The County Lines
WASHINGTON
Adams County
Ritzville
Pigeons roosting in downtown Ritzville are spotting the reputation of local businesses. The City Council has received numerous complaints about the birds. One local business has been outfitted with netting to prevent nesting. City superintendent Larry Swift reports he has trapped nearly 80 pigeons for relocation, but “they are reproducing faster than we can catch them.”
Ferry County
Republic
Ferry County is doing something about the fact that it leads the state in alcohol-related collisions. Area law enforcement and emergency personnel are banding together to form a DUI/Traffic Safety Task Force. Ferry County tallies three times the number of drunken driving accidents per capita as the state average, and ranks tops in traffic and pedestrian fatalities.
Grant County
Moses Lake
Going through a population and economic boom, Grant County will be featured in the December edition of Washington CEO magazine. Editor Jack Mayne recently spent several days in the area talking to local business and political figures. The county, known for its agricultural stability, is experiencing amazing growth in employment opportunities.
Lincoln County
Davenport
Local students will no longer hit the road for a burger at lunch. Although the school has long had a closed campus, Davenport High School has never enforced the policy. Superintendent Jim Howard, taking to heart community cries to curb drug and alcohol use by students, says the policy needs to be enforced for safety and district liability reasons.
Pend Oreille County
Newport
Aspiring thespians are invited to get insider tips on auditions at an upcoming workshop. The class, sponsored by CREATE, will be led by David Denman Smith. Participants may bring a prepared musical or dramatic audition piece of their choice. The workshop will take place at CREATE Place, today from 3 to 6 p.m. Denman Smith is a veteran director of Spokane Civic Theatre.
Spokane County
Deer Park
Traffic here has dropped in the last year, according to a recent study. The only streets that showed traffic increases were South Fir and North streets. The busiest street this year was South Main at 7,174 cars per day. That’s nearly 500 fewer automobiles than the previous year, said Roger Krieger, director of community services.
Stevens County
Colville
Motorists on Highway 395 between Colville and Chewelah are being warned of an increasing number of deer on the road. Washington State Patrol reports show three animals hit each day for the last month on that stretch of highway. “A tremendous number of deer are killed on Highway 395,” says the DOT’s Roger Horton, who says many deer-car collisions are not reported. More than 1,500 deer have been killed since 1990 between Chewelah and the Canadian border.
Whitman County
Pullman
The Pullman School District must cut $550,000 from its current budget to make up for budget overruns and lower revenues last year, officials said this week. “We have some significant problems and need to take some pretty serious action to address this,” Superintendent Douglas Nelson told the Pullman school board Wednesday. Teachers and staff were also notified of the looming budget crisis.
IDAHO
Benewah County
St. Maries
Kiwanis recently distributed $3,000 to nonprofit organizations in St. Maries. The money, raised during the Sept. 19 community walkathon, will buy band uniforms for high school students, books for elementary students, help furnish the hospital and educate caregivers of the terminally ill. Kiwanis supports more than 30 other organizations and awards $1,500 a year in college scholarships.
Bonner County
Sandpoint
A house design class for youth in grades seven and up will be held Tuesdays from Nov. 10 through Dec. 5 from 2:15-3:15 p.m. in the Sandpoint Middle School art room. Students will learn basic drafting and design skills from instructor Warren Carlson. Class cost is $21, with city residents receiving a $3 discount. Register at the Recreation Department, 1123 Lake St., or call (208) 263-3613.
Boundary County
Bonners Ferry
The Community Choir will begin practice for the holiday season at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday. The group will practice Tuesdays through the week of the Christmas concerts Dec. 18 and 20. Members of the community are invited to join the group, which meets in the Trinity Lutheran Church.
Kootenai County
Post Falls
The Post Falls Eagles meet at 209 E. Railroad Ave. at 7 p.m. on the first and third Thursdays of the month. The auxiliary meets the second and fourth Thursdays of the month at 7 p.m. at the same address. Dinners are served to the public every Friday from 5-7 p.m. For information, call (208) 773-4649.
Latah County
Troy
Troy recently received part of $15,000 in Cooperative Forestry grants for tree planting and other community forestry purposes from the Forest Service’s Northern Region. Thirteen community project proposals were submitted to the Forest Service, with grants awarded to eight communities in three states. Communities match federal funds with cash, volunteer labor, supplies, materials or equipment. Communities also must have a commitment from local Forest Service employees to donate volunteer services.
Shoshone County
Kellogg
School will not be in session at Kellogg School District Thursday for grades K-8 and Friday for grades K-12 for parent/teacher conferences. Kellogg Middle School will hold special invitation conferences Thursday from 8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Drop-in conferences will be Thursday from 4:45-7:15 p.m. and 8-11:30 a.m. Friday. At Kellogg High School, drop-in conferences are scheduled for 5-7:45 p.m. Thursday and 8-11:30 a.m. Friday.
MONTANA
Lincoln County
Libby
The Libby School Board approved a dual credit system Oct. 20 that will enable Libby High School students to earn college credits while in high school. The agreement will have a formal second reading at the November board meeting. After that, students will be able to take courses from the Lincoln County campus of Flathead Valley Community College during second semester, which begins Jan. 22.