Local People • Local Enterprise • Local Impact

Beacon Spotlight

Special features on the people, ideas, businesses, services, and events worth knowing about.

Beacon Spotlight is where we take a closer look at something new, noteworthy, useful, or inspiring in our community. These are original Beacon features—not outside news links.

A Closer Look at Cell Towers: Are There Health Risks?

Tony Webster / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY 2.0

Community

A Closer Look at Cell Towers: Are There Health Risks?

October 29, 2026

Cell towers are a familiar sight in our rural communities. They provide an important service, but important questions remain about whether long-term exposure to their radio signals could affect our health. Following an earlier Letters to the Editor, the Beacon decided to take a closer look.What Is…

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More Beacon Spotlights

Community

Keeping Our Hospital Open: What’s Working in Rural America

October 25, 2026

Rural hospitals across America are facing increasingly difficult financial circumstances, and Idaho is no exception. According to a January 2026 report, ten of Idaho's rural hospitals…

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Data Centers in a Nutshell
Community

Data Centers in a Nutshell

October 18, 2026

Data centers have become a growing topic of discussion in communities across the country, including our own. Supporters point to substantial private investment, construction jobs, and…

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Life Flight Network: Angels in the Air
Service

Life Flight Network: Angels in the Air

October 11, 2026

Life Flight Network (LFN) is a not-for-profit air medical transport organization founded in Portland, Oregon, in 1978. For nearly fifty years, they have provided ICU-level care and…

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The Myrtle Mellen Upriver Community Library is a wealth of information and services
Community

The Myrtle Mellen Upriver Community Library is a wealth of information and services

October 5, 2026

The Myrtle Mellen Upriver Community Library (M.M.U.C.L.) celebrated the grand opening of its beautiful new facility on September 18, 2026, bringing Fernwood a community resource that…

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Meet a Vital County Service: Your Local Transfer Station
Service

Meet a Vital County Service: Your Local Transfer Station

September 27, 2026

Benewah County has a transfer station located just south of St. Maries, along with a network of conveniently placed dumpsters throughout the county. For those of us who use the…

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There is something for everyone at Bear Necessities Trading Company
Business

There is something for everyone at Bear Necessities Trading Company

September 20, 2026

This beautiful family-run upscale gift shop, located at 822 Main Street in St. Maries, recently celebrated their first year of business. Donny and Marva, the owners, have done a…

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Spotlight Archive

Earlier Beacon Spotlights

Browse previously published Beacon features in reverse chronological order.

Sep 13, 2026
Veteran's Outreach Center in Fernwood offers community, coffee, and a free medical audit and benefits review for our hometown heroes
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Sep 7, 2026
Santa Creek Homestead farm stand is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
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Aug 27, 2026
Myotherapeutics LLC offers relief from a variety of painful muscle, tissue, and joint issues and has thirty years of experience to back it up
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