In brief: Classes planned on water rights

Two public workshops have been scheduled in North Idaho to help residents understand an upcoming water rights adjudication for the region.

The workshops, which will feature Idaho Water Resources Director Dave Tuthill, legislators, state Water Resources Board members and legal and technical experts, will be held 6-9 p.m. Wednesday at the Sandpoint Community Hall, 204 S. First St., and 6-9 p.m. Thursday at the Plummer Community Center, 520 C St.

“We believe this issue is extremely important to all Idahoans, and we hope these workshops will provide good information to all water users, especially the public,” said Lynn Tominaga, executive director of the Idaho Ground Water Appropriators. That group and the Idaho Farm Bureau Federation are co-sponsoring the workshops.

– Betsy Z. Russell

Spokane

Restaurant owner released on bond

A Spokane Valley restaurant owner, who is facing deportation after being arrested in an early morning traffic stop on May 19, has been released on bond from an immigration detention facility after letters of support from the community, his Spokane attorney said Friday.

Carlos Zuniga, owner of Tacos Tumbras restaurant and mobile taco stands, will return to his family in the Spokane Valley today after three weeks in confinement in the Spokane County Jail and the Tacoma detention facility, said attorney David Hearrean.

Friends and family members raised $15,000 for Zuniga’s bond, said Hearrean, who added that such bonds in immigration cases must be paid in their entirety.

A Mexican citizen, Zuniga, 44, has been waiting for legal residency since 2001.

He faces charges in Spokane County of assaulting the deputy who arrested him, as well as charges of driving under the influence and driving on a suspended license.

– Kevin Graman