The County Lines

Washington

Adams County

Othello

Two old cabooses have made their final stop in Othello. The cabooses, purchased to be restored as a visitor information center and the Chamber of Commerce headquarters, arrived two weeks ago from Missouri. Because the Milwaukee Road railroad played a big role in Othello’s history, the cabooses will be restored using the original Milwaukee Road orange and black colors.

Ferry County

Republic

August was a good month for employment in Ferry County. The jobless rate was 7.5 percent - down from August 1998’s 9.2 percent. But the state jobless rate in August 1999 was only 4.6 percent.

Grant County

Quincy

Lt. William Gonzales, a 22-year veteran of the local police force, is expected to be named Quincy police chief by Mayor Dick Zimbelman. Former chief Charles Keeton retired Sept. 1 after a much-publicized falling-out with the mayor. Zimbelman is taking some time to look over a report Gonzales is preparing before making his final decision.

Lincoln County

Wilbur

Wilbur is Trove Grigsby’s new home. The native of Norway recently became a U.S. citizen as a tribute to her new - and, she says, final - home. “We really like it in Wilbur,” she says. “I think this is where we’re going to stay.” Grigsby says she will not move back to Norway and felt that becoming an American citizen was the right thing to do. She already has registered to vote.

Pend Oreille County

Newport

Although Newport School District enrollment is down 46 full-time students from last fall, it is well above the number of students the district had budgeted for. Over-budgeting leaves a school district in a financial pinch. The Newport district has been experiencing a budget crunch for at least two years as enrollments steadily have decreased and budgets have been overestimated.

Spokane County

Spokane

The U.S. Army is a Hartnett family tradition. Robert P. Hartnett, son of Patrick and Diana Hartnett, recently enlisted in the Army military intelligence field and left last week for basic training at Fort Jackson, S.C. Patrick Hartnett retired as a sergeant first class at Fort Riley, Kan., after 20 years in the Army. Robert is a 1999 graduate of Lakeside High School in the Nine Mile Falls School District.

Stevens County

Chewelah

The November ballot will be a big one for local voters as the Chewelah School District will ask taxpayers for funding for a new high school. The bond issue also will include money for renovation of the current high school into a middle school. Full plans and costs will be available before the Oct. 8 campaign kickoff.

Whitman County

Garfield

David Atkinson, an associate professor of electrical engineering at the University of Idaho and a scientist and researcher for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, will speak to Garfield-Palouse junior high students Thursday at 9:15 a.m. Atkinson will talk about the Pioneer 10 and Voyager space programs as part of the U.S. Postal Service’s “Celebrate the Century” stamp program. The Pioneer 10 spacecraft is one of 15 subjects voted on by the American public to be depicted on postage stamps to represent the 1970s. The UI’s space grant consortium group is helping sponsor Atkinson’s presentation.

IDAHO

Benewah County

St. Maries

The St. Maries Elks lodge plans to give away 100 computers to children in the sixth through 12th grades. Students who live in the St. Maries Elks service area are eligible to receive a computer and one year of free Internet service. The service area includes Clarkia, Tensed, Worley, Plummer, Fernwood, Santa, Avery and Calder, Idaho, as well as Tekoa, Wash. Applications, which are available at the Elks lodge, must be submitted by Nov. 1.

Bonner County

Priest River

Superintendent Joe Malletta is forming a superintendent’s advisory committee for West Bonner County School District No. 83 to help plan for the district’s future. An organizational and planning meeting will be held at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the Priest River Lamanna High School library.

Boundary County

Bonners Ferry

The Kootenai National Wildlife Refuge contains nearly 3,000 acres that are home to a variety of wildlife, including bears, deer and coyotes as well as large colonies of migratory birds such as tundra swans. The refuge is an excellent bird-watching location, and photographic opportunities also are available. The refuge is five miles west of Bonners Ferry along the Kootenai River. For more information, call (208) 267-3888.

Kootenai County

Coeur d’Alene

Friday is the deadline for the Kootenai County Domestic Violence Prevention Coalition’s poster design contest. Posters will be displayed at Silver Lake Mall throughout October, and $100 in prize money will be awarded to the top three designs. Entries may be submitted at the Inland Northwest Bank or coalition offices at 622 Sherman, the Rosauers supermarket in Coeur d’Alene or the Super 1 Foods store in Post Falls.

Latah County

Moscow

A team of University of Idaho students has been selected to participate in the FutureTruck 2000 competition sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy and General Motors Corp. The UI students, who constitute one of 15 college teams from across the nation that have been chosen to compete, will have to convert a Chevrolet Suburban sport utility vehicle from gasoline power to an alternative propulsion system. In November, the students will receive one of the first model year 2000 Suburbans rolling off the assembly line, and they also will be given $10,000 by GM to finance their work. The UI’s advanced vehicle concepts team plans to use lead acid batteries to power the vehicle. Last year, the UI team won the Arizona Electrics race in a 1985 Chevrolet Camaro Z-28 it had converted into an electric vehicle powered by lead acid batteries. In previous years, the team has competed in contests to design and build electric and hybrid electric vehicles.

Shoshone County

Osburn

The Osburn Public Library has a new automated circulation system, which uses a bar code for checking out materials. A total of $11,000 in grants was collected to fund the project. A ribbon-cutting and grand opening ceremony for the circulation system will be held Thursday at 1 p.m.

MONTANA

Lincoln County

Libby

Libby High School Principal Tom Pannell announced his resignation last week, effective at the end of his contract in June. Pannell, who is in his second year as Libby High School principal, did not give a reason for his resignation at a board meeting last Tuesday. Pannell, an Oklahoma native, took over when Stan Evans retired after 25 years as principal.