Thursday, April 14
Bonner County declares road emergency
SANDPOINT — Bonner County commissioners declared a state of emergency on Wednesday due to weather-related damage to public roads.
More thoughts about local issues
At this writing the politicians in Boise have put finished their gutting of Idaho schools for this year. Now it sounds like they have mandated the local school boards to finance something that is pie-in-the-sky and untested. In the future we will be seeing high school students following their teachers to a different state to get a diploma.
Trip sparks communiversity inspiration
SANDPOINT — Local communiversity officials received a welcome dose of inspiration after attending an award ceremony and speaking with education bigwigs in Gainesville, Ga.
24 Hours of Schweitzer raises a record $90,000
SANDPOINT — In the end, Mother Nature was no match against the skill and determination of participants at the third-annual 24 Hours of Schweitzer ski relay, which featured stellar performances, new records and even a marriage proposal.
Lawsuit fiasco is the height of hypocrisy
The Bonner County Daily Bee recently ran an editorial supporting the idea of a “top-two” primary system, as opposed to the closed primary that the Idaho Republican Party recently won in federal district court.
Drug forfeiture sale nets funds
Idaho State Police and the Coeur d’Alene Police Department are to receive a combined $470,000 as a result of a major drug investigation in Coeur d’Alene and Sandpoint.
Sandpoint lacrosse club team falls in opener
COEUR d’ALENE — Dakota Blaese, Parker Davis and Justin Wilkerson each scored goals for Sandpoint, and Riley Hadeen notched 20 saves in goal, but it wasn’t enough in an 11-3 loss to Coeur d’Alene on Wednesday in the North Idaho Lacrosse League opener at Coeur d’Alene High.
Clark Fork tennis team downs Libby
LIBBY, Mont. — Nate Nesbitt notched an 8-3 win at No. 1 singles and 8-2 win at No. 1 doubles, and Claire McMahon won at 8-3 at No. 1 doubles and 8-3 at No. 2 singles to lead Clark Fork to a 5-3 win over Libby in nonleague tennis action Wednesday in Montana.
Big innings lead Vikings over Bulldogs
SANDPOINT — The Vikings plated 17 runs in the final two frames to blow open a close game, routing the Bulldogs 19-1 in nonleague baseball action Wednesday at War Memorial Field.
Kindest move would be animals' euthanization
The other day, I heard in passing a proposal being considered by the local animal shelter. I’ll admit to not having completely got all the details, but the broad strokes of the idea is to implement a program of trapping, spaying, and then releasing feral cats in the Bonner County area.
Wednesday, April 13
Can't stomach the discomfort? Prevent flu's symptoms
It starts with whistle belly thumps and progresses to the green apple squirts. And, although that sounds funny, the 24-hour stomach flu really isn’t. It also isn’t the flu, which by definition is a respiratory infection. It’s typically not even a stomach problem, but a small intestinal one.
Wampus Cat golfers tee off season in Priest River
PRIEST RIVER — Ryan Barnett and David Thibault each shot a nine-hole score of 78, and Paige Gear carded a 71 to lead the Wampus Cats golf team in their season opener Tuesday at the Priest River Invitational at the Ranch Club Golf Course.
Committee kicking off recall efforts
SANDPOINT — Officials in the Committee to Recall Tom Luna movement are starting efforts with a bang by coordinating a series of a statewide events on Saturday.
Wellness plan remains an option
SANDPOINT — Bonner County commissioners declined on Tuesday to adopt policies establishing an employee wellness program and preventing tobacco users from being hired.
Palmer, Becker lead Cats
HARRISON FLATS — Senior Zara Palmer notched a second place finish in both the 300 hurdles and long jump, to lead the Clark Fork track team at the eight-team Kootenai Invitational on Tuesday.
Doubles teams to drive Wampus Cats in 2011
CLARK FORK — Led by two top notch doubles teams that each won matches at state last year, the Clark Fork tennis team will look continue its tradition as arguably the top 1A tennis team in the state.
Burglar strikes 2nds Anyone?
SANDPOINT — Police are investigating the overnight break-in of a thrift shop that raises funds for Lake Pend Oreille High School and the Sandpoint Senior Center.
ISBDC helps Evans Brothers brew up success
SANDPOINT — Randy Evans spent a decade in the coffee business prior to starting Evans Brothers Coffee.
Tuesday, April 12
Greenblott wins Grand Championship in Boston
SANDPOINT — Sandpoint’s Ted Greenblott won a prestigious Grand Championship, leading a strong showing of local martial artists recently at the 38th annual All Tang Soo Do Championships in Boston, Mass.
Sandpoint's next mayor doesn't need a raise
The next Sandpoint mayor does not need a raise.
America in dire need of debt consolidation
U.S. Congressman Paul Ryan (chairman, Committee on Budget) has presented a plan to extricate America from its financial quagmire. Bully for him! I salute the Committee on Budget’s efforts.
Commissioners need to support health plan
To reduce the bill for health insurance of the county employees and make taxpayer dollars go farther, Mike Nielson’s plan for healthier employees is a no-brainer. We all know that government on a county, state and federal level needs to be more fiscally responsible. Everyone needs to realize that saving money wherever possible is a sign of the time. I would think every individual has had to tighten his/her belt on personal expenditures. What’s not to understand?
Preliminary hearing pending in EMS rig theft
SANDPOINT — A preliminary hearing is still pending in the curious case of Cody Wayne Mills, a Sagle man who commandeered a Bonner County EMS ambulance.
Lewis, Litzell lead Bulldog golfers at Post Falls Invitational
POST FALLS — Mike Lewis and Trevor Litzell each carded a 94 to lead the Sandpoint boys golf team to a 10th place finish among 12 teams Monday at the Post Falls Invitational at Prairie Falls.
Air quality concerns close courthouse
SANDPOINT — The Bonner County Courthouse was closed Monday and will remain closed today because of air quality concerns.
PAS details feral cat plan
SANDPOINT — Humane treatment and effectiveness are the key elements in the Pandhandle Animal Shelter’s new trap-neuter-release program for feral cats.
Saudi pilots should not be trained in the U.S.
It’s been nearly a decade since a pilot from Saudi Arabia crashed into the Pentagon on Sept. 11, but a plan for the U.S. to train Saudi Arabian fighter pilots in Idaho has some people outraged.
Sunday, April 10
Building anchors 'artsy' west side
SANDPOINT — The 80-some year saga of the Foster’s Crossing building continues to unfold, as antiques and the arts create what owners David and Kate Luers call the “community” that gives the heartbeat to this historic space.
Idaho getting closer to implementing Luna's ed reform plan
COEUR d’ALENE — There are still a few things that have to happen before many of Idaho’s newly minted education reforms can be fully executed in the state’s kindergarten- through 12th-grade public schools.
Idling train does not make any sense
Regarding the coal train that has been parked, with the engines idling for the past five days in Kootenai. If you buy a house near the railroad tracks you have to accept the reality of trains, which I do. I like trains. However, I do not understand why it is necessary to keep the engine idling 24 hours a day, day after day while the train is parked.
Bypass work is picking up
SANDPOINT — Winter is giving way to spring, which means construction on the Sand Creek Byway is ramping up.
Growing up in Sandpoint was great for young kids
Sandpoint Furniture/Carpet One, home of The Ponderay Design Center and Selkirk Glass & Cabinets (208-263-5138), sponsors this column and it will appear in your Daily Bee each Sunday.
Courthouse remodel letter was incorrect
Recently, a letter to the editor of the Daily Bee cast concern over the mitigation of asbestos at the county courthouse.
Ed reforms send Idaho down the wrong path
In some ways this was an inspiring year to be at the state legislature. As members of the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee (JFAC), we held public hearings on the state budget for the first time and were greeted by feedback from thousands of citizens from across Idaho and the political spectrum – including many from our northern Idaho districts.
Saturday, April 9
Courthouse closure pushed back
SANDPOINT — Officials are building some elbow room into plans to temporarily close the Bonner County Courthouse so asbestos and vermiculite can be removed from the building.
P&Z rejects permit extension request
SANDPOINT — Before returning to their work revising the residential zoning provisions, planning commission members decided to enforce their recently adopted commercial zoning system.
Farber debuts tonight with RailHawks
Sandpoint native Brian Farber will make his pro outdoor soccer season debut tonight with the reigning North American Soccer League champion Carolina RailHawks.
Kind Soul offers second chance
SANDPOINT — Preconceived notions are a problem for an Idaho man with a rough past and a local tattoo shop, but in both cases, art is the solution.
Winter fun meant plenty of sledding, snowball fights and sleigh rides
Sandpoint Furniture/Carpet One, home of The Ponderay Design Center and Selkirk Glass & Cabinets (208-263-5138), sponsors this column and it will appear in your Daily Bee each Sunday.
Friday, April 8
Appeals court vacates conviction
SANDPOINT — The Idaho Court of Appeals is vacating the conviction of a man accused of intimidating a witness in a drug investigation because of a faulty jury instruction and an unreliable witness.
Asbestos work forces courthouse closure
SANDPOINT — The Bonner County Courthouse will be closed for at least three weeks so asbestos and vermiculite can be removed from the century-old building.
HUD program offering emergency home loans
Some 250 Idaho residents facing the loss of their homes have requested applications for an emergency home loan through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development program that has made available $13 million to the state.
SHS tennis team is a North Idaho powerhouse
SANDPOINT — Boasting more depth than ever before, and featuring a number of upper echelon players capable of winning matches at state, the Bulldog tennis team has set its sights on an undefeated team season and making some serious noise at the state tournament.
City mulls raising mayor's salary
SANDPOINT — City officials have only begun discussing the possibility of a mayoral raise, but the issue has already split opinions.
Thursday, April 7
Students' own opinions expressed properly
I am writing this letter in opposition to the letter published this date authored by Mr. Gilbert Barbee. Let me begin by informing Mr. Barbee that each senior at Lake Pend Oreille High School is required to complete an exhausting government portfolio containing 17 individual projects, many with more than one part.
IMCB attracts $70 million in capital deal
SANDPOINT — Intermountain Community Bank announced Wednesday that it has attracted $70 million as part of a securities purchase agreement.
Hwy. 2 curve drives comments
SANDPOINT — The U.S. Highway 2 curve impacts just about everyone — and attendance at a Wednesday workshop proved just that as a large crowd turned out to give their input on the subject.
Writer was wrong to make false accusation
My name is Hope Bauer and I recently read the letter about the teachers at Lake Pend Oreille High School brainwashing students. That statement could not be further from the truth. That may be your opinion but you don’t attend this school and it’s wrong for you to make such an accusation.
County grapples with road woes
SANDPOINT — The amount of work needed on Bonner County roads and the amount of available funding to do the work are usually miles apart.
LPOHS teachers are not brainwashing us
This letter is in response to Gilbert Barbee. I strongly disagree with the statement made that the teachers are brainwashing the students rather than teaching them.
Every child entitled to free speech therapy
I belong to an e-list for people who stutter and read the commentary “Speech dysfluencies need to be analyzed” by Kathy Hubbard. Since Ms. Hubbard is a trustee of the Bonner General Hospital Foundation Board, I am surprised that nowhere in her piece did she mention the fact that private speech therapy is out of reach of many families. Sadly, even families with employer-based health coverage find that coverage of speech therapy is not adequate.
SEC filing: Avista officers receive greater compensation
Total compensation rose for Avista Corp.’s top executive officers in 2010 compared with the year earlier, according to the company’s annual proxy statement filed on Thursday with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
Wednesday, April 6
Train collides with truck on tracks
SAGLE — A Montana man managed to avoid injury after a passenger train struck the pickup truck he was driving on railroad tracks early Tuesday morning.
Hearing postponed in embezzlement case
SANDPOINT — A continuance has been granted in the case of former Coldwater Creek employee accused of embezzling from her employer and the Panhandle Alliance For Education.
Matlock garners Idaho Athletic Hall of Fame honor
SANDPOINT — She was instrumental in helping build Sandpoint volleyball into a powerhouse in the early 1980’s, then went on to win more than 700 matches in two decades of coaching at Community Colleges of Spokane, and on Saturday night, Irene Matlock will be enshrined into the 2011 Idaho Athletic Hall of Fame class.
Strand is presented with Arne Asplund Award
SANDPOINT — The 2011 Arne Asplund Award has been granted to Bill Strand of GEMStatePartners LLC in Sandpoint for his outstanding contributions to the pulp and paper industry.
Bus system name is SPOT on
SANDPOINT — The fixed-route bus system expected to debut in June has not only been given a name — it’s received an entire identity.
Tuesday, April 5
Judge orders mental health exam for Steele
COEUR d’ALENE — A federal judge has ordered that Edgar J. Steele’s mental health be examined prior to his trial.
Student laptops won't replace good teachers
I don’t believe the plan to require a laptop for every high school student is not going to help educate our kids in many of the basic educational needs. Sure, they will know how to use the computer, but even I can do that.
County opposes road bisecting fairgrounds
SANDPOINT — Bonner County officials plan to appeal to the city to withdraw a condition requiring an easement for a city street through the fairgrounds.
RCMP buys Quest plane
SANDPOINT — Quest Aircraft’s flagship Kodiak airplane has reached remote corners of the globe, but now a model has arrived in a country a little closer to home — Canada.
Sledfest returns bigger than ever
SANDPOINT — Crashes, passes and close finishes will be on display as the third annual Schweitzer Sledfest returns to Schweitzer on April 16-17.
Where can I get a health care waiver?
I am amazed by the boldness of those who are rushing to obtain waivers from Obamacare. The new addition to the long list — more than 2.5 million people — may be New York City.
Just who really are the radical Muslims?
According to Webster’s dictionary the definition of radical is “marked by a considerable departure from the usual or traditional: tending or disposed to make extreme changes in existing views, habits, conditions, or institutions”.
Sunday, April 3
Obama not forthright about Libyan operation
“Let me be perfectly clear. There will be no boots on the ground in Libya. I have ordered the CIA and all other clandestine operatives there to be shod in either flip flops or sandals. And we will be out of Libya and in control of the hostilities last weekend (unless we’re not.”)
Terrorists are soldiers in global Muslim army
We should understand why Islam is responsible for terrorism and why not all Muslims are terrorists. When a nation is at work, not everyone is in the army. The civilians support the soldiers, the army. In the Islamic struggle, the terrorists are soldiers.
Legislative session coming to an end
The Joint Finance and Appropriations Committee finished its budget work on Monday, march 28 signaling that we are at the beginning of the end of the session. There will be last minute efforts to get proposed legislation through the process but committees will begin shutting down and legislators will be looking forward to going home.
Asbestos will cause health problems
I think the commissioners better start planning how to cover all the health issues that will be plaguing county employees in the future due to their forced presence during the debacle of reconstruction going on at the court house these past months. The asbestos issue is a health hazard that has been ongoing and the efforts to contain it are laughable.
Veterans receive community honor
COEUR d’ALENE — Behind them is a long, distinguished line.
Magic man works to teach, entertain
SANDPOINT — At the tender age of 8, Star Alexander made a solemn announcement in the presence of his family.
Distracted driving law eludes Idaho once again
It appears a “distracted driving” law has escaped Idaho for another year.
Saturday, April 2
Aggressive driving campaign set
SANDPOINT — Speeders might be finding their joyride cut short come April 7, when the Bonner County Sheriff’s Office begins an initiative to crack down on aggressive driving.
Bill may put brakes on drivers' ed classes
Drivers’ education at some school districts may come to a screeching halt if a controversial bill that stops subsidizing the program passes.
Treatment plant work going well
SANDPOINT — Construction is going strong on Sandpoint’s water treatment plant upgrade, a two-year project that will ensure ample water to accommodate city growth.
Community took care of everyone during Great Depression
Sandpoint Furniture/Carpet One, home of The Ponderay Design Center and Selkirk Glass & Cabinets (208-263-5138), sponsors this column and it will appear in your Daily Bee each Sunday.
Friday, April 1
County mulls ditching chapel
SANDPOINT — Bonner County is considering extracting itself from a lease/purchase agreement for the former Calvary Chapel, a building that has largely stood dormant for nearly two years.
Concussions coming to forefront in sports
SANDPOINT — There was a time when a high school football player would sustain a concussion, only to have his coach tell him to grab some water, sniff some smelling salts, shake out the cobwebs and get back in the game.
Unlicensed guide changes plea
SANDPOINT — A Washington state angler who pleaded not guilty to guiding a fishing trip on Priest Lake without a license is changing his plea.
Community rallies to help McNall
SANDPOINT — Thanks to the Bonner County community, Alan McNall won’t be fretting over finances during his fight against cancer.
Council votes to change Fifth Avenue's name to Sarah Palin Way
My first thought was to run the above headline on Page 1 of today’s Bee as an April Fools gag but upon consultation with managing editor Caroline Lobsinger and others, cooler head(lines) prevailed.
