Spokane7
56°
found a way to secure an unlikely Western Athletic
Conference victory. This time UI flipped on the switch just in time,
scoring on a 2-yard leap into the end zone from DeMaundray Woolridge
with 52 seconds left to nip Louisiana Tech 35-34. The
Bulldogs’ Matt Nelson, who botched what turned out to a critical extra
point earlier, watched his 56-yard field goal attempt flutter wide left
as time expired. The two missed boots helped give Idaho (7-2, 4-1) what
appears to be enough victories for a bowl berth, though nothing is
guaranteed./Josh Wright, Sportslink. ESPN boxscore 
campaign ad Thursday morning, you should check out 
31.5. Defensively, the
Bulldogs hold teams to 22 points a game while Idaho averages 31. The
Bulldog offense averages 355 yards a game while Idaho averages 360, and
both are nearly even on time of possession with La. Tech holding the
ball 29:32 and Idaho 30:28. Two big things in Idaho’s favor are playing at home and its goal of solidifying a bowl spot. At
6-2, the Vandals are bowl eligible, but they aren’t guaranteed
anything, and their chances to get a bowl invite will greatly increase
if they can get another win. The Vandals also have the Dome, a place that when full can frustrate offensive play calling. “I’m
excited about having three of our remaining four games in the Dome,”
Akey said. “… Enjoying the confines of our Dome and all that comes
with it - the atmosphere, the fans, having people on our side when we
come into it. It’s going to be awesome.” Kickoff is set for 2 p.m./Sandra Kelley, Moscow-Pullman Daily News. 
everyone’s mind right now is, “Will this
winter be as bad as last year?” KREM 2 Chief Meteorologist Tom Sherry says, “Not by a long shot.” According to Tom, this is going to be an El Nino winter for the
Northwest — which means above average temperatures in the lowlands,
good snowfall in the mountains, and decent precipitation elsewhere. For the 2009-2010 winter, Tom Sherry is calling for above average
temperatures, with between 30 and 40 inches of snow in the lowlands. This comes after the Inland Northwest had two of the snowiest
winters on record back-to-back. The 2007-2008 winter saw 93.5 inches of
snow in Spokane, and last winter we had 97.5 inches of snow/KREM2.
real men and really
loaded diapers. I know men are (and should be) disgusted at the concept
of manhandling a poo-filled Pamper. But I believe that most men are
capable of setting aside their distaste for BM long enough to provide
relief (and freshness) to their non-potty trained offspring. When dairy
air begins to waft from the derriere of their bumbling baby, I’d assume
that most men do not do what my father did: strap their child (and
their putrid britches) into a car seat and drive across town to a
friend’s house to have the friend change the diaper. (ps, thanks Dad!) For
now I am working with the hypothesis that real men do change diapers. I
am a real man and I change diapers/Nic, Rants, Raves, & Random Thoughts. 
came a knocking at our door :) … so this year we aim to up our mission and try and better last years score lol … after the initial fear, this year besides the normal sweets on offer to the children, we, today, have al’dente cooked some smallish sprouts and tomorrow we will cover them in chocolate and dust with coco powder so they resemble chocolate truffles…… cant wait to see the look on them little whipper snappers faces as they bite into a soggy sprout :) that will learn them to come knocking at my door lol.
my “maiden voyage” of blogging at 30,000 feet, thanks to Delta and a company called Gogo. Delta did its part, but woe unto Gogo … (photo taken before we took off) … No promotional code was clearly stated on the card (or handed out) to the 100 or so of us who received cards as we boarded. It could have been there, but the flight attendants, several geek-types and other familiar with promo codes couldn’t see it … I said I’d post a blog…and I’m doing it (at $9.95 for today); man, what a bad-bad PR deal for Gogo. My thought is that this really cool thing could have been so much easier and cooler. But first tries are often goofy. Next time? It’ll be better.
development (“Who should be Moscow’s business greeter?”, His View, Oct. 27), but his argument is a straw house of factual errors and misleading statements. If he’s trying to attract new businesses, he might try a different tack. In a new take on the old lesson, “you’ll catch more flies with honey,” Councilor Tom Lamar likened the approach to a restaurateur standing curbside, shouting, “we serve bad food!” and wondering where his customers are. How ironic that Johnston and his bitter associates claim to support economic development, but choose to spread false and damaging rumors instead/Moscow Mayor Nancy Chaney, Moscow-Pullman Daily News. 
invading the nonpartisan city elections. Why isn’t he discouraging it? In Bonneville County, the Republican Party has endorsed Idaho Falls City Council candidate Alex Creek and given him $1,000. Twin Falls Republicans also toyed with the idea of endorsing candidates. Idaho keeps partisan politics out of its city elections deliberately. There is no Republican or Democratic way to fix a pothole or maintain a park. And do you really want the kind of partisanship that has polarized national and state politics to next roll over city councilors and mayors? What’s next? Electing city councilors based on whether they support Idaho GOP platform positions against abortion and the Federal Reserve?/Marty Trillhaase, Lewiston Tribune. 
OrangeTV: I agree this election is important. I’ve never been that overly interested in city council elections, but this one has me telling everyone I know who they should vote for and why. And to just vote period, no matter who they decide to vote for. I’m hoping there will be some improvement over the dismal turnout numbers from prior years…
next four years. He won’t have the votes to do anything. But he’ll provide Mary, Bill, Spencer & Co. with access to the inner sanctum. You’ve seen the craziness for the last 30 months, from Dirtgate and the partisan letter against the Kroc Center to stop Americans United for the Separation of Church and State, to the allegations by the Far Right in this community that the current mayor and council got Jim Brannon fired. You’ll see four more years of this nonsense. If one of the challengers can grab a seat, he’ll immediately become Mike Patrick’s best friend and be used to bedevil the Bloem administration on the Press editorial pages. However, if all three lose, Patrick and Hagadone HQ will have little to do with them. We’re approaching a defining moment in this community. Will we relegate Gookin, Souza, Bill, Spencer, & Co. to the margins where they belong? Or will we allow one of them to get in to provide a foothold to continue their attempt to undercut progress in this community? Not only do you need to vote, but you need to tell your family, friends, and neighbors over the next three days what’s at stake in this election/DFO.
October 28, 2009, in a letter that was published in the Coeur d’Alene Press signed jointly by Mayor Bloem and city council members, Bruning, Edinger, Goodlander, Hassell, Kennedy and McEvers, which set forth the City’s response to alleged false claims ariing in the campaigns for city elections, the amed elected officials acted in violation of the Idaho Open Meeting Law when they met, deliberated and decided on the content of the response and did not provide public notice of the meeting, or an agenda as required by Idaho Code 67-2343/Gary Ingram. 
tip to LCDCritic Dan Gookin from someone with concerns about a Black Rock Development project. Seems the tipster had heard that developer Marshall Chesrown had illegally diverted the Spokane River in front of the Bellerive neighborhood along the shore next to Riverstone. To Gookin’s credit, he decided to check things out before spreading rumors. To the discredit of his associates, the local media was called, along with Beth Reinhart, an Army Corps of Engineers rep. Everyone met at Riverstone Starbucks – Gookin, Duane Rasmussen, Matt Roetter and Ron Johnson representing, ahem, concerned citizens; reporters and photographers from both local papers; and biologist Reinhart. Gookin led the group along the shoreline, where crews are building condos. 
In August I visited with Francis (Frannie) Wilhelm on the occassion of his 97th birthday. Joined by retired City Clerk, Chris Pappas, (also pictured) whom Frannie hired when he served as mayor of Post Falls from 1976 to 1980. It was a fun and festive visit with old friends. A few weeks after his birthday, Frannie became the oldest person to parasail over Lake Coeur d’Alene. He had an incredible and extraordinary life for nearly a century with most of those years spent in Post Falls. His granddaughter, Linda Wilhelm, followed in his footsteps and serves on the Post Falls City Council/Kerri Rankin Thoreson, More Main Street. 
occurred at the Dollar Tree. Officers contacted a female clerk and female manager who stated a male came inside the store and pointed a handgun at the clerk. The suspect demanded money from the cash register. The female manager was summoned to the front of the store by the clerk. The manager saw that the suspect had a handgun and she grabbed a hold of it. The suspect struggled to break free and fled the store on foot last seen running west toward Fruitland Ave. Kootenai County Sheriff’s Department responded with a K-9 unit. The suspect was tracked but eventually the K-9 lost his scent/Sgt. Christie Wood, Coeur d’Alene police spokeswoman. 
has been rehearsing every step and note of the “Thriller” show to perform for the alumni and students. The homecoming committee raised $75,000 for tonight’s fireworks display. The University of Idaho is celebrating the 100th anniversary of homecoming in style. “It presents a special opportunity for alumni to come back to a place that means so much to them,” said Katie Dahlinger, program coordinator of the Student-Alumni Relations Board. Anna Marie Limbaugh, a co-chair of the homecoming committee, said the number of alumni coming to UI for homecoming is higher than ever/Chava Thomas, UIdaho Argonaut. 
there), and then turns her attention to the attacks against Dan Gookin. Quoth Mary: “They are dragging out a few blog comments from two years ago, and trying to make them look like official ‘statements; from Dan, which of course they were not. They were casual comments from a blog, taken out of context.” Mary then goes on to explain that the comments were taken from ”a blog that Dan and I left years ago because they were so sleazy. Many other legitimate bloggers left too.” She claims that “the site … called me a four-letter word, in print, that would make any woman cringe, right after I told them I was never posting there again.” Still unable to say “Huckleberries,” Mary concludes: “They have no credibility.”
Dan of the County: Things were more active at the elections office today but they’re still not breaking any records for sure. The countywide absentee voting rate through earlier today was 4.6% and for the city of Coeur d’Alene they were up to almost 9 percent of registered voters who have already cast an absentee ballot or have one coming back to us in the mail.
for their services and are filing grievances with the Department of Labor and Industries. The owners of the Pretty in Pink espresso stand in Spokane near the intersection of Sprague and Bowdish also own espresso stands in Post Falls and two in Western Washington. The espresso stands all have two three things in common: The girls who work their wear bikinis, the girls say they aren’t getting paid, and formal claims have been filed against the espresso stands’ owners. Fifteen former employees of the bikini espresso stands have filed formal wage claims with Labor and Industries saying they were never paid for their work/McKay Allison, KXLY. 
soda while US Air might only pour a little cup full, other than that, there isn’t much difference. The thing that I find most annoying… more annoying than the fat guy sitting next to with a quarter of his body flowing over into my seat, more annoying than the giant sweat rings in my face as a guy spends 5 minutes jamming his oversized suitcase into the bin above my head, more annoying that the woman sitting two seats over eating a day old McDonalds fish sandwich with extra tartar sauce right after a 5:30 AM takeoff, more annoying that the hospital waiting room smell of stale coffee and recycled air … No, the most annoying thing about air travel is this – the stewardess that walks up and starts jabbing me in the shoulder before take-off. “Excuse me sir, you will need to turn off your headphones.” Full post below.
Idaho Sens. Mike Crapo and Jim Risch condone rape. The accusation is out of line. The so-called “Franken amendment” is far more complex than the critics would have you think. In our information age, innuendo and invective move at warp speed; nuance travels more slowly. The story began on Oct. 6, when the Senate passed a defense appropriations amendment authored by Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn/Kevin Richert, Idaho Statesman. 
been together for 30 years), Art, who lives near by, camped out on the couch in our suite and shuttled us back and forth to the various Disney parks - but the best, most touching thing - he got up with me at 5:00 in the morning to trek our way to dialysis and stayed with me the entire 3.5 hours and then back to the hotel for a nap - and on to the park for play time. Nobody has ever done something so altruistic for me. I am simply undone by such kindness.
also not a Catholic anymore, though I remember those days vividly. I once went to St. Peter’s in Rome and bought a beautiful rosary for my mother and also went to the special service they had for rosaries, on a Wednesday as I recall when literally thousands of people would wait in the square for the Pope to appear at a window and bless all of the rosaries. Quite a thing to be involved in. I gave it to my mother and told her the story and it became her most valued possession.
adequately warn about the dangers the product can pose, awarding a family $850,000 for the 2003 death of their son in a baseball game. The family of Brandon Patch argued that aluminum baseball bats are dangerous because they cause the baseball to travel at a greater speed. They contended that their 18-year-old son did not have enough time to react to the ball being struck before it hit him in the head while he was pitching in an American Legion baseball game in Helena in 2003. The Lewis and Clark County District Court jury awarded a total of $850,000 in damages against Louisville, Ky.,-based Hillerich & Bradsby for failure to place warnings on the product/Matt Gouras, Associated Press. 
finding the right words became an agonizing process, fraught with frustration. However, he didn’t let his disability silence him. Instead, with the help of his two Golden Retrievers, he found a new way to communicate. His canine friends, Dagwood and Darby, were certified service animals, and every month Partridge and his dogs made their rounds. They visited children at Shriners Hospital, patients at Cancer Care Northwest and hospice patients and their families. Sadly, Partridge and his dogs will no longer make those rounds. He died on Aug. 29 at the age of 66/Cindy Hval, Washington Voices. 
example of his activities is to refer to Sgt. Christie Wood of the Coeur d’Alene Police Department as a “snake” and as “Sergeant Cupcake.” Yes, this actually happened in writing publicly. Viewed in the worst possible light these statements were written by Mr. Gookin in an effort to harm Sgt. Wood professionally or embarrass her publicly. More likely and viewed in the most positive light these statements were written to demonstrate what Mr. Gookin believes to be the humorous and carefree side to his personality. One can only imagine Mr. Gookin as a newly elected councilman sitting next to our mayor, spotting Sgt. Wood in the audience and merrily shouting out, “Hi, Sargeant Cupcake” or “Hi, Snake”!
Poolman: I find skateboarders to be visually annoying - the tight pants, long hair, goofy baseball caps, spastic t-shirts, Vans tennis shoes. If they could enjoy the sport without the whole image thing I would be all for skateboards because they have a lot to offer in terms of coordination development and exercise. Unfortunately there seems to be a dreadful dress code that goes along with them. 
going on with the 70+ million dollar project. It is on hold possibly indefinitely. I, myself and the powers that be, have not decided if CdA is someplace that we want to invest that type of money into. We reached this decision through a process of events that occurred directly after we approached the city building department, being good neighbors, and spoke to a certain individual that basically dissuaded us from proceeding. Which is, as I see it, unfortunate for the residents of CdA. This project was going to be a direct economic stimulus package in the sum of 70+million dollars for the residents of the CdA area. We have the engineers, contractors and architects, all local boys, ready to go!! 
(re: reason for 
2010 primary election - but it’s a lawyer from New York who’s never been to Idaho. William Bryk, who’s filed his declaration of candidacy and a campaign finance report with the FEC, says there ought to be a choice. He’s a bankruptcy attorney and upstate New York native who, oddly, won the 2000 GOP primary for vice-president in New Hampshire, writes history columns, and is married to the former theater critic for the New Yorker. Legally, Bryk can run for the Idaho seat - he’d just have to live in Idaho as of the date of the general election. Closest he’s been to Idaho to date? Buffalo, N.Y./Betsy Russell, Eye On Boise. 
City Council for writing into the Coeur d’Alene Press to denounce the attack by Jim Brannon’s followers on their character. Gookin claims their was some sort of an Open Meeting Law violation. He claims it was signed in “their official capacities.” Quoth Gookin: “When did the council make the decision to sign that letter? Was it made in public? Where was it deliberated? Where was the decision made? No discussion of this letter or its contents was made at the last regular city council meeting. There has been no 48 hour notice for any meeting, even an “emergency” meeting of the city council.”
My 8-year-old daughter announced that she wants a skateboard for Christmas. My response: “Absolutely not, never in a million years, just get over it.” She already has a bike, a scooter, and a pair of roller skates. Enough is enough. Am I wrong?
the would-be robber wore a billed beanie hat that appears to match the hat worn by a robber at the Post Falls Walgreens Sept. 30. The man walked out the Walgreens at Highway 95 and Honeysuckle without OxyContin about 5 p.m. yesterday after an employee said none of the powerful painkiller was in stock. Photos show him wearing black pants and a dark blue and black winter coat with the hood over an orange billed beanie hat/Meghann M. Cuniff, Siren’s & Gavels. 
but serious stab wounds visited upon those who’d embarrassed themselves enough to make it into the column. If you somehow made the ‘Sweet Potatoes’ section it was cause for temporary celebration and permanent rededication to not being in print the next week. There were three whole years when I loathed DFO and his column and was convinced he was a flat out SOB. Now, ten years later, as a father and hopefully more mature guy, I have come to realize that DFO is only truly evil when you’ve done something that you can’t quite explain in front of mixed company, and in those cases, well, Katie bar the door …
new calendar. In fact, she’s on the front cover. The calendar is stirring up a debate over modesty. Tami Roberts of Idaho Falls is one of the “Devout Dozen” in this calendar. She says it was all done in good taste but not everyone agrees. Tami loves to spend time with her girls, help them with homework and knows her way around the kitchen. She also enjoyed being a vintage pin-up girl. “There’s so many people that find it, that are upset about it. I don’t see what the big deal is,” Tami Roberts said. She’s the cover model of Hot Mormon Muffins, a calendar which gives readers “a taste of motherhood”/KTVB. 
put them in storage, then boarded the same plane at the San Francisco airport - I was headed for Pocatello, Mark to Denver - on a flight through Salt Lake City. While we were putting our stuff in cardboard boxes earlier, I had lent Mark my knife - a spring-assisted Swiss-made model - to cut packing tape. He stuffed the knife into his pocket, forgot about it and walked on the airplane. This was long before the age of elaborate airport security, and nobody would have been the wiser had Mark not bent over to pick his keys off the floor of the aisle of the plane. The knife fell out of his pocket and landed at the feet of a flight attendant/Steve Crump, Twin Falls Times-News. 
grounded indefinitely unless the National Transportation Safety Board grants them a reprieve. The Federal Aviation Administration said Tuesday that it had revoked the licenses of the pilots of Northwest flight 188 - Timothy Cheney of Gig Harbor, Wash., the captain, and Richard Cole of Salem, Ore., the first officer. The pilots have 10 days to appeal to the three-member National Transportation Safety Board … The pilots told investigators they were working on their personal laptop computers and lost track of time and place last Wednesday night/Seattle Times. 
Last night at the gym, I was peddling away on an exercise bike, my nose buried in a book, when the guy next to me points to my bookmark and says,”Can I see that?” My bookmark features a picture of Mother Theresa and a quote from her. A few seconds later the guy returned my bookmark and announced, “I just said a rosary.” I was flummoxed. “Uh, Cool,” I replied. In hindsight I feel my response is somewhat lacking.
exaggerations, uninformed, or blatantly political. However these last two weeks have brought outrageous claims of criminal conduct that attack the integrity of each one of us and each member of the Board of Directors of Habitat for Humanity. We have all been accused of participating in a criminal conspiracy to fire Jim Brannon — conduct that if true would be a felony under state and federal law as well as a violation of the basic code of ethics under which we operate. It is time to state clearly and directly that the claims are absolutely, 100 percent false/Mayor Sandi Bloem & Coeur d’Alene City Council (individually signed) in Coeur d’Alene Press letter to editor. 
College, saying they are standing up for the voters of Kootenai County (not this one). Quoth Mary: “Our rights have been circumvented with the shell game used by NIC and the NIC Foundation. The law clearly says there are two ways for a public entity to correctly take on public debt: Either have a VOTE of the citizens or have a judicial review by a judge.” Then, Mary wags her finger and tsk-tsks that the “folks at NIC didn’t want to do either.” So they concocted a scheme (in an attempt to expand higher education opportunities in North Idaho, at a time when the community college is bursting at the seams). Well, Mary’s gloating and the OpenCDA.com post does provide one bit of value — it has a link to Larry’s loop lawsuit. 
intimidation tactics to get his way. Mike’s actions are inappropriate for a sitting city councilman and candidate in my view, and as a citizen of Coeur d’Alene, I worry that citizens who show up to City Council meetings will continue to be treated with condescending behavior from Mr. Kennedy. I don’t think it serves the public well having a councilman who is belligerent and confrontational in his style, while, Mr. Brannon has kept a cool head and remained calm under the difficult times he is facing/Kage Mann, Coeur d’Alene Press letters to the editor. More Info: A trio of county taxpayers filed a lawsuit in First District Court Tuesday alleging that North Idaho College’s lease of the former DeArmond Mill property is unconstitutional and should be voided. Co-plaintiffs Larry Spencer, Tom Macy and Bill McCrory claim in the court document that a July lease agreement between the college and the nonprofit North Idaho College Foundation violates the section of the Idaho Constitution that restricts the debt local taxing districts can take on. Before public entities in Idaho can legally incur long-term debt, projects must either win two-thirds voter approval or a judge’s approval as ordinary and necessary expenses, according to the suit.
Question: What do you make of this lawsuit?
office. I am shocked 
$3072 during the current filing period for a total of $7435 (
fund-raising to date to $22,069 (
Smear campaigns almost always backfire. They are sign that the challenger can’t make headway otherwise and have to gain publicity in unorthodox ways. But in so doing they have to bring up something scandalous which often reflects most poorly on the challenger. Any nervousness on the part of Kennedy should be overcome by the desperation disclosed by using the tactic. I expect Kennedy will win in a landslide. 
political parties ($735,600 for Idaho Democrats, $728,400 for Republicans and rest to the third parties). This year, taxpayers donated $34,320 to the coffers of the Constitution, Democrat, Libertarian and Republican parties. In 2008, taxpayers contributed $71,429 to political parties, slightly less than a year’s wages for two Idaho State Police recruits. The campaign checkoff arrived on federal tax forms in 1972. The concept was to reduce the dependency of presidential campaigns on donations. In 1975, Idaho lawmakers succeeded in passing similar legislation on the state level. The first state checkoff in 1976 generated almost $46,400. On the state level, I’m not sure what the checkoff is really accomplishing apart from siphoning tax dollars away from the state’s general fund/Wayne Hoffman, Idaho Freedom Foundation. 
the new spanking,” Amy McCready, the founder of Positive Parenting Solutions told The New York Times. “This is so the issue right now. As parents understand that it’s not socially acceptable to spank children, they are at a loss for what they can do. They resort to reminding, nagging, timeout, counting 1-2-3 and quickly realize that those strategies don’t work to change behavior. In the absence of tools that really work, they feel frustrated and angry and raise their voice. They feel guilty afterward, and the whole cycle begins again”/from Virginia de Leon’s post in Are We There Yet blog. 
their day, but now it seems as if Halloween has become restricted to daytime celebrations in self-proclaimed “safe” zones. I feel bad for the kids who no longer can accumulate large amounts of delicious candy and small amounts of miscellaneous rubbish, and instead are forced to collect medium amounts of average candy in the mall. It really is asinine when one thinks about it. For all of the bad things that have happened during Halloween night, there have been an equal number, if not more, incidents that have happened in malls and shopping centers across the country. If anything, it speaks more to lazy parenting than to any real concerns about a nighttime stroll in one’s own neighborhood/Cheyenne Hollis, UI Argonaut. 
programs fell to fourth place. It’s the first time since the network launched more than 20 years ago that it finished last in prime time — the area all networks rely on the heaviest for advertising. Buoyed by a tight Obama-Clinton Democratic presidential primary, which led to prime-time shows such as “
reporter) went to the Press today and said they were “unnerved” that I was trying to get hold of him directly instead of “working through our campaign managers.” Really? I didn’t realize this campaign was so important that “my people” needed to be calling “his people”. Yikes. I hope Jim doesn’t get “unnerved” when constituents want to tell him what they think. Jim didn’t return two phone calls and an email. So much for transparency and openness.
was going that fast. I was late getting my son to school and failed to look both ways before proceeding at the intersection. Next thing I know I feel the impact and the car is flipping over. Nate and I were hanging upside down in the seatbelts and couldn’t get out. The car slid half a block upside down and I think it hit a parked vehicle. The owner of the vehicle and the house it was parked in front of thought it was going to keep going into his house apparently. I am still very, very shaken up. I have been in accidents before but never a rollover and never one where I was at fault. Full post below.
office to see if he would talk to me about
the allegation of federal fraud that his campaign is distributing. He
didn’t return two phone calls and an email, and though his car was
there no one answered the door. Jim’s campaign allegations of federal criminal wrongdoing in his
firing is a flat out lie. His campaign is spreading that lie in
neighborhoods, yet oddly they will show no proof. Because there is
none. Yet he’s content to damage the city and Habitat for Humanity with
this lie trying to desperately get traction in the last weeks of
a campaign. So if Jim needs to find me and wants to talk grown-up to grown-up, my cell number is 661-7337 and my email is 
Post Falls doctor’s office. Yolanda M. Williams, 36, is charged with grand theft and forgery
for allegedly making fraudulent online transfers from the bank account
of Post Falls Family Medicine into her personal bank account, Post
Falls police said. Williams, who worked as an office manager, began making
withdrawals from the business accounts as far back as July 2003. The
thefts were discovered Oct. 5, when management at the practice noticed
funds were missing.
Williams is accused of altering bookkeeping records to erroneously show
payments were made to various vendors, when they were not/Meghann M. Cuniff, Sirens & Gavels. 
82 and Lake Pend Oreille School District before retiring in 2002, now finds her son, Will, following in her footsteps as a journalism instructor and advisor for the Cedar Post student newspaper at Sandpoint High School. As Will gets his footing in his first year of teaching, Marianne plans to keep her counsel to herself. “As a mother of a first-year teacher, I figured out my own words of wisdom: ‘Keep your mouth shut and give suggestions only when asked,’” she said. “I’ve tried to stick to that, but have faltered a time or two.” Like a few others in the LPOSD family, Will entered the profession after making a name for himself in another field/David Gunter, Bonner County Bee. 
committee passed a resolution in June encouraging Republicans to become more involved in municipal elections. He stressed that whether or not to make endorsements is a decision for the local central committees to make, not the state organization. “I think it’s pretty clear that the Democratic Party has been treating Boise municipal races more like a partisan race than the Republican Party has and a lot of our membership has been tired of sitting back and watching them be involved,” Parker said. “As a result, we are taking a more active approach”/Ben Bodkin, Twin Falls Times-News. 
Steve Sibulsky: Folks might want to take their own magazine or a book when visiting the doctor … Just got back from an appointment with the Knee Doctor … there’s no magazines in the waiting room or exam rooms … H1N1 and sanitation!!
turning away from Hollywood’s version fright-night thrills and discovering new ways of experiencing those backbone shivers? Not likely. We’re all suckers for things that go clump in the night, especially when they involve the chance of gore and maybe a bit of skin. And Hollywood isn’t going to give up its use/overuse of special effects anytime soon – good news to anyone who likes the occasional exploding auto. Still, it was good news to hear that the latest 
under even more pressure to learn some basic Montana skills, if only so that I don’t embarrass the poor guy in front of his friends later on. I’m doing all right so far. Two years into my Montana residency, I’ve already achieved journeyman status at standing next to my grill with a can of Pabst in my hand, floating down the Blackfoot on an inner tube, and reacting to every new City Council resolution by exclaiming “this is Big Brother government at its worst!” But those skills will only carry me so far. To approach true Montananness, what I really need to do is get better at killing things in the woods. My first efforts at hunting, last fall, were a bit of a bust, not least because I don’t own a rifle/Sutton Stokes, New West. 
undead
that attitude is widespread in traditionally red-state Idaho, where gun
ownership is an ingrained part of the outdoor mindset and hunter’s education
serves as almost a rite of passage, what is outside the majority is his
political affiliation. “I’m a gun-toting Democrat,” offered (Thom) George, who serves
as chair of the Kootenai County Democratic Party and has a concealed-weapon
permit, which allows him to carry the .357 Magnum he bought for personal
protection when he sold real estate in rural areas/Jacob
Livingston, SR Handle. 
distributed unsolicited flyers in neighborhoods that local authorities considered hate messages. The mayor of Coeur d’Alene and other elected officials called an outdoor, citywide meeting and made the statement that this kind of activity was not desired and that action would be taken against any perpetrator identified. I thought that this reaction by local leadership was astonishing as I was from the South and had never witnessed leadership calling out such acts. I also thought how wonderful it is for leadership to set the tone to what is and is not acceptable behavior/letter writer Jackie Bland in Hattiesburg (Mississippi) American. 
Rounds of golf. The Oval’s good friend 
sell. But part of the reason for the high price tag is that the expansion has been delayed for so long. Nonetheless, the county deserves credit for finding creative ways to shave construction costs. Last year’s measure sought $88 million for the jail; now it’s $57 million. Once the economy rebounds, so will costs. It would be cheaper to build it now. The county is proposing to pay for the expansion with a half-cent sales tax increase over the next 10 years. What makes this an optimum time for passage is that half of the increase would finance the expansion and the other half would go toward property tax relief. But this state-approved local-option tax expires this year. Voters would be wise to take advantage of it now/Spokesman-Review Editorial Board. 
North Idaho city from reaping a crop of civic enhancements. And as the higher education corridor project advances along the Spokane River, the future holds promise. Such success in the face of daunting economic challenges took forward-looking leadership from a blend of public and private partners, including City Hall. That progress should be on Coeur d’Alene voters’ minds as they contemplate their ballots in the Nov. 3 general election. Mayor Sandi Bloem and three City Council members, all of whom have had a hand in the community’s advances, face challenges from rivals who would have guided the city along a more timid path, missing the opportunities that now stand as shining community assets/Spokesman-Review Editorial Board. 
their
respects one final time Friday in Bonners Ferry. Sgt. Kirk was killed Oct. 3rd when insurgents attacked his outpost near the Pakistani border.“I
just could not imagine anything happening to him,” Joshua’s sister, Liz
Fulton said. “When I was told Josh had died, my heart fell to the
floor.”Boy Scouts and Patriot Guard members lined the streets of
Sgt. Kirk’s hometown — Bonners Ferry. He eventually moved away from
northern Idaho, married and had a child. The one constant in his life
is that he always wanted to be a soldier his family says. This was
Kirk’s second tour-of-duty; he had already served one 15-month tour of
duty in Afghanistan/KXLY, 
quickly. Instead of the aerial attack UH presented with the run-and-shoot
scheme, the Vandals will be focusing mainly on the ground game when
they go up against the nation’s top rushing offense in the Nevada Wolf
Pack. “We’re going from one extreme to the next,” defensive coordinator Mark
Criner said. “And my God, you couldn’t have picked a worse situation or
combination to have.” But that’s the hand Idaho has been dealt as it enters its most
high-profile WAC matchup of the season on Saturday in Reno (1 p.m.,
KLEW)/Jesse Baumgartner, Lewiston Tribune. 
Souza for a minute: Kathy Sims and Sharon
Culbreth each have letters to the editors today urging to look at the
tax implications of LCDC and imploring us to vote the incumbents out.
Brannon supporters start floating a document that appears to be a
campaign flyer with language about LCDC and allowing us the taxpayers
to keep our money in our pockets. Souza, even with the advantage of
20/20 hindsight still comes out railing against things like the Kroc
Center today in the Press. Culbreth, Souza and Sims make up half of the
donors list in Brannon’s campaign disclosure. They are all connected and heavily orchestrating a campaign of
deceit. These people throw out a number but not a one of them can cite
where they got the number. Brannon might as well have pulled 16.8% out
of thin air. Remainder of comment below
they came by information. A columnist
should be honest when asked questions by the public and not ignore
those questions or change the subject. The point is to be transparent
with the public you’re communicating with and to show that what you’re
doing is honest and up front. If Mary didn’t have the ability to do these things, it was the
responsibility of the Press editors to ensure that the content of
Mary’s columns were factually accurate, honest and ethical. When Mary
secretly tape recorded Christie Wood, she should have been forthcoming
about it, as should have the editors. 
alleged assault by two Grizzly
football players, the UM football team has proved it’s good at
another game - the silent treatment. In recent weeks, head coach Bobby Hauck has publicly belittled
Kaimin reporters at weekly news conferences, and followed through
with an earlier threat of shutting the students out of interviews.
Now, the football athletes are no longer speaking to the student
reporters either - a silence the Kaimin believes Hauck ordered. UM officials strongly deny that claim, saying the athletes
decided among themselves not to talk/Chelsi Moy, Missoulian. 
Amazing. It even got a bit of reaction. Pete Porter, director of the 
they understand that you have been wound up in sickness and death, lost of love? Will they understand you are starting to feel free again. And is that bad? How long do they think you should grieve? How long would they grieve? Do they understand that you started grieving in private when you and your spouse found out that their illness was terminal? Don’t they understand that you still love your spouse? You still miss them with all your heart, but you also know you have to go on with life? It isn’t about sex, it is about companionship/Cis, Simple Mind. 
impressed by the Republican attendance. I had spent more than few hours this morning with rain coated excuses from some of our Democratic regulars, who enjoyed themselves a little too much last night at our anniversary party. However, that did not stop the club members from making sure I had their questions and begging for a play by play next week. The forum was very interesting and I think that two of the challengers must have made at least one or two good points. Because afterward, I had several attendees come up to ask who I was going to vote for because they liked what one or the other candidate had said about an issue”/TLPoelstra, Demo Club prez/moderator at candidates’ forum. 
Sometimes I feel like I have ridiculously high standards for my kids. Well, actually, I only feel that way after talking to other parents, where the popular sentiment seems to be a hands-off, que sera sera approach. And I can understand why they feel that way. For the most part, their kids are out of their control. They’ve been put into the hands of the public school system, where standards for learning and behavior are decidedly on the low side. High standards would ultimately hurt someone’s feelings, you know. And that just isn’t very nice. Because my kids are homeschooled, I can get away with telling them to always do their best. In everything they do/Idaho Dad. 
Truly: Diverting from the politics once again - is anyone else into the World Series of Baseball? Cute and true story - my hubby Boz and I have been betting on this gig for 27 years now. I digress but of course I have been the winner the last few. This year however I am unsure. Any help on me picking would be appreciated.
Brannon somewhat intensely (heatedly?). Seems Kennedy had gotten ahold of a flyer that was being circulated by supporters of “Jim Brannon for Coeur d’Alene City Council.” Using bold face headlines and underlines, the one-page flyer opens with the question: Do you want your property taxes to remain in your pocket or do you want your taxes granted to certain wealthy developers? Then, the flyer answers the question this way: “Vote for Jim Brannon to keep hard earned income in your pocket and not in the pockets of wealthy developers. Jim Brannon’s opponent is employed by an extremely wealthy developer and only certain wealthy developers are granted free tax money from the Lake City Development Coporation (LCDC), City of Coeur d’Alene’s Urban Renewal Agency.” 
number of allegations etc., about malfeasence at city hall, but when seated next to the person they accuse, they were silent or, often, agreed with the position of the incumbent. It was stunning. I purposefully gave each challenger an opportunity to distinguish themselves from their opponent and state what they would do differently, and each, very intentionally, remained silent on the issues they make the most noise about. The effect was, I think, that they convinced people that there’s no need for change because those currently in office are doing a great job. I left shaking my head/Jay Baldwin, NIC spokesman/forum moderator. 
said that calling a female police office “a snake” wasn’t acceptable and that he had apologized to Sgt. Christie Wood for doing so. Also, he said that the statement occurred 2 1/2 years ago — and that the matter hadn’t come up in the last City Council campaign. Gookin softened his remark by saying that he was a private citizen at the time and that Americans have a long tradition of criticizing their elected officials. Then, he switched gears and criticized council members whom he claims talk down to some private residents when they make public comments to the council, calling it unprofessional. In her response, Goodlander said that some individuals use the public comments period to make political and sometimes inaccurate comments — and the council has a free-speech right to correct misinformation.
Tribune, has a new job title and a new book to go along with it: “Cat Butler,” BookSurge, 2009. In his newly-released, self-published anthology, Hall chronicles his life with cats. He bravely tackles topics like “The Human Cat Breast,” and “Why is A Cat So Rude When You’re Getting Nude?” Hall ponders the mysteries of spaying and neutering. “I’ll never understand why they call it fixing a cat when they break it. That is a euphemism worthy of the Defense Department. If you were to actually fix a cat, you would give it a testicle transplant”/Cindy Hval, special for Huckleberries Online. Full book review below. “Cat Butler” is available at Amazon.com 
H1N1 flu virus when the president of the National Newspaper Association urged community newspaper publishers and editors to use precise language in coverage of the flu pandemic. Cheryl Kaechele, publisher of the Allegan County News in Allegan, Mich., told her members that confusion from newspaper headlines that refer to H1N1 as “swine flu” has “unfairly cast doubt upon the pork industry” … Tim Bierman, an Iowa pork producer who is president of the National Pork Board, said he has sent a letter to Kaechele thanking her for her leadership on an issue that is vitally important to the nation’s 70,000 pork producers/provided by Charlie Powell, WSU agriculture information officer. 
daughter’s murderer in a few weeks. She was a victim of the DC Sniper. The KTVB story (below) paints a picture of a a father deeply (and daily) living in the grief that never leaves a person. I understand grief. I don’t understand the expression of grief that moves a parent to almost-gleefully WANT to witness their adult child’s killer as he is executed … to even be willing to “push the button” that kills the man. All life is precious. The highest price a person MUST pay for the willful murder of another is the giving up of his or her own life. That’s how valuable life is. … What the father doesn’t understand is that executing his daughter’s murderer is a one-time event for the convicted man…and a replay after replay for the parent who cannot effectively deal with the grief that leaves no real finality/Dennis Mansfield. 
actuality he is the 21st person to serve in the position — two interims and two acting presidents who only served one year each aren’t counted as official presidents. However, whether or not the title is given to an interim, the fact remains that leadership changes hands and continuity is lost. Counting everyone who has served as the head of the university, Nellis will be the sixth person in 14 years to sit in the President’s Office. This gives us an average term of 2.3 years (unless Nellis holds out for a bit longer). For an institution as large, important and old as UI, that sort of turnover is damaging. We can’t expect stability when a typical student stays in town longer than two or three presidents/Benjamin Ledford, UIdaho Argonaut. 
as certainly, one for endings. Now is the time for this column to end, and this change comes purely at my request. I wanted to wrap up this column before the local elections so my decision would not be affected by that outcome. It matters deeply to me who wins or loses this election, but the results will not change the fact that … it’s time. Almost three years ago I wrote my first column in this paper. It was titled, “Open Government: Just what the doctor ordered.” That was the beginning, and what a process it has been!/Mary Souza, Coeur d’Alene Press. 
I do think events like this raise the awareness of breast cancer. And I’m all for them. Altho, I’m a little embarrassed by all the attention …. Let me explain. October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. Lots of activities, walks, fund raising, pink ribbons, pink pens, pink wrapped candies, pink you-name-it. OK. But it’s not the only cancer out there killing people. I sit at the Cancer Center everyday for radiation and the number of people waiting with me is astounding. I’ve met folks with bone, ovarian, prostate, and brain cancer among others, Where are the fundraisers, awareness raisers, etc., for those diseases?
developing a strategy and sticking with it. One can make adjustments within a strategy I should think. That’s why I agree with former Vice President Cheney’s rather terse admonition of the President. We have troops in Afghanistan waiting for help and clarification of their mission. Reports of injuries and casualties come out on a daily basis. Adding to the costs for the Veterans Administration! The war isn’t put on hold just because Washington isn’t sure which direction to go. It would be nice. Okay, everyone go home for the Holidays while we decide what to do and we’ll send the appropriate number back/Dogwalk Musings. 
Library is inappropriate for children and wants it removed. Shelly Gering told library director Karen Ganske the book, “How to Get Suspended and Influence People,” by Adam Selzer, is offensive because of its use of coarse language and an abstract drawing of a nude woman on the cover. Gering visited the library recently with her children and her 4-year-old picked the colorful book off the shelf. When she got the book home, Gering said she was appalled at the cover and the fact that it was shelved where children could see it/Sharon Strauss, Idaho Press-Tribune. 
night to see Leonard Oakland introduce one of his favorite films, Francois Truffaut’s 1962 exploration of romance, “Jules et JIm.” It’s always great to hear Oakland talk about cinema, particularly when that cinema is French. I’ve never been especially moved by “Jules et Jim” (I prefer Truffaut’s first feature film, “400 Blows”). But Oakland’s knowledge and passion could get me interested in, say, hedge fund derivatives. And his post-screening talk got me to thinking. Though I often pretend otherwise, I do love French film. The best of French film, that is (if I even begin to consider the worst, I start to burp up my morning croissant)/Dan Webster, SR. More here 
fatigue, maybe stretch marks and bloated ankles. As much as I loved being pregnant and feeling my baby kick in my womb, there were also moments toward the end when it became so uncomfortable that waiting for birth felt like an eternity. (The 50-pound weight gain certainly didn’t help.) The experience, I think, makes us tougher in the end. Talking to other moms about pre- and post-pregnancy bodies, I’m becoming convinced that the challenges of pregnancy and childbirth actually make us stronger – not just emotionally and mentally, but also physically/Virginia de Leon, Are We There Yet? 
no way a reflection on the morals of my mate. There are those who would have you think so. The French, for instance. I am told there is a French saying: “A man who is partial to cats is a man who will marry an immoral woman.” ….”I am also puzzled as to whether the saying is meant to imply that marrying an immoral woman is a blessing or a curse. Given the habits of the French, you cannot jump to the conclusion that they consider such a wife the worst thing that could happen to a man. I am a tad torn on that score myself and I’m not even French”/Submitted by CindyH. (“Cat Butler” can be found @ Amazon.com) 
A University of Idaho defensive player was arrested in connection with a weekend fight following the team’s 35-23 over Hawaii. Safety Shiloh Keo turned himself in Tuesday and was cited for misdemeanor battery before he was released, Moscow Assistant Chief of Police David Duke said. Keo is due to be arraigned in early November. He leads the 6-1 Vandals with 64 total tackles, including 38 by himself. He also has three interceptions/AP. 
all that I’ve seen coming from the H4H board, the position was totally eliminated for financial reasons with the board taking on the managerial tasks which were previously the Executive Director’s (the title may be wrong) responsibility. The distinction may be of little or no consequence, I guess, to his campaign. But if one is “laid off,” does that not carry with it the assumption of a possibility of being brought back once the financial situation changes? 
I am pretty darn sure that Mary is secretly working for the incumbents. The way I see it, LCDC most likely promised to build a new events center to bolster Mary’s business at Riverstone, but only if Mary could successfully work behind the scenes to infilltrate the CAVEr’s campaign and sabotage thier efferts to take over city government and dissolve LCDC …
Internet,” Schilling said. “We found out a lot of girls were being trafficked from Nepal to India. She paused as she recalled how this ugly truth affected her. “Girls as young as 11 are being sold into prostitution,” she said. It was hard for her to comprehend. “We had such happy lives. Our biggest complaint was going to school, but these girls don’t even have a chance to go to school – they are in brothels.” Schilling wasn’t content to simply read about the problem – she wanted to be part of the solution. She decided to hold a fundraiser to help girls on the other side of the world. Schilling admitted, “I knew if I didn’t make this my culminating project – I wouldn’t follow up on the fundraiser”/Cindy Hval, Washington Voices. 
general election. He seems like a competent legislator, and his policies seem both socially and fiscally responsible. I can, actually, understand why his fellow Idaho legislators support him. However, in Congress I would envision Roberts as more of a competent backbencher. No controversy along the lines of Chenoweth or Sali, but not the outspoken advocate for his constituents like Otter or Craig, either. Basically, my impression is that, if he gets in, Roberts would serve a few terms, be on a few non-descript committees, retire, and be a guest speaker at the odd Lincoln Day or State Convention/Shoshone Conservative. 
Optimum Online, Newsday, or those willing to pay for it. Those who are not customers of Optimum Online or the newspaper - both owned by 
that. So pay attention and love those lovelies. The life you save may be your own … or your mother’s, your sister’s, or that amazing woman you married. Friday night the Spitfire Grill and Hug Love Save (the non-profit* organization behind all that cute BOOBIES apparel you’ve been seeing all over town) are hosting Pink Night, a party to raise money for (and awareness of) breast cancer support and research. Spitfire will serve pink drink specials from 4-8. Hug Love Save is bringing their full line of BOOBIES merchandise. Dean Smith (fun, funky and totally danceable) will play live music you can shake your ta-tas to/Tricia Jo Webster, Fabulocity, SR. 
I was actually accidentally whacked unconscious by one of these (aluminum bats) when I was 9 and got a concussion. Was playing softball with the neighborhood kids and some idiot was swinging the bat helicopter-style over his head, walking slowly backwards. I was facing the other way and he walked right into me. This incident may explain why I’ve never been interested in playing sports at all and why my brain sometimes…uh…I forgot. 
I’m glad it’s back in action. Rita had sold the bar and had several teary-eyed closing parties, expecting to have the new owners sign the papers the next week. That didn’t happen. Fair enough, until the prospective buyers delayed the closing of the deal about a half dozen more times, leaving Rita in a bad spot, losing money on a closed business. Finally a month and a half later, the deal dissolved and Rita decided the best idea was to do some renovations and remodeling. The place has a fresh look and a fresh attitude, and it is still Coeur d’Alene’s oldest and best nightclub/Patrick Jacob, Get Out! North Idaho. 
campaign working against him in his attempt to unseat Councilwoman Deanna Goodlander. Indeed, there may be a whisper campaign. But Goodlander rather than Gookin appears to be the target. An e-mail circulated to an undisclosed list by Sharon Culbreth last week questions Goodlander’s claims to be a Republican, noting that the Kootenai County Democratic Women’s caucus had invited Councilman Mike Kennedy and Goodlander to speak on Thursday, Oct. 29. At the top, the e-mail makes some dubious claims re: Goodlander’s view of higher taxes and private property rights. 
home-improvement project, but then again that sort of thing befalls me all the time. See, tools flee from me like first-graders from syringe-wielding doctors. Home Depot stock earned 66 cents a share in the second quarter of the current fiscal year. That’s largely my doing. I visit so often, I have valet parking. For years, I thought there must be a logical explanation for my ongoing tool deficit. My stepdaughters must be giving away hammers and nail-guns to their friends, I reasoned. Then there was the regrettable incident of the screwdriver rack in the laundry room/Steve Crump, Twin Falls Times-News. 
Councilwoman Nancy McLaughlin was chosen “Best Politician.” Runners-up were Spokane Mayor Mary Verner and U.S. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers. No. 1 in Idaho was Coeur d’Alene Mayor Sandi Bloem. See a pattern here? No men. Longtime campaign watchers have noted that all things being equal, voters will give the nod to women at the ballot box. Washington’s governor and both U.S. senators are women. One theory is that a male candidate looks like a bully when criticizing a female candidate. I suppose, but that seems a bit condescending. I think the larger issue is one of trust/Gary Crooks, SR. 
“I have failed as a parent and as an American. I have just purchased diet food for my cats. That is a sad commentary on something. And it is no compliment to me or to this society or, least of all, to the hairy lard buckets in our house”/Bill Hall, from his new book, “Cat Butler,” as provided by CindyH. (“Cat Butler” is available at Amazon.com and other locations listed below.)
For a decade, Steve and Scott Ethington have been delighting Idahoans by filling the fall air with ghoulish terror at The Haunted World in Caldwell. This year, however, the businessmen fear for their own survival because Canyon County has decided to go into the horror business, too, with “Scare at the Fair.” The Haunted World “is a major source of our livelihood,” said Steve Ethington. We have invested a considerable amount into this business”/Dennis Mansfield. 
they can be considered for delisting under the state endangered species act. Of those 15 breeding pairs, a minimum of two pairs would have to be in both eastern Washington and the northern Cascades, along with five pairs in the southern Cascades/northwest Coast, plus another six at-large pairs located anywhere in the state. Ranchers said they will be unable to watch over their livestock closely enough to prevent depredations and said their dogs are at risk from wolf attacks. Some said it will be difficult to prove wolves are responsible for lost animals and the presence of wolves will cause their animals to lose weight. “Put them in Seattle and in the suburbs. Those are the people who want them,” said Jennie Kimble of Pomeroy/Eric Barker, Lewiston Tribune. 
the condom dress proved to be the magic recipe to finally lift HBO’s curse of the venomous, hate-filled Anymouse very few tears were shed, that’s for sure. It was certainly one of the most notorious moments in HBO’s history, one of those classic occasions that us old-timers still tend to get a bit dewy-eyed about. DFO, an idea. Run a thread tomorrow to discuss the most notorious or legendary HBO moments and then make a poll where we can vote for our favorite. Ah, the memories …
Escapee: When I was growing up in CDA in the ‘60s, “Midtown” was the stretch of little businesses between Roosevelt Avenue and Harrison Avenue, although I never regarded Safeway as being a part of Mid-town. That was then, I guess. So how far does “Midtown” go now? As far north as I-90?
letters or left messages on my phone. There were some truly wonderful stories about encounters with some of the greats of the game, how baseballs came to be signed and the thrill of watching the Yankees play on their home turf. Quite surprisingly, my column drew very little hate mail, which probably has a lot to do with Mariner fans going into hiding after last season. Ned Fadeley, a longtime friend, made up for any lack of loathing, however. He sent me a photograph of his sweet newborn son, Whitman Tecumseh Fadeley, wearing a shirt emblazoned with the following text: “I can’t even walk yet and I already hate the Yankees”/Doug Clark, SR. 
luncheon Saturday — you know, the one in which Deanna Goodlander was asked to speak by the group’s national president and Vice Chairman Duane Rasmussen of the local GOP Central Committee spoke out against challenger Dan Gookin’s Republican credentials. Mary said she wanted to counter the “lies” promulgated on the Spokane gossip blog and to clarify what was said at a private meeting involving Gookin, Rasmussen, Souza and five others, including two county GOP bigwigs. Souza contends that Rasmussen has been misconstruing what Gookin said at that meeting re: having “Republican” branded on his backside. You can read all about it in the first and only comment (at this point) under this post 
the person who is passing out drunk five times a week. The main difference of being a teetotaler is I have rarely, if ever, kept people up late at night because I was busy shouting out idle threats and falling over easily avoidable inanimate objects. This is why America needs to raise and not lower the drinking age. It is important to note my plan does not try to curtail drinking but only wants to neutralize the stupidity that ensues from it. In order to buy alcohol in the United States, I propose one must be a minimum of 38 years old. College students will always get their grubby mitts on liquor but now they will be forced to have a creepy 38-year-old person around when drinking/Cheyenne Hollis, UI Argonaut. 
your hand in front of your face.For some reason, I forget now what it was he said, but the child had to go out to the barn and he took a lantern to light his way. “Well, he never came back. “The parents called for the child and looked for him as much as they could during the night, gave up and waited ‘til the next day. The storm stopped and everyone looked for the child for days, never finding him. They never found any trace of this child even the next spring. “The story now goes that sometimes people will see a blue light out in that part of the desert, bobbing a few feet above the ground, about the height of a lantern being held by a small child. I guess that’s what I saw/Steve Crump, Twin Falls Times-News. 
across as a friendly grandpa in a fleece vest, arranged and paid for a candidate forum at a popular coffee spot early Saturday morning. He wants his opponents to get a chance for live questioning by real voters, Larkin says. At the upcoming candidate forums, moderators will ask the questions. What a swell guy, right? Well, amid the coffee smells and the platter of cookies and the barred sunlight streaming into the meeting room at Moon Dollars, the opposition — Steve DeGon and Matt Behringer — came across as rookies. Their answers were often short, lacking in specifics and they could often only grit their teeth in silence as Larkin spoke for minutes at a time with detailed and folksy answers that showcased his depth of knowledge and hands-on experience with any topic that came up/Kevin Taylor, Inlander. 
quarters Mayor Sandi Bloem is known (though not often to her face) as “Her Sandiness.” Bloem is seeking a third consecutive term, unprecedented in Coeur d’Alene. When she comes out of the waiting room for last week’s televised candidate forum at the new Coeur d’Alene Library, Bloem cuts a razor-sharp figure, her salt-and-pepper hair set off by a matte black-on-black jacket and pants ensemble with a single shining jewel on a silver necklace. Kunka’s suit and tie look dull by comparison. It doesn’t help that he is shorter, balder, jowlier than the mayor. He has no experience with city government aside from running against Bloem four years ago, but Kunka taps into what seems to be a common wellspring by suggesting that this former mill town has sold out to elites and celebs/Kevin Taylor, Inlander. 
some time now to further their cause. This summer they came out with an ad that not only had meat-eaters shaking their heads, but some vegetarian supporters as well. The ad — an illustration — features a large white woman, from behind, in a red polka-dot bikini at the beach. The slogan reads, “Save the Whales — Lose the Blubber: Go Vegetarian.” With this ad PETA has hit a new low. … This ad does more than just offend a large majority of the population. It is also detrimental to the body image of women and young girls. As if the fashion industry has not already done enough damage, now a non-profit organization has to tell women if they are overweight they are whales. What happened to the ethical treatment of human beings?/Erin Harty, UIdaho Argonaut. 
Dan Gookin Blog (re: VFW forum last week): “VFW member Dusty Rhodes asked some excellent questions of the incumbents. For example, he wanted to know how come the City has just redone most of 4th Street and yet there are no handicapped parking spaces.”
Everyone wants to be a star and put their life on display. I personally don’t give a rats ass about the family antics of Hulk Hogan, Gene Simmons, the Llamas guy, or the Osbornes. I care even less if somebody, famous or not, finds true love on television or dances well. It’s brain rotting crap that makes us all less thoughtful, less engaged with each other and certainly less likely to encounter real quality television drama or comedy.
share some thoughts on why I, and Avista find value in social media. For the past few months I’ve gotten a lot of questions from members of the community (and fellow utilities across the country) about why Avista decided to jump into social media (blog, discussion forums, video, twitter). The truth is we’d been pushing for its use since early 2008. We talked about blogging and participating on discussion forums. We dabbled in the easy stuff for about a year and a half. The beauty of most social media tools is that you need very little initial capital investment to get started. YouTube, flickr, twitter, blogger – it’s all free. That’s where we started too. Then last winter hit us with a thud/Dan @ Avista. 
month contained a coin depicting the famous outlaw duo Bonnie and Clyde. “It’s just kind of weird,” said Julie Forsythe, a single of mother of three now out a 1992 Jeep Cherokee after authorities found it submerged in a canal in Kennewick Oct. 9. Forysthe had reported the Jeep stolen from in front of a Coeur d’Alene business, Bee Hive Homes, two days earlier. On Oct. 10, police arrested Merle W. Harvey, accused of shooting two men to death Sept. 26, and his girlfriend, Diane L. Richardson, walking in a wheat field in Kennewick. Harvey told police he’d stolen a truck in Spokane, then driven to Coeur d’Alene where he stole Forysthe’s and Glock pistol that was inside, according to a search warrant/Meghann M. Cuniff, SR. 
about credentials while making public comment. Do you believe that an average citizen has to be an expert in order to have their say? Who is an expert is anything? Shouldn’t a resident/voter/taxpayer be able to have their say even if they have a basic education? What have the council members done that has enhanced the community in a way that is both cost effective and forward-thinking? What are your arguments against the challengers? Why would they be bad for the council? Less scare statements and simple facts, please. Full comment below.
HMOffsuite: Its not the party affiliation, necessarily, its a matter of gaining
access to the prevailing party. When I have donated directly to a
politician, it was enough that they would take my call or return it, if
I placed a call to them. Sometimes it is nice to be able to talk with
them about stuff. I have otherwise donated, mostly along party lines,
if I like the candidate and his agenda.
Idaho Gov. Butch Otter has opened the door to delaying the next scheduled increase in the state’s grocery tax credit, possibly saving the state from another $15 million-plus in budget cuts next year that could otherwise hit public schools. “There’s cost vs. value there,” Otter said in an interview with the editorial board of the Twin Falls Times-News; the governor’s office posted a link to 
Council incumbent Deanna Goodlander is largely supported by Democrats — and that she should return those Demo dollars if she truly is a Republican. This, in way of response to the clamor created at the Republican Women’s get-together at Marge Chadderdon’s place Saturday in which Deanna spoke, Mary Souza reacted, and Duane Rasmussen questioned the Republican credentials of Deanna’s opponent, Dan Gookin. Now, I don’t know the political pedigree of some of the contributors on Goodlander’s campaign finance report. But most of them look like Republicans to me (with the notable exceptions of Kathleen Sayler, Steve McCrea, and Mary Lou Reed). You can see for yourself 
Ground Zero to two New York Yankees, including a relief pitcher, after the terrorist attacks. Considering the relief pitcher, main character Brian Remy thought “
County, voters have now received their ballots and carefully put them aside in a safe place where they will be forgotten until Nov. 4. Call me unpatriotic, but I still can’t wrap my mind around the whole notion of mailbox democracy. It’s so impersonal. I liked the old system. I liked walking up to Franklin Elementary School. I liked signing in. I liked waiting for a crack at one of those clunky push-pin voter contraptions. Maybe I’m imagining this, but I seem to remember there also being complimentary cookies/Doug Clark, SR. 
Dan Gookin was the better choice than Deanna (Goodlander, pictured). While Mary was pontificating about Dan, Duane Rasmussen, co-chair of the Kootenai County Republican Central Committee, was standing in the back of the room, watching the scene unfold. After watching a red-faced Mary go off, Rasmussen told the Republican women that he had talked with Dan Gookin personally and Gookin had told him that he wouldn’t have GOP tattooed on his (buttocks). After audible gasps by the Republican ladies subsided, Mary blurted out that Dan’s statement was a “private conversation amongst friends.” Shortly later, Mary stormed out of the luncheon leaving behind a stunned group of Republican women/The Gookin Squad. Full post below.
management people have for belaboring the obvious. “‘They’re so unmanageable.’ Of course they’re unmanageable. That’s what normal people like about them. That’s what management types hate about cats: they’re mavericks. They won’t keep their place. Cats are to pethood what feminists are to sexim. They’d rather rip your face off than stoop and grovel” — Bill Hall/”Cat Butler” (as provided by CindyH, who’s read the former newsman’s book about cats and who provided a photo of her inspurrration).
and two of the holdups may be related, said Coeur d’Alene Police Sgt. Christie Wood. Robberies in Coeur d’Alene on Friday and Sunday are being turned over to the Kootenai County violent crimes regional task force comprised of investigators from Coeur d’Alene Police, Post Falls Police, the Kootenai County sheriff and FBI. The sheriff’s office also is investigating a Saturday robbery in Hayden. “These are very serious,” Wood said this morning. The latest robbery occurred Sunday about 10:50 p.m. at a Dairy Queen at 305 W. Appleway in Coeur d’Alene. A man wearing a ski mask pointed a gun at three employees and demanded money/Mike Prager, SR. 
Under the KBR contract, she’s not allowed her day in court. She’s supposed to seek arbitration. Just last month, the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld her right to have a judge and jury hear her case. Last week, Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., asked the Senate to end the practice. In an amendment to the defense appropriations bill, Franken sought to withhold defense contracts from companies that “restrict their employees from taking workplace sexual assault, battery and discrimination cases to court.” His amendment passed 68-30 with bipartisan support. … Which left 30 white male Republicans in opposition. Among them was Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, who has championed the rights of domestic violence victims. Joining Crapo was Sen. Jim Risch, R-Idaho/Marty Trillhaase, Lewiston Tribune. 
Mongolian BBQ with the ancient soldiers of Mongolia, but what they do does require quite a bit of old-fashioned skill. It’s always fairly entertaining to watch them circulate around the cooking table, pushing the food to and fro and creating dramatic, sizzling storms of steam with squirts of water meant to keep things from sticking to the grill and becoming overcooked. There have been a few times when I’ve seen these guys do some fantastic tricks with my future dinner, including cooking behind their backs and using their long stick-like utensils to swoop the finished meal up into the air and then catch the whole thing with one of the serving bowls without dropping so much as a broccoli crown on the floor/OrangeTV, Get Out! North Idaho. 
that they recently have committed crimes much the same or worse than those committed by persons they ostensibly pursue, I cannot see where I have much choice than to possess at least one gun, for my own self-protection. In the last five years, upon several occasions, I have had to use a gun to stop armed burglars and various kinds of ilk who were attempting to make off with my property, including two jail birds who were attempting break into my house last winter. So I guess, in an abstract sense, I support the NRA. Times are hard, and ordinarily stable people are becoming increasingly desperate/David Laird, Community Comment. 
The awful truth has struck me: We’re about to start a new decade. We’ve got Halloween, we’ve got Thanksgiving, we’ve got Christmas, and then, bam, we’ll have to start breaking in the 2010s. I am nowhere near prepared for a new decade. Not that I’m crazy
about the 2000s. But doesn’t it seem like yesterday that we were
hoarding food and shooting interlopers during the
Millennial Apocalypse? In my mind, the 2000s are still new and unformed. Nobody has even
come up with a label for this decade yet. Are they the Swingin’ 2000s?
The Roaring 2000s? I don’t think so. What are the other options?/Jim Kershner, SR. 
thoughts are? Even anonymously? Employees of an organization have experience and knowlege of the incumbents job performance. If they do not like a council person or mayor they will work to unseat them.(example: no endorsement of Ray Stone- although I personally like Ray a lot)Perhaps it is obvious what the employees think because of the Police Association endorsement of the incumbents as well as the Fire Union. But the City has many more employees other than police and fire. I think what is most telling is the three employee associations(one is a union)voluntarily giving up 3% raises that were guarateed to them through contract negotiations prior to the recession. Look no further than across the border to see the impact of an employee association not making concessions on a contract. I believe Cda City employees offered up their rasies due to the relationship and confidence we have in our current city leaders and out of respect to our taxpayers who have supported us through the years.
I’m sure they fantasized that this grass-roots movement was their
natural ally. But it’s not turning out that way. Contrary to what
you’ve read in newspapers or seen on television, TEA Partiers are not a
creation of the Republican Party and never were. The TEA Party is an
amalgam of Americans who agree that government has gotten too big, too
intrusive, too expensive and too profligate in its spending. And if Republicans really want to completely alienate this crowd and
give birth to a third party, they should follow the lead of Senator
Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) who has thrown his lot in with John Kerry
(D-Mass.) to push one of the worst pieces of legislation in American
history, the carbon cap and trade bill/Michael Costello, Lewiston Tribune. More below. 
more observant. But how much, and what is to be reported? With these days of camera, and especially phone camera’s … will my neighbor be taking pictures of me using what they think is too much water on my lawn? Will I be reported because my street has a 15mph limit and I am doing 20? Will my every move be Twittered to the police? Personally I have a great neighborhood. We pretty much live and let live policy, and if needed the other is there. We do have one guy who is quick on the phone reporting the dumbest things. And we areuse to him and I am sure the red face police who have had to check out his reports of underage drinking, to find a 4 years olds birthday party, are on to him as well/Simple Mind. 
The writer and director, now living in Los Angeles, used her four years of teen angst at Coeur d’Alene High School as the backdrop for her first film, “Teenage Dirtbag.” The movie, filmed on location in Coeur d’Alene in 2005, finally landed on the big screen Thursday for a one-night screening at the Garland Theatre. The indie flick is being screened in several large cities, including Los Angeles and New York, before being released Tuesday on DVD. It’s available on demand for some cable customers now. “This is the little movie that could,” Crosby said Thursday from Los Angeles, where she was preparing for the premiere there. “This movie has been propelled completely by word of mouth … there’s not a big marketing budget behind it”/Sara Leaming, SR. 
executive director Jim Brannon’s layoff/firing/whatever at Habitat for Humanity. Quoth Mary in the comments section today (
then religion, now sexual orientation. To attach a “I hate you because,” (choose your own category)to the crime, in many cases raises the level of what normally would be a misdemeanor to the level of a felony. Not because the injury was egregious, but because your motives were politically incorrect. Why not add old people like me to these minority class distinctions? I certainly don’t want to get assaulted by someone half my age. Equal protection under the law, is perhaps the most important of all rights. Creating special categories of people such as these hate statutes violates that right to equality/Herb Huseland, Bay Views. 
No matter that the state has already extracted its pound of flesh from the most disadvantaged among us—mental health facilities 
shop, I tripped on a crack in the sidewalk and went flying into the street and landed on my face! I probably should update my lip avatar to include my new Angelina Jolie lips. Plus, I’ve a huge goose egg under my eye that I’m sure will turn all kinds of festive colors. Aside from that the worst damage (apart from my pride) appears to be my badly scraped, bloodied left knee. Falling at 44 seems to hurt a lot more than falling at 4.
and some tomatoes. On Wednesday, Mike Plante told Coeur d’Alene police that he saw a neighbor and another person taking 10 squash — of the butternut, buttercup & acorn varieties — and some tomatoes from his garden. Seems the neighbor had chided Plante earlier this year when he planted a garden on the property that he rents, stating sarcastically: “What are you doing — building a farm?” When he caught his neighbor walking off with the veggies between noon and 1 p.m. last Friday, Plante said he asked his neighbor why he was doing so. Reportedly, the neighbor responded: “Because they were there.” Later, the neighbor refused to cooperate with police, and Plante said he wanted to file charges over the $50 worth of stolen produce, refusing to discuss a possible payment for them.
been second in local history next to the Great Seattle Fire of 1889. As one of liberalism’s castles on the hill, Seattle would have spilled thousands into the streets to protest. People would have been so mad they might have … jaywalked … not recycled … chosen plastic … broken a tree branch hanging Limbaugh in effigy, or worse, burned the effigy, thus swelling the carbon footprint. The horror. The horror. Of course, the purchase isn’t happening. The Seahawks aren’t for sale, and Limbaugh this week was formally booted out of one group’s effort to purchase the St. Louis Rams. Too provocative and distracting, it was said. But the Seahawks will be for sale someday. What if Keith Olbermann wants to buy in?/Art Thiel, Seattle P-I. 
Joker: Geez, the school should 
Russell—the Spokesman Review Boise Bureau chief who is the voice of the blog 
Arpie: I sent home a health district form with all my students last week for free swine flu shots or nasal inhalers. 3 of 21 kids so far have signed up. I’d say most aren’t taking this seriously and a few fear the nasty govinmnt.
with a knife he’d taken from his mother’s purse Monday. The Kootenai County Sheriff’s report says the student told a classmate, who told a teacher, which prompted a search by the school’s principal that uncovered a knife in the eight-year-olds back pocket. … A sheriff’s report says the student told a deputy he planned on using the knife to go fishing, and in according to the same report, he’d brought matches to school in the past and had thought about bringing a gun. Superintendent Bauman maintains no one was hurt or threatened at the elementary school and that all policies are being followed. The student has been suspended for 10 days/KXLY. 
Anonymous meeting, but that is expected. What I did not expect that much of this drunken, boorish behavior would be from parents, not the students. In particular, a near fight between four dads was a highlight among many instances of raucous behavior. The fights were undoubtedly alcohol-related. Fortunately, the unimaginably crude statements being yelled toward the field came not from parents, but students. Otherwise, I would really have been worried. Still, you have to wonder what these parents are thinking when they come to visit their kids at WSU, then proceed to party and act like complete imbeciles/Alex Gratzer, WSU Evergreen. 
at Huckleberries Online. In the old days — and to some extent today — most of the movers and shakers tried mightily to stay on the right side of Duane Hagadone, his lieutenants, and the Coeur d’Alene Press. I survived all these years in the Lake City because I work for the other guys. Mayor Sandi Bloem is the only major political figure to survive despite attracting Hagadone’s ire. Hagadone doesn’t carry the clout that he once did. But Coeur d’Alene still can be intimidating. After all, it’s a small town with a lot of connections. Individuals who challenge the status quo can find themselves on the outside, the subject of gossip. Conversely, Gookin, Mary Souza, & their colleagues at OpenCDA.com have intimidated city and urban renewal officials via their Web site and that of the Coeur d’Alene Press. I know. I’ve talked to the individuals on the receiving end of some of those comments. The fact that few if any locally elected officials comment on those sites underscores my point that intimidation has taken place on the other end. Finally, the comments thread at Huckleberries Online can be a rough place at times. I step in when it’s clear that a commenter is bullying someone. I use warnings and the cooler to calm things down. It’s not an exact science. But things have calmed down. I want everyone to feel welcome here. However, you need to have some skin thickness to hang out here — DFO.
horrifying command of HBO archives has got me shaking in my boots. And Sis uses really BIG words and is prone to make rational arguements. Pretty scary. Then there’s DFO with the whole cooler and all. I’ve got claustrophobia and a pretty serious styrofoam allergy. That cooler is darn intimidating. (Plus, I’m sure there’s forgotten individuals in there that I don’t really want to me locked up with— know what I mean?) But Bent? Scary? Seriously? That’s like saying Stickman is scary or JeanieS is intimidating. (Sorry, if you had dreams of big-badness, Bent).
slurred voice, she told the court that she was irreparably damaged by what a Plummer man did to her last June. She said she has had a stroke since the rape and now wets her bed and wakes up crying. Despite the brutality of the event, she said she has forgiven her attacker but asked the judge for a life sentence to ensure he would not harm other women. Her wish was granted when 67-year-old Gary Allen Srery (pictured) was sentenced to life in prison for rape. Under the sentenced imposed by Kootenai County First District Judge Charles Hosack, Srery will be eligible for parole in eight years/Alison Boggs, SR. 
fairs or department stores. The rest of it was created by youngsters armed with hot glue guns, old magazines and magic markers. Alas, the only prints on my walls are those left from small, sticky fingers. But I love strolling through galleries and museums and discovering more about artists and their craft. My education has thus far been a rather solitary pursuit. That’s why I was thrilled when I received a note about a new Meetup group called “For the Love of Art”/Cindy Hval, SR Voices. 
etc wouldn’t intimidate them right out of here? Puuuulease are you kidding me just look at the posts above. Why so many hits to this site without comment and merely blurkers? I’ll tell you why, intimidation. Hey the other site does the same darn thing over at opencda. Anytime I ask a question over there that doesn’t “Go with the flow” of thinking they say I’m one of the HBO’ers, and here when I or anyone does the same, I’m a caver, conspiracy, etc. Remember Chief Brody from Jaws when he talked about living on an island? “It’s only an island when you look at from the water.” Well, it’s only intimidation when you look at it from outside any group.
with fire district business and forgot about the meeting. I understand there was a Blanchard resident at the meeting who passed out a letter regarding the Timberlake Fire Protection District’s proposed levy increase. I appreciate those of you who responded to his comments. We reviewed this letter and disagree with most of the information and the accusations. The fire district has some great challenges to overcome and we simply want to educate the residents about our current state and needs. There is a lot of information about it on our web site 
heads. They’ve beaten some good mid-level teams despite some hiccups in all three phases of the game, managing to conjure up a drive or make a fourth-down stop or deny a two-point conversion at defining moments. The incremental gains Akey sees he also saw a year ago when the Vandals were 1-6 at this juncture, “when the hardest thing in the world was looking them in the eye on Sunday when they weren’t getting the payoff for all their work.” The grim times are still too vivid for the Vandals to be too full of themselves now. In the tumult after beating Colorado State two weeks ago, a voice headed for the locker room could be heard saying, “Hey, we are for real”/John Blanchette, SR. 
stood to face the judge who would send him to prison for what could be the rest of his life. The former security supervisor for The Spokesman-Review, convicted of raping two girls for most of their childhoods, choked back a sob. “I’ll carry this pain with me for the rest of my life for what I’ve done,” Robel, 61, said through tears. “… I apologize for the hurt and pain I caused my victims.” Robel was sentenced to at least 18 years in prison in a plea deal approved Wednesday by Spokane County Superior Court Judge Maryann Moreno. Robel pleaded guilty in August to three felonies for sexually abusing two girls for seven and 10 years apiece/Meghann M. Cuniff, Sirens & Gavels. 
a whisper and intimidation campaign occurring in the Lake City. Quote: ”It’s the ‘telephone game; of politics. Unfounded rumors that grow and grow with each conversation … and in the end the pupose is to instill fear in the voters.” He continues to say that the “whisper campaign” instills fear and encourages voters to keep the status quo. The goal of the “whisper campaign” is to get voters to keep the status quo even though they aren’t happy re: what’s going on. “The issue here is a culture of intimidation that seems to permeate some of our local organizations like a suffocating fog. I love this town so much and it really disappoints me to hear that the use of fear and bullying are being used to promote a poltical cause to keep the status quo. (You can read the entire post 
or little impact on the orchards in Greenbluff where the apple festival is in full swing. It comes down to who you talk to. Some farmers say their apples are still good. Other farmers said that the apples that are still on the trees got hit by the cold. At Hidden Acres Farm Karene Simchuk says her apples appear to be just fine. “Our fruit fared very well,” she said. “We did a test-cutting this morning and were very happy to find that the apples sustained minimal damage.” Not every orchard was so lucky. At Harvest House the cold hit the apples/KXLY. 
meeting of the Legislature’s joint budget committee: One in five Idaho school districts has declared a financial emergency. State prisons are managing 500 more offenders than a year ago, with $28 million less in funding. Part-time state employees already hit with furloughs and other cutbacks will face sharp increases in their health insurance premiums. And Idaho’s Medicaid program could see a shortfall so extreme it’d have to eliminate 23 percent of the health benefits it provides to the state’s poor and disabled/Betsy Russell, Eye On Boise. 
Chief Krill. Anyone that cares to Google Jack Krill can find the details of his termination in an article by the Wassilla newspaper. In it was the headline, “Board Wants Krill Back.” Apparently some allegations, never proven and some others that were subjective were the cause of his suspension followed by termination. Among those, were that he yell at and verbally abused his troops. I asked Timberlake Union President of local 4483, Jake Capaul, what he thought of the chief. He replied, “We love the guy.” When asked about the alleged abusive management style, he laughed and said, “Chief Krill never yells or even raises his voice”/Herb Huseland, Bay Views. 
morning’s post re: 
visiting “whitopias” — quiet, charming, booming towns that are receiving massive inflows of white residents — setting their explosive growth against the projection that whites will no longer be the majority in the United States by 2042. Among these bustling burgs? St. George, Utah; Forsyth County, Georgia; and Coeur d’Alene. Benjamin spent four months in a Hayden Lake cabin in 2007 — throwing dinner parties, chatting with Mayor Sandi Bloem and retired LAPD officers and attending a white separatist conference in Sandpoint. He took a few minutes this weekend to speak with us from New York/Joel Smith, Inlander. 
eight years ago, many people thought they had seen the end of the neo-Nazi hate group in this part of the world. They were wrong. A new entity calling itself Aryan Nations recently distributed fliers in the area, saying it was recruiting members to create a “world headquarters” in Hayden Lake. And there has been an upswing in activity by hate groups, part of a national trend likely caused by the economic downturn and the Obama presidency. One of the most disturbing and publicized incidents occurred in late September, when the education director of the Human Rights Education Institute found a noose on the porch of her Spokane home/Nicholas Geranios, Inlander. 
City Administrator Wendy Gabriel said flatly that plans to move the Spokane RiverHawks from Spokane to Coeur d’Alene don’t include McEuen Field, home of the local American Legion team. All of which begs the question: Why isn’t the future of McEuen Field being discussed in the local municipal races? The challengers remain fixated on the Lake City Development Corp., an issue that hasn’t gained them much traction in the last three years. The incumbents are playing Mohammed Ali’s old rope-a-dope — stay away from controversy, endure the beaucoup forums, and spend money on yard signs and other advertising. McEuen Field, meanwhile, goes without comment when anyone who knows anything about this community knows that some want to change the arrangement and activities on this sacred ground. I’m willing to bet that a push to change McEuen Field once the elections are over. Probably next spring. So why aren’t walking talking about this most important issue?
no further than a letter he wrote that’s making the rounds: “86% Property Tax Increase planned by Timberlake Fire District.” A Berry Picker provided HBO Central w/a copy. Among Spencer’s claims: “The District board gave the chief a $14,000 raise this summer on his base salary, and including benefits his total compensation is close to $100,000. Not bad pay after only one year on the job. I didn’t get a $14,000 raise last year, did you? So what do they want so much more money for? Part of the planned levy money will pay for more raises, $82,000 for an assistant chief, and $59,000 for a full-time mechanic. The employees will do everything they can to pass the levy …”
insurance premiums. The restriction is simple: No one can sell insurance in Idaho without being authorized by state regulators to do so, even if that insurer is already legally recognized to operate in another state. Our statute is mirrored in all 50 states, hopelessly thwarting the free market when it comes to health insurance. The state Department of Insurance says eight providers of individual health insurance plans are authorized to do business here. While my family of four could save as $1,000 a year buying health insurance from a company authorized to do business in Utah, we can’t. That insurer isn’t recognized by Idaho’s regulators/Wayne Hoffman, Idaho Freedom Foundation. 
(shown on Tubbs Hill) mentioning that among other things, he was struggling mightily with a brand new retirement present from his son. Barry, our rugged and iconoclastic leader for about 8 years, had returned to live on his beautiful “off the grid” homestead nestled in the forest between Priest River and Priest Lake. His son gave him a solar powered refrigerator. Barry, used to regularly hauling ice to the house, explained that he was uncertain about the whole thing, and was wondering what he would do with such a device. And so it is here at the office. We’ve begun to modernize our communications efforts – so as to preach more and to preach beyond the usual smallish choir. First it was a new 
changed since the media were reporting the strain fighting two wars had put on our military. While Iraq is much more stable, there are still about 120,000 troops in Iraq. At the peak, the U.S. had about 155,000 troops there. That is when the media reported almost daily that the military was at the breaking point. Yet when the request for 40,000 more troops in Afghanistan was submitted, there were no reports questioning whether the military could meet the obligation. That is odd. The request would mean the United States would have more troops committed in wars overseas than at any time when fighting raged in Iraq, yet there was no alarm raised by the media whether the troops were available. So what’s changed? Well, the guy in the White House. And that should cause alarm for every American/Dan Hammes, St. Maries Gazette-Record. 
Alot of people didn’t like Goodlander when she ran the Idaho Junior Miss for 20 years.Most people IMO, don’t like LCDC and they spent $35,000 of the taxpayers money, to find out how to be liked by the community.So Deanna, being on their board is not exactly,a positive.Why does LCDC only like to build for high-end development and has done virtually,nothing for affordable housing?
comment. The question was asking how I thought a Mayor should act and what a Mayor should do. I answered the question. I think a leader should be involved with the foundation of the community. If you are curious about my volunteerism, here goes. I have volunteered with Little League Baseball for 15 years as an Umpire, Coach, Manager, and Board Member. I have been volunteering with the Christ the King Youth Program for 15 years as well. I have worked with Habitat for Humanity, Park and Rec Baseball, and still volunteer with the CHS Music Department, primarily the Drumline. I have volunteered for things I have forgotten about. For you to accuse me of volunteering to furthur my political aspirations is so far out there that I am actually angry.
DFO: I really hope you put Betsy’s article on the State slashing scholarships out front tomorrow. (
good war chest with many contributors underscores a candidate’s strength — and electability. Incumbent Mike Kennedy had a warchest of $27,000 four years ago as he won a three-way race for a first term, a race that included Mary Souza, who never forgave him for defeating her. Conventional wisdom also says that Gookin and Jim Brannon can’t be taken for granted. And that Councilwoman Deanna Goodlander is the most vulnerable incumbent. Both Gookin and Brannon closed hard two years ago and gained a respectable percentage of the vote. However, the informal alliance of outsiders this time doesn’t have Mary Souza directly and the Coeur d’Alene Press indirectly bolstering their campaigns with print support. Also, try as they might, the challengers just can’t seem to get a broad swath of the public interested in the Lake City Development Corp. Add that together and the fact that Gookin raised only $1911 in cash from outside donations, and you have to come to the conclusion that Councilwoman Deanna Goodlander has a decent shot to keep her council seat — DFO.
mid-haired amazingly smart 6 year old female pup. We got her just after we married-off our favorite (and only) daughter, Meg. In fact, Meg bestowed the name Cocoa on her. (Not hard to do, I suppose, since Meg had known the names of our other family dogs: Cinnamon, Spicey, Sugar, Honey and then she chose…Cocoa. I suppose all she had to do was spin the spice rack and NOT choose Paprika!) So, Cocoa was embraced…and trained and loved and chased around the neighborhood (what a brat!!). And then we found out just a while ago that her eyesight was completely degenerating and would, in fact, cease. The pain, we were told, on the back of her eyeballs was going to be so painful, that we must do the humanitarian thing/Dennis Mansfield. 
Spokane River Hawks are looking for a permanent location in Coeur d’Alene and have explored options over the past few years with a group of interested parties including city representation. There are no commitments or agreements for any permanent location at this time. In the interim however, the Spokane River Hawks have identified a few locations in Coeur d’Alene that may be suitable as a temporary site until a permanent location is identified. None of the temporary locations being considered at this time are owned, managed, or controlled by the City of Coeur d’Alene. It is this temporary site that the Spokane River Hawks hope to be playing on in 2011. McEuen Field IS NOT being considered/City Administrator Wendy Hague, Coeur d’Alene Today.
Idaho (31), the punch-line-turned-powerhouse of the WAC. (Or, if not powerhouse, at least respectable member of the WAC. That’s pretty much a first in its own right.) If you missed it — and shame on you if you did — the Vandals improved to 5-1 with a comeback victory at San Jose State on Saturday, 29-25. It was damn near enough to make The Dash endow a blocking sled at a school that hasn’t been this good through six games since 1994, when it was an FCS program. The Vandals also improved to a league-best 2-0 in WAC play, with both victories coming on the road. Given the embedded history of woe at Idaho — eight straight seasons with at least eight losses, including 21 defeats the previous two years — these are giddy times in Moscow/Pat Forde, ESPN.com. 
expense of America’s families. Instead of responsible reform, the proposal raises taxes, increases the cost of insurance premiums for all Americans and employers, imposes a larger Medicaid burden on states and cuts Medicare benefits by half of a trillion dollars. As expansive and socialistic as it is, it still fails to accomplish the original goal of providing insurance coverage to every American. Health care needs reform, but this is not the right way to do it. Fortunately, this is only one in a series of efforts at reform and there is a long road ahead before final passage. How the final bill will look, no one yet knows”/U.S. Sen. Jim Risch.
someone I am invited to become a fan of. Facebook members are fans of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, being a mom, flipping the pillow over in the middle of the night, M&Ms and parallel parking. Members join causes devoted to supporting our troops, funding the arts, falling in love and even for appreciating real breasts. Joining these causes make people feel like they are doing their part and spreading the word, but I would like to challenge members of social networking sites to do more for a cause then just add it to your home page. Take a stand and become active/Erin Harty, UI Argonaut. 
Tuesday morning. Ratings for them. Ratings for him. Money for them, money for him….and he READILY admits that his number one goal is ratings (which he equals to money). Fair enough…at least he’s being honest….or is he? The conservative Moms and Dads across America, who daily listen to him as if he were a political Billy Graham, will most certainly be scratching their heads….”for the money”, they might be saying. “Really?” Yep, he’s like a political porn star, all undressed-up and unblushingly ready for the Director to call “Action”…and then collect his paycheck. And my heart goes out to those Moms and Dads. 21 years of listening to Limbaugh brings them to this. This is not conservativism, nor is it the reason most conservatives are in the political debate. Money? Are you kidding me?/Dennis Mansfield. 
located in what is now the Harris Dean Building at 7th and Lakeside. “An old house was donated to the city to catalog its books,” she said. “Each time you took a step, the wooden floors squeaked – that was my first memory of a library.” Many years later, Deanna Goodlander, the City Council’s Library Liaison, is honored to have been part of the effort that built a new public library in Coeur d’Alene. That was a little over two years ago, and since then, the success of the library is difficult to express in words – but numbers are a start/Coeur d’Alene Today. 
Humanity. This is a difficult time for me professionally and my family. We will endure. I am like many people in this community — unemployed. I will continue my campaign because I want to help the people who are hurting. I feel my situation translates to the common man, who is wondering where his next paycheck is coming from or how he is going to feed his family. The current council and Mayor have spent millions of dollars on extras. These things are nice. But what good is a new library if you can’t afford to live here? What good are trails, if nobody can access them because they’re working two or three jobs? What good is a Kroc Center if we have to chose between new shoes and memberships? My opponent and the rest of the council are out of touch/Joker. 
something to do with McEuen field and perhaps make it a front and center this election. It seems that the Spokane RiverHawks will suspend their 2010 season. Why? In preparation for moving to Coeur d’Alene. I love baseball and I welcome this development however, while I heard rumor of this I didn’t know that owner Irv Zakheim was actually in the process of building a NEW stadium, proposing it to be the “finest in the West Coast League” Again I love it. They expect it to be finished by 2011 and no later than 2012. Also it seems they have been working with city officials and local businessmen for two years. Remainder of comment below.
makes any noise about illegally parked cars, overgrown shrubs on sidewalks, blocked vision at intersections and other hazards. Citizen complaints can work if they are used to the benefit the entire town more than the individual. All of these examples point to a trend wherein Moscow’s “citizen activism” sometimes crosses into a type of de facto citizen government. Despite the delusion of many in our town that we are a direct democracy, it is important to point out that we are not. We elect a mayor and City Council to hire qualified city administrators and to appoint qualified individuals to city commissions. Every so often neighborhood level problems may need to be reviewed by the council but not in the volume or frequency they have been in the past/Henry Johnston, Moscow-Pullman Daily News. 
nice if you could press a magic button and make all your “fat pictures” go away after you lose a significant amount of weight? I’ve been making good progress in that direction myself and would cringe to see an less-than-flattering old photo being bandied about after all my hard work. Not quite there yet, but am really looking forward to the day I see the new, fit me next to my column in the paper …
point in the campaign. Maintaining underdog status and appeal, and any potential big dollar donors that are controversial around town delaying until donating late in the game, thus remaining OFF any records until it’s over. Same with the Californicator donors. The less heard about that, the better. OTOH, showing widespread support encourages the well known “bandwagon” effect.
Kelley and Kelley’s precocious 2-year old, Hannah Beth, accompanied her. As four generations of Austins listened, Father Roger began his Homily: “Why? Why do we believe in Jesus Christ? Listening intently, little Hannah Beth looked up to her mother and asked her own question “Why, Mama?” Kelley of course sought to quiet her child, as Father Roger continued , “Why did He die for our sins and why do we have faith in God the Father?” Again looking up at her mother, Hannah asked “Why, Mama?” Finally, in an attempt to quiet her child, Kelley said “Why what, Hannah?” To which Hannah said “Why did the chicken cross the road?” Well, suffice to say Father Roger was no match for Hannah as several pews erupted in laughter.
challenger alike all agreed that City Council members should be open and accountable to the public. It all sounds good for sound bites during a campaign debate on Woody TV. When push comes to shove, however, politicians tend to avoid annoying media reps who are asking tough questions at embarrassing times. I can’t remember challenger Jim Brannon’s answer to the question re: openness and accountability posed by moderator Dave Walker. But he didn’t act open and accountable when I contacted him last week re: his departure from Habitat for Humanity. Now, I know that it was a emotional, tough time for him. It’s not easy to be shown the door. I’ve been there. However, someone who wants to represent the residents of Coeur d’Alene — and me — on the City Council should be able to answer a simple question with something other than “no comment.” 
in itemized and un-itemized contributions to date as he seeks to unseat incumbent Deanna Goodlander (
buying bags of their day-old but still delicious iced scones for only a few dollars. These were quite dense in composition and along with cheap 40-ounce bottles of malt liquor they kept me full and happy for an entire day. Well, maybe the malt liquor was the main reason for the happy part. Obviously, back then, carbohydrate intake was no concern of mine. I’ve since given up the strong lager and am much more conscious about carbs, so I had some trepidation recently about checking out the new Bakery by the Lake store located on the main floor of the 20-story Parkside Tower building downtown/OrangeTV, Get Out! North Idaho. 
appears that great good and equally great bad has risen with the birth of cell phones. To be able to instantly report accidents that may have been fatal, without instant response, of course is good. Also, the reporting of violent crimes hastens response is good also.The place that this system loses itself is when busybodies feel they have to report every single alleged aberration that occurs within their sight. For instance, one such was a report recently of a suspicious male taking pictures of houses in a neighborhood. OK, so arrest the damned appraiser, for he probably will devalue your house/Herb Huseland, Bay Views. 
happily. When her father gave her some seeds to plant, she eagerly watched for the blooms as she tended her little patch, anticipating a riot of colorful blossoms. When at last the plants started growing, Stutzman was sorely disappointed. “I thought they were flower seeds,” she recalls. “They were lettuce seeds.” But she still was very interested in what could grow, and how you can encourage plants to grow better, an interest “the daughter of gardeners and the mother of gardeners” retains today as owner of Desert Jewels Nursery in Spokane/Cindy Hval, SR Down To Earth. 
bequeathed $1.6B to the Salvation Army to build and operate Kroc Centers for recreation and spiritual purposes throughout the country. Coeur d’Alene’s Kroc Center has more than 15,000 members. Upon her death of brain cancer at age 75, San Diego Padre great Tony Gwynn eulogized: “Sadly, in her passing, people will really find out for the first time how much she meant to not only this community but to the world. She did things her way, not for recognition or other considerations but because it was the right thing to do. It’s a shame that most of us will only now find out the extent of what Joan did. … She cared about the players and their families. Heck, she cared about everyone on the face of this earth. She loved to help people”/Wikipedia. 
asked its emigrants why. Cold weather, of course, is the reason folks up-stakes and shuffle southward. But turns out it’s not the 50-below-zero mornings, especially, that drive Nodaks away. It’s the blizzards on Memorial Day and Labor Day. Arctic Januaries are depressing, but churlish springs and surly autumns are positively soul-killing. The issue arises because winter has already settled into south-central Idaho like your unemployed and recently divorced brother-in-law onto your living room couch. It snowed - a lot - on Oct. 4. Last year it snowed - a lot - on Oct. 11. Based on my heating bill last May, this is a pattern that shows every sign of persisting until Flag Day. We’re being cheated/Steve Crump, Twin Falls Times-News. 
I lived down on Front Street about 8 years ago where the library is now, a truck matching that same exact description decided that they weren’t going to cruise Sherman at night for whatever reason, but would rather drive up and down my street, shouting obscenities at passers-by and tossing empty beer cans in peoples yards. This lasted off and on for about a month until finally enough people must have complained so much that the police did something/OrangeTV. Rest of comment below.
through the financial disclosure deadline today. Kennedy told Huckleberries that he has received 170 contributions so far with an average donation of $108, 88% of which is from individuals within the state of Idaho. Out-of-state donations have come from friends and family. In his race four years ago, Kennedy raised $27,000 total. Fred Glienna provided the top contribution at $1000. Other top donations were given by Bill Morrow and Connie Morrow, $750 each; Alan & Melinda Blinken, Kirk Dunk, Joanna Schmitz, $500; Dr. Tom Smart, $400; Carol & Charlie Kennedy, Maggie Lyons, Charlie & Susan Nipp, $300; Walt & AK Minnick, Steve Elgar, John Kennedy, Idaho AFL-CIO, Conservation Voters for Idaho, Nick Miller, Taylor Bowen, $250; Ken & Barb Howard, Kathleen & Jim Docherty, $200; Lee Hoffman, Steve Sibulsky, $150. Also, there were 47 contributions of $100. Also, 86 contributors donated less than $50 for a total of $3425. 
doctrine for generations. In 1993, that policy became the U.S. military’s official means of conveniently overlooking the fact that homosexuals are among its ranks. It’s time the military came out of the closet, and allowed its soldiers to do the same. President Barack Obama is in a position to do just that, with both Congress and public opinion in his corner. He is under pressure from gay rights activists to sign an executive order repealing the de facto ban on gays in the military, and a White House spokesman told the Associated Press that the president “is intent on making progress” on the issue. Let’s hope he puts pen to paper sooner rather than later/Doug Bauer, Moscow-Pullman Daily News. 
at San Jose State, the Vandals (5-1, 2-0) made a big enough impression in the eyes of one Associated Press top 25 poll voter to earn a vote in the rankings. You can find the poll 
victory over San Jose State on Saturday
night, ending a four-game losing streak to the Spartans. The
winning drive was directed by backup quarterback Brian Reader, who took
over after starter Nathan Enderle threw his second interception of the
fourth quarter. Woolridge rushed for 93 yards and scored twice
for the Vandals (5-1, 2-0 Western Athletic), who are seeking their
first winning season in 10 years. Princeton McCarty rushed for 125
yards and a touchdown. Jordan La Secla threw for 299 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for another score for the Spartans (1-4, 0-1)/Associated Press. ESPN boxscore 
as executive director for Habitat for Humanity was both political and economic. The economic part speaks for itself. Times are hard. People are getting laid off right and left. Politics were involved, too. But it’s not what you think. No one from City Hall called board president Rick Shipman and demanded that Brannon be cut loose as a result of his run for the City Council against Councilman Mike Kennedy. The Powers The Be are running too scared from the scrutiny they’ve been under in Duane Hagadone’s newspaper and the blogosphere since the anti-LCDC crowd emerged as a self-appointed city watchdog. They wouldn’t risk getting caught in such an underhanded move, if it was in their nature to try something like that. My guess? Brannon’s campaign and informal alliance with the anti-administration group led by candidate Dan Gookin made the apolitical Habitat for Humanity board nervous. Some have said some board members were unhappy with his first run for office two years ago. Mebbe Brannon’s political ambitions reached the tipping point with the board this time. The board should have waited until after the election to take action to avoid the appearance of political payback. After all, Habitat for Humanity is paying him through the end of the month. What would a few more days hurt? Then, the action taken by the board to notify Brannon of his layoff/firing/whatever occurred shortly before his political debate with Kennedy Wednesday. Which underscores my main point that the board isn’t politically savvy. Just squeamish — DFO.
He has reached out to the Muslim world, engaged with Africa in new ways, reversed a tide of anti-American feeling in Europe, shown passion for the cause of nuclear non-proliferation and, at long last, shown that the United States government takes seriously the threat of global climate change.
Clearly, the intent of the Nobel Committee was to reward Obama’s
transformation of this country’s international agenda and to fortify
the president’s position as he seeks to carry out that agenda in the
years to come. The peace prize is given for a variety of reasons and
this particular award is hardly out of line with past practices/David Horsey, Seattle P-I. 
just a little out of control and ruin
the game for you. So now the Spokane Arena has come up with the
Knucklehead Text Program. Say you’re sitting in your seat, a
seat you paid good money for and someone starts throwing popcorn in
your hair and they just won’t stop. What do you do? Take out your cell
phone and start texting and within minutes a security guard will be
there ready to put an end to that annoying, knucklehead of a fan. The Arena is launching this new program Friday night at the Chief s game/KXLY. 
making some noise in the Western Athletic
Conference, off to a 4-1 start and looking to steal a little thunder
from Boise State. Idaho, which was an abysmal 3-21 the past two
seasons, stunned Colorado State at the Kibbie Dome last week and is led
by quarterback Nathan Enderle (1,293 yards, 8 TDs) and tailback
DeMaundray Woolridge (56 rushes, 357 yards, 6 TDs). The Vandals’ loss
came at Washington in Week 2. Idaho visits San Jose State tomorrow, and
coach Robb Akey’s team has a shot at being 10-1 when it travels to
Boise’s blue turf Nov. 14/Downs & Distance, Boston Globe. 
in Coeur d’Alene — Mike Kennedy’s and Dan Gookin’s. The filing deadline isn’t until 5 p.m. Monday. But about half of the Coeur d’Alene candidates and seven of eight of the Post Falls candidates already have filed their finance paperwork. You can find links to those statements below. I’ll be surprised if both Kennedy and Gookin fail to bring in at least as much money as Deanna Goodlander ($6299) has. They say money is the mother’s milk of politics. Judging from the disclosure statements, the mother’s milk is flowing stronger in Coeur d’Alene than Post Falls. But it isn’t flowing all that much more. Goodlander’s status as the most vulnerable probably primed the pump for her from individuals who don’t want Gookin to hold city office. Kennedy’s status as the main target of local Repubs should help with fundraising for those who value his collaborative skills. Gookin’s status as standard bearer for the town’s anti-LCDC activists should attract money, too. I can’t wait to see those two finance reports.
True Story: My nail tech thinks she could be in the running for a Nobel Peace prize. She created this funky Halloweenie design for my pinky fingers that she believe is “so totally awesome it will make terrorists fall to their knees and encourage peace between Israel and Palestine, or at least make everyone you shake hands with in the next couple weeks, sigh and smile.” She’s a 21-year-old nursing student. Have you noticed how darn snarky young adults are these days?
Aliasjax: This is perfect fodder for the CAVErs…and ridiculous. The thought that the “powerful” people in the city are so petty, or devious, to have someone fired because he wants to be a city councilman is hilarious! Newsflash: The CdA City Council is not a “powerful” position; it’s a mundane bureaucratic necessity, and the Mayor (or the shadow government) is not a puppetmaster pulling such strings.
CindyH: My 17-year-old son took one look (at Playboy cover w/Marge Simpson) and pronounced it “creepy.” He then added, “You should totally by this issue for me. I mean it will be a collector’s item.” Nice try, kid. By the way, how come Spokane are teachers already need a “curriculum day?”
Fishwife: Do any of the HH board members support Kennedy or other counsil/mayor incumbents? Financial contributions? Should be an easy search for Brannon. Just check the city election website/policitcal contributions. Go back … say … 6 years. 
either be a rational person and appreciate the big picture of rival teams’ success helping out the Broncos in the long run or you can be a hardheaded hater and refuse to root for a rival based on the principle that you hate them. I’m the latter. Many of you on this site are the former. But is the conversation different when it comes to the Vandals? When Idaho is the team making waves, do they deserve the same consideration as a Fresno State or Utah State or Nevada? Bronco fans have been taught to hate the Vandals more than any other team in the country, so it makes sense that cheering for them all of a sudden would take a much bigger leap of allegiance/Kevan Lee, One Bronco Nation Under God. 
we put on quite a parade through town, and during our era the tradition of upending outdoor johns around the county still highlighted the week. I have a picture in my mind and in my copy machine yearbook (my real yearbook burned in our house fire) of classmates marching through town, carrying a coffin bearing the effigy of our opposing team for Homecoming. I also remember getting all gussied up Homecoming Night in a wool suit and high heels to help present the flowers to our queen Joan Andrews (now Thompson). Lots of good memories of Homecoming and lots unfolding for the high school students of today. It’s a great tradition, regardless of how it’s celebrated/Marianne Love, Slight Detour. 
new designer looks every day at 70 to 80 percent off, I was elated. I found a cute outfit styled for an hourglass figure, and I clicked on “make it yours.” When I went to put in my size, I found it strange that the drop menu only went to size 6. I checked out the other looks — they all only went to size 6, except for the “full-figured” look, which went to size 10. I’m a size 8. I do not consider myself full-figured. In fact, the average American woman wears a size 11 to 14. Who is this Web site catering to? I have seen garments made by the designers featured on the Web site in size 14. Does the Web site not stock them because, surely, no one interested in designer clothing would be so fat?/Chava Thomas, UI Argonaut. 
make it a federal crime to assault people because of their sexual orientation. The legislation would bring major changes to law enacted in the days after Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination in 1968. … Civil rights groups and their Democratic allies have come close to expanding the hate crimes bill several times in the past decade, but have always fallen short because of lack of House-Senate coordination or opposition from former President George W. Bush. But this time it appears they may succeed. The bill was attached to a must-pass $680 billion defense policy bill that the Senate could approve as early as next week. President Barack Obama, unlike his predecessor, has promised to sign it into law/Associated Press. 
have a “Hybrid Gang” as in a gang with that name. Our gang officer relayed that we may have hybrids found in our area because we do not have established gangs that are recognizable such as the “Bloods” or “Crips”. We have youth in our area that learn about gangs through television, internet etc. They take some of the notions and concepts and emulate them in some way. They may add a local flavor that is something unique to them. They do not claim to be a member of an established recognizable gang. The term “Hybrid” is used to describe this. “Wannabe” used to be a popular term for it but it is not a correct description since these youth are active in committing crimes. The investigation of gang activity remains a priority for the Police Department.
United States because she is a … minority. It is interesting to me that in the 21st Century, with all the wonders of science, all the advances in technology, all the various political ladders that have been climbed – we, in 2009, still consider the term “minority” as a class that is mandatorily in place to give equal chance to all the people. And among all the ethnic differences and cultural differences and physical ability differences, we are including gender to that category. I’m not saying it is a bad thing or a good thing. It just kind of perked my senses –in that I have never considered my being female as a minority/JeanieS, Community Comment. 
an important role in government. It sounded good, but here’s what he said about the the Chamber of Commerce, which promotes small businesses in Coeur d’Alene earlier this year. (The Gookin Report then posted a statement that appeared on OpenCDA.com this spring that criticized the Charlie Nipp and the urban renewal agency for providing $250,000 to the chamber for its new building downtown.) Gookin: “The Chamber owes allegiance to the LCDC, Nipp, and the elected city officials. They pay homage, they do as they’re told. And we the people? We get to use the bathrooms in that building. Such a deal!” Gookin goes on to say that “I should do up a ‘Thanks for the place to poop’ plaque for the LCDC.”
outbreaks were in outer space, like the Panama Canal zone and the Russian gulag. Okay, then it was Texas. But still. Now on the fifth day of having the H1N1 virus, it’s clear that no amount of denial explains this wretchedness. The exhaustion, nausea, aches and misery is like you took on the hangovers of everyone at the party, then hiked to 8,000 feet where Sasquatch flattened you with one foot before tossing you back down the trail. Every day you wake up thinking, “THIS IS THE DAY I’M GOING TO FEEL NORMAL” and then you collapse in the shower. That I can sit up with the computer at all is a miracle, and writing this far has already exhausted me/Jill Kuraitis, New West. 
silently stalking around grizzly country in pre-dawn darkness, but only after they’ve sprayed themselves with human scent blocker, “buck scent” or stale elk pee. As sure as the seasons will open, some of them will have a close encounter with a grizzly, often resulting in a dead bear. Much has been written about this subject. Every wildlife expert out there has encouraged hunters to carry bear pepper spray instead of a big handgun for self-defense, but clearly, a lot of hunters ignore this advice, even though it’s all for their own safety and the future of hunting/Bill Schneider, New West. 
It’s an art form born out of necessity. For hundreds of years, women created colorful quilts to keep their families warm. Nowadays, quilts are just as likely to be hung on walls as they are to be thrown across beds. Next weekend, quilters from around the region will gather at the Spokane County Fair and Expo Center to celebrate the artistry of quilts at the 31st annual Spokane Quilt Show. Sponsored by the Spokane chapter of the Washington State Quilters, the show will promote a downtown treasure with its “Carrousel Centennial” theme/Cindy Hval, SR Washington Voices. 
get around quite a bit. Maybe I’m wrong and someone here can enlighten me on that one, but it sounds to me like Kunka’s going for the typical low-ball conservative tactic of trying to put fear into the populace about an issue which barely exists. There have always been groups of teenage hoodlums perpetuating various crimes since time immemorial, but of course “gangs” is a loaded word meant to stir up drama. Why isn’t anyone mentioning the real root of most crimes in this area, meth? 
been among those receiving fundraising support from the Vice President. Last month, the highly-respected Rothenberg Political Report 
Well done DFO. Since I’m on Dish out in the country I can’t watch it on TV. But your reporting in real time was almost like going back to a radio broadcast of a game before the TV editions. Good job to all those who contributed to both reporting on the scene and giving their comments along the way and in the post game show. This is a small slice of interactive democracy in action. I hope we see more of it.
those rare and special swine flu inoculations. It’s not that I like needles. I don’t. But there’s been so much hype (har) about swine flu shots lately. I don’t want to miss out. The limited supply of vaccine makes the injection a real status symbol. You know, like driving a Jaguar or having your own bus bench advertisement. Anyway, the woman examined my chart. She told me I didn’t fit into one of the “at risk” groups the government has pegged as flu-shot priorities. Which are: Pregnant women. Adults who care for or live with infants. Humans 6 months to 24 years of age. Humans ages 25 to 64 who have chronic health problems … And, of course, the U.S. dollar, which is in such a frail state. One common cold germ could wipe it out/Doug Clark, SR. 
comes down to acquiring ownership of the massive federal lands within its borders. “I believe these lands belong to the state of Idaho, and that the federal government has unjustly taken them from us,” Rammell told the Idaho County Free Press last week. “Two-thirds of the state of Idaho is under control of the federal government, and as governor I want to change that.” The feds own 33.4 million acres of this place called Idaho, compared to the 2.6 million acres possessed by the state and the 16.3 acres million in private hands. It’s the rare Idahoan who hasn’t railed about federal land management policies and the even rarer Idahoan who hasn’t heard someone else complain/Marty Trillhaase, Lewiston Tribune. 
Kunka only stated where he would volunteer if he were elected. He gave some song and dance about how leaders should volunteer. He’d hang out in the soup kitchens and the animal shelters so he would be a better leader. Give me a break! What is he currently volunteering for? Most people donate time to charitable causes as a selfless act. Kunka was suggesting doing so only to better himself … as a politician. Yuck.
Levi Johnston is going for the ultimate exposure - his bare body. Posing nude for Playgirl is next for the 19-year-old father of Sarah Palin’s grandchild. Johnston’s attorney, Rex Butler, said Wednesday that a formal agreement has not been reached with the online magazine but adds it’s a “foregone conclusion” it will happen. Johnston fathered a child with Bristol, the 18-year-old daughter of Sarah Palin, the former Republican vice presidential candidate and former Alaska governor/Associated Press. 
washed and toxins removed, all in a sterile setting with the humming of machines, swooshing of nurses (who call themselves techs), and the background sound of water whirling down the drains, washing those bad toxins into the sewer system. We patients are simply required to sit still for three and a half hours or longer, while all this scientific wonderland of activity drills past us, ticking, ticking the time down to when we get “unplugged”/JeanieS, Nuts & Nonsense. 
The Caged Bird Sings. I would want my high schooler to read it. I would want every every young man and woman who lives in lily white northern Idaho to read it. They would get a glimpse what it was like growing up black in the South in the 40s. They weren’t the days that gave us Barack and Michelle Obama to be sure. Though literature depicting their time should also be read. Why? Because the times that spawned Ms. Angelou gave us Ms. Angelou/Dogwalk Musings. 
widely supported, but you’d be wrong. They reasons Mormons don’t support it is, I think, are fold. One, basic Idaho libertarianism. Leave the smokers alone, plus, if you don’t like smoky bars, don’t go to them. Two, good Mormons don’t spend much time in bars and don’t appreciate how nasty and smoky they can get. And three, if you choose to work in a bar, then you choose to suffer the consequence/IdaBlue. 
here at Shari’s, just west of the Idaho State Police building in Meridian, John Carter and Mike Ludlow are finally able to sit down to dinner, black Glocks still strapped to their hips. The evening, up to this point, had certainly taken on a no-room-at-the-inn feel. Their objectives were simple: to sit down in a restaurant with their handguns clearly hanging in hip holsters, and to enjoy dinner with other like-minded and explicitly armed individuals. Carter and Ludlow are two pro-Second Amendment, gun-carrying activists trying to establish a local gun-rights advocacy group. On this night, however, their interest goes beyond your everyday, “to keep and bear arms” right/Scott Weaver, Boise Weekly. 
Former Idaho Sen. Larry Craig’s new consulting firm, New West Strategies, has been hired by Cassia and Minidoka counties to help Cassia County land a $300 million federal prison. The Twin Falls 
day who wanted to know if it’s legal for businesses to put campaign signs right on their building. I told him there is no election law against it (unless within 100 feet of a polling site) but some cities may regulate signs. The county doesn’t regulate political signs at all. I told him that while it’s legal I’m a bit surprised that someone would risk alienating a certain amount of their customer base by taking a side in public. There will always be those unhappy with their choices and they may vote against that business with their pocketbook.
because of our vagina. It bears our descendants, it gets fibroids, it cramps, it shrinks, it causes mood swings and hot flashes, it requires annual tests for cancer, and we have to deal with all its idiosyncrasies on a pretty much daily basis, until we get old and cranky and it threatens to simply fall out. I bet it’s the root of all the outrageous costs of insurance. 
killed by a hunter, marking the 29th wolf kill since Idaho’s hunting season opened this year. Senior Conservation Officer Lee Garwood said the kill occurred in the Eagle Creek drainage north of Ketchum. The wolf, which had been collared for tracking purposes, was about 2 years old. “There’s at least nine or 10 wolves remaining in the Phantom Hill pack,” Garwood told the Idaho Mountain Express. “It’s difficult to say exactly, as we didn’t see them in a group the last time we flew over the area.” The pack became well known in the region last winter, when it traveled near residential neighborhoods, killing elk a few hundred yards from homes/AP. 
endorsed its first two candidates although “There may be more to come, soon.” says KCRR President Jeff Ward. In unanimous votes Betty Ann Henderson was endorsed for Post Falls City Council and Jim Brannon was endorsed for Cd’A City Council.” Also, Jeff Tyler, VP of KCRR operations, will serve as campaign manager of Brannon’s campaign for Coeur d’Alene council against Mike Kennedy. Sez Tyler: “And I am counting on the Kootenai County Reagan Republicans, and all other Republicans, too, to help get Jim Brannon elected!” The Reagan Repubs plan to help Brannon walk precincts and get out the vote.
will be looking fierce, Cruella d’Ville ‘do and mebbe that jean jacket w/rhinestones. Woody will have the golden locks flowing. The Former HBOer Known As DanG will be wearing some sort of red power tie and trying to look as Republican as possible. Deanna will be wearing a nervous smile. MikeK will have a worried look because he’ll have a full bladder and he knows he can’t run back and forth for coffee during the debate. Dunno about Jim Brannon, Steve Adams, or Joe Kunka. Brannon will be there, right?
Kix is an excellent cereal. My mother would never buy me Frosted Flakes, Choc-o Sugar Bombs or anything like that, so I had to settle for Kix. At the time I hated it, but now, it is my food of choice, the one I turn to when I’m hungry late at night or when I’ve just gotten out of bed and nothing will do but cereal. Even Cheerios and Quaker Toasted Oats — two excellent cereals, I might add — can’t stand up to the wholesome, unique, kid-tested, mother approved taste of Kix/Editor In Chief Greg Connolly, UI Argonaut. More 
Specter in the 2004 Republican primary. Specter jumped to the Democrats to avoid a 2010 primary rematch. A funny thing, though: Even safe Republican districts often can’t stomach the club’s ideological purist candidates. After Republican primary voters ousted moderate incumbents in Maryland and Michigan, their districts elected Democratic congressmen. Rep. Bill Sali, a club favorite elected to Congress in 2006, was so extreme as to do the impossible — lose a House race to a Democrat in Idaho. Imitation is the greatest form of flattery. If Moore and Toomey were to watch our local election, they would see Seattle’s political left mimicking litmus test tactics of the right/Joel Connelly, Seattle P-I. 
Tuesday that today’s young people need to stand up more
for what they believe in. “In 1970, those students changed the policy of the United States,” said Pete
McCloskey, who served for 15 years in the U.S. House of Representatives as a
Republican from California. Students who became involved in the first Earth Day went on to label members
of Congress with the least environmentally friendly voting records as the “dirty
dozen,” he said. Some of those congressmen were defeated in subsequent
elections, McCloskey said, and a “new force” in American politics was born/Alison Boggs, SR. 
conservative. She is vocal. And whether you agree with her, she is quick witted and gives as good as any. Because of that she gets on TV with some frequency and has newspaper articles written about her. And it was in the recent article that I learned that in addition to her work, speaking engagement, marriage, family, career - she also hauls kids to soccer practice. Not football. Not basketball. Not baseball. Not even hockey. Soccer. And that is the way it is with all these successful career women we read about. Their lives are busy. They are great moms. They are smart. They are successful. They have fantastic careers. They have great families. And they have kids they take to soccer practice. Always soccer. Frankly, at the risk of offending soccer supporters, I’m a bit weary of all this soccer stuff/Dan Hammes, St. Maries Gazette-Record. 
CindyH: It’s really hard to type with mittens on. rarl;ye. See? Why am I wearing mittens? Because my spouse doesn’t think we need to turn on the gas fireplace in our basement yet. Guess where my desk is? I’m wearing two sweaters and a woolen scarf. I can’t find my earmuffs. sik;shyy!
insulated and isolated from reality. One being the politicians who seem to be encased immediately upon being elected to office. Next comes the world of professional sports with their collegiate farm teams used to get potential pros well primed. Thirdly, and these are by no means in particular order, comes the world of celebrity. Then I thought there is a fourth category. All the rest of us. The main difference is we are held to standards which the others ignore. I think that’s why we cheer so mightily when the mighty take a prat fall/Dogwalk Musings. 
Lynn Swanbom, a colleague during my days on the SR Editorial Page, won $10,400 and finished first on her first night on “Jeopardy!” Friday. But finished second on Monday night (although SR editorialist Gary Crooks said she did even better). Apparently, she gets to keep the money from her first night on the show but only $2000 from the second night (although she was ahead going into “Final Jeopardy”). At A Matter of Opinion, Gary points out that Lynn and the other contestants all missed the “Final Jeopardy” question on Friday. I’ll ask it below to see if you know the answer. 
receiving any funds in the upcoming transportation, housing and urban development spending bill. Minnick was one of 35 Democrats asking their leadership to add “no money for ACORN” language that has already passed the Senate. It’s just one more smack to an organization that’s been taking a beating ever since workers were caught on video explaining how actors posing as a pimp and a prostitute could set up what my grandmother would have called “a house of ill repute” with federal funding/Jim Camden, SR. 
different levels. The sadness of his heart, the scariness of being blackmailed and the icky-ness of what he confessed to doing with paid staff members brought deep sadness to me, as we have all watched this story unfold. In the middle of the sadness was also the strange bit of nervous laughter that continued from his studio audience, well into what they HAD to realize was a terrible time of confession and personal humiliation. And the audience laughed…and sometimes roared with delight (?)…..it was all very strange and sad. And the invisible tears of the clown were not quite obvious to all who watched, but they were there, nonetheless/Dennis Mansfield. 
home and he recovered at least back to a functional level. The following Saturday my oldest 15, felt funny at his brother’s CdA, jr. tackle game, that night, fever, next day a cough so loud so deep it rattles the foundation of the house. But last night, oh last night, 3am my daughter, my princess, 105 fever. Complete with those fever dreams and the darkness calls of ” they’re after me’ and it was the, “they’re after me” that finally broke my wife down. It was her shift to lay by her, we do it is shifts pretending that the other gets some form of sleep, in any case she comes into our room and I bolt up easily from edgy sleep to see her balling at our bedside, not sobbing, not hysterical, just unabashed balling. She says to me in quivering words “She’s so sick”/Eric Seaman. 
career from his office in Lewiston, where he sells billboard advertising and helps his wife, Val, in her real estate business. Hobart has stuck close to his north-central Idaho roots since ending his Canadian Football League career in 1990. He still travels 35 miles north to Moscow on most game days to watch the Vandals, and he stays in close contact with a handful of old teammates. Yet these days, the man who used to be known as the “Kamiah Kid” – a nickname that refers to his hometown of Kamiah, Idaho, about 65 miles southeast of Lewiston – is fully consumed by his three children’s athletic pursuits/Josh Wright, SR. 
safe warm place. Spiders, wasps, and rodents are also trying to set up camp, possibly in your home. Point Pest Control workers tell us they haven’t seen as many bugs as are out this year in quite some time, especially on the north side of Spokane. The bugs try to move into your home to set up a nest in a warmer environment. Point Pest Control experts say one female spider can lay up to three egg sacks, and in those sacks, they can have up to 100 offspring/KXLY. 
real reason for the dog and pony show that takes place during Dads’ Weekend. The entire weekend has a Mrs. Doubtfire quality about it. If I did have my father visit for the weekend, the last weekend I would want him to see is Dads’ Weekend. It is simply not an accurate reflection of the University of Idaho, and I would not want my dad to see a bunch of lies. This is not to discredit those dads who stay up all night trying to out-drink their son, or the dads who take a page out of “American Beauty” and spend the entire weekend trying to hit on their daughter’s friends. Despite these occurrences, there is a more subdued atmosphere to be found in the area during Dads’ Weekend. It is just not fair to dads of UI students who do not get to see the real University of Idaho/Cheyenne Hollis, UI Argonaut. 
happy. Skiers and boarders could ski and board. Snow can build up for spring run-off into the rivers, creeks and lakes. Folks in the lower echelons wouldn’t have to complain for several months. What I hate the most about winter is having to wear all those clothes and putting boots on, taking boots off. It gets tiresome really quickly. I won’t gripe today, though, because if we’re lucky, winter still could be a long way off, and there will be plenty of time to whine/Marianne Love, Slight Detour. 
drivers? To warn other drivers? To tell people you have arrived at their house, for them to come out? (I remember my folks wouldn’t let me go out the door, if a boy came and just honked his horn) What I figured out today was, I am none of above. In fact, I could not remember the last time I did use the horn. So long I didn’t know where the horn was on my car. Cars today, have several things there in the middle, that the horn is no longer in the middle of the
utensils wrapped in napkins. The place is notoriously understaffed or staffed with young kids that know not what they’re doing. Forgive them Father. My last debacle was with a group of 8 martini fanatics. Each of us had like 3 drinks, and they’re not cheap, so the bill was running probably $200 - $350. At 9:00 p.m. the waiter tells us he’s going home and we now have to move from our table to the bar if we want service because no one will be doing table service from here on. We took this table because it’s winter and we’re in front of the fireplace. Are you kidding me!? The tab is still open, and this group is just getting warmed up. We ended up settling the bill and walking out, to another establishment that wanted to keep it’s customers/Get Out! North Idaho. 
Northwest features many scenic bike routes for all abilities. But avid cyclist Cory English has recently discovered what she considers the most beautiful place of all to ride — on Twin Lakes. That’s on the surface of the lake itself, not around or near it, courtesy of her new Hydrobike, a two-wheeled vehicle designed especially for water use. This summer, English purchased the device, which consists of a bicycle frame perched on two floats. It’s powered by a propeller attached to a crank that turns as you pedal. Direction is controlled by the handlebars, which are attached to a rudder/Cindy Hval, SR Down To Earth. 
nothing more dangerous than an unemployed man, even though the primary person in danger may be the man himself, as is the case with protagonist Matt Prior. Several years before 
thousands of new residents here. They are chickens. And, according to current Moscow ordinances, every property owner in town can have 25 chickens for every 5,000 square feet of lot size, up to a total of 50 chickens. The average residential lot, according to officials, is about 6,000 square feet. “So I think we need to have a discussion,” said City Attorney Randy Fife, who’s been asked to draft a new chicken ordinance. “We’re getting two competing interests. There are people complaining about roosters and neighborhood chickens, and then we have increasing inquiries from people who want to raise chickens in their back yards”/David Johnson, Lewiston Tribune. 
industry big enough to employ a lobbyist of more tax breaks and subsidies, and all in the name of economic development. Not all Republicans subscribe to these views. But enough do, especially those who dominate the GOP’s primary elections as well as influence its legislative leadership. These also are the folks who label their more moderate colleagues Republicans In Name Only. Is this where most Idahoans wish to be? Are they traveling this path by default? Only a robust, gubernatorial campaign will tell. Conventional wisdom says running as a Democrat is a fool’s errand because Idaho is so reliably Republican. Still, what is the purpose of a political party if not to give voters a choice and the opportunity to switch course?/Marty Trillhaase, Lewiston Tribune. 
Marianne Love: I received my copy (of “Searching for Whitopia” by Richard Benjamin) today and skimmed through the North Idaho chapter. Lots and lots of names mentioned and anecdotes to go with them. In a very cursory glance, the most compelling section is the three days he spent with Pastor David Barley at America’s Promise annual summer gathering. He mentions the CDA mayor and Tammy Poelstra. (Also a lot of mention of Ron Rankin and special acknowledgement to Erica Curless and Mary Lou Reed, among others.) Writing is phenomenal, and it’s hard to put down, obviously because of the local interest. In what I’ve read, he simply reports without making heavy-duty judgments. It’s laced with folks from all walks of life.
Councilman Woody McEvers as a person — so much so that she gave him a big hug after the candidates’ forum sponsored by the Reagan Republicans Thursday. But, she adds, Woody’s “got to go! He’s unable to see straight and, when he does get the gumption to ask some good questions, he is easily manipulated by the powers-that-be and caves in to vote along with the rest of them. He’s lost any sense of perspective.” Later, Mary expands her comment to say that all the incumbents — Woody, Deanna Goodlander, Mike Kennedy, and Mayor Sandi Bloem — need to go. Quoth Mary: ”We need new vision and focus in City Hall! And a lot fewer ‘connections.’”
newsman, for a couple of years communications director for the Idaho Democrats, and most recently managing editor of the Morning News. The coffee didn’t happen; Oxley wasn’t at the newspaper office because he was home with the flu. We made tentative plans to meet later. Won’t happen now. The first bit of news I saw after returning home was about Oxley – 
the Quonset. Naturally, just when the Vandals have a chance to let it shine in, along comes television to mandate a post-sundown kickoff. “Like I had a choice,” said UI athletic director Rob Spear, laughing. “If ESPN tells us to start it at midnight, we start it at midnight.” Well, better being TV’s toady than college football’s footwipe. Whether it was ESPNU or ESPNXYZ, that the Vandals are interesting enough to be shown even on one of the Worldwide Leader’s JV channels suggests that there’s more light in the Kibbie Dome than what can shine in through the new translucent panels now adorning the west wall of the Palouse’s iconic barn/John Blanchette, SR. 
Sam: Hey, everyone, so we read 
outing to the Spokane County Interstate Fair. Sure, I could have caught this yawn and phony show on the tube at home. But I wanted to see if DSHS Secretary Susan Dreyfus was as uninspiring in the flesh as she is in high-def. She is. Dreyfus & Co. have been investigating Paul’s getaway for 15 days. They came up with a decent timeline of events. They formed a new committee. Bureaucrats do love committees. But other than CEO Hal Wilson falling on his sling blade, none of the nincompoops responsible for Paul’s vanishing act or the delayed call to the cops has been named. Discipline is pending. Heck, Dreyfus admitted she didn’t even know if it would have been legal to search the red backpack that Paul took to the fair. How lame can you get?/Doug Clark, SR. 
CindyH: Speaking of good books. I’m totally enthralled by the new Jess
Walter book “The Financial Lives of the Poets” and if DFO revives the
HBO book club, this should be featured. (I have not been paid in any way to promote this book online.
However, should the author wish to contact me and autograph my copy, I
wouldn’t refuse. Just saying :-)
Transplanted Texan (who attended his brother’s graduation from Marine boot camp in San Diego Friday): I am very proud of baby brother, one of the United States’s newest 600
Marines, and it’s been a great day seeing him. That said, his body is
freakishly lean and his face freakishly gaunt, and that may be exactly
the incentive I’ve been looking for for three years to lose weight. Like wow.
month ago (and Don’s pic of it), and another was this: The
neighbor down the beach has a large grassy lawn area. One morning, not
real early, about 8am, there was a mother deer and 3 fawns down on that
lawn. The mother grazed a bit but the little deer were playing just
like you would see puppies playing with each other. Chasing each other,
rolling around, etc. I had never actually seen the pups play the way
they were. Usually, you only see them following mom on a hunting trip
for geraniums or anything else you have planted. Or, they are standing
on the side of the road, as you pass them, looking at you. It really
was a heart warming thing to witness.
and started to munch.” So far, so good. “As
I enjoyed the chocolate and caramel taste, it appeared that one of my
Milk Duds was not as fresh as the others. One was rather crunchy and I
could not get it to soften up, no matter how hard I tried.” The transplanted Texan was puzzled. Finally, she removed the dud Dud from her mouth. She wanted to see what the problem was. “I found out.” Apparently,
as she had shifted into position on the bed, a hearing aid had fallen
out of her ear and dropped right into the little box of candies. She couldn’t have done that on purpose if she had tried. The hearing aid was now coated with chocolaty goodness. Fortunately, it wasn’t destroyed nor was there any dental damage/Paul Turner, SR. 
Uncontained chickens. Even uncontained cows – which makes you wonder if being uncontained has anything to do with being contented or not – you know how cows are. They are contented cows. Always. So – if you are an uncontented cow, then do you wander out the gate in search of your aspirations and dreams and then you unwittingly become lost in some strangers’ backyard and are now adjudged uncontained? An uncontained uncontent cow. How udderly sad/JeanieS, Nuts & Nonsense. 
have never been able to eat at because I’ve never lived on campus (up until yesterday I did not realize I could eat there), there is nowhere to get a salad. Apparently there is a salad bar at Smokey Mountain during lunch. Of course there is that accumulation of vegetables Pizza Hut calls a salad bar, but there are no real salad bars available all the time. The “salad bar” in the Commons was even removed this year. In Lewiston there are two fantastic salad bars that I regularly hit up. I love them. Why doesn’t someone in Moscow open a salad bar? I promise you one regular customer, and whomever else I drag along with me/Elizabeth Rudd, UIdaho Argonaut. 
Mayor Dave Bieter is shaving his head today for Camp Rainbow Gold making him, as far as we can tell, the coolest Mayor in the Country. You’ll remember that Camp Rainbow Gold held a fundraiser recently called Helpful Happy Hour in which the goal was to raise at least $25,000 for the Children’s Camp for Cancer victims. Bieter added momentum to that goal by promising to shave his head if they met that golden number. Well they did/FameFifteen. 
Not surprisingly, Roselle’s friends were the few black students brought in to desegregate his high school, and his activism started with protesting the Vietnam War and for legalizing marijuana with some women’s liberation and gay rights sprinkled in. Aside from the environmental organizations Roselle helped create, he also worked as an outside agitator for groups such as Greenpeace. But don’t let that outside agitator label fool you. Roselle excels at finding loopholes, irritating people, and being stubborn, but not at destruction. He practices peaceful non-violence. As Roselle says, “it takes more courage to sit in front of a bulldozer than it does to burn one”/Paula Younger, New West. 
proven to be popular and enduring. Now this comic collaboration begins a new stage with “Poor Again … Dagnabbit!” — the premiere of the first new McManus show in 12 years. The popular formula remains intact: McManus (pictured), the best-selling humorist famous for “A Fine and Pleasant Misery,” supplies the words. Behrens, alone on the stage, portrays McManus and all of his well-loved characters, including Retch Sweeney and Olga Bonemarrow. The subject, fittingly for our times, is financial woe. McManus creates rollicking tales about his poor childhood in Sandpoint during the Great Depression and a few stories about the current recession as well/Jim Kershner, SR. 
airplane from an Idaho airport earlier this week and crashed it near Granite Falls. The single-engine Cessna 182 Turbo was taken from the Boundary County Airport near Bonners Ferry on Tuesday and was found Thursday near Granite Falls, according to Detective Dave McClelland of the Boundary County Sheriff’s Office. Moore, 18, of Camano Island, has been a fugitive since he walked out of a Renton juvenile security facility in April 2008. He has been the focus of a manhunt following a string of burglaries and thefts on Camano Island and the San Juan Islands/Jennifer Sullivan, Seattle Times. 
SWANK, Andrew “Drew” Fremont (Age 17) Andrew “Drew” Fremont Swank joined his Father in heaven on September 27th, 2009 at Sacred Heart Medical Center in Spokane, WA at the age of 17 after suffering a severe injury in a football game. He and all of Heaven are rejoicing and celebrating his arrival! Drew was born to Donald and Patricia (Shively) Swank in Coeur d’Alene, ID on May 4th, 1992. The first two years of his life, he (our little snuggle bug) lived with his close knit family in Rathdrum, ID. In 1994 he moved with his family near Hauser Lake, ID where he lived until now. His home, located in the woods on a hillside, is exactly where a boy of his age would only dream of growing/Spokesman-Review. 
Letterman was indicted on charges of attempted grand larceny, the Manhattan prosecutor said on Friday. The popular host of “Late Show with David Letterman” on CBS stunned viewers on Thursday by admitting he had sex with female subordinates, saying he went to the authorities after receiving a package threatening to reveal the details. Letterman married Regina Lasko, his longtime companion, in March. The couple have a son born in 2003/Reuters. 
his Web site this morning, challenger Dan Gookin gushes that moderator Angela Monson of KQNT-AM (pictured) did a swell job at the Reagan Republican candidates’ forum last night. Quoth: “She sure is as fun in person as she is on the AM show. Who needs Dean!” Meanwhile, in the comments section today, Phaedrus reports (and another eyewitness verifies) that Gookin said of Monson at the tail end of the forum: “You’re too pretty for radio.” According to earwitnesses, Gookin made two personal comments re: Monson in his closing statement. He also commented that she was “so sweet.”
In the comments section, The Gookin Squad reports: “Moderator Angela Monson of KQNT commented on Mike Kennedy missing the (Reagan Republican) debate (Thursday night). According to Monson, the only acceptable excuse for missing the debate was if Kennedy was getting a kidney transplant.”
American who visited North Idaho during a nationwide tour in search of “Whitopia,” areas that are overwhelmingly white in a country where whites are becoming a minority. 
Mia: HMO, JimmyMac, I morn with you the closing of the Wine Cellar. I was down there last Saturday night to hang out with Jim, enjoy a glass of wine and let the music surround me, at the bar. Mike and I spent many an evening there, as well as across the street at JimmyD’s in it’s day. It is sad. RIP the Wine Cellar we all knew and loved!
Zelda: And speaking of friends and the Great Recession, I’m doing OK but most of my friends are out of work. I’m finding out that if you’re not closely connected by something other than the job to people you once worked with, they drift away. Makes me realize that many relationships are transactional, like currency — afloat only as long as there’s a job, promotion, sale or contact to be gained from the other. 
Lake City, which showed few signs of life in a 0-4 start, resuscitated its football season Friday. The Timberwolves avoided the big mistakes that had plagued them the first month and the defense came up with a shut out as Lake City knocked off Post Falls 20-0 in a 5A Inland Empire League opener at LC. In the first four games, opponents averaged 27 points in the first half alone against the Timberwolves. “We’ve always had the capability to win,” said LC senior running
back Justin Bryant, who returned after being out three weeks with a
dislocated collarbone. “We did everything right tonight. We didn’t make
any mistakes and pulled together. We didn’t have any big mistakes in
the first half and we came out ready to play – that’s what gave us
this win.” That and solid defense/Greg Lee, SR Sportslink. 
Huckleberries Online, will be on “Jeopardy!” Friday night. Lynn told your Huckleberry Hound today: “I tested online in January 2008 to be a contestant; I was invited to an audition in Portland in March 2008, after which they told me they would either call or not in the next 18 months. After hearing nothing for 16 months, they called in July and invited me to compete on the show, taping Aug. 11. They tape five shows a day. My roommate from here, my parents from Fresno, and several other friends were able to come to watch the taping.” Lynn goes on to say she can’t tell anyone how things turned out. But she offered a link to a story about one of her competitors 
Michelle and Obama’s trip to Copenhagen to lobby for a Chicago Olympics is a “sacrifice” but they’re doing it for the kids. The blood is barely dry on the streets from where a 14 year old was chased down and beaten with a pipe leaving him in critical condition with a fractured skull. This follows on the footsteps of the death of 16 year old Darrion Albert who was beaten to death with planks wielded by a mob. There’s two “kids” that won’t be enjoying the Olympics! … Sacrifice. Michelle and Oprah flying to Copenhagen on a U.S. government 757 and Obama on Air Force One. Sacrifice. What?/Dogwalk Musings. 
in Idaho earn less, are more likely to live in poverty, are becoming increasingly uninsured and, as the primary caretakers for children in this state, during this recession are 
had spiked a fever and had all the symptoms of a nasty ear infection. Then her toddler daughter came into the room crying and holding her nose. “What’s happened?” Davis asked. “I got a flip-flop up my nose,” wailed her daughter. When Davis tells that story to standing-room-only crowds during her “Womanhood: the Divine Comedy” events, the audience roars with laughter. Because those kinds of days are practically universal to women across the globe. While you may not have had to cope with a child with a tiny plastic shoe wedged in her nostril, chances are you’ve endured minor mishaps and major catastrophes./Cindy Hval, SR Voices. 
Tuesday might steep in infamy as the day the tradition of camp coffee died. Starbucks, after nearly 20 years of research, has debuted a decent-tasting instant cuppa joe. Once I controlled my gag reflex and tried a cup – this is not your mother’s Sanka – I felt liberated, fulfilled – and sad. The news comes as I’m packing a shoe box of coffee-making supplies for elk camp and just after I suffered through a two-day, go-fast, go-light bushwhack backpacking trip that precluded ANY weighty luxuries such as hot drinks/Rich Landers, SR. 
anxiously for my husband’s paycheck every other week. I, for the first time in years, am among the ranks of the unemployed, and not just because of choice. It’s rather difficult to find a job that will fit around my relatives’ schedule- they’ll have to be caring for my son while I work (we certainly can’t afford childcare at this point), or one that meshes with my husband’s schedule nicely enough for him to care for the boy while I work. Graveyard? I’d jump on it, but them’s mighty slim pickin’s out there. Full post below.
Berry Picker sends along a link from Wired magazine that ranks the various regions of the country in terms of the 7 deadly sins (greed, envy, wrath, sloth, gluttony, lust, pride). Sez she: “A group from Kansas plotted maps of the seven deadly sins in the United states, ranking on a scale from saintly to devilish. North Idaho barely ranked as saint or sinner in any sin (except in lust we were slightly saintly). However, our neighbors in Spokane were devilish in envy, and those in Western Montana were devilish in wrath.” Spokane rated high in envy. Western Montana rated high in wrath. North Idaho was fairly saintly in the “lust” category. 
Last week I woke to the sound of men’s voices in my kitchen. I checked the clock and sat up abruptly. My husband had already left for work. Who could be in my kitchen at 6:30 a.m.? I swung my feet to the floor and searched for the baseball bat my husband keeps under his side of the bed. Then I fumbled for my bathrobe in the dark room. A robe – even a fluffy pink one – is necessary if one plans to menace intruders with an aluminum bat. Menace is difficult to achieve while wearing an eyelet-trimmed nightgown/CindyH, SR Voices. 
my aunt and uncle to go see a “big-time grown-up” play in San Francisco. It’s a special trip that they have been ecstatic about for months about which their father is excited (with a little trepidation about their being gone from us for five days). I’m going to spend their last night at home with them getting ready and reveling in their excitement with them. For a time I didn’t exactly know if we were going to send them Thursday, Friday, or Saturday, so I didn’t know if I could attend the forum. It turns out they are leaving Friday early morning with my uncle, and so I’ve decided not to change my night with them to accomodate a third GOP forum. It’s a bummer that the conflict is there, but I’m putting my daughters first/Councilman Mike Kennedy, Huckleberries Online.
The hippies did society a service by getting rid of some of the phoniness and silliness in social interplay but, in doing so, they destroyed much of the civility and basic good manners that are the oil of a civilized society. In turn, they spawned a generation that was taught few manners, almost nothing about good taste or any of the so-called social graces. Now, too many of their children are coming of age without having learned these skills. To be fair, I’ve noticed an improvement in recent years with today’s young people. I find them much kinder and much more friendly than even 10 years ago, more politically involved and more sensitive to other people’s feelings. They are on the way back/Lenna Harding, Moscow-Pullman Daily News. 
turning into a political endorsement vehicle for Kennedy’s campaign by the owner of the blog by prompting his participants to comment on statements made by Dan Gookin years ago, in order to make Kennedy look good at the expense of Gookin who is not Kennedy’s opponent. This poisoning of the well is very strange and disturbing ethical behavior, IMHO.” I guess Gary’s saying that Dan Gookin’s public pronouncements on this blog and others are off limits — pronouncements that provide a more rounded picture of the candidate that his carefully crafted one now. Gookin’s one of those rare candidates who have a track record in print as extensive — or possibly more extensive than the incumbent he opposes. Still, I will gladly post promo spots by any of the challengers on HBO, as I did Mike Kennedy’s two days ago.
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