In brief: Public hearing set on delisting wolves
A hearing Thursday in Spokane Valley will be one of the few sites across the West where public comments will be taken on a proposal to remove Northern Rocky Mountain gray wolves from the endangered species list.
The sessions will be held at the Oxford Suites, 15015 E. Indiana Ave. A public meeting to allow for questions and provide information from top federal and state wolf experts will be 3 to 5 p.m.
Ed Bangs, the federal government’s recovery coordinator for gray wolves, will give a brief presentation.
A public hearing to gather comments on the proposal will be 6 to 8 p.m.
Those unable to attend the meeting may also send comments to the agency through May 9. E-mail comments to NRMGrayWolf@fws.gov or send to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Wolf Delisting, 585 Shephard Way, Helena, MT 59601.
– James Hagengruber
Coeur d’Alene
Kroc Center receives $100,000 donation
The Kroc Community Center got a $100,000 donation from a local development company and now has two-thirds of the $6 million needed.
Dennis Cunningham, a partner in The Crossing LLC, presented Mayor Sandi Bloem and Kroc center representatives with a jumbo-sized check Tuesday afternoon.
Donations to the center totaled $420,000 in the past three weeks, said Megan Beck of the Salvation Army, capital campaign manager for the Kroc Center.
The money raised will join the more than $60 million awarded to the city last year to start a community center, courtesy of a $1.5 billion endowment McDonald’s heiress Joan Kroc gave to the Salvation Army.
– Meghann M. Cuniff
Hayden
Open house to cover transportation plan
Hayden is having an open house tonight on its stressed transportation system and wants residents’ suggestion for improvements.
The city and the Idaho Transportation Department have contracted with David Evans and Associates to develop a Strategic Transportation Plan.
It will evaluate Hayden’s transportation system while considering future growth and increased traffic in the town where the population has tripled since the 1990 U.S. census.
The final plan will identify necessary revisions and prioritize improvements to the network of city streets and arterials. It also will show where future streets are needed.
The plan will update and expand Hayden’s street standards, establish traffic calming techniques for residential areas and define a street maintenance program.
The open house is 4 to 7 p.m. at City Hall, 8930 N. Government Way.
For more information go to Hayden’s Web site at www.cityofhaydenid.us or call (208) 209-2021.
—Erica Curless