In brief: Kootenai County attorney resigns
Kootenai County’s chief attorney resigned Monday but plans to stay in the job to advise county commissioners and oversee human resources and risk management until a replacement is hired.
Commission Chairman Rick Currie said he was surprised when Erika Grubbs submitted her resignation. The county will advertise the position, which pays about $81,000 a year.
The county’s human resources supervisor didn’t return calls Tuesday or immediately respond to a public records request for the resignation letter.
Grubbs didn’t return phone calls, and Currie wouldn’t provide the letter, saying he was unsure whether it was a public record.
“Her commitment and loyalty to the county and making sure we were covered was fantastic,” Currie said.
Yet he acknowledged the job wasn’t always easy for Grubbs and that at times she was “raked over the coals” in several high-profile cases. One of those instances was in April 2005, when her then-fiancé, former Kootenai County sheriff’s Capt. Sam Grubbs, received a $267,400 settlement from the county. Grubbs voluntarily removed herself and her staff from the case.
Currie said Grubbs also was criticized for how the county handled last year’s investigation into sexual harassment allegations against the chief deputy prosecutor.
Vandals crash, wreck trucks
Two Eastside Highway District trucks were wrecked over the weekend after vandals drove one into the other, the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Department said.
Tom Christensen, a district foreman, arrived at work Monday and found the trucks “T-boned” in the highway district’s parking lot near Harrison. Damage was estimated at $10,000.
The 1987 Ford and 1991 Chevrolet had been left unlocked, Christensen told deputies. He also said shoe prints in the dirt near the trucks did not look like those of any employee.
Post Falls
Post Falls celebrates the past
Post Falls will host historic preservation events throughout May in recognition of Idaho Archaeology and History Month.
Historic preservation groups, the Kootenai County Historic Preservation Commission and community members will gather today and tour the Old Church Cultural Center in Post Falls from 6 to 7 p.m. The church is at Fourth Avenue and William Street. Call (208) 773-4681.
On Saturday, an all-you-can-eat cowboy breakfast fundraiser will be held from 8 to 11 a.m. at the Pleasant View School on Riverview Road. Cost is $5 per person or $15 per family. Proceeds benefit the restoration of the Pleasant View School. Call (208) 755-9802.
Q’emiln Quest will be presented at Q’emiln Park in Post Falls on May 16 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The Coeur d’Alene Tribe and the Post Falls Historical Society will give a presentation on area history. Call (208) 773-4681.
A museum open house tour and chamber after hours will be held May 31, 4 to 7 p.m., at the Post Falls Historical Society Museum on Railroad Avenue. Call (208) 262-6533.
Other activities are planned around the county. For details, contact the Kootenai County Historic Preservation Commission at (208) 773-4681.
From staff reports