Winda Benedetti

"These three Gruff brothers are innocent victims of an entrapment scheme . . ." begins defense attorney Jeff Marfice in his opening statement. Photo by Jesse Tinsley/The Spokesman-Review

The helicopter rumors are flying again. Only this time, it's not black helicopters, it's police helicopters. Whispers that Sheriff Pierce Clegg secretly bought three helicopters have been filtering through the grapevine for months. And now, these mysterious whirly-birds have made their way into the political fray.

The attorney for a Post Falls man accused of gunning down his ex-girlfriend is asking Kootenai County to pay more than $14,000 for his defense. John Adams, Kootenai County chief public defender, wants the county to pay for a university study showing that criminals in more populated Idaho counties are more likely to face the death penalty than criminals in less populated counties.

It was two days before what would have been Darlene King's 40th birthday, and her husband was on the witness stand testifying against her accused killer. Bob King told a jury Wednesday how he'd gone searching for his missing wife in the dark, on snow and ice-covered roads, only to find she'd been killed in a head-on collision.

They have been neighbors, co-workers, and, for 17 years, good friends. But now, Pierce Clegg and Karl Thompson are rivals. Each is vying to become the Kootenai County sheriff.

Six North Idaho judges will try to keep their office this election, but the only people they'll run against will be themselves. Magistrate judges handle divorce cases, juvenile justice, misdemeanor crimes, traffic infractions, small claims and the preliminary stages of felony cases.

Eugene Marano

An Athol firefighter will spend 88 days in jail for driving his 13-ton fire truck into the side of a pickup, then leaving an injured man behind. Volunteer firefighter James G. Jeffrey, 59, pleaded guilty to misdemeanor drunken driving and leaving the scene of an accident.

Six North Idaho judges will try to keep their offices this election, but the only person they'll run against will be themselves. Magistrate judges handle divorce cases, juvenile justice, misdemeanor crimes, traffic infractions, small claims and the preliminary stages of felony cases.

Ken, Marie, Michelle and Emily Merwin struggle with Kevin's conviction. Photo by Craig Buck/The Spokesman-Review

Kevin Merwin, convicted pf causing the death of toddler Alexander Buss, reads a statement asking for mercy Friday. Photo by Jesse Tinsley/The Spokesman-Review

They have been neighbors, co-workers, and, for 17 years, good friends. But now, Pierce Clegg and Karl Thompson are rivals. Each is vying to become the top law enforcement officer in Kootenai County.

When 85 Kootenai County sheriff's deputies decided to unionize, they landed in the middle of a political controversy. Whether they did so intentionally has become fodder in the race for Kootenai County sheriff.

Tom Stiner Sr. figured his wife would be upset when he didn't return home Sunday night. But with darkness settling over the forest, two sons nearing hypothermia and his truck an eight-mile hike away through the snow, the Post Falls man thought he'd better stay put. Sure enough, his wife did get scared - enough to call out the Kootenai County Search and Rescue. More than 30 people, a helicopter and a search dog combed the Fourth of July Pass area from 2 a.m. Monday until about 1:30 p.m. looking for the three elk hunters.

A Spokane man burned a pack and some of his clothing Sunday night to keep warm after he got lost in the North Idaho woods. William R. Stuart, 26, was hunting north of Prichard in the late afternoon when he started tracking a bull elk and got lost, according to a Shoshone County sheriff's report.

Heads bowed over the table, Matt Blackburn and Travis Levi diligently penned answers to questions on the job applications in front of them. Cook, custodian, heavy equipment operator - they'll take any job. Pay? Whatever they can get. To be honest, they said, work is the second thing on their minds as they filled out applications for Schweitzer Mountain Resort.

Kevin Merwin always has proclaimed his innocence. And on Wednesday, he did so again - trying to overturn a jury verdict that declared him guilty. "This decision was a very emotional one, not based on reason, ... not based on the law," Fred Loats, Merwin's attorney, told 1st District Judge James Judd at Wednesday's acquittal hearing.

1. Five years after. Firefighter Gordon Maxwell, diving over a fence in a race to escape a wall of flames in the Spokane Valley's Ponderosa neighborhood, became a symbol of Firestorm '91. 2. The firestorm claimed the life of volunteer Joe Upchurch when a front-end loader he was driving overturned. Upchurch family photo 3. A firefighter directs his crew near Newman Lake, Wash. File/The Spokesman-Review

Hunting season is only two days old and already one hunter is dead and another has been lost in the woods. Alan Inman, 45, of Fall City, Wash., died Thursday when his all-terrain vehicle rolled on top of him as he was driving through the woods to an elk he had killed.

Federico Cortez leaves the courtroom Tuesday after his sentencing. Photo by Jesse Tinsley/The Spokesman-Review

It's been 16 years since North Idaho was given an additional district court judge. Since that time, the number of criminal cases filed each year has almost quadrupled. It often takes well over a year for many civil cases to get to trial. And North Idaho judges now carry the heaviest case loads of any in the state.

Young American justice Alli Jester, Randy Cooper, Chris Schwartz and Carrie Berdine have participated in the Youth Court. Photo by Craig Buck/The Spokesman-Review

GTE Northwest issued an apology Friday for breaking a gas line that caused the evacuation of hundreds of Coeur d'Alene residents earlier this week. On Wednesday, phone company workers were using a backhoe to dig in the area of Prairie Avenue and Franklin Street when they accidentally hit one of Washington Water Power's 4-inch gas lines.

They planned to stand on the front steps of every county courthouse across the state - boldly declaring the names of government officials illegally holding office. But the scheduled day came and went without a single "town crier" showing up in North Idaho last weekend.