10:51 AM MST on Friday, April 2, 2004

John Masters
KTVB.COM

BOISE – What was supposed to be an April Fools prank by a Boise radio station turned to be anything but funny Thursday morning.

Listeners of KQXR 100.3 (the X) were told during a phony newscast that Lucky Peak Dam had failed.

Local police and emergency management officials were deluged with calls from concerned citizens.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which oversees the dam’s operations, issued a statement reassuring the public that Lucky Peak Dam is safe.

“This dam is secure and operating normally. The radio prank was absolutely false,” said Dave Brownell, operations manager at Lucky Peak Dam.

Brownell said the prank was not funny and was not taken lightly by the public.

“This was a sick joke, especially in light of our country’s efforts to fight the global war on terrorism. Alarming the public, even for April Fools, was not funny,” said Lt. Col. Ed Kertis, who commands the Walla Walla District of the Army Corps of Engineers.

NewsChannel 7 attempted to contact radio station officials for a comment, but our call has not been returned.