Julie Titone

Last April, two men in their 20s rammed an information booth with their vehicle, destroyed signs and tore up posts at Priest Lake's Luby Bay Campground. The case was unusual because of the amount of damage - about $4,000 - and the fact that the criminals were caught and paid restitution.

1. Only the door remains standing on an outhouse at a Spokane construction site. Photo by Steve Thompson/The Spokesman-Review 2. Above, broken pieces are all that's left of the sign that once helped hikers find their way on Canfield Mountain. Photo by Idaho State Parks and Recreation 3. Below is the sign before it was destroyed by vandals. Photo by Idaho State Parks and Recreation.

An unusual construction project under way here will relieve a bottleneck in Idaho's north-south highway. The Goff Bridge - commonly known as the Time Zone Bridge - will be replaced with a wider, higher and safer span across the Salmon River on U.S. Highway 95. The target date for completion is December 1998. But there's another red-letter month on the construction schedule: April 1997.

1. Oasis. Viola "Hooty" McReynolds (right), owner of Hoot's Cafe, a popular stopping place on U.S. 95 near White Bird, Idaho, with waitress Marge Matiska. Says McReynolds about the road: "It's the only road we have, so what can you say?" Photos by Craig Buck 2. A truck climbs U.S. 95 near Grangeville, Idaho. 3. Swathers work a field near De Smet, Idaho, the heart of lentil country. About 80 percent of the nation's exports come from this region, according to the Pea and Lentil Commission. 4. Cowboy. Bernard "Penny" Payne, 85, a trader who peddles his wares along U.S. 95 from Worley, Idaho, to Arizona: "She's a bad one to drive on. There's places you could break an axle." 5. Pirate. Richard Dillon, school superintendent for the Payette Pirates, with his dog Bo and a school statue: "It's busy. It's our lifeline, but we can hardly get across it to come to work." 6. Bikers. Delbert and Carolyn Petty of Weiser, Idaho, outside their RV home. Petty trucked mobile homes on the highway before retiring: "The worst road there is. It's curvy and rough." 7. Worms. Lorrie Rowe, a worker at a worm farm in Payette, Idaho, on U.S. 95: "I've flown and rode everywhere and it's all that you need. There is some of the best fishin' on 95." 8. Becoming one with the roadway on U.S. 95. 9. The Camas Prairie Scarecrow was born two years ago when a Washington Water Power lineman left his hat on a pole. Locals adorn it with seasonal objects. 10. An early morning view of White Bird, Idaho, and a historic battle site where Nez Perce warriors defeated the U.S. Calvary. 11. Danger. Steve Hackler, a volunteer for the Salmon River Rural Fire Department, sees a lot of accidents on U.S. 95: "It's lethal. Pretty soon there's gonna be more crosses than mile markers." 12. The sun rises over Owyhee country at the southern end of U.S. 95 in Idaho, a rugged, sparsely populated desert where a 65-mile-an-hour speed limit doesn't seem too fast.

Paved with good intentions. Idaho's old North and South Highway runs more than 500 miles from Jordan Valley, above, to the Canadian border. Photo by Craig Buck/The Spokesman-Review

Samson is missing. And he's more than just a runaway pooch to Yvette and Mike Rullman - he's a counselor, of sorts. When their baby died on the day he was born last January, the yellow Labrador seemed to know something was wrong, Yvette Rullman said Tuesday.

Kayakers participate in the "Goat and Boat" outing Sunday at Farragut State Park. Photo by Julie Titone/The Spokesman-Review

Starting this summer, people who want to teach in Idaho must be fingerprinted. The idea is to keep criminals out of the classroom. Everyone who applies for a teaching certificate will get the background check, said Kirby Nelson, an assistant attorney general.

It's tough for teachers when one of their own is accused of sexually abusing a student. They're outraged if the allegation is true - and outraged if it's not. They're confused and uncomfortable until guilt or innocence is proved, which may never happen. In Coeur d'Alene, their attention is focused on Paul Mather. The 49-year-old teacher and coach faces charges of child sexual abuse after being accused of fondling 13- and 14-year-old girls.

With a helping hand from his dad, Ryan Seacrist swirls color onto a gourd during Saturday's Art on the Green festival on the North Idaho College campus. The festival continues today. Photo by Craig Buck/The Spokesman-Review

1. Ensemble beats all. A drumming ensemble practices a drums-only piece for their upcoming concert in City Park. Photo by Jesse Tinsley/The Spokesman-Review 2. Drum teacher Rob McKendrick of Portland demonstrates the proper beat. Photo by Jesse Tinsley/The Spokesman-Review

More than 500 Idaho residents who purchased service contracts from Smith's Home Furnishings will be guaranteed those benefits, Idaho Attorney General Alan Lance announced Friday. Smith's went out of business in August 1995. It had stores throughout the Northwest, including Spokane and Boise. The store aggressively marketed its warranty service contracts good for up to five years on furniture, electronics and appliances, Lance said. Customers were promised that, if they did not use their service contracts, they would get in-store credit toward the purchase of other goods.

Harpers Inc. needs a spray-painting course. The North Idaho College Workforce Training Center needs more space. The first problem could solve the second, center direct Robert Ketchum said Tuesday.

Richard Harris, superintendent of Post Falls schools, talks with Anne Fox in the hallways of Post Falls Jr. High. Photo by Craig Buck/The Spokesman-Review

Glenn Bledsoe's God and Country Bookstore on Government Way in Hayden, which opened this week, sells flags, maps, T-shirts and other items. Photo by Craig Buck/The Spokesman-Review (Photo appeared in Idaho edition only)

The nursing program at North Idaho College will start the school year with only one-year conditional approval from the state Board of Nursing. At issue are the academic credentials of its instructors.

Determined to defend a favorite teacher, a handful of Coeur d'Alene teenagers washed cars Friday morning to raise money for Paul Mather. The idea just didn't wash with some passersby, who were outraged at the idea of kids raising money for a man accused of child sex abuse.

Charging he was physically and emotionally abused, a California teenager and his family are suing two North Idaho programs designed to help troubled teens. John C. D'Abreo claims he was taunted by untrained counselors, deprived of medicine, forced to sleep among dead rats and made to sit outdoors in January for days at a time.

Accountant Lorraine Landwehr reaches for the winning tickets. Photo by Jesse Tinsley/The Spokesman-Review

1. Dorothy Haenle aids Andrea Swenson, 9, who has cerebral palsy. Swenson controls her computer with her head. Photo by Colin Mulvany/The Spokesman-Review 2. Holly Soward of CdA uses a computer as a learning aid. Photo by Craig Buck/The Spokesman-Review (This photo appeared in Idaho edition only)

A computer doesn't have to be the latest and the greatest to improve someone's life. That's why Dorothy Haenle is a full-time volunteer, devoting her expertise to a computer loan program at the Easter Seals Society office in Spokane. The retired occupational therapist scavenges for donated equipment and matches it with disabled people. "She's amazing," says Marsha Swenson, whose daughter benefits from the program. "She watches the paper for people selling computers." Swenson serves on a committee that reviews applications.

The North Idaho College board of trustees, following the lead of the state Board of Education, is opposing the One Percent Initiative. The trustees voted against the November ballot measure Wednesday night. The vote was unanimous, despite a presentation by tax activist Ron Rankin, who wrote the initiative.

North Idaho College trustees will approve the school's 1996-97 budget, and discuss the potential effects of the 1 Percent Initiative, when they meet Wednesday. The monthly meeting will begin at 6 p.m. in the Kootenai Room of the Student Union Building.

North Idaho College would suffer a double whammy if the One Percent Initiative passes, according to the state Board of Education. All state colleges and universities would lose one third of their biggest pot of money, the state's general fund, the board announced Thursday.