Gun rights bill clears House
If Idaho comes under a state of “extreme emergency” including martial law, invasion or insurrection, the state still shouldn’t be able to take away anyone’s guns, the Idaho House declared Tuesday.
Rep. Pete Nielsen, R-Mountain Home, persuaded the House to vote 61-9 in favor of his legislation, House Bill 229. “No government authority will have the right to come and pick up our arms and ammunition,” he said.
Rep. Grant Burgoyne, D-Boise, spoke against the bill, saying no one ever expects to see an invasion or a declaration by the governor of martial law, but no one expected to see planes crashing into the World Trade Center either.
“We’re meddling here with one of the most fundamental and necessary powers, and I think we need to be very careful how we do that,” he told the House.
Nielsen responded, “I don’t see where we’re limiting the governor at all. In fact, I think it even helps him to know that he’s got the public out there in helping him to maintain law and order.” The bill moves to the Senate.
Spokane
Man steals Subaru at gunpoint
A Spokane driver Tuesday morning said his car was stolen at gunpoint when he was getting out of it just before 6 a.m. near Fourth Avenue and Chestnut Street.
The gunman fled in the victim’s silver 1999 Subaru Outback Legacy station wagon with a Washington license plate of 157 XCO. The driver was not hurt.
The carjacker was described as a man in his 30s, 5 foot 10 inches tall with a medium build.
Police ask anyone with information on this crime to call 242-TIPS.
Anyone who spots the car should call 911 and not approach the suspect, Officer Teresa Fuller said in a news release.
North Idaho
Seasonal influenza cases increase
Seasonal incidents of the flu are on the rise in Idaho’s five northern counties, despite a national decline, the Panhandle Health District reported Tuesday.
School absentee rates and visits to medical offices offer an indication of how widespread the disease has been recently, the health district said in a news release. Of 456 hospital lab tests conducted to date, 15 percent have turned out positive. In addition, two deaths in North Idaho since October have been attributed to the flu. Both were adults; one male, one female. Absentee rates at a Benewah County middle school ranged from 15 percent to 18 percent last week. A typical absentee rate is 6 percent, the release said. Boundary County school absentee rates hovered around 10 percent to 11 percent last week.
Kootenai County schools have reported no absentee rate increases.
Region
Some public links to open Thursday
Three Spokane-area golf courses will open for the season on Thursday – Downriver, Esmeralda and Qualchan, according to Spokane Parks and Recreation.
Indian Canyon, the other course operated by Spokane Parks and Recreation, will open later, “as weather permits,” the department said.
Likewise, the Coeur d’Alene Public Golf Course will wait another two weeks or so before opening, a spokesman said.
Greens fees for the three Spokane courses opening this week are $25 for 18 holes. For tee times, call (509) 327-5269 for Downriver; (509) 487-6291 for Esmeralda; and (509) 448-9317 for Qualchan.
Spirit Lake
City applies for wastewater permit
The city of Spirit Lake has applied for a state permit to expand its wastewater irrigation system.
Spirit Lake irrigates 66 acres of alfalfa fields with treated wastewater from its sewage treatment plant, which lies about a mile north of the city and west of Highway 41.
A draft permit from the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality would allow the city to continue irrigating the fields and add 11 acres of forest land. As part of the permitting process, the city is required to show how it would manage odors and prevent contamination of ground and surface water.
Public comments will be accepted through April 24. The draft permit and staff analysis are available for review at www.deq.idaho.gov/public /comment.cfm.
Comments should be sent to John Tindall at john.tindall@deq.idaho.gov. For more information, call (208) 769-1404.
From staff reports