It’s time to avail much

Bonner County pastors share messages of faith and hope.

Community invited to find God's love

Local congregations invite all in the community to join them in faith — whether they are looking for a new church family or are new to town and are seeking a place to worship.

Mega Millions tickets rise to $5, but the lottery promises more giant jackpots

The biggest change is the ticket price hike from $2 to $5. Lottery officials expect that jump to increase revenue from the twice-weekly game, enabling them to improve the odds of winning the jackpot from 1 in 303 million to 1 in 290 million. The higher ticket price also means the jackpot can start at $50 million, rather than the previous $20 million, and that the grand prize is expected to grow more quickly. Each time there isn’t a big winner, the jackpot will jump by a larger amount. Officials expect it will more frequently top the $1 billion threshold that draws extra attention — and bigger sales.

Wildlife refuge to close for summer restoration

Some say it should stay open; others say the project is not enough.

Recreators have emerged with the arrival of spring in North Idaho, but for those planning to enjoy the Kootenai National Wildlife Refuge this summer, they’ll have to wait out the dry season, as a five-month habitat restoration project is scheduled to break ground this June.

Hearing could set rules for evidence in Kohberger trial

Prosecutors and attorneys for a man charged in the killings of four University of Idaho students in 2022 began arguing some of the final ground rules they want for Bryan Kohberger's trial in a Wednesday morning hearing.

EMS fees increase, non-resident rate approved

At Wednesday's Bonner County EMS fee increase hearing, county commissioners voted to raise the price for public services by 15% and to institute a non-resident fee per service.

Wall Street's euphoria sends US soaring as most tariffs paused

U.S. stocks soared to one of their best days in history on a euphoric Wall Street after President Donald Trump said he would back off on most of his tariffs temporarily. The S&P 500 soared 9.5% Wednesday, though it's still below where it was when Trump announced his sweeping set of tariffs last week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average flew nearly 3,000 points higher, and the Nasdaq composite jumped

New legislation is nothing but hate

The Idaho House recently approved a resolution declaring the month between Mothers' Day and Fathers' Day as "Traditional Family Values Month." This is apparently meant to celebrate households with "one mother, one father, and their biological children."

Idaho Child Tax Credit set to expire this year

Since 2018, Idaho taxpayers have received a $205 tax credit for each child under 17

PSNI’s Cardboard Recycling checks all the boxes

When Panhandle Special Needs, Inc. took over the recycling cardboard business, management quickly realized that the benefits would check all the boxes (pun intended) for achieving their mission to help disabled adults while providing necessary services to the community.

McGrane talks Idaho election security

Idahoans are turning out to vote in record numbers and reporting increased confidence in election security, said Idaho Secretary of State Phil McGrane.

Business briefs - April 9, 2025

Business news and information from around the United States and across the world.

BGH needs help healing the Healing Garden

It’s finally feeling like spring. And you and I both know what that means. It’s time to put away the wooly mittens and get out our gardening gloves. Here’s the dirt. Bonner General Health’s Healing Garden (just north of the hospital) is in need of volunteers to clean up the mess Mother Nature made this winter.

Study: Shingles vaccine may help fight dementia

A vaccination to prevent horribly painful shingles may offer an extra benefit: New research suggests it might lower the risk of dementia, too. There have long been hints that certain viruses increase risk for later-in-life dementia, including the virus that causes chickenpox. That virus never leaves the body, hiding in nerves to erupt later when the immune system wanes from illness or age — what's called shingles. The new study tracked seniors in Wales and found shingles vaccination cut their risk of developing dementia over the next seven years by 20%.

ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Bella Bailey, Sandpoint Tennis

ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Bella Bailey, Sandpoint Tennis

Trump administration rolls back forest protections in bid to ramp up logging

President Donald Trump's administration acted to roll back environmental safeguards around future logging projects on more than half of U.S. national forests under an emergency designation announced Friday that cites dangers from wildfires.

Isaac, birthdays and having $50 faith

I am calling it the “Isaac incident.” One of the grands who moved from Spokane Valley to Kentucky last year was turning 13. I sent a card with a $50 bill a week before his March 4 birthday. It didn't arrive. I kept checking in. Still no card. I inquired at the post office and, of course, their first words were, “Never send cash in the mail.”

Upcoming play features plenty of comedy, laughter

Head on over to one of five performances of "No Laughing Matter", written by Jeff Dunne, a play that features an ex-comedian busboy, a British courier for the Russian intelligence agency, and FBI agents who thinks the ex-comedian is a spy.

North Idaho Lakers tryouts coming up

North Idaho Lakers tryouts coming up

The Write Stuff

Sandpoint Writers announce contest winners, celebrating writing

The Sandpoint Writers on the Lake's annual writing contest, held March 22, attracted people of all ages to the Sandpoint library community rooms. There the roughly 80 to 90 people who turned up to listen to the several dozen works were tasked with judging the participating writers who read for five minutes from their own unpublished works.