The County Lines

WASHINGTON

Adams County

Ritzville

It’ll be smooth driving for the folks of Ritzville once First Street is repaved. The city has recently been notified that it’s received a $419,900 grant to reconstruct First between Division and Cascade. The grant will cover planning work as well as construction. First is first on the city’s list for needing reconstruction.

Ferry County

Republic

The local Chamber of Commerce will discuss the next phase of its downtown revitalization project tonight. The town needs to spend $50,000 in grant money for marketing, planning and engineering of the project. On the list are renovating the city park, a mining museum building and a “Fossil Walk” between Stonerose Interpretive Center and the fossil dig.

The Chamber meets at 6 p.m. at the Frontier Inn to hammer out details. The public is invited.

Grant County

Grand Coulee

The National Marine Fisheries is expected to ask for a deeper-than-normal drawdown of Lake Roosevelt this season. The extra feet are needed to preserve salmon, agency officials say. Keith Underwood of the Spokane Tribe’s fisheries says the drawdown will take place in August and measure an additional 10 feet below normal lake levels. This will boost flow in the lower Columbia and Snake and give salmon a greater chance of survival.

Lincoln County

Almira

Little Maggie Douglas knows how important it is for families to have the safety of a home. Maggie, 4, recently emptied her piggy bank to make a $10 contribution to the local Habitat for Humanity group. Maggie wanted her money to help Ben and Becky Peterson of Wilbur, whose home is under construction. She was saving for a special doll, but felt others needed the money more.

Pend Oreille County

Metaline Falls

A public meeting will address the environmental imacts of reopening the Pend Oreille Mine. The meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. Wednesday March 15 at the Cutter Theatre. The Draft Environmental Impact Statement is available for public viewing at the community library, also housed in the Cutter. Cominco hopes to open the mine this year, but has several hoops to jump through first.

Stevens County

Chewelah

Local voters will cast ballots to decide the Chewelah School District’s maintenance and operations levy tomorrow. The district is asking taxpayers for $570,000 in local funds at the rate of $1.73 per $1,000 in assessed valuation. If the levy is successful, the state will pitch in $231,000 in matching funds.

Whitman County

Pullman

Northwest Public Television at Washington State University will rebroadcast its original production “Kennewick Man on Trial” tonight at 8 p.m. The show, on channel 10 in Pullman, channel 18 in Spokane and channel 31 in the Tri-Cities, is a response to controversy over the ancient remains, known as the Kennewick Man, discovered along the Columbia River in 1996. At issue is who can lay claim to Kennewick Man today, some 9000 years after his death. Stacy Hall of Northwest Public Television will introduce the topic and a panel discussion will follow featuring tribal, government and university officials.

IDAHO

Benewah County

St. Maries

The Nurse Practice committee at Benewah Community Hospital is holding a fund-raiser for nurse education scholarships. Donations of used books were gathered and are being sold 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. today in the hospital lobby. Last year the committee raised $1,400.

Bonner County

Blanchard

Julie Brown found a wallet containing $7,300 while running near her home. Brown called the Bonner County Sheriff’s Department, which sent an officer to pick up the wallet. Sgt. Gary Johnston called the owner, Carlton Guest, who later received the wallet and its contents.

Boundary County

Bonners Ferry

The Boundary County Board of Commissioners will hold a public hearing on a proposed gravel pit on County Road 61-1. Last month the Planning and Zoning Commission held a public hearing and will recommend against issuing Grove Enterprises a special use rezoning. The hearing has been rescheduled from March 27 to April 10 at 2 p.m.

Kootenai County

Coeur d’Alene

The Inland Northwest Blood Center is having a bone marrow drive 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. March 14-16 at 2100 Ironwood Court. The center reports that 70 percent of patients who need a transplant don’t have family members who can donate. Donors need to be between 18 and 60 years old and in good health.

Appointments are preferred, call the Coeur d’Alene center at (208) 667-5461.

Latah County

Moscow

The struggles of the West’s wilderness firefighters has been made into a documentary film by firefighter David Wittkower. It took Wittkower five years to make the film which includes scenes in Idaho, Washington and Oregon. The film, “Firefight: Stories from the Front Lines,” is available on video cassette at Woodland Gifts in Moscow or through e-mailing Ctch@aol.com.

Shoshone County

Kellogg

The Silver Valley Habitat for Humanity needs additional Partnership Committee members to serve as a support group for Habitat families and as family sponsors. Sponsors serve as advocate and friend to the families. Interested volunteers may call Dan Ward at (208) 786-6013.