Stories from this compilation are excerpted from weekly newspapers from around the region. Look for Part 2 of this week's Regional News Roundup in Sunday's edition.
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MCCALL - Charges will be dropped against a Nampa man in the Sept. 8 shooting death of a California man at a campground on Lake Cascade, Valley County Prosecuting Attorney Carol Brockmann said Tuesday.
Charges will be dismissed against Christopher Humes, 47, of Nampa, in the shooting death of William "Tinker" Brasuell, 45, of San Diego, at the French Creek Campground west of Cascade.
"I have determined there is not sufficient evidence to meet my prosecutorial burden," Brockmann said.
Results from a four-month investigation by the Valley County Sheriff's Office and a ballistics expert from Illinois supported a claim by Humes that he acted in self-defense, she said.
"However, the only persons who truly know what happened is the defendant and the deceased," Brockmann said.
Humes was charged with aggravated battery following the shooting, which happened around 1:30 a.m. An autopsy found Brasuell had been shot once in the chest.
Humes told investigators that he fired three shots at Brasuell with a .380 handgun after Brasuell attacked him, court documents state.
Brasuell choked him, threatened to kill him and threw him to the ground, Humes told sheriff's deputies at the scene.
Humes, who was dressed only in underwear, a T-shirt and socks, said he did not see Brasuell show a weapon, and no weapons were found near the body, investigators said.
Three .380 shell casings and the handgun were recovered from the scene. Humes declined to be treated by EMTs, the report said.
Brasuell, originally was from Beaumont, Texas, east of Houston, and was living in San Diego working in construction.
He was visiting the Cascade area on a fishing trip at the invitation of a friend, according to his mother, Linda Evans of Beaumont.
- Tom Grote, The Star-News, (McCall), Thursday
Former teachers ask district to nix multi-age classrooms
GRANGEVILLE - Several locals attended the Dec. 18 meeting of the Mountain View School District 244 school board to voice their opinions and concerns on multi-age classrooms.
Although the topic was not an agenda item, those attending were allowed to sign in and had the opportunity to speak for three minutes apiece.
"I helped start kindergarten here in the 1970s," said retired Grangeville Elementary Middle School (GEMS) teacher Sally Nolan, formerly of Mount Idaho. "I am dead-set against kindergartners and first-graders being together."
Nolan said the most important thing in kindergarten is bonding, and the process should be "pure joy."
"We should not be ramming reading down the throat of a 5-year-old," she added.
Just more than five years ago, under then-superintendent Greg Bailey, MVSD went to multi-age (or combined) classrooms, in part to help with spreading out of teachers to where they were most needed and to offer balance rather than have one grade of 60 students and one of 40, for example. Multi-age classrooms are K-1, 2-3 and 4-5. Last year, under superintendent Kent Stokes, GEMS parents had the option of having their child in a combined K-1 or a separate kindergarten-only classroom.
"I agree," added retired GEMS teacher Lynnell Wassmuth of Grangeville. "In kindergarten, we're building on one-step directions. It is not efficient to do this alongside first-graders. I would be happy to visit with any of you about this," she told the board members.
Retired GEMS teacher Shirley Lane of Grangeville added that there is "no research to support mixed grades" doing well together.
Former preschool teacher Nancy Moser of Grangeville, who also worked for a decade in the schools with the Second Step program, said kindergartners need to be allowed to learn experientially.
"They need to build on experiences - that's how they learn. They need water, sand tables, an open classroom, lots of activities and to have the ability to make a lot of decisions."
Moser said kindergartners learn from repetitive processes and from building connections that require open-ended play.
One audience member suggested looking at test scores for the past five years which, she said, "do not show improvement," under multi-age classrooms.
Superintendent Marcus Scheibe said he takes the subject "very seriously."
"I appreciate these ladies and others who have talked to me," he said.
Scheibe said he has been listening to teachers and MVSD needs to "figure out if this is working."
"Let's make sure we're doing what's best for kids in this district," he said.
Anyone with comments or concerns can send them to sheibem@sd244.org. The next meeting is set for 5:30 p.m. Tuesday in the district office in Grangeville.
- Lorie Palmer, Idaho County Free Press (Grangeville), Wednesday
Martin Hall to receive Grant County youth
COLFAX - Grant County has signed a two-year contract to house its youth at Martin Hall, the juvenile detention center at Medical Lake. The facility was constructed and is overseen by a consortium comprised of Adams, Asotin, Douglas, Ferry, Lincoln, Pend Oreille, Spokane, Stevens and Whitman counties.
"It will be beneficial to the consortium because it will bring in more revenue," said Whitman County Commissioner Art Swannack, who is a board member for Martin Hall.
The consortium was created in 1996, with each of the nine participating counties signing a 50-year contract to house juvenile offenders at the Martin Hall site. Each member has an obligation base for usage. Whitman County pays for 2.5 beds per day at a cost of $180 per bed, per day, which is just less than 10 percent of the Martin Hall capacity. Regardless of actual use, Whitman County is contracted to pay for the 2.5 beds per month. Any usage over that results in extra charges.
Swannack noted that while the extra income from Grant County will not change the 2018 budget, it may cause individual costs to go down in the future, depending on Grant County's use. Grant County will not have a seat on the board; its payments will be based solely on usage at the $180 per bed, per day rate.
- Garth Meyer, Whitman County Gazette (Colfax), Thursday
