The County Lines

Thu., March 9, 2000

WASHINGTON

Adams County

Othello

Things are really shaking at the local Boys and Girls Club. Director Debbie Sanchez says the club has given kids a place to be more physically active by offering jump rope, aerobics, Tae Bo and basketball challenges daily. For those more into exercising their brains, the club now has 11 computers and people to help with their homework.

Ferry County

Republic

Many people in Ferry County should get a break on property taxes this year. The state school levy amount is down from last year, as are special levy requests. Republic citizens paid $14.20 for every $1,000 of assessed valuation in 1999. This year, the amount will be closer to $13.

Grant County

Moses Lake

The groundbreaking of Pacific Rim Ethanol is on track. The company is set to build a plant here in July. Pacific Rim says it will create 500 jobs. The company will spend $20 million on local supplies and $50 million in locally grown grains, mostly barley, which it will purchase to make ethanol. The plant will cost about $122 million to build.

Lincoln County

Davenport

The School Board is considering a building bond. The district is hoping to remodel and modernize the high school building, as well as construct a new bus facility. The board has chosen May 16 as the polling date, but has not formally voted the levy, or the price tag to citizens, into place. Superintendent Jim Howard is proposing the district marry the existing bond, due to be paid off in 2007, to a new one, which would cost taxpayers less than $1 per $1,000 in assessed valuation.

Pend Oreille County

Cusick

March is a great time to give to the local food bank. The Alan Shawn Feinstein Foundation matches all donations, from $25 to $1 million, during the month of March. Agencies wishing to participate should send name, address, total raised in March, the number of donors and tax-exempt paperwork to P.O. Box 2065, Providence, RI 02905. The information must be sent by April 6. The Cusick Food Bank received funds last year and is hoping for more this year.

Spokane County

Spokane

The Spokane Community Gardens organization will hold its volunteer orientation and training day March 18 at the classroom at Manito Park just east of the conservatory. The orientation begins at 10:30 a.m., followed by a 1:30 p.m. session for volunteers who work directly with garden recipients. Spokane Community Gardens builds raised-bed vegetable plots for low-income people, including new Habitat for Humanity homeowners. The president is Lori Steiner at (509) 324-8569.

Stevens County

Colville

Carrie Munds, a Colville High School sophomore, has started a Habitat for Humanity youth group. Munds has helped build homes for the past two years and felt other teens would benefit from the experience. She has recruited nearly a dozen teens. They will start immediately by helping the adult Habitat group and will get going in this summer.

Whitman County

Pullman

An authority on European politics, Karlheinz Reif, will present “Challenges and Problems in the European Union” on Friday at 11 a.m. in Lighty 405. A native of Germany, Reif is employed by the European Commission as advisor to the director general for information and communications. He is teaching at the University of Washington this semester.

IDAHO

Benewah County

St. Maries

The fourth annual “BetterCare Rock-A-Thon” fund-raiser seats 13 women rocking in chairs for 12 hours (8 a.m. to 8 p.m.) Saturday at the Benewah Community Hospital. Money raised will be used to purchase a canopy to cover the emergency room entrance to the hospital. Last year’s event raised $3,900 to purchase equipment and furniture.

Bonner County

Sandpoint

The Idaho Farm Bureau Federation is looking for youth education teachers, leaders or instructors interested in bringing agriculture education into their curriculum. The bureau will sponsor an “Agriculture in the Classroom Educational Workshop” on July 24. The workshop will offer a variety of information and useful tools for agricultural education. The location and cost have not been set. For more information, call (208) 888-0988.

Boundary County

Priest River

The old Priest River Hardware has changed its name again. After just changing to the Coast to Coast name, it will change to True Value. Owner Mike Schaff is a member of the TruServ Corporation, which recently decided to use one label for its products instead of the three labels it had been using. Schaff said his business is only one of 2,500 Coast to Coast and Servistar stores that has no choice but to change its name in the next six to eight months.

Kootenai County

Coeur d’Alene

Jean Klein, a member of the Spokane Orchid Society, will hold an orchid growing class from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. March 20 at the Kootenai County Extension Office. Klein will demonstrate how to grow year-round blooming plants.

Prepayment of $5 is required. For more information, call (208) 667-6426.

Latah County

Moscow

More than 100 residents recently voted on what they thought the city’s top 10 long-term school priorities should be. They included expanding educational opportunities; establishing better communication between the district and residents, creating a district council of staff, parents and students to make recommendations to the school giving more power to teachers and less to administrators. The plan will be published and presented to the school board for final approval in a few months.

Shoshone County

Kellogg

The Silver Valley Habitat for Humanity is preparing to select families to build homes for. Informational meetings will be March 17 at the United Church of Christ Congregational in Wallace March 18 at the United Church of Kellogg. At the meetings, applicants will be screened to determine if they meet guidelines for Habitat homes. Families who appear to fit the guidelines will then have to fill out application forms. For more information, call (208) 752-9031.

MONTANA

Lincoln County

Libby

The Women, Infant and Children (WIC) program will hold a countywide baby-food drive through March. Jars of fruits and vegetables and boxes of cereal are being collected Tuesdays and Thursdays at the Libby office, 107 W. Fourth St. The food will be divided and given to Libby, Troy and Eureka. For information, call (406) 293-5711.

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