The Press' top 10 stories of 2007

Posted: Monday, Dec 31, 2007 - 04:16:01 pm PST
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Rick Thomas Mandi Oldmixon, left, and Kelly Beaudry look at the remains of Capone's in Post Falls after a fire gutted the interior.

Capone's Fire

1. A North Idaho businessman is accused of trying to eliminate his competition by burning down a rival bar.

Authorities arrested Richard E. Hanlon, 50, for torching Capone's Pub & Grill in Post Falls last fall.

Hanlon, who owns the Paddy's Too pub in the River City Center at the northeast corner of Highway 41 and Mullan and Paddy's in Coeur d'Alene, is denying the charges and will face a jury in 2008.

The case against Hanlon is based on several pieces of evidence, including a black-and-white surveillance video that shows a man running out of Capone's Pub & Grill with his legs on fire, seconds before the entire bar is consumed by flames.

Prosecutors said Hanlon suffered burns on his legs and that they match those on the video. Hanlon's attorney said it was just a coincidence.

Also, detectives found a pair of charred Nike running shoes inside Capone's and were able to recover DNA evidence. Hanlon is an avid runner. That evidence was not allowed during the preliminary hearing, but is expected to be presented during Hanlon's trial.

Hanlon's fiancee, Kelly Harte, went to authorities three days after the blaze, concerned that Hanlon was the arsonist.

"I didn't want to be an accessory and I wanted him to seek medical attention," Harte said. "I had my doubts. I thought he might have done it."

Harte said Hanlon didn't want to go to the doctor because he feared he would be blamed for the fire.

If convicted, first-degree arson carries a maximum penalty of 25 years in prison and a $100,000 fine. Burglary carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $50,000 fine.

Education changes

2. Shake-ups among local leaders in education made headlines through much of the year.

North Idaho College President Michael Burke announced his resignation in January to accept a job as president of San Jose City College in Northern California.

Burke's exit, after serving as president of NIC since 1998, sparked a six-month national search for a replacement that cost the college about $25,000.

Dozens of candidates were considered by a 22-member presidential search advisory committee.

In July, Dr. Priscilla Bell was named the new NIC president by the NIC Board of Trustees.

Bell, the first woman to lead NIC and its eighth president, had served as the interim president at NIC since February. Previously, Bell served as president of Highline Community College in Des Moines, Wash.

At the start of school in the fall, educators and patrons in the Coeur d'Alene School District learned they too will soon have a new leader.

At the district's opening day assembly Superintendent Harry Amend announced his intention to retire at the end of the school year.

Amend also announced that his assistant superintendent, Hazel Bauman, would be his replacement.

He said the school board had been working on a transition plan to move Bauman into the superintendent's position for 18 months.

At a board meeting the following week trustees formalized the announcement when they accepted Amend's resignation and appointed Bauman to the leadership position effective July 1.

Library Opens

3. The new Coeur d'Alene Public Library opened on Sept. 10 after 12 years of planning, and within 20 days, overall library use rose 47 percent and library staff issued 1,287 new library cards.

Voters passed a $3 million general obligation bond for the project in 2005. Private funds, a grant from the Lake City Development Corp. and city money accounted for the remainder of the $6.6 million project.

The two-story building encompasses about 38,500 feet; four times more than the old library. Among its features are a community room with seating for 200 people, a room for smaller groups and media filming capabilities, public art and a captivating children's area.

Use has continued to climb.

Spotlight on the Lake City

4. Coeur d'Alene received plenty of positive publicity in 2007, including being featured on national TV and in a national newspaper.

ABC's Good Morning America show broadcast live on Nov. 28 and featured Coeur d'Alene's holiday lights. An estimated 5,000 residents turned out in the early morning hours to cheer and wave signs for the TV cameras.

"Good Morning America" Producer Morgan Zalkin called the holiday light display at The Coeur d'Alene Resort the "Super Bowl of Christmas."

Five million households across the country heard their raised voices welcoming weather anchor Sam Champion and the "Good Morning America" crew for the 4 to 6 a.m. show.

Organizers held the gala event, which included high school bands, welcome signs, carolers, sleigh rides and fireworks.

USA Today featured Coeur d'Alene in a cover story with a panoramic photograph of Lake Coeur d'Alene and The Coeur d'Alene Resort.

The Sept. 27 edition sold like hot cakes and nary a copy could be found around town.

The lengthy article had a double headline. It asked, "Which state has the fastest-growing economy?" and answered, "It's Idaho, thriving quietly."

The piece details Idaho's economic explosion and declares the Gem State as tops among states in economic growth since 2003.

Kroc Center groundbreaking

5. The Salvation Army broke ground on the Kroc Center on June 27.

The city went through two rounds of competitions to secure the center, and then had to raise $6 million by June this year to match the $64 million provided for the facility by the Salvation Army. About half the money is being used to build the center and the rest will be held in an endowment for operations.

The project saw its share of controversy, and also generated tremendous support. Notable contributions included a nick-of-time donation of $1 million from the J.A. and Kathryn Albertson Foundation in May.

As work progressed, the completion date was pushed back from the end of 2008 to the spring of 2009. When it is finished, the $35 million building will be 123,000 square feet, with a competition pool and leisure pool, gymnasium, fitness center, rock climbing pinnacle, indoor playground, chapel, indoor track, and more.

St. Vincent's banner year

6. St. Vincent de Paul in Coeur d'Alene enjoyed unprecedented growth in 2007. The charity cranked up its efforts to help the homeless population in North Idaho with numerous grants and property acquisitions.

St. Vincent de Paul in Coeur d'Alene was awarded the historic federal building by the U.S. government, and it said it will use the downtown structure for its administrative offices and to provide homeless services. The homeless services include a daytime center for people to receive assistance, including the use of computers and job counseling. St. Vincent also will operate an upscale antique shop/art gallery and coffee bar, she said.

St. Vincent de Paul will take custody of the building after the U.S. District Court moves its operations to a new facility currently under construction near Silver Lake Mall. The U.S. District Court is moving in 2009 after its new facility is built near Hanley Avenue.

The nonprofit was awarded a $1 million grant to develop additional transitional housing in Coeur d'Alene and bought the Sandman Motel at 1620 E. Sherman. St. Vincent will remodel the building and use it to help adults who are homeless and have a mental illness or a co-occurring mental health and substance abuse diagnosis. It also owns and operates the former Star Motel, just west on Sherman, for transitional housing.

St. Vincent de Paul received a $1.3 million federal housing grant in October. The money will be used to build affordable housing for people who suffer from chronic mental illness.

No field burning on the prairie

7. The cloud of smoke that hangs above North Idaho during the late summer dissipated this year -- at least most of it did.

North Idaho Kentucky bluegrass farmers, who burn their fields to increase crop yields, were met with broad sanctions imposed by the Environmental Protection Agency that seek to clear the summer air.

The block was a result of an order by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that found the annual air pollution both unnecessary and dangerous.

Grass farmers, however, have not been able to replace fire with a suitable means for replacing nitrogen, removing grass stubble buildup and preventing weed growth, forcing many Rathdrum farmers to replace their crops or sell the farm.

Meanwhile, the unsanctioned Coeur d'Alene Tribe continues to burn its grass fields.

Government Way work

8. Nine months of rebuilding Government Way through the city of Hayden meant tough times for many who operated businesses there.

For most of three seasons, traffic flowed only in one direction, meaning stores at mid-block could only be found by going an extra block and backtracking, and access to shops was sometimes difficult.

"It almost put me under," said Susie Waddell, owner of Susie's Bar & Grill, after the construction was completed in late October.

Some said they went for days without customers, and some folded up for good. Orlando's Mexican Drive Up shut down early in May.

"The construction just killed us," said Orlando Duran, who operated the small stand north of Hayden Avenue for a dozen years.

Several other small businesses went under during the construction, while others continued to struggle to recover from thousands of dollars in lost revenues as the year came to an end.

"The only way I survived was by not paying the bills," said Randy Curry, owner of R-C Transmission.

Housing market still slow

9. Among the most conspicuous changes in Kootenai County in 2007 was a real estate boom that didn't quite go bust, but certainly deflated noticeably.

After several years of "discovery," which saw investors moving in for what were seen as bargains compared to other parts of the country, million-dollar homes becoming commonplace, and interest rates for mortgages at near-record lows, real estate reality set in.

With more homes for sale, tighter credit and concerns that the region's market may have become overpriced, it's now taking an average of four months to sell a house.

"People are looking for good price deals," said Luke Wild, an agent at Coldwell Banker Schneidmiller Realty.

The Coeur d'Alene Multiple Listing Service reported there were 3,530 residential listings in October, up nearly 20 percent from 3,108 the prior year, and far above inventories that hovered around half those numbers several years earlier, when multiple offers on a listed property were not uncommon.

"2008 will probably be the worst year before it returns," said Wendell Olson, president of Viking Construction. "It won't go back to 2004, but I don't think anybody wants that."

Elections

10. This year's elections ushered in the arrival of John Bruning on Coeur d'Alene's City Council and the departure of Dixie Reid after 26 years.

It was a close race for the incumbents. Council incumbent Ron Edinger defeated Dan Gookin for Seat 1 by 53.75 percent to 46.25 percent, and Al Hassell held on to Seat 3 with 42.81 percent to Jim Brannon's 38.63 percent.

In Post Falls, the council expanded from four seats to six and voters chose to tear down the old City Hall once the new building is finished. New councilors elected were longtime residents Kerri Thoreson, Skip Hissong and Linda Wilhelm.

In Rathdrum, mayoral candidate Vic Holmes pulled out an early lead with 70 percent of the vote, despite a flier mailed just before the election accusing him of being a drunken bully. Deborah Holmes and Fred Meckel emerged from a field of eight candidates to take council seats.

In the tiny town of Huetter, Brad Keene, 25, was elected mayor and Luke Gibler, 25, and Jeni Brown, 23, city council members. They all unseated incumbents.

In Hauser, Don Werst unseated longtime mayor Ed Peone as a write-in.