Susan Drumheller

Post Falls firefighter Ben Theard checks over an engine. The department tries to do its own maintenance as much as pollible to reduce costs. Photo by Craig Buck/The Spokesman-Review

The sexual misconduct case of Dody Stewart versus Steve Milionis and the Wallace School District joined several other cases on Judge Gary Haman's desk Tuesday. The district court judge took the school district's request for summary judgment under advisement.

Volunteers for the Coeur d'Alene School District will be going door-to-door this fall to collect opinions on how to relieve crowded conditions at the schools. The school board Monday gave the green light to the community survey.

Dennis Swartout

1. Alphonso stands alone in a corral. 2. David Bradley and his daughter, Lanetha, stand in front of his three remaining cows. His fourth cow, Tara, has taken up residence with Alphonso's herd. Photo by Craig Buck/The Spokesman-Review

Kootenai County taxpayers got a little gift from North Idaho College Wednesday when college trustees decided to collect less money than originally planned from property owners for its 1995-96 budget. The total amount of taxes to be collected will be reduced by $74,121.

What to do with a $768,987 carry-over from last year's North Idaho College budget is the central question the NIC board will tackle at its regular meeting today. The carry-over is $329,068 more than was originally estimated. At a workshop two weeks ago, board members discussed whether they should allow taxpayers to keep the difference, which would slightly lower the tax rate, or whether they should put it toward increasing the proposed $18.7 million budget.

So few new funding requests survived the forging of Post Falls' budget that city staff might have submitted last year's budget with nearly the same results. The proposed $5.13 million general fund budget is only $90,000 more than last year's, representing a 1.7 percent increase.

High school counselor Steve Milionis has bounced back to his job of counseling students at Coeur d'Alene High School despite an unresolved lawsuit accusing him of past sexual misconduct. Law enforcement officials turned down the idea of Milionis teaching in the county's juvenile detention center, which had been the school district's plan earlier this summer.

Hale Howland of the Post Falls City Parks Department spreads new bark around the roses at Falls Park in preparation for the Festival of the Falls. Photo by Jesse Tinsley/The Spokesman-Review

In considering a proposal to put full-time police officers in the high schools, the school board Monday debated how the officers should interview or interrogate students. Some parents had objected to the proposed policy that would give police the leeway to "interrogate" students without parental knowledge.

Parents and the school board chairman objected to the way that two new principals were hired for the Coeur d'Alene elementary schools Monday night. "Neither our young people, taxpayers or new hires were served by that process," said Chairman Ken Burchell after the principals were approved by the board.

During the 5 p.m. rush hour, Clay Larkin watches the intersection of Idaho Street and Mullan Avenue with some trepidation. A busy intersection about to get busier, the crossroads at Larkin's doorstep already has had plenty of accidents.

(From For the Record, Saturday, August 12, 1995:) North Idaho College budgeted $325,314 for athletes' tuition and fee waivers. The amount was wrong in Friday's newspaper.

Feeling financially hamstrung by inflexible state laws, local officials are looking for professional help in getting those laws changed. Post Falls, Coeur d'Alene and Kootenai County officials are considering hiring a lobbyist to persuade legislators to ease the burden on local taxpayers.

In the national debate over welfare reform, reports of children faking disabilities have fueled the call for cutbacks. Some members of Congress suspect that parents are coaching their children to mimic the symptoms of Attention Deficit Disorder in order to qualify for federal benefits. Yet they have little evidence that coaching is a widespread problem.

A national group supported by drug companies helped Ritalin's popularity skyrocket in the '90s. Now it's trying to make the drug even easier to get. But critics say Ritalin, a stimulant used to control hyperactivity and attention problems, could become more open to abuse if the push to deregulate it succeeds.

1. Cole Raynor, 9, doesn't see how Ritalin helps. He hates swallowing pills because he's afraid of choking. But his parents see a more confident and academically successful son. Photo by Craig Buck/The Spokesman-Review 2. Cole Raynor has trouble falling asleep and waking up. 3. Cole stands alone at Lake coeur d'Alene while kids play nearby. "The tough thing for kids with ADD are social situations," says Veb Chambers, Cole's school counselor. Photo by Craig Buck/The Spokesman-Review

So many people are popping Ritalin pills in Idaho that the state ranks No. 1 in the nation for per capita consumption of the drug. "I wonder why the kids in Idaho have these problems that the kids in L.A. or New York or Miami don't have," asked Gary Domeny, chief investigator for the Idaho Board of Pharmacy. "Is it something in the air?" No study has pinpointed the reason why Idahoans are more likely to use the easiest method to treat children with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD).

The wrestling team at North Idaho College is one of the best in the nation, and the men's basketball team is a consistent winner. But some taxpayers and college trustees are wondering whether all that athletic talent is worth the cost.

Sports teams at North Idaho College took a thrashing at its budget hearing Wednesday, and may ultimately come out bruised once the budget is approved. The board of trustees tabled a decision on the budget, allowing time to examine athletic spending at the community college.

An increase in tuition and state money will slightly ease the burden on property taxpayers under the proposed budget for North Idaho College. The NIC board of trustees is scheduled to approve the $18.7 million budget at its Wednesday meeting.

The arrival of portable classrooms at Coeur d'Alene High School in 1989 spelled the end of double-shifting and brought sighs of relief to parents and educators. Those portables are on the move again to ease crowding at other schools, but they're bringing no audible sighs this time.

Some Kootenai County residents say it will take more than an enlightened electorate to pass school bond levies in these anti-tax times. "I don't think any public relations is going to help until legislation changes to help us fund it," said parent and activist Joni Hirst.