Sagle woman wins $10K sweepstakes
When Samantha Lawson bought fireworks this summer, she had no idea she’d have more to celebrate than Independence Day.
A lifelong sport
Local organizations make skiing attainable
The program is supported by community donations and is sponsored largely by Schweitzer itself. Kids ages 7–17 are eligible to apply before the Oct. 15 deadline each year, and successful candidates receive free ski gear for the winter, a season pass and lessons if they need them.
Sandpoint’s sweet tooth tour
Craving candy? Look no further than Sandpoint’s assortment of Oct. 31 activities that are sure to scare you silly and satisfy your sugar needs.
Question, persuade, refer
Community takes the reins on suicide prevention
Suicide has been a longtime problem for Idaho; Idaho’s 2022 rate of 22.64 suicides per 100,000 residents significantly outpaced the national rate of 14.91 per 100,000. Idaho’s Public Health District 1 — which comprises Boundary, Bonner, Kootenai, Shoshone and Benewah counties — mirrored the state rate at 22.30 per 100,000.
West Bonner explores middle school options
The building hasn’t hosted students since school let out last spring. Staring down a budget crunch, trustees voted in June to consolidate 7–12 graders at Priest River Lamanna High School for the 2024/2025 year.
County hosts ag land ordinance discussion
According to U.S. Census Bureau estimates, Idaho’s population expanded 6.8% between 2020 and 2023 — a rate outpacing the 1% national average for the same period. Legislators passed the law to give landowners a tool to control residential sprawl into working lands as houses are built to accommodate Idaho’s growth.
BOCC approves baby box agreement
“This has been a many months-long project,” said Bonner County EMS Chief Jeff Lindsey. “It’s a safe way for someone who’s thinking of giving up their baby to be able to do it with anonymity.”
Seniors balance budgets at finance fair
“Our high school seniors, they’re hungry for this knowledge,” said Jeralyn Mire, post-secondary transition counselor at SHS. “We’re hoping students just start to learn some financial literacy.”
WBCSD approves continuous improvement plan
All state districts are required to develop an improvement plan annually to create a roadmap for promoting student performance. The district’s administration team met twice to determine realistic, achievable goals for students before a draft came before trustees at a Sept. 24 special meeting, where community input was incorporated.
ITD debuts new Sagle highway plan
As ITD plans the expansion, the department is gathering feedback to inform its decision. Ultimately, the department must balance the needs of U.S. 95’s 2,400 commercial vehicles that pass through the corridor each day with those of residents and local business owners.
Sandpoint Council welcomes advertising
If accepted by the standards committee, the agreement would “basically relieve the city of $40,000 worth of equipment purchases that we would otherwise have to do” at the soon-to-be-open James E. Russell Sports Center, Welker said.
BOCC examines appointment practices, audit
According to Zoeller, the Groomer Advisory Board automatically brings reappointment requests before the BOCC if existing members with expiring terms express interest in serving again. Williams suggested posting open positions at the end of terms to ensure community members are aware of the opportunity to get involved.
IDE fields grad requirements input
“It’s a monster,” Kemink said of organizing the program. “It’s an amazing experience, but there's some work that goes into pulling it off.”
Camp Bay easement tabled after calls from public
The decision to table came after members of the public and commissioners scrutinized language in the easement document regarding use conditions for the trail, and after commenters at the business meeting urged commissioners to visit the site before signing off on the easement.
WBCSD declares emergency, preps for new boiler
The defect was found by a technician during a routine cleaning on Sept. 26. According to a report to trustees from Ryan Carruth, district operations director, flames were escaping from a gap near the return line when the boiler was turned on.
From family business to industrial operation: Neighbors fight against PDI's expansion in Naples
After community members voiced concern about air quality and other factors, Boundary County commissioners will consider whether to revoke a conditional use permit issued to a Naples furniture manufacturer.
New mural to brighten Sagle school’s hall
“Crisp, dark lines on a bumpy, lighter wall is a challenge,” Soderberg said. “My nose is pretty much on the wall when I’m doing it,” she added with a laugh.
Commissioners examine HR, compensation
“If you look at Bonner County, we have a lot of litigation, and some of that has to do with employee to board or elected official-related issues,” Williams added. “This would allow us to start doing a better job of improving the overall employee relationship within Bonner County, and to help mitigate some of those risks.”
Sliding high — land trust buys $1.9 million sled hill
On Tuesday, Sandpoint nonprofit Kaniksu Land Trust purchased a 48-acre Dover property for $1.9 million. The move ensures a historic sledding hill enjoyed by residents for nearly a century will remain an asset to the community long into the future.
LPOSD board approves facilities contract, policies
“It was clear that that firm had some really good ideas on how to move forward with that building and similar types of work,” Wallace said.
Residents condemn proposed Trestle Creek development
Commenters cited concerns that the development catered to a wealthy subset of part-time residents at the cost of environmental and water quality risks, and that Trestle Creek’s role as a spawning ground for kokanee salmon and protected bull trout merited protection from further commercial infrastructure.
Sandpoint Fire to host open house
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Council amends water, sewer fee rules
“This is not about the cost of them or the amount,” Staglund said of the change. “It’s just about when you pay them.”
Commissioners consider office shuffle, comment rules
“My concern is we're not budgeting for it,” Williams said of the lease. “We have space here and we can accommodate the exact setup that they have in this building.”
Forum hosts commissioner contenders
At a Wednesday gathering of candidates, community members, and media personnel, four aspiring Bonner County commissioners spoke about their platforms.
Local candidates take stage at forum
All candidates were offered time to introduce themselves and make closing remarks. Each of the three candidate groups were presented with a series of questions — including questions submitted by audience members — and had two minutes to respond.
Weekend expo to showcase survival skills
“You need to be aware of your surroundings and aware of what type of disasters could be in your area,” said Pam Brockus, expo secretary. “Are we going to get a tsunami? No. But in our area, we have power outages, and we have windstorms, snow, and freezing.”
Bonners Ferry hunt reveals 2 new CWD cases
An August surveillance hunt that yielded 172 samples revealed two new chronic wasting disease-positive white-tailed deer in the Bonners Ferry area.
BOCC fills planning, zoning seats
Tuesday’s meeting also saw an item introduced by Williams designed to address leakage in the county budget.
‘My own private garlic party’ — hundreds gather for ‘A Taste of Garlic’
“Not all garlics bite,” she added. “Some kind of dance around your mouth. Some will be mellow and then sneak up on you … Some just go, ‘Bam! Hello, I'm garlic, and you know it.’”
City to host camp for non-student days
“We want to give them a place to go where they're learning something, and they have other kids to play with,” said Katie Bradbury, Sandpoint’s recreation services superintendent and organizer of the camp.
Songwriter round to land downtown Saturday
“People have been playing original music around town for years, and people don't even know it,” he added.
Storm batters Boundary, Bonner counties
Much of the damage to power infrastructure occurred around 5 p.m. Wednesday, when bursts of strong wind felled trees and brought down power lines across North Idaho. According to Northern Lights Inc., crews worked to replace 15 broken power poles overnight and restrung downed wires.
Ranch gala to benefit youth education, leadership
Proceeds from the event will go toward SOLE’s youth scholarship fund to help kids participate in adventures like rafting the Salmon River. Funds raised will also support SnowSchool — a field study program for local fifth graders.
Celebration of the flute
Conservatory to host master class, competition, concert
“Even though I’ve played flute for so many years, I have a piano keyboard in front of my eyes,” she said. “Having knowledge of the piano helps with every single instrument afterward.”
Car raffle fundraiser coming to West Bonner
“Our sports fully depend on fundraising.” said Zepeda. “It means a lot to us.”
‘Mother of all breeds’
Arabian horse showcase coming to fairgrounds
“You're competing with gaming. You're competing with school sports,” she added. “All those things are competing for everybody's dollars and their time.”
WBCSD lands SRO grant
The letter also specified SRO salary and benefits funding for the next two school years, with the caveat that “pending appropriations and lack of required documentation from Year 1 may or may not impact funding for 2025-2026 & 2026-2027 school years.”
West Bonner welcomes new trustee
When asked about his vision for education in the community, Pound replied that he believed the district should “help the kids that need more help than others” and “get to where we can have long-term teachers who want to stay here.”
BOCC approves fencing, job description edits
“Two months ago, we had somebody with a warrant for their arrest come in and start knocking on the door of dispatch,” Wheeler added. “That was very concerning for that area not being secured.”
Army Corps announces Pend Oreille drawdown dates
The Corps has estimated it will take three to five years to completely resolve the gate problem — a timeline some locals have said is inadequate. This year, the dam’s limited functionality slowed summer refill; similar delays may occur until the gate is fixed.
Council to talk pump track, dog licensing
In the report, Coon shared the possibility of creating a new free licensing program aiming to increase participation and help connect lost dogs with owners more effectively.
Kegs slide, kids fly at Neighbor Day
In the “keg battle,” teams faced one another and aimed fire hoses at the keg to push it along the wire. When it reached the pole on the opposite end, one team emerged victorious — but both were soaking wet.
‘Reconnect, repopulate, and recover’
Biologists talk grizzly bear ecosystems
“They're great animals,” said Bader of grizzlies during the presentation. “They're just fascinating. To be feared, for sure, but they're generally pretty peaceful animals.”
Council approves preliminary plat for eight-home subdivision
With the approval, the applicant Double Penny Partners LLC will proceed with a project designed to ultimately create a new public street and eight new single-family homes.
LPOSD enters voluntary resolution agreement after Title IX complaint
The complaint originated in July 2021 when Mark Rossmiller alleged LPOSD failed to provide equal athletic opportunities to female students by not accommodating their interests and abilities.
SHS senior named National Merit Scholarship semifinalist
“It's so easy for parents a lot of times to say, ‘look at our amazing kids. Look what we've done,’” said Vaughn Hughes, Jenna’s father. “Jenna is Jenna. She's the one who's motivated and who works hard,” he added.
Spacepoint to host rocket engineer Saturday
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WaCanId riders kick off 395-mile trek
Zehr is no stranger to long days in the saddle. In 1976 while in college, he cycled coast-to-coast from Oregon to New Jersey: a 2,500-mile odyssey. Nearly 50 years later, he continues to put miles under his belt.
County unveils new EMS headquarters
“This was sorely needed — for the EMS department particularly,” Ferguson said.