Weekend update

Bigfork Fun Day

Dream Adaptive Recreation hosts its Snow Ball Gala from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. today from at The Lodge at Whitefish Lake.

At the beginning

For some of us it was just a thought, for others there was little choice, and for a couple of us it might have been complete happenstance, but for most all of us wine is a journey. While a journey through wine never really ends for many of us, like all journeys, it has a beginning. The question for new wine consumers is how do you begin, what is the way to start your own journey?

Resurgent Sally threatens drenching in Alabama, Florida

PENSACOLA, Fla. (AP) — A newly strengthened Hurricane Sally pummeled the Florida Panhandle and south Alabama with sideways rain, beach-covering storm surges, strong winds and power outages early Wednesday, moving toward shore at an agonizingly slow pace that promised a drawn out drenching and possible record floods.

Haiti shelter plan emerging

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — Aid officials say they have finally figured out where to put hundreds of thousands of Haitians who lost their homes in a cataclysmic earthquake: right back where they came from.

Good Gotham neighbors

Gotham Bay Estates was developed on a 160-acre parcel. The zoning and density would have allowed for over 300 lots to be built.Gotham Bay Estates was the first conservation subdivision in Kootenai County, with 56 of the 160 acres dedicated to conservation land and only 46 building lots.

Executive order threatens Montanans' jobs, health

It’s ironic that the same day we were reading about important monitoring and restoration work that continues on the Upper Clark Fork river in connection with ongoing mining cleanup, we began this letter about new dangers facing all our rivers. The regulations that help protect and restore Montana’s water and air quality and promote health are in the crosshairs of an executive order signed by President Trump.

AAA survey: Most drivers leery of repair shops

Aging vehicle fleet, generational differences put a premium on trusted mechanics

In poor economy, sales tax unwise

In these times of economic uncertainty now is not the time for a new tax.

Man says rattlesnake bit him at Wal-Mart

LEWISTON, Idaho (AP) — A man says he reached down to pick up a stick lying in the gardening aisle of a Wal-Mart in eastern Washington state, only to discover that it was a rattlesnake that then bit his hand.

Animal shelter depends on donations, thrift store

The Panhandle Animal Shelter should not have to beg for money. The caring for stray and unwanted animals is normally the responsibility of local governments. For more than 15 years, Sandpoint and Bonner County have been getting a free ride from the shelter.

SHOPPING: A million-dollar question

Here's a question maybe someone can answer. If so many people are having such a hard time paying bills, mortgages, providing food for their family etc., how are so many of them lining up to buy "stuff" they don't really need on Black Friday?

Basket winner thanks businesses

 Letter to the Editor,

ESSENTIAL: Bullets and booze? Really?

I applaud Governor Little’s courage and wisdom for issuing a stay-home order to flatten the curve and save lives.

UK economy shrank by colossal 20.4% in April

LONDON (AP) — Official figures show that the British economy shrank by a colossal 20.4% in April, the first full month that the country was in its coronavirus lockdown.

Park approves Akokala Lake dam project

Treating injured birds across the valley

Easy slow cooker chili that lives up to the hype

Slow cookers have legions of fans. I am not among them.

Beyond 100M: Biden team aiming for bigger vaccine numbers

WASHINGTON (AP) — It sounded so ambitious at first blush: 100 million vaccination shots in 100 days.

To make water last year-round, Kenyans in dry regions are building sand dams on seasonal rivers

Before the sand dams were built, she and her children would walk many miles to fetch water in springs in the faraway Mbooni Hills. It took them three hours, and many times they’d fall because of the rocky terrain.

Law enforcement and court records

Lake County District Court, Judge McNeil presiding