In brief: Cleanup plan issued for pole treatment site
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday issued a cleanup plan for a former pole treating facility adjacent to the St. Joe River.
The Record of Decision addresses cleanup of creosote contamination on the 5-acre site in St. Maries, Idaho. It calls for excavation and treatment of the top 20 feet of contaminated soils, and chemical stabilization of deeper soils and groundwater, all to the point that no health hazard remains. The state of Idaho and the Coeur d’Alene Tribe have concurred with the plan, which was adopted after a year of public comments and a public hearing.
Initial investigation and cleanup work at the site began in 1998, when an oily sheen was spotted in the river. Further research done by the EPA, the city of St. Maries and Carney Products Company Ltd. found that soils, sediments and groundwater had been contaminated with creosote, a wood preservative derived from coal tar, and its cancer-causing constituents, polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons or PAHs.
– Betsy Z. Russell
Post Falls
Ecuadoran musicians to play at Julyamsh
Musicians and singers with the Quicha Tribe from Ecuador will take part in this weekend’s Julyamsh powwow in Post Falls, adding the flavor of South America to the largest outdoor powwow in the Northwest.
Hailing from the Andes Mountains, the group’s music includes guitars, flutes, drums, and singing in their native language and Spanish. The 12 musicians will perform in the Greyhound Park pavilion throughout the three-day festival, which begins Friday. They also will perform today at the Julyamsh Art Show in Post Falls.
“We have truly become an international event,” said Cliff SiJohn, cultural affairs director at the Coeur d’Alene Casino and the Julyamsh events coordinator.
“We will be reminded that Indian Country extends throughout our hemisphere, from the Arctic to the Antarctic,” SiJohn said.
The powwow is hosted by the Coeur d’Alene Tribe and Coeur d’Alene Casino Resort Hotel.
– From staff reports
Twin Falls, Idaho
Soldier from Jerome killed in Afghanistan
A soldier from Jerome was killed in a roadside bomb in Afghanistan, the Department of Defense said Wednesday.
Army Pfc. Adam Davis was one of four soldiers killed Monday when a bomb detonated near their vehicle. The soldiers, all part of the 1st Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment (Airborne), 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, were patrolling the Sarobi district of southeastern Afghanistan.
Davis, 19, was stationed in Vicenza, Italy, for just a few weeks before he was deployed to Afghanistan, said his father, Tim Davis.
“We weren’t quite ready or thinking of him going into action,” Tim’s brother, Pastor Randy Davis, said. “He was stationed in (Italy). It’s not like he was stationed in Kabul or Baghdad.”
– Associated Press