Idaho Week in Review
Seven years ago, an Idaho developer drew opposition from neighbors by proposing a golf course overlooking Arrow Point, the prominent Lake Coeur d’Alene landmark. They feared increased traffic and other impacts on their rural lifestyle from the golf course, which was never built. Now, a San Francisco group hopes to transform 700 acres on the hillside overlooking the point into an exclusive residential golf community where lots would start at $200,000. Discovery Land Company – which operates golf communities in Hawaii, California, North Carolina and Whitefish, Mont. – recently submitted plans for the $100 million project, which would include 375 high-end houses and condominiums. The project is expected to draw out-of-area folks looking for second homes. A Discovery spokesman said the company hopes to allay any fears that neighbors might have over the new proposal. “The last thing we want to do is really negatively affect how (the neighbors) live,” he said.
MONDAY
The U.S. Forest Service is considering limiting the size of cabins that can be built on federal lots leased to individuals at Priest Lake. Although most of the 121 cabins are rustic retreats for owners looking to escape Spokane’s summer heat, a few have been sold in recent years only to be replaced by much larger homes.
“ A new federal law makes it easier to shop for contact lenses online. Eye doctors and optometrists now must immediately give patients their prescriptions, which spell out the corrective power and lens shape needed. Those details sometimes have been tough for patients to obtain, making online shopping difficult.
TUESDAY
Tara LaCelle-Miller was asleep in her Post Falls apartment when she was left paralyzed by a bullet accidentally fired by her neighbor. Four years later, LaCelle-Miller has made friends with Shantana Pole, who was cleaning the gun when it discharged. Charges against Pole were dropped at the request of LaCelle-Miller, who now uses a wheelchair and admits she’s sometimes angry over the pain Pole’s error has caused her.
“ North Idaho law officers had a tragically busy holiday weekend. On Saturday, one man died in a boating accident and another while rescuing a boy caught in the St. Joe River current. A woman was critically injured Sunday by falling from a cliff. Another woman was injured Monday while riding in a boat that hit a bridge.
WEDNESDAY
A dispute continues over the efforts made to rescue a man who died of a heart attack in a remote mountain meadow last month. An air ambulance company says it immediately told the Shoshone County Sheriff’s Office that a helicopter was unavailable. The sheriff says he didn’t receive that information, and make other plans, until much later.
“ Kootenai and Benewah counties are among seven in the state to approve Sunday sales of alcohol. A law approved this year by the state Legislature permitted Sunday sales starting July 1.
THURSDAY
One in three pregnant teens in Washington has an abortion, compared to one in five in Idaho, where the teen abortion rate is the sixth-lowest in the country.
“ Revenues from tribal casinos nationwide rose 12 percent last year. Tribal casinos grossed $119 million in Idaho and $770 million in Washington, which has five times more tribal slot-style machines than its neighbor to the east. Nationwide, the take was $16.3 billion, compared to $26.5 billion for non-tribal casinos, which saw business increase only 1.4 percent.
“ Dirt bikes, four-wheelers and other off-road vehicles will have to stay on the trails under a U.S. Forest Service proposal. Some environmentalists say the proposed restrictions aren’t tough enough, and some riders say they’re too tough.
“A single mother who teaches at North Idaho College and drives a car with 275,000 miles on the odometer won NIC’s raffle for $20,000 to spend on a new car. The grand prize of a student-built house worth $200,000 went to a World War II veteran. Tickets sell for $100 apiece for the raffle that raises $150,000 a year for the NIC Foundation.
FRIDAY
A Spokane businessman will face three misdemeanor criminal charges for dredging in the Spokane River without permits. Tom Hamilton, who had the work done over Mother’s Day weekend to provide a boat slip at his Post Falls property, contends he had approval from all necessary agencies.
“ A Spokane County Jail inmate who’s trying to starve himself was sentenced to 171 months in prison for setting the fire that severely burned his stepdaughter last year. Robert McNabb has lost almost 100 pounds since starting his hunger strike in February.
“ A Lewiston ironworker is fighting to save a 66-year-old paddle-wheeler that officials say is a hazard. Vern Wilson bought the 170-foot stern-wheeler named Jean over a year ago and has moved it to various locations on the Snake River. The Jean now rests at the Port of Wilma in Washington. But the port demands that it be moved.
“About 50 homeless activists were evicted from their protest camp in a grass median in downtown Spokane. The camp started with a handful of activists on June 28, when the Spokane City Council passed an ordinance banning transient camps on city property. Mayor Jim West says he’ll sign the ordinance.
COMING UP
Gay youths are three times more likely to commit suicide than heterosexual teens. Read about Quest Youth Group, a nonprofit program that helps gay males ages 14 to 25 cope with the stresses of their lives, in Monday’s Spokesman-Review.