The County Lines

Fri., June 4, 1999

WASHINGTON

Adams County Ritzville

Inmates at the Adams County Jail should have an easier time calling home. County commissioners recently signed an agreement with Gateway Technologies Inc. to provide phones and a collect calling system. All numbers dialed from inmate phones will automatically be billed as collect. Inmates will also be able to more easily dial out-of-state.

Ferry County Republic

County commissioners say they are not responsible for erosion problems on David and Kathy Vincent’s property. The couple says that erosion caused by county snowplows and melting snowbanks is wreaking havoc with their Pete’s Retreat Road land. Commissioners say the Vincents didn’t make provisions for drainage when they developed their property. Commissioners told them to look to the local conservation district for mitigation ideas.

Lincoln County Sprague

Sprague postal carriers collected almost 450 pounds of food for the local food bank recently. Postal employees across the country held food drives. In Sprague, the bounty will go a long way toward restocking shelves that have been steadily emptied over the past few months. The Sprague Food Bank serves the Sprague-Lamont communities and outlying areas mainly through donations.

Pend Oreille County Newport

Music lovers will want to be in Newport this summer for the “Concert in the Park” series. On the musical menu is Wylie and the Wild West Show, Easy Pickin’s, The Black Irish Band, and Stagecoach West. Styles range from Western honky-tonk to folk to ‘50s hop music. Wylie and the Wild West will kick off the series June 26 at 2 p.m. The concert series runs through Aug. 1.

Spokane County Colbert

Twin Totems Gallery, 5117 E. Green Bluff Road, will display watercolors by Dixie Slaton and pastels by Thelma Giampietri through the end of June. Call 238-6353 for more information.

Whitman County

Graduation ceremonies for most high schools in Whitman County commence this weekend. Colfax High School graduation begins Friday at 7 p.m., Garfield-Palouse High School graduation starts Saturday at 1 p.m., St. John-Endicott’s ceremony begins at 2 p.m. Sunday, Colton High School graduation starts at 11 a.m. Saturday, Tekoa’s commencement begins at 1 p.m. Saturday, LaCrosse begins at 4 p.m. Saturday and Oakesdale High School graduation will be June 12 at 1 p.m.

IDAHO

Benewah County St. Maries

An early morning fire damaged two St. Maries businesses May 27. The fire in the building of Park and Rogers law firm and St. Maries Floral and Gifts started about midnight inside the roof of the building, according to the St. Maries Fire District. The law offices sustained smoke, water and structural damage, while the floral shop sustained smoke damage.

Bonner County Oldtown

The Leisure and Educational Culture Program is seeking host families for English-speaking French students for one month this summer. Families interested in participating in either July or August can receive more information by contacting Jean Hauritz at (208) 437-3686.

Boundary County Bonners Ferry

Property valuation notices will be mailed to property owners Monday in Boundary County. Notices will include an estimate of property taxes for the current year. For questions about the assessment notices, call the Assessor’s Office at (208) 267-3301. June 28 is the deadline for corrections and for filing an appeal of valuations with the county clerk for the Board of Equalization.

Kootenai County Coeur d’Alene

The University of Idaho Kootenai County Extension Office will sponsor “Logging Safety for Landowners” on June 22. The program will give forest owners a basic orientation of logging safety, followed by an afternoon of field demonstrations. The program will begin at 8 a.m. at the extension office. To register, call (208) 667-6426.

Latah County Moscow

The University of Idaho Enrichment Program is offering a class called “North Idaho Flora with Emphasis on Ethnobotany” at the UI Clark Fork Field Campus, on June 12. The class will include a discussion of folklore and the uses of plants for food, medicine and fiber, and a field excursion to identify plants in a variety of habitats in north Idaho. Class cost is $19 per person. Optional lodging is available Friday or Saturday nights for $10.70 per person. For information or to register, call Edie Kinucan, UI Clark Fork Field Campus, (208) 266-1452.

Shoshone County Wallace

Officials in the East Shoshone Water District have lifted watering restrictions. Filter plants were unable to meet system demands because a rapid runoff caused water to run fast and dirty.

MONTANA

Lincoln County Libby

The Lincoln County weed and rodent board is seeking help from state officials to keep the county weed program. Lincoln County commissioners have submitted a proposal to phase out the weed department as it now exists in midOctober and replace it with scaledback efforts managed by the road department. The proposal is part of cuts aimed at reducing the county budget by more than $500,000.

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