Andrea Vogt

Firefighters from Coeur d'Alene, Kootenai County and the state Department of Lands swarmed a brush fire at the base of Canfield Mountain Wednesday. Photo by Jesse Tinsley/The Spokesman-Review

Paul Mather has withdrawn his application to teach in Arizona. The former Coeur d'Alene middle school teacher accused of sexually molesting five Canfield Middle School girls is still awaiting results of an Idaho Professional Standards Commission investigation. He was acquitted on criminal sexual abuse charges in January.

King for a day. Don Rodgers sings Elvis tunes Saturday at the Festival of the Falls in honor of the 20th anniversary of Presley's death. Photo by Craig Buck/The Spokesman-Review

A North Idaho College faculty member is blowing the whistle on "questionable management practices" and calling for campus reforms in light of the recent forced departure of Robert Bennett as president. In a well-documented letter to NIC's board of trustees, English professor Fran Bahr blasted the administration for allowing part-time faculty and nonteaching positions to balloon, while ignoring lagging salaries, widespread discrimination and harassment of female employees.

A jury trial is scheduled for October to decide whether North Idaho College was negligent for failing to warn students and the public about hazardous conditions in one of its buildings. Former NIC business student Sharon Foster, 59, of Coeur d'Alene, filed suit in 1992 claiming she suffered permanent mental impairment from noxious gases and chemicals in the Hedlund Building.

Although Idaho's classrooms may reflect less cultural diversity than most, Idaho's kids still need sensitivity to other races if they are going to survive and prosper as adults. That's the message Reginald Weaver, National Education Association vice president, brought to 50 Idaho teachers gathered in Post Falls to learn how to train others in diversity awareness.

Strings attached. Devon Dlouhy and Katelyn Dlouhy practice yo-yo tricks Tuesday druing an Art Shop class at Fernan Elementary School. Photo by Craig Buck/The Spokesman-Review

Bell

Rescue workers carry Bonnie Orser down from a path east of Athol near GoodHope Road where Orser and her husband were hiking Sunday morning. Orser was treated for minor injuries and released from Kootenai Medical Center. Photo by Liz Kishimoto/The Spokesman-Review

Mather

Two weeks after the Coeur d'Alene School District offered Paul Mather a cash settlement, former Superintendent Doug Cresswell wrote a letter saying he believed the stories of girls who claimed Mather molested them. In a March 31 letter to the families of five girls who claimed they were sexually molested by their social studies teacher, Cresswell commended the courage it took to speak out. He said the district believed a jury would convict Mather, making it easier to fire him. A jury acquitted Mather of sexual abuse charges in January.

1. Brenda Abraham fans the smoke of sweet grass over the crowd in a traditional act of cleansing, forgiveness and starting over. Photo by Jesse Tinsley/The Spokesman-Review 2. Ron Bell, interim president of NIC.

Students will pay more, but county taxpayers will see a slight decrease in taxes this year to support North Idaho College's 1997-98 budget. In-state students will see a fee hike of 6.6 percent, while out-of-state students will pay 5.4 percent more. Kootenai County residents will see an actual tax decrease of $7 or 11.18 percent on a $100,000 home, as a result of nearly $500,000 the state allocated for property tax relief last year.

Lester Kuty and his wife, Judith Baerg, at the hearing. Photo by Jesse Tinsley/The Spokesman-Review

Today's ceremony in the center of North Idaho College's campus is intended to mirror the treaty agreements the region's tribes participated in with the U.S. government 100 years ago. Only this time, the government intends to make good on its promise, said Jeanne Givens, NIC board member and Coeur d'Alene tribal member. Today's signing of an agreement between the tribe and college marks the beginning of a push for more Indian history and culture on campus and added services for Indian students. NIC board members and Coeur d'Alene Tribal Council members will hold a passing of the pipe ceremony and signing at 11 a.m.

Finishing touches. Andy Netzel of North Idaho Warbirds puts a final cleaning on one of the twin radial engines on the "Bamboo Bomber" before its christening Saturday. The plane is the earliest serial number of the UC 78 that has been restored for flight. Photo by Craig Buck/The Spokesman-Review

Gift of learning. In addition to spending their own money on classroom supplies teachers like Nancy Mueller, center, also pay to attend sessions such as this one Friday on teaching gifted students. Photo by Jesse Tinsley/The Spokesman-Review

The University of Idaho will receive $1.2 million in federal funding over three years for its Riverbend Research Park in Post Falls, school officials confirmed Friday. The money is part of a Housing and Urban Development program that provides opportunity block grants for economic development, UI President Robert Hoover said.

The Coeur d'Alene School District's dropout rate continued to edge downward in the 1996-97 school year, district officials announced this week. Statewide, Idaho's 20 percent dropout rate is among the nation's highest. But Coeur d'Alene's rate has declined steadily, from 12 percent several years ago, to 9 percent in the 1995-1996 school year, and down again last year to 6 percent.

1. A feast for the eyes. Susi Faville, who sells flowers and vegetables at the farmer's market in Hayden, has a bumper crop at her garden in Cougar Gulch thanks to cool, wet weather. Photo by Jesse Tinsley/The Spokesman-Review 2. Carrots, new potatoes and garlic are bound for the farmer's market from Brian Howard's truck garden.

There's enough evidence to put 18-year-old Daniel Eby on trial for first-degree murder, attempted robbery and conspiracy to commit robbery charges, a judge decided Friday. Eby and his 14-year-old cousin Jeremy Schmitz are charged in the beating death of Melvin Evenson of Post Falls.

A judge must decide whether conflicting stories and questionable interrogation techniques are enough to prohibit one cousin's confession as evidence against the other. Daniel Eby, 18, and his 14-year-old cousin Jeremy Schmitz, are charged with first degree murder in the death of Melvin Evenson of Post Falls. Schmitz's stepfather, 44-year-old Clifford A. Hicks of Wallace, is charged with accessory to murder.

Kootenai County Prosecutor William Douglas announced Tuesday he plans to pursue the death penalty for convicted murderer Stephen A. Cherry. It's the first time Douglas has sought the death penalty in his nine years as prosecutor, but also the only first-degree murder case to go to trial and result in a guilty verdict.

Laughnan