Briefs

• Voter training workshop at library

The Kootenai County League of Women Voters is joining the ACLU of Idaho for a Voter Registration Workshop from 6 to 7:30 p.m., Sept. 10, in the Community Room of the Coeur d'Alene Public Library.

"Members of our organization were dismayed at the low voter turnout in May, and have been searching for ways to improve this number," said Barbara Arnold, president of the local LWV. "This collaboration with the ACLU seems like a good place to start."

Turnout for the May Primary election in Kootenai County was 22 percent.

The training will cover the history and importance of voting, Idaho's voting laws, as well as tools for voter registration, education and strategies to improve voter turnout.

The workshop is free and open to the public, and the League of Women Voters will be registering voters at the event.

• Group opposes monument overlap

BOISE (AP) - National-monument designation for a rugged swath of central Idaho wouldn't enhance environmental protections for the Sawtooth National Recreation Area and could hinder a long-sought goal of obtaining wilderness status, a conservation group says.

The Sawtooth Society in a statement on Monday said it opposes any overlap of a proposed national monument with the recreation area that already has significant legal protections from its creation in 1972.

"I don't see where it would increase the protections," Gary O'Malley, the society's executive director, said Tuesday.

The group is in favor of holding out for a proposed plan called the Central Idaho Economic Development and Recreation Act, or CIEDRA, a bill proposed by Rep. Mike Simpson, R-Idaho. It would create three wilderness areas totaling 332,775 acres while also releasing 130,000 acres from a wilderness study area to a multiple-use designation.

Cd'A Fire Department to hold open house

The Coeur d'Alene Fire Department will hold an open house 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 13, at Fire Station No. 3, 1500 N. 15th Street.

The event will be packed with fun and education, as well as a free hot dog lunch. The theme this year is "Working Smoke Alarms Save Lives."

Joining firefighters at the open house will be Coeur d'Alene Police, the Coeur d'Alene Firefighter Pipe and Drums, and "Sparky" the Fire Dog.

Attractions include Life Flight medical helicopter, Idaho Disaster Dogs, a fire extinguisher demonstration and a combat challenge for kids. There will also be car seat and bike helmet inspections, blood pressure checks, and much more.

The Coeur d'Alene Fire Department is celebrating 125 years of service this year.