The County Lines
WASHINGTON
Adams County
Ritzville
East Adams Rural Hospital is offering to X-ray all Halloween candy between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. Tuesday at the emergency room. The X-ray crew will also serve treats to folks while they await results.
Ferry County
Curlew
The North Ferry County Volunteer Fire Department in Curlew doesn’t have enough room for its firetrucks. Donna Boiko and her family have donated land for new digs just past the Curlew Clinic on the West Kettle River Road. The land is centrally located and has good access. Volunteers must apply for grants and plan fund-raisers.
Grant County
Ephrata
Concerned neighbors have all but lost their bid to keep a Wal-Mart Supercenter from opening here. The city and Wal-Mart officials have closed the land sale, and city manager Jim Cherf says site work could begin by Dec. 1. The company hopes to open by Sept. 1, 2001.
Lincoln County
Reardan
The 55-year relationship between Spokane County Fire District No. 5 and Lincoln County No. 4 has been dissolved. The two sides met last week with more than 40 citizens to discuss whether to continue their joint operating contract. Fire commissioners from Spokane County hoped to convince Lincoln County to remain together. The Lincoln County contingent, feeling the split was best for all and maybe inevitable, says it’ll maintain a mutual aid agreement, but dissolve shared administrative duties.
Pend Oreille County
Newport
Newport’s Paul Hillestad is calling for the resignations of the mayor and city administrator. Hillestad, citing past and present budget problems, says he cannot trust Mayor Dee Opp or Administrator Delphine Palmer to competently lead the city. Hillestad circulated 30 petitions, which he claims were positively received. Palmer says she thinks Hillestad is a disgruntled volunteer firefighter upset that budget woes could force the city to contract fire service. Opp says Hillestad should have kept his views within the realm of City Council meetings.
Stevens County
Colville
Assessor Blanche Estep, 86, is under fire from the state, as well as some of her contemporaries. The State Auditor and Department of Revenue recently gave her office a failing grade. Many blame Estep’s age, and her reliance on manual systems. Estep has worked for the county since the early 1930s and has been assessor since 1965. Estep’s office failed to meet statutory reporting requirements in several areas and must make immediate improvements, state officials say. The tax roll deadline of Jan. 15 has not been met in four years, causing serious backlogs in many departments, among other things.
Whitman County
Palouse
The town will celebrate the end of its downtown construction with a party Saturday. The $2.5 million project took six months and brought new asphalt, street lights, benches, sidewalks and trees to the town north of Pullman. The celebration will run from 2 to 6 p.m. and will include food, music and exhibits.
IDAHO
Benewah County
St. Maries
Brook Stancil, 24, shot her first elk this year after 12 seasons of hunting for a bull. She will keep the huge 8-by-6 rack and the meat. Brook and husband Greg were hunting up the St. Joe River.
Bonner County
Sandpoint
Leaf pickup will begin Monday, according to the Sandpoint Independent Highway District. They request leaves be placed, loose or in bags, on curbs and not in the street. For details, call (208) 263-8131.
Boundary County
Bonners Ferry
Bonner Community Hospice will host an open house Nov. 10. It will be in its new location, formerly the food bank, behind the Post Office, from noon to 5 p.m. Hospice team members support families with loved ones suffering a terminal illness. Hospice will offer training for volunteers early next year.
Kootenai County
Coeur d’Alene
The City Council appointed Dr. Stanley Toelle to a five-year trustee term on the Coeur d’Alene Public Library Board. Toelle has a private practice in Coeur d’Alene. He fills a position vacated by Dr. Robert Farr, whose term ended Sept. 30. Toelle and wife Beverly have two children.
Latah County
Moscow
The county and city both have temporary bans on cell-phone towers. The county will use a recently passed 120-day halt to building towers to develop standards, said Planning Director Gerad Billington. Towers have been proposed for Jacksha Road, Kluss Road and Farber Point. A hearing set for Nov. 1 on towers proposed along the U.S. Highway 95 corridor have been postponed.
Shoshone County
Wallace
The late Bill English has been inducted into the Wallace High Hall of Fame by Jim English at the Wallace Elks Club. Bill lettered in football, basketball and track in high school. He went on to play basketball at the University of Idaho and was co-captain of the 1940 Vandals team. He also coached and was an official.
MONTANA
Lincoln County
Libby
The American Legion Ladies’ Auxiliary treasurer, Ida Gehring, and president, Mary Beth Ludan, presented a $1,168 check to Korey Aarstad, president of the David Thompson Search and Rescue. The auxiliary raised the money through an auction, several raffles and the fifth annual hunters ball.