Susan Drumheller

Athletes, nurses and technical students will no longer get preferential treatment when registering for courses at North Idaho College. College President Bob Bennett and the administrative council have agreed to support a faculty recommendation to abandon the early registration policy, which recently came under fire.

Students of Bryan Elementary eat hot lunch Friday. Two thirds of Bryan students who choose hot lunch qualify for reduced rates or free lunches. Photo by Jesse Tinsley/The Spokesman-Review

Stacy Zehm, a senior at Lakeside High School, was a bit jittery about reading her poem Saturday at her school's young writers conference. After all, among the dozen people listening was nationally acclaimed writer Sherman Alexie.

A drinking incident last fall involving the police chief's son influenced the proposed new discipline policy at the Coeur d'Alene School District. That policy and other old, new and revised policies in the district's 630-page manual are up for adoption at tonight's school board meeting.

Sandy Medved's class at Sorensen Elementary has students sitting at desks made for four children each. Some parents at other schools believe placing the desks in single rows would create a better, more organized, environment for teaching. Photo by Jesse Tinsley/The Spokesman-Review

Officials in the Coeur d'Alene, Post Falls and Lakeland school districts learned Tuesday they have won a $312,000 federal technology grant to bring the Internet computer network to area schools. With the help of the University of Idaho, North Idaho College, GTE and Cablevision, the school districts are forming the KootNet consortium to connect schools to one another electronically and to the Internet, a worldwide computer network.

Becky Ford, Post Falls School District curriculum director, works in a classroom-turned-office at the old Frederick Post Elementary School. Photo by Jesse Tinsley/The Spokesman-Review

Some parents in Worley, Idaho, are worried that the school board is sending the wrong message to students. The Plummer/Worley School Board decided Wednesday night not to expel a 9-year-old boy who pulled a pocketknife on his classmates last week. The boy had been suspended for a week following the incident that resulted in an aggravated battery report to the Kootenai County Sheriff's Department.

Hollering poets, digital art, Pulitzer Prizewinning musical talent and free phyllo pastries are just a few of the treats North Idaho College is serving the public during its 25th anniversary celebration of the Popcorn Forum. The weeklong cultural potpourri is more than a month away, March 27 through April 2.

Kitty Bassett of the Coeur d'Alene public library hands out copies of "The Rainbow Fish." The book were a gift from the crew of the TV show "Amazing Grace." Photo by Jesse Tinsley/The Spokesman-Review

Jason Tracey, a general studies sophomore at North Idaho College, heads to class bundled in twin mufflers he bought at a local thrift store. Photo by Jesse Tinsley/The Spokesman-Review

A 58-yearold Post Falls man locked himself in his garage Thursday morning, put a shotgun to his head and killed himself. As his family and friends struggle with their loss, health and law enforcement officials will begin their annual tally.

The Idaho Vital Statistics report is filled with detailed information. Want to know how many bicyclists were killed by cars in 1993? Two. Or the number of teenagers from Kootenai County who had abortions? 115. Here are some other 1993 tidbits:

A first-grader should learn to write short sentences from dictation, alphabetize words and match upper- and lower-case letters. By the fourth grade, the student should be able to identify different kinds of literature, as well as literary devices such as similes and metaphors.

Basic academic skills in Idaho are still lagging behind other skills, according to results from the latest Iowa Test of Basic Skills. Though students statewide tended to score higher in advanced language and mathematics skills, the rudimentary skills - such as spelling and math computation - brought overall scores down.