Briefs Nov. 23, 2010
Ceremony to officially open trail
COEUR d'ALENE - Cutting the ribbon to connectivity.
Join the team of trail enthusiasts at 12:15 today to celebrate the official opening of the new and improved Atlas Trail.
The trail was extended this fall and now connects from Peartree Lane, winds under Interstate 90 and joins the Centennial Trail.
The 1,200-foot extension loops together three popular riding routes along Atlas Road and the interstate. Funded by a $300,000 grant from the Idaho Transportation Department, it pushes Coeur d'Alene's amount of class one pedestrian and bicycle trails to 40 miles inside city limits.
The ceremony will be at the southern end of the trail by Atlas Storage. Parking is available at Rainbow Towing / Tom's Dive Shop on Atlas Road near Seltice Way.
Info: Monte McCully at 292-5766.
Deadline for EPA comments today
Last day.
This is the final day of the extended public comment period for the Environmental Protection Agency's proposed Upper Basin Cleanup Plan.
All mailed comments must be postmarked with today's date to be considered by the EPA.
Anne Dailey, EPA project manager, said the agency has received hundreds of comments so far on the $1.3 billion plan, calling for cleanup of mining waste in the Upper Basin over the next 50 to 90 years.
The agency will respond to all written comments individually, and will also release a summary response for the public to view.
Afterward, the EPA will issue its final cleanup decision in a ROD Amendment.
The EPA will consider every comment carefully, Dailey said.
Post Falls man arrested for lewd conduct with minor
POST FALLS - A 28-year-old Post Falls man was arrested on Sunday night for felony lewd conduct with a 21-month-old girl.
Alan Thomas Cannon was being held at the Kootenai County jail on $50,000 bond on Monday.
He turned himself in to police on Sunday night and was "extremely emotional," according to police.
The man's girlfriend, who lives in Spokane, told police that Cannon cried on Sunday and told her that he did something that would "violate her trust in the worst possible way."
Cannon told his girlfriend the incident occurred last week while she was awake at his home.
Cannon told his girlfriend that he never touched the girl. Cannon declined to talk to police about the alleged incident.
An acquaintance of the girlfriend who works at a hospital in Newport, Wash., took the girl to the hospital for evaluation. There were no signs of sexual trauma to the child.
County to look at LID proposals
This week, Kootenai County commissioners will take a look at three local improvement districts East Side Highway District recently approved to fund road overlays.
The LIDs, totaling more than half a million dollars, are subject to county review because of the large amount of written public protest.
The county commissioners are scheduled to hold a workshop on the LIDs at 3 p.m. Wednesday in the county Administration Building. At the workshop, East Side Highway officials will bring the county commissioners up to speed on the background of the matter.
"They do not have to make a decision there," said John Pankratz with East Side Highway District. "We'll be presenting information to them to show them we followed the legal process."
Members of the public can't comment at the meeting, but they can request a public hearing.