Real estate office wins ‘Stars’ award

Boise Midge Smock was surprised to hear her company, Windermere Coeur d’Alene Realty, had won Gov. Dirk Kempthorne’s Brightest Stars small business award.

“I don’t think it’s really sunk in yet,” Smock said at the awards ceremony Thursday evening in the Statehouse rotunda. “It’s been so incredible.”

But after reading in the ceremony program about Windermere’s contributions to Idaho children and families, she realized her company deserved the recognition. “When we saw it in printing we thought: ‘Oh my gosh, we did do that,’ ” Smock said.

Windermere employees donate a percentage of their fees from sales to the Windermere Foundation, according to the program, which gives money to local charities and other organizations that help children and families. A program that provides boots and socks to needy children began with a $15,000 donation from the foundation.

Four other organizations and companies and one individual were honored at the ceremony for their service to children and families in their local communities and across Idaho.

Cancer and Community Charities of Coeur d’Alene was a finalist in the organization category, and Lidwina Dirne of Coeur d’Alene, Betty Mills of Bonners Ferry and Graham Crutchfield of Hayden were finalists for the individual award.

NIC plans free series on nonviolent activism

North Idaho College will host a series of speakers and films this spring to promote nonviolent activism.

“ Monday at 7 p.m.: “Mahatma Gandhi: Pilgrim of Peace,” a biographical film presentation, to be followed by a group discussion.

“ Feb. 3 at 2 p.m.: “The Virtue of Nonviolence,” a lecture by Nicholas Gier, retired professor of philosophy and coordinator of religious studies at the University of Idaho.

“ Feb. 13 at 7 p.m.: “Gandhi,” the 1982 Academy Award-winning film.

“ March 13 at 3 p.m.: “Global Day of Prayers for Peace,” a multicultural sharing of prayers and music reflecting on world peace.

“ April 5 at 2 p.m.: “Peace One Day,” a film project by British director Jeremy Gilley about the United Nations International Day of Peace, to be followed by a peace march.

The free events will take place in Molstead Library’s Todd Hall on the NIC campus in Coeur d’Alene. For more information, call (208) 769-3397.

CdA schools win grant for crisis management

Thanks to a federal grant, Coeur d’Alene’s schools should be in better shape to respond to crises next fall.

The U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Safe and Drug Free Schools gave the school district $248,427 to set up a crisis management system.

The district plans to install software called “Rapid Responder,” which enables first responders – firefighters, police – to gain access to floor plans, utility shut-offs, evacuation routes and information about hazardous materials within schools.

Prepared Response Inc. of Seattle won a bid to help the district implement the system. The Rapid Responder software is used by more than 4,200 facilities nationwide, including schools and stadiums. Last year, the software helped police respond to a weapon incident at Lewis and Clark High School in Spokane.

The Coeur d’Alene district was among 97 to receive the grant, from a pool of 387 applicants.

In February, local first responders will attend an orientation on the system. Later in the spring, Prepared Response will visit district schools to take photographs and gather other data. The system should be up and running by November, district spokeswoman Janet Feiler said.

Interpreter standards on legislative agenda

Boise

A North Idaho senator’s bill that would put in place minimum standards for language interpreters for deaf students in Idaho’s K-12 public schools was approved for introduction by the Senate Education Committee on Thursday.

Sen. Mike Jorgenson, R-Hayden Lake, worked with Wes Maynard, executive director of the Council for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, to draft the legislation, which requires interpreters for deaf students to score at least a 70 percent on the national assessment for educational interpreters.

According to the Educational Interpreter Interagency consortium, 71 interpreters worked in the K-12 schools in 2004 – six in North Idaho – but there were no minimum performance standards for them to meet.

A study by the consortium found that more than one-third of Idaho interpreters cannot understand nearly half of the classroom content, prompting Jorgenson to draft the bill.

“We are in the middle of a crisis when it comes to K-12 interpreters in our schools in the mainstream environment,” Maynard told the committee.

Passing the assessment is required in 20 states to earn certification, and 10 states including Idaho are in the process of making it a requirement.

A hearing on Jorgenson’s bill will be scheduled before the committee soon.

“I expect it will go all the way,” Jorgenson said.

5 property tax bills to go before House

Boise Five property tax bills were approved for introduction by the House Revenue and Taxation Committee on Thursday.

The bills aim to give Idahoans relief on their property taxes through exemptions, limitations and replacements. One sponsored by Rep. Robert Schaefer, R-Nampa, exempts future home improvements from taxation; another by Rep. Mike Moyle, R-Star, allows voters to limit the budget of a taxing district, excluding school districts.

Moyle is co-sponsoring three bills with committee chairwoman Rep. Dolores Crow, R-Nampa, and Rep. Jim Clark, R-Hayden Lake, that freeze tax values for one year, replace all property tax levies for school maintenance and operation with funds from other revenue sources, and limit property tax portions of any budget to a 3 percent annual increase regardless of additional construction or annexation.

The same trio of legislators co-sponsored three other property tax bills introduced last week. The bills are among dozens now pending.

A three-day public hearing will be held about all property tax bills beginning Jan. 30.