Erica Curless

Up to 3,000 gallons of garbage water leaked Tuesday at Kootenai County's landfill near Fighting Creek and possibly drained into the facility's storm water pond. County officials who notified the public of the leak Thursday said they don't think the leachate escaped the plastic-lined facility and got into the drainage system that eventually enters Fighting Creek and Lake Coeur d'Alene.

Cataldo residents may get permission to build or remodel structures on their land that is in the path of the Coeur d'Alene River flood waters if the Kootenai County Commission relaxes current building codes. The commission is looking at making the county's laws more like those in Shoshone County. Cataldo straddles the border of Kootenai and Shoshone counties.

Darrin Blume's dance was no funky chicken. All that elbow waving and high-knee stomping was the long-awaited Seahawks victory boogie. "Seeeeeeahaaaaawk," Blume squawked as he flapped around Heroes and Legends sports bar like a recently butchered chicken. Yet there was no blood and the member of the U.S. Air Force still had his head after the Seahawks won their first trip to the Super Bowl Sunday night with a 34-14 victory over the Carolina Panthers.

Danielle L. Bailey was identified Sunday as the woman found dead by her daughter in a Spokane Valley garage. Bailey, who also used the last name Brown, was discovered Saturday morning along with the body of Travis William Johnson, 32. Spokane Valley police said the pair died from apparent carbon monoxide asphyxiation and that it appeared accidental.

Coeur d'Alene residents have another chance to ask questions about proposed limits on the size of downtown buildings at two open houses Jan. 30. Consultant Mark Hinshaw of LMN Architects in Seattle will be in town to meet with people and explain how the proposed regulations would work and what downtown would look like.

A Coeur d'Alene man is expected to receive a $90,000 mediated settlement after a Kootenai County drug-detection dog mauled him in 2004. Joshua Nathaniel Cottrell, 24, sued Coeur d'Alene and Kootenai County after a Sheriff's Department K-9 dog bit his right arm and legs. While in jail, Cottrell's arm developed gas gangrene and needed multiple surgeries.

The Kootenai County Fairgrounds will connect to the Coeur d'Alene sewer system, which may help the site become a regional events center for attractions such as trade shows and concerts. The City Council voted unanimously Tuesday night to provide the fairgrounds with city sewer services in exchange for a chunk of the county's landfill and up to 170,000 cubic yards of fill dirt that could be used to build the Kroc Community Center. Now the city and county must figure out how much it will cost the fairgrounds to hook up to the sewer. The county will pay all the connection costs. It's unknown how much sewage the fairgrounds might add to the system.

Local residents will have to wait another month to tell the Hayden City Council their thoughts on the proposed Hayden Canyon neighborhood, after developers asked for a postponement of Tuesday's public hearing. The developers asked for the extension late Friday afternoon after receiving the city staff report, which raised questions about traffic concerns and impacts to schools.

Kootenai County is trying to figure out when and where residents can build pole barns to store RVs, boats, cars and other valuables. To help answer that question – one that has sparked numerous conflicts in the Bonanza Ranch area southeast of Coeur d'Alene – the County Commission will hold a public workshop Jan. 23 to ensure everyone's concerns are heard. From there, the board plans to change the rules on where these metal buildings are built in agricultural and suburban areas of the county.

BOISE – From a $50 check to every Idahoan to help offset high energy costs to ambitious plans to upgrade state parks, add prison beds and increase school funding, Gov. Dirk Kempthorne laid out an agenda for his final legislative session Monday night – but most North Idaho legislators wanted more. "The governor's proposals on property tax are not going to be very well-received up north," said Sen. Joyce Broadsword, R-Sagle.

BOISE – Lawyers for the Idaho Legislature argued Monday that lawmakers have every right to close committee meetings to the public, and that they use discretion and don't abuse the power. "The Legislature understands and respects public involvement as shown by the thousands of open standing committee meetings held each year," Deputy Attorney General Jim Carlson told the Idaho Supreme Court. "This case deals with sensitive subjects" such as litigation and protecting the state's water supply from terrorists.

Kootenai County set a record in 2005 for the number of building permits issued and the number of building inspections conducted by staff, causing a local environmental group to call for a temporary building moratorium. The 18 percent increase in permits and inspections from the previous year is just another sign of the area's seemingly never-ending growth boom. The county issued 1,960 building permits. Of those, 580 permits were for single-family homes – also an all-time high. The county performed about 12,600 building inspections.

A public relations firm hired Tuesday by the Kootenai County Commission may help the county inform voters about the need to expand the jail. The commission unanimously voted to hire Taggart & Clarke Effective Communication on a three-month trial contract to help with projects aimed at presenting "positive" information about the county. The firm also will work with the commission on internal communications, such as a quarterly newsletter. This is the first time the county has hired a public relations company, and that's why it's on a trial basis, said Commission Chairman Gus Johnson. "There are times where the county doesn't get the story out as well," Johnson said. "It always has to be a negative before we can get in the paper. We would like to see some positive."

The Kootenai County commission is refusing to renew The Grail's liquor license, saying the Huetter bar has repeatedly violated the law and become a nuisance. The bar's license doesn't expire until March, so it can remain open until then. Commission Chairman Gus Johnson said The Grail can appeal the decision, which was based on a recommendation by the Kootenai County Sheriff's Department.

Outgoing Coeur d'Alene Councilman Ben Wolfinger has big plans for 2006. He's going to tie some flies and use them to catch some fish. He may even read a few books and spend a little more time at home.

A large section of the Kidd Island Bay peninsula will remain forever protected from development, preserving one of Lake Coeur d'Alene's most visible hillsides, after the owners put the property in a conservation easement. Owners John Magnuson and Tom and Christine Anderl formalized an agreement Tuesday with the Inland Northwest Land Trust to preserve the 21 acres directly across the lake from Tubbs Hill.

KOOTENAI – Robert Pierce can almost smell the chlorine of the swimming pool and hear ice skates slicing across the rink as he stands in a snowy field where he envisions a community center for Bonner County residents. Yet he first must convince voters within the boundaries of the Lake Pend Oreille School District that they should create a recreation district, which would generate tax dollars to build such a community center.

Huetter is closer to getting sewer, and that means the two-block town may have a chance to grow. Voters in this city of about 100 people squeezed between Coeur d'Alene and Post Falls along Seltice Way passed a $500,000 bond in November to construct a collection system that will hook into Coeur d'Alene's sewer lines.

A dispute over a stolen cell phone resulted in the arrest of two Post Falls brothers – one for allegedly pointing a loaded rifle at a woman's face and the other for allegedly hitting a second woman with his pickup. John Edward Howell, 27, was arrested Saturday on charges of aggravated assault and resisting arrest. His brother, Lyal Daniel Howell, 20, was arrested on charges of aggravated battery, resisting arrest and possession of marijuana.