Idaho 54 in Athol to close Monday

ATHOL - Idaho 54 in Athol will close temporarily on Monday for additional repairs to the railroad track crossing the highway, the Idaho Transportation Department announced.

Crews from BNSF Railway will make the repairs.

The highway will be closed from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. A detour will be in place, using Clagstone Road and Old U.S. 95. Flaggers will help guide traffic around the work area.

Crews will remove and replace the crossing planks on both main lines.

Tree removal about to begin

COEUR d'ALENE - Hazard tree removal is set to begin in four campgrounds on the Coeur d'Alene River Ranger District.

Some trees in the Bumblebee, Kit Price, Devil's Elbow and Big Hank campgrounds are diseased and dying, and vulnerable to strong winds, according to a Forest Service press release.

The main culprits affecting the trees are Indian paint fungus and root rot. These diseases make the trees more likely to fall over or break off than healthy trees, posing a safety hazard, the release said.

The goal is to complete the work this fall, although some minor work may need to occur next spring.

Prosecutor resigns over contract

NAMPA (AP) - Canyon County Prosecutor John Bujak has resigned after two years in office over his contract to handle misdemeanor prosecutions for the city of Nampa.

Canyon County Commissioners said they accepted Bujak's resignation early Friday.

Deputy prosecutor Tim Fleming is scheduled to take over Bujak's duties as interim prosecutor.

Commissioners confirmed that Bujak owed the county about $288,000 at the end of their fiscal year, which fell on Thursday, after covering expenses from his contract with Nampa city officials.

County Clerk Bill Hurst told the Idaho Press-Tribune a $71,000 that Bujack wrote him Thursday had not yet cleared.

Bujak unseated four-term county prosecutor Dave Young in 2008, leaving his job at a Nampa law practice.