The County Lines
WASHINGTON
ADAMS COUNTY
Ritzville
Local resident Ingrid Hein recently let her neighbors know what a special place Ritzville is. Hein placed a large bucket of Halloween candy on her porch because she was too busy inside to answer the door for trick-or-treaters. Although friends predicted the entire haul would be stolen, Hein reports the candy lasted the duration, with many little voices saying “thank you” to her house.
FERRY COUNTY
Republic
Having been recently declared a federal disaster area due to severe flooding in May, Ferry County is also eligible for a disaster prevention program. Funded by the state, the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program will look for potential hazards in the county and ways to prevent them. The Curlew and Orient water systems are already being recommended for mitigation.
GRANT COUNTY
Moses Lake
With the return of a sugar refinery to the basin comes a bittersweet problem - what to do with the mountains of sugar beets piled up at the plant. The Pacific Northwest Sugar Company plant processes nearly 30,000 tons of beets per day, but with 1,300 truckloads of beets arriving at the facility each day, there is plenty of work ahead. The basin sugar beet harvest is only half over.
LINCOLN COUNTY
Davenport
Grappling with parental concerns over alleged rampant drug use by students, the Davenport School District brought in a drug dog to sniff around recently. Nothing was found. “Now this doesn’t sound to me like a school with a serious drug problem,” board member Gabriella McDonald said.
PEND OREILLE COUNTY
Newport
Athletes at Newport High School will pay to play until the district can get back on its feet financially. Facing a severe budget deficit due to dwindling enrollment, the district asked athletes to pay $35 per sport to defray costs. Athletes unable to pay the fee will receive assistance getting a job. Students and coaches see the fee as a “necessary evil.”
SPOKANE COUNTY
Cheney
The Cheney Community Center is starting a “Tuesday Night Tutoring” program for local youth. Students of all ages - including college - may stop by the church at 1307 Third between 6 and 9 p.m. Help is available in English, math and science, and other subjects as needed.
STEVENS COUNTY
Colville
What started as a volunteer gig is now in her blood - literally. Dorothy Walley, 88, has been coordinating local blood drives for 10 years. Tireless in her duties, she was recently honored by the American Association of Blood Banks with an Award of Merit. Walley not only recruited and trained volunteers, but received record numbers of blood donations. She invites all to the fall blood drive at Colville United Methodist Church on Tuesday.
WHITMAN COUNTY
Pullman
Residents and students who have contact with the Washington State University police department are being asked to rank the department’s performance. Survey cards are being mailed to 200 people, WSU Police Chief Bill Mercier said. The survey asks about how quickly officers respond, their appearance, demeanor and ability to handle the circumstances. Respondents, who are not required to give their names, are also asked to discuss campus safety issues.
IDAHO
BENEWAH COUNTY
St. Maries
Frank Bartel, author of “The World That Never Was,” will lecture on the mechanics, pitfalls and successes of writing and publishing a novel Nov. 14 at the Presbyterian church. A salad lunch will be served at noon, with the lecture at 1 p.m. The luncheon is sponsored by the St. Maries Art Council.
BONNER COUNTY
Priest River
Karen Squires and Jeff Pitts were appointed Nov. 2 to the city library board by Mayor Tom Hartliep. They fill two of three vacancies created by the resignations of Sandy Bogen, Gloria Larsen and Kathy Spitz.
BOUNDARY COUNTY
Bonners Ferry
Friday is the deadline for reserving license plate numbers. Boundary County license numbers can be reserved at the Boundary County Motor Vehicle License Department downstairs in the courthouse. For more information, call the Motor Vehicle Department at (208) 267-7613.
KOOTENAI COUNTY
Coeur d’Alene
Kootenai Medical Center Foundation’s Festival of Trees gala is set for 6 p.m. to 1 a.m. Nov. 28 at The Coeur d’Alene Resort. During the evening, people can bid on trees at an auction. Tickets are $90 per person and available at the KMC Foundation office, 2003 Lincoln Way, (208) 666-2345.
LATAH COUNTY
Troy
A public hearing is scheduled for Monday to discuss an ordinance needed to issue a $1 per month fee per utility account to cover the cost of street lighting in Troy. The fees would raise $5,000 a year to help pay the $10,000 per year Washington Water Power bill. Shoshone County Kingston Pinehurst/Kingston contract carrier Lesa Behm has received the Eagle Spirit Award from the U.S. Postal Service. Behm earned the award because of her personal dedication, leadership and personification of the spirit of the Postal Service’s ideals and commitment to excellence. The award is given to one highway contract carrier in Idaho.
MONTANA
LINCOLN COUNTY
Troy
The city of Troy’s request for a hardship grant to fund the second phase of its sewage treatment plant project has been turned down by the state Department of Environmental Quality. The city will now pursue funding for the second phase, which is expected to cost about $2 million, through rural development, with payback of those loans coming from additional monthly fees.