What's the difference between North Idaho and southern Idaho? Well, there's that whole water thing. This is Lake Coeur d'Alene this morning, amid country that's so different from the arid south. And then there's the wild GOP politics in Kootenai County, where the once heavily Democratic region is now heavily Republican, particularly in fast-growing areas like Hayden and Post Falls that are filling up with newcomers who never saw the old North Idaho Democratic politics. In these parts, there are the Republicans, the Reagan Republicans, the Pachyderm Clubs, the social conservatives, the libertarians, the constitutionalists and a whole lot more.

North Idaho's hottest legislative race this spring features four Republicans vying for an open District 3 House seat; no Democrat's even running. l have an overview of North Idaho's contested legislative primary races this weekend in my Sunday column.