The year had no shortage of headlines, with the first quarter of the year seeing everything from the relocation of the Ponderay post office to the expansion of North Idaho College's Workforce Training program to its Sandpoint campus.

Below are a few of the stories that captured the headlines in the first three months of the year. Additional stories will be featured next week.

JANUARY

Ponderay post office has new home

The city of Ponderay welcomed a new post office, which moved from its longtime location next to Ponderay City Hall to the old Horizon Credit Union, 480 Bonner Mall Way. The new location is about a mile away from the former  post office. 

With the city among the fastest growing in Idaho over the past several years, there was increased need for space both at the post office and the adjacent city hall.

The Postal Service announced it would be seeking a new post office site in the city in May 2024, setting off a search for a new location. Postcards sent out by the agency in May 2024 indicated support for the move, prompting it to move ahead with the relocation, Postal Service communications specialist Zachary Laux said. 

LEAP gets housing grant

A Priest River affordable housing project received a $30,000 grant from a regional credit union and its partners.

Working with partners, STCU helped secure nearly $200,000 in late 2024 for critically needed workforce housing projects in Spokane County and North Idaho. Among them is LEAP Housing, which received a $30,000 grant for The Village at River View Ridge, a six-unit workforce housing project in western Bonner County.

The Idaho-based non-profit is working to provide access to safe, stable and affordable homes for Idahoans.

Proposed Sandpoint downtown parking model

City staff exhibited a plan that would institute fees at Sandpoint’s downtown off-street parking lots in a planning and zoning commission meeting Tuesday. 

The proposed plan would affect locations including the City Beach parking lot and the downtown parking area at Church Street and Third Avenue. No action was taken by the commission.

In the model, parkers using the City Beach, Sand Creek, Pend d’Oreille Bay Trail, Dock Street and downtown (Church and Third) lots would be charged $2-3 per hour, depending on the day and season. 

Sandpoint residents would be eligible to purchase a $10 annual pass allowing for 2-hour free parking sessions at all lots; non-city residents could purchase an identical pass for $20. 

Sandpoint officials said at the time that plan was designed to drive users from off-street lots determined to be overutilized in a 2022 city study to underutilized on-street parking in the downtown area. 

Additionally, Welker said the plan would generate an estimated $300,000 annually for maintenance of parking facilities and the amenities they serve.

Bonner County officials take oaths of office

Clerk Michael Rosedale inaugurated several elected and re-elected officials during the event, including Commissioner Brian Domke, who joined Asia Williams and Ron Korn on the board of commissioners for a two-year term. 

In a speech, Domke thanked friends, family and God for support, wisdom and strength. 

Commissioner Ron Korn also took an oath of office to begin a four-year term; he thanked his family and, like Domke, asked residents to hold him accountable. 

Korn joined the board in September 2024 after Gov. Brad Little appointed him to the vacancy left by former commissioner Luke Omodt based on a Bonner County Republican Central Committee recommendation. 

County Assessor Dennis Engelhardt and Sheriff Daryl Wheeler, who both ran unopposed in the November 2024 election, renewed their oaths and thanked their families and community members for support. 

Lakes Commission funds economic study

In a Jan. 10 vote, board members of the Lake Pend Oreille, Pend Oreille River, Priest Lake and Priest River Commission committed to funding an economic impact study for Lake Pend Oreille. 

The study, which is expected to be delivered this summer, will be conducted by researchers at the University of Idaho and Washington State University and will articulate the lake’s role in the local economy.

The Lakes Commission funded $35,000 to fund one half of the project. The remaining $35,000 will be paid by the University of Idaho. 

Lakes Commission Chair Ford Elsaesser told attendees he hoped the study would illustrate the lake’s benefits and the need for a reliable lake level throughout the recreation season.

Panida lobby project taking center stage

The Panida has long been considered the community's heart.

But is there a way to make the treasured community theater even better? That's the decision facing the historic theater's board of directors: Are changes to the Panida lobby area needed and, if so, what are they and how could they be done?

To that end, the Panida hosted an open house Saturday, Jan. 11, to showcase an exhibit of possible plans to improve the lobby. The plans ranged from a no-changes option to plans that would augment the lobby space with access to the theater's currently vacant northern retail space; or further, with a pass-through to the adjacent Little Theater.

The hope with any lobby change is, if possible, to provide greater ingress and egress without blocking some of the foyer doors as the current concessions do, Panida board members said. Other goals include featuring the historical fountain in the lobby's eastern wall — something that's been obscured for decades — and to provide a more spacious and dramatic entryway to the theater, as audiences would have experienced in the 1920s when the Panida opened as the town's most luxurious performance space. 

NIC Workforce Training expands to Sandpoint

The North Idaho College Workforce Training Center announced in early January 2025 that it was bringing training programs closer to home for residents of Bonner and Boundary counties.

The Post Falls center is expanding its workforce training offerings at the NIC Sandpoint Center to provide greater access to career-building opportunities for those living in Idaho’s northernmost counties. This initiative supports individuals seeking new careers, professionals looking to advance their careers through new skills training, and employers seeking training for their workforce.

Unlike North Idaho College’s academic offerings, NIC Workforce Training courses are non-credit and generally lead to certification or licensure while providing quicker entry into a career in the student’s chosen industry. Classes are open to the public, typically without pre-admission, academic, or residential requirements.

The workforce training courses offered at the NIC Sandpoint Center will eventually cover a range of industries, but to meet industry demand, initial offerings are primarily related to health careers.

FEBRUARY

Little signs 'school choice' bill

In late February 2025, Idaho Gov. Brad Little signed House Bill 93 — a $50 million tax credit that can go toward educational expenses, including private school tuition.

This is the first time in state history that state funds will be able to go toward private and religious k-12 education. 

The bill makes up to $5,000 available per student, which can be paid in advance to families making 300% of the federal poverty level and below. Families with students with a disability can receive up to $7,500 for those students.

IPNF employees laid off

Federal layoffs have affected some Forest Service employees at the Idaho Panhandle National Forest.

About 3,400 Forest Service employees have been laid off nationwide as part of the Trump Administration’s Department of Government Efficiency’s efforts to cut federal spending and downsize government operations, according to Politico.

Though it is unclear how many Forest Service employees were laid off in Idaho, Brad Smith with the Idaho Conservation League said he was told as many as 37 people working for the IPNF have been laid off so far.

“It’s really hard to get official numbers because federal agencies are being quiet,” Smith said.

IPNF representatives declined to comment.

SHS creates state’s fourth JROTC unit

Lake Pend Oreille School District officials announced in late February 2026 that Sandpoint High School will join a small contingent of Idaho schools hosting a Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps program designed to promote leadership and responsibility and offer students a pathway to military service. 

SHS staff had completed the paperwork to finalize the program Feb. 18. Beginning in September 2025, students will be able to enroll in the course as a free elective and progress through the four-year program over the course of their high school tenure. 

JROTC programs are federal initiatives in secondary schools sponsored by one of the U.S. Armed Forces. More than 3,000 JROTC programs operate in public and private high schools across the country, but only four exist in Idaho; SHS' Army JROTC program will join Borah High School (Army), Kuna High School (Air Force) and Kellogg High School (Marines). 

In JROTC courses, students often study topics like robotics, navigation and military history, and practice drilling, fitness and first aid. While SHS' program will be partially funded by the U.S. Army, students won’t receive any combat training or be required to serve after participating.  

Moores ordered to pay $15M in civil case

In early February 2025, a former Bonners Ferry chiropractor and his wife were ordered to pay the bereaved family of Brian Drake more than $15 million after a First District Court judge earlier ruled they were civilly liable for damages in the man's death. 

First District Judge Susie Jensen issued the ruling Thursday, nine days after a hearing to determine how much Daniel L. Moore and his wife, Karen, must pay Drake’s family after a summary judgment ruling that found them civilly liable in the case. 

Drake was shot and killed March 12, 2020, while working late at his Bonners Ferry office. Moore was eventually charged with second-degree murder in connection to the case, which was ultimately thrown out after court rulings that found his Miranda rights had been violated. 

In asking for damages, Drake’s widow, Jennifer, said the murder has had a deep and profound impact on her family, both emotionally and financially. 

MARCH

ITD updates U.S. 95 expansion plan

After dozens of residents voiced opinions in an October 2024 open house, Idaho Transportation Department announced in early March that it was revising its planned expansion of U.S. Highway 95 through Sagle. 

In the new plan, ITD removed a planned underpass at Ivy Drive and Algoma Spur Road and shifted it a quarter mile north to Sagle Road. The department also introduced a quarter-mile-long access road adjacent to U.S. 95 across the highway from Ivy Drive. 

The department began planning in 2020 to transform the 6-mile section of U.S. 95 between Lakeshore Drive and Dufort Road into a four-lane divided highway to alleviate safety concerns and prepare for increased use. Since then, residents have given feedback through a series of open houses as ITD works toward completing a preliminary design. 

ITD approved a $200,000 in December 2024 for a 2025 study to examine replacement options for the Long Bridge. A new Long Bridge, however, is likely further out than the U.S. 95 expansion, according to ITD officials. The department estimates it will cost at least $225 million to reconstruct the northbound half of the 2-mile-long crossing alone.

BOCC limits new RV park locations

At a late March standing-room-only Bonner County Board of County Commissioners business meeting, a majority vote by county commissioners disallowed new RV parks and campgrounds in areas zoned as rural, rural residential and agricultural/forestry. 

The effort to disallow RV parks and campgrounds in rural zones stems from several community members who feel that the commercial spaces are invasive to rural residents.   

Brought forth by the advocacy group Keep Bonner County Rural, the plan asked for county commissioners amend three Bonner County zones — agricultural forest, rural residential and rural — to disallow RV parks and campgrounds in residential areas.  

The request would only be in effect for new parks and campgrounds, not applicable to those already established in rural residential areas.  

PRLHS educator named national STEM teaching award finalist

Priest River Lamanna High School math teacher Nicole Anderson is among six Idaho educators selected as the state’s finalists for the 2025 Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching. 

A national committee will review the pool of about 300 finalists nationwide and select two teachers from each state to receive the award, which is the U.S. government’s highest honor for science, technology, mathematics and engineering instructors.

Mitchell named DYW Sandpoint 2025

Mackenzie Mitchell has been named Sandpoint's Distinguished Young Woman 2025.

Mitchell, a junior at Sandpoint High School, was selected for the honor at a March 22 program. She receives a $3,000 scholarship. 

Selected as first finalist is Hannah Ricks, who receives a $2,000 scholarship, and selected as second finalist is CayliJo Giard, who receives a $1,000 scholarship. 

Participants in the 2025 Sandpoint Distinguished Young Women for the Class of 2026 are Mitchell, Ricks, Giard, Holly Rainey and Makiyah Hagstrom.

"We had an amazing show," Liberty Becker, Distinguished Young Woman Sandpoint chair, said. "With the committee transition, it has definitely been a whirlwind, but the girls have been incredible, and we’ve been lucky enough to make some amazing connections with them."

The Distinguished Young Woman Sandpoint program participants took part in self-defense workshops, health seminars, and interview and public speaking workshops.

Fishery manager: Lake fishing about 'the best it's ever been'

In his annual “State of the Lake” preseason fishery update, Idaho Department of Fish and Game regional fishery manager Andy Dux had good news to share. 

“I would argue that fishing on Lake Pend Oreille is about the best it's ever been,” Dux said. “The bar is set pretty high right now, and our main focus is on sustaining the fishery at the current level.” 

In a presentation posted to YouTube March 21, Dux cited strong ecological diversity, an abundance of trophy-size specimens and a survey showing high angler satisfaction as evidence of a favorable fishing climate.

The foundation of it all, Dux said, is a recent rebound of kokanee salmon in the lake — a species desired by anglers and a key food source for game fish like rainbow trout and walleye.

A long-abundant species, kokanee were knocked down in the 1990s when a surge in Lake Pend Oreille’s mysid shrimp population created an ample food supply for predatory lake trout. 

The lake trout boomed; by the end of the century, the species’ population was doubling every 1.5 years. Kokanee counts plummeted, and their scarcity threatened to collapse the seven other fish species that prey on the salmon. 

Today, IDFG is focusing on another pair of non-native predators: walleye and northern pike. 

Both species have been shown to prey on kokanee and have become more abundant in Lake Pend Oreille. To control the growth, IDFG initiated a walleye-netting program in 2018 and has begun catching a subset of the population and releasing them with $1,000 reward tags to encourage anglers to target the species.