Spokane County doesn't have code enforcement but wants it
If you’ve ever called the county about a neighbor’s junk vehicle or a dangerous pile of trash on a nearby lot, you probably already know: No one at the county is able to make that go away.
"Currently, our code is insufficient for abating of nuisance properties," said County Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Jameson Dumo. "So our communities end up with violations of Spokane County code that we have no real way of dealing with them."
He has suggested small changes to county code that would make it easier to fine violations.
"The civil monetary penalties are not being utilized. We currently don't have any process for effectuating them," he said. "We have criminal misdemeanors, but with some of our code violations that's like taking a sledgehammer to a peanut."
The other issue is how to fund a position—much less an office—to deal with nuisances.
Start-up money could come from small increases in solid waste disposal fees, Dumo suggested.
But eventually, he hopes the office could be self-sustainable through charges to offending property owners.
Commissioners would likely vote on changes to county code this fall.
Independent candidate for Idaho Senate hits the trail in north ID for listening tour
An independent candidate for one of Idaho’s U.S. Senate seats finishes a north Idaho listening tour today in Sandpoint.
Todd Achilles served a Boise district as a Democrat in the state House of Representatives.
But this summer, he left his seat—and his party—to run against Republican incumbent Sen. Jim Risch.
The tour began last week in McCall. Since then, Achilles has worked his way north: to Grangeville, Orofino, Lewiston, Moscow, St. Maries and Wallace.
"The conversations in McCall centered on public lands; in Grangeville, we were talking a lot about public lands there too," he said. "In Orofino, it was really more about jobs."
Achilles spoke in Coeur d’Alene Monday night. He’ll be in Sandpoint’s War Memorial Field for an event at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Housing affordability is one of the big issues Achilles says he’d work on as a senator.
He's also concerned about how AI is affecting jobs and the overall economy.
Risch has been in federal office for more than 15 years. He did not respond to a request for comment.
NASA satellites help researchers better understand NW river temperatures
Images from space are helping scientists on Earth better understand river temperatures. That could help salmon in Northwest waters that are too hot.
These NASA satellites have been collecting information for more than 40 years. Now, researchers are using AI to sort through all that data.
University of Washington George Darkwah graduate student has developed an online tool that interprets publicly available satellite data, allowing people to better understand river temperatures over time.
He told NWPB the tool complements on-site water temperature gauges.
"It can also be applied or extended to areas that do not even have existing water temperature measurements," he said.
The Columbia River Intertribal Fish Commission said it plans to use the tool to monitor river temperatures and help propose policies related to dams.
Spokane River flow reduced to minimum levels
In response to the Northwest’s dry summer, Avista has reduced part of the Spokane River flow to the lowest levels allowed.
The utility company has dropped the amount of water it lets through the Post Falls Dam from 600 cubic feet-per-second to 500.
The utility’s license to operate the dam, which was issued by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, calls for balancing the river flow while trying to maintain a specific level for Lake Coeur d'Alene.
That level is 2,128 feet above sea level, said Avista Hydro Engineer Patrick Maher
"When the lake elevation starts to drop, because there’s less inflow, and it gets three inches down, in other words 2127.75 or below, for more than 24 hours, we decrease the discharge that’s going through the dam," he said.
Once that level of flow has been reached, eventually the level of the lake begins to drop, because of the decline of water entering the lake, especially in dry years.
"By the end of September we’re generally one foot down from summer maximum," he told SPR News. "And we’re anticipating this year because it is such a dry year, we had April, May, June were all warm and dry, we anticipate the lake will probably be down 6 to 9 inches by the end of August."
If you’re looking to plan an activity on the river, you can monitor the flows by visiting the Avista website.
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Reporting by Eliza Billingham, Courtney Flatt, Lauren Paterson and Steve Jackson