Northern Idaho county may sell popular waterfall

Commissioners in northern Idaho’s Kootenai County are considering selling a parcel of land that includes the Chilco waterfall, and that has some ice climbers and environmentalists upset.

Hayden ice climber Jason Baker told the Coeur d’Alene Press the waterfall is the only ice climbing site in the region. Climbers like to traverse the waterfall in the winter, when it freezes solid.

Commissioner Dan Green says visitors to the waterfall must cross private property to reach it, and the site isn’t maintained and often unused. The commissioners think money from the sale of the property could be better used elsewhere.

The Kootenai Environmental Alliance is also opposing the plan to sell. Adrienne Cronebaugh with the Alliance says it’s poor practice to liquidate public property for money to boost operating budgets.

The Associated Press

Suit challenging Boy Scout land swap tossed

A judge has dismissed a lawsuit challenging the proposed sale of a historic Boy Scouts campsite along Lake Coeur d’Alene in northern Idaho.

In a ruling May 2, 1st District Judge John Luster rejected arguments made by opponents of the proposed land deal between the Inland Northwest Council of Boy Scouts and the Discovery Land Company.

Under the proposal, the Boy Scouts would sell the 420-acre property to the developer, which in exchange would provide 270 acres on a separate bay on the lake while also building a new camp for the scouts.

Boy Scout families and others opposed to the land swap argued the deal violates terms of the original deed for Camp Easton. But Luster disagreed, and his ruling allows the Boy Scouts group to further pursue the deal.

The Associated Press

Some N. Idaho residents protest mining waste site

A small group of northern Idaho residents is pushing to close a mining waste repository in Cataldo, saying they fear metal-contaminated soil from the site could seep into the Coeur d’Alene River.

The group protested outside the repository May 1, demanding the site be relocated outside of a 100-year flood plain. Shane Stancik with the Silver Valley Community Resource Center told the Coeur d’Alene Press he fears efforts by the government to protect nearby land won’t be enough to stop contamination from spreading.

The 4-year-old repository holds waste from Superfund cleanup efforts in the region, and it’s been engineered to prevent erosion. Don Carpenter with the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality says there is regular ground and surface water monitoring at the site, as well as weekly visual inspections.

The Associated Press

Nearly $6M in Idaho lottery prizes unclaimed

Idaho lottery officials are still waiting to hear from the person who won a $1 million Powerball prize from the April 21 drawing with a ticket purchased in Nez Perce County in north-central Idaho.

The winner has 180 days from the drawing to claim the prize, but KTVB-TV reports  sometimes people just don’t collect.

Idaho Lottery spokesman David Workman says about $6 million in lottery prizes went unclaimed in Idaho between July 2009 and June 2011, including a $1 million ticket sold in eastern Idaho two years ago. The unclaimed prizes include scratch tickets and games like Powerball.

Workman says in fiscal year 2010, nearly $3.7 million worth of prizes went unclaimed. The total for fiscal 2011 was almost $2.3 million.

Unclaimed prize money benefits Idaho public schools and the permanent building fund.

The Associated Press

Group misses mark for medical marijuana initiative

An effort to get voters to decide whether to legalize medical marijuana in Idaho has been snuffed out.

Compassionate Idaho’s Lindsey Rinehart says the Boise-based group fell far short of the 47,500 signature needed for a ballot initiative this fall.

Rinehart said the campaign struggled to overcome challenges for funding and advertising, and ultimately collected only about 5,000 signatures from registered voters.

Still, Rinehart says public surveys show support for medical marijuana in Idaho. Leaders of the group intend launch another campaign to get the question before voters in 2014.

Surrounding states including Washington, Oregon and Montana have legalized the use of marijuana for medical reasons.

Republican Rep. Tom Trail failed again this year to get a bill legalizing medical marijuana approved by lawmakers.

The Associated Press

Bridge Resources Corp. CFO resigns

Calgary-based Idaho Natural Resources Corp., formerly Bridge Resources Corp., on May 2 announced Chief Financial Officer Robb Paradine tendered his resignation and will leave the company May 18.

The company restructured recently. As Bridge Resources, it had been conducting natural gas exploration in Payette County, Idaho.

“We have no intention to replace Robb as CFO at this stage,” Board Chairman and Interim Chief Executive Officer Nick Clayton said in an e-mail. “Having sold most of our assets in April as part of the restructuring, we do not have a need for a large full-time finance function.”

Existing financial controller Stan Sprinkle will take over the role, Clayton said.

Bridge in early March announced subsidiary Bridge Energy Inc. agreed to sell an 85 percent working interest in its leased Idaho acreage.

 Brad Carlson