Commandments make a move

The commandments aren't gone.

They've justrelocated.

Kootenai County has moved the block of marble inscribed with the Ten Commandments from the courthouse lawn to the Veterans Plaza, beside the Administration Building.

The small monolith was moved several hundred feet so it would sit among other pieces for public viewing, said Building and Grounds Manager Shawn Riley, like the memorial for fallen soldiers and seamen, and the statue for former Commissioner Ronald Rankin.

"We wanted to get them in an area where they would be more visible," Riley said. "They were just not in a place where people could enjoy it. And it's a beautiful piece of marble."

The block was moved the first week of August.

The change was prompted by the county commissioners, said Commissioner Dan Green.

"We just though it was a more appropriate place, along with the other monuments," he said.

There were never complaints about the item's positioning, Riley said.

"It's just something we've been talking about doing, and we finally had time to do it," he said.