Idaho News (Boise, Pocatello, Sandpoint: renting, how much, felony)

[Sage of Sagle]

I never get the sense our town tries to compete with CDA. It's like comparing apples and lugnuts as to how the two places feel...

[banjomike]

Originally Posted by Sage of Sagle

(From the judge) - - “It is abhorrent to this court, as it would be to any other court, that a man can be sentenced to twenty-five years for second-degree murder based primarily on the false testimony of a trooper of this state.”

Wow...not saying Ellington is innocent, mind you...but this type of misbehavior would get land you in such a world of hurt in big city law enforcement...and send a wave of appeals from anyone that had been convicted heavily on that officer's testimony.

Unfortunately, I have to admit I've been severely disappointed with the quality of law enforcement personnel I've seen up here so far.

A big part of the problem is there are lots of small towns. They can't afford more than 1 or 2 cops, and the salary is low, so they take pretty much what they can get for personnel. A lot of small communities rely on county deputies and have no police of their own. Deputies can do a good job, but they are not a constant presence. If a county is lightly populated, it's also forced to take what they can get, so sometimes, a bad deputy or police officer with credentials is the only one that will take the job.

There are instances I know of that are much worse than this trial; a city officer in one of the small towns here in the Snake River valley remains a suspect in the killing of a high school girl that happened in the early 80's. Another man was convicted of the murder, but his conviction was overturned due to discredited evidence after he had served nearly 20 years.

He died a few years after his release, but the case was re-opened, and the officer, who was an early suspect, was looked at more closely. Unfortunately, he was long gone by then, as were some of the police logs and evidence, so it came to a dead end.

Around the same time, a county deputy who was off duty, got drunk at one of the Island Park lodges and picked a fight with a young guy I knew slightly. The fellow and his wife left to avoid a fight, but the deputy followed him out, slugged him, and his skull fractured when he hit the sidewalk, killing him.

The deputy was later fired for theft, moved on to another small town about 80 miles away where he became worse. It all ended when he held an ex-girlfriend and her father at gunpoint in the father's business for several hours. It became a stand-off, and the deputy finally gave up. The last I heard, he was still in prison.

Most small town police are good guys. They are most often born and raised in the communities they serve, and know everyone. They are peacekeepers in the old Western tradition.

But small towns are vulnerable to police misconduct, no matter where the community is, and the worst of them can rule like dictators if they are imposing and can bully city councils. Hiring a corrupt or incompetent officer can be all to easy, too- like many professions, an incompetent cop often receive good recommendations from the force that fires him.

And in middle-sized communities, there is always someone who is bucking for a promotion. One way of moving up is to get closed cases, and the temptation to testify wrongly may be too much to resist when a promotion is possible.

[banjomike]

Originally Posted by Clark Fork Fantast

This is a Montana story affecting North Idaho: The Rock Creek Mine project in the Cabinet Mountain range has been blocked by a MT judge, for now:
Judge blocks Rock Creek Mine construction - Bonner County Daily Bee: Local News: helena, montana, sandpoint, bonner county, rock creek mine


Okay, so I'm biased...

A similar result happened in Gardner, MT, which is only about 3 miles or less away from Yellowstone Park. A big gold mining outfit applied for permits, and had a fairly sophisticated plan, but the judge decided that the toxic mine waste was too close to the park, and the plan for containment and treatment wasn't good enough. That was back ca. 1995.

The West learned the hard way that close regulation is needed before a mine is ever started. The copper mines in Utah and Montana played a large part in making America the powerhouse it became, but the Anaconda in Butte now has a pit so toxic that migrating birds, mistaking the pit pond for good water, die as soon as they land. The pit is rigged with automatic air cannons to scare the birds off. Montana has 2 of the biggest superfund sites in the country- Butte and Libby.

There are lots of other stories. A mine can make a region fabulously rich while it's operating, but the damage left behind can be eternal. The Front Range of Colorado is full of 100 year old mineshafts, all full of water that leaches arsenic and sulphuric acid from the rock, and it all ends up in municipal water supplies. The problem is so pervasive that nothing can be done about it on a large scale.

[mistyriver]

Idaho: The CAFO state? — High Country News


Idaho: The CAFO state?

by Stephanie Paige Ogburn
In 2008, California voters granted egg-laying hens the right to enough space to lie down, stand up, and stretch their wings. Egg farmers warned that the measure would increase costs, forcing them to leave the state to compete. And Idaho hastened to woo the would-be émigrés.... [FOLLOW LINK FOR FULL ARTICLE]

[LionFamily]

It's a CRIME to shoot a grizzly bear that's in the same general area as your children?

Otter supports grizzly shooter - Bonner County Daily Bee: Local News: bonners ferry, boundary county, jeremy hill, grizzly bears, butch otter

Yikes.

[mistyriver]

Originally Posted by LionFamily

It's a CRIME to shoot a grizzly bear that's in the same general area as your children?

Otter supports grizzly shooter - Bonner County Daily Bee: Local News: bonners ferry, boundary county, jeremy hill, grizzly bears, butch otter

Yikes.

You'd better have a very good reason for shooting one. Just having a bear wander into your yard might not be the best reason unless there is an imminent attack. It would scare me too though I've had one in my "yard" with no issues.
Personally, I think Ole Butch just supports the killing of any protected animal. He thinks it makes him more conservative. All messing with the feds....(rolling eyes)

[Sage of Sagle]

It appears that the crux of them filing charges (which I do not agree with) is that they felt he shot the bear to protect their livestock (pigs) since he couldn't see his children nearby nor that they were in imminent danger.

It's my view that because his children were outside, and he couldn't not immediately ascertain their location and/or well being, that he was completely justified in shooting the bear. Had his family all been inside their residence and the bear was attacking their livestock, it's my view that he STILL should have been able to shoot it, but I know not everyone agrees with me. But it's not like he was out there with a .416 or .458 rifle just waiting to hunt a grizzly...

[Clark Fork Fantast]

Here's what Sen. Crapo says:
Sen. Crapo weighs in on grizzly shooting - Coeur d'Alene Press: Local News

I understand that the Endangered Species Act is intended to protect threatened and endangered species, but Congress never intended to do so at the expense of basic public safety and the ability to protect oneself or their loved ones in the face of danger. The American people need to know that they can protect themselves, their families and property when threatened by federally protected wildlife, and that the government will support their right to do so.

Here's another story we've been talking about way back: The refurbushed Farragut shooting range still didn't get the go-ahead to open:

Judge: Still no Farragut shooting - Coeur d'Alene Press: Local News

After a four-year wait and more than $200,000 invested in safety upgrades, a state-run shooting range in Farragut will still not be allowed to open.
A district court judge decided Thursday not to lift the injunction on the Farragut Shooting Range, after he deemed that Idaho Fish and Game's extensive remodeling has not fully addressed concerns of stray bullets reaching nearby properties.
"Danger remains that a smaller but unknown number of rounds will ricochet off the rock-filled range floor," Judge John Mitchell wrote in an opinion issued on Aug. 25.

[Clark Fork Fantast]

I picked up a copy of The River Journal (Bonner and Boundary County news) last week, and got around to reading it yesterday. And I found that all the articles are online, too--so here's news that a few of us will find exciting!

The River Journal - Clark Fork Goes Wireless

Pend Oreille Valley Networks will have WiFi service from Newport to the Montana border, with a tower in Clark Fork at the City Hall (so it won't be an issue of any scenic qualities being diminished by a tower, at least not in CF). It won't improve on cell signals initially, but apparently signal space will be made available later. There is a free setup package for Clark Fork residents, and the monthly fee will be $50.

[mistyriver]

Originally Posted by Clark Fork Fantast

I picked up a copy of The River Journal (Bonner and Boundary County news) last week, and got around to reading it yesterday. And I found that all the articles are online, too--so here's news that a few of us will find exciting!

The River Journal - Clark Fork Goes Wireless

Pend Oreille Valley Networks will have WiFi service from Newport to the Montana border, with a tower in Clark Fork at the City Hall (so it won't be an issue of any scenic qualities being diminished by a tower, at least not in CF). It won't improve on cell signals initially, but apparently signal space will be made available later. There is a free setup package for Clark Fork residents, and the monthly fee will be $50.

If you're blocked by mountains, you're still out of luck. We just made an appointment with POVN to do a site survey to see if we can get the service. Keeping my fingers crossed! VERY sick of WildBlue.