The County Lines
WASHINGTON
ADAMS COUNTY
Ritzville
City Council members have approved a proposal for a summer recreation program. The one-week program is geared toward rural Eastern Washington towns and would cost the city nothing to run. Each participant would pay an $85 fee and receive a T-shirt from Total Rec, the company providing the program.
FERRY COUNTY
Republic
Friends of the Ferry County Library are thankful for their friends. A crew of volunteers recently moved and rearranged hundreds of books, because the addition to the library is nearly finished and ready for occupation. A quilt raffle fund-raiser is under way to pay for carpeting, which will complete the addition.
GRANT COUNTY
Moses Lake
The string is unbroken. Moses Lake High School has been the home of a Washington Scholar every year since the program began in 1981. This year is no exception as Greg Bross won the scholarship, which provides 12 quarters of full tuition at any state university. Bross sports a 3.9 GPA which he says “should have been higher.”
LINCOLN COUNTY
Odessa
Happy 98th birthday Odessa Record. The local newspaper covers the births, deaths, politics, opinions and people of southern Lincoln County every week. Record owner Don Walter has a single, yellowed copy of the first edition dated May 10, 1901. Walter has owned the paper for eight years.
PEND OREILLE COUNTY
Ione
If the Pend Oreille River looks more like a stream, that’s because the level has been dropped drastically for flood control. The Pend Oreille Public Utility District has drawn down the river behind Box Canyon to alleviate flooding danger in the Kalispel River Valley. The utility is hoping for warmer weather to dry out the Kalispel River area so it can bring Pend Oreille levels back to normal.
SPOKANE COUNTY
Cheney
The Inland Northwest Farm Safety Network will hold a conference from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. May 27 at Eastern Washington University’s Pence Union Building. The conference is free and will feature presentations on farm health and safety issues. Call (509) 359-6027 for more information or to make reservations.
STEVENS COUNTY
Colville
It is time to move on for Colville School Superintendent Rick Cole, who has accepted the top administrator job in Sunnyside, Wash. His decision comes on the heels of the second defeat of the district’s maintenance and operations levy.
WHITMAN COUNTY
Pullman
A display chronicling the Ewartsville Grange is on exhibition at the WSU Libraries exhibition case in Holland Library. The Ewartsville Grange celebrated its centennial last month. Named after Capt. James Ewart, a union army officer, Ewartsville was a thriving community located 10 miles west of Pullman on Union Flat Creek. It was a main stop on the stage route between Spokane and Lewiston, complete with a post office and schoolhouse that also served as the grange meeting hall.
The exhibit will be on display through May 31 at Holland Library on the WSU campus in Pullman.
IDAHO
BENEWAH COUNTY
St. Maries
The Benewah County unemployment rate for the month of April was 12.1 percent. The rate is up from 11.8 percent in March 1999 and 10.6 percent in April 1998. The April 1999 unemployment rate for the state of Idaho was 4.8 percent.
BONNER COUNTY
Clark Fork
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers flood teams will host a series of meetings in May to prepare for potential flooding. The teams will meet with local government officials in Clark Fork beginning May 18 for three days. They will review policy, inspect levy systems, identify potential problem areas and check emergency facilities and equipment.
BOUNDARY COUNTY
Bonners Ferry
The Second Chance Animal Adoption volunteers are looking for foster families to temporarily take in puppies and adult dogs with special needs. Families are needed until permanent homes can be found. Dog food and vet care are provided. For information, call Alice Miller at (208) 267-2023.
KOOTENAI COUNTY
Coeur d’Alene
The Coeur d’Alene Public Library Foundation has selected DeBARTOLO Architects to provide programming services for a new library. The Phoenix firm will form spaced and resource plans for the library, and plans to conduct interviews with library staff, trustees and foundation members as part of their study. Funding for the service will be provided by the foundation.
LATAH COUNTY
Moscow
A College Assistance Migrant Program will begin at the University of Idaho June 1. UI has received a five-year, $1.6 million grant for the program, which is designed to help migrant and seasonal farmworkers and their families pursue a college degree. The program will serve up to 40 people with stipends of up to $5,000 a year. The rest of the grant will be used for administrative and office costs.
SHOSHONE COUNTY
Mullan
The Mullan Pool is switching to its spring/summer hours with the start of the baseball season. The pool will operate 7-9 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays and noon to 3 p.m. Sundays. The pool will be open for lap swimming 7-8 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays. Hours will be effective throughout baseball season.
MONTANA
LINCOLN COUNTY
Libby
The cities of Libby and Troy are facing revenue reduction in the 1999-2000 budgets because of tax breaks during the recent legislative session. Libby could lose more than $7,000 from SB 184 in property tax cuts and more than $3,322 from SB 260 in motor vehicle taxes. Troy faces a loss of $4,580 in revenue, 5.3 percent of the city’s property tax collections.