Rotten Potatoes -- to the Coeur d'Alene Press (sorry Dave Tolle) for playing the patsy to local law enforcement, which has withheld the names of the two officers involved in the fatal Hayden shootout in December. Sheriff Rocky Watson wanted the names withheld until an investigation into the shooting was completed. And Brand X meekly complied. We finally published them after a serious internal debate, prompting Rocky to slam us in a news release. And Brand X to publish the release here as part of an updated story about the shooting, quoting Editor Steve Smith (pictured) as saying paper's first responsibility is to readers "who have a right to know" about the officers who use deadly force. Smith's right on. Do you agree?

1. David Horsey/P-I subscribes to usual Lefty blather that the neo-conservatives are directing foreign policy here. (Beware moderate Liberal content)

2. Washington R's continue to beat the drum for a revote, citing hundreds of curious provisional ballots that were incorrectly fed into King County's voting machines here.

3. It's no longer The Bon or Bon-Macy's; it's simply Macy's here.

4. Boy-C State's working on plans to establish a third Idaho community college -- at nearby Nampa here -- and it won't be a tradional one here.

5. Idaho grew jobs at twice the national average during the third quarter of 2004 here.

6. The Meridian School District is rethinking its approach to valedictorians as the number of young scholars with 4.0 GPA's continue to bloat those winning the honor here.

7. Men's Fitness mag sez Seattle is the fittest city in the USA here.

8. IMHO-NW: Idaho Statesman (BSU community college), Missoulian (Spam control), Joni Balter/Seattle Times (Guv race conspiracy theories), Nicole Brodeur/Seattle Times (Shawna Hughes redux), and Bill Virgin/P-I (Krispy Kremes).

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