Local Briefs October 21, 2010
Make a Difference with ElderHelp
COEUR d'ALENE - ElderHelp of North Idaho is planning a work day on Saturday, which is the national "Make a Difference Day." Volunteers will go to homes of seniors needing assistance and focus on projects revolving around energy efficiency.
This will include replacing window sealing, trailer skirting and insulation, weather stripping, clearing yards and delivering firewood.
Registration and a light breakfast will start at 8 a.m. at Heart of the City Church, 521 Emma Ave. Caravans will start at 9 a.m. for different homes and are expected to go until about 4 p.m.
Make a Difference Day is the largest national day of helping others. It is sponsored annually by USA Weekend Magazine in partnership with Hands On Network and is supported by Newman's Own Foundation, which donates $10,000 to the charities of 10 selected efforts.
If there is a strong enough response locally on Saturday, ElderHelp could be one of the charities receiving the $10,000 award.
ElderHelp recently was also selected as one of 100 to receive a video camera from Hands on Network to record its efforts on Saturday, and then post it on the Make a Difference Day channel on YouTube.
Seniors wishing to receive help, and volunteers wanting to pitch in on Oct. 23, should call 661-8870.
Anyone wishing to donate can send checks to 221 Sherman Ave., Coeur d'Alene, ID 83814.
Attorney gets five years in drug case
COEUR d'ALENE (AP) - A Coeur d'Alene attorney who police say recruited a client to help him feed his prescription pill addiction has been ordered to serve five years in prison.
Shawn C. Nunley, a former Kootenai County deputy prosecutor, pleaded guilty to possession of a controlled substance and began his prison sentence on Friday at the Idaho State Correctional Institution.
First District Judge Benjamin Simpson retained jurisdiction in the case, which means he will determine in six months whether Nunley should remain in prison or be placed on probation.
Police say Nunley paid for the client to travel to California monthly to fetch hundreds of OxyContin pills. The man later went to police and acted as an informant. Detectives monitored the man completing a transaction with Nunley.
Judge allows Steeles to meet
COEUR d'ALENE - A judge agreed to allow a North Idaho lawyer to meet with the wife he is accused of hiring someone to kill.
Cyndi and Edgar Steele can meet once a week at the Spokane County Jail or over the phone, so long as the meetings are recorded and neither party tries to discuss the murder-for-hire case, U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill ruled on Monday.
Edgar Steele's lawyer, Roger Peven, must also be present during the visits, and must end the discussions should the couple exchange notes or documents pertaining to the case.
Magistrate Candy Dale will review the jail recordings on a regular basis. Cyndi Steele had asked for the no-contact order to be lifted.
Meanwhile the trial has been pushed back until March 7, according to the order.
Harvest Party set for Saturday
DALTON GARDENS - The Roots Community Supported Agriculture Program of The Kootenai Environmental Alliance is hosting an end-of-the-season harvest party and fundraiser at 2 p.m. Saturday at the CSA farm, 6039 Davenport.
"We are inviting the public come out to show their support for the re-emergence of local agriculture in the community," said Roots CSA Coordinator Korrine Kreilkamp. "Rain or shine we will be out celebrating the end of a remarkable first season."
The CSA demonstrates a farming model in which consumers enroll and pay a share price directly to the farmer in the spring in exchange for a consistent supply of fruits and veggies throughout the growing season.
In its first season, the Roots CSA engaged 30 shareholders, half of whom are low-income households who utilized their federally funded food stamp vouchers to receive fresh nutritious food boxes from the local farmer.
Those attending the Roots CSA harvest party will have an opportunity to get their names on the list for the next season's involvement.
The $10 admission includes homemade food, beverages and entertainment.
Post Falls approves biosolids contract
POST FALLS - The Post Falls City Council on Tuesday night approved a contract with Parker Ag Services to remove biosolids from the wastewater treatment plant.
The contract is for five years for $41 per ton.
Parker Ag Services has leased 3,000 acres in Ritzville, Wash., to land apply biosolids for crop production.
The cost is $14 a ton less than the city currently pays EKO Compost of Missoula, Mont., which has had the contract for 12 years. EKO no longer wants Post Falls' biosolids at its site, said Terry Werner, Post Falls public works director.
Landfill will soon make electricity
COEUR d'ALENE - After three years of planning, Kootenai County is about to join hundreds of municipalities across the country in generating electricity out of gas emitted by a landfill.
So soon, the tossed out table scraps could end up lighting your house.
The Kootenai County Solid Waste Department recently signed a 20-year contract with Kootenai Electric Cooperative to pipe methane gas from the Fighting Creek landfill into a soon-to-be-built generator facility, which will transform the gas into electricity and feed it through power lines to KEC customers.
Ideal, because landfill gas is a renewable source of energy. As more garbage comes in, more gas is produced.
But first the county has to lease one acre of property at the landfill, 13 miles south of Coeur d'Alene off U.S. 95, to KEC before construction on the building, generators, radiators and storage tanks can begin.
That public hearing will be at 3 p.m. Monday at the KEC office, 2451 W. Dakota Ave. in Hayden.
The project will provide power for more than 1,000 residents.
The facility, if approved, would be finished in about a year, KEC officials said.
Keyes set to speak at conference
Alan Keyes, former ambassador and presidential candidate, will be the keynote speaker at the annual conference of the Koinonia Institute Friday and Saturday at The Coeur d'Alene Resort.
Koinonia founder Dr. Chuck Missler will also present at the conference along with several other speakers.
The event is designed to address the problem of "information overload" and to offer perspective from a biblical view.
"These are interesting times," said Mary Miller, director of research at the Institute. "This event fills an important void by bringing some of today's brightest Christian thinkers together to share their insider's perspectives on today's events and how we can better understand them through the lens of Scripture."
The conference starts at 6:30 p.m. Friday and at 9 a.m. Saturday and is scheduled to end both days at 10 p.m.
Conference tickets are $75 for general admission and $75 to attend a dinner event with Alan Keyes.
Koinonia is a Christian think tank based in Post Falls.
Information: www.khouse.org/conference or (800)546-8731.
Sleeping bag, tent drive scheduled
COEUR d'ALENE - A sleeping bag and tent drive is scheduled 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday as part of Make a Difference Day.
UPS will have a truck parked outside Texas Roadhouse, 402 W. Neider Avenue, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. to collect donations.
The items needed are sleeping bags new or used and small, two-three person tents, and tarps.
"These items will help save lives as the weather becomes more severe," according to a press release.
Organizers estimate there are 250 people in Coeur d'Alene alone sleeping outside or in their vehicles with no heat.
"Organizations serving the homeless have already given most of their sleeping bags and tents away with very few coming in to replenish the supply," the release said.
Other drop off locations:
• Cherished Ones Ministries: 401 2nd Avenue, Friday's 12:30-3 p.m. and Saturday's 2:30-7:30 p.m.
• Fresh Start: 1524 Sherman Avenue, Monday-Saturday 7:30 a.m. to noon.
To find out more about volunteer opportunities for Make a Difference Day, visit www.Kootenaiunitedway.org or call (208) 667-8112