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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Eye On Boise

Kootenai sheriff mum after meeting with Boy Scouts group; CdA considers anti-discrimination ordinance

Here's a news item from the Associated Press: COEUR D'ALENE, Idaho (AP) — The CEO of the Inland Northwest Council of the Boy Scouts of America says he met with a northern Idaho sheriff after the sheriff said he planned to drop his office's charter of a Boy Scout troop over the organization's decision to lift its ban on openly gay Scouts. Last week, Kootenai County Sheriff Ben Wolfinger said it would be inappropriate for the sheriff's office to sponsor an organization that promotes a lifestyle that violates Idaho's sodomy law. Inland Northwest Council CEO Tim McCandless told the Coeur d'Alene Press (http://bit.ly/11yfDBI ) that he met with Wolfinger on Tuesday and gave him more information about the policy change. McCandless said Wolfinger did not indicate if the meeting changed his mind. Sheriff's Lt. Stu Miller said Wolfinger had no further comment.

Ironically, that news item emerged the same day that a Coeur d'Alene city committee voted 2-1 in favor of a non-discrimination ordinance covering sexual orientation and gender identity, modeled after Boise's ordinance; the measure now moves to the full City Council for consideration. The council is scheduled to take up the ordinance at its June 4 meeting. 



Betsy Z. Russell
Betsy Z. Russell joined The Spokesman-Review in 1991. She currently is a reporter in the Boise Bureau covering Idaho state government and politics, and other news from Idaho's state capital.

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