The County Lines
WASHINGTON
Adams County Ritzville
Travis McBride is an enterprising young farmer. Mcbride, 9, hand-spread wheat seed in his grandparents’ back yard in the hope of harvesting his own mini-crop. Now he’s cutting the stalks using grass shears, then hauling the grain in a tiny truck bed he made himself. He says he’ll use the grain for art projects to be exhibited at the Wheat Lands Communities Fair.
Ferry County Republic
The annual county fair is approaching, and fair coordinators are calling for exhibits. Fair books with exhibit information and premium listings are available at the Public Utilities District, the courthouse and the Washington State University cooperative extension office. People wishing to enter artwork, animals, cooking or items in any other category may register Sept. 1 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Grant County Moses Lake
Jessica Himsl was named Miss Moses Lake at a recent pageant. Himsl, a student at Central Washington University, plans to be commissioned in the U.S. Air Force after graduation. The runner-up was Vanessa Minatani.
Lincoln County Davenport
Police officer Mike Sullivan is back in Davenport blues for the first time since being dismissed from the local force nearly five years ago. Sullivan recently was reinstated by the local Civil Service Commission after a lengthy legal battle. The commission found that former Police Chief Phil Robertson and former Mayor Carr Killin did not follow the rules of progressive discipline when they fired Sullivan in 1994.
Pend Oreille County Diamond Lake
Property owners here have agreed to look into a self-taxing district to battle Eurasian milfoil. The noxious water weed, taking over the waters of Diamond Lake, can choke waterways and make swimming dangerous. More than 60 property owners agreed to consider taxing themselves in an effort to keep their water milfoil-free.
Spokane County Spokane
The Chase Gallery at City Hall will be exhibiting artworks by Ruben Trejo during September. Trejo is a professor of art at Eastern Washington University, and his work has been exhibited at the Seattle Folk Life Festival and the Winnipeg Art Gallery. His art also is included in the collections of the National Museum of American Art and the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. Chase Gallery hours are from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays and whenever City Hall is open for evening meetings.
Stevens County Chewelah
Hoping to attract tourism dollars, the city will hold a public meeting Tuesday to discuss downtown revitalization. The city also has spent $47,000 to hire the Tom Hudson Co. as a consultant. The meeting, which will give all residents a chance to talk about their views of Chewelah’s future, will get under way at 6:30 p.m. at the Civic Center.
Whitman County Colfax
Whitman County commissioners are expected to continue discussions Monday on creating a Pullman Moscow Corridor District. The controversial issue of whether to allow more development along the eight-mile stretch between the two towns is on the commissioners’ agenda between 11 a.m. and noon. Under the plan being considered, a developer could apply for a conditional use permit to develop businesses on a minimum of 10 acres while keeping 50 percent of the land as open space.
IDAHO
Benewah County St. Maries
St. Maries Head Start is accepting applications for its preschool program for 3- and 4-year-olds. In addition to preschool, Head Start provides health and resource information to families. For more information, call (208) 245-6519.
Bonner County Priest Lake
East Shore Road at Priest Lake will be closed next month while Idaho Department of Lands crews repair two bridges. Access beyond the Caribou Creek and Lion Creek bridges will be possible on state Highway 57 on the west side of the lake. The Caribou Creek bridge will be closed beginning Sept. 20, and work on the Lion Creek bridge will begin Sept. 27. Each bridge will be closed up to a week.
Boundary County Bonners Ferry
The Boundary County Museum, which has been open in Bonners Ferry since 1975, includes a collection of pioneer artifacts, photos and a comprehensive collection of early medical tools used by a Bonners Ferry doctor. The museum is located in the Boundary County Library on Main Street.
Kootenai County Coeur d’Alene
The Panhandle Health District board will consider today its position on Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway’s proposed refueling depot near Hauser. Ken Lustig, the district’s environmental health director, is scheduled to present a position paper just after 1 p.m. at 2195 Ironwood Court in Coeur d’Alene.
Latah County Moscow
Washington Mutual Bank is moving to the Palouse Mall after five years in the Rosauers supermarket. The new branch will include four teller stations, two drive-through windows and one 24-hour automated teller machine. The Palouse Mall branch will open Sept. 13, and the Rosauers branch will stay open through Oct. 31.
Shoshone County Kellogg
High-density polyethylene pipe is being hauled in Kellogg this week for the second phase of the Milo Creek permanent improvement project. Go Pro Construction expects to have six truckloads delivered per day with two 40-foot-long sections of pipe on each truck. The pipe sections will be stored in nearby Wardner before being fused into a span that will run between the Washington School district and Corduroy Hill. Installation of the 54-inch pipe will take about four weeks.
MONTANA
Lincoln County Eureka
A free diabetes/hypoglycemia clinic will be held at the Tobacco Valley Senior Citizens Center in Eureka on Thursday. The clinics are held the fourth Thursday of each month from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.