The County Lines

Fri., March 5, 1999

WASHINGTON

ADAMS COUNTY

Ritzville

After 25 years in trooper blues, Washington State Patrol Sgt. Kris Boness has hung up his hat. Boness, from the Ritzville detachment, retired in January. Taking over duties is Sgt. Fred Bjornberg. Bjornberg is a 15-year WSP veteran, with military police and police dog experience. The sergeant says his wife and two children will remain in Ellensburg for now because of school-related activities.

FERRY COUNTY

Republic

The end of February was busy for emergency response teams in Ferry County. Nearly 60 calls were logged at 911 headquarters at the Sheriff’s Department between Feb. 13 and 20. Calls ranged from controlled burns, traffic hazards, health problems and curfew violation to disabled vehicles, assault, domestic violence and animal control.

GRANT COUNTY

Moses Lake

Skyline residents no longer will be forced to use bottled water. The Moses Lake City Council voted to provide city water to that area without an annexation agreement.

The water hook-up will save the Port of Moses Lake $2,500 each month in bottled water costs. Still, residents are unhappy. They don’t want city water because of the taste and expense. The state says residents have no choice but to accept city water.

LINCOLN COUNTY

Wilbur

City crews are investigating the source of excess water infiltrating the sewer system. The extra water fills lagoons this time of year, forcing the city to discharge treated effluent into Goose Creek. The city has a permit to release the treated water into the creek, but that permit expires in June.

PEND OREILLE COUNTY

Newport

Pooh’s Corner, a day-care center for 35 youngsters, has been closed by the state. The center’s license was revoked over allegations of neglect and not being operated by licensed providers. A child climbed over a protective gate, went through an unlocked door and across U.S. Highway 2. He was found in the Safeway parking lot.

SPOKANE COUNTY

Spokane

Master gardener Dave Swett is giving a free seminar on growing early season vegetables organically on March 23 at the Indian Trail Branch Library. His approach will focus on ways to raise 10 different vegetables, how to prepare the soil and methods for fertilizing them. The session is at 7 p.m.

STEVENS COUNTY

Colville

Area residents have a unique opportunity to give more than blood at the March 9 blood drive at the United Methodist Church. The Inland Northwest Blood Center is offering free registration on the National Marrow Donor Program. Because Colville always has been supportive of blood drives, the center has asked locals to see if they match with someone needing a marrow transplant.

WHITMAN COUNTY

St. John

Local youth Derek Miller will be hooping it up at the regional Elk’s Hoop Shoot. Miller finished third in the state free throw competition in Seattle recently. In the boys 12-13 age bracket, Miller drained 17 of 25 freebies to earn a trip to Portland for regionals. If he’s successful there, he will advance to the national Hoop Shoot in Massachusetts.

IDAHO

BENEWAH COUNTY

St. Maries

Benewah County had the third highest state unemployment rate in January at 12.2 percent. The rate reflects 604 people of the county’s 4,938 civilian labor force. The county’s unemployment rate in January 1998 was 9.8 percent.

BONNER COUNTY

Sandpoint

Weather permitting, the Hope Cemetery Committee plans to begin cleaning up the cemetery in March. The committee’s goal is to clean and level the ground, seed grass and repair and reset stones. Donations are being accepted for the project and can be sent to: Hope Cemetery Fund, P.O. Box 209, Hope, ID 83836.

BOUNDARY COUNTY

Bonners Ferry

Free tax preparation services are available to middle- and low-income residents of Boundary County. The AARP Tax Aide Program is available at the Senior Hospitality Center from 9 a.m. to noon Mondays and Wednesdays through April 15. For information, call John Tucker at (208) 267-7896.

KOOTENAI COUNTY

Coeur d’Alene

Applications for United Way of Kootenai County funding in 2000 will be available March 10. A workshop on the application process will be 10-11:30 a.m., on March 10 in Fox Auditorium at Kootenai Medical Center.

Applications are available at the United Way office, 105 N. Fourth, in Coeur d’Alene. The deadline for submitting applications is April 23.

LATAH COUNTY

Moscow

The Moscow Chamber of Commerce’s annual Business Extravaganza begins today at Eastside Marketplace. The event will run 5 to 8 p.m. tonight, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. More than 40 area exhibitors will attend. The event will include martial arts and cooking demonstrations, and drawings including bags of groceries and a $1,000 shopping spree. For information, call the chamber at (208) 882-1800.

SHOSHONE COUNTY

Wallace

Wallace School District is considering closing Osburn Elementary. Superintendent Nancy Vandeventer recommended to the board of trustees that the school be closed because it would be more efficient to move the students to other district schools. Under the proposal, first through third grades would move to Wallace Elementary, and grades four and five would move to Silver Hills Middle School. The board did not make a decision on the recommendation.

MONTANA

LINCOLN COUNTY

Troy

Troy City Council has scaled down the proposed water rate increase for residents to $3. The council was considering a recommendation to raise rates $6 a month, but believes a $3 increase is enough to keep the water fund in the black. With the new recommendation, 75 cents of each resident’s bill would be used to retire water fund debts over a 10-year-period, 65 cents would be used for annual water line repairs and maintenance expenses and $1.60 would go toward a capital improvement fund. The council will meet with the public March 24 at 7 p.m. in the city annex building to discuss the rate increase.

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