Julie Titone

It's no Monopoly game. "We actually have real money, and there's real consequences to our decisions," says Bill Gilbert, member of the student-run Davis Investment Group. University of Idaho students are playing a high-stakes investment game these days. The extracurricular activity is the brainchild of two generous grocers: A. Darius Davis, UI class of '29, and his brother, James, who attended the UI for a year. The Davises, now deceased, owned the Winn-Dixie chain of supermarkets across the southern United States. In 1988, they donated $100,000 to their alma mater so students could get investment experience. Now, the UI is one of about 35 colleges where students can play the stock market as a group. The Davises put two conditions on their donation. The University Foundation had to match the money. Also, profits would go toward scholarships once the original $200,000 was doubled. That happened last fall.

The cutting of cottonwoods along the St. Joe River is in violation of the Idaho Forest Practices Act, a state forester said Thursday. Jim Colla of the Idaho Department of Lands said Benewah County did not apply for a necessary permit and has been using heavy equipment illegally within a stream protection zone. The county is cutting the trees at the insistence of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Corps officials say the cottonwoods must be cleared from the slopes of dikes as a flood-prevention measure.

Dressing for scholastic success. Teacher Earl Nye says uniforms are a good idea for Boundary County Junior High School students. Photo by Jesse Tinsley/The Spokesman-Review

Federal wildlife officials have temporarily stopped the cutting of cottonwood trees along the St. Joe River, saying the work disturbs bald eagles.

Double-shifting will begin in Post Falls public schools next fall to alleviate overcrowding. School board members unanimously approved the plan Monday night, saying they felt they had no choice given the failure of three bond elections to build a new high school.

1. The deans of admissions. The group that chooses the admissions to the Trestle Creek Journal, a literary publication at NIC, discusses each piece before voting on whether to accept it. Photo by Jesse Tinsley/The Spokesman-Review 2. Klinger

FROM FOR THE RECORD (Sunday, February 9, 1997): Correction The Coeur d'Alene food bank is not in danger of closing, despite a lack of funding. A story lead paragraph and headline in Friday's paper stated otherwise.

Three students and two teachers from the Coeur d'Alene School District will be in Boise today to show legislators how they use technology in their classrooms. Ramsey fifth-grader Mallory Nehlich, Lakes eighth-grader Sam Thilo and Coeur d'Alene High School junior Zach Oakes will participate in the day-long demonstration. With them will be Lakes Middle School teacher Mike Clabby and Ramsey/Winton technology facilitator Sheila Knox.

1. A path less-traveled. Teacher Bob Harrison spends some one-on-one time with student Josh Manley, 17, during English class on Thursday at Project CdA, an alternative school in Coeur d'Alene. Photo by Jesse Tinsley/The Spokesman-Review 2. Trisha Carpenter, a student at New Visions in Post Falls, listens to an instructor. Photo by Jesse Tinsley/The Spokesman-Review

The first drug search conducted inside Coeur d'Alene's two public high schools uncovered 31 "suspicious" lockers, one of which contained marijuana. A 15-year-old boy at Lake City High School was charged with possession of the drug, said Capt. Carl Bergh of the Coeur d'Alene Police Department.

FOR THE RECORD: 1-31-97 CORRECTION: The Popcorn Forum, begun 27 years ago at North Idaho College, was the idea of instructor Tony Stewart. Its current focus on conversations with famous people was inspired by Judy Whatley. The forum's inception was described inaccurately in a Thursday article.

Softball or soccer? The question of which women's sport will be added at North Idaho College will be left up to the school's students and students-to-be. Surveys will be distributed during February on campus and at high schools in the five northern counties, under a plan approved Wednesday by the NIC board of trustees.

With carefully chosen words, Coeur d'Alene School District officials took the first step Monday toward firing a teacher accused of sexually touching students. Paul Mather, 49, was acquitted Jan. 10 of sex abuse charges after an emotionally charged trial. However, the school board - using less stringent rules of evidence - still can dismiss him for unethical professional behavior.

Dan Harrington's 6-year-old son, Ryan, holds his dad's award. Photo by Jesse Tinsley/The Spokesman-Review

President Clinton wants Congress to approve tax breaks that would make two years of college "as universal as high school." But a high school diploma is hardly universal. Certainly not in Idaho. "We're losing 20 percent of our high school student body each year," says State Superintendent of Schools Anne Fox. "That's a great loss to the students, and to the state."

"We didn't try to bury this," Canfield Middle School Principal Jim Lien says of dealing with charges of improper touching against a teacher and coach. Photo by Craig Buck/The Spokesman-Review

Teachers in Idaho's two northernmost school districts are working without contracts. Negotiations have broken down in both Boundary and Bonner counties, teachers' union representatives said Wednesday.

The principal of Kellogg Middle School will be his school district's next superintendent. The Kellogg school board this week chose Greg Godwin to replace Larry Curry, who will retire July 1 after 13 years as superintendent.

When Juanita Wagner's family moved here last year, she was pleased to think that her daughter would get a good education. Lakeland School District has a solid reputation. But she was shocked to learn what Sarah wouldn't be able to get at Spirit Lake Elementary: a hot lunch. Wagner feels sorry for kids whose parents forget to pack a lunch, or simply have no food to send.

Human Rights Celebration 1. First-grader Jennifer Kamps, left, pats Seltice Elementary classmate Curtis Homuth on the head as the two act out the virtue of forgiving mistakes during the 12th annual Human Rights Celebraton at North Idaho College. Photo by Jesse Tinsley/The Spokesman-Review 2. A choir from Dalton Elementary sings "Waiting for the Light to Shine" Thursday during the Martin Luther King Day program.

David Lorber of Post Falls helps his daughter Sara off the snow while her twin brother, Jake, takes off at Farragut State Park on Saturday. Photo by Dan Pelle/The Spokesman-Review

Some novel ideas to relieve student overcrowding in Post Falls surfaced at a Thursday night hearing, including remodeling the defunct dog-racing track into a high school. But most comments focused on shortterm solutions that have been rejected in the past as Post Falls School District repeatedly tried, and failed, to get voter approval for school-building bonds.

It wouldn't be fair - and may not even be legal - to cut track from the North Idaho College athletic program. That's what NIC's trustees decided Wednesday during a workshop in which they explored ways to provide more opportunities to women athletes.

Coeur d'Alene School District trustees hired consultants on Tuesday to help them find a new superintendent. They made history in the process.