Here are some of the coolness slices from today's Spokesman-Review:

• 300 sick in norovirus outbreak: Was the headline too panic-inducing? some editors wondered. There have been more developments on this story in fact, because North Idaho folks added more than 200 people to the list.

Sports editor Joe Palmquist noted that one of his extra board staff had norovirus at one point, but didn't tell anybody because he "didn't want to induce a panic." As for what it's like to get norovirus, "You should have him tell you some stories--"

"No, no, that's all right," editor Steve Smith said.

• 'Brain is programmed' by childhood trauma, researcher says, a tough story to write, Smith said. Reporter Pia Hallenberg Christensen was covering a Spokesman-Review-sponsored event for the Our Kids: Our Business campaign (There is a certain awkwardness when reporters are assigned to cover company-sponsored things, but the luncheon went very well)

• Analog TV owners win, lose when using digital converters: Features editor Ken Paulman added his analog-digital converter box recently. He was pleased with the new picture quality, and "we get two more channels of PBS which is awesome," but on
a downside, his household can't watch Hawaii Five-O and other stuff through reception static anymore. The Paulmans use a television with antenna.

• Victim of fatal crash had overcome addiction: Her daughter, 12, also died in accident: Perhaps a story that a reporter can revisit at the end of the year for the Whatever Happened To...? Series, Smith said.

Other kudos

• MAC unveils historic photo collection
• Happy Arbor Day: Trees enjoy new political clout, but there's less funding for street trees nowadays.
• Spokane7 cover story: At your service?: Keep your dining experience positive
• Hard 7: Will we get the shaft on police oversight?

Mead’s Keith Webber, who won the pole vault with a career-best 14 feet, 6 inches, clears the bar Thursday at Central Valley High Rajah Bose photo.

Soap! Toothbrush!

While two forms of the word "piss" appeared in Spokane7 today, Spokane7 does not hold the record for obscenity/vulgarity/profanity at this newspaper. Actually the news section has more, according to the archive. For example the word "sh--" has been used a handful of times in the past couple years, but only when a person is directly quoted saying it.

Today's quasi-cuss words: one occurrence in the dining story and once in the Hard7 column.

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