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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

The County Lines

WASHINGTON

ADAMS COUNTY

Ritzville

It’s never too late to enter the fair. Albert Bauer, 84, entered the Wheat Land Communities Fair for the first time this year and nabbed three blue ribbons. Bauer, a newly converted gardener, entered two rosebuds and a gladiolus, all earning top marks. His dahlias met with a sadder fate. Bauer mistook them for weeds and dug them up early in the growing season.

FERRY COUNTY

Republic

A 1,700-acre land swap between the Seattle’s water department and the National Forest Service has county commissioners’ danders up. Because the land is publicly held, neither party pays county taxes. Property tax-poor, commissioners would rather see the land offered for private sale. The county was offered a one-time fee of between $14,000 and $20,000 to compensate for potential lost revenues, but commissioners say the offer is not enough on the land, valued at $1.3 million.

GRANT COUNTY

Ephrata

Grant County’s economic future looks to be a rosy one, a report by Chase Economics of Tacoma says. Calling the county “stable,” the report says steady farm labor numbers and solid growth in employment all are indicators that the county is a “mover and shaker” in the non-metropolitan ranks. The boom in population through the 1990s also should help.

LINCOLN COUNTY

Almira

An avid runner, Kari McKay is several thousand steps closer to the 2002 Olympics. She recently finished the Portland Marathon in 2 hours, 45 minutes - five minutes under the qualifying time for the Olympic trials in 2000. A 1987 Almira High graduate, McKay funds her racing by helping her father, Gary, with the family cattle business.

PEND OREILLE COUNTY

Newport

Hoping to build a better working relationship with teachers, the Newport School Board has scheduled a host of chat sessions with staff. They will discuss educational needs, a uniform discipline policy for all grades, and education reform.

SPOKANE COUNTY

Colbert

Spokane County Fire District No. 4 will have a free, public CPR class Oct. 28 at 7 p.m. at station 44, 17207 N. Newport Hwy. Classes are limited to 30 students. Call 467-4500 for more information.

STEVENS COUNTY

Hunters

The first day of deer hunting season wouldn’t be the same without the Cedonia Community Church’s Hunter’s Lunch. On the calendar for 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday , the meal includes stew, chili, sandwiches, beverages and homemade pie. A bake sale also is planned, with funds going toward Bible school and missions. The church is four miles north of Hunters on Highway 25 and Cedonia-Addy Road.

WHITMAN COUNTY

Palouse

Garfield-Palouse student Lea Anne Hegg, daughter of Mark and Nancy Hegg of Palouse, has been named a commended student in the 1999 National Merit Scholarship Program. She is one of 34,500 commended students throughout the nation honored for their academic promise.

IDAHO

BENEWAH COUNTY

St. Maries

TOPS ID 63 and ID 360 clubs hosted an area rally Sept. 19 for 93 orth Idaho TOPS and KOPS members from 12 clubs. The rally was at the Eagles Temple in St. Maries. Dr. Leslie Stone lectured and answered questions on dietary fat.

BONNER COUNTY

Sandpoint

The third annual Alpine Designs Fall Bike Rally will begin at 6 p.m. today with a trail ride followed by a pizza feed. On Saturday there will be a rally ride through Sandpoint, clinics and demonstrations on styles of cycling. The event raises funds for North Idaho Bikeways and a proposed BMX track. For more information call Alpine Designs at (208) 263-9373.

BOUNDARY COUNTY

Bonners Ferry

An adult CPR course is being offered at Boundary Community Hospital Monday at 8 a.m. Another class will be offered Oct. 28 at 10 a.m. To register for the $5 class, call the hospital at 267-3141.

KOOTENAI COUNTY

Coeur d’Alene

Kootenai County FEMA directors will host an orientation Oct. 28 for all nonprofit organizations interested in applying for and receiving Federal Emergency Food and Shelter program funds in 1999. The orientation will be from 1-2 p.m. at St. Vincent de Paul, 1317 N 1st Street, Coeur d’Alene. For reservations, call the United Way office at (208) 667-8112.

LATAH COUNTY

Troy

The 2nd annual Troy community Thanksgiving Dinner is being planned for Thanksgiving Day. It is open to all and donations of food and money will be appreciated. For more information, contact Rosemary at (208) 835-5024.

SHOSHONE COUNTY

Cataldo

A benefit dinner for Celia Ruff’s Christmas Fund is set for 3 p.m. Saturday at the Mission Inn in Cataldo. A can of food or a new toy will serve as admission. Proceeds will go to help those less fortunate at Christmas.

MONTANA

LINCOLN COUNTY

Libby

Westway Construction of Nine Mile Falls, Wash., has been hired for part of a $683,000 construction project to eliminate rock slides along U.S. Highway 2 between Libby and Troy. Blasting began Oct. 2 and will continue several times a week until completed.

Some of the information in The County Lines comes from readers’ tips and from community newspapers. For items outside Spokane County, send your tips by fax to The County Lines, (509) 459-5482, by mail to The County Lines, The Spokesman-Review, P.O. Box 2160, Spokane, WA 99210-2160, or by e-mail to news@spokesman.com. For items in Spokane County, send tips to Voices, The Spokesman-Review, same fax number and mail or e-mail addresses.