Concealed weapons permit requests in North Idaho are skyrocketing. From January to June in 2011 the Kootenai County Sheriff's Office issued 429 permits; in 2012, 1,042 were issued but so far in 2013 more than 1,808 permits were issued.

Retired Marine Robert Adcox went in to get his permit Thursday.

"I like having�(a gun)�with me, especially when�I go out in the woods or travel a lot. So, you can never tell. Don't care to ever use it, but it's there if I need it," Adcox said.

Former Boise State basketball player turned bounty hunter Shaylia McHenry also applied for a permit.

"You want to go out and protect yourself,"�she said. "You don't know what they have when you go out to pick them up."

So many people are coming in it's clogging the paperwork on Mondays so, starting immediately, people will only be able to apply Tuesday through Friday.

"Basically what happens on Mondays, we have all the paperwork that comes in from the weekends, because we don't have staff on the weekends. Once Monday hits, they're trying to do that and process all the applications," Lieutenant Stu�Miller with the Kootenai County Sheriff's Department said.

Only 900 tickets remain for North Idaho College's 20th Annual Really BIG Raffle. Once again, the grand prize is a brand new home built by NIC carpentry students, the final chance to see the home is this Sunday.

Each raffle ticket is $100 and enters you to win the three-bedroom, three-bath, 2,162 square-foot home. This year's home has some extra special features to celebrate the 20th anniversary. The home boasts granite counter tops, hickory cabinets, fully landscaped and fenced lot as well as a hot tub to relax in.

The last chance to see the home is Sunday, June 16th, at the final open house. Organizers expect the final tickets to sell out sooner than in other years and only 5,000 total are being sold. Even if you don't buy a raffle ticket it's worth stopping by the house to see the culmination of work by the NIC Carpentry students.

A group in North Idaho is pushing to raise the state's minimum wage from $7.25 to as much as $9.25 in the next four years.

In Washington minimum wage is $9.19. Step across the border into Idaho and that amount drops to $7.25. Supporters of an increase say it's not just about dollars and cents it's about equality.

Cafe Rio in Coeur d'Alene is always busy the day after Monday. Taco Tuesdays means there are thousands of tortillas to roll and non-stop prep for burritos, tacos and salads.

"We are squeezing 10,000 limes a day and it shows. I mean they work very, very hard," General manager Katie Jimenez said.

When the store opened she paid new employees minimum wage $7.25 but soon found Washington wages kept luring them away.

"We started losing really good employees 'cause they can drive 20 to 30 minutes and they are getting $2 more than I could give them," she explained.

Now a group in North Idaho is trying to stop that.

"I strongly believe that this is a religious, an educational and a community issue," Anne Nesse, minimum wage increase supporter, said.