Briefs Feb. 25, 2010
Counterfeit $10 bill passed at Taj
COEUR d'ALENE - A counterfeit $10 was passed at Taj grocery store Monday night.
According to a police report, a man about 20 years old gave the clerk the fake bill for a purchase at the store, 1003 N. 15th. After he left, the clerk examined the bill and determined it was fake.
The suspect was described as a white male, about 5 feet, 7 inches tall, 160 pounds with a tattoo on the back of his neck.
The clerk also told police he had seen the man in the store before.
Pancreatic cancer activists seek help
The North Idaho chapter of the national Pancreatic Cancer Action Network is looking for volunteers to help with a summer bicycle ride fundraiser, Purple Ride Spoke-d'Alene.
The group is holding a volunteer rally Saturday from 2-4 p.m. at the Kootenai Health Resource Building on the north side of Kootenai Medical Center.
Anyone interested in helping with the ride is invited to the meeting Saturday. Pancreatic cancer survivors, families, friends, and supporters are encouraged to attend.
Planned for Aug. 28, the 37-mile bike ride along the Centennial Trail will run from Riverfront Park in Spokane to Riverstone Park in Coeur d'Alene.
The group is holding the ride to raise awareness about pancreatic cancer and funds for research. A community picnic and other family-friendly festivities will be held in the park after the ride.
Information: 640-6341
Police department honors volunteers
COEUR d'ALENE - Carmen Larosa and Frank Gabriel were among several volunteers awarded for their dedication in helping the Coeur d'Alene Police Department.
Larosa was honored for logging 500 volunteer hours in 2009 while Gabriel was recognized for his service to the Citizens On Patrol program at a recent appreciation event at the police department.
More than 30 volunteers help the department in a wide range of divisions.
In 2009, volunteers posted over 5,076 hours of service, which translated into the duties performed by one-and-a-half employees at a savings of more than $82,292.
The COPS volunteers logged 152 hours this past summer on the city trails, as well as 584 hours on patrol.
Information: 769-2320
Otter opposes
auto emissions bill
BOISE (AP) - A divided House committee Wednesday refused to gut Idaho's 2-year-old vehicle emissions testing law after Gov. Butch Otter came out against the proposal on grounds it could prompt federal intervention.
The House Environment Committee voted 6-5 against Republican Rep. Steve Kren's bill. It sought to prevent the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality from requiring a vehicle testing program in counties with pollution problems, once the agency had determined a county's alternative plan wouldn't be effective.
Southwestern Idaho's airshed has been a concern since the 1970s, when violations of federal air quality standards first surfaced. The Department of Environmental Quality says vehicle emissions make up one of the top two emission sources contributing to the Treasure Valley region's ozone, a key ingredient in smog that can cause heart and asthma attacks.
The fight over vehicle emissions testing has split the region along geographical and political lines for years - urban Ada County has tested cars since 1984, while rural Canyon County has long been against it. This battle came to a head in 2008 when the emissions testing law passed after hours of heated hearings.
A majority of the panel Wednesday opted to let that work stand.
"This would gut what we did," said Rep. Eric Anderson, R-Priest Lake, of Kren's bill. "If we have too much more debate on this, air quality is going to improve, because I'm going to quit breathing."
Last October, the Department of Environmental Quality rejected Canyon County's plan to cut vehicle emissions with a voluntary system that included offering those who had their cars tested the chance at a cash prize. The state then said it would put a testing program in place beginning June 1, with 20 test locations in Canyon County and two in Kuna in Ada County. It will cost vehicle owners there $11 every other year.