and groups around the state were honored. The KMC group won the Governor’s Choice award.
Other North Idaho honorees included the Coeur d’Alene Parent-Teacher Association, Lakeland High School in Rathdrum, Project CDA Alternative School in Coeur d’Alene, and students Blake Alfson of Hayden Lake and Hanna Coad of Sagle.
Cusick man dies after pickup hits deer
A motorist was killed Wednesday morning when his pickup hit a deer 11 miles north of Newport on state Highway 20.
Jerald F. Kapelke, 54, of Cusick, Wash., died when the deer crashed through the windshield of his 2001 Ford Ranger and struck him about 5:45 a.m., the Washington State Patrol reported.
Avista to preview new spillway plans
Avista will host a public meeting Friday about a new spillway system planned for the Nine Mile Dam.
The meeting will begin at 2 p.m. at the dam.
Under federal licensing requirements, the utility is planning improvements at the dam in 2010. Among the changes will be an automated spillway system to manage reservoir levels.
For more information, call (509) 495-4998.
Inmate found dead in cell at county jail
A 59-year-old inmate was found dead in his cell Wednesday at the Spokane County Jail.
The man, who was not identified, appeared to have died of natural causes, said Sgt. Dave Reagan, Spokane County Sheriff’s Office spokesman.
Corrections officers serving dinner knocked on his cell door about 5 p.m. There was no response, and officers found him dead inside, Reagan said.
The jail was briefly put in lockdown status until staff determined the death was not suspicious. The man had no significant medical problems.
He was booked Oct. 18 on charges of second-degree assault, Reagan said.
WSU student injured in fall from frat house
PULLMAN – Police say a 20-year-old Washington State University student fell three stories from the Alpha Kappa Lambda fraternity house and landed on a parked SUV.
Sgt. Dan Dornes said the man’s fall smashed the windshield.
The man was conscious and talking about 2:40 a.m. Wednesday and appeared to have back injuries when he was taken to Pullman Regional Hospital.
Dornes said the man was intoxicated.
Meadow Ranch lauded for design
A 55-and-older community in Coeur d’Alene, built with environmentally friendly designs, has won a 2009 Idaho Smart Growth and Green Building Award.
Meadow Ranch, located at Howard Street and Bosanko Avenue, is one of only five in Idaho accepted into the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Neighborhood Development pilot project, a news release from Meadow Ranch said. The community includes open space, walking paths, a greenhouse and a community center.
The neighborhood also includes a refurbished 1950s dairy barn.
Dennis Cunningham, Meadow Ranch’s president, will accept the award at a banquet today in Boise, the release said.