A former Post Falls School Board member and a former nonprofit communications director are running for an open seat on the Community Library Network Board of Trustees in North Idaho The five-member board oversees six library branches in Kootenai County outside Coeur d’Alene as well as Pinehurst Library in Shoshone County The open seat is left by Tony Ambrosetti who was appointed to fill a vacancy in November and did not file to run for a new term The May 20 election isn’t expected to affect the political dynamic of the majority of the board a conservative supermajority has rewritten much of the library’s policy including a new adults-only room that will house mature content that staff deem harmful to minors The two candidates have different views about recent board actions is running to protect children from “harmful materials” according to her website who served on the Post Falls School Board for 24 years and was a philosophy professor at North Idaho College said the board’s behavior reminds her of the poor governance on the NIC board that nearly led to the school losing its accreditation “I know what a healthy board looks like,” Lippert said The NIC accreditation crisis happened under a previous board majority backed by the Kootenai County Republican Central Committee The KCRCC endorsed every current member of the Community Library Network board originally supported by the KCRCC when elected in 2021 has diverged from the rest of the board on various issues board chair Rachelle Ottosen and the website CleanBooks4Kids – which has lobbied the library to remove or relocate a list of books it labeled obscene Bauman did not respond to requests for an interview Her website says she moved to Idaho four years ago from California She was the communications director for the nonprofit Constituting America She also worked as a fundraiser for Rudy Giuliani’s 2008 presidential campaign in California was named Board Chair of the Year by the Idaho School Board Association in 2023 She is endorsed by the Library Alliance of North Idaho (formerly the Community Library Network Alliance) a group that is against censorship at the library She ran unsuccessfully as a Democrat for the Idaho House in 2014 Lippert said she is running to restore library services She applied for the open board seat last year that went to Ambrosetti She wasn’t surprised the board didn’t choose her but it was important to “keep them honest.” Lippert said she believes she was the more qualified candidate given her years on the Post Falls School Board Ambrosetti did not respond to an inquiry about why he decided not to run for another term but he endorsed Bauman in an op-ed in the Coeur d’Alene Press responding to another op-ed by Lippert but she said it is still important to have a minority voice “I’m sure I wouldn’t get anywhere to be honest,” Lippert said “But at least I could speak – force them to recognize what they are doing.” Lippert compared the situation again to NIC where a vocal minority faction on that board gained a foothold until last November when they completed a sweep against the KCRCC-backed trustees but were constantly drawing attention to what was happening,” Lippert said she wants to return to library hours and services that were cut last fall when the board laid off 13 part-time staff amid a budget deficit That included closing the libraries on Sundays and reducing the acquisition budget for new books Lippert said the deficit was due to increasing the budget for legal fees to protect the board’s aggressive policies While proponents frame their efforts to restrict children’s access to certain material as protecting parent’s rights Parents have less freedom now than they did a few months ago when the board removed an option for an all-access children’s library card parents had three types of cards to choose from for their kids: access only to the children’s collection access to the teen collection or open access to the entire library collection including materials from the regional interlibrary loan system According to the library director’s January report 8,906 child cards – more than 90% – had open access while 813 chose one of the more restrictive options “I think parents are in the best position to know their children and responsibly monitor what their kids are reading,” Lippert said board members and Library Director Martin Walters all say the mature content policy is not censorship because adults still have access to the books But Lippert points out that the board in 2023 removed the phrase “intellectual freedom” from board policy and an entire section on the First Amendment “It seems what we have happening is an attempt to force a very narrow ideology on the entire community,” Lippert said Bauman says on her website that protecting children from harmful materials does not inherently violate free speech as enshrined in the First Amendment of the United States Constitution ensures the right to express ideas and information freely without undue governmental restriction,” Bauman wrote this right is not absolute and comes with certain limitations particularly when it concerns the welfare and protection of minors.” When Bauman announced her candidacy during public comment at the March board meeting she said she is committed to upholding the Idaho Children’s School and Library Protection Act that was passed last year The new law requires libraries to relocate books that are “harmful to minors” to an area with adult access only “Harmful to minors” is defined as any work containing nudity sexual excitement or sado-masochistic abuse that when “considered as a whole” lacks “serious literary political or scientific value for minors.” Lippert said she believes that law is unconstitutional referring to a lawsuit by publishers challenging it in federal court “The law sees only two categories of humans: adults and minors,” Lippert said “A book that is inappropriate for a 5-year-old is also inappropriate for a 17-year-old under this law The library director has so far approved 16 books that were requested for relocation but he is also reviewing an additional 140 titles that were not requested by any patron for possible inclusion in the adult-access only room Lippert said that if the library board applies its interpretation of “harmful to minors” evenly it would have to include the vast majority of the regular adult collection which would shrink the size of each branch library and would never fit in the small designated room at the Post Falls Library James Hanlon's reporting for The Spokesman-Review is funded in part by Report for America and by members of the Spokane community. This story can be republished by other organizations for free under a Creative Commons license. For more information on this, please contact our newspaper’s managing editor. Give directly to The Spokesman-Review's Northwest Passages community forums series -- which helps to offset the costs of several reporter and editor positions at the newspaper -- by using the easy options below Gifts processed in this system are tax deductible Get breaking news delivered to your inbox as it happens © Copyright 2025, The Spokesman-Review | Community Guidelines | Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | Copyright Policy Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight was sentenced to 35 months in federal prison for aiming a laser pointer at an aircraft Schaffer will serve an additional 3 years on supervised release after he is released from prison Schaffer was indicted in September 2024 by a grand jury and charged with aiming a laser pointer at an aircraft in violation of federal law Schaffer was out with friends and pointed a bright green laser at the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office helicopter as it flew overhead The laser struck the helicopter multiple times and impaired the vision of the pilot the sergeant and the deputy who were on board but the pilot regained control and brought the helicopter back up to altitude Law enforcement tracked the car Schaffer was in and arrested him Schaffer had a blood alcohol level of .11 when he was booked into jail Schaffer was known to law enforcement and has prior felony convictions Attorney Whatcott commended the work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the City of Coeur d’Alene Police Department which led to the charges Left-leaning Prime Minister Anthony Albanese won a landslide victory on Saturday Would you like to receive our daily news? Signup today there are no recent results for popular commented articles Your browser is out of date and potentially vulnerable to security risks.We recommend switching to one of the following browsers: Idaho Transportation Department the Idaho Transportation Department will be making several significant changes to traffic near the Interstate 90 and State Highway 41 Interchange These changes are necessary to accommodate ongoing construction efforts as ITD nears a major milestone of the project with the completion of the new Single Point Urban Interchange On ramp from SH-41 to get onto eastbound I-90 SH-41 under I-90                                                                                        Central Avenue                                                                                           Overnight single lane closures on I-90 in both eastbound and westbound lanes throughout the work zone Additional changes to the westbound on-ramp are coming later this spring Details will be shared as soon as they are available “Reconstructing the westbound off-ramp and improving SH-41 is a key part of the project’s success,” said project manager Randy Durland “We thank the public again for their patience during these closures as crews continue to make significant progress towards the finish line.” Construction on the new ramp and SPUI is expected to be complete in 2026 Drivers can use the Idaho 511 system for updated traffic conditions or downloading the app to your smart device To learn more, visit the project website at https://itdprojects.idaho.gov/pages/i90sh41ic, call 208-738-4190, or email info@i90corridor.com A playdate between the world’s tallest and smallest living dogs went the way of most dog park encounters despite the 3-foot (0.91-meter) height difference — lots of tail wagging are both certified winners in their respective height titles by Guinness World Records The fact that Reginald is the size of a small horse and Pearl is as small as an apple didn’t stop them from getting along famously a 4-year-old who stands at 3.59 inches (9.14 centimeters) a previous record-holder in the same category also was under 4 inches (10.16 centimeters) tall Both Millie and Pearl weighed 1 ounce (28.35 grams) at birth This photo provided by Guinness World Records shows Pearl | Natalie Behring/Guinness World Records via AP “I was not expecting to once again have the record,” said Vanesa Semler of Orlando Guinness arranged the two-day meet up between Pearl and Reginald — who also goes by Reggie and measures in at a whopping 3-foot-3 (1 meter) — last month at his home in Idaho Falls Semler said she was anxious because of Reginald’s size pleasant surprise from day one because Reggie is like Pearl might have been more interested in the Guinness film crew that accompanied Pearl than the tiny dog herself “I would say he likes people a little bit more than he likes other dogs,” said Sam Johnson Reiss Pearl’s tiny size was also strange for the big boy | Natalie Behring/Guinness World Records via AP like he didn’t step on her or anything or anything crazy He was just very aware that she was there.” especially on a dog park visit when he towered over other Great Danes despite being only 9 months old and they were like full-grown,” Reiss said There might have been a little jealousy shown over toys and beds but Reggie and Pearl found common ground during their two days roaming the Idaho farm together “I think she found a good friend,” Semler said with the chihuahua even picking out the clothes she wants to wear every day by placing her paw on the outfits laid out before her That comes in handy when news crews are lining up for interviews the world’s shortest living dog as certified by Guinness World Records Pearl doesn’t have the top diva title quite yet with Reiss saying Reggie — who has a new Instagram account — has his own diva moments “He’s pretty high maintenance,” Reiss said like he’s kind of mischievous and silly and definitely tells you when he wants something.” SUBMIT A CORRECTION We hope you appreciated this story.  A small team of local journalists runs EastIdahoNews.com – not a big business or corporation Our stories are produced to inform and serve the public We don't have a paywall or require a subscription to use EastIdahoNews.com but there is a cost associated with bringing you stories every day Please consider supporting us just once for $1 or contribute a little more monthly or annually We sincerely appreciate your consideration © 2015 - 2025 EastIdahoNews.com LLC A Post Falls resident was sentenced to nearly three years in federal prison for aiming a laser pointer at a Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office helicopter last summer 16 when he pointed a bright green laser at the helicopter as it flew overhead Attorney’s Office for the District of Idaho but the pilot regained control and brought the helicopter back up to the appropriate altitude Schaffer had a blood alcohol level of 0.11 Schaffer was indicted by a grand jury in September and charged with aiming a laser pointer at an aircraft He pleaded guilty in December to that charge District Judge Amanda Brailsford sentenced Schaffer on Thursday to 35 months in prison Schaffer will serve three years of supervised release after he is released from prison The FBI recently reported in a news release that the agency has noticed an increase in people illegally pointing lasers at aircraft in the Seattle and Spokane areas since March a federal grand jury indicted 43-year-old Johnny Blackstock on two felonies in connection to aiming a laser at an aircraft He pleaded guilty and was sentenced last year to time served Spokane County Sheriff’s Office said its helicopter was on a regular patrol flight and reported two green laser strikes northwest of the Spokane International Airport was taken into custody in connection with the laser strikes hours later the sheriff’s office said in a news release The maximum federal sentence for pointing a laser at an aircraft is five years in prison with a $250,000 fine Two days after a life-threatening motorcycle crash left 11-year-old Tatum Newbauer in the intensive care unit with several broken bones the “sassy stinker pants” was home cracking jokes and he has been just quite the little sassy stinker pants,” Tatum’s mom said in a phone interview from her home in Post Falls “He does have his moments where he’s emotional and with this concussion multiple broken bones in his face and skull Tatum’s first thought when his mother first saw him in the emergency room was to reassure her “It’s hard to see your child hooked up to everything with a neck brace and all the stuff on it was to ask about the state of the motorcycle’s driver a close family friend who sustained critical injuries in the crash “He is the most caring child I’ve ever seen,” Chappell said so that kind of shows you how caring he is.” Tatum and his family had gathered at his grandparents’ house in Post Falls for the typical holiday festivities Chappell and her husband left to pick up something from Facebook marketplace while Tatum stayed to play with friends and family the father of one of his friends lost control of the motorcycle he was driving with Tatum in tow crashing into two parked vehicles on north Spokane Street at north Encanto Drive according to an Idaho State Police Department news release A social media post by Tatum’s family said they reached speeds over 100 mph on the friend’s bike Neither Tatum nor the driver were wearing helmets The department is still investigating the crash Chappell doesn’t hold any hard feelings toward the driver and they have been nothing but amazing to us so we’re just trying to hang in there,” Chappell said “We’re all trying to stay optimistic and stick together Tatum was transported from the Kootenai Health emergency room to Providence Sacred Heart where he spent two nights with nonstop visits from family and friends “It’s been a collaborative effort,” Chappell said with friends and family reaching out with support Tatum is no stranger to motorcycles; both his parents ride them “He is always up for a motorcycle ride,” Chappell said spending his free time fishing and hunting with his family and playing baseball “He also has a couple of dirt bikes and will do as much as he possibly can to get that adrenaline rush,” Chappell said He’s encouraged by the small victories while recovering He shed tears of joy after being able to gently chew noodles in his soup with his broken waddling to and from his bed to the couch to socialize with visitors ‘You’re doing better than I think anybody has ever expected any little boy to do with all of your broken bones,’ ” Chappell said astounded by Tatum’s relatively quick recovery and return home Though he’ll need more evaluation as his bones heal and the swelling subsides his doctors so far said no major surgery would be needed save for some oral reconstructing for his teeth To pay for medical expenses and the income Chappell is missing by staying with her son, forgoing work at the salon she owns in Priest River, Tatum’s family set up a GoFundMe fundraiser with 66 donations as of Wednesday night “We’re just trying to make it through and be as strong as we can for him,” she said TDS Telecommunications continues expanding its high-speed all-fiber internet network into more Spokane-area neighborhoods The Post Falls Police Department is asking for the public’s help in locating a woman who was driving a white SUV that struck an 11-year-old in a crosswalk Thursday afternoon Officers responded to the alleged hit-and-run at about 3:10 p.m The SUV possibly has Idaho plates and a multicolored license plate frame Anyone with information about the crash is encouraged to contact police at (208) 773-3517 we announce the passing of a great man with a big heart Born to John and Sharon Gilbert October 20 He was always inquisitive and headstrong; he loved to find out how anything and everything under the sun worked he would covertly reassemble his projects so they looked functional only to have them fall apart upon first use he would not be within sight when this would happen The tools that he would use for these “dastardly deeds” would be his dad’s which were not returned to their original places.  Eric’s dad was a long haul truck driver Eric learned what it was like to work on a cold doc at four in the morning His phrase “nothing like working on a cold doc at four in the morning” will echo in our minds forever.  He was an intelligent individual and loved working with numbers he became “a spreadsheet kind of guy,” who loved analysis After graduating from Bonneville High School in 1990 he married Stacie Lynn Heston in July 1991 They were blessed with three amazing and wonderful children He took his family to different duty stations all over the country He reflected positively on his years of service he worked as an agricultural machinist for several years until suffering from an industrial accident causing a third degree burn that required hospitalization.  His injury created further medical complications that left him physically disabled and with a brain injury and was redeemed by his Savior when he “turned his life over to Him.”  and helping others rehabilitate in the process He was an active advocate for the disabled community working many years for Developmental Workshop Industries (DWI) as well as volunteering for Champ’s Heart and Civitan’s Russell and Mildred Steele; and his paternal grandparents and diligence to make himself the person that he envisioned.  A celebration of Life is planned for Saturday in the fellowship hall of the First Evangelical Lutheran Church With goals of eventually opening a new hospital Kootenai Health and MultiCare are building a new 30-acre medical campus in Post Falls The expanded partnership between the two health care nonprofit companies will connect Kootenai Health’s services in Coeur d’Alene and MultiCare’s presence in Washington at Deaconess and Valley hospitals The “Prairie Medical Campus” will be located at the south-east corner of Highway 41 and Prairie Avenue in the north-east corner of Post Falls “Working together we do what we can’t do alone,” MultiCare CEO Bill Robertson said “The opportunity and challenge in health care is best served in partnership.” Robertson added that the first phase of the project should be completed “fairly rapidly” in the next two to three years That phase will include a micro-hospital with a 12-room emergency department imaging services and rooms for overnight patients A medical office space built in the initial construction will have a new ambulatory surgery center and house physician practices for Kootenai Clinic and independent physicians Kootenai Health spokesperson Caiti Bobbitt said that many Kootenai clinics are at full capacity at their Coeur d’Alene facilities and the increased access to health care in the region “will be significant.” the partners hope to expand the facility to a full hospital The latest population estimate for Post Falls is 48,500 people Census Bureau’s estimate of county populations “The Prairie Medical Campus in Post Falls is a transformational investment in the future of our region’s health care,” Kootenai Health CEO Jamie Smith said in a statement “It is our mission to serve this rapidly growing part of our community We are excited to partner with MultiCare; working together allows us to build on the strengths of both organizations for the benefit of our patients faster and better in the Post Falls to Liberty Lake corridor than either of us could alone.” MultiCare and Kootenai Health jointly purchased land for the project several years ago but the long-planned expansion stalled during the COVID-19 pandemic While MultiCare provides a financial investment to the project the campus will be under Kootenai Health administration and branding Both organizations declined to answer what the financial cost is to each nonprofit for creation of the campus MultiCare and Kootenai health previously collaborated to start a joint electronic health record system and on two urgent care locations in Coeur d’Alene and Hayden Editor’s note: This story was changed on March 13 to correct the name of MultiCare CEO Bill Robertson Idaho — A standoff unfolded near the 4800 block of W Riverbend Avenue involving the Post Falls Police Department detectives and Special Response Team members in POst falls on Sunday The incident began when officers attempted to conduct a traffic stop on a 52-year-old male suspect as part of a surveillance operation in preparation to serve a search warrant on his residence refused to exit his vehicle or cooperate with officers' commands prompting authorities to close eastbound traffic on Interstate 90 and both directions on Riverbend Avenue for the duration of the standoff the suspect exited the vehicle and surrendered to officers He was subsequently booked at the Kootenai County Jail on charges of resisting and obstructing detectives and Special Response Team members searched his home Authorities have withheld the suspect's name and the location of his residence to protect the identity of the victim as the investigation involves a possible sex offense and further information will be released as it becomes available We recognise you are attempting to access this website from a country belonging to the European Economic Area (EEA) including the EU which enforces the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and therefore cannot grant you access at this time e-mail us at News4@kxly.com or call us at 509-324-4000 as part of the Interstate 90 and State Highway 41 Interchange project the access point for the westbound I-90 on-ramp is being shifted to the north near Central Avenue Shifting the on- and off-ramps will provide space for crews to continue working on the new center of the future interchange This shift will allow southbound traffic from SH-41 to merge seamlessly onto the on-ramp rather than requiring drivers to make a dedicated right turn starting next week northbound drivers on SH-41 will no longer be able to turn left onto the westbound on-ramp Northbound drivers on SH-41 wishing to access westbound I-90 will be detoured north to 16th Avenue where they will make a U-turn and then return south along the highway until they merge onto the new westbound temporary on-ramp Click here for detour map. This closure will be in effect through fall 2025 there are several ongoing closures related to the I-90/SH-41 Interchange project that were shared with the community in early March: This project also includes improvements to SH-41 and surrounding local roads Construction for this project is expected to be complete in 2026 For more information, visit the project website at itdprojects.idaho.gov/pages/i90sh41ic, call 208-738-4190, or email info@i90corridor.com City of Post Falls Spokane Street Pavement Rehabilitation Project As part of ITD’s ongoing efforts to keep the public informed about construction activities and travel impacts we would also like to share information regarding an upcoming pavement rehabilitation project on Spokane Street that is set to begin on April 7 This work will reduce traffic to one lane in each direction and will occur in several phases there will be intermittent closures of the I-90 on- and off-ramps at Spokane Street Full details about the City of Post Falls project are available on the city’s website or by contacting the City of Post Falls Projects Division While the ITD and City of Post Falls projects are independent of one another both agencies are committed to working together to share information with the public Information about the city’s project and its potential impact on travel routes within the I-90/SH-41 project area will be communicated through email updates and ITD’s social media channels as part of our ongoing I-90 Anyone interested in staying informed is encouraged to register for email updates, utilize the free Idaho 511 system, of follow ITD’s social media channels @idahoitd.