The County Lines

WASHINGTON

Adams County Lind

The student bodies of Lind and Kahlotus high schools voted to use Blue Devils as the mascot for their newly formed athletic cooperative. Despite the fact administrations of both schools gave the nod, a petition demonstrated citizen disapproval. The petitioners thought Blue Devils brought on negative connotations. The students had previously discussed concerns, but felt they’d found a positive approach and caricature the public wouldn’t find offensive.

Ferry County Republic

There’s ice in Ferry County and it’s not in a cold glass of tea. Dick Slagle’s weekly weather report for the area showed a low of 33 degrees in the wee hours of Aug. 20. It was reported that at least one local had to scrape ice off his windows before joining the 6 a.m. coffee crew at the Hitch-N-Post. Others reported lows around 28 degrees in more remote portions of the county. Daily highs were in the mid-70s to low 80s.

Grant County Grand Coulee

The city is not pursuing an adult entertainment ordinance, but is reviewing existing ordinances and will keep the issue in mind. Some residents are upset with the recent opening of The Store, A-Z, which has a room dedicated to adult videos, marital aids and body lotions. Mayor Tamara Byers tells those wanting restrictions on adult businesses to be patient, as legal matters take time. The city does not have any ordinance restricting pornography or adult businesses.

Lincoln County Davenport

Two adults and one teenager are in custody after attempting to rob the local Les Schwab Tire store. The trio learned an important lesson - wait until their new tires are on the getaway car before emptying the till. The alleged robbers asked for a new set of tires to be installed. While the work was being done, one of the men apparently cleaned out the cash register. Store owner Scott Hutsell noticed the money missing and called authorities with his suspicions of the culprits, whose car was still on the racks.

Pend Oreille County Newport

Three county deputies will make local schools their turf this September. The county has hired two of the three school resource officers, paid for with a federal grant. Michael Sargent will make his positive presence known in Newport’s schools this year, while Dan Gardner has been reassigned to the Cusick School position. Only the Selkirk School officer has yet to be hired. The officers will focus on crime prevention by being positive role models and getting to know possible offenders.

Stevens County Colville

So far, the unemployment line hasn’t gotten longer due to the poor lumber situation. No layoffs or closures are anticipated at local mills, though most are tightening belts. Currently, 1,000 board feet of Ponderosa pine is selling for $280. The same pine sold for $470 last August. Lumber people here say they were fooled into overproduction by last year’s strong market economy and predictions for another good year, which didn’t occur. IDAHO

Benewah County St. Maries

Two St. Maries School District employees resigned recently. Phu Cong had been a custodian and groundskeeper with the district for 12 years. Cong and his family fled Vietnam in 1979 and were sponsored by the St. Maries Presbyterian Church. Cong and his wife plan on visiting their six children in different states now that he’s retired. JoAnn Burg was the attendance secretary at the high school and had worked for 12 years for the district. She has taken a job with the City of Plummer.

Bonner County Priest River

Students 15 years old by Nov. 1 may take the upcoming driver education course. Registration for the fall session will be held 7:45 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. daily through Wednesday at the Priest River Lamanna High School office. For details, call Pat Karr at (208) 265-2066.

Boundary County Bonners Ferry

Pets may go to the fair, too. Hamsters, lizards, rats and snakes are all welcome to be shown at the Boundary County Fair.

Registration is 7 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. Wednesday. For details, call Linda at (208) 267-6407.

Kootenai County Coeur d’Alene

“Take me to the zoo” is the theme for the fall story program held at the Coeur d’Alene Public Library. The library offers programs for five age groups: Book Babies Lapsit is for newborns to age 2, Tales for Twos is for 2-year-olds, Preschool Story time is for children 3 to 5 years old, Rainbow Readers is for children 6 to 8 years old, and Explorers is for those 9 to 11 years old. For dates and times of the programs, call the library at (208) 769-2315.

Latah County Moscow

Laura Aichele, owner and operator of Laura’s Tea and Treasure restaurant at 520 S. Main St., has decided after three years of 80-hour weeks to sell the business. She will encourage whoever buys it to have two people run it instead of one, as she’s been doing. She said she’d originally planned on running the business for five years. She expects it to take a year to sell. In the meantime, business hours will remain the same.

Shoshone County Pinehurst

Heather Wise, a 1993 graduate of Kellogg High School, returned to the area with national certification and a bachelor of medical science in physician assistant studies. Wise decided to come home to her family and fill the need for more practitioners in the area. She started working for Shoshone Medical Center in the Pinehurst Medical Clinic on Aug. 21.

MONTANA

Lincoln County Yaak

The Greater Yaak Open Golf Tournament is a fund-raiser for the Yaak Volunteer Fire Department. The tournament is set for 8 a.m. Sept. 9 at the Cabinet View Country Club. The tournament will be a two-person, best-ball event. Entry fee is $8. Registration is at the Yaak River Tavern or the Dirty Shame Saloon; deadline is Friday. Teams will be drawn Saturday. Questions, call (406) 295-4706 or (406) 295-5439.