In brief: Boiler explodes at elementary school

School officials may need to scramble to replace the boiler that heats Priest River Elementary School in Bonner County before approximately 600 students return Jan. 3.

The oil-fired boiler exploded early Wednesday afternoon, shattering a few windows but causing no injuries, Priest River police Chief Ray Roberts said. Maintenance workers were attempting to ignite the boiler when it exploded, possibly from a buildup of fuel, Roberts said.

“One guy was complaining his ears were ringing pretty good,” he said.

The West Bonner School District will bring in experts to assess the damage and recommend how to get the heat on again, said Leonard Parenteau, school board chairman. Some existing heaters from a prior project will be used temporarily to keep the building temperature above freezing, Parenteau said.

Maintenance workers indicated the boiler is beyond repair, he added.

– Scott Maben

Boise

Otter demands director of corrections resign

Gov.-Elect Butch Otter has directed the state Board of Correction to ask Vaughn Killeen, the state corrections director, for his resignation at the end of this month and is launching a national search for a replacement.

Killeen, a former Ada County sheriff who took the position earlier this year at the urging of Gov. Jim Risch, issued a statement Wednesday about the move. He also reported “significant progress” at the department, including the addition of 292 beds this year; reforms to parole procedures designed to slow the number of offenders returned to prison; and a drop in employee turnover.

– Betsy Z. Russell

Bonner County

Sheriff honors four for ‘extraordinary valor’

Bonner County Sheriff Elaine Savage is recognizing four employees for “extraordinary valor.”

Savage plans to present Certificates of Merit today to deputies Jeremy Deal, Brian Martinez and Phil Stella, and Lt. James Drake, she said in a press release.

Deal and Martinez were credited with saving the life of an elderly woman from a burning assisted living center in November.

Stella and Drake are being recognized for their role in rescuing a teen whose car went off the road and landed upside down in the water in December. The men waded into the cold water and held the victim’s head above water while rescue workers freed her from the vehicle

– Taryn Brodwater