Winda Benedetti

If Christina Campanelli's mother did not abuse her 2-year-old daughter, it at least appears she failed in her duty to protect the toddler from harm, a judge said Friday. So he ordered Eileen Campanelli and her boyfriend, Rick Cortez, to stand trial on charges of injury to a child. They face up to 10 years in prison if convicted.

Federico Cortez and Eileen Campanelli make their way into court Thursday on the second day of a preliminary hearing into the death of 2-year-old Christina Campanelli. Photo by Craig Buck/The Spokesman-Review

An inmate who had to sleep on the floor at the Kootenai County Jail wants more than $700 for each day he spent behind bars. Richard J. Updegraff, 38, says the jail was so crowded he was forced to sleep on his cell floor near a toilet.

1. Beverly and Peter Finney. Photo by Craig Buck/The Spokesman-Review 2. Danielle Muncey leaves court with her parents after her sentencing. Photo by Craig Buck/The Spokesman-Review

Imagine a courtroom where the attorneys are just learning to shave, the jurors have braces and they all have math and geography homework to do when court isn't in session. It's called Youth Court - a place where wayward teenagers are judged, represented and sentenced for their crimes by kids their own age.

Wayward youths be warned: If you scrawl graffiti on a wall, it won't be long before you're cleaning it off. Hard work or hard time - that's the choice kids caught damaging property or committing other minor crimes will soon face.

Kootenai County's only dive rescue team was called to action twice last week - even though it doesn't officially exist. First, a truck careened into Fernan Lake, then another dropped into Hayden Lake.

Campanelli

Frank Wilkey, speaking before corrections officials Tuesday, argued that law should be taught in grade schools. Photo by Jesse Tinsley/The Spokesman-Review

A 39-year-old woman who worked at the Bonner County juvenile detention home has been arrested on charges of having sex with a former teenage inmate. Carolyn Black of Sandpoint was charged with two counts of sexual battery of a minor Friday. She is suspected of twice having sex with a 16-year-old boy. Neither incident occurred at the detention center where the boy had spent two months on burglary charges, said Sheriff Chip Roos.

A 2-year-old Coeur d'Alene girl was flown to a Spokane hospital Wednesday, suffering from a serious head injury, said Kootenai County sheriff's officials. Sheriff's detectives are investigating the case as possible child abuse, said Capt. Ben Wolfinger.

Misty Sellers-Black finally proved her innocence Tuesday - she just wishes it hadn't taken 10 months. After all, it was only a traffic ticket.

Four firefighters were sent to the hospital early Tuesday after a Hayden, Idaho barn filled with hay burned to the ground in the middle of the night. Thirty-three firefighters from three departments battled the blaze, which apparently started when the hay spontaneously caught fire, said Wayne Syth, Hayden Lake fire chief.

A 16-year-old Post Falls girl has been charged with inattentive driving for causing a wreck that killed another teenager. Danielle Muncey is expected to plead guilty to the charge, which carries a maximum penalty of six months in jail.

Dave Ferrugia counts inmates at the Region I Juvenile Detention Center in Couer d'Alene. Photo by Craig Buck/The Spokesman-Review

Barbara and Clyde Marks live just a quarter-mile from the Rimrock Explosives manufacturing plant and didn't know until Wednesday just how much explosive material is stored there. Photo by Jesse Tinsley/The Spokesman-Review

The Rimrock Explosives plant sits deserted Wednesday afternoon after a fire was reported inside. Photo by Jesse Tinsley/The Spokesman-Review

Deer seem to have a fatal attraction to Natalie Oswald's car. The 16-year-old Hayden girl has only been driving for a year, and already two deer have run into her four-door Buick.

Casting for solutions. Hauser Lake fishermen are concerned over the fate of a favorite fishing spot known as "The Point." Photo by Craig Buck/The Spokesman-Review 2. Posts from an unfinished fence stand between Hauser Lake Road and the water.<

A Coeur d'Alene man accused of shooting another man in the back was charged with aggravated battery Monday. Jeffrey Strouse shot Michael Gunderson in the buttocks at close range with a sawed-off shotgun Saturday, according to a Kootenai County Sheriff's report.

After days of picketing and protesting, Kootenai County sheriff's deputies have accepted pay raises offered to them by county commissioners. They had little choice.

The excavating machine driven by landowner Earl Lunceford sits at the site where it punctured a high-pressure natural gas line. Photo by Craig Buck/The Spokesman-Review

A Native American family that claims mistreatment and abuse by police filed a lawsuit against the Post Falls Police Department and Kootenai County Sheriff's Department. Six members of the Wohali family claim the officers discriminated against them because of their race and violated their civil rights.

Kootenai County Sheriff deputies and their families picket the county courthouse Friday morning. Photo by Jesse Tinsley/The Spokesman-Review