Kevin Keating

In police lingo, the little city of Ponderay could be considered a "cherry patch." With two state highways running through the town, lead-footed drivers have become easy pickin' for the Ponderay police force. Last month alone, the four-person department wrote 148 citations. All but a handful of the tickets were for speeding.

Next week's city election could make the record books, but it likely will be for abysmally low voter turnout. For the first time in Sandpoint's history, there are no challengers for any of the three council seats. That has city officials predicting many residents won't bother venturing to the polls.

The Bonner County School District overspent budgets, still has a deficit and lacks supervision by central office administrators, a recent audit report said. The 48-page report, which was released this week, was the result of a routine audit paid for by the district. It echoed the same problems noted in a July review of the district by the state Department of Education.

Kiyo Yanagihashi, a traveling technician with the exhibit, stands next to a robotic chasmosaurus he helped create. Photo by Jesse Tinsley/The Spokesman-Review

When 91-year-old Nora Kendall paid $2,500 for a stock certificate, she didn't ask Lon Montgomery about his company. She took the Boise man's word she would get 10 percent interest on her investment each year.

Schweitzer Mountain Resort manager Peter Gillis says random drug testing will make the resort a safer place for both employees and guests. File/The Spokesman-Review

The shelves are chock full. It's the bank account that is barren at the Bonner Community Food Center. The agency, hit with budget cuts earlier this year, is scrambling for cash to keep the food bank open. "We have zero in a general fund at the minute," said food bank director Alice Wallace. "I'm not going to threaten people with closing, but it's a very real possibility if we don't get any money."

Schweitzer Mountain Resort, deep in debt and up for sale, has become a jinx of sorts for would-be buyers. A Seattle firm's bid for the ski hill boosted spirits in Sandpoint earlier this year, but the deal with Harbor Properties is floundering. And a Texas company that made a move months ago to buy Schweitzer now is out $1 million for its efforts.

Boone Jones drives his team of mules, Sis and Sam, on a soggy Friday afternoon during the 21st Annual Idaho State Draft Horse International show. Photo by Craig Buck/The Spokesman-Review

1. Kevin Harris is greeted at the Hitch-in Post, a downtown Republic restaurant and bar, by friends and family Thursday evening. Photo by Liz Kishimoto/The Spokesman-Review 2. The media spotlight on Kevin Harris and Boundary County could come to an end with a judge's decision to drop charges. File/The Spokesman-Review (Photo ran only in Idaho edition.)

A sagging, unsafe roof has forced Sandpoint's historic Panida Theater to close its doors temporarily. Trusses on the 80-year old building were damaged by heavy snow last winter. A structural engineer's report this week said the theater is unsafe and needed to be closed until support beams are installed inside.

Kevin Harris and his wife head toward the Boundary County Courthouse on Tuesday. Photo by Craig Buck/The Spokesman-Review

1. "I'm tired of being painted as the bad guy in this," says funeral home director Dale Coffelt. Photo by Liz Kishimoto/The Spokesman-Review 2. Leon Atkinson

Munching mushrooms from the forest floor can be a little like playing Russian roulette. A mushroom that looks edible can send you rushing to a restroom, or worse, kill you.

Residents here are either apathetic about city government or find nothing wrong with it. For the first time in Sandpoint's history, there are no challengers for three City Council seats.

After a bitter, two-year dispute, Bonner County teachers and administrators settled on a new contract and a 3 percent salary increase for educators. "There was give and take on both sides, and we are happy to have this one hurdle out of the way," said Enid Trenholm, president of the Bonner County Education Association. "It's time to move on and focus on the larger issue of how to improve education for the children."

The Bonner County School District doesn't have any cash to spare, but wants to spend thousands on a new mandatory drug testing policy for junior and senior high athletes. Initially the district wanted to charge students to have their urine samples screened for drugs. To avoid a court challenge of the proposed testing, the district decided it would pick up the tab.

Despite a plague of lawsuits against the county and questionable decisions by commissioners, Bonner County won't be dumped by its insurance carrier. But the cost of staying in the program will be steep. The county's insurance premium will rise about $240,000. "I think it's a huge increase, but given the claims history of the county, an increase was inevitable," said Commissioner Larry Allen. "The county has cost ICRMP (the Idaho Counties Risk Management Program) more than it's paid them."

Kevin Harris, with family and friends, leaves the jail in Bonners Ferry last month after making bond. File/The Spokesman-Review

A bitter stalemate over contract negotiations between teachers and the Bonner County School District may be at an end. District officials agreed to meet with union members Monday and resume talks. The two sides hope to hammer out a contract in one day and have the school board ratify it at their Tuesday night meeting.

Wanted: one resident concerned about education. Thick skin and penchant for marathon meetings required. Pays nothing. The Bonner County School District desperately is seeking a school board member. But it seems no one wants the often thankless job in a district that's been in turmoil for years.

Faron Lovelace, left, and his legal adviser, Roger Williams, stand in court Thursday after Lovelace was convicted of first-degree murder. Photo by Liz Kishimoto/The Spokesman-Review

Faron Lovelace told a jury it needs only 30 seconds to decide whether he is a murderer. "I told you I would give you the truth. I'm guilty. I shot Jeremy Scott in the back of the head," Lovelace testified Wednesday.

A messy dispute over the sale of Schweitzer Mountain Resort could strip Sandpoint's Brown family of any ownership in the ski hill it founded 34 years ago. The debt-ridden resort was supposed to be sold this month to a Seattle firm for $18 million. The deal - initially agreed to by the entire Brown family - would pay off some of the $28 million they owe creditors and U.S. Bank. The family would also retain a 10 percent ownership in the mountain. The sale went before a federal judge Tuesday, but no decision was issued. The sale was opposed by two of the five family owners, Bobbie Huguenin and her mother Jean Brown. They claim the resort is worth $66 million and that U.S. Bank has conspired to sell it cheap, leaving the family penniless. If the judge rejects the sale because of the sibling squabble, a new deal could be drafted that cuts the family out of the resort entirely. "We won't close this sale without their (the family's) consent. If we do, the deal changes," resort attorney Joseph Meier told Judge Edward Lodge. "We can come back to the court with another deal that (excludes) the 10 percent partnership." A new arrangement also would eliminate $1 million the Seattle firm, Harbor Properties Inc., agreed to loan the Browns. The family owes $21 million to U.S. Bank. Because of the huge debt, Sandpoint attorney Ford Elsaesser was appointed last year to oversee and sell the ski hill to pay off creditors. Several creditors at the hearing, including U.S. Bank and Bonner County, which is owed back taxes from Schweitzer, urged the judge to approve the current sale agreement. "The bank is trying to preserve the value of these assets and get skiers on the mountain," said attorney Peter Holmes. The bank has been more than fair and patient, loaning Schweitzer $750,000 last week to open the resort this winter, Holmes said. He charged the family with mismanaging the resort and defaulting on loans. The bank insisted a management consultant be hired in 1995 to help run the mountain. Resort owners fired the consultant after three months. After Elsaesser was appointed trustee, the resort had one of its best seasons in the last ten years, Holmes added. The value of the Schweitzer resort is a main controversy. Attorney Edwin McCabe, who represents Huguenin and Jean Brown, insists the value is $66 million. He based that figure on a sworn statement from Huguenin. "Perhaps that value is even a conservative one," he said. "At the very least, the (current) value is suspect." "If the bank agreed the resort is worth $66 million, we would not be here, we would not have any of the problems we have here today," countered Holmes. Gery Edson, an attorney for Bonner County, said McCabe was tossing out red herrings to stop the sale. The resort has filed a tax appeal, he said, claiming its resort property is worth only $8.6 million. "This is disingenuous to claim it's now worth $66 million," Edson said. McCabe had several complaints about the sale. Elsaesser was illegally appointed and the case should be in state court, not federal court, he said. McCabe also accused the judge of a conflict of interest because of past cases involving U.S. Bank. He wants the judge to step down and the sale scuttled. Judge Lodge will issue a written decision in the case, possibly within the next two weeks. "While waiting for a decision we are going full speed ahead on opening the resort," Elsaesser said. "Nothing occurring at this hearing will threaten the winter ski season."