The County Lines

Wed., Nov. 4, 1998

WASHINGTON

ADAMS COUNTY

Ritzville

Although still high above the state average, the unemployment rate in Adams County is dropping. The jobless rate declined from 8 percent in June to 7.5 percent in July. Meanwhile, the state unemployment rate was 4.4 percent. Because Adams County’s rate is above the state average, the county is categorized as “distressed” and is eligible for special state funds.

FERRY COUNTY

Orient

The Kettle River Grange has a new roof. A group of 56 men, women and children recently ripped off the roof and installed a new one in just more than a day. To offset the cost of the roof, the Grange is holding a consignment auction on Saturday at 10 a.m. People needing Christmas cash or who don’t have enough items for a garage sale are welcome to bring items to the sale. For information, call (509) 738-6050.

GRANT COUNTY

Grand Coulee

More than 500 job seekers converged on the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation recently to be tested for openings in an apprenticeship program. But only the first 200 people were able to take the test.

Those topping the list do not have guaranteed jobs but may be accepted into a four-year program for pipe fitters, machinists and electricians. Power plant operators with an electrical background earn $24.60 per hour, but apprentices start at lower pay. The test is transferable to all Bureau of Reclamation dams.

LINCOLN COUNTY

Almira

Area hunters cleaned up in the Wilbur Department Store’s recent “Big Bucks for Big Bucks” promotion. Rewarding the hunter bagging the largest deer with $75 in hunting gear, the store named Almira’s Charlene Monson, 14, the winner in the mule deer category. Her mule deer, shot on opening day, had five points on one side, six on the other. John Coppersmith, also of Almira, tagged the biggest white-tailed deer.

PEND OREILLE COUNTY

Newport

Todd Green, who plays a wide variety of music using more than 40 instruments, will perform in concert Sunday at 3 p.m. at Sadie Halstead Middle School. The concert will be followed by a musicians workshop at 7 p.m. Green will lead participants in a jam session. For information, call (509) 447-2345.

SPOKANE COUNTY

Airway Heights

The Airway Heights Fire Department recently celebrated its 40th anniversary. The department has a paid chief but is staffed mostly by volunteers who have donated thousands of hours of service to the city.

STEVENS COUNTY

Loon Lake

Soup’s on! The Library of the Lakes is holding a soup dinner fund-raiser on Friday at 6:30 p.m. The dinner, which will feature 12 homemade kettle creations, costs $5 for adults and $2.50 for children and also includes bread, beverage and dessert. In addition, local author Al Liere will read from his new outdoors book, “Dancin’ with Shirley,” which will be available for purchase.

WHITMAN COUNTY

Colfax

Basil and Judith Hartley, owners of Hartley’s Wheel Inn in Steptoe, have purchased the Wheat & Barley restaurant in Colfax. The Hartleys have owned the Wheel Inn for four years. Basil Hartley is a proponent of changing Whitman County’s “dry” status which prohibits the sale of liquor in rural areas. Hartley said he wants to add a lounge to his Steptoe restaurant but the law prohibits it. The question was on Tuesday’s ballot.

IDAHO

BENEWAH COUNTY

St. Maries

Telecommunications service in the rural St. Maries area will be disrupted at 11 p.m. today, but the outage is expected to last no more than two hours as GTE technicians relocate a fiber-optic cable at state Highway 3 and St. Joe River Road. The cable serves Calder, Avery, St. Joe city and the Hoyt Flats ranger station.

BONNER COUNTY

Clark Fork

Clark Fork teens George Klontz and Emily Emmer spent a day and a half lost in the woods near Whitetail Peak after becoming disoriented by fog while spotting elk Saturday morning. Search-and-rescue workers, who began looking for the pair Sunday morning, found the teens walking along a road Sunday afternoon. The two were suffering from dehydration and hypothermia.

BOUNDARY COUNTY

Bonners Ferry

KBFI radio will be broadcasting “Earth and Sky” each weekday at 7:35 a.m., providing information on the Leonid meteor shower.

Astronomers expect the Nov. 17 meteor shower to be the brightest in 30 years. The program also can be found on the Internet at www.earthsky.com.

KOOTENAI COUNTY

Coeur d’Alene

The November/December issue of Northwest Travel includes Coeur d’Alene’s Fantasy in Lights and downtown lighting ceremony in its holiday feature, “12 Northwest Seasonal Treasures.” Publishers Rob and Alicia Spooner were invited to Coeur d’Alene for the 1997 festival by the Coeur d’Alene-Post Falls Convention and Visitor Bureau. The article highlights the lighted parade, eagle-viewing cruises and shopping.

LATAH COUNTY

Moscow

Latah County Historical Society’s annual harvest dinner will be Sunday from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. in the Moscow Junior High School cafeteria. Clarence Johnson will play the accordion, and drawings will be held for raffle prizes. Gift items from McConnell Mansion’s museum store also will be available. Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for children ages 6 to 12 and free of charge for children under 6. Tickets may be purchased at the door or in advance at the McConnell Mansion today to Sunday from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

SHOSHONE COUNTY

Silver Valley

Leaf and branch pickup is under way in the Silver Valley. In Kellogg, the service will begin Monday and continue through the week and may be extended if there is a large need for additional hauling. Pinehurst residents have until the end of next week to put out branches and leaves and are asked to call City Hall at (208) 682-3127 to have them picked up by a city crew. Wallace residents may place leaves and small branches in street gutters for the next couple of weeks as city crews come through with loaders and trucks.

MONTANA

LINCOLN COUNTY

Libby

Specialists from MCS Environmental Inc. of Spokane and Missoula have concluded that while floor tiles in Memorial Gym contain asbestos, the levels of the cancercausing agent are low and are in a form not likely to be released into the air where the asbestos could become a health concern. A second report was commissioned by Flathead Valley Community College, and officials plan to meet later in the week with Lincoln County campus director Russ Poppen to compare the reports. The gym was closed three weeks ago on the advice of a state Department of Health and Environmental Sciences official and a consulting engineer from the community college.

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