In brief: Lawmakers disappointed at Julyamsh cancellation

BOISE – Two of the three state lawmakers whose district includes the Greyhound Park Event Center in Post Falls said Monday they were surprised and disappointed that the Coeur d’Alene Tribe had canceled its big annual powwow there this summer, amid a dispute over “instant racing” betting machines the center has been operating.

“It’s always been a really great event,” said Sen. Bob Nonini, R-Coeur d’Alene. “Hopefully, it gets resolved. I’m not sure if either side will like the outcome.”

He said he’s heard of legislation in the works to do everything from keeping the instant racing machines but limiting their numbers, to repealing all gambling in Idaho, including the state lottery and tribal gaming.

Rep. Ron Mendive, R-Coeur d’Alene, said he thinks the machines probably are legal, but he’s awaiting more information.

New Rep. Don Cheatham, R-Post Falls, said he didn’t know the powwow had been canceled.

Judge extends negotiations for CdA, chapel again

Lawyers have four more weeks to discuss a settlement in a federal civil rights lawsuit against the city of Coeur d’Alene brought by the owners of the Hitching Post wedding chapel.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Ronald E. Bush signed his third and final stay of the suit Monday. The city’s response to the complaint by business owners Donald and Everlynn Knapp is due Feb. 27, Bush said.

The judge previously granted 60-day and 21-day stays as lawyers for both sides negotiated a possible settlement.

The Knapps sued Oct. 17, claiming the city is forcing them to violate their religious beliefs by performing same-sex marriages at the Hitching Post. The city denies that its ordinance prohibiting businesses from discriminating based on sexual orientation applies to the Hitching Post.

The suit was prompted by a court decision last year permitting same-sex couples to marry in Idaho.

School board offering public look at math materials

Sample math instructional materials that the Coeur d’Alene School District may adopt will be available for public review today.

Parents, teachers and others can look at over 180 samples from three countries between 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. at 2061 Main St. in Riverstone. No materials may be removed from the space.

The samples are being evaluated and reviewed by a community advisory panel before the school board considers them.

Light refreshments will be available.

Wenatchee Red Lion under new ownership

WENATCHEE – The Red Lion, one of Wenatchee’s biggest hotels, has new owners, with plans for improvements.

Spokane-based Red Lion Hotel Corp., the Red Lion’s parent company, announced Monday it sold the 149-room hotel to Edge Hospitality Corp. of Kennewick for $4.1 million. Edge Hospitality signed a franchise agreement to maintain the Red Lion brand.

The new owners, who bought another Red Lion property last year in Kennewick, “will further invest in the Wenatchee property to improve the guest experience,” said a press release. Upgrades to the guest rooms, public spaces and exterior are planned.

Located at 1225 N. Wenatchee Ave., the Wenatchee Red Lion originally opened in 1974 as a Thunderbird motel, one of 22 Thunderbird properties around the Pacific Northwest at the time.

Advocates say dams threaten pallid sturgeon

BILLINGS – Wildlife advocates claimed in a federal lawsuit filed Monday that the dinosaur-like pallid sturgeon could be wiped out in stretches of rivers in Montana and North Dakota if the federal government doesn’t deal with dams that disrupt spawning.

Pallid sturgeon are known for their distinctive shovel-shaped snout and can live 50 years, reaching 6 feet in length.

Believed to date to the days when Tyrannosaurus rex walked the Earth, the species has declined sharply over the past century as dams were built along the Missouri River system.

In a lawsuit, attorneys for Defenders of Wildlife and the Natural Resources Defense Council asked a judge to order new steps to protect the last 125 pallid sturgeon downstream of Fort Peck Dam in Montana to Lake Sakakawea in North Dakota. That includes fish on the lower Yellowstone River.

The groups say Fort Peck Dam and a smaller dam on the Yellowstone River near Glendive prevent sturgeon from successfully breeding.

The three defendants named in the lawsuit – the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Bureau of Reclamation and Fish and Wildlife Service – are considering modifications to the Yellowstone River dam to allow sturgeon to pass around it.