NEW THIS MORNING: Tuesday, Aug. 27

1. North Idaho College special meeting today 

North Idaho College trustees will convene today and Wednesday night for a special and regular meeting. 

The board is scheduled to meet today in executive session at 12:30 p.m. in the Driftwood Bay Room of the Edminster Student Union Building on NIC’s main campus to discuss the college president’s annual evaluation.  

Trustees are then expected to reconvene in an open session at 2 p.m. in the same room, this time for a discussion on “accreditation and (Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities) site visit preparation.” 

2. Coeur d'Alene School Board to discuss levy options Wednesday 

Trustees of the Coeur d'Alene School Board will hold discussions and possibly take action Wednesday about running a supplemental levy election in November. 

The special meeting will be at noon at Midtown Meeting Center, 1505 N. Fifth St., Coeur d'Alene. 

Board members will weigh options, which include a $25 million-per-year, two-year levy that will replace the current $25 million-per-year levy but will require additional $750,000 per-year cost reductions; or a $25.75 million-per-year, two-year levy that would not require further cost reductions. 

3. Mary Havercroft running for North Idaho College board 

Mary Havercroft is running for the Zone 5 seat on North Idaho College’s board of trustees.  

A University of Idaho graduate, Havercroft spent 12 years as a classroom teacher, including seven years in the Lakeland Joint School District. She later moved into administration, serving as the special services director for 20 years and then as the principal of Twin Lakes Elementary School.  

With NIC still operating under a show cause sanction from its accreditor, Havercroft said she wants to use her experience and commitment to education to serve NIC at this “critical juncture.” 

4. Overestimated or overspent? Shoshone County's budget mystery solved 

A recent report suggests Shoshone County's financial situation may be less severe than previously believed. 

Consulting firm Eide Bailly reviewed the county's financial statements from the past three years, focusing on a reported $1.7 million overspend. Its findings, released earlier this month, paint a more nuanced picture. 

5. Open hearts, open wings 

The community at Avondale Golf Course is healing after one of their own pleaded guilty to killing an osprey.

More than 30 neighbors of all ages gathered at the clubhouse Monday for an educational program by Jane and Don Veltkamp, the owners of the nonprofit Birds of Prey Northwest in St. Maries.  

“I hope you remember forever seeing this program,” Don Veltkamp told the crowd.