Top stories The Press broke in 2024, and what happened after

Wolf Lodge Steakhouse fire

The iconic Wolf Lodge Steakhouse was destroyed in a Labor Day fire. The Idaho State Fire Marshal’s Office later said that grease accumulation was the cause of blaze. 

"It was determined that a breach in the flue pipe above the kitchen’s wood-fired grill allowed an accumulation of grease to form on the flue piping and inside the attic. This build-up of grease ignited and spread to the remainder of the building," a press release said. "The fire was classified as accidental." 

There were no injuries. 

The fire was reported about noon to 911 by a passerby, who happened to be an Idaho deputy fire marshal, the release said. 

"The deputy discovered staff on the roof of the building attempting to extinguish the fire with a garden hose. Fortunately, the deputy and the employees immediately began evacuating the inn, which was accomplished prior to the arrival of fire units," the release said.  

The restaurant was closed that day for an employee barbecue. 

The Press, along with other media, covered the fire. 

The Wolf Lodge Steakhouse, 8 miles east of Coeur d'Alene, had been a landmark for decades and served customers from across the nation. 

The property has been cleared and the owner of the restaurant is considering building “Wolf Lodge 2.0.” 

Coeur d'Alene Police building fire

A two-alarm fire destroyed a building filled with Coeur d’Alene police vehicles, gear and equipment in June. 

“This will likely take us years to recover from,” said Police Chief Lee White. 

Police losses were in the millions. About 10 vehicles were destroyed in the Sunday morning blaze, including an incident command trailer, a SWAT BearCat armored unit, nearly 100 laptops, e-bikes and everything associated with its canine program. 

The building was the home of code enforcement, animal control and the police department’s information technology division. It also housed the department’s special teams equipment. 

A battery from one of the new e-bikes for the Coeur d'Alene Police Department was later blamed for the fire. 

“This was an unfortunate and unexpected failure that caused the fire and is being ruled an accident,” State Fire Marshal Knute Sandahl said in a press release.  

Fire pattern analysis had investigators focus on recently acquired battery-operated e-bicycles, "one of which clearly showed evidence of a catastrophic failure of the lithium-ion battery pack that was being charged after being used that evening by police," the release said.  

"Examination of the charging station showed that it was properly plugged into an outlet and there was no evidence of misuse or prior damage of either the e-bicycle or charging unit," the release said. 

The City Council later unanimously approved an emergency declaration request by White to streamline the process to begin replacing what was lost in the fire. 

Roosevelt Inn being sold, saved

In April, The Press reported the historic Roosevelt Inn was going to be sold and developers planned to clear the property for townhouses. 

A community outcry, online petition, a temporary moratorium by the city on demolition of historic structure and an agreement between the developer and the seller led to the 1905 brick building being spared. 

In October, Coeur d'Alene's Design Review Commission unanimously approved Blue Fern LLC's plans for the historic Roosevelt Inn property. Blue Fern said it would preserve the Roosevelt, develop around it and seek a buyer for it. 

"Hallelujah,” John Hough said. “Retirement is coming, and it can’t come too soon.”   

John and Tina Hough have owned the 1905 former Roosevelt School for about 25 years. They bought it with the intent to operate it as a bed and breakfast, develop it, build it into a profitable business and eventually sell it.  

Selling it proved more difficult than expected. Over the past few years, for various reasons, deals fell through.  

Earlier this year, the deal with Blue Fern Management LLC based in Redmond, Wash., came to light as reported by The Press, but fell under fire because initial plans called for demolition of the Roosevelt Inn, which is listed in the National Register of Historic Places and is considered a community treasure.

Their current proposal calls for a 38-unit townhome complex at 105 E. Wallace Ave. and 116 E. Garen Ave., a city report said. It would include six buildings with five to eight units each, 74 total parking stalls and preservation of The Roosevelt Inn on a separate future parcel.   

Changing Coeur d'Alene downtown 

The skyline of downtown Coeur d’Alene is changing. 

“The Thomas George,” at 18 stories, is under construction at Third Street and Front Avenue. It will stand 199 feet and be home to 60 condominiums, 120 parking spaces over five levels, two commercial spaces on the ground floor and third-floor amenities including a pool, fitness center, clubhouse and golf simulator. 

The Hagadone Corporation’s 15-story “Sherman Tower” is planned for First Street and Sherman Avenue. It will feature 139 rooms, a 6,000-square-foot restaurant with a seasonal rooftop bar and nearly 4,000 square feet of retail and office space. It will also have a detached three-level parking structure, one level underground, at First and Lakeside Avenue. 

Sherman Tower will be a tiered structure that stands 190-feet tall. 

The land is being cleared, and construction could begin early next year with a goal to open in the spring of 2027. 

Marriott is planning two hotels in Coeur d’Alene. 

A six-story Marriott hotel is scheduled to be built at Sixth and Sherman. It would have 131 rooms, 130 parking spaces, three stories of underground parking, a fitness center, rooftop bar and outdoor patio. 

A four-story, 105-room Marriott hotel on the 1800 block of Northwest Boulevard was also approved by the city. The Marriott Residence Inn Hotel would include a restaurant and bar, conference and meeting room, fitness area, swimming pool and 107 parking spaces.   

School districts struggle with their budgets

For the first time in recent history, the Coeur d'Alene School District was forced to close a school in the face of a $6 million budget shortfall. This was brought about by a number of factors: dwindling enrollment, unexpected increases in expenditures and Idaho’s return to the average daily attendance funding formula, as well as higher special education costs.

Coeur d'Alene School Board trustees made the decision to repurpose Borah Elementary School into the Coeur d'Alene Early Learning Center. Along with this action and other reductions, the budget was balanced.

A two-year, $9.52 million-per-year replacement supplemental levy election failed at the polls Nov. 5 in the Lakeland School District. The difference between those in favor and those opposed was 244 votes, according to the Kootenai County Elections results. The district is now under pressure to rerun a levy election in May or configure exactly how it will cut nearly a quarter of its operating budget.

The Post Falls School District opted not to run a levy in November, but will float a two-year, $5,958,551-per-year levy election in May.

Post Falls drag performer wins $1.1 million in defamation suit 

Nearly two years after a local blogger falsely claimed that he exposed himself to a crowd during a Pride event in June 2022, Post Falls drag performer Eric Posey won a courtroom victory totaling $1.1 million. 

In May, a Kootenai County jury unanimously found that Summer Bushnell defamed Posey when she posted an edited video of his performance with a blurred spot that she claimed covered his “fully exposed genitals.” 

The unedited footage showed no indecent exposure occurred and Coeur d’Alene city prosecutors declined to file charges, but the doctored images of Posey went viral. 

Jurors awarded Posey $926,000 in compensatory damages for defamation, as well as $250,000 in additional punitive damages. Following the verdict, jurors approached Posey outside the courthouse to shake his hand or hug him. 

The Press was the only news outlet present for the weeklong trial and verdict, and has continued to follow the story. 

Bushnell has not yet paid anything toward the judgment, as the parties have disputed which of her assets are exempt from collection. First District Judge Ross Pittman is expected to rule on the matter Jan. 3. 

In October, Posey sued the Idaho Family Policy Center for defamation, accusing the group of spreading false and damaging statements about him in the wake of his Pride in the Park performance. The litigation is ongoing. 

Kootenai County faces public defense crisis 

In the three months since Idaho’s new public defense system went into effect, a shortage of public defenders continues to strain North Idaho’s legal system. 

This summer, when local defense attorneys sounded the alarm, The Press reported on the office of the State Public Defender’s insufficient budget, the exodus of experienced Kootenai County public defenders and the dozens of attorneys who once provided public defense services to the county on a contract basis but declined to do so for the state, citing low pay and other concerns. 

Since the new office took effect Oct. 1, The Press reported on indigent defendants who appeared in court with no specific attorney assigned to represent them and short-staffed public defenders who are struggling under heavy caseloads with no relief in sight. 

The office of the State Public Defender will ask Idaho legislators to approve more than $16 million in supplementary funding for the coming fiscal year, but whether that funding would move the needle remains to be seen. 

NIC battles for accreditation

At North Idaho College, the past four years have been a roller coaster for staff, students and the wider community, with NIC's accreditation hanging in the balance amid discord on the board of trustees.

This year, however, NIC has showed signs of progress. Enrollment is rising significantly, and in November, Kootenai County voters elected three new trustees.

In the weeks since the election, trustees took swift and unanimous action to address the remaining concerns outlined by NIC's accreditor, including getting the college's spending under control and repairing relationships with constituent groups on campus.

But the college isn't out of the woods yet. In January, representatives from NIC will travel to Seattle for a final meeting with the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities, ahead of NIC's April 1 deadline to return to good standing.

North Idaho confirms first cases of Chronic Wasting Disease

The Idaho Panhandle confirmed its first cases of Chronic Wasting Disease in white-tailed deer. 

The Press reported that the first confirmed case of the always-fatal neurological disease was detected in a dead deer about 3 miles outside Bonners Ferry on Aug. 14. Days later, Idaho Fish and Game announced a nine-day surveillance hunt in order to gauge the extent of CWD's presence in District 1, where the infected deer was found. At least two additional cases of CWD were confirmed as a result of the surveillance hunt, according to a Sept. 27 press release from Fish and Game. 

Though CWD is not known to affect humans, the presence of the disease had far-reaching impacts for North Idaho hunters and game processers. 

Hunters are now required to submit samples of deer, elk or moose harvested in certain districts, and meat processers must follow new guidelines when processing wild game. At least one local processer is no longer working with game meat. 

Though the spread of CWD has so far appeared minimal in North Idaho, the first case of the disease in a domestic elk was detected in Madison County earlier this month, marking the first known case of the disease in a domestic animal in Idaho. 

  Eric Posey, right, tearfully embraces a supporter after a jury awarded him more than $1.1 million in damages for defamation in May at the Kootenai County District Court in Coeur d’Alene.
  

  From left, Coeur d'Alene Superintendent Shon Hocker, Board Chair Rebecca Smith and Trustees Lesli Bjerke and Heather Tenbrink discuss the decision to close Borah Elementary School during a school board meeting in April. The board unanimously voted to repurpose the school to help correct the district's $6 million budget shortfall for fiscal year 2025.
  

  Kindergarten teacher Merrit Mitchell, who taught at Borah Elementary for 16 years, goes through decades of stuff May 28 in the kindergarten storage area.
  

    Investigators on Monday look over the remains of a Coeur d'Alene police building filled with vehicles and equipment that was destroyed in a fire.
  

    Cory Trapp with LTA Architects speaks to the Coeur d'Alene Design Review Commission about the proposed "Sherman Tower" project.
  

    A sign regarding a public hearing on a proposed development for the Roosevelt Inn hangs on the property's fence.