Kevin Keating

The demotion of Sandpoint High School Principal A.C. Woolnough prompted a contingent of parents, teachers and students to lash out at school board members Tuesday night. Nearly 100 people at the meeting, including about 35 teachers, wanted Woolnough reinstated.

A group of parents and teachers want police to crack down on a church parking lot across from Sandpoint Middle School. Teenagers doing drugs, smoking and fighting have taken over the lot after school and are blatantly breaking laws, said Teresa Sanders, president of the middle school parentteacher organization.

They have blueprints in hand and land to build on. Now officials need $3.8 million from voters to pay for a new Bonner County library.

Bonner County Sheriff's deputies examine the scene of Saturday's fatal plunge. Photo by Craig Buck/The Spokesman-Review

1. Welder Gary Garner worked on steel structural members Tuesday that will be used to turn the cavernous interior of Sandpoint Marina into suites of stores and offices. Photo by Jesse Tinsley/The Spokesman-Review 2. The brick former power plant building of Sandpoint Marina is being renovated to house shops and offices, which the owners hope will have an appeal similar to the Cedar Street Bridge complex.

A brouhaha over beer has stalled plans for a new convenience store and gas station near Bonners Ferry High School. Businessman Allen Sandaker recently applied for a beer and wine license for a BP store to be built 50 feet from the high school parking lot.

Boundary County residents have launched a statewide campaign to kill a new business venture by the Kootenai Indian Tribe.

Prisoner Mike Wachholtz was headed into a Latah County courtroom last week when the belt officers cinched around his waist began to beep. Seconds later Wachholtz, 34, dropped to the courthouse floor. He screamed in pain as the belt delivered an eight-second, 50,000-volt burst to his body - by accident. "The thing apparently went off all by itself. It was startling," said Greg Dickison, an attorney representing Wachholtz on an armed robbery charge.

Jace Fazzino now wants custody of his 5-year-old daughter, Sarah, who survived an accident that occurred when her mother was allegedly driving drunk. Sarah's 6-year-old brother Joshua died in the Jan. 6 crash on U.S. Highway 95 about 20 miles south of Sandpoint.

Sagle Fire Chief Don Vuletic was fired this week for allegedly using the department credit card to pay for personal trips, including a family vacation to the East Coast. Vuletic, 36, was removed from his post Monday by the three fire district commissioners. They said he racked up $2,400 worth of personal bills and tried to pass them off as department expenses.

Bonner County officials are lining up at the property tax feeding trough, hoping for a helping of nearly $10 million from taxpayers. The East Bonner County Library District wants to pass a $3.8 million levy next month for a new building.

Ron "Hangman" Robinson works his way over the top of a ridge at Schweitzer. Photo by Craig Buck/The Spokesman-Review

In the middle of Saturday's snowstorm, 20 people here stripped down to shorts and bikinis for a plunge into Lake Pend Oreille. "In Idaho, we will do anything for entertainment," said Allan Krebs. He climbed out of the 32-degree water waving a rainbow trout he bought at a local grocery store.

Bonner County residents who want more water - and kokanee salmon - left in Lake Pend Oreille filed a lawsuit Thursday against the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The Lake Pend Oreille Idaho Club, which boasts 465 members, filed the suit in U.S. District Court in Coeur d'Alene.

Divers pulled the body of a Kootenai County firefighter from the icy Clark Fork River Thursday afternoon, ending a search for the man who drowned more than a month ago. "At least now the man's family can put this to rest and have some peace of mind," said Bonner County Undersheriff Nick Krager.

Bonner County law enforcement officers publicly denounced Prosecutor Tevis Hull this week, saying he'd rather plea-bargain than take a tough case to court. The officers are steamed because Hull hasn't filed charges against a man who allegedly shot and wounded a deputy two months ago.

Company discharges dirty water into stream again. Runoff from the future parking lot at Wal-Mart in Ponderay, caused by rains and thaws, has created problems with sediment in nearby Sand Creek. Photo by Jesse Tinsley/The Spokesman-Review

Critics fear shoppers in downtown Sandpoint may thin out after a Wal-Mart store opens in nearby Ponderay. Photo by Jesse Tinsley/The Spokesman-Review

Bonner County has halted new construction at Schweitzer Mountain Resort after environmental officials said the ski hill's sewer system is maxed out. "Until we see a plan from Schweitzer, we agreed to put a hold on any more expansion up there," said Bonner County Commissioner Dale VanStone.

The spread of hepatitis A at Northside Elementary School has stumped health officials here. One case of the virus, which causes severe flulike symptoms, was confirmed at the school last month. Since then, another 11 cases have cropped up, all of them linked to the school.

The manager of the Monarch House, a home for mentally retarded adults, has been fired for allegedly stealing $400 from one of the residents. Susie Munson was ousted last week by the board of directors for Panhandle Special Needs, a non-profit agency that runs the Monarch House.

With its lakes, mountains, clean air and low crime rate, Bonner County has become an ideal place to live. But it's also becoming a tough place to make a living, a state labor analyst said Monday. "It's a beautiful area that has attracted a lot of people, but the challenge is finding jobs for all the new people moving in," said Kathryn Tacke, an analyst for the Idaho Department of Employment.

Bonner County wants to try again to build a new jail to replace its 87-year-old facility that is overcrowded and costly to maintain. Three times in the past four years, the county has asked voters for $5 million to pay for a new jail. Two of the levies gained 65 percent voter approval, just short of the two-thirds supermajority needed to pass such levies.

The wife of a newly elected city councilman was booted off the planning commission here after city officials said it was a conflict of interest for both to hold city positions. Monica VanFossen was appointed to the city's planning commission a year ago. She was asked to resign by Mayor James Hunt because her husband, Roger, was recently elected to the City Council.