Police think truck used in burglary
Authorities are asking for the public’s help in tracking down a truck that might have been used in the burglary of an Idaho State Police officer’s home.
Guns, food, beer and a bulletproof vest were reported stolen Thursday from the home near Poleline Avenue and Meyer Road.
The Kootenai County Sheriff’s Department said the burglars may have been driving a 1980s model, two-tone brown Ford pickup with lumber racks and Kootenai County license plates.
Anyone with information on the vehicle is asked to contact deputies at (208) 446-1300 or click on the “hot tips” link on the department’s Web site, www.kcsheriff.com.
Council extends Blackwell deadline
The Coeur d’Alene City Council is giving city staff and Hagadone Corp. three more months to negotiate an annexation agreement for Blackwell Island.
The parties needed more time to hash out details of the agreement, including how to get sewer services to the 78 acres of the man-made island at the mouth of the Spokane River, Deputy City Attorney Warren Wilson said.
The council voted unanimously in July to include Blackwell Island in the city limits. Marina Yacht Club owner Duane Hagadone plans to clean up the marina, which the city saw as an eyesore, and expand it by adding 29 boat slips and a new sales center.
The annexation doesn’t become final until the city and Hagadone negotiate an agreement that covers annexation fees and conditions such as improvements to the water and sewer systems.
Wilson declined to provide details of the draft agreement.
Hagadone’s spokesman has said the company will agree to pay annexation fees – no dollar amount was disclosed – and will pay for a backup water system and a study showing the future needs for city sewers south of the Spokane River.
College will exhibit area artists’ work
To see the work of those who teach North Idaho artists, head over to North Idaho College from Jan. 30 to Feb. 24.
It’s the annual exhibit of drawings, paintings, sculptures, photography and ceramics by members of the art faculty. The exhibit kicks off with an opening reception on Jan. 30 from 5 to 7 p.m. at Boswell Hall Corner Gallery.
Admission is free. For more information, call (208) 769-3276.
Grill’s liquor license pulled from agenda
A request by Post Falls police that the City Council consider revoking the liquor license of a sports grill for sponsoring a Texas Hold’em tournament was pulled from the council’s agenda Tuesday evening.
City spokeswoman Kit Hoffer said the city’s attorney wanted to review the issue and make sure the city was following correct procedure.
Police enlisted the help of a retired Washington gaming agent who posed as a player in a poker tournament last Wednesday at Jack’s Sports Grill.
Authorities say they gathered evidence to prove that illegal gambling was taking place at the Post Falls bar.
In a memo last week, Lt. Greg McLean asked the council to either suspend the bar’s liquor license for 90 days or issue a fine.
Humorist headlining Post Falls banquet
For $20, people can dine on a buffet banquet, listen to piano music, hear from a longtime Post Falls resident and support history preservation.
The 12th annual Post Falls Historical Society Banquet is at 5:30 p.m. Friday in the new American Legion building, 1138 E. Poleline Ave. Humorist Bob Hubof, a teacher for 34 years, is the banquet speaker. The event will also include an auction and door prizes.
For more information and to buy tickets, call: (208) 773-4681 or 773-3372.
Shoshone sheriff seeking volunteers
The Shoshone County Sheriff’s Office is trying to recruit volunteers to serve as “extra eyes and ears” in the Silver Valley.
Shoshone County Citizens on Patrol will have an informational meeting 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Shoshone County Public Safety Building at 717 Bank St. in Wallace.
Sheriff Chuck Reynalds said in a news release Tuesday that the volunteer program, which started two years ago, has been a success.
“We have an awesome, dedicated group of volunteers,” Reynalds said. Volunteers take shifts patrolling Shoshone County and report vandalism, speeding and reckless drivers, and suspicious people.
One volunteer spotted a fire before it got out of control, according to the news release. To participate in the program, volunteers must pass a criminal background check.
NIC event to cover Thomas Paine
North Idaho College is hosting an informative event about Thomas Paine, a radical 18th-century pamphleteer and author of “Common Sense,” a 1776 pamphlet that advocated independence from Great Britain.
The event is Jan. 29, the date Paine was born in 1737. It is free and open to the public, and it will take place at Molstead Library’s Todd Hall, starting at 7 p.m.
For more information, call (208) 769-3355.
County seeking input on options for jail
Coeur d’Alene Kootenai County officials are asking residents to come up with a better idea of how to ease jail overcrowding now that voters have rejected a $50 million expansion plan.
The Citizens Jail Committee, a group created to study the matter, wants more public input on a solution to the county’s growing inmate population after voters narrowly defeated a proposal that would have expanded the jail.
“We’ve taken as many of the well-known people who found some difficulty with the old plan, and we’ve asked them to please come and sit down with us,” county Commissioner Katie Brodie told the Coeur d’Alene Press. “Let’s go forward. Help us. We’re open to any and all suggestions.”
A meeting will be held today at 7 p.m. to discuss the project with county commissioners, elected officials, county employees and a Seattle architecture firm that specializes in jail construction.