The County Lines

Wed., Jan. 5, 2000

WASHINGTON

Adams County Othello

The City Council voted to raise the development deposit fee from $25 to $250 per building lot. The money collected from this will go toward a parks fund. The fee was increased just days before the I-695 deadline forbidding new taxes and fees without citizen vote.

Ferry County Republic

The Ferry County Sheriff’s Department is looking for information on an animal cruelty case. Someone tied their small shepherd to a tree with a yellow rope and left it to die or be attacked by cougars. Neighbors heard the dog barking, but when they went to investigate, they found it dead.

Grant County Moses Lake

The city’s dream of a Japanese garden is one step closer to reality. The City Council recently approved a proposal by the design committee. It hopes to get construction under way in 2000 at the Three Ponds area west of Division Street. The land for the Japanese garden was donated by the Mortensen family.

Lincoln County Harrington

It pays to be a Harrington City Council member. Formerly a volunteer position, council members will begin receiving $25-per-month stipends in January. In addition, a $15 paycheck will be handed out for each special meeting the council attends. The mayor, Paul Gilliland, will receive $200 per month - an increase of $100 over the mayor’s previous compensation.

Pend Oreille County Newport

The unemployment rate in Pend Oreille County is down slightly. November numbers show the county at 7.1 percent unemployment, the lowest in quite some time. One year ago, jobless rates in the county were more than 10 percent. Compared with October 1999, November numbers dropped 1.3 percent.

Stevens County Kettle Falls

Puget Sound Freight Lines is moving out of Kettle Falls. It will be located just off Highway 25 near Old Kettle Road. The company is already running a repair shop on the new site and hopes to move its entire operation into the county by spring.

Spokane County Spokane

People with emphysema may qualify for new experimental treatment through the University of Washington and the National Emphysema Treatment Trial. People who qualify will receive the best known medical therapy, according to the University of Washington. In addition, half of the participants will be randomly selected to have lung surgery. People living in Spokane, Wenatchee and Richland may qualify. For more information, call Peg Snyder or Diane Lockhart at (206) 598-6252.

Whitman County Pullman

Eastern Washington farmers will have the opportunity to learn how to grow and market a number of alternative crops at seven free workshops sponsored by Washington State University in January and February. WSU researchers and representatives from seed and marketing companies will be on hand. In Whitman County, the group will discuss mustard and canola from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Feb. 9 at the Friendship Hall in St. John. On Feb. 24 the topic will be field corn, same time, at the CETC Building, 123 S. Main in Colfax. For a full schedule of Eastern Washington workshops, contact Traci Schoessler at (509) 659-3215 or read about this and other ag-related WSU news online at http: //cahenews.wsu.edu.

IDAHO

Benewah County St. Maries

Benewah Resort, which is built on Heyburn State Park land, is scheduled to be torn down by summer. The state purchased the building in 1991 and leased it to concessionaires. Due to a lack of boaters, campers and the age of the building, renovation was not considered. More than a dozen trails also will be removed. Fred Bear, supervisor of the project, said, “We hope to have a temporary picnic area in place and operational by summer.”

Bonner County Priest River

Allison H. Grayson, a member of the Embassy of Heaven Church, recently paid his property taxes but is demanding them back through a letter he included with his payment. He stated in the letter to county officials that land used for nonprofit religious, educational and recreational purposes is mandatorily exempted from taxation.

Boundary County Paradise Valley

Two property owners with adjacent land near Brown Creek were attempting to dig an illegal reservoir to irrigate a tree nursery, said Mike Doherty, with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Coeur d’Alene. The attempt ended with a sunken excavator and is causing environmental concerns. Digging has caused sediment to drain into the Kootenai River, which could be disastrous for eggs of many protected trout species. “The drainage-way is definitely Jurisdiction One wetland and the digging was done without a permit,” Doherty said. “The people continued to work even after I had notified them they were breaking federal law - and that’s when their machine got stuck.”

Kootenai County Harrison

Nancy Dionne and Tim Kraack were recently hired at Kootenai High School. Dionne is coming from Lakeland School District after teaching there for two years. Dionne was hired to replace Ralph Kahn, who taught math. Kahn accepted the technology coordinator position. Tim Kraack was hired as the junior high boys basketball and junior high football coach.

Latah County Juliaetta

Road work on Route 3 near Juliaetta has begun and will continue through the first week in February. The $5 million federalaid project begins about a half mile from the junction of U.S. Highway 12 and Route 3. Plans are to widen the road in winding Potlatch Creek Canyon. Travelers should expect 12 to 20 minute delays.

Shoshone County Kellogg

The 40-minute power outage Sunday from Kellogg to Wallace was caused by heavy snowfall, according to a representative of Avista Utilities. A tree fell from the weight of the snow onto a main line in the Burke Canyon area.

MONTANA

Lincoln County Libby

The city’s water treatment plant is back in full operation for the first time since July. The plant was shut down to allow a contractor to paint. During the shutdown it was discovered the filter wasn’t working right. Operation began again Dec. 26. “The plant seems to be working much better,” Mayor Tony Berget said. The city plans to take over ownership of the plant when it’s totally functional and finished, including exterior landscaping. The target date for the city to take over has been changed several times so problems could be solved and corrected.

Local journalism is essential.

Give directly to The Spokesman-Review's Northwest Passages community forums series -- which helps to offset the costs of several reporter and editor positions at the newspaper -- by using the easy options below. Gifts processed in this system are tax deductible.

Meet Our Journalists

Jesse Tinsley

Meet Jesse Tinsley. As a certified drone pilot, this veteran Spokesman-Review photographer often can be seen capturing beautiful aerial photographs of our region. Sometimes though, the job requires getting down with the dogs.
Jim Meehan

Jim Meehan is no stranger to Zag Nation. As the lead writer covering the Gonzaga men’s basketball team, he tells the stories behind the game and gets fans a bit closer to their favorite players.
Molly Quinn

There is no artist in Spokane like Molly Quinn. Her whimsical style is instantly recognizable to readers of The Spokesman-Review. She has painted gorgeous illustrations that instantly elevate the journalism accompanying it. She brings to life the stories that defy photography. She makes our pages better.
Rob Curley

Spokesman-Review editor Rob Curley loves to talk with people and learn about their lives, whether it's a best-selling author or a stranger he meets downtown on his walk to lunch. It's that inquisitive nature combined with a playful sense of storytelling that helps make our newspaper different than most.