- Local coronavirus update: There has been some confusion about exactly how many COVID-19 cases have now been confirmed in Bonner County. The Panhandle Health District announced two new cases on Friday, May 29, but later removed one case from its website, bringing the total back down to five cases. PHD Public Information Officer Katherine Hoyer told the Reader on June 1: “The two cases that we announced on Friday were originally reported as Bonner County cases. Over the weekend, we were able to do more research and found that one of the individuals actually primarily resides in Kootenai County. That is why the Bonner County numbers went from 6 to 5.” Find updated numbers on the PHD site.
COVID-19 case counts per county as of 4 p.m. Monday. Screenshot from PHD website.
- A protest in downtown Spokane last night in response to the killing of Minneapolis man George Floyd began peacefully, but eventually escalated to violence and looting. Spokane Mayor Nadine Woodward enacted a curfew in downtown Spokane until 5 a.m. Monday morning in response to the event. The Inlander reports that the Spokane County commissioners and the sheriff have contacted the Governor Jay Inslee’s office requesting National Guard assistance. It remains to be seen whether a similar protest will happen in North Idaho.
- Silverwood Theme Park opened Saturday, May 30, before most parks of its size across the nation. The park limited ticket sales in an effort to promote social distancing, and emphasized sanitation of attractions between groups of riders. The Spokesman-Review reports: “While cast and crew wore masks and had them available for guests, all but a handful of visitors streamed through mask-free.” Read full coverage here.
- Tomorrow, June 2, is — for all intents and purposes — Election Day. Those with absentee ballots need to fill out, sign and deliver them directly to their local elections office, since ballots dropped in the mail at this point won’t make it in time. Bonner County voters have until 8 p.m. local time tomorrow to drop their ballot off at the county elections office, located at 1500 Highway 2 in Sandpoint (inside the Bonner County Administration Building). Questions? Call the elections office at 208-263-9178.
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