Public hearing about building height

Sandpoint The matter of how high Sandpoint’s downtown buildings should be will be the subject of a public hearing Tuesday before the city’s planning commission.

City officials are considering an amendment to the height restrictions in city code to allow for a maximum building height of 60 feet. The maximum height now is 45 feet, or three stories. The planning commission also is considering the possibility of requiring a conditional use permit or planned unit development process for proposed structures that would exceed 45 feet.

A number of proposed projects could benefit from the proposed amendments, including the Seasons at Sandpoint luxury waterfront condominium project, a Panhandle State Bank administration building and a lighthouse for the jetty north of City Beach.

The public hearing is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Tuesday at Sandpoint City Hall, 1123 Lake St.

National Guard’s new C-130s arrive

Boise Three updated C-130 transport aircraft landed at Gowen Field on Friday, set to replace decades-older planes for the Idaho National Guard.

“These planes are essentially a swap — we’re going from 43-year-old airplanes to ones that are quite a bit younger, 1991 models. They’re in much better conditions, with a lot fewer hours on them,” said Guard spokesman Lt. Col. Tim Marsano.

Two more of the newer planes will be arriving in coming months, Marsano said, completely replacing the aging five-plane fleet.

The Idaho Air National Guard’s 189th Airlift Squadron uses the planes for missions around the world.

“The age of the C-130Es was definitely a concern, so we’re extremely happy to be getting these new aircraft,” pilot Lt. Col. Craig Logan said in a prepared statement. “These new planes give Idaho a more reliable aircraft that could give us an opportunity to fly missions that weren’t previously considered possible. For example, this is the same model C-130 that other states’ Air National Guard units use for the firefighting mission.”

Besides more powerful engines, the new planes have better radar and night-vision capabilities, Marsano said.

Man in stable condition after being shot

The 38-year-old man who was shot after police said he swung a baseball bat at a gun-wielding neighbor has been upgraded from serious to stable condition.

William “Dean” Keele, 38, suffered gunshot wounds to the foot and chest Thursday morning when a homeowner went outside to investigate suspicious noises behind 3818 W. Walton Ave., and found Keele leaning into a neighbor’s pickup, police spokesman Dick Cottam said in a press release.

Keele underwent several hours of surgery Thursday and was initially listed in critical condition. Detective Tim Madsen was able to interview Keele Friday and obtained his version of what happened, Cottam said.

Detectives continue to investigate the case and will turn it over to prosecutors to decide if any charges should be filed, Cottam said.

Man hands over clothes, refuses to fight

A Spokane man lost his clothes and watch Thursday night after his girlfriend’s former beau arrived at an apartment and threatened to fight.

Officers responded at about 11 p.m. Thursday to the 2000 block of West Pacific to a report of a man with a weapon at an apartment.

There they found a female who said her former boyfriend, 24-year-old Christopher Wayne Hardwick, had pushed his way into her apartment and wanted to fight her current boyfriend, police spokesman Dick Cottam said in a press release.

When the current boyfriend refused to fight, Hardwick, who appeared to have a handgun, ordered the boyfriend to hand over his trousers, shoes, sweatshirt and wristwatch, Cottam said.

When the boyfriend complied, Hardwick left the apartment.