Wynhausen to run against Eskridge

Sandpoint accountant Robert Wynhausen announced Thursday his bid against state Rep. George Eskridge, R-Dover, in the November election.

Wynhausen, who moved to Sandpoint three years ago, is the current vice chairman of the Bonner County Democratic Central Committee.

In a news release, Wynhausen pledged to work to solve Idaho’s property tax problem, increase economic opportunity for the working people and open the Legislature to greater transparency and accountability.

Wynhausen said he believes the current legislative leadership has done little for low- and middle-income Idahoans. Holding closed legislative meetings, not requiring financial disclosure by legislators and refusing last year to expel a Republican member who lied to the Senate about a conflict of interest demonstrate what Wynhausen said is the arrogance of the current leadership.

“Those things would not happen if the Republican leadership were more concerned about the voters than themselves,” he said.

A graduate of Santa Clara University, Wynhausen was a member of the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve from 1962 to 1968, during the Cuban Missile Crisis and the Vietnam War.

He has been married for 42 years. He and his wife, Barbara, have three children.

Highway 95 proposal to go before public

Proposed changes to U.S. Highway 95 near McArthur Lake will be the focus of a public meeting and open house Jan. 30 in Naples, Idaho.

The Idaho Transportation Department is considering a proposal to boost safety for motorists and wildlife along a 2.1-mile stretch of the highway as it crosses Deep Creek, according to a statement from the agency. The project will likely not begin until 2008 and will probably include reducing the severity of curves and adding a multispan bridge over the creek.

The stretch crosses an important wildlife habitat link between the Cabinet and Selkirk mountain ranges. The area is the narrowest gap between the mountain ranges and is believed to be a heavily used migration corridor for a variety of species, including elk and grizzly bear.

The open house to explain the project will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. at Naples Elementary School, at Trail Creek Road and Old U.S. 95.

Charitable groups get shot at being ‘stars’

Several North Idaho individuals, agencies and businesses are among 57 nominees for the annual “Brightest Star” awards sponsored by Gov. Dirk Kempthorne and his wife. The awards, granted to people who have improved the lives of children, will be announced in a Statehouse ceremony Thursday.

Nominees are chosen by mayors around the state. Grand prize category winners receive $5,000. Other honorees receive crystal awards.

This year’s contenders include Lidwina Dirne of Coeur d’Alene, nominated in the individual grand prize category. Dirne is the founder of the Dirne Community Health Center, which helps low-income people gain access to health care.

Other nominees in the individual category include Betty Mills, a Bonners Ferry volunteer who helped found the Boundary Regional Community Health Center Board; Graham Crutchfield, a Hayden man who raised more than $47,000 for a health clinic; and Dr. Leeanne Rousseau, medical director of the Dirne Community Health Center. Rousseau donates up to 20 hours a week in skills and services to provide health care.

The Cancer and Community Charities – 3 Cs – agency of Coeur d’Alene has been nominated for the grand prize award in the organization category. The 600-member group last year donated more than $54,000 to charities.

Windermere Coeur d’Alene Realty was nominated for the grand prize in the small business category for charitable work that includes volunteer projects with many local agencies that help children and families.

Highway 291 to stay closed up to 10 days

A portion of Highway 291 will remain closed in south Stevens County for as long as 10 more days.

The Washington State Department of Transportation determined it would be more cost-effective and create fewer disruptions later this year if a permanent culvert is built now rather than implementing a temporary fix.

The road washed out last Saturday after heavy rains eroded the ground around two culverts at Sunset Bay, between Willow Bay and Tum Tum.

The contractor hired by the state to make the repair has up to 10 days to finish construction, although the “cold mix” asphalt that must be used this time of year means the highway will have to be permanently repaved in this location later in the year when weather permits.

A new 6-foot-high and 10-foot-wide culvert will replace the two much smaller, 30-inch culverts that washed out.

The roadway is now unsafe, and a detour is in place via the south side of the Spokane River.

More bison captured, sent to slaughter

Billings The rounding up and shipping to slaughter of hundreds of bison from Yellowstone National Park will have an effect on the population, though it’s not yet clear how great that will be, a park spokesman said Thursday.

Al Nash said that since last week, authorities have captured 569 bison for venturing too near or beyond Yellowstone’s northern boundary. None of the bison are expected to be rereleased into the park, and most are destined for slaughter plants without first being tested for brucellosis.

Nash said officials won’t be able to judge “adequately” the effects of their actions on the bison population until sometime this spring. But, he said they were confident that their actions, along with any foreseeable natural mortality inside Yellowstone, would still leave a population of well over 3,000 animals in a late winter-early spring count.

The bison population was estimated at 4,900 before capture operations began last week.

“We don’t want to take any actions that would result in our inability to keep a viable, wild bison population,” Nash said. The situation surrounding wandering bison is closely monitored, he said: “We’re trying to provide ourselves the widest range of management options on any given day.”

On Thursday, 45 bison were captured at the Stephen’s Creek facility just inside the park’s northern boundary, and 36 were sent to slaughter, Nash said. Another was found dead in the capture pen.

Officials were still holding 229 bison at the capture site, as of midafternoon, he said.