Briefs May 20, 2011

Throw strikes, go to a Mariners game

COEUR d'ALENE - A few good strikes could land you on the pitcher's mound in Safeco Field.

On June 4 at Silverwood Theme Park, college, high school and middle school students will have a chance to throw pitches through a strike zone.

The winning pitcher will receive round-trip airfare for two to Seattle, one night accommodations for two at the Fifth Avenue Red Lion, $100 in spending money and they will throw out the first pitch at Safeco Field June 17. They will have two seats in the commissioner's box to watch the Mariners vs. Phillies game.

The winner will also receive a commemorative picture of their pitch at Safeco Field. Both the pitcher and their coach chaperone will each receive four general admission tickets to play another day at Silverwood. There will be second and third-place prizes, too.

Contestants will pitch from a mound at the major league regulation distance of 60 feet, 6 inches. The cutout target will be the same size as a normal strike zone. Competitors will move through a series of rounds until one remains.

There is no cost to participate, but it is necessary to buy a Silverwood ticket to get into the park.

Parents and coaches can make sure students get the chance to compete at Silverwood by calling Sheila at (208) 683-3400 x 109 or emailing her at [email protected] for discount admission to the park.

Court: Trooper

gets immunity

SANDPOINT - An Idaho State Police trooper who forced a suspect to undergo catheterization during a drugged-driving investigation is entitled to immunity from a civil rights claim, the Idaho Supreme Court has unanimously ruled.

The high court also ordered a lower court to dismiss an accompanying series of tort claims against Cpl. Chris Yount because there was no showing that he acted maliciously or with criminal intent, according to an opinion published on Wednesday.

Yount had a hospital worker perform the procedure on Jason Charles Miller after he declined to voluntarily provide a urine sample in 2007.

Miller was suspected of driving under the influence of marijuana and a central nervous system stimulant, an offense he was subsequently convicted of.

Miller, a 30-year-old from Oldtown, filed suit against Yount in 2008, alleging that the involuntary catheterization violated his constitutional rights. He also accused the trooper of assault, battery and negligence.