The County Lines
WASHINGTON
ADAMS COUNTY Ritzville
With speed limits jumping from 55 to 65 and beyond, mature drivers may feel life is leaving them in the dust. Not so, said Stu Kirk, instructor of “Alive 55” driving courses starting soon in Adams County. Developed by the American Association for Retired People, the eight-hour class gives drivers a look at problem situations, and can lead to lower auto insurance premiums for older drivers. To enroll, call 659-4444.
FERRY COUNTY Republic
Cool as cucumbers, several area youths took to the stage recently in the Ferry County 4-H Public Speaking and Demonstration contest. Placing as grand champions were Lindsey Krausse of Republic, and Amanda Trudell and Jamie Crandal, both of Inchelium. This contest, organizer Dan Fagerlie says, helps kids organize their thoughts and speak clearly in front of a group.
GRANT COUNTY Grand Coulee
Due to increasing juvenile crime rates and decreasing bed space in state facilities, six violent juvenile offenders from Nespelem and Coulee Dam will be released back into the community starting Saturday. Receiving early parole, only three of these local offenders will have any kind of post-release supervision due to cutbacks in juvenile supervision programs.
LINCOLN COUNTY Wilbur
Ray Campbell believes when you turn 100, you shouldn’t have to mow your own lawn. Celebrating his birthday last week, Campbell said he plans to slow down just a little. Well known for an immaculate home, weed-free garden and full slate of house work, Campbell also cares for his wife Iantha. The Wilbur City Council signed a proclamation to show Campbell how proud it is to have him as a citizen. “Ray’s care and concern for his family and community over the past 100 years has been unwavering,” the document said.
PEND OREILLE COUNTY Usk
With an eye on improving the local watershed, the Sullivan Lake Ranger District is asking that a 2-mile portion of LeClerc Road be relocated. The portion of road in question, rangers said, is made primarily of highly erosive decomposed granite.
SPOKANE COUNTY Rockford
City clerk Carrie Roecks will leave her position Friday for a job with a Spokane development firm. Roecks has been city clerk for the past six years. Deputy clerk Darlene LaShaw, who has been training for the past month, will take her place.
STEVENS COUNTY Loon Lake
All are invited to the Old Schoolhouse Summer Festival at Loon Lake this weekend. It opens with a fine art and collectibles silent auction Friday night. For more information on the event, contact Gail Daehlin at 233-2829.
WHITMAN COUNTY Pullman
The YWCA of Washington State University will have a meeting Thursday to discuss racial and social justice activities for the “We Who Believe in Freedom” meal and celebration in August. The meeting will be at 7 p.m. in the Koinonia House, 730 NE Thatuna Street in Pullman. For more information, contact Liza Rognas, YWCA director, at (509) 335-3916.
IDAHO
BENEWAH COUNTY St. Maries
The directors of the Fernwood Fire District want to spend up to $55,000 for a used fire truck and $45,000 more to equip the organization, which was created in 1994. The group will ask district residents to approve a $100,000 bond on Sept. 15 to make the purchases. There will be a public hearing to discuss the proposal Aug. 11 at 7 p.m. at the fire house. For more information, call Mr. Harris at 245-4089.
BONNER COUNTY Sandpoint
The Pend Oreille Arts Council sponsors a second series of exhibitions on Friday and Saturday at 16 galleries and businesses around Sandpoint. The exhibits of work featured in the series are done by regional artists. Brochures are available at each participating gallery and at the Chamber of Commerce for self-guided tours. For more information, call Sally Lindemann at (208) 263-7065.
BOUNDARY COUNTY Bonners Ferry
Boundary County comic Rick Reed will headline a benefit show and auction for the family of Jason Cook on Aug. 15 at Jack’s Club. Cook died in a boating accident on the Kootenai River July 11. All proceeds from the show will go to his wife and children. For information on donating items for the auction, call Dolores at (208) 267-3111.
KOOTENAI COUNTY Post Falls
Jodi Booth, 17, has been selected as Idaho’s 1998 4-H Fashion Review winner at the Idaho 4-H Teen Conference in Moscow. She will attend the National 4-H Congress and National 4-H Fashion Review in Atlanta, from Nov. 27 through Dec. 1. A senior at Post Falls High School, Jodi has been active in 4-H since she was 9.
Coeur d’Alene
Twenty-one girls are taking part in “Girls Making TV,” a weeklong day camp at the University of Idaho’s Coeur d’Alene Cultural Center. The girls are learning about career options in television while making their own video documentary. Idaho Public Television, the Coeur d’Alene Branch of American Association of University Women and Inland Empire Girl Scouts are presenting the camp along with the University of Idaho Coeur d’Alene Campus, North Idaho College, and North Idaho Business-Education Partnership.
LATAH COUNTY Moscow
Eldonna Gossett, executive director of the Moscow Chamber of Commerce for the past five years, has been selected as president of the 27-member Idaho Association of Chambers of Commerce.
SHOSHONE COUNTY Silver Valley
The Panhandle Health District, in conjunction with the Idaho Bureau of Environmental Health and Safety, is offering free blood lead screening to all children six months through nine years of age and pregnant women who live in the Coeur d’Alene Basin near the Coeur d’Alene River from Cave Lake to Mullan. Clinic locations and times are today from 9:30 a.m.6 p.m., at Canyon Elementary School, Cataldo, and July 30-31, Aug. 3-5, from 9:30 a.m.-6 p.m., at Silver Hills Middle School, Osburn. For more information, call Jerry Cobb at Panhandle Health District, 783-0707.
Kellogg
The Shoshone County Fire District recently bought a new set of “jaws of life” to upgrade its rescue abilities, said District II Chief Dale Costa. The Hurst Maverick Combo tool was a joint purchase by the city of Kellogg and the district for $3,942.
MONTANA
LINCOLN COUNTY Libby
Libby and Lincoln County were chosen to help pilot a new federal program aimed at grass-roots disaster mitigation efforts. Administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Project Impact’s purpose is to get communities started in avoiding and reducing damage from future disasters before they occur. It’s a change from FEMA’s traditional role of stepping in after a disaster occurs, said agency representative Mike McCoy.