In brief: Baughman inquiry tab topped $7,500
The independent investigation into the conduct of Kootenai County’s former chief deputy prosecutor cost more than $7,500.
Investigator Kandy Weaver charged Kootenai County $125 an hour, or $7,062.50, for the investigation, which involved two trips to Kootenai County to conduct interviews.
The county also paid for Weaver’s expenses, including $116 for car rental, $36 for airport parking, about $200 in airfare and $156 for lodging.
Weaver was investigating allegations that Rick Baughman, the county’s No. 2 prosecutor, had sexually harassed two female colleagues. Baughman resigned Feb. 1.
The county has refused to release Weaver’s report or discuss the results of the investigation. The Spokesman-Review is suing the county for the records. The newspaper is also seeking e-mails that Baughman sent or received from his work computer.
A scheduling conference in the suit is set for March 8 with District Judge John Stegner. Baughman, who has objected to the release of the e-mails, has asked to intervene in the case.
– Taryn Brodwater
Boise
Bill would restrict teens’ passengers
Just minutes after lawmakers advanced a bill Tuesday afternoon that would prohibit new teen drivers from carrying more than one teenage passenger, the last of five Idaho youths died from injuries sustained when their vehicle plunged into a Gem County pond.
The Emmett middle and high school students ranged in age from 12 to 15, according to news reports. The car, driven by a 15-year-old, slid off state Highway 52 north of Emmett into a pond near Black Canyon Dam on Tuesday morning, according to the Associated Press.
Drivers may be licensed at 15 in Idaho, with some restrictions. The legislation, sponsored by two North Idaho senators, would limit teen drivers to carrying one other teen younger than 17 for six months after receiving a license, but it exempts family members.
SB 1119 would also extend the time for teens to complete 50 hours of supervised driving practice and yank licenses from those who receive alcohol-related violations.
The crash happened when the vehicle slid off icy state Highway 52 and into the pond about 7:30 a.m.
A passing driver noticed the car in the pond and notified authorities. Divers found the car in about 20 feet of water with the victims still trapped inside. The victims were from two families in the Sweet, Idaho, area.
– Parker Howell
Selkirk Mountains
Broader area closed to snowmobilers
The area in the Idaho Selkirk Mountains closed to snowmobiling to protect endangered woodland caribou has been expanded by a court ruling handed down Monday.
A 2.6-mile swath along the Selkirk Crest in the Trapper Burn area was closed to motorized travel by U.S. District Court Judge Robert Whaley, according to a closure order signed by Idaho Panhandle National Forests Supervisor Ranotta McNair.
The buffer zone includes 1.25 miles on each side of the crest just above state lands north of Upper Priest Lake, the order said. The closure is intended to help protect a caribou movement corridor high in the mountains.
Updated winter motorized travel maps of the Trapper Peak Burn area in the Priest Lake and Bonners Ferry ranger districts will be available at Idaho Panhandle National Forests business offices and at www.fs.fed.us/ipnf starting today, officials said.
In addition, signs are being posted at trailheads to help snowmobilers understand the closure boundaries.
The rest of Trapper Burn area will close to motorized travel on the normal schedule, from April 1 through June 30.
– Rich Landers