In brief: Groundbreaking today for new fire station

Ground will be broken today for Northern Lakes Fire District’s new $2 million station in Rathdrum.

The 10,000-square-foot station is being built thanks to $1.05 million in funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and from the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Assistance to Firefighters Station Construction Grant.

Northern Lakes is providing the remaining $1 million. The fire district has budgeted for its portion of the cost as a capital improvement since 2004 and won’t seek new taxes as a result, a news release from the district said.

The station will be built on 4.38 acres donated by BNSF Railway in October 2008. It will replace one built as a pole barn in the 1970s, the release said.

The groundbreaking ceremony will be at 10 a.m. at 14000 W. Highway 53 in Rathdrum.

Jail inmate escapes

Idaho state authorities are warning that a convicted felon escaped Friday from Benewah County Jail after learning that local officials did not issue a public alert.

“Anytime someone is running from the law, we consider them to pose a measure of risk because they may be acting desperately and irrationally,” said Jeff Ray, a spokesman for the Department of Correction. “You gotta hit the red button when these guys get loose.”

Jesse John Wilkenson, also known as Jesse Brebner, is 20 and has brown hair and brown eyes. He is described as 5’8” and 146 pounds with a medium complexion.

Wilkenson reportedly escaped a few hours after his sentencing. Benewah County Sheriff Robert Kirts was not available for comment. Anyone with information about Wilkenson’s whereabouts is asked to call local law enforcement.

Meeting on wolf proposals

An open house on the proposed wolf season for the Idaho Panhandle runs from noon to 6 p.m. Thursday at the Idaho Fish and Game regional office, 2885 W. Kathleen Ave. in Coeur d’Alene.

Staff will answer questions and take comments on the 2011 wolf season proposals. Twenty-seven wolves were legally taken during the 2009 hunting season.

The proposal for 2011 is to start the Panhandle hunting season a month earlier than in 2009.

Public input will be provided to the Idaho Fish and Game Commission, which will make a decision on the proposals at a July 27-28 meeting in Salmon.

People can also participate in an online public opinion survey at http://fishandgame.idaho.gov/ cms/hunt/wolf/proposals.cfm.

Q’emiln boat launch opens

The Spokane River is now open for recreation between the Spokane Street Bridge in Post Falls and the area just upstream of the Post Falls Dam.

Officials at Avista Corp., which operates the dam, said river flows have dropped sufficiently to allow all of the dam’s spill gates to be closed.

The boat launch at Q’emiln Park opened to the public Monday.

Avista’s 24-hour telephone information line gives updated information about changes in Lake Coeur d’Alene and the Spokane River. In Idaho, call (208) 769-1357; in Washington, call (509) 495-8043.

Weather and water flow information is also available at www.avistautilities.com/inside/ resources/pages/waterflow.aspx.

Fracking film tonight

The Idaho Conservation League is sponsoring a showing of “Gasland” – a documentary on fracking, the process of extracting natural gas through pumping chemicals, water and sand into the ground – tonight at 7 at the Coeur d’Alene Eagles Lodge, 209 E. Sherman Ave.

The film will be followed by a discussion about gas drilling in Idaho. A $5 donation is suggested at the door, and a no-host bar is available.

For more information, go to www.idahoconservation.org or call (208) 265-9565.

Idaho Bar honors Boyle

A federal judge in Idaho has been chosen to receive the Idaho State Bar’s 2011 Distinguished Lawyer Award.

U.S. District Judge Larry Boyle, who sometimes presides in cases in Coeur d’Alene, was chosen last week to receive the award, which recognizes attorneys who distinguish themselves through “exemplary conduct, professionalism, and years of dedicated service to the legal profession,” according to a news release.

Boyle has worked 39 years in the legal profession, including 25 years as a state and federal judge.

Seminar on aquatic pests

A free seminar on invasive aquatic species takes place Monday from 6 to 8 p.m. at the University of Idaho Coeur d’Alene Center, 1031 N. Academic Way.

The University of Idaho’s Master Water Steward program is hosting the program. To register, call (208) 215-0407.