|
August, 2022 |
News |
August 31 |
Priest
River man arrested for serial arson: Over the past
two years, multiple intentional wildland fires have been set on
Idaho public lands and U.S. Forest Service property in the Priest
River area. Bonner County Sheriff’s Office detectives today
arrested Ryan N. Greene, age 23, of Priest River, for multiple
counts of arson. |
After
30-month pause, Witnesses knocking on doors again:
Boundary County Jehovah’s Witnesses are resuming their trademark
door-to-door ministry after a two and a half year pause due to
COVID-19, just in time to begin a global campaign featuring a new
interactive Bible study program. The decision to resume their
door-to-door ministry marks the complete restoration of all
pre-pandemic in-person activities for the 1.3 million Jehovah’s
Witnesses in the 13,000 congregations in the United States. |
Dr.
Moore files federal suit against city, officers:
After filing a tort claim against the City of Bonners Ferry in
March, 2021, Dr. Daniel Moore and his wife, Karen, filed civil
suit August 26 in the United States District Court for the
District of Idaho against the city, police chief Brian Zimmerman,
assistant police chief Marty Ryan, Idaho State Police Detectives
Michael Van Leuven and Gary Tolleson and ten unnamed BFPD
personnel, seeking jury trial, compensatory damages in excess of
the $10,000 jurisdictional limits of all lower courts as well as
punitive damages. |
Supreme
Court rules on Moore murder confession: The Idaho
Supreme Court issued a unanimous ruling today on the dismissal of
murder charges against Bonners Ferry chiropractor Daniel Moore
based on the admissibility of a coerced confession, affirming that
Idaho First Judicial District Judge Barbara Buchanan was correct
in dismissing the case, but that she erred in ruling that Moore's
confession was involuntary and inadmissible for impeachment
purposes. |
Vacant
field to become multi-purpose Creston community space:
Public spaces are the heart of communities across Canada. They
bring together people of all ages and abilities, supporting
businesses and stimulating local economies. In Creston, like many
places across Canada, the community is ready to welcome back
residents and visitors to enhanced community facilities and public
spaces. The Government of Canada recognizes that many well-loved
spaces laid dormant while Canadians have taken precautions to stay
safe. Upgrading existing community infrastructure and building new
public assets will help Canadian cities and towns provide better
access to recreational programs and facilities. |
August 30 |
Second attempt at
school bond levy fails: The second running of a
$16.4-million school facilities bond to replace a 70-plus year old
Valley View Elementary and make much needed repairs to the rest of
Boundary County School District 101 facilities fared far worse
than the first running in March, when the measure at least got a
simple majority. This time around, it failed by a majority, with
1,422, 40.9-percent, voting "yes" and 2,051, 59-percent, voting
no. |
Three
county fires showing moderate growth: Three fires
burning on the West Side of Boundary County are growing, with the
Eneas Peak at 816 acres as of early this morning, the Trout Fire
at 21 acres, up from 15 acres on Saturday, and the Russell
Mountain Fire growing from 21 acres on Saturday to 123 this
morning, sending up a plume of smoke highly visible from Bonners
Ferry and Moyie Springs, but with hotter, dryer weather forecast
in the days ahead, fire activity is expected to increase. |
Important information for School District 101 parents and
students |
August 29 |
Idaho has a tool in
place to prevent school tragedies: With the school
year upon us and in light of recent events in Texas and elsewhere,
I want to raise awareness of parents and school leaders about a
tool to help keep our students safe. Offered by the Idaho State
Board of Education’s School Safety and Security Program, "See Tell
Now!" is a confidential reporting system that can connect people
who have information, with people who can intervene and prevent a
tragedy like what happened three months ago in Uvalde. |
Boundary County First
Judicial District Court dispositions |
August 27 |
Weather
slows fire growth: Fire behavior in Boundary County
has moderated due to the recent storm system that came through
over the past two days. It has provided wetting rain, cooler
temperatures and higher humidity levels that contributed to
minimal growth on fires. As of Friday, the Eneas Peak Fire covered
780 acres, the Trout Fire at 15 and the Russell Mountain Fire was
at 19 acres. |
August 26 |
Boundary
County Commission minutes, week of August 15 |
Boundary
County Commission minutes, week of August 1 |
August 25 |
Lightning
sparks several new small fires in county: On Tuesday,
a severe weather system developed in the inland northwest that
brought isolated precipitation and many lightning strikes. A few
new starts from this storm have been reported to the Bonners Ferry
Ranger District and crews continue to quickly respond and
prioritize resources based on values at risk. The most notable new
start is the Russell Mountain fire, which was detected yesterday
in the Ball Creek drainage. |
If
bond passes, kids will attend current VVES as new school is built:
Great school question posted today: while the new school is being
built, will the kids be splitting days with the high school or
something? How is that going to work? Teresa Rae provided the
answer: The old school stays open until the new one is finished. |
PHD ending home health
care services: Panhandle Health District (PHD) is
phasing out its home healthcare services program. The district has
stopped accepting new home health patients. PHD will work closely
with their patients, providers and other Home Health agencies
until their transition of care is complete. For over 55 years,
PHD’s Home Health program has provided individualized care in the
comfort of North Idahoan’s homes. |
August 24 |
2022 Boundary
County Market Animal Sale |
IBE
examines statewide health care worker shortage: Idaho
Business for Education on Tuesday released a report on the worker
shortage that is negatively impacting health care systems across
the state. The report is a follow up to a summit IBE held in June
which examined ways to address the problem. The half-day summit,
officially called the IBE Health Care Summit: Solving the Worker
Crisis, was held on the campus of Boise State University. |
Civilian
drone delayed air support on Moyie Springs fire:
Firefighters on the ground battling the Moyie Fire had to wait on
aircraft support because a civilian drone was being flown in the
area. The fire started August 21 just southeast of the Idaho
Forest Group Mill in Moyie Springs. Idaho Department of Lands Fire
led the response with assistance from local firefighters, but
aircraft ordered for the fire could not immediately fly because of
the drone. |
August 23 |
Eneas
Peak Fire holding: Yesterday, helitack firefighters
were assigned to the Trout Fire but were not able to fulfill their
mission due to the incoming weather system and current fuel loads.
The Trout Fire is in an old burn scar, where snags are a chief
safety concern for firefighters working on the ground. However,
air support was able to provide four firebosses that worked both
the Trout and Eneas Peak Fires. The Eneas Peak Fire is now at 733
acres, the Trout Fire is seven acres in size. |
Slow
moving downpours Wednesday could bring flooding: The
National Weather Service, Spokane, has issued a flood watch for
North Idaho and northeast Washington, in effect Wednesday. A slow
moving low pressure system will support afternoon convective
thunderstorms that will be stationary or very slow moving,
allowing for heavy rains over small areas and possible flash
flooding. |
C6
Zero: Saving the world from spent shingles or just another scam?
A 49-year-old Alaska man now living in Hope, Idaho, who has long
touted an environmentally sound, economically advantageous method
for producing fuel, aggregate and fiberglass through a proprietary
process for recycling roofing shingles, has established a presence
in Bonners Ferry at the Fodge Mill on Swede Island Lane, but some
in the community smell a rat. |
August 22 |
Eneas
Peak Fire at 763 acres: Over the past 24 hours, the
Eneas Peak Fire has grown by 164 acres, bringing it to 763 acres.
It is moving favorably to the west and is holding steady on the
northern ridge. Firefighters employed detection and recon flights
to evaluate the status of the fire and to identify any new starts.
In addition, a Type 1 helicopter was borrowed from a nearby IDL
fire to deliver bucket drops to the northeast edge of the fire
late in the afternoon Sunday. |
Boundary County First
Judicial District Court dispositions |
August 21 |
Fire detected in
Trout Creek area: Bonners Ferry Ranger District fire
personnel on patrol detected a wildfire in the Trout Creek area
late this afternoon. Due to nearby fire activity, multiple
aircraft were available and responded quickly to the Trout Fire.
Resources that responded included: a Type 1 helicopter, 4
Firebosses, 1 engine and 1 initial attack module. Currently, there
are no known structures threatened. |
Moyie Springs
fire is surrounded: As of 8 p.m. today, fire crews
have manually constructed a control line around 100-percent of the
Moyie Fire and have surrounded it with hose line. Crews have begun
mop up operations and will remain on scene to monitor the area
overnight. |
Some
Moyie residents told to prepare for evacuation as fire climbs:
Firefighters are currently battling a wildland fire just southeast
of the Idaho Forest Group Mill in Moyie Springs that started near
the Moyie River and began burning uphill towards the mill and
nearby houses. The Moyie Fire is estimated to be two- to
three-acres acres in size. The residents of approximately 50 Moyie
Springs homes living near the mill have been notified of the fire
and the potential need for evacuation if the fire moves towards
the neighborhood. |
Water
drops, weather slow Eneas Peak Fire growth Saturday:
On Saturday, the Type 1 helicopter was successful in providing
more than 53,000 gallons of water that targeted the eastern flank
of the Eneas Peak Fire. In addition to the water drops, the
weather system that moved through the area yesterday assisted in
slowing the spread of the fire. Fire growth since yesterday is 63
acres, putting the Eneas Peak Fire at 599 acres today with zero
percent containment. |
Full documentation,
library tort claim: In light of the intense interest
in the tort claim filed in May against the Boundary County Library
District, here are links to the tort claim and six appendices as
provided by the attorney for claimants. |
August 20 |
Lightning strikes ...
|
 |
A reader sent in this photo of smoke in the Myrtle
Creek drainage following today's lightning. He said
there were three or four additional smoke plumes he could
see but that weren't picked up by his camera. |
|
Recall
petition to be filed against county clerk for alleged library
election fraud: A former Boundary County Library
Board trustee whose daughter was one of four whistleblowers fired
attempted to file a signed recall petition Friday seeking to
unseat Boundary County Clerk Glenda Poston for allegedly failing
to properly administer library trustee elections and allegedly
obstructing a recent trustee recall attempt. With Poston out of
the office, clerks refused to accept it, saying that a blank,
unsigned petition had to be filed before a signed one could be
accepted. |
Eneas
Peak fire at 536 acres, helo dropping water:
Yesterday afternoon fire managers received a Type 2 helicopter
that dropped water along the eastern edge of the Eneas Peak Fire
to reduce spread in that direction. The fire is now estimated at
536 acres with zero-percent containment. Firefighters continued
scouting for opportunities to safely build handline adjacent to
private lands near the Westside Road and to the south of Fisher
Creek. This handline will only be necessary if the fire spreads to
the east and has potential to threatened private lands and
structures. |
August 19 |
Eneas
Peak Fire continues to grow: The Eneas Peak Fire
remains north of Fisher Creek and south of Eneas Peak and all new
fire growth has been to the west, with the fire at 323 acres based
on infrared over flight today. Yesterday, fire fighters hiked the
northeast area of the fire above Westside Road and to the south of
Fisher Creek for opportunities to safely build handline while fire
managers assessed the fire by air for additional confinement
lines. This work will continue today. |
August 18 |
Apple
issues alert for security flaw: Those owning Apple
devices including Mac, iPhones and iPads are advised to install
updates after security vulnerabilities were discovered that could
enable a hacker to gain full administrative access. |
Forest
Service seeks comment on over-snow vehicle travel plan:
The USDA Forest Service is inviting public comments on over-snow
vehicle use across the northern zone of the Idaho Panhandle
National Forests. The “Kaniksu Over-Snow Vehicle Travel Plan”
proposes a system of over-snow vehicle routes and riding areas,
along with seasons of use, for motor vehicles that travel over
snow on tracks or skis. The project area includes the Sandpoint,
Bonners Ferry and Priest Lake Ranger Districts. |
Boundary
County Commissioners agenda, week of August 22 |
Boundary
County School District 101 Board meeting, 6 p.m. Monday, August 22 |
Eneas
Peak Fire grows to 150 acres: The Eneas Peak Fire is
burning on a south aspect below Eneas Peak and above Fisher Creek.
The fire is burning in heavy timber and smoke is visible from the
Kootenai River Valley and most of Bonners Ferry. Recent growth was
mapped today from an infrared flight and the fire is now an
estimated 150 acres. Fire managers are scouting the area by air
and ground for potential confinement lines and to identify open
areas where the use of retardant might be an effective strategy to
slow the fire’s spread. By Kary Maddox, U.S. Forest Service |
Eneas
Peak Fire at 67 acres, expected to grow: The Eneas
Peak Fire, confirmed on August 13, was mapped from a
reconnaissance flight and the fire was estimated eight acres on
the morning of August 16. An infrared flight early Wednesday puts
the fire at 67 acres. Smoke produced by heavy timber can be
misleading of actual fire size, especially from a distance. The
fire was started by lightning and is visible from the Kootenai
River Valley and most of the Bonners Ferry area. |
August 16 |
Eneas
Fire looks bigger than it is: The Eneas Peak Fire,
confirmed on August 13, was started by lightning and is visible
from the Kootenai River Valley and most of the Bonners Ferry area.
The fire is located approximately 15 miles north-northwest of
Bonners Ferry, on the south aspect below Eneas Peak and above
Fisher Creek. Recent growth was mapped from a reconnaissance
flight and the fire is now an estimated eight acres. |
Glidden
submits resignation as library director: Unanimously
approved by the Boundary County Library Board as director in late
October, stepping in to relieve interim director Sandy Ashworth,
who came out of retirement at a time of crisis, Kimber Glidden
this evening announced her resignation in the face of ever
increasing pressure on the community treasure, named the best
small library in America just four years ago. |
Eneas
Peak fire at eight acres: As of 3 p.m. today, the
Eneas Peak Fire in north Boundary County has grown to eight acres
and is still being watched closely by firefighters. It is
primarily burning upslope in a north-westerly direction towards
the top of the ridge north of Fisher Creek. A reconnaissance
aircraft flew over the fire today to gather information about
current fire size and behavior. |
FBI
locates 84 victims of child sex trafficking: The FBI,
working with its state and local partners during two weeks in
August, identified and located 84 minor victims of child sex
trafficking and child sexual exploitation offenses and located 37
actively missing children during a nationwide enforcement
campaign, dubbed “Operation Cross Country.” FBI special agents,
intelligence analysts, victim specialists, and child adolescent
forensic Interviewers working in conjunction with 200 state, local
and federal partners. |
Pearl
repairs can get underway thanks to generous donor: An
anonymous donor, recognizing that the Pearl Theater in Bonners
Ferry is a treasure worth saving, made a $10,000 contribution in
July, which will allow work to at least get started on long
awaited and critical repairs to the historical building. |
Boundary
County Commissioner minutes, week of August 8 |
August 15 |
Stella
missing in Moyie Springs: Stella was last seen by her
family at around 4 p.m. Sunday, and she is missed terribly. The
family is offering a cash reward for her safe return. Stella went
missing in Moyie Springs near the mill. She is very friendly and
wearing a teal blue collar. UPDATE August 23 by Jayden
Attaway: It has been one whole week as of yesterday that our
Stella girl has been missing. At this point I’m feeling hopeless,
but we know she’s out there somewhere. The ditch/train tracks have
been checked numerous times and no sight of her there (which is a
great thing). However, that only means that someone, somewhere has
our dog! More in article. |
USFS
monitoring Eneas Peak fire: The U.S. Forest Service
is aware of and is currently monitoring the fire on Eneas Peak in
north Boundary County. The fire started from lightning strikes and
was discovered four days ago. It is estimated to have burned about
five acres. The USFS is monitoring the fire right now due to the
very steep, dangerous and inaccessible terrain, and because no
structures are threatened. |
Boundary County First
Judicial District Court dispositions |
August 14 |
Boundary
County Commission agenda, week of August 15 |
August 11 |
Johnson
withdraws from house race to challenge Herndon: Steve
Johnson, Sandpoint, withdrew as Democrat candidate for Idaho
District 1 House Position A July 13 to instead challenge
Republican Scott Herrndon for the Idaho District 1 Senate seat. "I
was very disappointed when Jim Woodward lost the primary to
Herndon, and I'm now running as an Independent write-in candidate
for the District 1 State Senate seat, with support from many local
Republicans," Johnson wrote. |
August 10 |
FOUND SAFE! North
Idaho girl missing: The Kootenai County Sheriff’s
Office is requesting assistance in locating Brooklyn George, last
seen at her father’s house in Harrison wearing plaid pink
sweatpants, a black shirt w/rose and a black sweatshirt. It is
believed she may have left the location in the early morning hours
on August 9 with her boyfriend. |
August 9 |
Boundary
County Library District 2022/23 budget hearing, 9 a.m. Thursday,
September 1, County Annex |
ICRMP refuses to
renew library's policy: On August 1, the Idaho
Counties Risk Management Program wrote a brief letter notifying
the Boundary County Library Board that its existing policy will
not be renewed when it expires at midnight Saturday, October 1. |
August 8 |
Hope
man facing up to five years for Kapu Road burglary: A
45-year-old Hope, Idaho, man staying in Boundary County in a
trailer on the property of a late friend's grieving widow will
spend two to five years in prison and pay more than $82,000 in
restitution after pleading guilty to grand theft by possession of
stolen property. |
Kootenai
County sheriff's deputy needs community's help: A
35-year-old Kootenai County Deputy Sheriff has recently suffered a
stroke and needs the community's assistance. Deputy Yvonne Cress
and her husband welcomed the birth of their child in June. While
at home and off-duty over the last weekend in July, she suffered a
stroke that affected her entire right side. A U.S. Navy Veteran,
Cress has been with the sheriff’s office for over six years. |
Boundary County First
Judicial District Court dispositions |
August 5 |
Fire
near Nordman grows to 120 acres: The Diamond Watch
Fire was initially detected on the evening of July 14. It was
started by lightning and is visible from the Priest Lake area. The
fire is located 5.5 miles due west of Nordman and is burning on a
ridge to the east of Diamond Peak in Pend Oreille County,
Washington. An infrared flight mapped the recent growth at 120
acres, with most of the heat showing now on the south aspect. |
Hope
House giving away back to school shoes: Hope House
has had amazing community support to enable them to provide back
to school shoes/PE shoes again this year. If you know of a student
or family who will need help purchasing shoes for Back to School,
to be distributed at the Hope House Back to School Bash August 26.
Hope House staff is collecting its list through August 13. |
'Read-In' of
controversial books held to protest library board recall:
Only a handful of people were expected at the first "Read-In" on
the lawn at the Boundary County Library Thursday afternoon, but
organizers were astounded when the over two dozen people turned
out to quietly read banned or controversial books. People young
and old showed up, many wearing shirts expressing support for the
beleaguered library. |
Get
ready to see the world at the Boundary County Fair!
The most festive week of the year in Boundary County kicks off
bright and early Tuesday morning, August 9, as the entire
community comes together to celebrate who we are and the bounties
of this wonderful place, as people young and old bring in their
season's best to display at the Boundary County Fair. This year's
theme is "Around the World in Five Days," and it will provide
convincing evidence that there's no place quite like this awesome
place we call home! |
County
commission agenda, week of August 8 |
Grizzly
euthanized near Porthill: On August 4, Idaho Fish and
Game in cooperation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
euthanized a large adult male grizzly bear in Boundary County near
Porthill. There has been a series of livestock losses due to
grizzly bears this spring and summer. Fish and Game received a
report on August 2 of four sheep that had been attacked and killed
and two additional sheep that had been injured near Porthill. |
August 4 |
County
Commission minutes, week of July 25 |
Crews working
fire near Creston: The BC Wildfire Service is on the
ground responding to a wildfire burning approximately 14
kilometres, 8.7 miles, northeast Creston. First spotted August 2,
as of Wednesday afternoon, the Six Mile Creek wildfire was
estimated to be 57 hectares in size, or 140.85 acres. It is
believed to be human caused. On the scene, 31 ground crew members
are continuing to utilize heavy equipment to establish fuel-free
areas, control lines, and water delivery systems. |
Income guidelines for
2022-2023 free and reduced price lunch released:
Families interested in applying for free and reduced price meals
can now view income guidelines and apply for the 2022-2023 school
year. The upcoming school year will be the first time since 2020
that families need to apply in order to receive free or reduced
price meals in schools operating the National School Lunch Program
and for free milk in schools operating the Special Milk Program.
Eligible families are encouraged to apply to ensure their
children’s access to healthy meals this school year. |
It
is huckleberry season: The Idaho Panhandle National
Forests is reminding huckleberry pickers that commercial picking
of huckleberries is not permitted. Picking huckleberries with the
intent to sell them is considered commercial gathering. In order
to provide plentiful opportunities for recreational huckleberry,
the forest does not issue commercial permits. Minimum fines for
commercial picking start at $250, and can increase based on the
severity of the offense. |
August 3 |
Sportsmen
just gained access to 23,000 acres of public land in North Idaho:
After an 85-year closure to hunting, fishing and trapping, Myrtle
Creek Preserve is once again open and accessible by sportsmen
thanks to approval by the Idaho Fish and Game Commission in July.
The preserve is a vast piece of real estate in the Kootenai River
Basin in the Panhandle, spanning nearly 23,000 acres or 36 square
miles of ground. |
Idaho investing in drug
treatment, mental health services: The State of Idaho
is taking steps to make Idaho safer and save taxpayer dollars by
increasing drug treatment and mental health services in Idaho
communities as part of Governor Brad Little’s “Leading Idaho”
plan. Through the new Pre-prosecution Diversion Grant Program, the
Idaho Department of Correction is offering $2.5 million worth of
funding to state and local government agencies. |
August 2 |
Southeast
BC campfire ban going into effect: Effective at noon
PDT Thursday, August 4, campfires will be prohibited throughout
the Southeast Fire Centre's jurisdiction to help prevent
human-caused wildfires and protect public safety. Hot and dry
conditions in the Southeast Fire Centre are expected to continue.
The fire danger rating in the region is generally High to Extreme. |
Justice
Department sue Idaho to protect reproductive rights:
The U.S. Justice Department today filed a lawsuit to protect the
rights of patients to access emergency medical care guaranteed by
federal law. The suit challenges Idaho Code § 18-622, which is set
to go into effect on August 25 and imposes a near-total ban on
abortion. |
Need
for Struggle Bear conditional use permit questioned:
A Boise attorney has written Boundary County Planning and Zoning
on behalf of Struggle Bear LLC and owner Owen Benjamin, citing a
misunderstanding of the use proposed on a ten acre parcel on Earl
Lane Road, a misreading of the county zoning
ordinance and a contention that no permits are required for the
six dry guest cabins that were built on the parcel. As a
result, the application process has been stopped. |
August 1 |
Skinner
found guilty, faces two life sentences: The testimony
of two children, ages four and six, helped convince Judge Barbara
Buchanan of their father's guilt on two counts of lewd conduct
with a minor under age 16 following a brief court trial Wednesday.
Josiyah Nathaniel Skinner, 30, Moyie Springs, was remanded in
custody without bail pending sentencing at 9 a.m. Friday, October
21. He faces up to life in prison on each count. |
Boundary County First
Judicial District Court dispositions |