Winda Benedetti

A record number of inmates jammed the Kootenai County Jail Monday morning, leaving inmates sleeping on floors and tempers flaring in the cramped cells. Although the facility is certified to hold 123 inmates, 162 inmates were locked behind bars, said jail Lt. Joe Eisenbrandt. Nearby at the Juvenile Detention Center 31 youths were locked down. The center is supposed to house 18.

Curt Doty

Two airplanes made emergency landings on Interstate 90 near Mullan, Idaho, Saturday morning after weather forced them to the ground, said officials with the Federal Aviation Administration. No one was injured, but one airplane was damaged when its wing smacked into a road marker during landing, said Mike O'Connor, FAA spokesman.

Two airplanes made an emergency landing on Interstate 90 near Mullan, Idaho, Saturday morning after weather forced them to the ground, said officials with the Federal Aviation Administration. No one was injured, but one airplane was damaged when its wing smacked into a road marker during landing, said Mike O'Connor, FAA spokesman. The two planes came from Enid, Okla. They were carrying 11 basketball fans headed first for Spokane and then on to Seattle for the NCAA Final Four basketball championships, O'Connor said.

Fishing on Lake Coeur d'Alene may be chilly this time of year but don't start a fire to get warm, Kootenai County fire officials warn. Despite regulations against open burning, some campers, fishermen and picnickers have been lighting small campfires along the shores of Lake Coeur d'Alene and Fernan Lake, said Deputy Fire Chief Ron Sampert.

Emily Burns, 7, tries to stay ahead of opponents Jeff Marfice and Fernando Aceves, both 7, during practice Wednesday at Ramsey Elementary. Photo by Jesse Tinsley/The Spokesman-Review

After 31 days in the hospital, Nicole Marlin finally came home Friday. "We wanted her home so bad," said Melinda Moulton, mother to the 2-year-old girl who spent almost an hour underwater in late February. "I think it will make her a lot better if she's around her family."

An accident at a dangerous Coeur d'Alene intersections left an 18-year-old woman in critical condition Thursday. Jennifer Stokes of Coeur d'Alene collided with James Peck of Newman Lake, Wash., at the Northwest Boulevard and Lincoln Way intersection.

For the second time in six months, a man has apparently brought potentially explosive devices to a health center near Kootenai Medical Center, police say. Although authorities would not release the name of the man involved in the two incidents, sources confirmed that John Weldon Jr., 25, is being held in protective custody in connection with the most recent incident.

Kootenai County Jail officials are investigating an accusation of sexual misconduct between a female inmate and a sheriff's deputy, the inmate said. Inmate Shelly Fagerlie denies that she and the jail deputy had sexual relations. The incident in question occurred while she was at Kootenai Medical Center and was reported inaccurately by a nurse, Fagerlie said.

Hess at sentencing.

Idaho State Police hopes a new task force will help curb problems at Huetter rest area. Photo by Jesse Tinsley/The Spokesman-Review

He was run down by a truck, had his wheelchair crushed beyond repair and was left helpless and in pain in the middle of a dark street. But 43-year-old Robert Quast has discovered just how nice people can be.

For the second time in a year, a Coeur d'Alene judge has refused to give convicted killer Donald Paradis a hearing to appeal his conviction. First District Judge James Judd on Thursday denied the death row inmate's request for post-conviction relief.

Disc jockey Jeff Connor gives Robert Quast some tapes and CDs Thursday. Photo by Sandra Bancroft-Billings/The Spokesman-Review

Robert Quast has lost much of his independence after a wheelchair he uses to travel to his downtown job was destroyed in a hit-and-run accident Tuesday. Photo by Dan McComb/The Spokesman-Review

A big brewhaha Gary Hetrick, holding beer brewed by customers of his home-brew supply store, was one of six judges at Sunday's contest. Photo by Jesse Tinsley/The Spokesman-Review

A 20-year-old Rathdrum man was killed Saturday night when he was hit by a vehicle as he tried to cross a highway near Rathdrum. Kootenai County sheriff's officials say Keith R. Boyd had waved a gun at a woman only moments before the accident on state Highway 53.

Darlene Caba is unshackled in the Kootenai County Courthouse for a preliminary hearing Thursday. She is accused of killing her husband. Photo by Jesse Tinsley/The Spokesman-Review

Two years ago, Kimberly Parfrey died after a fire swept through her fiance's apartment. On Monday, her father filed a lawsuit against the city of Coeur d'Alene and the apartment landlord, claiming her death could have been prevented.

Aggravated assaults, burglaries and sex offenses are among the crimes the Post Falls Police Department handled more of in 1994. The reason: There are more people moving to the area and more people willing to report certain crimes, said Police Chief Cliff Hayes.

A 2-year-old boy was found wandering in a motel parking lot early Friday, police say. The boy told the people who found him that his mother had left him, said Coeur d'Alene Police Capt. Carl Bergh.

Schoolchildren in Rathdrum stop to look at the aftermath of an accident after a train struck a car that did not stop at the tracks. The drive, Alva Smith, 83, was taken to the hospital where he was listed in fair condition. Photo by Jesse Tinsley/The Spokesman-Review

A famed American Indian activist announced Tuesday that he will ask national tribal leaders to look into the deaths of three North Idaho Indians. Dennis Banks, founder of the American Indian Movement, said he believes the drunken driver responsible for their deaths received a light sentence because she is white and her victims are Native Americans.