- One driver killed in head-on crash with a semi on Highway 53 near McGuire Road
It happened Thursday at about 3:52 p.m. Both vehicles caught fire, and the highway was blocked for about four hours.
November 13, 2026 - Lake Coeur d'Alene is closing up for winter: pump-outs off, docks coming out at two launches
Kootenai County shut off the Carlin Bay and Harrison pump-outs Thursday. On Nov. 19 the docks come out at Mica Bay, for a rebuild, and at Spokane Point, for winter storage.
November 12, 2026 - Two Kootenai County men arrested in October on child exploitation charges, attorney general says
State investigators arrested an 18-year-old and a 24-year-old on Oct. 6 and 7 with help from the FBI and Post Falls and Coeur d'Alene police. The charges are accusations; both men are presumed innocent.
November 12, 2026 - Coeur d'Alene bans parking within 15 feet of an alley
Garbage trucks could not make the turn. The City Council passed the rule Nov. 3, and the city says it will start with education and warnings.
Coeur d'Alene · November 12, 2026 - Who is already reading license plates in Kootenai County
Coeur d'Alene police have used plate readers since 2007 and now run 20 cameras. Post Falls owns its own. The county cut the sheriff's reader software in 2025. Nobody has published a count of private cameras.
November 12, 2026 - Five Kootenai County mayors walked for grant money in October
The mayors of Dalton Gardens, Fernan Lake Village, Hayden, Rathdrum and Spirit Lake took part in a statewide step challenge that pays cities $500 or $1,000.
November 12, 2026 - Coeur d'Alene man gets 18 years for planning to attack churches for ISIS
Alexander Scott Mercurio, 21, was arrested one day before the attack he planned for April 7, 2024. A federal judge also ordered supervision for the rest of his life after prison.
Coeur d'Alene · November 11, 2026 - What went up in Post Falls: a 151-room hotel, 24 pickleball courts and a run of drive-thrus, side by side
The city has added about 8,100 people since 2020. Here is where the new buildings landed: the west side by the state line, the Highway 41 side, the old mill by the river and the prairie to the north.
Post Falls · November 11, 2026 - Hayden has no license plate cameras. Its council is writing the rules before anyone puts one up
The City Council agreed Tuesday to hold a workshop, tentatively in January, on who could see the data, how long it is kept and whether it could be shared or sold. The rules could reach private cameras too.
Hayden · November 11, 2026 - Two reasons growth does not pay for itself in Kootenai County, and they are not the same
One is about how we build. The other is about a state law. Cities here point at both, and fixing one does nothing for the other.
November 11, 2026 - The Post Falls mayor's plan: the city says it will be $16.8 million short every year by 2035
Mayor Randy Westlund's draft plan names four ways to close the gap: run leaner, bring in more money, cut services and change state law. He is asking residents to weigh in before he takes it to the City Council.
Post Falls · November 10, 2026 - The levy scorecard: two school levies early reports called approved are short in the state count
Coeur d'Alene schools, Post Falls schools and Northern Lakes Fire won. Kootenai School District 274, Plummer-Worley and Spirit Lake Fire are losing once every county's ballots are added in.
November 10, 2026 - Two shootings in two days, and the smoke you'll see this week
A Post Falls officer shooting left one person dead, and a man fired at a volunteer outside a Coeur d'Alene food bank. Here is what police have said, and what the planned fires are.
November 10, 2026 - Post Falls police shooting: what happened on Foxglove Lane, and what comes next
Officers say a suicidal man threatening his family fired at them first. Three officers fired back. Here's what's known a week later and how the investigation works.
Post Falls · November 8, 2026 - What passed, what didn't, and what it means for Kootenai County
Two school levies and a fire levy passed. Prop 1, the marijuana amendment, a Spirit Lake fire levy and Harrison's sales tax didn't. Here's what each one actually does, in plain English.
November 8, 2026 - Post Falls council to decide whether a downtown alley strip is public land
A Nov. 17 public hearing will look at 3,854 square feet at the east end of West Alley Street. Here's what "right-of-way validation" means and how to speak up.
Post Falls · November 8, 2026 - Who runs Kootenai County, and how their meetings work
Three commissioners set the budget, approve contracts and pass county laws. Here's when they meet, what happens at a meeting and how you can speak up.
November 8, 2026 - Highway 53 at Prairie Avenue: why the road closed, and how the new Pleasant View interchange works
Prairie Avenue and McGuire Road lost their highway access on Sept. 28. A $36 million federal grant, 46 trains a day and a 20-year-old plan explain why.
Post Falls · November 8, 2026 - Westbound I-90 exit to Highway 41 closes overnight starting Monday
From Nov. 9 through late December, the Exit 7 off-ramp closes 8 p.m. to 5 a.m., Monday through Friday. Here's the detour.
Post Falls · November 6, 2026 - Kootenai County went red as the nation went blue: what the 2026 election means here
Democrats won both houses of Congress. Idaho stayed Republican, and Kootenai County voted more Republican than the state. Here's how we voted, where the independents went, and what changes.
November 6, 2026 - I-90 through Post Falls and Coeur d'Alene: one done, one digging, one still on paper
The new Post Falls interchange is finally open. Five miles of widening run to 2029. The Coeur d'Alene interchange at US-95 is designed, but nobody has found the money to build it. Here is what each one means for drivers and for the shops along the way.
Post Falls · November 5, 2026
