Idaho Transportation Department Starting next week crews will return to Rathdrum to begin construction on State Highway 53 near the State Highway 41 intersection north of the railroad tracks The Idaho Transportation Department will construct an additional northbound through lane on SH-53 so that two lanes of traffic are able to move north through the intersection during green cycles After construction SH-53 will still have a dedicated right turn lane for vehicles wishing to travel over the bridge The additional lane is intended to allow for more vehicles at a time to make it through the signal and help reduce the length of queued vehicles during peak hours During construction crews will close the existing right turn lane meaning all northbound SH-53 traffic will make all movements from the one through lane Drivers should also expect reduced speed limits and flagging Any flagging for signal work will be done outside of peak hours Updates to traffic impacts and delays can be found using the Idaho 511 system either online The Idaho Transportation Department invites the community to attend one of two upcoming public meetings for a study evaluating the state and local roadway system across the Rathdrum Prairie Input will help develop a range of alternatives for consideration that will improve mobility and connectivity and since that time the public has participated in the screening process by providing input about the environment and their unique perspective on a variety of community issues The input provided during the June public meetings has been incorporated into the current transportation alternatives that will be presented at the meetings next week ITD will also share more information about the Planning and Environmental Linkages study process and timeline of events Identical information will be shared at both meetings which will be held in an open-house style to allow participants to drop in at their convenience anytime between 4:30 p.m Trailhead Event Center at Q’emiln Park  For those who are unable to attend in person, an online version of this public meeting, including the same content, will be available from November 15-29 at this website or incorporated into future National Environmental Policy Act studies The accessibility of NIC.edu is extremely important to us! If you encounter any barriers and need assistance, please contact accessibility@nic.edu Academic Calendar Newsroom the third-annual Rathdrum Rumble is revving up for another fall car show North Idaho College's Autobody and Paint Technology program started the car show two years ago and uses the funds from the event to help send students to regional and national SkillsUSA competitions at NIC’s Parker Technical Education Center at 7064 W The event is free to attend and open to the public There will be food trucks onsite to purchase from Vehicles are $20 to register and categories include hot rod/modified “The show is always a ton of fun,” Assistant Autobody and Paint Technology Professor Andy Rogge said “The community and the students bring in some really impressive vehicles to show off.” There will also be hosted tours of the Parker Technical Education Campus for those interested in learning more about its programs Maps & Directions © 2023 North Idaho College Brandon Palaniuk is bringing home another trophy The professional bass angler from Rathdrum won the Champion Power Equipment Bassmaster Elite at Lake Okeechobee He logged a four-day total weight of 95 pounds according to a news release from Bassmaster Elite That total beat the next-closest competitor by 15 pounds 13 ounces – the fourth-largest margin of victory in an Elite series event It also netted Palaniuk $102,000 in prize money The two-time Progressive Bassmaster Angler of the Year made clear in the release that he’s not done racking up tournament wins “I’m 15 years into it; I figure I have at least that many more,” Palaniuk said On the second day he logged the biggest daily bag of the tournament – 34 pounds Fishing was tougher on the final two days of the tournament with fish getting wise to the pressure they were under from the bass pros But Palaniuk kept catching fish and building his lead he was on top of the leaderboard by a margin of 15 pounds It was the fourth-largest winning margin in Bassmaster Elite history and Palaniuk’s second double-digit win The event at Lake Okeechobee was the second Bassmaster Elite Series event of the season 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 the day’s top sports headlines and breaking news delivered to your inbox by subscribing here TDS Telecommunications continues expanding its high-speed all-fiber internet network into more Spokane-area neighborhoods © Copyright 2025, The Spokesman-Review | Community Guidelines | Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | Copyright Policy The Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) invites the community to attend a public meeting to learn more about a study to evaluate the state highway and local roadway system within the Rathdrum Prairie The public will have the opportunity to review a range of potential high-level options to reduce congestion enhance connectivity and improve mobility in the region Join one of two public meetings held in Rathdrum and Hayden The same information will be shared at both meetings which will be held in an open house format allowing participants to attend at their convenience but the study team will be available to discuss the information with participants and answer questions The study is evaluating the state highway and local roadway system within the Rathdrum Prairie stretching from the Washington/Idaho state line to the west On the heels of last year’s initial public meeting community input was collected and helped to shape a range of potential high-level options to optimize existing corridors and develop new routes that will be on display including all the same content and information will be available from June 27 through July 12 at https://itdprojects.idaho.gov/pages/rathdrum-prairie-pel for those who are unable to attend in person This study will follow the Planning and Environmental Linkages (PEL) process to consider environmental, community, and economic goals early while planning future projects.  ITD will share information about the PEL process and timeline of events at the event or by clicking here to watch a short video A Rathdrum man was killed in a single vehicle crash Saturday evening in a North Idaho county Idaho State Police received a report that a southbound pickup truck had run off Spirit Lake Cutoff Road and flipped in a “heavily wooded area” in Bonner County He was not wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash Police found evidence at the scene suggesting alcohol may have contributed to the incident Get breaking news delivered to your inbox as it happens Ghana's economy has been hit by brutal inflation for years 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: People of the Inland Northwest took up a task this week to assist in aid efforts following two hurricanes in the southeast United States Four line workers based in Rathdrum volunteered to drive about 3,000 miles to help restore power in the wake of Hurricane Milton lineman assistant/operator Clint Ducken and foreman Keith Gednalske of Kootenai Electric Cooperative all left North Idaho on Tuesday for Fort Meyers The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association had sent out a call for mutual aid to other electric companies in preparation for the devastation following the storm indicated it needed a line construction crew with equipment for power restoration VP of Member Service and Experience Erika Neff said in an email It was a call the Kootenai Electric Cooperative answered so we gathered the people who were interested and we drew names,” said Melissa Newcomer a manager at Kootenai Electric Cooperative The team will stay in tents nearby as it works 16-hour days for seven days straight to help restore power to six counties and 240,000 customers in Florida the team was traveling through South Dakota and is expected to be in Fort Meyers on Friday While the team helps in other mutual aid assistance “this is the longest distance they’ve ever traveled,” Neff wrote But the Rathdrum team isn’t the only one in the Inland Northwest helping with hurricane relief Brendan Craig of Spokane Fire Department Station 1 is in Newton where he is helping establish communication lines between response teams following Hurricane Helene The storm hit the southeastern United States in late September and the damage has affected several Southern states Craig is part of an incident management team in contract with the Spokane Fire Department and the federal government those with the incident management team will deploy to the affected area department spokesperson Justin de Ruyter said and the team needed a radio communication tech