HANNAH NEFF

Lessons learned on top of the world

Principal of new school prevailed — with teamwork — to conquer Kilimanjaro

For a local principal, a childhood dream came true.

A passion for education

Local teacher receives national award

COEUR d’ALENE — Being a teacher requires a special kind of someone. Someone who has a passion for learning. Someone who exhibits patience and looks for ways to engage.

Swan Lake

Area hosts rest spot for migrating waterfowl

Fowl enthusiasts interested in spotting flighty little visitors can keep a lookout for migratory Tundra swans. “This whole week they’ve been here and there’s a lot,” said Christine Fritz, a resident of Cougar Bay, on Wednesday. “Usually the geese outnumber them, but they’re almost matched this year.”

Banish March boredom

O'Sherman beckons lucky leprechaun hunters

The great leprechaun hunt is back. Downtown Coeur d’Alene will be hopping for O’Sherman’s Gold Quest the first three weekends of March, put on by the Coeur d’Alene Downtown Association.

Standoff suspect jailed

Dalton Gardens man was shot by police; bond is $1 million

A man who was arrested for a standoff near an elementary school posted for a 1,000,000 bond on Wednesday.

COVID on decline

Schools, hospitals seeing fewer cases

The COVID situation at the Coeur d’Alene School District has improved vastly in the past couple of weeks.

Community garden could use a little green

Goal is to raise $8,500 or more for nonprofit

It’s time to prepare for spring planting. Shared Harvest Community Garden is looking for help.

A sea of blue

Winton PTA stokes fires of school pride

Winton Elementary School in Coeur d’Alene was a wave of blue on Wednesday afternoon.

Trustee applicants step forward

Ten seek vacant seat on NIC board

Ten applicants have put their name in for the vacant seat on the North Idaho College Board of Trustees.

Storytelling through song

Local artist releases new single

A local artist is sharing his story to the world through song.

Trustee passes residency test

The investigation to determine if an NIC trustee is eligible to continue in his role based on residency requirements has been resolved.

Dashing dumpers on display

Spirit Lake hosting outhouse races; no $#!+

There’s a first time for everything, and Spirit Lake Parks and Recreation is going for a first with outhouse races.

COVID back on agenda

The Coeur d’Alene School District added a formal COVID update back to their board meeting agenda following an increase in cases.

Sophomore scientists soar

Lake City students win chance to build experiment through NASA

Excitement was written across their faces as they opened a box from NASA. Four Lake City High School sophomores won a chance to make their experiment proposal a reality.

CAPITOL HILL

Tubbs Hill painting hangs just steps from the Oval Office

A little bit of Coeur d’Alene has found its way into the White House.

Students unite to share hope

Fernan STEM Academy welcomes opening of 2022 Olympics

Cheers filled the halls of Fernan STEM Academy elementary school in Coeur d’Alene.

MacLennan banking $500K

Ex-NIC president receives $250,000 in lawsuit settlement

Former president of North Idaho College Rick MacLennan will receive in total almost half a million dollars to not finish the last year-and-a-half of his contract.

Kroc Center theater receiving near $800K upgrade

COEUR d’ALENE — The Salvation Army Kroc Center theater is in process of receiving approximately $800K in upgrades.

Volunteers needed to drive cancer patients

A nonprofit is looking for more volunteers to drive cancer patients to their treatments.

Young, professional — and exceptional

Top 30 Under 40 honored

HAYDEN — Young leaders and professionals crossed the red carpet into a room filled with shimmer and sparkle for a night to celebrate them.

Cd’A schools face big budget repairs

HVAC units alone $2M+ for CHS

Maintenance issues have piled up at the Coeur d’Alene School district, leading to million dollar budget items needed.

Giving back

Elks, Boy Scouts donate to food bank

Members of the Coeur d’Alene Elks and Boy Scout Troop 202 dropped off donations at Community Action Partnership in Coeur d’Alene on Friday.

NIC: Search obstruction alleged

Trustee believes board chair trying to impede presidential search

A North Idaho College Trustee said she believes the board chair is trying to detain the process for the search for a permanent president.

NIC accreditation report in works

Could be available within roughly two weeks

The accrediting organization for North Idaho College may have a report from the site visit by Feb. 15.

Boatloads of boats

Coeur d’Alene Boat Expo open through Feb. 5

COEUR d’ALENE — Loads of boats are on display at the Hagadone Marine Center during the third annual Coeur d’Alene Boat Expo.

File a lawsuit, probe response suggests

Attorney General’s Office won't decide NIC trustee residency debate

The Attorney General’s Office suggests filing an action seeking to have the seat declared vacant in order to answer the trustee residency requirement concerns for North Idaho College trustees.

Mush, puppies!

Priest Lake sled dog race on Feb. 5-6

The air was filled with the sound of dogs barking. Then silence as they took off in the snow. Musher Dan Hanks of Coeur d’Alene said it’s normal for the dogs to get all excited, then calm down when he gives them the go ahead to start pulling the sled.

Justice for Reddington must wait

Sentencing postponed in dog shooting case

.COEUR d’ALENE — A sentencing for a man who shot a dog and caused the loss of an eye has been postponed.

Chocolate, anyone?

Downtown Chocolate Affair event on Feb. 11

Sweet tooths and sweethearts will be wandering through downtown Coeur d’Alene, sipping wine and nibbling on chocolates during the annual Chocolate Affair on Feb. 11.

Arts and Culture Alliance welcomes program coordinator

The Coeur d’Alene Arts and Culture Alliance has found a fit for their new position of program coordinator.

NIC to move to partial remote learning

Letters of interest for vacant trustee position due Feb. 9

COEUR d’ALENE — North Idaho College will to partial remote learning for a two week period starting Monday due to the rise of COVID cases.

Next steps for NIC's accreditation

Accrediting organization to submit report, deliver letter of action

Following the virtual site visit Tuesday to North Idaho College, the college’s accrediting organization will compile a report and send a letter of action to the institution.

Cd'A School District pauses incident management system adoption

Public concern leads school trustees to table vote

The Coeur d’Alene School District Board of Trustees tabled a vote to authorize use of the National Incident Management System after concerns about federal overreach were voiced at the Jan. 3 meeting.

Private school expanding

About $200K pledged, $900K needed for building funds

COEUR d'ALENE — Just two years after completing the bottom floor of their building expansion, Lake City Academy is continuing to grow. The private Christian school off Locust Avenue in Coeur d’Alene has been serving the area for over 110 years, founded in 1909. Principal Doug Zimmerman said finishing the top floor of the building comes with the need to expand with the growing interest in enrollment. “We woul

NIC leaders look ahead

Expansion, introspection on agenda for 2022

COUER d’ALENE — With a busy year behind them, North Idaho College’s interim president said he is looking forward to serving the college, welcoming new leaders, growing new programs, and seeing the completion of the $8.01 health and science building expansion in 2022.

‘So far, so good’

Post Falls, Lakeland and Kootenai school districts don't expect closures

Following an announcement of possible closure due to staff absences in the Coeur d’Alene School District, other local school districts say they’re still doing OK. Administrators for the Post Falls, Lakeland Joint and Kootenai Joint school districts said currently they are not expecting any temporary closures.

District plans for possible temporary closures

Fifth consecutive day with more than 80 teacher absences

With rising rates of absences, the Coeur d’Alene School District announced the possibility of temporary closures due to staff shortages from COVID-19 and other illnesses.

Trauma, hope and resilience

Students share messages through art; showcase today

Through many forms of original art, eighth graders at Lakes Middle School present their responses to themes of trauma, hope and resilience. “I was really impressed with the effort a lot of kids put in,” Eighth grade language arts teacher Margo Swanson said. “It was a challenge for the kids to think and create in a new way.”

Duo performs at the Hamilton House

Modern chamber music comes to the conservatory for a Friday Night Live performance. Audience can hear the work of two music instructors at the Music Conservatory of Coeur d’Alene at 7 p.m. on Jan. 28. Artists Brantley Bacon and Bobby Meader will be performing several original works or recent commissions.

Lawsuit against NIC settled

Former president now focused on next opportunity

The lawsuit against North Idaho College has been settled.

Tribe weighs in on NIC's future

Trustee says college in bad habit of not responding to stakeholders

The Coeur d’Alene Tribe has stated their concern over the current state of North Idaho College through a letter, calling on the board of trustees to publicly “confirm its commitment to education and reassure their partners, community, students and faculty that North Idaho College is still a centerpiece of education.”

CDA schools go for engagement

With new trustees, district focus includes community info, understanding

Looking ahead for 2022, Scott Maben, director of communications for the Coeur d’Alene School District, said there are four priority areas for the district: community engagement, local levy needs, faculty needs and school schedules. “Engaging the public creates awareness and understanding,” Maben said in an email to The Press. “It gives citizens a voice in the decision-making process at our board and district administration level. This is more than keeping the doors open; it’s about welcoming everyone in.”

Coffee's not all that's brewing

New owners of downtown shop want to focus on business, not politics

COEUR d’ALENE — A local coffee shop reopening Sunday under new ownership has gained attention from a conservative website who labeled the new co-owners as “highly patriotic” while ripping the previous owners.

Bibs on, mac and cheese fans

Fifth annual festival coming Jan. 15

In just about two weeks, downtown Coeur d’Alene will be hopping with mac and cheese lovers for the fifth annual Mac and Cheese Festival on Jan. 15.

United in love

Rival high school students team up for charity

January is the time to give for Lake City and Coeur d’Alene high school students. For the entire month, high school students will be collecting charity items with a theme for select weeks. “I’m happy we can work on All for AWL together because even though we’re rivals, we all love Coeur d’Alene and the community,” said Myah Rietze, ASB president at CHS. “By combining our student populations we can make a big impact in the community.”

Family-friendly poker run

Fundraiser for Panhandle Nordic Club, free ski day Jan. 8

The Panhandle Nordic Club is holding their annual family-friendly poker run on Jan. 8 at the 4th of July Pass snow sport area from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Really Big Raffle tickets going fast

NIC Foundation could see future changes due to funding lost

Tickets are going fast for North Idaho College Foundation’s largest public fundraiser the Really BIG Raffle.

Full operation

Lookout, Silver Mountain and Schweitzer ski resorts runs 100% opened

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New Year's bashes ahead

While waiting for the clock to strike midnight, locals can enjoy new year festivities and fireworks not far from home.

$24M upgrade for cleaner water

Hayden Area Regional Sewer Board installs new equipment

HAYDEN — The Hayden Area Regional Sewer Board installed a $24M upgrade on Dec. 13 to meet Spokane River dissolved oxygen total daily maximum load limits standards for 2024, initiated by the Washington Department of Ecology to improve dissolved oxygen in the Spokane River and Lake Spokane.