The County Lines

WASHINGTON

Adams County

Othello

The Othello emergency aid office is located at the local food bank. Funded by churches and community groups, the office helps people in desperate need of essentials such as gas, electricity, clothing, prescriptions, medical care and money for rent.

Ferry County

Republic

Echo Bay Mining has poured the one-millionth ounce of gold at its Kettle River processing plant, which was built and opened in 1989. The Lamefoot mine, near the old Kettle mine in Curlew, has been supplying the Kettle River operation. Echo Bay is one of the area’s largest employers.

Grant County

Electric City

Banks Lake is getting a shoreline face lift. Volunteers have planted more than 200 trees and shrubs along the shoreline to enhance fish and wildlife habitats, and more than 2,200 plants also have been put in the ground in a 3.5-square-mile area. Volunteers are needed to plant more than 14,000 more plants, which recently were delivered. The project is being funded with $25,000 in state, federal and private grants.

Lincoln County

Wilbur

Local residents have told officials of North Basin Health Services that they’d like the local health clinic to be open more hours and on a more regular schedule. Rod Emerson, new administrator for North Basin Health Services, recently met with the Wilbur Chamber of Commerce to get an idea of how to better serve outlying communities. The health service is located in Davenport.

Pend Oreille County

Newport

There are empty beds in the Pend Oreille Hospital’s long-term care facility, and it’s losing up to $42,000 per month. Only 37 of the nursing home’s beds are occupied now. The hospital district is considering hiring a professional marketing firm to advertise the availability and the services the long-term care facility provides.

Spokane County

Spokane

Four teenagers have been named ambassadors for Spokane County’s Interstate Fair, which will run Sept. 8-17. They are Eddie Coller, Stephanie Tucker, Korina VanTassle and Clay Wilken. Coller, 18, is a student at Liberty High School; Tucker, 16, attends Spokane Community College in the Running Start program; VanTassle, 17, attends West Valley High School; and Wilken, 18, is a student at SCC. The four, who were picked Saturday from a group of 12 finalists, will help promote the fair, greet fairgoers, visit dignitaries and appear at special events.

Stevens County

Colville

Ryan L. Lesher, 29, bolted out of the courtroom during his trial. Judge Larry Kristianson had just ordered Lesher to jail to await sentencing when Lesher signaled to a woman in the courtroom. She left, and a few minutes later, Lesher ran out, too. Court officers gave chase but were unable to catch the escapee. Lesher later was found in Arden, hiding under a piece of plywood.

Whitman County

Pullman

Pullman Memorial Hospital will hold a special board meeting this morning, from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. to discuss its recently announced five-point plan on the future of hospital operations. The time of the meeting was incorrect in Sunday’s county lines. A special public forum on the plan will be next Monday evening.

IDAHO

Benewah County

Plummer

The opening of the town’s information booth will be decided at a meeting of the Plummer Community Action Team at 6 p.m. today in City Hall. Carpet and lighting fixtures were installed recently to complete the booth. Anyone interested in joining the action team may attend the meeting.

Bonner County

Sandpoint

Domes Northwest opened recently at 160 McGhee Road, across from Coldwater Creek. Hugh and Theresa Myhew sell wood dome kits, which range from 26 feet to 80 feet in diameter and are color-coded for easy construction. A dome construction workshop will be held May 19-21 at the business.

Boundary County

Bonners Ferry

Members of District 1A of the Old-Time Fiddle Association recently participated in the Northwest regional contest. Winners included Don Spalding, who won first, and Ruth Hoglan, who took second in the Senior Division. Doris Howard placed second in the Senior-Senior Division.

Kootenai County

Harrison

Idaho Gov. Dirk Kempthorne recently announced that more than $6.4 million will be distributed to 21 rural communities in Idaho. The money was allocated by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for community development projects. Harrison will receive $500,000 for water system and booster station improvements. Recipients must match the funds with local, state or federal dollars.

Latah County

Moscow

The costume contest for the 27th-annual Renaissance Fair will be held at 1:30 p.m. May 6 on the main stage of East City Park. Competition will be in two categories - children age 12 and under and people age 13 and older. Winners will be chosen using an applause-o-meter. For more information, call (208) 883-8852.

Shoshone County

Wallace

The Idaho Transportation Department has begun overpass repair work at several locations along Interstate 90. One lane of I-90 will be closed through the West Wallace overpass. Traffic will be slowed on the Hill Road, Kingston Road and Smelterville bridges. Work is expected to be completed in a month; until then, flaggers will be guiding traffic.

MONTANA

Lincoln County

Libby

Libby High School graduates Gail Spencer Maestas, class of 1969, and Bruce Vincent, class of 1973, will be inducted into the Distinguished Graduate Hall of Fame at 7:30 p.m. next Tuesday in Ralph Tate Gym. Maestas is a retired U.S. Army colonel; Vincent helped form Communities for a Great Northwest, which focuses national attention on resource supply issues. Vincent discusses those issues worldwide.