The County Lines
WASHINGTON
Adams County Othello
Local high school students soon will be taking college courses without ever leaving town.
Big Bend Community College will rent classroom space from the Othello School District to house the popular Running Start program. The program will be run by video-conferencing with the Moses Lake campus.
Ferry County Republic
Hoping to save money on incarceration, Ferry County Prosecutor Steve Graham is looking into state-mandated electronic home monitoring for second-time DUI offenders. Cost for this program is $6.75 per day, much less than a jail stay.
The county is studying where the $10,000 in program start-up costs would come from.
Grant County Ephrata
The Ephrata Police Department is alerting all residents that the department is not conducting a phone solicitation campaign for donations.
Chief Joe Varick was called twice last week by residents claiming a man was asking for money in the name of the local “McGruff Crime Prevention Fund.”
Varick recommends anyone receiving similar phone calls asking for money for local agencies call the charity check hotline set up by the Secretary of State. That number is 1-800-332-4483.
Lincoln County Davenport
A local family has been evacuated from their home after gas and fumes leaked into the house.
The state Department of Ecology is investigating the incident, which may have been caused by a fuel tank leak from the neighboring Price Less Gas station, closed for nearly two years. About 200 gallons of fuel remained in the tanks.
Bruce and Dawn Dehn and their three children cannot go home until the leak is stopped and the mess cleaned up.
Pend Oreille County Newport
The Newport City Council is planning to give police officers a 2.6 percent cost of living raise. With that, newly hired Police Chief Bill Clark will see his salary increase to $48,600. The salary for an entry-level officer will increase to $32,000 per year.
Spokane County Airway Heights
Police Chief Jim Nettles is warning people in Airway Heights not to discard their junk mail in public places if the sender is soliciting for financial services.
Credit offers could be stolen and used for fraud. Checks to set up credit lines could be stolen and cashed. That kind of mail should be destroyed or defaced before being discarded, preferably at home, the chief said.
Recently, someone has been rummaging through waste baskets at the Airway Heights post office and taking discarded mail, the chief said.
Stevens County Colville
All who are elderly, in need or alone are invited to a very special Thanksgiving dinner. The traditional meal of turkey, dressing and pumpkin pie will be served at the Colville Junior High cafeteria and is, of course, free.
Those who wish to help serve or prepare the food are asked to call Linda Murto at (509) 684-5792. Reservations are nice, but not required, she said.
Whitman County Colfax
Colfax High School student Abbie Kammerzell placed second in public speaking at the National Future Farmers of America Finals in Kansas City, Mo., this month.
The St. John agricultural mechanics team also placed 12th in the National FFA Agriculture Mechanic Career Development event.
IDAHO
Benewah County St. Maries
Settling ponds are being built on both sides of state Highway 3 at Reid’s Corner to catch runoff from roadwork on the highway project. The $5.5 million project, which began in August, is set to be completed by July 1999.
The project includes widening and straightening about two miles of the highway.
Bonner County Sandpoint
Alleys within the Sandpoint Independent Highway District will be closed beginning Monday. The closure comes every year from the district’s board of commissioners to remind residents that the district is not responsible for plowing snow from alleys.
The district also reminds those who plow snow from the alleyways that it is unlawful to deposit snow or other debris on public roads.
Boundary County Bonners Ferry
The Bonners Ferry Community Choir will present Christmas concerts Dec. 18 and 20.
Community members who wish to join the group may do so by attending rehearsals every Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. at Trinity Lutheran Church. Everyone is invited to join.
Kootenai County Rathdrum
A lighted “rig” contest and parade will be a featured event at Rathdrum’s “December D’Lights” holiday celebration Dec. 5. The event, sponsored by O’Malleys Sports Pub and Grill, will start at O’Malleys on state Highway 53.
The parade will begin at 5:30 p.m. and end at City Park. No application or fee is required for participation. For information, call (208) 687-2866.
Latah County Moscow
AIDS Awareness Week will take place at the University of Idaho Nov. 30 to Dec. 4. Joyce Claypool, a Spokane resident who is living with AIDS, will make a presentation Dec. 1 at 6 p.m. in University Auditorium.
Dec. 2, a candlelight vigil honoring those living with HIV and AIDS and those who have died from the disease will be at 6 p.m. in the Student Union Building Vandal Lounge.
Two panels of the AIDS Quilt will be on display throughout the week in the Vandal Lounge. Display hours are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Other events will include free HIV testing all week at the Student Health Center.
Shoshone County Kellogg
Pam Brunsell has been named the new director of Shoshone Medical Center’s Home Health Care. She is a registered nurse and owned a home health-care business in New Mexico for 10 years. Brunsell is a former trauma nurse who flew in helicopters. Shoshone Medical Center has offered home health care since 1995.
MONTANA
Lincoln County Libby
Stimson Lumber Co. workers will work through Thanksgiving, but weak markets will give employees two weeks off for Christmas and New Year’s.
All six Stimson mills including those in Libby and Bonner, will be closed from Dec. 23 to Jan. 5.