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Boundary County Archives ~ December, 2013 |
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News |
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December 31 |
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Sandpoint woman dies in collision with train:
A 25 year old Sandpoint woman lost her life this
afternoon after apparently failing to yield to a
train in Bonner County. |
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FIRST Team Alpha seeks support: On behalf of FIRST Team 2130, we are pleased to
announce that we are getting an early start to
the 2014 season. We are looking forward to a
great, and productive year. By Josh Sher |
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Trap
thief riles Momma bear: Folks in Boundary County love the outdoors and
all it has to offer, from watching a glorious
sun set over the mountains, to hiking and riding
through some of the most beautiful and idyllic
scenery anywhere. And there's one fact of nature
that's unavoidable. |
 Farnsworth
honored for forest practices: Al Farnsworth and his wife Caroline have been
performing sound forestland practices spanning
over 40 years. In 1992, Al and Caroline received
the “Take Pride in America Conservation Farm
Award” for their forestland practices.
This year, the Boundary Soil Conservation
District honors him again, naming him a 2013
Boundary County Farmer of the Year. |
 Ty
Iverson 2013 'Farmer of the Year:' Boundary county is blessed with some of the best
farms in the world, and making a great farm
takes a number of diverse things; good, fertile
soil, clement weather, adequate moisture, plenty
of sunshine.
But the key factor essential in any great farm,
especially a great farm that's abided for
generations, is a great farmer, and the Boundary
Soil Conservation District's 2013 Farmer of the
Year, Ty Iverson, is more than living up to his
family legacy. |
 Amber
Reed wants to sing for an idol: One of Bonners Ferry's own talents is vying for
the chance to fulfill the dream of a lifetime,
the opportunity to share the stage with American
Idol winner and heartthrob Taylor Hicks, but
Amber Reed needs your help, and she needs it
quick! |
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December 30 |
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Remembering
... |
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It's
hard to tell just how many people showed
up Monday evening at the Bonners Ferry
High School soccer field to remember a
friend lost too young, too soon, but
there were many. There were enough to
send soaring aloft 26 paper sky
lanterns; one for each year Josh
Wilkerson would have lived to see his
birthday had he not tragically lost his
life in a vehicle collision on Highway
95 August 20.
He is not forgotten. |
| Photo courtesy
Deborah Youngwirth |
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 Daisy
Mae missing in Curley Creek: Daisy
Mae is missing and her family is asking for the
community's help in finding her. The yellow Lab
went missing Sunday in the Curley Creek area,
and though they've been looking, the family has
seen no sign of her yet. |
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Refuge note: Due to unsafe
driving conditions, the Auto Tour Road at the
Kootenai National Wildlife Refuge is now CLOSED
to all vehicles for the winter months. Visitors
are welcome to hike, snowshoe, or cross-country
ski the tour road instead! |
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Court
records and sheriff's log |
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December 29 |
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Snow, rain
could make travel risky: The National Weather Service has issued a winter
weather advisory through 7 p.m. today warning of
the potential for a mix of light snow and rain
throughout the region which could make driving
hazardous. |
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December 28 |
 Sandpoint airman dies in IED attack:
The Department of Defense announced today the
death of an airman who was supporting Operation
Enduring Freedom. Captain David I. Lyon, 28, Sandpoint, died December 27, 2013, from wounds
suffered when his vehicle was attacked with an
improvised explosive device in Kabul,
Afghanistan. |
 Big
Max is missing: Max
is a big old galoot, friendly, full of fun and
mild-tempered, and his family is missing him,
and praying he's safe and will be back home
soon.
He disappeared December 24 on Templemann Lake
Road near Smith Lake, and though the family has
been out looking, they've seen no sign of Max
yet, and hope you can help. |
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December 27 |
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A
Christmas Tail: On Christmas Eve, the Bonners Ferry Police
Department received a call regarding an injured
dog on the Kootenai River Bridge. By the time
police arrived on scene, two local girls,
Crystal Martin and Michelle Colaianni, had
picked up the dog to carry it to the Sheriff’s
Office. |
 Found,
lost, found again: Gary
Regehr has spent a lifetime in the woods. As
owner of Regehr logging, he's seen and worked
places most of us can only dream about. And over
the years, he came across signs of history,
signs of the toil our forbears endured to carve
a living of the abundant natural resources of
this once forbidding place. This is an account
of but one of those finds. |
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Festival of Trees still going strong:
They'd have loved to have seen more trees and
participation, but organizers of this year's
18th annual Fry Foundation Festival of Trees are
pretty happy; the event raised about $33,000 and
donations are still coming in. |
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FDA
eases fresh produce standards: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
will revise key provisions of its proposed fresh
produce rule after Idaho food producers deemed
the new water quality and manure standards
unworkable. Idaho Senator Mike Crapo has
repeatedly pressed the FDA for revisions since
the draft rules were released pursuant to the
Food Safety Modernization Act of 2011. |
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Dense fog advisory issued: The National Weather Service has issued a dense
fog advisory for Boundary, Bonner and Kootenai
Counties, effective until 10 a.m. today. |
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December 24 |
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It's a small world at Christmas: It's a small world, especially at Christmas. You
wouldn't, in the most arcane Geography Bee, ever
imagine a connection between people in a small
town in North Idaho, those in a Bavarian
Village, or how that tie has brightened the
Basilica at the Vatican. |
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December 23 |
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Another
bout of Bell's Palsy: To those who see me in the next few weeks, don't
worry if I'm a bit less expressive than usual,
if only one eye blinks or if I slur or drool a
little out the left side of my mouth. I've been
hit once again with Bell's Palsy, a condition
affecting the nerve that controls the muscles on
one side of the face. By Mike Weland |
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Update on Tiffany Murray: Just
received word from Kevin Murray ... his wife,
BFPD Officer Tiffany Murray, is undergoing
surgery today in San Francisco. Thus far, he
said, all is going well. An account has been set
up at Mountain West Bank for those who would
like to assist the family; donations to the
Sharlene F. Murray donations for Tiffany Murray"
can be made at any bank branch. |
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Drive
safe for the holidays: Festive parties and celebrations are under way
so the Idaho Transportation Department reminds motorists to make this holiday season
safer for everyone by choosing to not drive
impaired. |
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Idaho unemployment drops: Idaho’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate
dropped to 6.1 percent in November, the largest
one-month decline on record. The November rate
matched the post-recession low posted last
spring. |
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Court
records and sheriff's log |
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County commission minutes, December 9-10 |
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County commission minutes, December 2-3 |
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December 22 |
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Weather advisory issued for snow and ice:
The National Weather Service has issued a winter
weather advisory a region including Boundary
County effective from 7 p.m. today to 10 a.m.
tomorrow for light snow and freezing rain. |
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December 21 |
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Christmas Under the Stars tonight: The Christmas Under the Stars Concert
takes place at 6:30 this evening at Grace Bible
Fellowship, 6291 Main Street at the south end of
Bonners Ferry. |
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Pitiful
Players on stage tonight: The Pitiful Players are once again bringing some
holiday cheer to town! “A Sherlock Holmes
Christmas” will be presented at 7 p.m. this
evening at The Pearl Theater. There is no
charge, so bring the family and join the fun! |
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Members of Xi Beta Omicron Chapter of
Beta Sigma Phi again selected the Senior
Hospitality Center as their Christmas
project. Although unable to find a time
when they could all get together and
bake pies like they did last year, they
all baked cookies and on Thursday
evening put together 75 individual bags
of cookies to be given to the seniors
attending the Christmas lunch on Friday,
December 20. All 11 members made cookies
and 6 were able to help make up the
bags. Pictured are Joanie Mark,
Barb Kovacs, Linda Alt, Audrey Schenck,
Wilma DeVore and Bev Saul. |
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Ring in
New Year at the Pearl: Looking for something different to do this New
Year’s Eve? Head to The Pearl Theater to ring in
the New Year with a Masquerade Ball! This fun
filled, Mardi Gras style event will be sure to
start your new year with a bang! |
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Drive
safe for the holidays: Law enforcement officers from across Idaho are
teaming up to stop impaired driving this holiday
season. Police departments, sheriff's offices
and the Idaho State Police are joining together
as "One Team for Borderless Enforcement" of
impaired driving laws. |
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Winter
precip far below normal: A late
summer deluge soaked the Pacific Northwest, but
precipitation has been considerably less than
recent decades’ average ever since as the region
heads into what is its all-important wintertime
snow/water supply accumulation period. |
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Climate change impacted caribou: Reindeer, from Northern Europe or Asia, are
often thought of as a domesticated animal, one
that may pull Santa's sled. Caribou, similar in
appearance but living in the wilderness of North
America, are thought of as conducting an untamed
and adventurous life. |
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December 19 |
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Snow
advisory issued: The National Weather Service has issued a winter
weather advisory to be in effect Friday,
predicting from two- to four-inches of valley
snow in the Panhandle. |
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December 18 |
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Orr nominated for USAF Academy: Idaho Senator Mike Crapo has nominated 39 Idaho
high school students for continuing education
and service as a part of the nation’s military
academies, including Alan Orr, Bonners Ferry,
nominated for the U.S. Air Force Academy. |
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BCMS students shine: Please congratulate Myla McKechnie for placing
first in our local region for the VFW “Patriot
Pen” essay contest! She also placed third
overall in the northern district VFW (Sandpoint,
Priest River, Clark Fork, and Bonners Ferry) and
second in the VFW Ladies Auxiliary version of
the essay contest. |
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VVES
students make great gains: The first half of the school year is coming to
an end! Our focus during the 2014 school year
will remain the same: keeping VVES SAFE, CIVIL &
PRODUCTIVE! To date, we have made great gains by
following this motto. By Principal Gary
Pfleuger |
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Two from
BCMS Employees of the Month: Special education teacher Cynthia
Stovall-Sanders and librarian Lori Plato, both
of Boundary County Middle School, have been
named School District 101's certified and
classified Employees of the Month for December. |
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Mrs. N
November Employee of the Month: Bonners
Ferry High School is proud to announce Diane Niewieroski as School District 101's November
certified teacher of the month. |
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Beth
Butters honored: Beth
Butters has been selected as the Boundary County
School District Classified Employee of the Month
for November. |
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Skies
quiet, airport busy: The short days and low clouds make for quiet
skies this time of year, but the instrument
approach into the airport allows arrivals in all
kinds of weather conditions, which was critical
this week for the MedStar aircraft that made a
quick stop over to transport a patient to
Spokane for emergency medical services. By
Ashley Glaza |
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Service makes it easy to track sex offenders:
The Idaho State Police Bureau of Criminal
Identification has added a new email
subscription service that will allow
notification to the public if a sex offender
listed on the Idaho Sex Offender Registry
changes residences. |
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December 16 |
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Old new
chief at BFPD, for a while: The
City of Bonners Ferry has a new police chief,
and the mayor and city council didn't have to
look far to find a candidate with exquisite
credentials; clear to Naples. |
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BFPD
wishes you safe, happy holiday: As the holiday season approaches, the Bonners
Ferry Police Department would like to remind us
all to be safe not only on the roads, but also
at home and while shopping. |
 Two
dogs missing from Bonners Ferry home:
Jessica Stebbins, who works at the Boundary
County Department of Motor Vehicles, usually
lets her two dogs, Bear and Dakota, out to do
their business one at a time. But at around 6 a.m.
Sunday morning, both got out on her at once, and
they haven't been seen since. Update:
Both found safe and now at home! |
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Court
records and sheriff's log |
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County
commissioner's minutes, November 25-26 |
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December 13 |
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Fire
destroys Troy apartments: A fire destroyed the Pine Tree Plaza apartment
complex in Troy, Montana, late Wednesday
evening, sending one man to the Utah Burn Center
in Salt Lake City and left 14 people, one a
child and one expecting a baby girl in the next
month or so, homeless and without any
belongings. |
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December 12 |
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Info sought on school bus hit and run:
A school bus hit and run at 4:30 p.m.
December 11, involving a late model Ford, silver
or white full size or mini van, occurred at the
corner of Eisenhower and Sacramento Streets in
Bonners Ferry. Both vehicles suffered damage.
The van has an Idaho license plate starting with
9B. A student on the bus believes the vehicle
was a 2008 Subaru Outback. Any person with any
knowledge of the hit and run please call 911 or,
if out of county, (208) 267-3151, extension 0,
to help identify the van or driver. |
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December 11 |
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School
bus in hit and run: A Boundary County school bus was involved in a
hit and run collision today, no one was injured
but police are seeking any information. |
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BCH Auxiliary
... |
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| Drexel Love
photo |
| The
Boundary Community Hospital Auxiliary
met for a luncheon at the Chic n'Chop
Restaurant Tuesday, and while there,
Rocky Burkholder drew the raffle winner
of a beautiful Christmas Tree and a ton
of toys. Irma Clark was the lucky
winner! |
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The Boundary County Drivers License
office will be closed all day Thursday,
December 12, for installation of new flooring.
The office will re-open Friday. This is very
short notice because they were just told
yesterday the install date! Thank you for your
patience and if you have any questions please
contact the sheriff's office at (208) 267-3151. |
 Copeland
honored by district: What an elementary school needs is consistency
and what Pam Copeland gives to this district is
just that! Pam has worked for the Boundary
County School District for 15 years. |
 Kathy
Hampton Teacher of the Month: Every
student looks forward to second grade at Naples
Elementary and misses it when they graduate –
and for good reason. Kathy Hampton has been
teaching for 22 years – with the majority of
those at Naples School. |
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Obama
Care impacts solid waste disposal: Due to increased expenses of the federally
mandated Affordable Care Act, also known as
Obama Care, Boundary County is forced to reduce
the hours of operation at our monitored solid
waste disposal/collection sites. |
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December 10 |
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National
Geographic Bee coming to VVES: The first round of the 2014 National Geographic
Bee kicks off next Wednesday, and Valley View
Elementary students will be competing for the
chance to represent Boundary County and the
State of Idaho next spring in Washington, D.C. |
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December 9 |
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Tribe
intervenes in caribou suit: The Kootenai Tribe of Idaho (Kootenai Tribe) has
moved to intervene in the litigation over the
endangered woodland caribou.
Woodland caribou historically inhabited all of
Kootenai Territory in what is now north Idaho,
northeast Washington, northwest Montana and
southeast British Columbia. |
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Christmas concert dedicated to Glenda McCalmant:
With the Bonners Ferry Community Choir and the
Bonners Ferry Youth Choir "Swingin' on a Star"
combined in song, over 100 voices will bring our
community "We're Not That Far From Bethlehem,"
the 2013 annual Christmas Concert. |
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School
district closure info sources: With
the winter months at hand, Boundary County
School District No. 101 wants to inform patrons
that school closures due to weather/road
conditions will be announced on the following
... |
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Court
records and sheriff's log |
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VVES
Student Council minutes |
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Libby water supply forecast released:
The Libby Dam December April to August water
supply forecast (WSF) volume is 5502 KAF, which
is 87% of the long-term (1929-1999) average and
94% of the near-term (1981-2010) average; this
inflow volume forecast calls for an end of
December reservoir draft target of 2426.6',
which is only 0.1' from a full relaxed draft
target. |
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Missing
mountain water studied: Recent Forest Service studies on high-elevation
climate trends in the Pacific Northwest show
that streamflow declines tie directly to
decreases and changes in winter winds that bring
precipitation across the region. |
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December 7 |
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Labs
missing from Moyie home: Two Labs, one chocolate, one vanilla (yellow)
are missing from the Nelson home in Moyie
Springs, and one look at the picture is
convincing proof they are sorely missed.
Update: They're home! |
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Tremendous year at Valley View! The end of a year comes quickly
... At this point
in time, there are three ways to look; past,
present and future, so let’s go in these
directions. Starting with our accomplishments:
2013 was a tremendous year for Valley View
Elementary School! PPP by principal Gary
Pfleuger |
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December 6 |
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'You've
been hacked, I'll tell you how to fix it!' Sherry
Nash, Bonners Ferry, received a phone call this
morning that sounded so insistent and sincere,
she almost fell for it ... (not!). She stayed on
the line, computer off, writing down details so
she could report a potential crime in progress. |
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December 5 |
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Bev Docherty passes: Newsbf is
saddened to report the passing of Bev Docherty.
I don't have details as yet, but have received
notice of her passing from a family member. |
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Flags
to half staff for Pearl Harbor Day:
More than seven decades ago, on a calm Sunday
morning, our Nation was attacked without warning
or provocation. The bombs that fell on the
island of Oahu took almost 2,400 American lives,
damaged our Pacific Fleet, challenged our
resilience, and tested our resolve. |
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Wind chill
watch issued: Brutally cold winds are possible Friday night
through Saturday morning in North Idaho, western
Montana and eastern Washington, with could drop
wind chill values to 25 below zero. |
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December 4 |
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New
owners at newsbf: While I can't reveal details, News Bonners Ferry
has a buyer, and I'm pleased to announce that
they are local, committed to the community and
eager to continue what I have tried so hard to
do; provide the people of Boundary County a
source of free, accurate and timely news. |
 Police
chief tenders resignation: Citing family obligations and medical needs not
easily available in Boundary County, Bonners
Ferry Police Chief Steve Benkula on November 21
tendered his resignation to Mayor David
Anderson, effective December 6. |
 Local
woman cured by comedy star: On the first day of Christmas, Stephanie Moss,
Highland Flats, was miserable. In bed, fighting
a terrible cold. So as more of a joke than
anything, she sent a tongue in cheek Facebook
message to one of her idols, Daniel Lawrence
"Larry" Whitney. |
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What's
happening at BCMS: It's cold but Boundary
County Middle School
students still go outside for social time/lunch
recess! Please make sure your children have
proper clothing to accommodate this! Thank you.
By Principal David Miles II |
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December 3 |
 Cat
needs to go home before kids name it:
A young, very loving cat, about six months old,
turned up recently at a home on Cody Street, and
people who are providing shelter would like to
find the rightful owners before the kids give
the cat a new name. |
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December 2 |
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Credit card scare over; URM
says you may now resume using credit, debit and
EBT cards at all member stores after they
successfully implemented security measures
designed to block cyber-attacks against its
payment processing system. |
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Think of
pets and livestock as weather turns cold:
It should go without saying, but in light of my
last article,
Bring in your brass monkeys,
I've been asked to remind
readers that metal monkeys aren't the only
things needing tended when the weather turns
frigid ... your furry and feathered friends need attention,
too. |
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Bring in
your brass monkeys ... If you've enjoyed the balmy, summer-like
temperatures of late, with the thermometer
hitting the low 40s some days of sultry
November, grab your wool socks, winter
temperatures are finally here. |
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There
will be Christmas movies at the Rex:
Yes, summer has come and gone and the
biggest question is, "oh, when is that theater
going to open?" The answer, when they ship us
the equipment. We did not tear down the old
screen, so that we may still have our Annual
FREE Children's Holiday Movie at 11 a.m. Friday
and Saturday, December 6-7. |
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Family Fun Night offers more than ever:
Defrost the car, bundle the kids, pack-up
grandma and head to Family Night at the Festival
of Trees Friday, December 13 in the Memorial
Hall at the Boundary County Fairgrounds! |
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Search
underway for missing plane: A search is underway for a small airplane with
five people on board traveling from an airport
in Baker City, Oregon, to Butte, Montana. The
aircraft lost radar and cell tower contact near
Johnson Creek airstrip in Yellow Pine, 50 miles
northeast of Cascade, Idaho, Sunday afternoon. |
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Court
records and sheriff's log |
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December 1 |
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Essay
contest for residents: The Boundary County Human Rights Task Force is
inviting county residents to submit entries in
their new essay contest, with the winner to read
their essay at their Human Rights Celebration in
January. |
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Obituaries |
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June R. Ripatti,
December 7, 1925 ~ December 30, 2013 |
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Clifford Andrew Clifton,
April 24, 1927 ~ December 29, 2013 |
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Allen Wyatt VanAlstyne, Jr.,
March 19, 1929 ~ December 28, 2013 |
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Irma
Esther Bochu, January 16, 1922 ~
December 26, 2013 |
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LaVern M. Dinning,
September 7, 1933 ~ December 16, 2013 |
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Almer
“Dallas” Kelson,
November 1, 1934 ~ December 21, 2013 |
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Rodney “Rod” Eugene Thompson,
November 10, 1945 ~ December 7, 2013 |
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Richard Alan Armstrong,
January 13, 1950 ~ December 9, 2013 |
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Curtis M. Osborne,
January 15, 1924 ~ December 3, 2013 |
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Beverly Jean Docherty,
January 22, 1934 ~ December 5, 2013 |
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Greta Elaine Marcy,
May 10, 1951 ~ December 4, 2013 |
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Sharon
"Sherri" Anne Miller,
December 8, 1946 ~ November 29, 2013 |
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Social |
 Mariah
Rae named Student of the Month:
A
junior at Bonners Ferry High School, Mariah Rae
is a happy student who likes to laugh, enjoys
humor and have fun in her many activities. She
is November's Student of the Month, selected by
the Delta Kappa Gamma Women Educators. |
|
BCMS student takes
honorable mention:
The Idaho Forest Products Commission announced
winners of the 18th annual Forest Products Week
Essay Contest, November 30, and a Boundary
County Middle School student was on the list. |
|
Sports |
|
New process for IPNF
events: The Idaho Panhandle National Forests are
implementing a new open season application
process for special use recreation events. A
special use authorization is required before
conducting any type of commercial recreation use
of National Forest System lands. |
|
Moose Madness
a week away! Moose Madness is hitting the boards at 6 p.m.
Friday, December 20 with the faceoff of the
Badger and Bulldogs girls varsity basketball
teams.
The annual event is in Sandpoint this year at
Sandpoint High School. |
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Lady Badgers' first win
at home: The Lady Badgers played their first home game of
the season Tuesday and scored their first win of
the season as well, defeating the Libby Loggers
36-29. |
|
Update on Badger home
hoops: School district athletic director Steve Morton
has sent out clarification on home basketball
games this week as weather has upset the
scheduling. |
|
Lady Badgers lose
heartbreaker: The Lady Badgers lost a heartbreaker to Lakeland
Thursday, 51-45.
Lakeland led by 11 points at the end of the
first half, 30-19, and stretched their lead to
17 in the third quarter before the Badgers
started climbing back. |
|
Hunters asked
to report hunting results: Most of the major big game hunting seasons are
now over. Successful or not, hunters are already
starting to think about next season. So are we
at Fish and Game. |
|
Boys win, girls fall
at CdA Charter: Badger varsity boys
basketball kicked off their season Tuesday night
with a 62-21 win over Coeur d'Alene Charter. The
Lady Badgers fell in a heartbreaker. |
|
Letters |
|
Congressman Raul Labrador:
Every
year, on Christmas, we gather with friends and
family to celebrate a tradition that spans 2,000
years; inspires millions of Americans and
billions of people around the world; and brings
out the greatest joys of life – a sense of
meaning, a spirit of generosity and kindness,
and a conviction we are all connected in ways
that we can hardly imagine. |
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Congressman Raul Labrador:
Last week, I voted against a budget plan to
raise taxes and increase government spending by
$63 billion over the next two years. |
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Senator Mike Crapo:
Our water is one of our greatest resources.
Access to clean, abundant water is fundamental
to our economic well-being and critical to
communities, economic development, agriculture,
commerce, transportation, recreation and energy. |
|
Congressman Raul Labrador:
This week, I participated in a Judiciary
Committee hearing about the President’s failure
to fulfill his most basic Constitution duty – to
“faithfully execute the law.” |
|
U.S.
Senator Mike Crapo:
I recently shared in the Senate some of the
infuriating experiences of Idahoans who are
among the more than three million Americans now
losing health care coverage and facing much
higher premiums due to the Affordable Care Act.
The promises of the flawed health care law are
nothing like the realities. |
|
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