October 29 |
Idaho
joins states challenging federal contractor vaccine mandate:
Governor Brad Little announced today he joined a multistate
lawsuit challenging President Joe Biden’s Executive Order 14042,
also known as the federal contractor vaccine mandate. Biden’s
Executive Order 14042 requires employees of federal contractors be
fully vaccinated by December 8 with few exceptions. |
U.S.
ports of entry to open to fully vaccinated November 8:
The Department of Homeland Security announced today that
non-citizen travelers who are fully vaccinated for COVID-19 and
have appropriate documentation will be permitted to enter the
United States via land ports of entry and ferry terminals starting
on November 8. |
Library
names new director: According to a post today on the
library Facebook page, the Boundary County Library District's
search for a new director ended at the BCLD Board of Trustees'
meeting on October 21, with the hiring of Kimber Glidden by
unanimous vote. |
Supercharged
aurora borealis could light up weekend night sky: The
National Weather Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration have issued a G3 (Strong) Geomagnetic Storm Watch,
in effect for Saturday and Sunday, October, 30-31. It could
disrupt some electronics devices and radio signals, but should
bring supercharged northern lights displays readily visible across
Canada and the northern United States. |
October 28 |
Extra
county enforcement patrols for Halloween: The
Boundary County Sheriff’s Office has coordinated with the Idaho
Transportation Department’s Office of Highway Safety to fund
traffic enforcement patrols through the Halloween weekend.
Beginning today and extending through November 1, additional
deputies will be patrolling Boundary County’s roads and highways. |
We're
number 1: It follows that in places where, by too
many, science is ignored, statistics prove how fallacious the
logic of that mindset. While COVID 19 numbers are improving in
much of the state, they aren't in fiercely independent and
liberty-loving North Idaho, particularly in Boundary County.
By Mike Weland |
PHD
offers three brands of COVID booster shots: The
Panhandle Health District supports authorization by the Food and
Drug Administration and the recommendation by the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention to administer booster doses of the
Moderna and Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines. Booster doses of
those vaccines are available now for specific individuals, in
addition to booster doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine the
agencies approved last month. |
Add
over-the-counter nasal spray to list of useless COVID cures:
Many of us would like to believe a marketer’s claims that an
over-the-counter nasal spray can prevent or treat COVID-19.
Luckily, the law sets a high standard of proof before a marketer
can say its product can prevent, treat, or cure a serious disease.
The law requires competent scientific evidence. By Seena
Gressin |
October 27 |
$9.9-million
FCC penalty filed against Libby man for malicious robocalls:
The U.S. Department of Justice last week served a complaint filed
against a Libby man to recover a $9.9 million penalty imposed by
the Federal Communications Commission for nearly 5,000 unlawful
and malicious “spoofed” robocalls. |
Commissioners
meeting in emergency session |
Boundary County Commissioners will meet in emergency
session at 4:30 p.m. today in commission chambers in the
Boundary County Courthouse, 6452 Kootenai Street, Bonners
Ferry, to discuss Community Restorium staffing, illnesses
and residents. All interested may attend in person or by
phone; 1-877-402-9753, access code 9099848. |
|
October 26 |
Library
seeking board member to fill Judith Mace's shoes: Due
to the untimely death of Judith Mace on October 3, 2021, the
Boundary County Library Board of Trustees issued a declaration of
trustee vacancy for Zone 5 according to Idaho Code 33-2716(3) at
the regular meeting of the BCLD’s Board of Trustees October 21.
The BCLD Board of trustees will appoint to fill the vacancy, a
person qualified to serve as trustee of the public library
district and resides in Zone 5. |
Wind
advisory issued for northwest Montana: The National
Weather Service, Missoula, has issued a wind advisory for the
Kootenai/Cabinet Region, in effect from midnight tonight to 6 p.m.
Wednesday. Southwest winds of 15 to 25 miles per hour are
predicted, with gusts up to 40 miles per hour. |
October 25, 2021 |
Open
enrollment for Idaho health insurance begins November 1:
Open enrollment for health insurance is just one week away.
Beginning November 1, Idahoans who do not have coverage through
their employer and don’t qualify for Medicaid or Medicare, can
enroll in 2022 medical and dental coverage through Your Health
Idaho, the state’s health insurance exchange. |
Boundary County
First Judicial District Court dispositions |
Lavala
running to serve his community: My name is Robert
Lavala and I am running for City Council in Bonners Ferry this
November 2. I am writing this article myself, considering that I
know myself better than anyone other than my amazing wife. I was
born and raised in a small suburb of Boise named Garden City. |
October 24, 2021 |
Zoey
missing near Troy: Folks in the Troy area are asked
to keep an eye out for Zoey, an adventurous girl who is known to
go for romps in the woods, but she's never been gone this long,
and with hunting season open, the folks watching her for a friend
is worried. Their home is off Mud Lake Road near the rest area by
Schoolhouse Lake. |
October 23 |
Wilson
urges all his neighbors to have CO detectors: Tim
Wilson lost his mother Friday, 18 years after he lost his father,
Pete, and brother, Kip, in November 2003, when an improperly
installed pool heater filled the house with carbon monoxide. Tim's
mom, Rhoda, and brother Duff were flown to a Spokane hospital, and
both survived. Tim doesn't convey the story to garner sympathy,
but to alert all in the community of the importance of having
working CO detectors in your home. |
Search
on for missing Aberdeen man: The Bingham County
Sheriff’s Office is requesting assistance from the public in
locating a missing and endangered 71-year-old Roger Fretwell,
Aberdeen, Idaho. A long-time resident of American Falls, Idaho, he
and his wife had recently moved to Aberdeen. FOUND! |
October 20 |
Closed
fire season ends today: State burn permits from the
Idaho Department of Lands are no longer required for burning
activities outside of city limits beginning October 21, but
citizens are still encouraged to voluntarily obtain the free
permits when burning this Fall. |
IDL
seeking north operator for FPAC: The Idaho Department
of Lands will accept nominations for two positions on the Idaho
Forest Practices Advisory Committee through the close of business
on October 31, 2021. Charged by state law with selecting the
committee members, IDL director Dustin Miller will appoint
qualified individuals to serve three-year terms for the Operator
North and General Public Representative South positions. |
Paul
Rawling's 'Swan Song" brings new yet familiar faces:
The Pearl Theater stage will come alive again with the premier
performance October 29 of Bonners Ferry's playwright emeritus Paul
Rawlings latest production, "Swan Song," a comedy/drama dealing
with mortality, of finding peace in the face of adversity. |
October 19 |
Boundary
County charges dropped against Sandpoint felon:
Multiple Boundary County felony charges against a 28-year-old
Sandpoint man were dismissed without prejudice "on that further
investigation is being done," but a raft of other felony charges
in Bonner County have landed him a minimum of five years in
prison. |
October 18 |
Boundary County
First Judicial District Court dispositions |
Flags
to half staff in honor of General Colin Powell: U.S.
flags have been ordered by the president to be lowered to half
staff in honor of former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and
U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell, 84, who died today of
complications from COVID-19. He also suffered multiple myeloma, a
cancer of plasma cells that suppresses the body's immune response,
as well as Parkinson's Disease. |
With
CESB well underway, Creston Mayor reestablishing fire fund:
The highly anticipated construction of the new Creston Emergency
Services Building (CESB) has begun! In just a few short weeks, the
foundation, external doors, walls and roof of the CESB, located at
1505 Cook Street next to Pealow's Your Independent Grocer have
been completed, and it's anticipated that the facility will be
fully functional by spring 2022. By Mayor Ron Toyota |
October 16 |
Teenage
motorcyclist killed in Bonner County collision: Idaho
State Police are investigating a vehicle collision that occurred
at 1:30 p.m. today on Highway 95 at Selle Road in Bonner County.
The driver of a motorcycle was northbound on US 95 and the driver
of a pickup truck towing a horse trailer was southbound. |
Poston
running to serve city he knows and believes in:
Lifelong Boundary County resident Brion Poston is one of three
candidates running for two seats on the Bonners Ferry City Council
in the November 2 election. His choice to run, he said, is not
politically motivated, but because he believes in our community. |
McGeachin
exposes 'truth' about legal issues with the media: In
the wake of an Idaho Press Club lawsuit for public records, Idaho
Lieutenant Governor Janice McGeahchin McGeachin took the stage at
Ammon High School Thursday and declared she was protecting
whistleblowers who participated in her Education Task Force
investigation and her attorney called on the Idaho AG's office to
pay $30,000 costs for bad lawyering. |
October 15 |
Idaho
Forest Products week just ahead: Governor Brad Little
has formally proclaimed the week of October 18-22 as Idaho Forest
Products Week and a time to recognize and celebrate the
contributions of the industry in Idaho. Idaho has 21.5 million
acres of forest land spanning from the Canadian border to the
southern edge of the state. Over 40% of Idaho is covered in trees. |
State
Superintendent candidate to hold local meet and greet:
Former Idaho Senator Branden Durst, now running for Idaho
Superintendent of Public Instruction on the November 8, 2022,
ballot, will hold a meet and greet in Bonners Ferry at 6 p.m.
Wednesday, October 27, at Mugsy's Tavern & Grill, 7161 Main
Street. |
Fire
safety and the changing seasons: The summer past was
a record setter in many respects. We saw fire indices numbers that
we have not seen before. Our fire season started early with early
spring fires that exhibited fire behavior similar to August or
September fires. The drought conditions combined with the heavy
fire loads that we have in our forests had us set up for a
catastrophic fire season. Once again, however, we slipped through
this season without any major fires. With cold weather approaching
we will be entering the time when we see most structure fires.
By HMVFD Chief Brad Lowther |
October 14 |
Repair
work starts Monday on Pack River Road: Road repair
work on Pack River Road will begin Monday, October 18. The road is
in the Upper Pack River area near Sandpoint, Idaho. While most
delays are expected to be short, some delays could last four
hours. The repairs will take place approximately two miles above
the Pack River Snowmobile Parking Area. |
Boundary County Commission agenda, week of October 18 |
October 13 |
Bonner
County Sheriff seeking suspect in Oldtown homicide:
UPDATE: 8:15 a.m. Thursday, October 14 -- Eric Benzo has been
located and is in custody however anybody with information about
the shooting is encouraged to call dispatch (208) 265-5525.
The Bonner County Sheriff’s Office responded to the 500 block
of Silver Birch Lane in Oldtown, at about 6:30 a.m. Tuesday to
investigate the report of a shooting. Deputies and Bonner County
EMS arrived on scene and found an adult male suffering from
gunshot wounds. |
U.S.
to reopen border in November for vaccinated: Since
being halted by pandemic in March, 2020, travel restrictions are
set to be lifted at land ports of entry in November for those
fully vaccinated for COVID-19. The actual date is to be announced
soon. |
October
is Idaho Health Care Worker Appreciation Month:
Governor Brad Little on Monday proclaimed the month of October
“Idaho Health Care Worker Appreciation Month,” and encouraged all
Idahoans to seek out the health care workers in their lives and
communities and show their respect, appreciation, and support for
the sacrifices health care workers are making to get us through an
unprecedented public health crisis. |
SSI,
Medicare recipients to see increase with new year:
Social Security and Supplemental Security Income benefits for
approximately 70 million Americans will increase 5.9 percent in
2022, the Social Security Administration announced today. |
October 11 |
Amber
Alert issued for six-year-old Jerome boy:
FOUND SAFE! AMBER ALERT CANCELLED! An Idaho Amber Alert
has been issued for a six year old boy last seen today in Jerome
and believed in imminent danger. Kingston James Solis is four feet
tall with black hair and brown eyes, last seen wearing a gray
hoodie, blue jeans, gray shoes, and black and red Avengers
backpack. He is missing his two front teeth. |
Be
on the lookout for ATV stolen in Bonners Ferry: The
Bonners Ferry Police Department is asking the public's help to
locate an ATV stolen in the Wells Street area between 9 p.m.
Sunday and 9 a.m. Monday. It's a 2014 Arctic Cat 1000x Wildcat
with Montana license plate BTF999. |
Boundary County First
Judicial District Court dispositions |
October 10 |
Agendas;
City of Troy public hearing and work meeting 6:30 p.m. October 13 |
October 9 |
County
commissioners' meeting agenda - week of October 11 |
Boundary County Commissioner's minutes, September 20-21 |
October 7 |
World
closing in on five-million COVID dead: Globally, as
of 11:21 a.m. today, 236,760,977 human beings have been hit with
COVID-19 and 4,832,685 have died. Nationally, the United States
has tallied 3,485,038 new cases in the last 28 days, and 53,713
more dead, bringing the COVID death toll to 708,434 and the total
case count to 44,111,995. |
Early
voting starts next week for November 2 election: The
four sample ballots are out, the deadline for early registration
to vote in the November 2 election is 5 p.m. tomorrow, absentee
ballots will go in the mail next week and in-person early voting
at the Boundary County Courthouse begins Tuesday, October 12. |
BNSF
Sandpoint project chugging right along: The Sandpoint
Junction Connector bridge project is chugging along right on or
ahead of schedule. To meet the growing needs of the communities
Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad serves, BNSF is building a
second rail bridge over Lake Pend Oreille adjacent to the existing
rail bridge. BNSF is also building new bridges over Sand Creek and
Bridge Street in Sandpoint. |
Crapo,
Risch espouse Western Conservation Principles: U.S.
Senators Mike Crapo and Jim Risch have joined members of the
Senate Western Caucus and Congressional Western Caucus Members to
reveal a holistic, outcome-based conservation proposal, “Western
Conservation Principles.” The proposal, serves as an alternative
to the Biden Administration’s “30 by 30 initiative” and America
the Beautiful report. |
October 6 |
In
Idaho, Pillow Guy's rendition of the Big Lie a big lie:
Following the manual recount of eight of 32 Bonner County
precincts, the office of the Idaho Secretary of State has wrapped
up its review surrounding allegations challenging the accuracy of
Idaho’s November 2020 election. The findings: As expected, the
election was executed with both integrity and accuracy, with the
office finding only a roughly 0.1% margin of error across three
counties. |
Burning planned on
Sandpoint Ranger district: The Sandpoint Ranger
District of the Idaho Panhandle National Forests will be burning
piles this week associated with the Old House fuels reduction
project. The phase of the project currently being implemented
consists of pile burning on seven acres of National Forest System
Lands. |
Lifetime
Achievement Awards go to Idaho hospitality workers:
Governor Brad Little announced he awarded the Governor’s Lifetime
Achievement Award in Travel and Tourism to Idaho hospitality
workers collectively. He also proclaimed October 4-8 Hospitality
Employee Appreciation Week and he encourages all Idahoans to visit
their favorite local hospitality business or destination and say
thank you to the employees who provide a wonderful experience. |
Critchfield
running for Idaho Superintendent of Public Instruction:
The Idaho Constitution directs state officials to provide a free,
thorough and uniform public education system. And, as you know,
nothing is free. More than two billion of your dollars go to
education to fulfill that constitutional charge. You send your
hard-earned dollars to Boise with the belief that elected
officials will make decisions that support your expectations. |
Knotty Pine
Project draft decision notice released: The Three
Rivers Ranger District of the Kootenai National Forest has
prepared a draft decision notice and finding of no significant
impact for the Knotty Pine Project, located north and west of
Troy, and includes the Pine Creek, Curley Creek, Lime Creek, Rocky
Creek and Red Top Creek watersheds. Line Point, Murphy and Red Top
mountains form the northern boundary of the project, the Idaho
state line forms the western edge, the Kootenai River the southern
boundary, and the Yaak River the eastern boundary. |
October 4 |
Season
tickets on sale for Festival at Sandpoint: The
Festival at Sandpoint is preparing for their 39th annual season to
be held July 28-August 7, 2022. Season Passes are on sale now for
$299, plus tax and fees, for a limited time. |
Think
pink - Volley for a Cure this Thursday: This year's
Bonners Ferry Badgers “Volley for a Cure” games and silent auction
will be Thursday, October 7, as they host the Kellogg Wildcats in
Intermountain League play. All proceeds will go towards a local
cancer group. The goal is to pack the stands with pink in
awareness of the scourge of breast cancer -- players, coaches,
parents and fans are all encouraged to get involved! |
Facebook
sites crash: WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook have
all gone down in a major outage. The three apps – which are all
owned by Facebook, and run on shared infrastructure – all
completely stopped working at around 9 a.m. Pacific Time. Other
products that are part of the same family of apps, such as
Facebook Workplace, also stopped working. |
Boundary County First
Judicial District Court dispositions |
October 3 |
Bandito is home safe! Bandito is home and safe
in his pasture! A huge thanks to Perry and Erin and Kim and
Cassidy at the Stateline House, where he trotted off to, to
Svetlana, who also has horses and watches out for him, to Margo
who went out and checked around her house (he ran up there twice
in the past), and to my husband Trevor, who puts up with it all
and went right out to checking fence! Thanks to Troy dispatch, who
put the word out ... they got the call from a lady from Washington
who saw him on the highway so we could narrow back our search and
save miles and miles of walking! |
More
than 700,000 Americans now dead from COVID-19: The
United States, the world leader in all the wrong categories in the
fight against COVID 19, reached another sad milestone this
weekend, with 700,982 Americans now dead in the 19 months since
the pandemic began. In the last 28 days, according to the Johns
Hopkins University of Medicine, 3,658,765 new cases of COVID-19
were confirmed, and 52,269 fresh corpses laid to rest. It's not
just the virus that's deadly. So, too, is the misinformation. |
October 2 |
Search on for
missing Sandpoint girl: UPDATE -- 1:12 p.m. Sunday,
October 3: Elizabeth has been found and is back with her family! The
Sandpoint Police Department is asking the public's help to locate
a 13-year-old Sandpoint girl last seen at her home the evening of
September 25. |
Thor
missing in Wildhorse Lane neighborhood: Thor is
missing in the west Marx Subdivision neighborhood in Bonners
Ferry, and the people who belong to him worry that as an indoor
cat, he's not adapted to the perils of the Bonners Ferry wilds.
Thor is about five years old, a bit on the skinny side, with a
long, question mark shaped tail. He is chipped but he's not
wearing a collar. Anyone who sees him is asked to call (208)
217-5903. |
October 1 |
ISP
releases will no longer name those involved in collisions:
For those who follow ISP's news releases, you'll notice some
updates to the content of those releases involving vehicle
collisions. It has been a lengthy and careful process to find a
practice that best serves public information needs regarding
traffic incidents and traffic safety that is balanced with the
need to maintain the integrity of crash investigations and protect
against an unwarranted invasion of patient or personal privacy.
From Idaho State Police Public Affairs |
Charlie
Meeker's COVID case sets statewide example of challenges:
“I got big troubles.” That’s what Charlie Meeker, 79, said when he
started having trouble breathing due to COVID-19. And because
there were no hospital beds available, Meeker was flown to a
hospital in Washington, illustrating how the ravages of COVID-19
in North Idaho spilled over into our neighboring state. By
Scott McIntosh, Idaho Statesman |
Serving
on the school board a sound investment in community: My
name is Susan Weed and I am running for reelection for Boundary
County School District 101 School Board Trustee - Zone 2, Moyie
Springs. I have been a school board member for the past four
years. My husband Dennis and I moved to Boundary County 12 years
ago. It has been a priority for us to intentionally have a
positive impact wherever we live. |
U.S.
fighting influx of deadly fentanyl: Deputy Attorney
General Lisa O. Monaco and DEA Administrator Anne Milgram
announced a significant law enforcement surge to protect American
communities from the flood of fentanyl and fentanyl-laced pills
across the United States. Law enforcement in North Idaho has seen
a significant increase in the presence of fentanyl and are
increasingly concerned over the deadly risks it poses. |
Stokes
to take over as head of ITD in May: The Idaho
Transportation Board announced today that chief deputy Scott
Stokes will serve as the new director of the Idaho Transportation
Department beginning in the spring of 2022. Current director Brian
Ness will continue to lead the department and Stokes will serve as
chief deputy until he takes the helm on May 29, 2022. |
USS
Idaho plank owners to visit North Idaho: The USS
Idaho, a Virginia-class nuclear powered attack submarine currently
under construction, is on schedule to be christened in the summer
of 2022 and commissioned into active US Navy service in 2023, and
a committee of Idaho volunteers is working to plan for the
warship’s christening and commissioning activities under
guidelines set by the Secretary of the Navy. |
Flags
to half staff Sunday: In accordance to Public Law
107-51, the American flag should be lowered to half-staff from
sunrise to sunset Sunday, October 3, in observance of National
Fallen Firefighters Memorial Service. The 40th National Fallen
Firefighters Memorial Service will be held Sunday, October 3,to
honor firefighters who died in the line of duty. |
Look who's home! |
 |
Charlie Meeker was hospitalized for much of
September, first at Boundary Community Hospital, then at
Sacred Heart, but he returned home on Thursday,
looking hale and happy to be back among family and
friends. |
|