In brief: Otter won’t seek added road funding

BOISE – Idaho Gov. Butch Otter says he won’t propose increased funding for transportation in the 2011 legislative session.

After unsuccessfully pushing for millions in new road investments for two years, Otter appointed a task force 18 months ago to study the issue and make recommendations. That panel did so this week, saying Idaho needs to spend $543 million a year more, but it offered no specific proposed increases or time frame. Instead, the panel offered two dozen prioritized options, topped by gas tax increases and higher car and truck registration fees.

“Too many people remain jobless, under-employed or on the ragged edge financially to impose higher costs on them right now,” Otter said in a news release.

Betsy Z. Russell

Officers pull man from bridge enclosure

A suicidal man was pulled from the top of a pedestrian enclosure on the Maple Street Bridge early Wednesday morning by Spokane police officers.

The man told officers several times to “let me go” and allow him to fall to his death in the Spokane River below.

Around 3 a.m., a passer-by spotted the man on the top of the heavy wire enclosure that protects pedestrians from traffic.

Officers climbed onto the structure to rescue him.

Two officers got down on their bellies and tried to reach the man, grabbing him and holding him so he wouldn’t fall into the river, according to a news release.

The man let go, but the officers’ grip and strength kept him from falling.

A third officer retrieved bolt cutters and cut a hole large enough in the chain-link cage to pull the man to safety.

He was taken to a local hospital after an examination by Spokane firefighters.

Mike Prager

Hospital gets grant from mining company

Kinross Gold Corp. has given a $100,000 challenge grant to support Ferry County Memorial Hospital in Republic.

The money is part of a fundraising effort to help the small hospital replace aging equipment, renovate and fund new programs.

One urgent need is replacing old boilers that have heated the hospital since the 1970s.

Other funds will be used to help the hospital implement telemedicine programs, which allow hospital staff to consult with specialists in Spokane and Seattle.

Kinross operates the underground Kettle River-Buckhorn gold mine in Ferry County.

John Stucke