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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

TUESDAY, FEB. 17, 2009

Wild Card/Tuesday -- 2/17/09 40 

In the news this evening, Ken Griffey Jr. is now saying that he hasn't made his decision yet whether to sign with Atlanta or Seattle here. New U.S. Sen. Roland Burris, D-Illinois, appears to be caught in an ethics problem that could be his doing…

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ORG XMIT: WIGRE102 The University of Wisconsin marching band entertains members of the Wisconsin Army National Guard during a send-off ceremony to Iraq on Tuesday Feb. 17, 2009 at the Dane County Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Madison, Wis. Wisconsin said goodbye Tuesday to National Guard troops bound for Iraq in the largest deployment of Wisconsin National Guard forces since World War II.  (AP Photo/Green Bay Press-Gazette, Corey Wilson) (Corey Wilson / The Spokesman-Review)

Parting Shot -- 2/17/09 

The University of Wisconsin marching band entertains members of the Wisconsin Army National Guard during a send-off ceremony to Iraq on Tuesday at the Dane County Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Madison, Wis. Wisconsin said goodbye Tuesday to National Guard troops bound for Iraq in the…

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BethB: To Act -- Or Not 43 

It's not like I've never acted before. Back when I was 30 (oh, so many moons ago) and living in Cheyenne, Wyoming, I was in three plays. I was the lead in one of them (a short play that we performed for the nursing homes…

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Sen. Joyce  Broadsword, R-Sagle, asks the Senate Tuesday, February 17, 2009 to reject stiffer new wastewater regulations for septic systems in Idaho. She succeeded; senators voted 27-7 against the new regulations.   BETSY  RUSSELL The Spokesman-Review (Betsy Russell / The Spokesman-Review)

PM Headlines -- 2/17/09

Sen. Joyce Broadsword, R-Sagle, asks the Senate earlier today to reject stiffer new wastewater regulations for septic systems in Idaho. She succeeded; senators voted 27-7 against the new regulations. Story here. BETSY RUSSELL The Spokesman-ReviewSR announces wage freeze, salary reductions/KHQBonner County police blotter/SROpponent: Votes in…

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 (The Spokesman-Review)

APhoto Of The Day -- 2/17/09 15 

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin greets her husband Todd at the finish line of the 2009 Tesoro Iron Dog on Saturday on the Chena River in downtown Fairbanks, Alaska. Todd and his teammate Scott Davis finished the nearly 2,000 mile race in sixth place. You write…

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Scanner Traffic -- 2/17/09 

5"33 p.m. R/P reports teens getting in and out of a car by Subway/Rathdrum, where a man in a hoodie is at the wheel. R/P believes he's dealing drugs.5:15 p.m. A moose has been hit by a car. But didn't get location.4:55 p.m. 3 horses…

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NIC Wrongly Fired Anti-Repub Teacher 15 

The decision to discontinue Bryan's employment came a semester after one of her students went public concerning some political dialogue in her English class. An anti-Republican remark upset the student enough to request a refund from the college. What's more, the AAUP report also recognizes…

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 (The Spokesman-Review)

Local Blogs -- 2/17/09

Spirit Lake, about 25 miles northwest of Coeur d'Alene, is still frozen over despite temperatures in the high 30s for the past few weeks. Snowmobilers took advantage of the wide open frozen surface to ride over the weekend/Kerri Thoreson, OnLocation North Idaho.Birth announcement/Notes On A…

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Robber Hits CDA Coffee Stand

Coeur d’Alene police are looking for a male who robbed Dutch Bros. Coffee, 1680 Northwest Blvd., at 7:45 p.m. Friday. Two employees were working at the coffee stand when the north window flew up. The robber who had opened the window handed the 24-year-old woman…

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 (The Spokesman-Review)

Gas Prices Close In On $2 Again 19 

Gas attendant Scott Mathews pumps gas at DiBacco's Service Center Tuesday in Beverly, Mass. Oil prices dropped below $36 Tuesday, with rising supplies and inventories offsetting expectations of further OPEC production cuts. (AP Photo/Lisa Poole)Question: Any guesses re: how high prices will go this time?

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Making Dentistry A Pleasure 

Item: Relax at the dentist's? That's the goal/Billings GazetteMore Info: Get a little tense in the dentist's chair? You can pass on the laughing gas at one Billings dental practice, where a certified massage therapist works on patients' hands, feet and shoulders while her husband,…

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NI Senators Kill New Septic Rules 

At the urging of North Idaho senators, the Senate has voted 27-7 to reject a Department of Environmental Quality rule to stiffen requirements for new septic systems designed to protect Idaho waters against fecal contamination. “None of us wish to see our lakes and waters…

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 (The Spokesman-Review)

HBO's INorthwest Roundup -- 2/17/09 

More than 2,300 students from across Montana marched to the Capitol Monday to rally support to increase Meth Project funding. Story here. (Eliza Wiley / Independent Record)Repub Montana Senate backs death penalty ban/Helena Independent-RepublicCrow leader Venne died of heart disease/Billings GazetteSen. Crapo blast stimulus, tells…

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High Noon: Blogfest Unveiling 35 

I've been pondering a comment made by Idawa (I believe) a week or so ago. He said that Huckleberries Online lost a little of its magic when bloggers, commenters & blurkers met one another at the earlier blogfests. (There were two unofficial ones -- at…

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 (The Spokesman-Review)

What Is It? 17 

Above, you see the photo taken by Rich Roesler, Eye On Olympia, of a mascot for a Washington college. Roesler explains: "The state’s public colleges are putting on a full-court press in Olympia today, with mascots prowling the capitol, Cougar ice cream being handed out,…

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Idaho Blogs -- 2/17/09 

While I'm off getting surgery and recovering in Seattle, feel free to use the comments here to post your best sea stories, or whatever else strikes your fancy. (Nothing too controversial, please!) I'll hopefully be able to post occasionally from my phone, but I probably…

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MikeK @ 40 25 

Shazam! I almost forgot. Put your hands together for the paterfamilia of the ever-growing Coeur d'Alene Kennedys. Councilman MikeK, the fifth hobbit, and all around good guy turned the Big 4-0 today. Or at least that's what a little birdie told me this morning.

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 (The Spokesman-Review)

Obama To Sign Stimulus Package  57 

President Barack Obama gets ready to board the Marine One helicopter on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, as he departed for Denver, Colo., where he will sign the economic stimulus bill. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)Question: If the stimulus package is such…

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Lewiston Man 'Inner Beauty' Finalist

Billy Jeffrey, the Lewiston contestant on the ABC reality show "True Beauty," has made it through another week in Monday night's episode and is now among the final three contestants. Jeffrey, whose real last name is Scharnhorst and who uses his middle name for show…

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Writer: Charter Schools Hurt Public Ed 13 

Item: Charter schools hurt public education/Sheri Thomas, Idaho StatesmanMore Info: The year of 2008 marked the 10th anniversary of charter schools in Idaho. Charter schools were intended to be a pilot program in the public school system. They receive public tax dollars just like our…

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North Idaho College's Lester Brown, right, holds off Aaron Smith in the 133 lb. match Saturday, Feb. 14, 2009 at NIC where regional junior college wrestlers vied for places and seeding at the junior college nationals.  Although Brown had lost to Smith twice before, a last minute takedown sealed it for Brown.  JESSE TINSLEY THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEw (Jesse Tinsley / The Spokesman-Review)

AM Headlines -- 2/17/09

North Idaho College's Lester Brown, right, holds off Aaron Smith in the 133 lb. match Saturday at NIC where regional junior college wrestlers vied for places and seeding at the junior college nationals. Although Brown had lost to Smith twice before, a last minute takedown…

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'Makeover' House Faces Foreclosure 21 

Item: Idaho 'Extreme Makeover' house faces foreclosure/SRMore Info: A North Idaho man whose family received a house from the “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” television program three years ago is facing foreclosure. Eric Hebert put the house up for sale last year and said the maintenance…

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Nonini Loses Cool With Lt. Gov. Little 49 

Legislators are shoving for position as Gov. Butch Otter takes another step toward reshaping the State Board of Education with his fourth appointment to the eight-member board. Last week, a confrontation between House Education Committee Chairman Bob Nonini, R-Coeur d'Alene, and Lt. Gov. Brad Little…

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Huckleberries Online

D.F. Oliveria started Huckleberries Online on Feb. 16, 2004. Oliveria's Sunday print Huckleberries is a past winner of the national Herb Caen Memorial Column contest.