Emphasis patrol begins Wednesday
Sheriff’s deputies and Spokane Valley police will crack down on speeders on one of the Valley’s most congested roads Wednesday.
Motorcycle officers will start on Bruce and Argonne roads and move to Sullivan Road later in the morning in an emphasis patrol lasting from 8 a.m. to noon.
Sgt. Dave Reagan said officers would be less likely to give warnings for speeding and other traffic offenses during Wednesday’s emphasis patrol than they would be at other times.
Spokane County
Tickets available for Spokane Fair
Tickets are now available for the 2008 Spokane County Interstate Fair, which starts Sept. 5 and runs for 10 days.
The pre-season ticket price for adults is $5 and $2.50 for seniors and youth. At the gate, admission will be $8 for adults and $5 for seniors and youth. Children 6 and younger will be admitted for free.
Tickets can be purchased at the fair office, 404 N. Havana St. in Spokane Valley, online at www.ticketswest.com or by visiting TicketsWest outlets.
The fair will include a kids pedal-tractor pull, duck races, an international lumberjack show and mutton busting. For more information, go to www.interstatefair.org
BOISE
Nader will appear on Idaho ballot
Supporters of independent presidential candidate Ralph Nader turned in nearly 7,000 certified signatures Monday to the Idaho secretary of state, enough to put Nader on the November ballot in a state where he captured less than 1 percent of the vote as a write-in four years ago.
Volunteers for the 74-year-old Nader turned in 6,936 signatures of registered voters after collecting them since May, largely in Ada and Canyon counties. He needed 5,985 to qualify as an independent.
Nationally, Nader supporters say they’ve gotten his name on 38 state ballots so far and are shooting for 45.
MOSCOW
State has low nurse-student ratio
Idaho’s school nurse- to-student ratio ranks 42nd in the nation with a single nurse per 2,368 students, according to the National Association of School Nurses.
The national average is one nurse per 1,151 students. In Washington it’s one per 1,060 students.
Idaho needs more medical personnel in its public schools, said JoAnn Blout, who represents the national association’s state affiliate of the National Association of School Nurses.
She said school nurses play a key role in intercepting students who may bring contagious diseases to class, connecting students who have special needs with medical services and providing some health care to children without insurance.
SEATTLE
State ferry back in the water
The state ferry Elwha has returned to service on the route between Anacortes and the San Juan Islands.
Its Monday morning run was the first since the Elwha lost power Aug. 6 and had to be towed to Anacortes.
Ferry spokeswoman Hadley Green says the Elwha had a problem with its electric propulsion control system. She says having the 144-car Elwha back puts the San Juan routes on full capacity in time for the Labor Day weekend.