25 percent of ballots have been mailed in
Slightly more than one voter in four has already mailed in a ballot in Spokane County, elections officials said Tuesday, which saw the second-largest number of ballots arrive in the mail since they went out Oct. 18.
Voters have until Nov. 7 to mail their ballots, but the envelopes must be postmarked by that day to be counted.
For voters who are still trying to decide on one or more races, here are some places to see or hear candidates in the coming days.
Today
9:30 a.m. Democratic Sen. Maria Cantwell at a rally promoting energy independence, at East Central Community Center, 500 S. Stone St.
12:15 p.m. Cantwell at a rally promoting energy independence, at Reaney Park, Pullman.
12:30 p.m. Ballot issues forum, taped earlier, on Spokane Cable Channel 5.
7 p.m. Democratic congressional candidate Peter Goldmark at a meeting with the Spokane County Cattlemen’s Association, 222 N. Havana.
Thursday
3:30 p.m. Vice President Dick Cheney at a GOP Idaho Victory Rally. Cheney scheduled to speak at 5:30 p.m., at Empire Aerospace at the Coeur d’Alene airport. Gates open at 3:30 p.m. to allow time for security checks. Free tickets required from Kooetnai County GOP; information at (208) 765-8259.
An ongoing schedule of political events is online at spokesmanreview.com/ blogs/spincontrol.
– Jim Camden
Coeur d’Alene
ISP trooper mending from injuries in Iraq
An Idaho State Police trooper injured in Iraq is now recovering in a hospital in Germany.
Eric Stroh was deployed in western Iraq with other Hayden-based members of the 321st Engineer Division of the U.S. Army Reserve earlier this week when a roadside bomb exploded near his vehicle.
Stroh suffered a compound fracture to his shin and injuries to his hand, said his girlfriend, Melissa Stoker, who also works for the Idaho State Police’s Coeur d’Alene office.
The injuries are not life-threatening, and Stroh will undergo surgery on his leg within 48 hours, Stoker said.
She talked to him briefly via satellite phone after the blast, when all he said was, “I’m OK.”
Stoker talked to Stroh again once he made it to the hospital in Germany.
“It’s a relief,” she said, adding that doctors can’t say now if there will be any long-term effects from his injuries.
Army Reserve officials did not return calls about the explosion, and it’s unclear whether other soldiers were injured in the blast.
– Amy Cannata