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Safety tips for a safe drive on Memorial Day

Safety tips for a safe drive on Memorial Day

Many families take to the open road over Memorial Day to take advantage of the long weekend and to celebrate the unofficial start of summer. Idaho State Police wants to remind all drivers to remain safe.

 

Last year there were 129 crashes in Idaho with 81 injuries and two fatalities. Idaho State Police has provided these safety reminders which are great for both Idaho and Washington drivers:

 

Wear Your Seatbelts: Police in both Idaho and Washington will be strictly enforcing seat belt laws and drivers with children are reminded to make sure all children are in age appropriate safety seats and that children under 12 are in the back seat.

 

Designate a Driver: Nearly 30 people a day die in an alcohol related crash. Make sure to designate a driver before anyone in your party drinks.

 

Hiawatha bike trail opens for the summer

Hiawatha bike trail opens for the summer

The scenic and historical Hiawatha bike trail opens for the summer on May 25th. This 15 mile stretch of abandoned railroad is considered the “Crown Jewel” all rail-to-trail bike projects in the country.

 

The last train passed over the Milwaukee Railroad rails in 1980. The old rail way was converted into packed gravel trails that are an easy ride for every one including children and seniors. Riders can enjoy beautiful views of the Bitterroot Mountains while riding down the 1.6 percent grade.

 

Hiawatha is operated by the Lookout Pass Ski Area under special permit use of the U.S. Forest. Lookout offers bike rentals, as well a shuttle to take you back to the top of the trail head once you reach the end. It takes about two and a half hours to complete the ride going at a leisurely pace.

 

ATV safety courses provide valuable skills to keep you safe

ATV safety courses provide valuable skills to keep you safe

In last two weeks Eastern Washington and North Idaho have seen over five ATV accidents including one death in the LC Valley last week. While ATV riding is fun, it's important to learn proper technique to remain safe.

 

“We think it takes special skills to ride an ATV,” says Dale Stevens, a licensed ATV safety instructor with the ATV Safety Institute. ASI is a non-profit sponsored by the all the major ATV manufacturers. Instructors like Stevens teach regular safety classes to educate riders on proper technique, safety skills and the responsibilities that come with owning and riding ATVs.

 

After taking his course many riders tell Stevens that they didn't know what a work out riding is and that they expected it to be easier. Stevens says that a lot of people expect ATVs to be like riding a couch on wheels but it that it takes a lot of physical effort and knowledge of how ATVs operate to remain safe while riding.

 

Girl Scouts asking for support during Idaho Gives

Girl Scouts asking for support during Idaho Gives

Girl Scouts of Eastern Washington and Northern Idaho is hoping the region will jump on board and donate during the first ever Idaho Gives campaign.

 

Idaho Gives is a 24 hour giving campaign sponsored by the Idaho Nonprofit Center. The event gives donors the opportunity to give to any of the 531 participating non profits across Idaho. For every $10 donation made groups will be entered to win a Golden Ticket prize. The more donors that GSEWNI gets, the more chances they have to win prize money.

 

Groups have also been divided by size into three separate scoreboards. Each scoreboard carries an additional $5,000 worth of prize money that will be divided between the top five money raisers at the end of the day. Idaho Gives also features an Everybody Wins Award, this award takes a general pool of money and divides it by the percentage if the total raised. For example, if Girl Scouts raises one percent of the total for the entire campaign, then they receive one percent of the Everybody Wins Award.

Leap of faith for four little geese

Spring is in the air in more ways than one. Yesterday morning four goslings took their first leap from the nest.

 

The gosling eggs were laid in the osprey nest at Memorial Field. The osprey cam caught the mother goose laying her first egg on March 19th. She then returned over multiple days until she had laid an entire clutch. The goslings hatched live on osprey cam on Monday, April 22nd.

 

Yesterday morning the little geese bravely followed their parents and made the 100 foot drop off the nesting landing. Unfortunately, as they made their way to water, they were attacked by another male goose and one little gosling didn't survive. It was, however, recovered and given a proper burial by a lady who lives near the field.

 

PSA: Fire Department suggests changing fire detector batteries Sunday

Sunday, March 10th, daylight savings begins to bring in spring and summer.

The best way to keep your family and pets safe is to have working smoke detectors in your home.

They should be placed inside every sleeping room, outside of every sleeping room in the vicinity and on all levels of the home. The smoke detectors should be cleaned and tested monthly and their batteries should be changed twice a year.

The Coeur d’Alene Fire Department suggests changing the batteries in your smoke detectors when you change your clock during the daylight savings times.

“Our number one goal is life safety and having a working and clean smoke detector in your home helps us accomplish this goal”, Fire Chief Kenny Gabriel states.

If you have questions on smoke detectors, feel free to contact the Coeur d’Alene Fire Prevention Bureau at 208-769-2245.