Parker Howell

BOISE – Space for housing the severely mentally ill and rehabilitating drug offenders is lacking in Idaho prisons, legislators learned firsthand Tuesday on a tour of state lockups south of Boise. Lawmakers visited a crowded mental health ward, talked with inmates in a coveted treatment program and toured a semipermanent but flimsy structure housing inmates.

BOISE – An ebullient Gov. Butch Otter laid out his vision for Idaho on Monday, calling for $22 million in credits to mitigate the sales tax on groceries for low-income residents, eliminating a large state agency, and moving to a "pay as you go" approach for new buildings and other new initiatives. "I am recommending that we neither significantly expand existing programs nor add any major new initiatives," Otter told a joint session of the Legislature in his first State of the State message. "There is no doubt that Idahoans want leaner, more efficient and effective state government."

BOISE – Butch Otter, sworn in as Idaho's 32nd governor on Friday, promised to build a state government based on "frugality and common sense" in which Idahoans can "become the architects of our own destiny." "For years now, I have been talking about personal responsibility and accountability, both in our private lives and in the halls of government," Otter told more than a thousand well-wishers who gathered in front of the state Capitol steps in a chilly breeze. "Those are important principles here in Idaho, and they will form the basis of this administration."

Driving north of Spokane last week, Jack Worden had to stop when a group of strange beasts ran into the road ahead of him. They had heads like rabbits and brown, furry bodies with spindly legs resembling fawns.

Ecological concerns about dozens of elk that escaped from an eastern Idaho ranch where visitors pay thousands of dollars for a shot at trophy bulls has reopened deep-rooted controversy surrounding elk farming in the state. Concerned that the domestic elk may carry disease or impure genes that could spread to wild animals, state game officials have killed several of the elk, which may have escaped from the ranch as long ago as early August.

Two months after his guide dog was killed by a dump truck in north Spokane, Rod Christensen's world is infinitely more cluttered. A scratch on his right arm attests to the hazards posed by overgrown bushes, utility poles and low-hanging branches – obstacles that his dog, Justice, previously navigated with ease. Even the long white cane that he uses to find his way can unexpectedly bounce back and jab him if he isn't careful.

For the first time in years, the Spokane County Sheriff's Office soon will have the ability to take flight to enforce drug laws and find lost people. But Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich is concerned the office's recently acquired military-surplus helicopter, like past helicopters, will drain financial resources from other public safety needs.

Fresh from a blowout win in Puerto Rico last weekend, the arenafootball2 league-champion Spokane Shock added another trophy to its collection Wednesday evening: a key to the city. Mayor Dennis Hession presented the team's owner and coach with the metal key to commemorate the Shock's 17-2 inaugural season at a ceremony outside Spokane Arena. Despite cool temperatures and rain, more than 100 fans, many clad in bright orange, crowded around a temporary stage for a glimpse of the triumphant team.

Crews battled new wildfires north and west of Spokane on Tuesday as heavy smoke hindered firefighting efforts near Dayton. A fire about 20 miles north of Colville started around 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, said Department of Natural Resources spokesman Brett Walker. The cause of the blaze was unknown Tuesday night, he said.

Five Spokane County firefighters and two ambulance crew members were hospitalized Tuesday evening after being exposed to an unknown toxic substance while putting out a burning garbage truck. The five men and two women were in stable condition at Sacred Heart Medical Center and expected to be released Thursday night after experiencing shortness of breath, nausea, vomiting and skin irritation, said Spokane Fire Department Assistant Chief Brian Schaeffer. The department's hazmat team stripped and scrubbed the victims outside the hospital, and the team will take samples from the burned truck to try to identify the substance, he said.

For a few hours Saturday, Liberty Park in east Spokane transformed into an open-air exhibition of world cultures. And kids at Unity in the Community's first children's village became world travelers.

On the count of two, volunteers carefully hoisted the plastic bag holding Sunny, a white fish with a brilliant red spot on its forehead. They gently transferred it from a small examination tub into the blue 324-gallon vinyl tank where it will spend the remainder of the weekend. Measuring longer than 20 inches, Sunny resumed its place among the other koi that Spokane resident Linda Seifert entered in this weekend's seventh annual Koi and Goldfish Show at Riverfront Park.

The Seattle Seahawks experienced a role reversal Thursday afternoon when they exchanged their places on the summer practice field in Cheney for seats at a Spokane theater to watch a football movie. Their film of choice: an advanced screening of Disney's new "Invincible," set for release Aug. 25.