The County Lines

Fri., July 23, 1999

Washington

Adams County

Othello

Native son Jim Sandusky is making headlines again. A 1979 OHS grad, Sandusky was a professional wide receiver in the National Football League and Canadian Football League for several years. Now retired, Sandusky has invented special gloves for wide receivers, called Sandman gloves. He has patented a special rubber compound that receivers swear by, and Nike has contracted to distribute it.

Ferry County

Republic

Ferry County fairgoers won’t see a horse barn at the fairgrounds this year. Heavily damaged after last May’s flood, the barn needed to be rebuilt. Federal funds were available if the barn’s location was moved out of the floodplain. Fair officials raised the elevation of the current location, only to learn grant funds weren’t available for that spot. It’s now too late to build a horse barn for this year’s event, because the environmental assessment for the new site has not been completed.

Grant County

George

Although the Gorge Amphitheater has brought record tourism dollars to the county, police say the dollars don’t come without a price. At a recent trio of rock concerts, Grant County sheriff’s deputies were kept busy with a mini-crime wave. Drug cases skyrocketed, as did traffic accidents and citations. Rockers headlining during the crime surge included Ozzy Osborne, the Dave Matthews Band and Black Sabbath.

Lincoln County

Wilbur

Locals interested in getting involved have plenty of ways to help their community. Upcoming elections show three school board positions up for grabs. Three town council seats and the mayor’s gavel are also listed on the upcoming ballot. Neighboring towns of Creston and Almira have three open school board and city council seats each. Almira’s mayor’s seat is also on the line.

Pend Oreille County

Newport

Parking is a controversial subject for Pend Oreille County commissioners. As the county readies plans for a building complex, they find they have little space available for parking. The Newport Park Board will not forfeit city park property for the 65-100 parking spots needed. The complex includes Quail Manor, the counseling service building and possibly a courthouse annex.

Spokane County

Spokane

The Sierra Club will host a hike along the Salmo River, as far as Salmo Cabin on Saturday. Hikers can expect to see moose, elk, birds and fields of wildflowers. Meet at Lewis and Clark High School, 521 W. Fourth, at 8 a.m. Call 370-8413 for more information.

Stevens County

Kettle Falls

After public outrage at new pool rules, the City Council has made some changes. The strict no lifejackets rule was modified to let disabled persons use flotation devices. As for the rule of having every child under 6 accompanied by either a parent or guardian over the age of 15, many single parents complained that they’d have to hire a baby sitter to help take their children swimming. The council changed the rule to say that two children can swim if accompanied by someone 18 or older.

Whitman County

Pullman

The Pullman School Board has appointed Thomas Alsbury as the new Pullman High principal. Alsbury attended the University of Washington from 1983-1988, receiving bachelor’s degrees in molecular biology and in chemistry, and a master’s in education. In 1995, he received his superintendent certification from Washington State University. Since 1992, Alsbury has been working as the K-12 principal at Naselle-Grays River Valley School District in Naselle, Wash. He starts his new job Aug. 2.

IDAHO

Benewah County

St. Maries

Heyburn State Park will present a series of campfire programs this weekend. Saturday will feature butterfly programs at the Hawley’s Landing Campground amphitheater. “The Invincible, Invisible Butterfly” for Junior Rangers will begin at 10 a.m. and “Beautiful Butterflies,” a campfire program, starts at 7:30 p.m. On Sunday, “The Life and Death of a Forest,” a nature hike, will begin at 9 a.m. at the Indian Cliffs and Nature Trail trailhead across from park headquarters. For more information on the programs, call (208) 686-1308.

Bonner County

Sandpoint

The University of Idaho Bonner County Extension Office is sponsoring a forest insect and disease field day on July 30. Topics will include bark beetles, root diseases, stem decays, dwarf mistletoes and white pine blister rust. The program will start at 8 a.m. at the extension office and end by 4 p.m. A $5 registration fee covers refreshments and resource materials. For information, call (208) 263-8511.

Boundary County

Bonners Ferry

Four U.S. Air Force F-15s from Mountain Home Air Force Base will perform July 31 at 11 a.m. in celebration of Bonners Ferry’s Centennial. The celebration also will feature a community ice cream social, class reunions and a microbrewfest on Saturday, and the Centennial Art Show at Paradise Valley Inn on Sunday.

Kootenai County

Coeur d’Alene

Open burning will end in most areas of Kootenai County on Aug. 1 due to drying weather. Burning operations should be completed by this date and all fires started since last fall should be patrolled to ensure they are out. According to Deputy Fire Chief Rich Kirsch, the city of Coeur d’Alene will continue to issue burn permits through July 30. These permits will expire at dusk July 31. Contact local fire agencies for information in specific areas.

Latah County

Troy

An 18-month deconsolidation study gets under way this month to decided whether the east and west sides of the Whitepine School District should be split. On Monday, residents will have a chance to meet with a consultant from a firm that studies school finance and construction throughout the Northwest. The meeting - to hear from residents of Troy, Deary, Bovill and Elk River - is at 7 p.m. at the Deary School cafeteria.

Shoshone County

Mullan

An advanced telephone system is being installed in the Mullan School District. School board trustees approved the purchase and installation of the $12,650 system in May. The system includes an intercom, conference calling, voice messaging and security features. CommWorld of Coeur d’Alene is installing the system.

MONTANA

Lincoln County

Troy

Vandals caused an estimated $9,000 in damage at Troy High School on July 4. Vandals sprayed fire extinguishers on electronic equipment. Extinguishers were sprayed on televisions, VCRs and computers in several rooms at the high school. Computers in the Lincoln County Learning Center lab, which were bought with county funds for the public, were not damaged. The Troy Police Department is investigating the incident.

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