Archive for January 2010
January goes away this weekend — and there’s plenty of decent weather in store for us in the early part of February, as we head for the Super Bowl, Blogfest VI, and spring training for the new, improved Mariners. Before then, we have to launch the new HBO Grub Club. The place this week: The Porch on Miles/Hayden. The discussion begins Monday morning. Bring your notes. Now, for the weekend Wild Card …
Gonzaga’s Steven Gray, with ball, fouls San Francisco’s Angelo Caloiaro during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday in San Francisco. San Francisco tied the game with a 3 with 7 seconds remaining in regulation play and then stopped the Zags’ 22-game winning streak in WCC play in overtime 81-77. ESPN boxscore here. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)
Sgt. Christie Wood (originally published Saturday): Tribal Police have worked tireslessly to improve relations with the Benewah County Sheriff’s Department as well as the Prosecutor’s office with no resolution. Last summer the 
Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations (I currently fill the LE Board member posiiton that was previously filled by Sheriff Watson) listened to testimony from Tribal officers reference the safety issues they deal with on a daily basis, due to the lack of cooperation of the Benewah County Sheriff. It is inexcusable to put citizens and LE officers at risk for personal injury due to what appears to be prejudice. Street officers have an inherant instinct to provide back up to an officer caling for help. They do not see white, black, hispanic, Indian etc. they see a brother officer in need. What in the heck is wrong with Sheriff Kirts? Thank you Sheriff Watson for putting safety first. You are a role model that other jurisdictions should follow.
Question: Should tribe police be cross-deputized to have authority to arrest non-tribal members on the Coeur d’Alene reservation?
Arpie: Okay commenters and blurkers I need help with an ethics question: This morning on a walk to get the paper, My dog lit into and hurt a
neighbors’ dog enough to need a trip to the vet. My dog 
is confined in
my yard unless it is with me, which it was though not on a leash. The
neighbors’ dog was loose and had been following the owner’s car along
the private road we both live on. The car headed to town and a few
minutes later, my dog hurt their dog. This happened on the road, not on
either of our properties. The neighbor lives further up the road from
us and I do not go past their house on my trip to the mail-paper boxes. Am I morally, ethically, and or legally bound to pay the vet bill?
On the one hand, my dog hurt their dog. On the other hand, their dog
was loose without, an owner present, on neutral terrain.
Arpie: Any thoughts would be appreciated.
Item: Idaho mulls pulling tax dollars from parks: State may depend on user fees, volunteers/Rocky Barker, Idaho Statesman
More Info: Not one of the 50 states is running its park system as Gov. Butch Otter hopes to achieve for Idaho: without state tax support. The only state that has tried, New Hampshire, has failed. Its self-funded system of 74 parks, beaches, campgrounds and ski areas has had deficits averaging $400,000 for 19 years and has been forced several times to ask the Legislature for additional money.
Question: Is Otter being reckless with the future of Idaho’s park system? Or does this idea make sense?
Item: Tribe seeks more authority for police: Legislation would allow officers to arrest non-tribal members/Tom Hasslinger, Coeur d’Alene Press
More Info: Some say it’s a law that would better enforce public safety, while others see it as simply unconstitutional. The Coeur d’Alene Tribe is proposing legislation that would give all tribal police officers the authority to arrest or cite non-tribal members violating state law on reservations and send them to state court. The proposal — the State and Indian Tribal Cooperative Law Enforcement Act — would close a legal loophole that allows suspects to escape justice on reservations that encompass more than one county, supporters say.
Question: Should Coeur d’Alene tribal police have the authority to arrest or cite non-tribal members on the reservation? Or will these lead to more hostility between the tribes and whites on and near the reservation?
Alex Orbison speaks with fans in front of photographs of his father, the late rock and roll legend Roy Orbison during ceremonies honoring the elder Orbison with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame Friday in Los Angeles. Full Orbison record list here. (AP Photo/Nick Ut)
Question: Are you a fan of the late Roy Orbison? Which record of his (after “Oh, Pretty Woman”)?
Before he was sentenced last year, a former Bayview
contractor now serving time in federal prison 
for selling marijuana
helped federal drug agents bust a once-prominent Coeur d’Alene
insurance agent and school booster. That insurance agent,
Jerald S. “Jerry” Carlson, 47, pleaded guilty Thursday to a felony
charge of attempting to possess cocaine with intent to deliver in a
plea deal that dismissed two other felony cocaine charges.Carlson’s
plea avoided a trial in which an acquaintance who sold him the cocaine
that led to his arrest, Theodore L. Bruck, was scheduled to testify/Meghann M. Cuniff, Sirens & Gavels. More here.
Question: For years, Jerry Carlson was my Farmers Insurance agent. Nice guy. I’m sad to see this come down like it did. I hope he gets help with his addiction. I’m still with Farmers. But I’m open to other options. Anyone out there have a good word to say about your insurance company?
E-mails KeithinCDA: “I took this at ‘moonrise’ about 4:45 (Friday). I am down in the Blue Mountains between Dayton and Pomeroy. Not sure if it was clear enough up there for anyone to get shot. So, if not, use this one.”
The Idaho Legislature is considering limiting the length of sessions
to just 90 calendar days to save money, conserve the time of government
workers and encourage a more diverse legislature. The House State
Affairs Committee voted today to consider putting a constitutional
amendment on November’s ballot. There’s currently no limit on Idaho
sessions. Boise Democrat Grant Burgoyne said lawmakers should at
least discuss imposing deadlines in light of the 2009 session, which
ran for 117 days. That was the second-longest session in Idaho’s history/Associated Press. More here.
One of two juveniles arrested in connection with the shooting of up to 20 vehicles on State Highway 8 last week was retaken into custody after investigators found a pipe bomb during a search of his room Thursday, according to the Latah County Sheriff’s Office. Latah County Prosecutor William Thompson Jr. said authorities rearrested Austin James Rickert Thursday after a PVC pipe stuffed with fireworks powder and primed with a fuse was found in the room he uses at his grandfather’s residence on Forks Road near Helmer. Thompson said the bomb was likely made before the Jan. 22 shooting incident that lasted for more than three hours and temporarily closed the highway between Deary and Bovill/Joel Mills, Lewiston Tribune. Rest of story below.
Question: I’m sure you never found a pipe bomb in a child’s room. What was the oddest thing that you have found (that you can share with fellow Berry Pickers)?
A state judge ruled Friday that Phillip A. Paul, the criminally
committed Eastern State Hospital 
patient whose escape during a
September field trip to the Spokane County Interstate Fair outraged
residents and led to changes in state policy, should be stripped of his
right to live away from the hospital campus. Paul, who has been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, had been
in and out of the hospital on court-approved conditional release
several times since killing a 78-year-old Sunnyside, Wash., woman in
1987 during a psychotic episode. His last conditional release ended in January 2009, when the
managers of the Carlyle Care Center asked the state to remove Paul from
the downtown Spokane halfway house. His behavior had become erratic and
aggressive because he was not taking his medications/John Stucke, SR. More here.
Question: Has the state of Washington done a good job correcting problems that enabled insane killer Phillip Paul to escape during a field trip to the Spokane fair?
Not
much has happened at OpenCDA.com this week other than some hand wringing re: the future of McEuen Field (which also concerns me, by the way). Now, Mary Souza has taken it a step further in her newsletter by noting that the city has removed the run-down tennis courts at McEuen Field san announcement — and that a two-story parking garage will replace it. Mary claims an “involved citizen” told her that City Finance Director Troy Tymeson told him (are you following this?) about the parking structure. According to the “involved citizen” and Mary, the plans are already drawn up. Mary goes on to say: “McEuen Field is directly in the cross hairs of LCDC; it’s their #1 priority for this year.” Then, she launches into the usual conspiracy theories involving the office of Charlie Nipp being a half block away, etc.
Question: What changes would you like to see to McEuen Field, if any?
Nick Anderson/Houston Chronicle
CBS
has rejected a gay dating site’s Super Bowl ad and now Mancrunch.com wants a bite out of the network. CNBC.com reporter Darren Rovell tweeted earlier Friday that CBS would not be airing ManCrunch.com’s ‘Playing for the Same Team’ ad during the NFL game next week, FOXNews.com reports. “Mancrunch.com has just received a formal rejection of its ad from CBS,” Rovell wrote on Twitter. In the ad two sports fans are watching an NFL game and discover their mutual affection over a bowl of chips. They proceed to make out to the surprise of another sports fan watching nearby/New York Daily News. More here (w/video of ad).
Question: On Thursday, the Parting Shot asked about the appropriateness of a pro-life ad for the Super Bowl, featuring star college QB Tim Tebow and his mother. What do you think about the ad from ManCrunch that was rejected?
The ice may be slushy on the chain lakes, but it’s still top notch. Ralph Bartholdt/Skookum Photography took his camera and pen out to investigate the ice fishing that has the locals excited this year. More here.
How are you guys doing re: checking out The Porch of Miles Avenue/Hayden, as part of the first HBO Grub Club selection for a restaurant review en masse? I know several of you checked out the restaurant earlier in the week. Are others doing so? We’ll begin the restaurant review Monday morning. Early reviews sound good for the business owner. Remember we’ll be grading The Porch on a new Huckleberries system, one to five Huckleberries, with 5 being top notch. You still have the weekend to check out The Porch. Enjoy. Now, I’ll replay the Wild Card …
Sixth-grader Emily Cahill of Holy Family Catholic School in Coeur d’Alene dressed in her best Hawaiian clothing for the last day of Catholic Schools Week today. (Kathy Plonka/SR)
In this photo taken with a cell phone and provided by Kylie Kaiser and PzNaPpod.blogspot.com, a man plays with a live chicken on an uptown No. 6 subway train in New York Tuesday evening. You write the cutline. (AP Photo/2PzNaPpod.blogspot.com, Kylie Kaiser)
Top Cutlines:
Joan Lang is a 78-year-old Idaho native who says she has “never voted for a Republican in my 
life.” Nevertheless, Lang received a fund-raising letter from the Republican National Committee that’s being criticized for confusing citizens as the decennial census is conducted this year. The mailing from RNC Chairman Michael Steele is billed as an “official 2010 CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT CENSUS” and came with “Census Tracking Code #A10PD25.” In much smaller type, the survey says, “Commissioned by the Republican Party,” and notes that the mailing was paid for by the RNC. It came in an envelope stamped “DO NOT DESTROY OFFICIAL DOCUMENT” and asking Lang to return it by Feb. 5. “They’re attempting to make people think they have to respond,” said Lang, who spent 16 years in the Idaho Army National Guard, reaching the rank of sergeant first class/Dan Popkey, Idaho Statesman. More here.
Question: What do you make of the tactics used by the GOP national committee in this situation?
Ever since he was a toddler and we took him to see the Berenstain Bears “LIVE AND IN PERSON!” at Barnes and Noble, my son has held any and all costumed characters in great disdain. He doesn’t hate them. He’s just disgusted by them. Maybe because he realized from an early age that they weren’t the real characters, but just some sweaty teenagers earning minimum wage underneath all that cloth and foam/Idaho Dad, A Family Runs Through It. More here.
Question: Do you have a thing about something that other people think is fun? Or cute?
A black hen is shown Friday at Glendale Community College in Glendale, Calif., that has been dodging cars, captors and coyotes for two months. Officials say the bird has been darting into traffic outside Glendale Community College since it was first reported Nov. 20. The chicken has drawn a growing crowd of photographers and journalists as animal control officers struggle to catch it. (AP Photo/Nick Ut)
Question: As a child, I was once pecked by a chicken because I was bothering her chicks in the yard of my father’s dairy. I remember growing up with a fear of mother hens. Have you ever had a close encounter with a chicken? Or rooster?
After
three and a half years on the arts and culture beat, I am leaving the paper for another job opportunity. I will continue writing movie reviews for the Ticket Stubs space as well as occasional pop culture commentaries for inside this section. Our copy editors have also promised to stop running my picture, so that should be a relief to many of you. My news came as quite a shock to many people in the newsroom. City reporter Tom Hasslinger said, “We might as well shut everything down because nothing can ever compare to Tyler Wilson’s spellbinding prose.” City editor Bill Buley had these kind words to say: “Tyler Wilson is more important to me than my own biological son.” Finally, Duane Hagadone had this to say about the shocking departure of Tyler Wilson: “Who?”/Tyler Wilson, Coeur d’Alene Press. More here.
Question: Who do you read for local views re: movies, plays, and other performances?
Christopher E. Williams, 32, of Post Falls, was sentenced Thursday to serve seven years in state prison, the Kootenai County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office announced today. District Judge John Luster sentenced Williams to serve seven years, including the first two years of fixed time. Williams, who has a long misdemeanor and felony criminal history, pleaded guilty last month to pushing and hitting his ex-girlfriend during an argument. The county prosecutor also said that Williams pushed the victim down on top of her young daughter, then punched and choked her. Williams admitted that he was under the influence of meth at the time and that he is a meth addict/Kootenai County Prosecuting Attorney news release.
Maxwell Munson,
Question: What’s the most you’ve ever won playing a lottery?
Several vehicles are piled up in the southbound lane of Highway 65, one mile south of Mason City, Iowa, on Monday. The National Weather Service said snowfall ranged from 1 to 4 inches, but winds were blowing up to 35 mph, with gusts near 45 mph. (AP Photo/The Globe Gazette, Bryon Houlgrave) Question: Yeah, I know we should be concerned about the diminished snowpack from this mild winter and what that means for water reserves and fire danger later this year, but do you really miss the harsh winters we’ve had for the last two years?
My favorite kind of day is “Wear My Husband’s Clothes” day. It occurs whenever I’m too busy to see him, and it works out great because we wear the same size in everything. Sometimes I wear a T-shirt of his, other times a pair of jeans, and most often one of his button-down shirts. It’s great having two closets of clothes I can fit into, but he better not start wearing my stuff/Production manager Kelsey Samuels. More Off The Cuff.
Question: Have you ever done something like this?
What’s
the most famous sculpture in America? Mount Rushmore, of course, created by an Idahoan who once served on the national board of directors of the Ku Klux Klan. Gutzon Borglum was born in the southeastern Idaho hamlet of St. Charles in 1867, the son of a polygamist woodcarver who quit the Mormon church and discarded the boy and his mother. Borglum learned his art in New York and Europe, and was famous in 1915 when the United Daughters of the Confederacy commissioned him to sculpt a bust of Robert E. Lee on Stone Mountain northeast of Atlanta. His fee was paid by the KKK. Biographers Audrey and Howard Shaff say Borglum joined the Klan — although the artist later denied it — to curry favor with his new patrons/Steve Crump, Twin Falls Times-News. More here.
Question: Does the connection between Borglum and the KKK diminish your appreciation of Mount Rushmore in any way?
While on a play date with a friend, Erika Frahm, age 5, says hello to a Canada goose in Riverfront Park Thursday. (Colin Mulvany/SR)
JazzyVandal:
Speaking of Super Bowl ads, it looks like there will be a gay dating site ad during the game. I was doing some googling and CBS has turned down ads before from PETA and United Church of Christ (about inclusiveness) in the past. It looks like things have changed. Even though I’m not keen on Focus on the Family, if CBS allows ads from other groups, I’m okay with it. I just hope the game won’t be full of ads from lobbying groups or political parties in the future.
Question: What kind of ads do you like to see during the Super Bowl broadcast?
Scott Roeder jokes with his attorney after he finished testifying in his murder trial on Thursday in Wichita, Kan. Roeder, the man accused of murdering prominent Kansas abortion provider Dr. George Tiller, took the stand in his own defense Thursday and promptly admitted that he fatally shot Tiller in an attempt to save unborn children. A Wichita, Kan., jury found Roeder guilty of first-degree murder today after deliberating only 30 minutes. Reuters story here. (AP Photo/Jeff Tuttle, Pool)
President Barack Obama holds up a document of Republican solutions given to him by House Minority Leader John Boehner of Ohio, before he spoke to Republican lawmakers at the GOP House Issues Conference in Baltimore today. Wall Street Journal story here. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
Question: On a scale of 1 to 10, with one being “a snowball’s chance in hell,” how likely is it that a new era of bipartisanship will break out in Washington and that Obama will listen to Republicans (and vice versa)?
Ben
Bernanke was confirmed today to remain as chair of the Federal Reserve. the Senate vote was 70-30, a clear win margin. But two-thirds of the Northwest delegation was against him. Both of Idaho’s Republicans, Mike Crapo and Jim Risch, voted against; most of the 30 opposition votes were Republicans. But the area’s four Democrats split – seniors against juniors. The senior senators in Washington and Oregon, Patty Murray and Ron Wyden, voted in favor. The juniors, Maria Cantwell and Jeff Merkley (who has been loud for some weeks in his opposition to Bernanke), voted against/Randy Stapilus, Ridenbaugh Press.
Question: Did you support Ben Bernanke’s confirmation to remain as chair of the Federal Reserve?
He fished upon the frozen lake;
he knew the ice was strong;
they pulled him out on June the eighth
— it turned out he was wrong.
The Bard of Sherman Avenue
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, foreground, loses her shoe as she is greeted by French President Nicolas Sarkozy on the steps of the Elysee palace upon her arrival Friday in Paris. Clinton flew to Paris on Friday for talks with French officials and to give a speech on European security. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena) Question: Have you ever had a wardrobe malfunction at a bad time?
JEERS … to Idaho State Board of Education President Paul Agidius of Moscow (pictured at UI President Duane Nellis’ inaugaration). If there’s one 
person in this state who should be speaking truth to power, it is the president of the board of education. He should tell lawmakers and the public the consequences of cutting school budgets and slashing higher education resources for the second year in a row. It is not Agidius’ responsibility to provide political cover for those state leaders. But that’s what he did. Speaking to the Legislature’s budget committee Monday, Agidius said: “It isn’t my job to come here and beg for funding. I’m here to help you find solutions and make sure state institutions are making the best use of the dollars you appropriate”/Marty Trillhaase, Lewiston Tribune. More here.
Question: Is there truly an advocate for public and secondary education in a position of power in Idaho?
Sen.
Mike Jorgenson, R-Hayden Lake, this morning introduced sweeping legislation aimed at punishing Idaho employers who knowingly employ undocumented immigrants, along with other measures including denying recognition of out-of-state driver’s licenses to those without legal immigration status. “The key language is ‘knowingly hire,’” Jorgenson said. He’s proposed versions of such legislation repeatedly without success, but said this year he worked with University of Missori-Kansas City law professor Kris Kobach to draft Idaho-specific legislation/Betsy Russell, Eye On Boise. More here.
Question: Do you support Sen. Mike Jorgenson’s attempt to get a handle on illegal immigration in Idaho?
It’s that time again, when Apple devotees flock around their leader, Steve Jobs, bowing before 
his very presence and spouting off misguided praise. It’s a time when grown men weep like children and atheists behave like evangelical Christians. I am referring, of course, to the Apple event held Wednesday in which Jobs announced the iPad, ending long-speculated rumors of Apple’s next must-own gadget. Already Twitter and tech blogs are abuzz about how the iPad is a can’t-miss item. If reports are to be believed, the iPad will be the end of netbooks, the savior of newspapers, the siren song for e-readers and will bring digital media to every single person in the world, thereby rescuing global media and bringing stability to our fragile society. Don’t believe the hype/Ilya Pinchuk, UI Argonaut. More here.
Question: Do you have to have all the latest tech gadgets? Or are you still on dial-up?
Idaho’s Luiz Toledo (21) reaches for a rebound with Fresno State’s Nedeljko Golubovic during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Thursday in Moscow. The Vandals snapped a five-game WAC losing streak with a 74-59 victory over the visiting Bulldogs. Josh Wright SportsLink story here. (AP Photo/Lewiston Tribune, Kyle Mills)
The Senate State Affairs Committee has voted unanimously to approve HB 379, the measure from Rep. Lynn Luker, R-Boise, to eliminate a tax return checkoff that allows taxpayers to donate $1 of their taxes to the political party of their choice; the bill, which already has passed the House, now moves to the full Senate. Senators had plenty of questions for Luker, however, including whether a “trailer bill” will follow to reinstate the checkoff but make the donation come from the taxpayer’s refund, rather than from the state general fund/Betsy Russell, Eye On Boise. More here.
Question: Have you ever contributed money to a political party via a tax return checkoff?
The Coeur d’Alene School District is talking about a levy later this year. North Idaho College is also aiming at leveraging tax dollars from Kootenai County property owners. Thank goodness some strong-willed, dedicated business people are making the KTEC dream come true through their own sweat, blood and hard-earned dollars. And we hope that as this professional-technical high school takes shape out on the Rathdrum Prairie, the business people who first envisioned this project are the ones whose imprint is ultimately most apparent. The news is that these business people recently closed on the 20-acre site that will be home to Kootenai Technical Education Campus/Mike Patrick, Coeur d’Alene Press. More here.
Question: What do you make of this push by the business community to build a professional technical high school on the Rathdrum Prairie?
Michael Ramirez/Investor’s Business Daily
A
once-prominent Coeur d’Alene insurance agent and school booster pleaded guilty Thursday to federal drug charges in U.S. District Court. Jerald S. “Jerry” Carlson, 48, pleaded guilty to a felony charge of attempting to possess cocaine with intent to deliver. Carlson was arrested in February after an investigation by the Idaho State Police. The charge carries a sentence of five to 40 years in prison, along with the possibility of up to a $2 million fine. Judge Edward Lodge set sentencing for 4 p.m. on April 14. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nancy Cook recited the following facts, which Carlson admits/Alison Boggs, SR. Rest of the story below.
Gonzaga’s Demetri Goodson, left, and Santa Clara’s Troy Alexander eye a loose ball during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Thursday in Santa Clara, Calif. Gonzaga rallied from as many as 14 points down in the second half to win 71-64. ESPN boxscore here, and: Jim Meehan’s SportsLink story here. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)
I did talk to the woman who voted absentee during the 2009 Coeur d’Alene municipal elections, only to learn that recently a private investigator showed up looking for her at her old apartment. She had moved from the apartment complex in December. And her former manager gave her a head’s up about the visit. Later, she found out that the visit was tied to challenger Jim Brannon’s lawsuit. “Am I being investigated because I filled out an absentee ballot?” she asked rhetorically. The woman asked a high-profile attorney friend in town to contact the P.I. and hasn’t been bothered since. Such is the way things are in Coeur d’Alene in this year of the Lord 2010. Now, to replay the Wild Card …
In this Nov. 28 file photo, Florida quarterback Tim Tebow embraces his mother, Pam, during a pre-game ceremony for graduating seniors on the Florida football team prior to an NCAA college football game against Florida State in Gainesville, Fla. CBS responded to complaints over a conservative group’s planned Super Bowl ad featuring football star Tim Tebow and his mother Pam by saying that it had eased restrictions on advocacy ads and would consider “responsibly produced” ones for open spots in its Feb. 7 broadcast. CBS said Tuesday, it had received numerous e-mails _ both critical and supportive _ since a coalition of women’s groups began a protest campaign Monday against the ad, which the critics say will use Tebow and his mother to convey an anti-abortion message. Story here. (AP Photo/Phil Sandlin, Pool, File) Question: Would you be offended by a pro-life ad during the Super Bowl, which focuses on the decision by Pam Tebow to keep her unborn baby who grew up to be a star college quarterback?
A first-grade teacher in Hayden Lake is among hundreds of consumers scammed by an Illinois company that continues tapping their checking accounts long after they have paid for products ordered over the Internet. Sarah King, who teaches at Hayden Meadows Elementary School, said she found a set of four posters she liked on Facebook last fall and placed her order with PosterPass.com. The price was $14.95, which was an introductory offer for a $32.95 per-month subscription service that would deliver a new poster each month if she did not cancel within 30 days. She paid with a debit card, received the posters five days later, and immediately canceled/Bert Caldwell, SR. More here.
Question: Have you ever been the victim of an Internet scam?
Argentina’s president thinks eating pig meat is really sexy. Many people in this beef-loving nation reacted with surprise Thursday after Cristina Fernandez promoted pork in a speech during which she not only said pork is better than Viagra, but suggested she’s personally proven it. “I didn’t know that eating pork improved sexual activity,” Fernandez said in a meeting with representatives of the swine industry late Wednesday. “It is much more gratifying to eat some grilled pork than to take Viagra.” She even joked that “it was all good” after she enjoyed some pork with her husband, former President Nestor Kirchner/Associated Press. More here.
Question: Ah, do you eat pork?
Kinder Magic students from left, Ainsley Brigham, Chase Obrien and Savannah Glass participated in a yoga class at Parkside Fitness taught by instructor Amy Gates in Coeur d’Alene. (Kathy Plonka/SR)
Radio talk-show host Rush Limbaugh speaks during a Miss America news conference at Planet Hollywood Wednesday. Limbaugh is one of six judges for the pageant which takes place at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas Saturday. You write the cutline. (AP Photo/Las Vegas News Bureau, Brian Jones)
Top Cutlines:
“… sadly I must report that the State of The Column is shakier than a John Edwards 
paternity denial. That’s because The Column returns today after taking a week off minus pay. No, it had nothing to do with what that guy wrote in a recent letter to the editor: ‘Mr. Clark is the one in need of confinement, at least from his keyboard.’ My hiatus was due to The Spokesman-Review’s “furlough” program. This is an economic move designed to cut costs and shrink employee self-worth to the size of a microbe’s shinbone. Question: What sucks worse than taking a week off without pay? A: Getting the flu while taking your no-pay-cation. Seriously. I spent the last chunk of my furlough in a clammy, feverish fog. Now I know what it’s like to be Martha Coakley/Doug Clark, SR. More here.
DFO: Alas, I need to start thinking about another furlough week to help balance books for the first quarter. But, as Scarlet said, I don’t want to think about that today. I’ll think about that tomorrow — or at least after Blogfest VI.
Question: Does your office or company use furloughs to keep things in the black?
“In my travels this week,” posted KerriT/More Main Street, ”I crossed paths with former Idaho Governor/former US Senator, Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorn and Major Vaughn Ward at Ground Force Manufacturing in Post Falls.”
I’m
live blogging at the movie set. Funny, right? But true. Rich Flores, a KNIFVES member, has been filming his short “Shining Cuckoo” film these last few days. I volunteered to play an extra in the coffee shop scene. So here I am. … Right now, they’re discussing when to film what when. They want a “master,” and get the extras out of here faster, if possible…. No facial expressions from the people on the right side of the room… they won’t even be there in Scene 11… More “master” discussion. … “Are they willing to stay?” They’re willing to stay. … Where are the cops? (actually, there’s one true one and one fake one, but they’re both wearing local county sheriff outfits… oops, I mean uniforms… very authentic….)/Beth Bollinger, Accidental Rabbit Trails. More here.
Question: Have you ever been an extra in a movie? Tell us about it.
The city of Coeur d’Alene has warned Confidential Investigations to get a permit if it plans to continue doing investigative work within the city limits. Confidential Investigations has been hired by Jim Brannon to obtain voter information in his lawsuit against Councilman Mike Kennedy and other city officials. Erin Jenkins of Confidential Investigations contacted former Coeur d’Alene resident Monica Paquin recently to ask about her vote in the 2009 election. In a letter written to Confidential Investigations Wednesday, Deputy City Clerk Kathy Lewis noted that the company was warned in writing on Nov. 2 that it needed to obtain a $50 license per year to operate in the city limits. Also, each employee must obtain an individual license for $25 per year and undergo a $45 background check. In her letter, Lewis pointed out that Confidential Investigatins had requested information of “an investigative nature” within the city limits on Oct. 21, Nov. 12, and Nov. 13, 2009/Huckleberries Online. See link below for more.
In
a contentious hearing Thursday morning in the House State Affairs Committee, the Idaho Health Freedom Act (IFHA), sponsored by Rep. Jim Clark, R-Hayden, and co-sponsored by Rep. Raul Labrador, R-Eagle, and Rep. Lynn Luker, R-Boise, passed the committee on a 13-5 party line vote. During his testimony before the committee, Clark said bill would enable Idahoans to choose their own medical services and insurance and free Idahoans from excessive regulation by the federal government. The bill would also give the state more standing in court, should the time come that the state needs to sue, said Clark/Dustin Hurst, Idaho Reporter. More here.
Question: Do you think this bill will state up to a federal challenge should Obama-backed health care reform become law?
Marci Beagley testifies about the events leading to the death of her son in Clackamas County Court Thursday in Oregon City, Ore. Beagley and her husband, Jeff, are charged with criminally negligent homicide for allegedly failing to provide adequate medical care for their 16-year-old son, Neil, who died in June 2008 of complications from a urinary tract blockage. (AP Photo/The Oregonian, Michael Lloyd) Question: Do you believe in faith healing of any kind?
Copies of J.D. Salinger’s classic novel “The Catcher in the Rye” as well as his volume of short stories called “Nine Stories” are seen at the Orange Public Library in Orange Village, Ohio, earlier today. Salinger, the legendary author, youth hero and fugitive from fame whose “The Catcher in the Rye” shocked and inspired a world he increasingly shunned, died Wednesday at the age of 91. At left is a 1951 photo of the author. (AP Photo/Amy Sancetta)
For
some five years, I was never without a copy within easy reach. So, in remembrance of that, I offer another list: my top 10 lines from “The Catcher in the Rye”: “What I was really hanging around for, I was trying to feel some kind of a good-by. I mean I’ve left schools and places I didn’t even know I was leaving them. I hate that. I don’t care if it’s a sad good-by or a bad good-by, but when I leave a place I like to know I’m leaving it. If you don’t, you feel even worse.” For a Navy brat, who attended 11 school in 12 years, I was always saying goodbye/Dan Webster, Movies & More. More here.
Question: Do you have a line to add to Dan’s list? Or a line that sums up your angst as a teen-ager?
Police are investigating the death of a 25-year-old Coeur d’Alene man who suffered a fractured 
skull after apparently either falling or jumping from a moving vehicle early on Jan. 17. Timothy W. Shackelford was pronounced brain dead on Jan. 20, the Coeur d’Alene Police Department said in a news release. The Kootenai County Coroners office contacted police detectives Jan. 22 and reported Shackelford had suffered a fractured skull. Medical personnel removed him from life support on Jan. 23. The friends Shackelford was with the night he was found in the roadway near Fifth Street and Front Avenue told police Shackelford had possibly fallen from the vehicle or jumped while it was moving. They said they didn’t notice he was gone until a few minutes later. They told police they looked for him and couldn’t find him, so they went home/Alison Boggs, SR. More here.
A fugitive disbarred Spokane lawyer accused of duping investors and creditors out of millions of 
dollars before fleeing to Mexico more than a decade ago was captured Wednesday night in an international ruse arranged by the U.S. Marshals Office. Federal agents arrested Claude Irwin, Jr. as he stepped off a plane in Los Angeles. He’s been wanted in Spokane County since 1998, a year after he vanished, leaving his multimillion-dollar, 390-acre real estate development near Harrison, called Powderhorn Ridge Ranch, owing at least $3 million/Meghann M. Cuniff, Sirens & Gavels. More here.
Wylie Malek, 10, feeding snacks to Tiki, an African elephant, at Wildlife Safari in Winston, Ore. Malek, who is autistic, has been provided with special access to the elephants, and the interactions are helping him learn social skills. (AP Photo/The News-Review/Robin Loznak)
Ten-month-old
Katie Claycomb isn’t walking yet, and her vocabulary consists mainly of happy baby babble. But if Katie accidentally falls into a body of water, she knows exactly what to do. On Jan. 19, she demonstrated her self-rescue skills in the pool at the Spokane Valley Marriott Residence Inn. Her parents, John and Georgie Claycomb, read about Infant Rescue Swimming online and wanted their baby to take the class. Georgie Claycomb said, “We have a place on the Pend Oreille at Bayview”/Cindy Hval, Washington Voices. More here.
Question: How old were you when you learned to swim. Who taught you?
J.D. Salinger, the reclusive, legendary author of The Catcher in the Rye, died of natural causes yesterday at his home in Cornish, New Hampshire, at age 91. Salinger’s son confirmed the death in a statement to the AP, and the writer’s literary agency told the New York Times that the author had been in good health until earlier this month, despite having broken a hip last May. “He was not in any pain before or at the time of his death,” the agency said in a statement/Rolling Stone. More here.
Question: What did “Catcher in the Rye” mean to you?
… that the lawsuit filed by challenger Jim Brannon to overturn the 2009 Coeur d’Alene municipal election results in general, and his 5-vote loss to incumbent Mike Kennedy in particular, has been set for Tuesday, April 13. The trial date was set this morning.
An
Idaho lawmaker upset that regulators refuse to bend the rules for a Worley-area cabin owner with an inadequate septic system is proposing legislation that threatens to undermine the Panhandle Health District’s ability to keep sewage out of North Idaho lakes and streams. “I’m just getting their attention up there,” said state Sen. Gary Schroeder, R-Moscow. He added that even if SCR 114 were to be approved, the health district could re-establish its own regulatory authority by writing “another rule tomorrow”/Betsy Russell, Eye On Boise. More here.
Question: What do you make of a state senator who would try to loosen North Idaho rules for old septic system in an effort to help one constituent?
This Ohio Lottery Commission photo from Jan. 12 shows Deborah McDonald smiling during her appearance on the Ohio Lottery’s Cash Explosion. McDonald was killed after being struck by a car while she was walking on U.S. 6 in Margaretta Township on Tuesday. Earlier Tuesday, she’d received her winnings of $5,520. Story here. (AP Photo/Ohio Lottery Commission via The Sandusky Register)
If you’ve seen one State of Union Speech, you’ve seen them all. We’re doing fine, promises to do better, challenges the opposition to get on board, blah blah. And if you’ve seen one post-State of the Union Speech analysis, you’ve seen them all. — it was great, it sucked, it was exciting, it was boring, blah blah.
Item: Obama calls for ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ repeal/CNN
More Info: President Obama said Wednesday night he will work with Congress and the military to repeal the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy that bars gays and lesbians from openly serving in the armed forces. Obama made the remark in his first State of the Union speech during a short litany of civil rights issues, which included his successful hate crimes bill, a move to “crack down on equal-pay laws” and improvement of the immigration system.
Question: Should the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell’ policy toward gays be repealed?
Item: Man reports race-based assault: Saturday attack follows other incidents targeting minorities/Alison Boggs, SR
More Info: The incident is the latest in a series of racial harassments and assaults that have occurred in North Idaho and Spokane since spring. They have included the spray-painting of swastikas on cars, a noose left on the north Spokane doorstep of a black human rights activist, and beatings of Native American and black men. Racist literature also has been delivered to neighborhoods in North Idaho and Spokane.
Question: Is there something more that you’d like to see done by the police or Kootenai County task force in the face of these escalating racist incidents?
Bartender Amber Dawn McCarrel serves a mixed drink at Elliott’s Sports Pub and Grill in Nampa bar. The Nampa City Council voted to lift the city’s prohibition on Sunday liquor sales in restaurants and bars last month. Currently, restaurants and bars can only sell beer and wine on Sundays. The new rules go into effect on Sunday in Idaho’s second biggest city. (AP Photo/Idaho Press-Tribune, Greg Kreller)
Kage Mann: I find it outrageous, that you can live in Canada for many years and not have a place of residence in Idaho and be allowed to vote absentee over in Idaho. Apparently, as long as you’re not a legal citizen of Canada it’s legal. Then again Brannon’s lawyers must have a good argument, otherwise why would this lawsuit be filed?
Question: Why do you think Brannon filed he lawsuit?
Simpleton: Is anyone else disturbed by the idea that if you case a vote in an election in this town there’s a good chance you will be the subject of an investigation, either public or private? That sounds awfully un-American to me. That’s something they do in socialist countries, isn’t it? Perhaps that’s where Brannon got the idea
Question: I have the phone number of another person who is being investigated, simply because she voted absentee and moved during the election. She isn’t named in Brannon’s lawsuit. Do you think Simpleton could be right — that there’s a good chance in this town that you could be investigated if you vote?
I’m not in love with all the clashing stripes. The president’s red diagonal trip vs. the vice 
president’s blue opposite diagonal trip vs. the stripes on the flag in the background. So clashy-clashy! Pelosi’s constipated pearls and periwinkle blazer look does her no real favors either. Also, she has the devil in her eyes, but it works for her somehow. Obama has that presidential blinkity-blink thing down pretty good. Oddly, i was thinking about his totally perfect teeth when he said “the bank bailout was as popular as a root canal”. I guess he can get away with insulting the dental industry when he’s clearly spent a fortune on his dazzling choppers/OrangeTV. Full post below.
Question: Any other offbeat thoughts re: the State of the Union speech last night?
Nick Anderson/Houston Chronicle
Monica Paquin, a former resident of Coeur d’Alene now living in the Montreal area, finds herself 
at the center of an effort to overthrow the 2009 Lake City elections. And all she did was send her absentee ballot back after voting for long-time friend Mike Kennedy. Challenger Jim Brannon, who has sued to overturn his 5-vote loss to Kennedy last fall, contends Monica didn’t have the right to vote in the election. After all, she’s been out of the country since Nov. 12, 2006. Erin Jenkins of Confidential Investigations contacted Monica Tuesday morning on behalf of Brannon to ask questions. Later, Monica told Huckleberries that she asked for an absentee ballot from the Kootenai County in fall 2008 to vote in the presidential election. And requested she be sent absentee ballots for all elections afterward. She was told by Kootenai County officials that she could vote in her last place of residence in the United States as long as she didn’t vote elsewhere. Monica, who works for a Washington company, is classified as a “permanent resident” in Canada, and has no idea when she will return to the United States. She didn’t know Kennedy was running for City Council until she saw his name on an absentee ballot. She told Huckleberries that she could understand an attempt to challenge a presidential result. But considers Brannon’s effort to overthrow a local election “ridiculous.”
Question: Is there any question that Monica Paquin had the right to vote in the Coeur d’Alene city election?
With his legislative agenda stalled and unemployment stuck in double-digits, President Obama plans to use his first formal State of the Union address Wednesday night to outline his efforts to rebuild the nation’s economy and put more Americans to work. As part of that revitalization, aides said he would vow to fight to salvage the comprehensive overhaul of the health care system that was his domestic priority until it collapsed in Congress. He will also use the speech to make some pointed attacks on Washington lobbyists, according to early excerpts of his prepared remarks/New York Times. More here.
Question: Reaction to speech?
Darlene Etienne, 17, rests at a French military field hospital after being rescued from a building in Port-au-Prince, Wednesday. French rescuers pulled the teenage girl out of the rubble 15 days after an earthquake hit the Caribbean capital.(AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)
I’ve decided not to try to live-blog reaction to the State of the Union speech today. I need a break. The day has been a busy and fruitful one. I may have another surprise for you tomorrow re: Brannon’s investigation into voter, ahem, improprieties. Or not. I’ll be as curious as you whether I can come up with some more fun stuff. Meanwhile, I’ll post this Wild Card and get outtahere.
A man was racially harassed and assaulted shortly after midnight Saturday in Coeur d’Alene 
while walking home from the grocery store. The man told police that he was walking along the 800 block of East Harrison Avenue when a big red truck passed him slowly. The occupants yelled obscenities and racial epithets. The man has a Hispanic name and his race is listed as black on the report filed by the Coeur d’Alene Police Department. The truck stopped ahead of him, heading north on 9th Street, and three men got out and beat him, the man told police. They punched him in the face twice and kicked him in the back of the head, the report said. The man described the vehicle as a “big red truck with big tires” and told police the word “BUTLER” was written across the tailgate. Richard Butler was the leader of the Aryan Nations until his death in 2004/Alison Boggs, SR. More here.
Retired telecommunications and mathematics instructor Jack Walker of Coeur d’Alene checks out the tax software at the Silver Lake Mall in Coeur d’Alene on Tuesday. He is a volunteer for AARP and is gearing up for annual free Tax-Aid service.” I just love being able to help people,” he said. Alison Boggs’ story here. (Kathy Plonka/SR)
Portland Trail Blazers center Greg Oden talks to the media about online photos of him on Tuesday 2010 in Tulatin, Ore. Oden is apologizing for nude photos that have surfaced on the internet. Oden says the pictures, taken with his cell phone and sent to a former girlfriend, were taken about 1½ years ago. A friend told the 21-year-old Tuesday morning that the pictures were making the rounds on the internet. You write the cutline. (AP Photo/The Oregonian, Faith Cathcart)
Top Cutlines:
2. “I promise you people that the picture was taken with a cell phone, had it been taken with a real camera you would see I am NO JOKE!” — CoeurGenX
3. Greg Oden speaks to the media after narrowly beating out Brett Favre for his rendition of the very popular hit “Pants on the Ground” — KeithinCDA
HM: Charles Dixon
Lawmakers say they’ve been deluged with calls and emails asking them not to cut out state funding for Idaho Public Television. … Said Sen. Joyce Broadsword, R-Sagle, “Nobody wants us to eliminate funding for public television.” Sen. Shawn Keough, R-Sandpoint, said her constituents have been asking her “not to cut it - to find someplace else to cut.” Said Sen. Jim Hammond, R-Post Falls, “The only emails I’m getting from my constituents are in support of public TV”/Betsy Russell, Eye On Boise. More here. And here.
At Slight Detour, Marianne Love posts: “If you’ve lost a glove, I can tell you where it’s hanging.”
… in the kindergarden class of A Butterfly Moment:
“I care about everyone. Especially God.”
“You don’t care about the devil.”
“No.”
“Or Obama. He’s bad.”
“Yeah, he smokes.”
DFO: Cute, hunh?
Sam Cooke famously told us that he didn’t know much about history, biology, a science book or 
the French he took, but here’s a subject about which Idahoans know even less: British Columbia. They’re our neighbors, you know, and starting Feb. 12 they’re hosting the Winter Olympics. Or hadn’t you heard? According to the Idaho Travel Council, British Columbia is Idaho’s largest single foreign source of tourists — you’ve seen all those motor homes with blue-on-white license plates headed south. They’re Canadians, but they talk like us. By contrast, relatively few Idahoans venture north. For us, British Columbia somehow smacks of slackness, liberalism and rampant hockey/Steve Crump, Twin Falls Times-News. More here.
Question: What do you know about Canada, other than that fact that Monica Paquin moved there 2 years ago and voted for Mike Kennedy in the Coeur d’Alene election last November?
The logo on a new 2010 Toyota Camry is seen at a dealership on Wednesday in Nashville, Tenn. Toyota Motor Corp. announced late Tuesday it would halt sales of some of its top-selling models to fix gas pedals that could stick and cause unintended acceleration. Story here. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
Question: Do you drive a Toyota? How would you rank it in terms of other vehicles you own or have owned?
Imagine, if you will, a brand new state called Idaho, born in the year 2010.
What government 
services
should this new state offer? Would this new 21st century government really
include a taxpayer-funded television network? Probably not, and the reason is
simple: It’s not needed. That’s why Idaho Public Television is included as an
example of government waste in our 2010 Idaho Pork Report. The arguments once
used to validate the existence of taxpayer-subsidized government television no
longer hold true. For example, in the past, supporters of Idaho Public
Television could argue that if not for Idaho Public Television, Idahoans would
not have access to educational television programming. Not so any more. Any
number of television channels offer hordes of educational choices/Wayne
Hoffman, Idaho Freedom Foundation. More
here.
Spokane Police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick was among law enforcement brass who told said they 
should be allowed to fire an officer who lies without fear of being overruled by an arbitrator. Kirkpatrick joined sheriffs from King and Chelan counties who supported SB 6590, which was drafted to clarify a problem with state law raised in by a recent state Supreme Court ruling. The ruling overturned the firing of an officer for lying, saying the there was no explicit state policy that requires an officer to be truthful, so firing him was arbitrary/Jim Camden, Spin Control. More here.
Question: Does it anger you that a boss can fire or lay you off w/o much hassle while it almost takes an act of Congress in Spokane to get rid of wayward cops and firefighters?
Item: Parks plan: OK to spit, but not smoke/Nicole Tsong, Seattle Times
More Info: Feel free to spit, but don’t even try lighting up. That’s the latest message from the Seattle Parks and Recreation Department, which has dropped a proposal to ban spitting in parks but still is considering a ban on smoking. The department released a list of rules earlier this month that proposed banning behaviors in city parks including smoking and spitting. A public outcry followed, and in response to public comment on the issue, spitting was given a reprieve while smoking remains in the hot seat.
Question: What bothers you most when you see someone do it in public — spitting or smoking?
Sacramento Kings forward Sean May, right, is fouled by Golden State Warriors forward Ronny Turiaf during the third quarter of an NBA basketball game in Sacramento, Calif., Tuesday. The Kings beat the Warriors 99-96. Turiaf, the former Gonzaga star, has been hurt much of the year. He’s considered one of the best defensive players for Golden State. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)
Phil Hammer knew it would be a hard case as he took a long drag off his cigarette. His client, a 
middle-aged never was, wanted him to track down some dame in Canada to prove that she voted illegally. He pulled up his battered teal Chevy Nova to the curb of the house where she was supposed to live. He looked through the cracks in his windshield as the sky opened rain cascaded down and lightning flashed across the sky. Suddenly, the driver’s door flew open and he was yanked out of the Nova. A giant man with dark eyes and black hair, shaped more like a beer keg with legs, lifted him into the air with one arm/Joker, tongue firmly cheeked. More below.
Question: Which detective writer is your favorite? And/or: Favorite detective story?
“But,
let’s talk about Ward. What’s important is that the liberal Republicans are flocking to Ward. Obama supporters may shrug off guilt by association, but conservatives don’t. If you walk with the ducks and quack with the ducks, you are more duck than bronco. Ward also says he’s a 4th-generation Idahoan. But, there is copious concern that Ward is a carpetbagger. He has not lived in Idaho for many years, recently leaving Las Vegas for Boise. It has been said that if he loses, he will move to Virginia. Virginia? His primary benefactor is McCain, and McCain is the typical Washington DC Republican. Ward would move to Virginia to be closer to his biggest patron. So, what would cause Ward to stay in Idaho?”/Dan Popkey, Idaho Politics. More here.
Question: Former Boise council candidate Lucas Baumbach claims congressional wannabe Vaughn Ward runs w/liberal R’s and hints that he’s a carpetbagger. Is this simply mudslinging? Or are do you think the accusations have some weight?
Bert Glandon, president of the College of Western Idaho, says the new Treasure Valley community college set a record nationally when it opened with 1,208 students. Most community colleges start up with no more than 200 students enrolling, he said. “We jumped to 3,600 in the first six months. Right now, today, unofficially, we’re looking at 4,837.3.” Amid laughter, he said, “It is the kind of thing that’s just become exhilarating, to see the kind of involvement from the local community”/Betsy Russell, Eye On Boise. More here.
Question: Is it right for Gov. Butch Otter to add $1M in funding for College of Western Idaho in his back yard of Boise when he’s proposing cuts to the two other community colleges?
In this Jan. 17 file photo, Johnny Weir shows off his medal for third place during the men’s free skate at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Spokane. Friends of Animals has posted an open letter to Johnny Weir criticizing him for having fox fur on one of his costumes and asking him to stop wearing fur. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson, File) Question: Are you bothered when you see someone wearing fur?
Gary Edwards tells Huckleberries Online: “Today (Jan. 27) Willard Scott on the TODAY Show sent birthday greetings to someone he said lived in Coeur d’Alene IOWA. Will someone please inform Willard Scott that Coeur d’Alene is in IDAHO!” Done.
As a longtime advocate and supporter of Idaho Public Television, I am more than troubled by 
Gov. Butch Otter’s proposal to phase out all state support for IPTV. During my 16-year tenure as state superintendent of public instruction, I saw firsthand how this important asset was used to enhance the curriculum and enrich classroom instruction for students across the entire state. I also observed how public television’s broad mission to educate, inform and entertain was carried to every region of our state and how critically important it became to our smaller communities and rural areas. Any thought that a more market-driven approach to raising additional private contributions could continue the statewide system is simply unrealistic/former state superintendent of schools Jerry Evans, Idaho Statesman. More here.
Question: Former superintendent Jerry Evans contends that Idaho Public Television is important to Idaho. And that a loss of state funding will kill it. Do you agree on both points?
You Democrats crack me up. Here you are whining about too much Republican power in Idaho. Well what about all the Democratic power in D.C.? They’re running the country and not doing a very good job, I might add. … If you don’t like the politics here in Idaho then stop whining about it and take your sorry butt back to wherever you came from. How about California? That’s a state run by your liberal Democrats. There’s no problems there, is there? Ha/Jolene Martin, Coeur d’Alene, letter to Coeur d’Alene Press. More here.
Question: Where would you be living, if you were to live in a state that generally reflected your political views?
Barbara Miller of the Silver Valley Community Resource Center at the East Mission Flats Repository in Cataldo on Tuesday where truck loads of dirt polluted with heavy metals from Superfund cleanup in Idaho’s Silver Valley is stored. More than 70 national groups have joined the SVCRC in asking the Obama Administration for better cleanup of the Bunker Hill Superfund site. The SVRC wouild like the waste to be moved out of their community. Becky Kramer’s SR story here. (Kathy Plonka/SR)
At The Press, we publish a letters policy stating that all letters should include the writer’s name, city of residence and telephone number. When we see something clearly suspicious, we check it out. But because some of our writers forget to put an address or phone number on the letter or they do not wish to share that private information, we sometimes make allowances. If the message is relatively mundane, we make minimal effort at verifying the message and its writer and instead do our best to print the letter as quickly as possible/Mike Patrick, Coeur d’Alene Press. More here.
Question: When did you last write a letter to the editor? Why did you write it? Bonus question (for Kage Mann): Is the Press still allowing you to write letters using your pseudonym?
North
Idaho College President Priscilla Bell told legislative budget writers this morning that her college has no wish list for funding, recognizing the tight state budget. Students will, however, feel the impact of holdbacks and budget reductions, she said, as they come at a time of sharply increasing enrollment. “Community college enrollments are counter-cyclical,” Bell said. “The economy goes down, and our enrollment goes up.” For next year, Gov. Butch Otter is proposing a 4 percent cut in state funding for community colleges, and that’s after pumping an additional $1 million into the new College of Western Idaho/Betsy Russell, Eye On Boise. More here.
Question: How important was a community college to your secondary education?
Item: Popkey: Independents stand by Obama, with caveats/Idaho Statesman
More here: Barack Obama’s “change” message was more than rhetoric to Joe Tobiasson. Four days before the 2008 election, he lost his job. Though an independent, the Boisean volunteered for Obama, calling voters in Montana. Now, as the president prepares to deliver his first State of the Union address Wednesday night, Tobiasson still needs work. His unemployment benefits expire in March, and despite at least two job contacts a week, he’s had just six interviews in 14 months.
Question (for Independents who voted for Obama): Has your opinion of the president changed during his first year in office?
Joe Heller/Hellertoons
Sam:
I quite disagree the term (teabagger) is becoming “mainstream,” DFO. Members of
the Tea Party started to initially call themselves that because they
apparently don’t discuss terms with their 20-something children or
grandchildren. As soon as many of them, a significant majority in my
estimation based on my interaction with members of Tea Party movements,
they stopped using the term and started asking people to not refer to
them in that way. The term has now been completely co-opted by liberals/progressives
and their groups and is used in a pejorative manner to refer to Tea
Party participants. And they’re still doing it because they know it
references the sexual practice. Use it all you want, but people my age and into their 30s are not
going to consider it “mainstream” in the way you do. Just trust me on this.
Hillary Clinton has been the Secretary of State for a year, and despite all the concern among the R’s, our republic hasn’t come to an end. Meanwhile, President O is warming up for his State of the Union speech. And the stock market is on the right side of break even today. In other words, it’s all good. Now, I’ll play the Wild Card, and go in search of late-morning fodder for HBO’s Front Page …
Beads of sweat drip from the forehead of Andy Roddick of the United States during a break in his game against Marin Cilic of Croatia during their Men’s singles quarterfinal match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Monday. (AP Photo/Andy Wong) Question: Do you sweat easily?
Despite
its inherent flaws, Wikipedia is an amazing source of information with more than 14 million articles. It’s far more comprehensive than any printed encyclopedia, and in some ways, it’s more accurate because it’s not as in danger of becoming obsolete. It’s almost a guarantee that when any famous person dies, their wiki is revised within a few minutes of their death being announced. Another thing that makes Wikipedia great is the fact that it’s fun to read. I’ve never met someone who reads the World Book Encyclopedia for fun, yet I know people (including myself) who find wikis enjoyable to peruse, and judging by the fact that the Web site gets 65 million users monthly, we’re not the only ones/Randy Lavorante, 2C Etc. More here.
Question: How much do you rely on Wikipedia as an online news source?
More Info: Kroc ponders parking problem/Tom Hasslinger, Coeur d’Alene Press
Item: More Info: On Saturday, a group-hosted event in the center’s theater combined with the influx of normal weekend members quickly filled up the 352-space lot and left overflow cars parking up and down Golf Course Road and Fairway Drive. “It becomes a real challenge,” said John Chamness, Kroc Center executive director. “That’s one of the things we’re looking at, how can we address some of the parking issues.”
Question: Do you consider the conditions at the Kroc Center and/or parking lot too crowded to become a member of the popular community center?
Sandy Patano, North Idaho College Alumni Association President Sandee Riggs, Jack Riggs and alumna and featured artist Tyree Kearns pose for a picture at the 2010 Wild Game Feast hosted by the NIC Alumni Association Saturday. A total of 140 community members were in attendance at the 11th annual event.
Ducks dive searching for food in a pond in capital Minsk, Belarus, Monday. The temperatures in Belarus reached around -18 Celsius ( - 1 degrees Fahrenheit). You write the cutline. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits)
Top Cutlines:
Every Papa John’s pizza restaurant in the Inland Northwest closed Tuesday without warning and may not reopen for some time. According to corporate officials at the company’s headquarters in Louisville, Kentucky, 12 locations were shut down, all owned by a group called North Country Pizza. Papa John’s officials say all stores in Spokane, Coeur d’Alene, Pullman, Moscow, Yakima, Kennewick, Richland, and Wenatchee closed. Officials would not specify the reason the 12 restaurants were shut down, but said North Country Pizza franchise owners had not responded to their attempts at contact/KREM2. More here.
Question: Do you buy pizzas from Papa John’s?
KerriT: I believe the statistic for high school seniors who go on to a 4-year college is about 25%. Anyone know the % of those who do go to college actually graduate with a degree? On the face of it, 75% of high school graduates are not going on to college for whatever reason.
Question: Who’s more to blame for a smart high school graduate not going on to college? The student? Or the family from which the student comes (for not developing a go-to-college mind set)?
Kempthorne said he’s known Ward since he graduated from Boise State University, and went to work on Kempthorne’s Senate campaign 18 years ago. Ward went on to work on Kempthorne’s Senate staff, then joined the Marines and served in combat in both Iraq and Afghanistan, earning the Bronze Star for his service in Fallujah. “I gave him the oath of office when he became a second lieutenant,” Kempthorne said. “We’ve spent so much time together over the last 18 years. … He has such a passion for service”/Betsy Russell, Eye On Boise. More here. And: Dan Popkey’s report here.
Question: Does Kempthorne’s endorsement make Ward a shoe-in to win the Repub nod for a chance to take on Dem Walt Minnick this fall?
In this magazine cover image released by Star magazine, the cover of the Feb. 1, 2010 issue, currently on news stands, featuring Nadya Suleman, is shown. Single-mom Suleman’s well-publicized octuplets turned 1 year old today. Meanwhile, Suleman continues to enjoy the notoriety that lands her on the cover of magazines like Star and allows her to take care of her 14 children. (AP Photo/Star Magazine) Question: Does “OctoMom” deserve kudos or barbs for being able to survive with her large brood by exploiting the celebrity media?
President Obama is presented with a helmet inside the Riddell plant in Elyria, Ohio on Friday. Obama said the helmet will come in handy during the State of the Union address Wednesday. (AP Photo/The Plain Dealer, Lisa DeJong) Question: What do you want President Obama to discuss specifically in his State of the Union address tomorrow?
The Washington State Dermatology Association is backing a bill urging state law makers to put regulations on tanning salons. The group says the bill will help with melanoma prevention, and would ultimately save lives. Currently, some salons have decided people under the age of 18 should have a signed permission slip from a parent or guardian to tan, but salons don’t have to do that as there are no actual regulations in place/KREM2. More here.
Question: Is this proposed law necessary?
“I
just stumbled on a site that seems a bit different. So much so that I wish I had thought of it first. It’s the Top 20 Movies Insults list. And you can check it out by clicking here. Here’s my contribution: It comes from “Pulp Fiction,” and it’s Vincent Vega (John Travolta) telling Mia Wallace (Uma Thurman) that they’re lucky to even get served at Jackrabbit Slim’s. ‘I don’t think Buddy Holly’s much of a waiter.’ OK, it’s not the cleverest crack in history. But it just happens to be one that I’ve used more times than I care to remember. I live, you understand, in Spokane/Dan Webster, Movies & More. More here.
Question: Which movie insult is your favorite?
Businessmen Ron Nilson (pictured), owner of Ground Force Manufacturing in Post Falls, and 
Doug Sayer, president of Premier Technologies in Pocatello, teamed up Tuesday to deliver some fiery and, at times, confrontational messages to lawmakers. … The two men, both self-made business owners who began in entry-level positions and eventually rose to the top, offered grave forecasts for the education and employment future in Idaho. The men called on lawmakers to integrate professional technical skills at every level of education to develop a more educated and capable workforce, an asset which both men believe is in short supply in the state right now. Sayer said production and manufacturing companies are facing an “Armageddon” situation if the state doesn’t work to correct imbalances in the workforce/Dustin Hurst, Idaho Reporter. More here.
Question: Should Idaho try to integrate professional technical skills at every level of education, as advocated by businessmen Ron Nilson and Doug Sayer?
Thayer Cueter, who operates the Just Frogs Amphibian Center, holds Snohomish Slew, the bull frog, in Edmonds, Wash., recently. Cueter volunteered to house Snohomish Slew and another bull frog who serves as Slew’s backup after last year’s GroundFrog Day. Bull frogs are a non-native species in Washington that can not be simply let go into the wild. (AP Photo/Mark Mulligan, The Herald)
Question (for Ladies of HBO): Have you ever kissed a frog, hoping he’d turn into a prince?
Duane Rasmussen, vice chairman of the Kootenai County Republican Central Committee and head of the county Pachyderms, dropped by the CdA/SR office this morning to announce that he, indeed, is a candidate for the GOP nomination for retiring state Rep. Jim Clark’s House District 3 seat. I’ll post a photo and background story on Rasmussen in a bit.
MamaJD e-mails this photo from 30 years ago and comment after Huckleberries raised questions about her birthday earlier today: “Yes. It is my birthday. I am 36 years as of 10:35 am . I embrace my age as of late because I have earned every single experience good or otherwise in those 36 years. Between HBO and Facebook, I realize I am really blessed to have friends wish me Happy Birthday when prompted online! Thanks to everyone!”
Question: How do you celebrate birthdays (example: traditional cake, ice cream, at home with your family)
A year ago, freshman Congressman Walt Minnick, D-Idaho, announced he would not seek earmarks for his district. The stance, Minnick said reflected his commitment to fiscal restraint. Monday, Minnick reiterated he wants no part of the practice. About the same time, Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, made good on his plan not to seek the Senate Appropriations Committee slot vacated by the retiring Larry Craig. Crapo had built up seniority on the Finance Committee and didn’t want to relinquish it. He continues to seek earmarks, but his committee assignments diminish his access to them. How’s that working out? Not so well. Through their choices, Minnick and Crapo haven’t helped matters/Marty Trillhaase, Lewiston Tribune. More here.
Question: Are Minnick & Crapo acting naively by not aggressively seeking earmarks to benefit various projects in Idaho?
Today,
we went to lunch with some new friends from church and Helen Chenoweth-Hage again came up. My wife doesn’t do political events, or if she does, she’ll have one inevitable question, “Can I bring a book?” She complained about politicians who spend an hour to say nothing. During most political events, my wife’s mind wanders off to something else more interest and two days later wouldn’t remember what the speech was about. Our friend then began to talk about Congresswoman Chenoweth-Hage, and my wife remember the general gist of what Congressman Chenoweth said…six years ago!/Adam Graham, Give Me Liberty. More here.
Question: Do you have memories — fond or otherwise — of the late, former U.S. Rep. Helen Chenoweth-Hage?
Legislative budget writers heard today about the medical residency programs in Idaho, which train medical residents in psychiatry and family medicine here though the state lacks a medical school. That’s considered key because doctors tend to settle and practice where they finished training. The psychiatry residency, started in 2007, trains medical school graduates for four years, but the first two years are in Seattle. So far, two have completed the program, and both have decided to stay and practice psychiatry in Idaho/Betsy Russell, Eye On Boise. More here.
Question: Should Idaho seek its own medical school after the recession ends?
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton listens to a question during a town hall style meeting with employees marking her one year anniversary at the State Department Tuesday at the State Department in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Question: Any thoughts re: how Hillary Clinton has done in her first year as Secretary of State?
Item: Teens face charges in highway shootings: One bullet passed between driver and passenger; Friday gunfire closed State Highway 8 for several hours/David Johnson, Lewiston Tribune
More Info: Austin Blake Medlock and Austin James Rickert, both 14-year-old freshmen at Deary High School, allegedly used two .22-caliber rifles and a crossbow Friday afternoon to shoot at vehicles, according to court records. Several chip trucks and cars were struck, including one vehicle where a bullet reportedly went through the driver’s side headrest and passed between the driver and a passenger, according to a probable-cause affidavit filed in 2nd District Court here Monday. Handcuffed and shackled at the ankles, Medlock and Rickert appeared in juvenile court late Monday morning with their parents before Magistrate John Judge.
Question: Should the judge have released these boys into the custody of their parents?
Idaho athletic director Rob Spear said the school has presented a new contract to Robb Akey and is waiting to hear back from the third-year football coach who led the Vandals to their first winning season in a decade. Spear, who was interviewed before Monday night’s nationally televised basketball game between Boise State and Idaho, said the offer “has been out there for a while.” Akey just completed the third year of his original five-year contract. Idaho finished the season 8-5 and won the Humanitarian Bowl/Nick Jezierny & Chadd Cripe, Idaho Statesman. More here.
Question: How much should Idaho pay football coach Robb Akey to keep him?
Anavel and Michael Boge put on the Banff Mountain Film Festival in Sandpoint and Coeur d’Alene. For years, the proceeds have helped a number of different nonprofit organizations, including the “Satipo Kids Project.” The proceeds from the showings help send 38 children in Peru to school. Alison Boggs’ SR story here. (Kathy Plonka/SR)
Item: School district to hire official: New associate superintendent will replace curriculum director’s position/Maureen Dolan, Coeur d’Alene Press
More Info: School officials in Coeur d’Alene are looking for someone to become the district’s new associate superintendent. Superintendent Hazel Bauman knows some people may be questioning the decision to hire another district office administrator as education funding sources continue to shrink, but she defends the move.
Question: Should Superintendent Hazel Bauman be advertising for a new associate superintendent at a time when the state is ordering education cuts and holdbacks?
Item: Cd’A considers cell phone ban: General Services Committee looks at rule for drivers/Tom Hasslinger, Coeur d’Alene Press
More Info: The city of Coeur d’Alene is considering banning cell phone use while driving. The city’s General Services Committee took the first step Monday by authorizing staff to look into the feasibility and legality of adopting any sort of rule. (Steve) Bell (a retired attorney who’s pushing this idea) crafted a proposed hands-free legislation for representatives to consider as a statewide ban during this session. He said he has heard it doesn’t have much chance of passing, but that doesn’t mean Coeur d’Alene can’t enact its own.
Question: Should Coeur d’Alene ban the use of cell phones while driving?
Michael Ramirez/Investor’s Business Daily
EJS: I like the huckleberries system, that’s a great idea. Something like one to five
huckleberries with one stop below with complete sour berry and one higher as in hot huckleberry pie. Flo, yes indeed overall value is a selection as well. I’m willing to bet Dave could set up one of those servey thingies with 1 to 5 in the catagories we listed. I don’t know, I hope the idea doesn’t complicate it. I think it might make it easier though. Ya know I think we could really make some waves, for the better, with us as a”united” force out and about in the eating industry.
Question: EJS has done some heavy lifting today, spelling out the things to look for in our Grub Club reviews. And now offering a 1-to-5 Huckleberries system for the reviews. Not bad at all. Anyone else have a suggestion? Has anyone set up a date to dine at The Porch w/another Berry Picker?
This undated photo provided by Jen Gallardo shows a billboard on the corner of 52nd St. and Broadway in New York featuring a photo of Charles Phillips and YaVaughnie Wilkins. Phillips, a co-president of software maker Oracle, acknowledges he had an affair with a woman he was shown snuggling with on billboards in New York, Atlanta and San Francisco. Story here. (AP Photo/www.jengallardo.com) Question: Someone needs to explain the dynamics of his one to me. Isn’t the woman in this situation opening herself up to public ridicule by putting up the billboards?
EJS has dubbed The Porch on E. Miles Avenue to be the first venue for the new HBO Grub Club. Now, you Berry Pickers have a week to dine there and prepare some thoughts re: the restaurant fare, service, bathroom cleanliness, etc. We’ll begin the initial review next Monday (although it already sounds as though many of you are fans of The Porch already). Don’t forget to tell them that Huckleberries sent you. Now to re-post the Wild Card …
Every time I hear the music from about 1980-1984, I’m back to Spokane. I’m geared up, fired 
up, screwed up; I’m deep in grief, deeply depressed, dire and alone; I’m walking the streets, riding the bus, riding my bike, riding my ass; I’m shopping at Rosauer’s, eating at Ferguson’s, drinking at The Viking, dancing with Colette and Claudia, holding an apartment film festival, going over to Bill’s for a beer and a cig and some Men at Work. I’m teaching hard, drinking hard, laughing hard, crying hard, hard to figure, hard to know, hard on myself, taking it all too hard, and hardly able to go a day without smashing, slamming, punching, or jamming because I’m so angry, while at the same time laughing, dancing, singing, roaring because I feel so free and alive. It’s all in the music/Raymond Pert, Kellogg Bloggin’. More here.
Question: Is there a song or music that stirs up memories in you of another time?
UI Vandals footballers enjoyed being the center of attention as the community and college celebrated their Dec. 30 Humanitarian Bowl victory over Bowling Green. Holly Bowen’s story in the Moscow-Pullman Daily News here.
Bikini-clad golf fans applaud as the final competitors arrive at the 18th green during the second round of the Mitsubishi Electric Championship golf tournament on Saturday at Kaupulehu-Kona, Hawaii. You write the cutline. (AP Photo/Chris Stewart)
Top Cutlines:
Rep.
Carlos Bilbao, R-Emmett, offered a plan Monday to increase punishments levied on those who graffiti traffic signs and buildings. Bilbao pitched the proposal to the House Judiciary, Rules and Administration Committee. Bilboa cited the costs of cleanup as his reasoning for bringing the legislation before the committee. During his testiBimony, Bilbao said counties, cities, and business owners are being forced to absorb the cost of removing or painting over the destruction, which can sometimes have up to a $10,000 price tag. The legislation could also apply to those who shoot and leave bullet holes in roads signs because it is a matter of public safety, said Bilbao. He said he is particularly concerned about motorists who drive in the middle of the night and may miss warning sign because the sign has been shot up or painted over/Dustin Hurst, Idaho Reporter. More here.
Question: Should state law be changed to charge a felony against those who shoot up traffic signs and paint graffiti that costs more than $1000 to clean up?
Pecky Cox/As The Lake Churns offers yet another viewtiful landscape of her neck of the woods.
In this Friday photo, a Los Angeles City firefighter on a harness on a helicopter rescues a dog from the Los Angeles River. The dog was hoisted from the Los Angeles River by helicopter after trying to scramble up the steep concrete sides for more than an hour. Saving a German shepherd stuck in the rising Los Angeles River was the right thing to do, the risks were slight, rescue crews were on standby, extra taxpayer money wasn’t used and the alternatives were unacceptable, authorities said Monday. (AP Photo/Los Angeles Times, Mark Bolster, File) Question: Did Los Angeles rescuers do the right thing by taking time to save the German shepherd from drowning?
The other most common idea on the list is to alter how Idaho treats convicted criminals, 
but among those calling for changes, there is no one-size-fits-all answer. Many respondents felt the state should do more to assess the needs of convicted persons and determine if long-term incarceration is the best solution. Others favored quick, yet effective, jail terms, supplemented by rehab and state supervision, which costs much less than incarceration. Those in favor of supervision generally also supported allowing low-level and non-violent offenders, such as someone jailed for simple marijuana possession, to be released from prison and put on the same system/Dustin Hurst, Idaho Reporter. More here.
Question: Does Idaho put too many people in jail and/or prison?
Sen. Joyce Broadsword, R-Sagle, persuaded the Senate Judiciary Committee today to introduce legislation prompted by the case of a 3-year-old St. Maries child whose severe abuse cost her both feet, a finger and a kidney, but whose abuser got just 10 years in prison, the maximum sentence for felony injury to a child. “This is a little change that could be very big,” Broadsword told the committee, of her measure to double the maximum penalty from 10 years in prison to 20/Betsy Russell, Eye On Boise. More here. And: Idaho Reporter version here.
OK, Berry Pickers, we have a name and a site for the first review en masse of a local eatery. 
The name, HBO Grub Club. The first target, er, restaurant to be reviewed in the next week is The Porch, 1658 East Miles Avenue, Hayden (772-7711). EJS, who nominated The Porch, also provided hours of business: Monday/Tuesday 11am to 10pm; Wed,Thurs 11am to 11pm; Fri/Sat 11am to Midnight, kitchen closes at 11pm. (He didn’t get the Sunday hours). EJS also provided some areas you should consider in your reviews (beginning next Monday): Ambiance (how the place feels to you); Bathroom (EJS’s pet peeve); Menu (too big, too small, too sticky); Service; and, of course, food. We’ll start reviewing The Porch next week. Until then, enjoy …
The U.S. figure skating team waves to the crowd following an exhibition
after the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Spokane. From left are Benjamin
Agosto, Tanith Belbin, Johnny Weir, Mirai Nagasu, Evan Lysacek, Emily Samuelson,
Evan Bates, Jeremy Abbott, Caydee Denny, Jeremy Barrett, Amanda Evora, Mark
Ladwig, Rachael Flatt, Meryl Davis and Charlie White. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson) DFO: Would you think less of me if you knew that I watched
the figure skating championships Sunday afternoon rather than the Minnesota-New
Orleans football game?
Item: More and more skiers, snowboarders wearing helmets at Bozeman-area resorts/Amanda Ricker, Bozeman Chronicle
More Info: Nearly 50 percent of all skiers and snowboarders in the United States wear helmets these days, up from about 25 percent during the 2002-2003 ski season, according to the National Ski Areas Association. Two-thirds of kids age 14 and under wear ski helmets. Almost that many skiers over the age of 65 wear them, too. Younger adults in the mid-age range and novice skiers and snowboarders are the least likely to put one on.
Question: Do you wear a helmet when you ski, snowboard, skate, bike ride, or motorcycle ride?
Was it really only a year ago that Boise State guard Anthony Thomas guaranteed nothing but 
wins against Idaho for the rest of his Bronco career? Nobody is promising anything about tonight’s arch-rivalry game at the Kibbie Dome, pitting teams with a combined 1-12 conference record. The star-crossed Vandals and Broncos tip off at 8 p.m. in a Western Athletic Conference contest to be televised by ESPNU. Of the innumerable factors contributing to Idaho’s five-game losing streak, at least one lies outside its control: the WAC schedule. The team’s league losses have come against the top five clubs in the standings. So the Vandals (8-9, 1-5) are eagerly awaiting this intrastate grudge match - not just because it’s generally the dramatic apex of their home schedule but because Boise State (9-11, 0-7) is just as lost as they are/Dale Grummert, Lewiston Tribune. More here.
Question: Are you interested in the outcome of any clash between Idaho and Boise State in a sport other than football?
I
live with a geneticist and a feminist, so as you can imagine my opportunities for touting the superiority of men are limited. Luckily, I came upon an article in the journal Nature that claims the Y chromosome — the thing that makes a man male — is evolving much faster than the rest of the genetic code. A new study comparing the Y chromosomes from humans and chimpanzees, our nearest living relatives, shows that they’re about 30 percent different. That’s far greater than the 2 percent difference between the rest of the human genetic code and that of the chimp’s. These changes happened in the last 6 million years or so — relatively recently when it comes to evolution/Steve Crump, Twin Falls Times-News. More here.
Question: What do you make of this new study than mankind is evolving faster than womankind?
Charlie White carries his partner Meryl Davis on his back and legs as they glide backwards during their gold medal winning performance in the Championship Dance of the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in the Spokane Arena Saturday in Spokane. (Christopher Anderson/SR)
I 
personally know the relatives of people who have been killed by drunks who have been caught and convicted of DUI more than once. I also knew my neighbor, a teacher and mother, who was killed by an intoxicated driver who already had at least one DUI. And now we know of a teacher who has racked up three DUIs in three years. At least two of the three times that he was arrested, his BAC was double the legal limit of 0.08 percent. He drove the same roads many of us drive/Vickie Holbrook, Idaho Press Tribune. More here.
Question (from Vickie): Do you know someone who has been arrested for a DUI? Two times? Three times? Do you get in a vehicle when you know the driver has been drinking?
Joker: You know, I was doing some thinking and it might be possible for Jim Brannon to lose 
money on his own fundraiser. Assuming the Greenbriar Inn isn’t giving away dinner and drinks, any smart business would charge Jim Brannon or Mary Full of Grace around $300 for the space and then some deposit money to buy the food, so say another 100 bucks. A wedding costs at the Greenbriar costs $600. We’re now at $400 out of pocket money for Jim Brannon. Now, let’s approximate that 40 people show up (that place doesn’t hold much more than that). They each buy dinner: $200. 20 people buy one drink: $100. 10 people buy a second drink: $50. That leaves Jim $50 in the hole. For a guy who is unemployed that is not good.
Question: What do you make of Joker’s economic analysis of the planned Brannon fund-raiser?
President Barack Obama stands with Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant, in the East Room of the White House in Washington this morning during a ceremony honoring the 2009 NBA basketball champions Los Angeles Lakers. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
Question: Who’d you rather have campaign for a favorite political candidate of yours — President Barack Obama or Lakers star Kobe Bryant? Explain why?
Item: You’re number 1: Alaska village up first in census/Associated Press
More Info: Census workers and trained locals are expected to take a week to interview the rest of Noorvik’s residents, using the same 10-question forms to be mailed to most households on March 15. Census workers also will visit 217 other rural Alaska communities in the coming weeks.
Question: Do you consider the 2010 census to be important? Or an invasion of privacy?
With the success of this past football season, Vandal fans were finally able to trade the paper 
bags over their heads for T-shirts, hats and sweatshirts proudly emblazoned with logos of silver and gold. The team notched its first winning record and bowl game win in more than a decade. Last week Gov. C.L. (Butch) Otter came to town and declared Jan. 23 “Vandal Football Day.” On Tuesday, Moscow Mayor Nancy Chaney announced “Vandal Football Week,” culminating with a parade through downtown Saturday afternoon. And according to local retailers, winning on the gridiron has translated into a significant increase in Vandal merchandise sales/Joel Mills, Lewiston Tribune. More here.
Question: Have you traded the paper sack you once placed over your head for UI Vandal merchandise, now that they’re winning? Or have you always been a diehard Vandal fan?
A New Orleans Saints fan stomps on a stuffed bear dressed in a Minnesota Vikings jersey as Alleta Rohr, left, and her daughter, Rhonda, right, drag it down Bourbon Street in the French Quarter before an NFC conference championship football game between the Minnesota Vikings and the New Orleans Saints in New Orleans Sunday. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
Question: Did your team make the Super Bowl?
… that county Repub vice chairman Duane Rasmussen plans to announce his candidacy for retiring Rep. Jim Clark’s House District 3 seat fairly soon. Rasmussen is the precinct committeeman for Precinct 19 (Hayden) and president of the North Idaho Pachyderm Club.
University of Idaho President Duane Nellis said the U of I has seen $22 million in budget cuts just in the past two years, and that doesn’t count additional ones lawmakers are now mulling, or the elimination of $10 million for a dairy research center project. “These budget reductions do have an impact on our academic programs and on the state,” Nellis told the Legislature’s Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee. So far, the UI has discontinued 45 programs - eliminated 35 degree programs, and restructured 10 others/Betsy Russell, Eye On Boise. More here.
Question: Which of the two local chairmen of legislative education committees is more of an advocate for education — John Goedde on the Senate side or Bob Nonini on the House side?
In her newsletter, Mary Souza is tying challenger Jim Brannon’s fight to overthrow the Coeur 
d’Alene municipal election results to Scott Brown’s upset victory in the special election in Massachusetts. You know, “We, the people, have power.” Spouts Mary: “And now, with Jim’s legal challenge of that election fully underway, information is surfacing to show that our area’s election system is not fair and is certainly not accurate.” She goes on to encourage backers to participate in a fund-raiser to how underwrite Brannon’s struggle for justice by attending a fund-raiser at 5 p.m. Monday, Feb. 8, at the Greenbriar Inn on Wallace. County Repub chief Brad Corkill will be master of ceremonies. And you can her “the rest of the story” from Citizens for Responsible & Honest Goverment speakers Brent Reagan and Jim Doty. You can see the fund-raiser flyer here.
Question: What do you make of local GOPoobah Brad Corkill serving as MC for a lawsuit against a nonpartisan municipal election?
American figure skating champions, from left, Tara Lipinski, Kristi Yamaguchi, Scott Hamilton, David Jenkins, Tenley Albright, Dick Button, Carol Heiss, Hayes Jenkins, Peggy Fleming, Dorothy Hamill, Brian Boitano and Sarah Hughes are seen during a moment of honor for past American Olympians at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Spokane Sunday. Carolyn Lamberson/SR tells you all about it here. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)
Item: Prime retail space openings on Sherman are few — and when there are, they fill up fast/Rick Thomas, Coeur d’Alene Press
More Info: Prime Sherman Avenue space is always hot, even in hard economic times. It is only a few blocks from the prime spots between The Coeur d’Alene Resort at Second Street and the high foot traffic hub between Fourth and Fifth streets on Sherman.
Question: How often do you dine or shop downtown? Which places are your favorites?
OrangeTV: One time about 15 years ago when I worked at the CDA Resort, one of my jobs 
was manning the booth in the parking garage. Jim Clark came though one day, he had been inside about 6 hours and had no validation on his ticket. He pulled up, rolled down his window just enough to quickly hand me the blank ticket and immediately rolled his window back up, pulled right up to the gate, and waited for it to rise impatiently. I didn’t know who he was, nor did I care. No stamp = you pay. Finally, he rolled down his window again and snapped at me, “Are you gonna let me through or what?” I told him he could go as soon as he produced a receipt or paid $3. He turned a lovely shade of bright red and stammered the question that I loved to hate the most: “DON’T YOU KNOW WHO I AM?!?” Rest of the story below.
Question: Have you ever had someone try to impress you with the phrase, “do you know who I am”?
Signe Wilkinson/Philadelphia Inquirer
We Merry Hucksters are about to launch into a new endeavor Monday — a restaurant review club, (name has yet to be determined). EJS made the suggestion Friday. And I thought “what the heck?” EJS will launch the review club by suggesting the first restaurant to review on Monday. Then, HBOers will have a week to try out the fare and service before beginning a discussion the following Monday. Stay tuned. (And feel free to suggest possible names for the restaurant review club.) Now, for the weekend Wild Card …
Championship ladies free skate silver medalist Mirai Nagasu, left, and gold medalist Rachael Flatt, take a victory lap at the medal ceremony Saturday in the Spokane Arena. Passport to Gold story here. (Colin Mulvany/SR)
I was attending an event at the INB Performing Arts Center one
evening and had to park in one of those big outdoor lots a few blocks
from the theater. I approached the electronic pay kiosk with
trepidation. These pay kiosks can be a royal pain. In previous
encounters, the thing has either refused to take my money, refused to
take my debit card, refused to issue a receipt or been otherwise on
the blink. This time, to my relief, it took my money without complaint and
coughed up that little receipt for my dashboard. I glanced at it to
make sure that the time on it was correct. And here’s what it said: “Expires 05:37 AM, July 27, 2010.” I stared it at for a long moment before I was able to comprehend the windfall I had just received from the parking gods. “Carol,” I said slowly to my wife. “I believe that we have just won free parking – for six months!” Not a bad deal, for $3/Jim Kershner, SR. More here.
Question: Have you ever been victimized by downtown Spokane parking? And/or: What would you do in Jim Kershner’s place? Throw away the ticket that gives him free parking for six months? Or continue to park free for the next six months?
Item: States trying to block the feds, but the effort may be null and void/Jim Camden, Spin Control
More Info: Conservative activists in Washington and Idaho are trying to force the
federal 
government to “keep out” on issues ranging from guns to health
care to the environment. Through legislation and initiatives, people
aligned with what’s variously known as the 10th Amendment or State
Sovereignty movement are trying to pass state laws that limit what the
federal government can do within its borders. … A bill has already been introduced in
the Idaho Senate by Sen. Jim Clark, R-Hayden Lake, to block enforcement
of any national health care rules. Rep. Dick Harwood, R-St. Maries,
plans to introduce a bill that would forbid the federal government from
regulating any firearm built, sold and used solely in Idaho.
Question: Should states fight against federal control within their borders on issues like gun laws, health care, and the environment?
Loyola Marymount’s Drew Viney and Gonzaga’s Elias Harris struggle for a loose ball in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game at the McCarthey Athletic Center in Spokane earlier tonight. ESPN boxscore here. (AP Photo/Rajah Bose)
Item: Nelson to try again to land a county commissioner seat/Alecia Warren, Coeur d’Alene Press
More Info: “I’ve been the construction administrator on multi-million dollar projects,” she said. “I’ve employed consultants, subcontractors, other individuals. It might sound like a small thing to some people, but it’s a lot of work.” Her political background is at the grassroots level, she said, like fighting issues of water quality and traffic around her neighborhood south of Coeur d’Alene in the Rockford Bay area. She is also forming a coalition to battle the county’s plans to close rural dump sites.
Question: Nelson finished strongly last time in a three-way race. Commissioners Rick Currie and Rich Piazza are up for re-election this time. Do you think county residents will vote for change?
Item: It’s in the cards, Clark retiring: Hayden representative has served 7 terms/Mike Patrick, Press
More Info: In an exclusive interview Friday with The Press, Clark announced his retirement at the end of the current legislative session. The seven-term Republican from Hayden Lake, known to friends and foes as annoyingly cocky one moment and delightfully self-deprecating the next, demonstrated a little bit of both in summarizing his decision to retire.
Question: I’d guess that Hayden Councilwoman Geri DeLange would be interested in Clark’s seat. She might be a Repub candidate. Can you think of any other R’s who will run. Will the D’s field a candidate?
Robert De Niro, left, Leonardo DiCaprio and Ellen Barkin, right, work the phone bank at “Hope for Haiti Now: A Global Benefit for Earthquake Relief”, on Friday in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark Davis/Hope for Haiti Now)
Question: Are you participating in the Haiti relief effort in any way?
Shirley Wagoner remembers her big brother sneaking out to the woods
behind their St. Maries 
home when he was a teenager to smoke cigarettes. “In the ’50s, it was cool,” she said. “It meant you were grown up.” Her brother, Dick Case, finally managed to quit 10 or 15 years ago,
but by then it was too late, she said. Case, a substance abuse
counselor and poet who lived in the Coeur d’Alene area, died Jan. 8 at
age 74. He blamed smoking for killing him, Wagoner said. Three days after his memorial, a friend of the family stopped by the
Panhandle Health District in Hayden with a plastic bag containing more
than $500 from Case’s sister and daughters. Wagoner said the family
also offered volumes of Case’s poetry at his memorial service for a
voluntary donation and added that money to the pot. The money was
donated to the district’s Smoking Cessation and Prevention Program/Alison Boggs, SR. More here.
Question (for smokers and former smokers): Why did you start smoking?
Late-summer openings are anticipated for new Walmart stores in Hayden and Post Falls. The 
Hayden store, at the southwest corner of U.S. Highway 95 and Honeysuckle Avenue, will be a mid-size store at about 213,000 square feet, Walmart says. Located on 19 acres with 968 planned parking spaces, it will include a seasonal garden area and a fast-food tenant that hasn’t been determined. It will be Hayden’s second-largest business structure, behind the Prairie Shopping Center. The parcel development required $1.3 million in impact fees for the restructuring of the Highway 95 intersection. The walls are up on the Hayden Walmart store/Nils Rosdahl, Handle Extra. More here.
Question (also poll question in left rail): Do you shop at WalMart? Why? Why not?
The Wyoming Cowboys men’s swim and dive team perform a Haka before their swim meet against Utah Friday at Corbett Poo in Laramie, Wyo. The Haka is a varied New Zealand rugby cheer. You write the cutline. (AP Photo/Laramie Boomerang, Andy Carpenean)
Me: We had a couple of drinks, but our server Scott checked on us regularly
so we were never 
waiting for drinks. We let him know when we were ready
to order. I had the Mediterranean Plate appetizer. Hummus, baba
gannoujh and olive and sun-dried tomato tapenade with warm pita
triangles. It was VERY good. The hummas was very garlicy which is fine
with me, but be warned. I thought this would be an OK dish for someone
on Weight Watchers and I think I was right. Didn’t seem to be ‘oily’ or
fatty. The pita wasn’t greasy either. I ate less than 1/2 and took the
rest home AND their to go box is awesome. I think it could go through
the dishwasher and be used again! Not the skimpy styrofoam. Full post below.
Question: What culinary sin does an eatery have to commit before you swear it off entirely?
With state lawmakers facing an even more dire economic forecast, many worry further budget cuts in critical areas such as education or health and welfare will dramatically hurt the well-being of Idahoans. But is there an alternative to simply cutting? Maybe increasing the sales tax by one penny — from the current six cents to seven cents — would help. We asked people in downtown Boise how they would react to that idea. Some people we talked to were doubtful, saying there must be a better way/KBCI. More here.
Question: Would you consider adding a penny to Idaho’s 6-cent sales tax, if it boosted state education funding and helped save programs?
“One
of my best friends called me Wednesday to tell me he was being deployed. He joined the Army two months after we graduated from high school and has been serving our country for the past three years. In all that time he’s only bounced from one city to the other, and now he’s being sent to Haiti to help with disaster relief. Although my gut sunk a little when he said “deployed,” I know he’s going to help a lot of people. It was a reality check to what all our military does for others and us”/Elizabeth Rudd, FrontRow editor, UI Argonaut. More Off the Cuff here.
Question: Do you have a family member or friend serving overseas at the moment? Where? Tell us about him or her?
Michael Ramirez/Investor’s Business Daily
Latah County Sheriff Deputies have arrested two juveniles in connection with at least 20 reports of vehicles being hit with gunfire along Highway 8 near Forks Road, just east of Helmer, Idaho.The shootings closed a portion of Highway 8 from milepost 29 to milepost 34, between Bovill and Deary, Friday afternoon. Police fielded multiple calls from people saying they had been shot at while driving in the area. Latah County Deputies and Idaho State Police set up a perimeter around the shooting scene and began to look for the suspects. Deputies found the spot where the teens had been shooting from and later arrested two juvenile boys/Jared Richardson, Internet Content editor. More here.
OrangeTV: since my uncle gets to brag a bit around here, so do I. Just got back from a weigh-in with the doc and I’ve dropped 12 more lbs., to a total of 68 lbs. since September. I think I’ll go celebrate with a cream puff or two. Oh and maybe while me and the other cream puffs are celebrating, I’ll have a nice disgusting beer.
Question: Anyone out there with a new year’s resolution to lose weight? How are you doing?
Mirai Nagasu skates during a practice for the ladies free skate program at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Spokane today. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
Did I really say this morning that Scanner Traffic was quiet? Scanner Traffic picked up and remained steady almost from the moment that I wrote that — 33 posts and counting at the moment. You Hucksters still like Scanner Traffic, right. One hard-working police officer told me that she checks Scanner Traffic to see if she has missed something during the day. Now, I need to post the Wild Card and get out of her before the scanner comes up with something big that’ll keep me glued to my office seat for awhile …
You never know when something’s going to happen on HBO to shake things up. Today, for 
example, EJS suggested that we start a cafe club — for lack of a better phrase, at the moment. (You can read the discussion on this thread here.) OrangeTV, our go-to guy when it comes to restaurant reviews said he liked the idea. So I left it up to EJS to come up with the first restaurant for us Merry Hucksters to review. He’ll tell us Monday after he consults with his missus. We’ll handle it like this. EJS picks a restaurant this week. Hucksters then have a week to eat there (remember to tip well … I don’t want it to be known that my Hucksters are cheap). We’ll begin discussing the restaurant, for better or worse, the following Monday. Now, for one last piece of business …
Question: What are we going to call this restaurant review club?
Seattle Mariners pitcher Cliff Lee speaks during a baseball news conference at Safeco Field in Seattle on Friday. Lee was acquired by the Mariners in a trade with the Philadelphia Phillies last December. (AP Photo/John Froschauer)
“An active shooter on Highway 8 near Helmer, Idaho forced the brief closure of the highway Friday afternoon. Several people in the area reported seeing police cars speeding through Helmer Friday afternoon. Initially the Idaho State Police was reporting the highway shut down in the vicinity of Helmer and there was police activity. Just before 5 PM the Latah County Sheriff’s Office confirmed they had a situation involving an active shooter who had done some property damage. One eyewitness reported that several vehicles have been hit/Rob Kauder, KXLY. More here.
Mike Schelin (mostly hidden behind) rides in a motocross bike race with his dog Opee, a 8-years-old blue merle Australian shepherd in Perris, Calif. You write the cutline. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)
Top Cutlines:
In this June 1, 2009, file photo provided by NBC, Conan O’Brien makes his debut as the host of NBC’s “The Tonight Show” in Universal City, Calif. CNNMoney.com reports that the NBC decision to pay O’Brien and his staff $45M to leave the new time slot was a good one, businesswise here. (AP Photo/NBC, Paul Drinkwater) Question: Conan O’Brien is accepting $33M personally to leave his time slot in NBC’s late-night programming. How much would you get if your company decided to buy you out?
Sen. Shawn Keough, R-Sandpoint, says she thinks lawmakers should consider cutting their own health benefits just as the state has cut health coverage for other part-time state employees. “We ought to have that discussion - I don’t think we should shy away from it,” Keough said. She was responding to a column by Dan Popkey in the Idaho Statesman today, which called lawmakers “tone-deaf” on the issue. It noted that all but 18 lawmakers take the coverage that’s the same as that for full-time state employees, though Idaho has a part-time citizen legislature/Betsy Russell, Eye On Boise. More here.
Question: Do you actually think lawmakers would cut their own insurance benefits?
Sometimes, a few independent-thinking souls will come up with an idea so outlandish that it 
actually gets legs in the legislative process. This year, that honor falls to Rep. Jim Clark, R-Hayden, who introduced a bill to fight federal health-care reform. The bill would free residents from mandates to purchase insurance. Clark’s stand against federal legislation, which the states are bound to follow by Article VI of the Constitution, resembles that of then-Gov. George Wallace of Alabama, who defied federal civil-rights laws and physically blocked black students from entering the University of Alabama. First of all, who really knows what health-care reform will look like? Mandated insurance could well be dropped from the final version. Besides, most versions stipulate insurance would only be mandatory if an individual could afford it/Murf Raquet, Moscow-Pullman Daily News. More here.
Question: What do you think of the attempted preemptive strike by state Rep. Jim Clark, R-Hayden, to free Idahoans from any requirement for mandated insurance?
In
his weekly Cheers & Jeers column, Opinion Editor Marty Trillhaase of the Lewiston Tribune jeered three Idaho legislators for pandering to Tea Party activists this week: Rep. Steve Hartgen, R-Twin Falls, Rep. Steven Thayn, R-Emmett, and Rep. Phil Hart, R-Athol. Of Hart, Trillhaase said: “He railed against the Federal Reserve system as “offensive to scripture.” A fellow who refused to pay his taxes for seven years - but who now draws legislative pay, health insurance, per diem expenses, life insurance and retirement from the poor state taxpayer - ought to look up what the Bible has to say about hypocrites.” You can read the entire Cheers-and-Jeers column here.
Question: Is it pandering when you share the same beliefs?
In the “I thought I’d scene, or heard, it all” Dept., I and a nearly packed house at the Lake City 
Playhouse production of “Leader of the Pack” was treated to a fidgeting baby for the entire second half. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I spotted the mother and the baby in the third row prior to the opening curtain. I wondered how the mother was going to keep the baby quiet for the entire production. The answer came quickly. Halfway through the first act, the mother had the sense to take her baby outside when it began making noise. She wasn’t as considerate — if that word can be used for a mother with a baby at live theater — during the second half. She couldn’t even quiet the child by offering to breast feed it. Toss in a coupla of drunks who arrived after the play began and talked throughout the second act, and it was a less-than-enjoyable evening. However, lead Emily Cleveland and singer Marina Kalani made the production worth seeing, especially when they soldiered on despite the distractions.
Question: Have you encountered many rude goers at plays, concerts, movies, or other similar public settings?
The Shady Lady Ranch brothel is pictured Monday in Beatty, Nev. The brothel has hired “Markus”, the first legal male prostitute in Nevada. (AP Photo/Isaac Brekken) Question: Would you describe this as “progress,” “gender equity,” or something entirely different?
EJS: Hey, here’s an idea, lets do HBO restaurant reviews say twice a month. We agree on a place and all go when we can in that time frame and report back on a thread as to how it went. Kind of like a book club. I’d be game for new ideas and places to go.
Question: Hmm. What do you guys think?
Susan Church Moore’s move from suburban Philadelphia to a cabin in Clark Fork is the focus of the new book “Hiberden: A North Idaho Adventure,” which is available at Bonners Books in Bonners Ferry. Moore in 1993 moved with her husband to the cabin heated only by wood and surrounded by forests and wildlife. She began journaling and taking photos of the wildlife in the area. It was a journey that included cutting wood for heat, learning the dangers of dry lightning, meeting wild animals up close in her yard and digging out from record depths of snow with the threat of flooding when it melted/Julie Golder, Bonners Ferry Herald. More here.
Question: Was your move to he Inland Northwest memorable? Care to share anything about it?
Dissatisfaction with the direction of the country, antipathy toward federal government activism 
and opposition to the Democrats’ health-care proposals drove the upset election of Republican Sen.-elect Scott Brown of Massachusetts, according to a new post-election survey of Massachusetts voters. The poll by The Washington Post, the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation and Harvard University’s School of Public Health underscores how significantly voter anger has turned against Democrats in Washington and how dramatically the political landscape has shifted during President Obama‘s first year in office/Washington Post. More here.
Question: Why has the political landscape changed so much?
Idaho’s legislators have it both ways. Though often boastful about serving in a part-time 
Legislature, lawmakers are full time when it comes to state benefits. For years, that didn’t make much difference. But in November, more than 2,000 part-time employees started paying much more for health insurance, saving the state millions. If lawmakers were classified as part-timers working fewer than 28 hours a week - a more-than-fair figure for an annual salary of $16,116 in a job of such import - the state would save $304,000, according to the Department of Administration. That would cover most of Gov. Butch Otter’s cuts of the Council on the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Council on Developmental Disabilities and State Independent Living Council, which serves people with disabilities/Dan Popkey, Idaho Statesman. More here.
Question: Is this fair?
Nez Perce County Sheriffs Sgt. Jay Colvin, right, makes a rolling maneuver around Sgt. Jason Lee as they simulate a ice rescue Thursday at Winchester Lake in Winchester, Idaho. Twenty-three law enforcement, search and rescue and state park officials from the region took part in the 3-day training hosted by Winchester State Park and Winchester Fire Department.(AP Photo/Lewiston Tribune, Kyle Mills)
Gov. Butch Otter and state Parks Director Nancy Merrill have announced a plan to save $4.5 million at the state parks department next year - but not to eliminate it. “We will remain the Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation, by changing our management philosophy and operating more like a business,” Merrill said. “The emphasis as we move forward will be balancing expenditures with revenues.” Said Otter, “The whole idea that we were going to eliminate the parks department was dead wrong”/Betsy Russell, Eye On Boise. More here.
Question: Reaction?
A quickly struck deal with the Idaho Department of Labor appears to have filled a funding gap at the Idaho Human Rights Commission. Pam Parks, the commission’s director, told the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee on Friday that the commission can be folded into the Department of Labor without compromising its duties to enforce civil rights and anti-discrimination laws in the workplace, public accommodations, education and various transactions/Dan Popkey, Idaho Politics. More here.
Question: Reaction?
An unidentified boy waits for the start of the March for Life this morning in Washington. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)
This week is celebrated as Sanctity of Life Week, a concept which reflects the Christian belief, contrary to all the ideas above, that life is sacred because people are for God and his glory. Indeed, it is only if the meaning of life is for God — if we have a divine purpose — that the idea of sanctity in human life has any meaning at all/Benjamin Ledford, UI Argonaut. More here.
Question: Would you describe yourself as pro-life, pro-choice, or uncommitted on the controversial issue of abortion?
I’ve
been around the Legislature a long time, and this legislative session has begun with a different feel to it. When was the last time a governor proposed cutting funding for government television and eliminating other agencies? Nitpickers like me will say that Gov. Butch Otter could have done more. (We still have three separate government agencies that are supposed to help people get jobs, for crying out loud). But the start of this legislative session beats other legislative sessions in which the resolve to cut government simply didn’t exist at all. In 2003, lawmakers quickly followed the path of least resistance and raised taxes. Hopefully the Legislature will expand on the executive branch’s budget cut recommendations/Wayne Hoffman, Idaho Freedom Foundation. More here.
Question: What do you think of Wayne Hoffman’s idea of cut the budget deeper than Gov. Butch Otter proposes?
Legislative
Republicans are doing one of two things with the state’s steadily downsizing budget, says James Ruchti. They are either cutting back because they firmly believe the economy won’t improve for the next 18 months, or they are using a crisis to size down state government to fit their ideology. If the latter is true, says Ruchti, a Pocatello Democrat and the House’s assistant minority leader, then “shame on them.” After two lengthy editorial board meetings with GOP and Democratic leadership, I don’t think it’s so clearcut/Kevin Richert, Idaho Statesman. More here.
Question: Do you think legislature Republicans are cutting back b/c they don’t think the economy will improve in the next 18 months? Or because they see a chance to use the bad economy to down-size government? Or is the truth somewhere in the middle?
Chris, at Treasured Valley, posts a roundup of good sites for Idaho news today, including Betsy Russell’s Eye On Boise and Huckleberries Online. He said this of HBO: “The Spokesman-Review’s Huckleberries Online from blogmaster D.F. Oliveria. While you may have to sort through some North Idaho local politics, HBO also regularly posts stories on state politics in the Gem state. Boasting the most active (and, thankfully, regulated) comment section, it’s a great place to engage in politics pugilism if you’re up to the challenge. Updated throughout the day it’s a good choice to stay up-to-the-minute on Idaho politics.” Treasured Valley, which I consider one of a handful of must reads daily, provides a road map for Idaho junkies here.
Question: Where do you go to find news of Idaho beyond the Panhandle?
Yvonne Echols, of Appleton, looks over tax forms at the Appleton Public Library is this AP file photo. (AP Photo/Post-Crescent, Mike De Sisti,File) Question: Do you special software, an accountant, or a firm like H&R Block to fill out your tax forms? Or do you fill them out by yourself manually?
Brent Andrews: Not sure these folks have any real interest in human rights in general. It’s the Nazi reputation they want to shed and rightfully so. But this is more for business interests, for attracting investment and tourism, than protection of Idaho’s tiny minority population. Dontcha think?
Question: Which concerns Idahoans most? Human rights? Or the bad image that neo-Nazis, past and present, have given the state?
We’ve all done it. Hop in the car for a trip to Oregon, stop to get some gas,
jump out and grab the gas nozzle. Then you hear it. The notice from the gas
station attendant: “Stop!” Stop… pumping my own gas? The Beaver State is known
for many things – a beautiful coast-line, great micro-brews and a ban on pumping
your own gas. Oregon State Code lays it all out in black and white: only trained
employees of service stations are allowed to put so-called “Class 1 Flammable
Liquids” into cars. Not only is the prohibition the law of the land, but
legislators in Salem put a laundry list of reasons why the ban was prudent into
state code/KTVB. More
here.
At
Get Out! North Idaho, OrangeTV again has posted a number of unfavorable reviews of local restaurants, including this complaint by a restaurant owner: “Any ‘one’ single person can flame a good restaurant, sometimes out of ignorance and sometimes out of selfish spite. Most any one of your ‘reviews’ could be made up or done by (to be kind (a rarity) and say the least) unqualified restaurant reviewers. And if you are successful, sadly there will always be some haters. I found some of your so called ‘reviews’ that you picked downright mean and with way to strong of words to be picked for posting.’ OTV thought about mixing in some good reviews to balance things out, but decided — correctly — that such an approach would be too boring. You can read the latest bad reviews here.
Question: When and where did you last have a bad experience dining out?
Rep. Marv Hagedorn, R-Meridian, introduced legislation Thursday he claims will help deter bomb threat hoaxes in Idaho. Hagedorn testified before the House State Affairs Committee, saying the plan would allow prosecutors greater powers when dealing with bomb threats. If passed, it would be felony to carry out a hoax bomb threat, punishable by up to a $25,000 fine and five years in a state correctional facility. The bill also outlines what the state should define as a hoax destructive device. The legislation comes in response to a hoax bomb threat in Boise early last year/Dustin Hurst, Idaho Reporter. More here.
Question: Do you think Hagedorn’s bill would reduce the number of bomb hoaxes, if passed?
Isik Best, Micah Robinson and Raymond Woods haul their canoe through the streets of downtown in Lewiston Thursday to the Clearwater River so Best could go fishing while Woods and Robinson man the paddles. (AP Photo/Lewiston Tribune, Barry Kough)
Seems Editor Mike Patrick of the Coeur d’Alene Press is a ha-huge fan of community activist Dan Gookin. But not a fan of angry anonymous posters for which the Press is famous. In a comment (4:45 p.m. Thursday) re: Priscilla Bell’s commitment of $3000 from NIC to the Post Falls chamber building fund, Patrick said: “Dan Gookin, thanks for contributing facts and rational thoughts to this discussion. Thanks, too, for having the guts to identify yourself. I encourage anyone posting thoughtful comments to simply ignore the name-callers. Maybe then they’ll move on.” And mebbe the Press will learn to monitor its comments to prevent name-callers from taking over?
Question: What do you make of this comment?
Pam
Parks, director of the Idaho Human Rights Commission told legislative budget writers that when Idaho passed the Idaho Human Rights Act, which the commission enforces, “Idaho made a clear and strong declaration that we will not tolerate discrimination.” She noted that the state’s reputation has suffered from the activities of racists. “Recently we are seeing a resurgence of ugly acts in our beautiful state,” she said. “This is not a time that we can back off our resolve.” If Idaho had no human rights commission, she said, the federal government would be responsible for enforcing anti-discrimination laws in the state/Betsy Russell, Eye On Boise. More here.
Question: Do you think Gov. Butch Otter will come to his senses re: the proposed cut in funding for the Idaho Human Rights Commission. If not, do the legislators have enough sense not to make the cut?
Item: Capone’s closes for remodel: Owners spending $500K on changes, upgrades/Bill Buley, Coeur d’Alene Press
Item: The doors at Capone’s closed on Monday. When they reopen in a few weeks, customers will see a newer, bigger and better restaurant and pub. … The $500,000 upgrade is being done by Ginno Construction, which has handled all of Capone’s previous remodels since it opened in Coeur d’Alene 18 years ago
Question: How will you Capone regulars handle several weeks without access to your favorite pub?
Signe Wilkinson/Philadelphia Inquirer
I’ll watch an hour or so of the game between Gonzaga and Pepperdine tonight (beginning at 6) and then head to the Lake City Playhouse to see the production, “Leader of the Pack.” I’m looking forward to another Zag win and some doo-wop songs. Now, to continue to play the Wild Card …
Gonzaga’s Elias Harris rips a rebound away from Pepperdine earlier tonight at the McCarthey Athletic Center. Gonzaga won the battle of the WCC unbeatens 91-84. ESPN game story and boxscore here. (Dan Pelle/SR)
Washington State guard Xavier Thames (11) knocks the ball away from Southern California’s Alex Stepheson, middle, as Washington State’s Charlie Enquist (40) defends in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game earlier tonight in Los Angeles. The Cougars staged a comeback to win 67-60. ESPN game story and boxscore here. (AP Photo/Alex Gallardo)
The executive editor of the National Enquirer says he plans to enter his paper’s work on the John Edwards scandal for a Pulitzer Prize. Don’t laugh. “It’s clear we should be a contender for this,” Barry Levine said by phone Thursday, hours after the former presidential candidate admitted what the paper had been reporting all along: that he is the father of Rielle Hunter’s baby. “The National Enquirer, a supermarket tabloid, was able to publish this reporting”/Howard Kurtz, Washington Post. More here.
Question: Does the National Enquirer deserve a Pulitzer Prize for reporting all along that former presidential contender John Edwards fathered a child by Rielle Hunter? And/or: Were you surprised by Edwards’ admission?
Madison Chock and Greg Zuerlein stop to pick up a teddy bear and get a hug after their compulsory dance program at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in the Spokane Arena Thursday. (Christopher Anderson/SR)
Item: A Dawg and a Zag in the first round?/Gerry Spratt, Seattle Sports Blog
Question: Would you rather have an emerging star like Elias Harris on the Zags for one year? Or a lesser starter on the team for four years?
Seattle Mariners pitcher Felix Hernandez smiles during a news conference in Seattle on Thursday. Hernandez and the Mariners have completed a $78 million, five-year deal that averts an arbitration hearing and keeps the young ace under contract through 2014. See story below. (AP Photo/John Froschauer)
Passenger Philomena Fischetti, top, hangs from her seat belt while leaning on Kathleen Futoma as the women look through the front windshield of Futoma’s car near Berwick, Pa., Wednesday. They are waiting for rescue personnel to free them from the vehicle, which came to rest on it’s side after Futoma struck a trailer hauling cars parked along Route 11. The two were taken to the hospital to be checked out after the crash but both were uninjured. You write the cutline. (AP Photo/Bloomsburg Press Enterprise, Jimmy May)
Top Cutlines:
3:21 p.m. Road rage: CPD Blues are looking for a white Oldsmobile Cutlass that’s reportedly northbound on Ramsey from Kathleen Avenue. The driver allegedly waved a gun at another motorist, who pulled into the car wash on Ramsey.
(UI President Duane Nellis) updated them on his experiences since taking the president’s job 
seven months ago and made a case for why he believes the UI is critical to Idaho’s economy. “In the state of Idaho in the last 10 years … higher education’s proportion of the state budget has decreased in half of what it was, while prisons’ has doubled,” he said. Nellis said he thinks many state legislators and taxpayers in southern Idaho aren’t completely aware of or don’t fully appreciate the extent to which the UI reaches past Moscow, and that can have an effect on support for funding. He said people often forget about the UI’s multiple extension offices and research sites in 42 of Idaho’s 44 counties/Holly Bowen, Moscow-Pullman Daily News. More here.
Factoid: Daily News reporter Holly Bowen once published an underground newspaper at Post Falls High and editted the NIC Sentinel. She’s a long-time Berry Picker.
Question: How important is the University of Idaho to you?
Former Olympic star Sasha Cohen practices during a warm up session for the ladies short program at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Spokane earlier today. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer) Question: Can you touch your toes, too?
Both kids started piano lessons today. The past few days have seen me worrying if we would get our money’s worth out of this expensive undertaking. Very expensive. Like, the equivalent of a monthly car payment. I was wondering if either of my kids would take to the piano in a way that would quell the pain in my checkbook. My goal is not to make concert pianists out of them. Rather, I want them to have a musical skill that gives a certain amount of satisfaction and confidence/Idaho Dad, A Family Runs Through It. More here.
Question: I regret that I never learned to play a musical instrument, especially a piano. Do you play a musical instrument? Which one(s)? Do you pay for music lessons for your children?
Item: Alopecia awareness: Seventh-grader educates others about condition/Maureen Dolan, Coeur d’Alene Press
More Info: Ellie McCarthy was a new student with a big secret. The 12-year-old started seventh grade last fall, hoping her new classmates at Lakes Magnet Middle School would never know that the brown hair she sports is not her own. Ellie didn’t want to ever have to tell them she wears a wig, or that she has a medical condition that causes hair loss. Then the unthinkable happened, and everything changed. Ellie’s wig fell off while she was in class two weeks ago.
Question: Do you still have your hair?
For those constituents who think government isn’t listening to the people, Rep. Rich Jarvis, R-
Meridian, might prove otherwise. Jarvis is sponsoring House Bill 389, which would make the Idaho Giant Salamander(dicmaptodon aterrimus) the official state amphibian. The reason behind the move? Some fourth and fifth grade classes from Boise asked him to do it. Classes from the Christian Calvary School in Boise appealed to several legislators asking for the designation. Jarvis agreed to sponsor the bill. The bill has been introduced into the House and will be heard before the House Ways and Means Committee, which makes Jarvis believe the death of the legislation is imminent. “They look at it as a frivolous bill,” said Jarvis “Unless there’s some up swell of activity…there has to be that kind of activity for the House to take time and do that”/Dustin Hurst, Idaho Reporter. More here.
Question: Do you consider frivolous a bill to name as state amphibian the Idaho Giant Salamander? Did you know there was such a thing as the Idaho Giant Salamander?
In this May 5, 2009, file photo, Siamese twin brothers Ron, left and Don Galyon relax at their home in Dayton, Ohio. They are listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the oldest living male conjoined twins. Two Ohio men are moving in with their brother Jim in the Spring. (AP Photo/Dayton Daily News, Jim Noelker) Question: Do you have any regular sets of twins in your family?
Starbucks customers with complicated drink orders will have to pay more for their double-shot half-whole milk mocha lattes and other fancy drinks, thanks to a new company policy. For example, an extra shot of espresso will cost an extra 70-cents. But there’s good news, too. Customers with simple orders, like a cup of plain coffee for example, will pay about 10-cents less/Associated Press.
Question: Do you order fancy drinks at Starbucks? Which ones? Will the increase in cost prompt you to look elsewhere for your caffeine fix?
The State Board of Education wants to undo a law forbidding spouses of Idaho university presidents from being hired at the schools. Mark Browning, an Ed Board spokesman, told the House Education Committee Thursday university presidents often come with a highly qualified spouse. But it’s hard for them to find jobs comparable to those they left behind, especially under the existing ban. … Dumping this prohibition, Browning said, would be a recruitment tool. But some lawmakers including Rep. Bob Nonini, a Coeur d’Alene Republican, said such a change could put Idaho schools at risk of nepotism charges/AP via Betsy Russell’s Eye On Boise. More here.
Question: What are the nepotism rules at your office or workplace? And/or: Do you see a problem w/Idaho changing the rules to allow highly qualified spouses to work at the same colleges that employ their mates as presidents?
They’re
political footballs at election time, a money drain at your mechanic’s garage and a pain when you’re driving around Spokane. They’re Spokane’s infamous potholes, so unpopular in the real world that they now have their own Facebook fan page. The fan page is fittingly called Spokane Potholes. While the page has 100 “fans” so far, they’re not necessarily fans of the Lilac City’s alignment-bending potholes. “The roads in town are horrible,” driver Matt Gillam said. “My street has never been fixed so we’re getting more potholes, my tires stay out of line,” driver Violet Noble said/Tania Dall, KXLY. More here.
Question: I’ve never seen potholes as bad as the ones in Kalispell, Mont., circa 1980. Townspeople joked that they could tell a drunk driver b/c he was the only one driving straight across them. One night, a VW blew all 4 tires when it hit a Kalispell area pothole. So, here’s the question: Are Spokane potholes worse than the ones in your community?
Tanith Belbin, left, and Benjamin Agosto skate during their compulsory ice dancing routine at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Spokane Thursday. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)
Patiently, Mom sighed. “Like this, one, two, three … .” Several hours of skating later, as we 
walked to the car, I complained that I still didn’t know much about the sport. Ever forthright, she agreed. “Actually, now, you probably know even less.” She paused and watched me scribble in my notebook. “Don’t you dare quote me!” she said. I may not have learned much about skating Monday, but Mom discovered you must say “Off the record” before you talk to a reporter, if you don’t want to see your words in print. I’d say it was an educational afternoon for both of us/Cindy Hval, Washington Voices, Passport to Gold. More here.
Question: Have you ever used the term “off the record” when speaking to a media reporter? Did you ever get burned by a reporter who used “off the record” material? What does “off the record” mean to you?
Reporting from Washington - The Supreme Court today overturned a century-old restriction on corporations using their money to sway federal elections and ruled that companies have a free-speech right to spend as much as they wish to persuade voters to elect or defeat candidates for Congress and the White House. In a 5-4 decision, the court’s conservative bloc said corporations have the same 1st Amendment rights as individuals and, for that reason, the government may not stop corporations from spending freely to influence the outcome of federal elections. More here.
… that there was a reason for that weird “clarification” in the Coeur d’Alene Press over the weekend re: the readership numbers that Editor Mike Patrick ballyhooed Jan. 10 — you know, the story in which Patrick bragged that Brand X readership was bucking national trends by going up, up, up. Seems Scarborough Research insisted on the correction because they questioned Patrick’s interpretation of the numbers and didn’t like having one of its people quoted by name. Also, SR marketing execs wonder where Patrick arrived at the notion that our newspaper readership was in decline. SReadership has increased significantly in the greater Spokane area (although paid circulation has gone down, as a result of several market factors). The SR has never tried to cloak the fact that it’s going through tough times, as is almost all of the newspaper industry. If Patrick really wants to impress, he’d demand that Hagadone execs open their pressroom up to a bonafide audit of paid-circulation numbers, like the SR does. Without that audit, he can say paid circulation is anything he wants it to be.
What is more cheerful
and more merry
than April days in
January?
The Bard of Sherman Avenue
A new tax on plastic shopping bags is the top-rated idea on Idaho’s efficiency Web site. The proposal is one of about 470 suggestions people have submitted since the site went live in November. The Web site was initially created to gather input about how to make government more efficient. Now, a new “feedback forum” component allows people to vote on the ideas. As of Wednesday, a proposal to add a 7-cent tax on plastic shopping bags received 98 votes, almost four times as many as the next-closest proposal/Lewiston Tribune. You can find the Idaho Efficiency Web address here. Rest of the story here.
Question: Would you want to pay a 7-cent tax on plastic shopping bags?
Maybe Idaho can do without a Commission on Hispanic Affairs, a State Independent Living 
Council, a Council for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing or even state-funded public television. But it needs to keep the Human Rights Commission. Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter wants to phase out the five agencies over four years as a budget-saving move. There’s a strong case to be made for saving each of them, but none as compelling as the Human Rights Commission. That’s because Idaho has an image problem across America. Market researchers who ask New Yorkers or Floridians or Californians about Idaho hear the word “potato” first. The next word they hear is “racists.” We owe that, of course, to Richard Butler and his Aryan Nations/Twin Falls Times-News. More here.
Question: Does Idaho need a Human Rights Commission?
KerriT/More Main Street:
I met Tom/TeeDub/TW in junior high school, up on 7th St. in Coeur d’Alene. My first time on a ballot was in the ‘60s in the VP slot for sophomore class office when the high school was on 15th St. (now Lakes Middle School). Tom was in the President slot of our ticket. Can’t recall who was on the ticket that beat us but I’m pretty sure they had pocket protectors.
Question: Have you ever run for a student body office at any level of your education? How did you do?
This undated image provided by Adam Bouska/NOH8 Campaign shows Cindy McCain, the wife of Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., posing for the NOH8 campaign. NOH8 is a gay rights group challenging Proposition 8 passed by California voters in 2008 banning same sex marriage. Story here. (AP Photo/Adam Bouska/NOH8 Campaign)
Today’s HBO Poll (in lefthand rail below tile ads): Do you support gay marriage?
It seemed only fitting that the first event of the 2010 U.S. Figure Skating Championships I 
attended was Monday’s Novice Ladies Short Program. To say that I’m a skating novice would be an understatement. Though I’ve written about the sport extensively for the PassportToGold2010.com blog, the closest I’ve been to actual skating was in second grade, when I sported a Dorothy Hamill haircut. So when I secured tickets to Monday’s event, I brought along an expert – my 78-year-old mother. In the 1940s, she once skated on a pond in Hayden, Idaho. Plus, she and my dad used to watch a lot of figure skating on TV/Cindy H, Washington Voices. More here.
Question: Do you like hanging out with your mom/dad/parents?
Item: A new downtown icon: Brix, Underground converted into dance club, sports venue/Rick Thomas, Coeur d’Alene Press
More Info: It’s a sign of the changing economy. Hip-hop trumps pork chops, and Brix Steak and Chophouse is no more. In its place is a new dance club with plenty of sports entertainment. “Underground is going away,” said owner Jerry Goggin. “Brix is gone already.”
Question: What do you make of this development in downtown Coeur d’Alene?
Item: Former meth addict shares tale: Idaho Meth Project forum reveals impacts of drug use/Alecia Warren, Coeur d’Alene Press
More Info: When Brian Lux’s friends prodded him to try meth at 17, he figured it wasn’t going to hurt. “Euphoric,” the 39-year-old described the feeling of his first high. “I thought it was great.” The decades that followed, though — not so much. By the time the Coeur d’Alene resident was 30, what he had sustained as a side habit suddenly consumed his life.
Question: Do you know someone who has been destroyed by meth use?
Former Olympic star Sasha Cohen skates during a practice at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Spokane Wednesday. Story below You can follow the latest news from the championships at the Spokane Arena at the Spokesman-Review site here and at Passport to Gold here. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
The new layout at Idaho’s expanded Capitol requires a behavioral adjustment that’s making 
folks a bit cranky. “A lot of people are flummoxed,” said Roy Eiguren, a lobbyist who chaired the Capitol Commission from 1998 to 2004. “They’re used to interacting in a certain way, and it’s not like that anymore.” “I feel a sense of isolation,” said Rep. Rich Wills, R-Glenns Ferry. “This is the people’s house, and we need to have that interaction with the general public.” So far, visitors are focused on a sparkling $120 million restoration. Often towing children, they’ve streamed in since the Jan. 9 opening ceremony left people weeping as they sang the state song together. Lawmakers, lobbyists, state employees and reporters - those most familiar with the building - are having a tougher time. Legislators are so scattered they can’t be found/Dan Popkey, Idaho Statesman. More here.
Question: Do you plan to visit the capitol building while the Idaho Legislature is in session this year?
What had been Paddy’s II tavern at 900 Highway 41 (at its intersection with Mullan Road in Post Falls) is now Club 41. The 3,000-square-foot sports pub is remodeled with seating for 30-plus customers. Amenities include several flat-screen TVs and a stereo system, pool tables, dart boards and video games. Coming soon are a ping pong table and Wii station. Food comes from the neighboring Nate’s New York Pizza. Hours are 11 a.m. to midnight daily. A Coeur d’Alene native, owner T.W. Fisher, started T.W. Fisher’s Brew Pub and the Coeur d’Alene Brewing Co. in Coeur d’Alene. In 2002 he went into real estate with Century 21 Beutler & Associates. He has five employees at Club 41/Nils Rosdahl, Handle Extra. More here.
Factoid: T.W. Fisher and I worked together at Duane Hagadone’s Kalispell Daily Inter Lake 30 years ago. He was the circulation manager. I was the managing editor. He was known simply as “Tom” then.
Question: Were you a fan of T.W.’s old pub?
Nick Anderson/Houston Chronicle
At Kootenai MPO, Staci Lehman reports: “It’s January right? I ask because when I left work last night at 5:00 (so it was dark), I saw a woman in a convertible WITH THE TOP DOWN.” Which beats the strangest sight that I’ve seen this January — players involved in pickup basketball games at the outdoor courts at City Park and on McEuen Field. I’m tempted to take my new bike out for a spin, just to say I rode it in January.
Question: What is the strangest sight you’ve seen this month as a result of the wonderful, mild weather that we’re experiencing?
Nate Shepherd, 2, uses his finger to trace chiseled letters on the monument after a ceremony in Poteau, Okla., earlier today. Shepherd is grandson of former Poteau Mayor Don Barnes, who started the effort to place the Ten Commandments marker in the town. About 200 people attended the unveiling and dedication of a new monument with the Ten Commandments etched into its granite surface on the front lawn of the Community State Bank. (AP Photo/The Oklahoman, Jim Beckel) Question: Do you try to live your life by the guidelines provided by the 10 Commandments?
For your reading pleasure, Huckleberries Online has added three new blog/news sites to the Idaho Blogroll: Idaho Freedom Foundation’s Idaho Reporter, Nicole LeFavour’s Notes from the Floor, and Idaho Conservative Blogger. Earlier this week, HBO added to the same list Idaho Politics, which brings you statehouse coverage by such leading Idaho Statesman lights as Dan Popkey. Enjoy. Now, for the Wild Card …
Staci Lehman
/Kootenai MPO (re: Idaho drivers to get new licenses): The question is, if this ID is so great, can it also make you look good in your driver license photo? I had to wait 2 hours last time I went to the DMV so I was VERY irritated by the time I had my photo taken- and you can tell in the picture. I tried to scan it to prove how bad it is but it’s too small and there’s not enough resolution to do it justice.
Question (from Staci): Anyone else have a particularly bad drivers license photo?
Muzamil Modaser listens to Air Force Col. Erik J. Nelson, right, read “Mudgy & Millie” in a military hospital in Afghanistan. Coeur d’Alene Today story here. (Courtesy photo)
Ayla Brown, daughter of Massachusetts State Sen. Scott Brown, R-Wrentham, celebrates Brown’s U.S. Senate special election victory for the U.S. Senate seat left vacant by the death of Sen. Edward Kennedy in Boston Tuesday. You write the cutline. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)
Top Cutlines:
Spencer
(on Eye On Boise re: Vaughn Ward announcement tour): Why on earth would he want Dirk to be seen supporting him? Did he want this kiss of neo-con death hung around his neck or was it forced on him? This is worse than showing up to Republican party events with Kirk Sullivan or Otter. Vaughn, you have assured me you are a conservative, so why are you not surounding yourself only with actual conservatives, instead of career politicos?
Phaedrus: LarrySpencer did you not read his bio? Ward is a D.C. insider, not a conservative, he’s Dirky’s boy and his entire career seems to consist of being paid by the taxpayers of the United States. Has he ever worked in the private sector?
Question: Should Vaugh Ward listen to Spencer re: the company he keeps in making his official campaign announcement? (BTW, do you think that U.S. senator-elect Scott Brown looks like Spencer w/o a mullet?)
A Coeur d’Alene methamphetamine dealer was sentenced to more than 15 years in prison in U.S. District Court recently. Paul D. Hartman, 44, was given 188 months in prison and four years probation by Judge B. Lynn Winnill on Friday, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced today. Hartman pleaded guilty in September to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, nearly two years after a traffic stop launched an investigation/Meghann M. Cuniff, Sirens & Gavels. More here.
Charles Dixon:
It was the independent voters who got Obama elected, and they didn’t vote that way so Obama could do 90% of what he’s tried to do this past year. They voted for hope and change and a better life, and in return they’ve received an economy that has only gotten worse and a crap sandwich from their Congress. Independent voters feel betrayed by Obama, and they’ve taken that sense of betrayal out in Massachusetts, New Jersey and Virginia. Obama himself wouldn’t have won re-election last night. Full comment below.
Question: Is Obama, who celebrates his first anniversary in the White House today, on his way to becoming a one-term president?
Tareq Salahi and Michaele Salahi leave the Cannon House Office Building on Capitol Hill in Washington today, after testifying before the House Homeland Security Committee. Story here. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf)
Question: What should be done with the White House gate crashers?
Nope,
this isn’t a post about food … this is about you and I. And everyone else who has ever had a single elder parent and children that rely on you. Even if they don’t think they do. Seems like the time your parents need you, is about the time you have high school or college children. And you thought your freedom was close at hand, and you would be traveling. Best laid plans
of mice and men. … Remember how you treat your parents, is how your children will treat you/Cis, From A Simple Mind. More here.
Question: Would you want your children to treat you in your golden years the way that you treat your elderly parent(s) now?
Sasha Cohen falls as she skates during a practice at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Spokane today. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer) Question: Anyone out there attend the figure skating championships? Was your event worth the price of admission?
Question: How about you? What would you do with the money if you won the Idaho Lottery?
A long list of human rights leaders, including two former Idaho governors, three former directors 
of the Idaho Human Rights Commission, and more, have sent an “open letter” to the Idaho Legislature opposing Gov. Butch Otter’s proposal to phase out all state funding for the Idaho Human Rights Commission over the next four years. “We implore the members of the Idaho Legislature to resist any initiative to reduce the effectiveness of the Commission, to diminish its already scarce resources and to send the most unwelcome and damaging message that Idaho has ceased to place human rights at the absolute forefront of the state’s priorities”/Betsy Russell, Eye On Boise. More here.
Question: Is Butch Otter using the recession to cut programs that he opposes philosophically? Or is he making tough decisions and using his budget ax equally?
Katie Donnar, 18, shows her scar from where the melanoma was on the calf of her leg recently in Vincennes, Ind. in front of a tanning bed like the on she used at her home and at the tanning salons. Donnar was in the sixth grade when she started using tanning beds. (AP Photo/ Daniel R. Patmore) Question: Do you tan easily or do you need a tanning bed for a good summer glow?
Say it ain’t so! Idaho Democrats are going the way of their Republican brethren when it comes to government secrecy. The minority Democrats, with just 18 House seats and seven in the Senate, made the decision to caucus behind closed doors to maximize their effectiveness. That reason doesn’t fly with us. The party would be more effective if it continued to conduct its business in the open. Closed meetings between elected officials smack of shady deals and other shenanigans, once the norm when the public was nothing more than a money source/Murf Raquet, Moscow-Pullman Daily News. More here.
Question: Did legislative Dems in Idaho squander high moral ground when they decided recently to caucus behind closed doors like the supermajority Republicans?
With due diligence, the Idaho Lottery lists the odds on every ticket it sells. Nobody reads them, of course. Like most humans, lotto ticket buyers think they’re exempt from probability and statistics. Notwithstanding, let’s look at your chances:
Question: Why do you play the lottery when there’s virtually no chance you’ll win the big one?
A Coeur d’Alene man accused of stabbing another man last night has a criminal history that includes a kidnapping trial 10 years ago. His co-defendant in that case? The same man police believe was stabbed last night. Alan D. Burtness, 36, (right) is due in Kootenai County District Court today on an aggravated battery charge. In 1999, Burtness and last night’s alleged victim, Daniel B. McCullough, were acquitted of first-degree kidnapping and battery in 1999 after a jury trial. But the jury convicted the men of misdemeanor unlawful imprisonment in a case that involved a California girl who was visiting family in Athol/Meghann M. Cuniff, SR. More here.
Question: Which one of these guys is running with the wrong crowd?
Seattle Seahawks new general manager John Schneider addresses the news media at the team headquarters in Renton, Wash., this morning. Story here. (AP Photo/John Froschauer)
Tom and KJ Torgerson has seen all kinds of wildlife outside their Fernan Hill home. Elk, deer, moose and black bear have shown up at one point from dusk to dawn. But they’ve never encountered any wolf tracks. Until now. “I looked at the tracks. There was no doubt,” said KJ Torgerson, who is a biologist. “Very well imprinted claw marks. I’ve never seen anything like this here”/Bill Buley, Coeur d’Alene Press. More here.
Question: How would you react if you found a wolf track just outside your home?
A sign of the times is posted on the bow of a boat at the 108th New York Boat Show in New York’s Javits Convention Center earlier today. (AP Photo/Richard Drew) Question: Do you own a boat? Use it much? Do you regret buying it and are trying to sell it?
Idaho enacted a state law regulating and permitting wine tastings five years ago, so why not allow the same for distilled spirits? That’s what Rep. Jim Clark, R-Hayden Lake, proposed this morning in legislation that the House State Affairs Committee agreed to introduce on a voice vote, with just one dissenter. “I am here today because I have a constituent in North Idaho who would like to build a distillery for distilled spirits beverages, i.e. gin,” Clark told the committee. “In his business plan, he would like to add in that they can go do gin sample tastings within his operation”/Betsy Russell, Eye On Boise. More here.
Question: What do you make of the proposal by state Rep. Jim Clark, R-Hayden, to allow distillery’s and other dispenser’s of hard liquor to offer samples?
I’m
not buying the idea that Brown’s win is a Tea Party triumph — especially for the Idaho flavor of Tea Party Republicans. Like Risch and fellow Idaho GOP Sen. Mike Crapo, Brown is an attorney who rose through the ranks of his state’s Legislature. Brown is also pro-choice and he helped work his way through law school by posing nude in “Cosmopolitan.” Brown may be the toast of the Idaho GOP today, but I don’t think he’s necessarily the kind of guy who would play well with, say, the Jefferson County Republican Central Committee/Kevin Richert, Idaho Statesman. More here.
Question: Should Idaho Tea Partiers consider Scott Brown’s victory Tuesday as a win for their movement?
Ben Webster,5, tags along side his father, Eric, 37, as they return to their South Hill home after a trip to the grocery store during Tuesday’s spring-like weather in Spokane. Says Eric, ” It takes about 15 minutes to get to the store, but a little longer to get home because Ben likes to linger a bit.” (Dan Pelle/SR)
Question: Who taught you how to ride a bike? How old were you when you learned to ride?
A match made in the great outdoors when Phil Thompson proposed to Taryn Hecker over the weekend … and she said “yes.” The two share a love of fishing, hunting and camping. Phil’s a PI but is having a bit of trouble locating the ring he planned to present with the proposal. He’s owned it for a quarter century, just waiting for the right partner in life to come into his. Taryn quipped that she’d rather have a gun than a ring. Seeing the look of love on Phil’s face, I’m betting she gets the guy, a gun AND a diamond/Kerri Thoreson (pictured), Main Street, Coeur d’Alene Press. More here.
Question: Would you rather get a diamond ring or a good gun from your sweetheart?
Ted 
Kennedy is spinning in his grave. The Democrats just got served a steaming poop taco. They better remember how this one tastes or it’s going to get worse for them. It’s unthinkable that the Dems let Ted Kennedy’s seat fall into enemy hands. How could this happen? Arrogance and stupidity. If the Dems want to hold on any shred of power, they better stop debating health care and start figuring out how to jump start the economy. It’s the economy stupid. If they keep on this course of reckless idiocy, say hello to President Palin.
Question: What do the Dems have to do to cut possible major losses in their majority in November?
Most of you Merry Hucksters believe congressional Dems are going to lose at least 15 seats in the midterm elections this fall. Out of an even 100 voters, a tiny plurality of 24% said Dems are going to lose at least one house of Congress, 22% said they will lose more than 25 seats, and 18% said they would lose 15 to 25 seats. A combined 36% said they would gain (4), break even (9), or lose just a few seats (23). Most of the results came in before Scott Brown’s upset win in Massachusetts.
Dr. Bell pledged $3,000 on behalf of NIC toward the new chamber building, and in the aftermath 
of that announcement, critics have lined up to sling more bolts. How dare Dr. Bell hand over college money — derived from student tuition and taxpayers — to a private business consortium after cutting the popular Dr. Ketchum’s job to save money, they say. And this in light of news earlier in the evening from Gov. Otter that the state’s bleak budget picture was worsening by the hour, placing even more pressure on educational institutions and taxpayers alike. We believe Dr. Bell and the NIC Board of Trustees have made a grievous mistake by eliminating Dr. Ketchum’s job, but we think the president was justified in making the donation to the Post Falls chamber/Mike Patrick, Coeur d’Alene Press Editorial Board. More here.
Question: Should President Priscilla Bell have donated $3000 from cash-strapped North Idaho College to the Post Falls Chamber of Commerce building fund?
I might not ever get accused of being exactly trendy, but openness to all things new and 
exciting is just built into my Aries nature. I’ve learned to control my impulses a bit over the years, but I always used to make sure I was the first kid on the block with the latest electro-polka records, the first to buy the latest copy of Mad magazine, the first in line to try the experimental new menu items served up by the lunch ladies of Harding Elementary. As I’ve aged, I’ve learned that there’s a lot of comfort to be found in the magic of the old school, things that remain reliably solid and unchanged over the years, like Ron Edinger’s spot on the Coeur d’Alene city council. Franklin’s Hoagies falls squarely into the latter category/OrangeTV, Get Out! North Idaho. More here.
Question: How many Franklin Hoagies fans are out there?
Members of the Group Health on Ice Team, Russ Richardson, left and Kelly Fink were on duty on Tuesday morning at the Spokane Arena during the U.S. Figure Skating Championship competition. Rebecca Nappi story here. (Kathy Plonka/SR)
Mr. 
Brown, appearing on NBC’s “Today” show Wednesday, called the Obama-backed health-care system “not good for our state.” He said he offered voters the vision of a public servant who would vote for whatever is best, “whether it’s a good Democratic idea or a Republican idea.” Republican Party Chairman Michael Steele said Americans are breathing “a sigh of relief” after Mr. Brown’s win. Appearing on ABC’s “Good Morning America” Wednesday, Mr. Steele said the results are a sign Americans want Congress to “slow it down” on health care. He advised Democrats to “start from scratch and start by listening to the people”/Wall Street Journal. More here.
Question: Was the Massachusetts vote a repudiation of President Obama’s agenda and the push by congressional Dems for health care reform? Or something else?
He
was the godfather not only of Gonzaga University’s remarkable and unprecedented rise as a college basketball power, but of the game itself in Spokane – and a friend to virtually everyone who ever played, coached or watched it. Now Dan Fitzgerald – not only a basketball coach but one of Spokane’s most irrepressible personalities – is gone, dead at the age of 67, after collapsing at an Airway Heights restaurant on Tuesday evening. A registered nurse on the scene performed CPR until paramedics arrived and were able to get a low pulse/John Blanchette, SR. More here. SR file photo: (Fitzgerald works the crowd in his last home game in February 1997.)
Question: Where would Gonzaga basketball be today without Dan Fitzgerald?
Michael Ramirez/Investor’s Business Daily
Massachusetts State Sen. Scott Brown, R-Wrentham, celebrates with supporters in Boston earlier tonight, after winning a special election held to fill the U.S. Senate seat left vacant by the death of Sen. Edward Kennedy. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
In an epic upset in liberal Massachusetts, Republican Scott Brown rode a wave of voter anger to win the U.S. Senate seat held by the late Edward M. Kennedy for nearly half a century, leaving President Barack Obama‘s health care overhaul in doubt and marring the end of his first year in office. Addressing an exuberant victory celebration Tuesday night, Brown declared he was “ready to go to Washington without delay” as the crowd chanted, “Seat him now.” Democrats indicated they would, deflating a budding controversy over whether they would try to block Brown long enough to complete congressional passage of the health care plan he has promised to oppose/Associated Press. More here.
Question: What does Brown’s victory mean for the current political landscape?
The fate of health care reform hangs in the balance today as Massachusetts stages a special election to decide who will replace the late Teddy Kennedy in the U.S. Senate. Surprisingly, Repub state Sen. Scott Brown is in a position to pull an upset over Demo AG Martha Coakley in a state that’s overwhelmingly Democrat. On Tuesday, pollsters Zogby and Rasmussen had the race as too close to call. Both said that the closeness of the race in Massachusetts means the Dems could be in trouble nationwide this fall. Dunno about that. But I do know that it’s time to play the Wild Card …
A man rides a horse through a bonfire in San Bartolome de Pinares, Spain, Saturday in honor of Saint Anthony, the patron saint of animals.(AP Photo/Daniel Ochoa de Olza)
I don’t like admitting mistakes in judgment re: local political decisions. But I decided during the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend that the urban renewal planners were right to put the library on the edge of McEuen Field, rather than listen to many including myself who said it should be more centrally located. The parking lot was so packed on Saturday that I saw 3 or 4 cars circling as I prepared to leave the library. On Monday, there were only 3 spots available near the library. Obviously, library patrons have had no trouble driving to the picturesque spot in downtown Coeur d’Alene.
Question: Is there something in the community that you initially opposed but admitted later that community leaders had made the right decision?
Caydee Denney and her partner Jeremy Barrett perform during the free skate in the championship pairs competition at the US Figure Skating Championships at the Spokane Arena in Spokane Wash. Saturday. They won the event and were named to the US Olympic team. (Christopher Anderson/SR)
Meryl Streep, center left, and Sandra Bullock get ready to kiss as they tie for the award of best actress on stage at the 15th Annual Critics Choice Movie Awards on Friday in Los Angeles. You write the cutline. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
Top Cutlines:
Detectives identified the elderly deceased male found in the water at Sanders Beach, as Ira L. Loudenback, 76, of Coeur d’Alene. The victim did not have any visible injuries to his body. The investigation is ongoing. SR archive story here.
In Priest Lake, the inhabitants aren’t intimidated by snow when someone yells, “play ball,” in the middle of winter. They simply strap on their snow shoes and make a tournament of it. You can follow the fun in the YouTube video of this year’s event, provided by Pecky Cox/As The Lake Churns.
Men
seem to think we are complicated. I don’t know why they think that. After all, we are pretty much an open book. What you see, is pretty much what we are. We tend to say it like it is. Especially us older ones. Now men, tend to clam up. So we have to either try to guess what they are thinking or we are just blind to the fact they have something on their mind. They just figure we know what they are thinking/Cis, From A Simple Mind. More here.
Question: Women … uncomplicated? Seriously, Cis? I need help here. Any of you guys know a woman who is uncomplicated?
I have a confession. I hope that what I’m about to tell you doesn’t affect the way you feel about 
me. It’s something I’ve been doing for a while now and I did it again last night. So, here goes. I watch awards show. I know. I know. What kind of person sits through 3 hours (less than two if you dvr it and skip the boring parts) of silly one liners and weird dresses? I do. And I like it. Last night was the Golden Globes. It is my favorite (along with the SAG awards) because it covers tv and movies. And it’s fun to see who is sitting with who at the tables (Julia Roberts was sitting by Paul McCartney)/A Butterfly Moment. More here.
Question: Why do/don’t you watch awards shows, like the Golden Globes?
I saw the footage of Monday’s Tea Party gathering and heard a dear friend of mine, Rep. 
Lenore Barrett, speak to the assembled crowd. She was civil and kind in her remarks. Strong and firm, but civil. Yet, one of the organizers of the event called elected Federal officials “evil”…say what? If anyone knows political theater, I do. Yet, having quality people like Rep Barrett, Rep. Labrador and others there in attendance and THEN having the event organizers paint “broad-brush evil strokes” does not settle well with Idahoans. The dissonance sets off the “creep factor”, doesn’t it? Now, did the organizers have good intentions? Maybe…not sure, possibly, SURE. I DO know that Glenn Beck and others who traffic well in large scale national political cowboy-theater have been a’ridin this horse lately … and that gives me pause/Dennis Mansfield. More here.
Question: How do you react when you hear diehard partisans use terms like “evil” to describe politicians at any level of government? Or: What do you make of state Rep. Phil Hart, R-Athol, being one of the four main speakers at the Boise Tea Party?
Erich Segal, 72, best known as the author of Love Story, died on Sunday of a heart attack. Segal wrote the bestselling book about love and bereavement, which became a chart-topping film, in 1969 when he was 32 and a classics professor at Harvard. As its most famous line, “love means never having to say you’re sorry”, entered popular culture, Segal became a celebrity and regular on TV shows. Story here.
Question: Have you ever used the “Love Story” line — “love means never having to say you’re sorry” — in casual conversation?
Congressional Democrats have been discussing several options, since a Brown win would break the party’s 60-vote, filibuster-proof majority at a critical time for health care reform. Durbin, the No. 2 Democrat in the Senate, described a combination of tactics to get what his party wants out of health care reform. First, he said the House could simply approve the Senate bill, sending it straight to President Obama’s desk. Then, Durbin said, the Senate could make changes to the bill by using the nuclear option, known formally as “reconciliation,” a tactic that would allow Democrats to adjust parts of health care reform with just a 51-vote majority/Trish Turner, FoxNews.com. More here.
Question: Would Senate Dems hurt themselves in the long run if they followed the strategy outlined above for health care, should Scott Brown win Teddy Kennedy’s seat?
In a significant victory for the Spokane River, a Hagadone Corporation subsidiary has 
agreed to a major change to the controversial redevelopment of a marina on Blackwell Island. Under an earlier proposal, the Marine Yacht Club, LLC, would have left 15,000 cubic meters of highly contaminated sediments on the island. With the new change, however, the sediments will be hauled to an off-site disposal area. Blackwell Island is situated right where Lake Coeur d’Alene empties into the Spokane River, in an area that also provides recharge to the Spokane Valley/Rathdrum Prairie aquifer/Tim Connor, Center for Justice spokesman. More here.
Question: Are you happy with this compromise re: Duane Hagadone’s plans for Blackwell Island?
In this April 28, 2009, file photo, Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Felix Hernandez delivers during the second inning against the Chicago White Sox in Chicago. Seattle’s young ace signed a five-year, $76M contract today to stay with the M’s. Story below. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
Cindy H: Just got asked an odd question. I’ve got a meeting today at a Spokane Valley hotel. I called to confirm the location and the male desk clerk asked, “Are you familiar with Hooters?” All kinds of possible replies ran through my head. What would you say?
Question: Are you a customer of the Spokane Valley Hooters?
At
OpenCDA.com, Mary Souza is writing about “more arrogance at NIC” — her words, not mine — after a couple of her “shocked and dismayed” readers reported back from the Post Falls Chamber of Commerce banquet. Seems NIC President Priscilla Bell (pictured) pledged $3000 to sponsor a railing for the new Post Falls chamber building. Apparently, one asked Bell if she had pledged her own money and was told that it was the college’s. The other OpenCDA.com reader said: “In this economy with education cuts, how does she have the audacity to spend public money for such a thing?” S/he noted that recently fired workforce training director Robert Ketchum was in the room, adding: “I find this to be incredibly irresponsible and am absolutely shocked!”
Question: What do you make of NIC President Priscilla Bell’s pledge?
Matt Paturzo, a supporter of Massachusetts State Senator Scott Brown, R-Wrentham, rides a high-wheeler in Wrentham, Mass., Tuesday. Brown is running against Democrat Martha Coakley in a special election to fill the U.S. Senate seat left empty by the death of Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty) Question: Why is this race even close? And/or: Who is going to win?
Idaho Freedom Foundation Executive Director Wayne Hoffman today announced the launch of a new product to help hold state government accountable. IdahoReporter.com is a free news service that provides comprehensive, factual, non-opinionated and non-ideological coverage of state government. IdahoReporter.com is staffed by journalists Brad Iverson-Long and Dustin Hurst, with editing by former Idaho Press-Tribune managing editor and editorial page editor Rick Coffman. … Hoffman noted that IdahoReporter.com’s stories can be re-published in full or in part at no cost. “We encourage the media, bloggers or members of the general public to ‘steal our stuff.’ We just want people to be educated on what’s happening in state government”/Idaho Freedom Foundation. Full story below.
Question: What do you make of this development in the continuing evolution of Idaho Freedom Foundation?
9:11 a.m. Sgt. Christie Wood reports (see 8:11 item) that the deceased individual at Sanders Beach is an elderly male. The body is just off shore. Officers are checking to see if there’s anything suspicious at the site. They haven’t checked the pile of clothes for a wallet. Initial media report here.
A woman named Gloria writes to Huckleberries: “On January 8, 2010 I was standing in line at the post office in Hayden with some 5x7 envelopes mailing CD’s to Canada and an old 
female noticed I was sending mail to Canada. She told me she lives in Leisure Park. She started in first of all by indicating that the US was going to go the way of Canada regarding health benefits and I proceded to tell her that I was a Canadian and had lived in the U.S. for 42 years. She then called me a “Communist” and a “Socialist” and told me “go back to Canada you Communist”. I then asked her if she ever lived in Canada and she said “no” but that they are all Communists. I then told her not to speak to me and she again called me a Communist. There was a long line, out the door, and everyone looked at me like I was an outcast.” More below.
Question: Have you heard anyone locally speaking ill re: Canadians?
Here’s another example re: how your Merry Hucksters are deeply involved in your communities. Pecky Cox of Priest Lake’s As The Lake Churns e-mailed this photo, showing that she and her blog community have signed on to keep a mile of roadway/shoreline free of litter. Which is very cool. Also, I noticed in an MLKJr Day walk along the north shore that the local Dems have signed up to keep the stretch of roadway that goes past the Fort Ground Grill litter free. Anyone know if the Repubs have done the same thing elsewhere?
After 6 years, it’s rare that Huckleberries Online experiences a first. But we’re celebrating one this morning. Phil Thompson proposed to Taryn Hecker over the weekend. And she accepted, making their engagement the first of its kind between Merry Hucksters. They’re going to be marching down the aisle in September.
… at Supercuts/Ironwood Plaza Monday morning, one stylist talking to two other worker bees: “I had to offer my husband $3 to rub my feet last night.” 2nd Stylist: “Did he do it?” 1st Stylist: “Yeah, and he demanded the money. I can’t believe he took the money.”
Question: When did you last rub your tired sweetheart’s feet?
Idaho’s House and Senate minority caucuses have voted to close their meetings to the public, saying they don’t want Republicans to get a glimpse of their game plan. “To maximize our effectiveness in the Legislature, we must take the field with every advantage that we can muster,” said House Assistant Minority Leader James Ruchti, D-Pocatello. Democratic caucuses in both the House and Senate have been open to the public for nearly a decade, while majority Republican caucuses remained closed/Betsy Russell, Eye On Boise. More here.
Question: The Dems made quite ado re: keeping their caucuses open while the Repubs shut theirs several years back. What do you make of their change of mind now?
New signs are popping up around the North Idaho College campus in Coeur d’Alene. Over the past year the college has established a presence on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Flickr under the direction of the College Relations Office, which is responsible for marketing and communications. (Kathy Plonka/SR)
Dan of the County: Well, I’m probably opening up myself to all kinds of rumors about being 
into cross-dressing or other such “delicious” tales but thought I’d pass this along to those who have been interested in my weight loss journey and how it’s working. The other day my wife’s jeans were draped over the back of a chair in our bedroom next to mine. I don’t know what possessed me but I thought “I wonder how much of myself I could get into those” these days. Way back when we first got married we used to joke that we could wear each other’s jeans (although I admit hers were always a bit too long). Low and behold, I actually got them on, zipped and buttoned up, and was able to walk out into the kitchen where she could appropriately scowl and growl at me. Full post below.
Question: What do you make of Dan of the County’s feat?
Item: LCDC to discuss ice rink/Tom Hasslinger, Coeur d’Alene Press
More Info: Lake City Development Corp. is trying to nail down how much public benefit could come from helping improve the Kootenai Youth Recreation Organization’s proposed ice arena. Last month, the board narrowed down that possible range of help from the original $221,000 request to between $165,000 and $200,000, depending on how much public use could be gained from parking lot and trail head improvements around the rink. Charlie Nipp, LCDC board member, recused himself from any eventual decision last month after Holiday Inn Express supported KYRO’s request. Holiday Inn Express has lost revenue since the rink collapsed under heavy snowfall a year ago.
Question: Would you like to see an ice rink in Coeur d’Alene?
Scott Stantis/Birmingham News
So I was wrong about DFO being around for awhile. I forgot Martin Luther King Jr. Day is widely celebrated by blogmeisters around the United States. As a mere substitute, I’ve not been told what those celebrations include, but I kinda think sleeping in is high on the agenda.
Ah well. Expect light blogging today as many folks besides blogmeisters probably have the day off. I’ll be attending a couple skating events at the Spokane Arena this afternoon. I’m not sure exactly what the Novice Short Ladies Program involves, but I think all women should be able to skate, regardless of height. Or maybe that’s Novice Ladies Short Program?
How are you celebrating today?
Conan O’Brien makes his debut as the host of NBC’s “The Tonight Show” in Universal City, Calif., in June.
Sources connected to Conan O’Brien tell TMZ NBC honcho Jeff Zucker has been “nasty, arrogant and threatening” in negotiating Conan’s out. The Conan people are outraged, saying the blame for the Jay Leno/’ConanO’Brien/”Tonight Show” debacle falls squarely at Zucker’s doorstep.
An NBC spokesperson tells TMZ, as for claims Zucker has been nasty, arrogant and threatening, “There is absolutely no truth to that. It is easy to make false statements under the cloak of anonymity.”
We’re told Conan is so pissed off at NBC, he told the network he was leaving even though he still doesn’t have a place to go — at least not yet. Sources say Fox still has not made an offer.
More.
Personally, I think Leno has had his shot and should back out gracefully. What say you? Leno or Conan?
President Richard Nixon and Elvis Presley shake hands in the White House on Dec. 21, 1970.
#1 Nixon and Elvis shake hands before playing a game of cops & robbers. Elvis demands the cops role while Nixon insists he’s not a crook. Nic
#2 O.K. folks, guess which one wants to be king. Herb Huseland
#3 The famous “The President and The King” photo. Otherwise known as “It’s all downhill from here.” Charles Dixon
Ricky Gervais, from the monologue: “Let’s get on with it before NBC replaces me with Jay Leno.”
Sir Paul McCartney, presenting best animated feature: “Animation is not just for children, it is also for adults who take drugs.”
Ricky Gervais, holding a draft beer: “Cheers. I’ve had a couple, I’m not gonna lie to you. I like a drink as much as the next man. Unless the next man is Mel Gibson.”
Arnold Schwarzenegger, introducing “Avatar”: “I made a deal with Fox that half the proceeds from the movie will go straight to California’s budget.”
Jeff Bridges, accepting for “Crazy Heart”: “You’re really screwing up my under-appreciated status here.” Full list.
I can’t remember the last time I watched an awards show. Do you watch them?
Apparently that’s dangerous:
SAN FRANCISCO - On the day of the collision last December, visibility was good. The sidewalk was not under repair. As she walked, Tiffany Briggs, 25, was talking to her grandmother on her cellphone, lost in conversation.
Very lost.
“I ran into a truck,’’ Briggs said.
It was parked in a driveway.
Distracted driving has gained much attention lately because of the inflated crash risk posed by drivers using cellphones to talk and text.
But there is another growing problem caused by lower-stakes multitasking - distracted walking - which combines a pedestrian, an electronic device, and an unseen crack in the sidewalk, the pole of a stop sign, a toy left on the living room floor, or a parked (or sometimes moving) car. Read more.
AP) The number of working moms who are the sole breadwinners in their families rose last year to an all-time high, and the number of stay-at-home dads edged higher, in a shift of traditional gender roles caused partly by massive job losses.
The number of moms who were the only working spouse rose for the third straight year, according to Census Bureau figures released Friday. The number of dads who were the only working spouse dropped, and the number of stay-at-home dads ticked higher.
The figures are for married couples with kids under 18.
“Women are really stepping in and helping families stay afloat. The question is whether men are stepping up and picking up the slack around home,” said Kristin Smith, a family demographer at the University of New Hampshire. Full story.
Thoughts?
Photo courtesy of Jason Radtke
COEUR d’ALENE — Every color of the rainbow was represented in the roughly 150 creations on display at the Coeur d’Alene Public Library on Saturday afternoon.
Kids age 4 through 13 displayed their elaborate creations at the fifth annual LEGO-Rama, and hundreds turned out to marvel at the imagination realized by the youngsters.
“There are some talented kids here,” Drea Bowen said. The Lewis-Clark State College volunteer ambassador was so impressed she used her camera phone to snap some photos. “I’m going to send them to my family. I’m impressed with it.” Full Story.
Are you a Lego fan?
“I say to you today, my friends, so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.
I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: “We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.”
I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.
I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.
I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.
I have a dream today. Full text.
If Martin Luther King Jr. were alive today, what do you think he’d say about how far we’ve come?
Dick Panabaker
Planting his arm on the freshly painted front end of a 1978 Jeep pickup, Dick Panabaker gazed at the car parts strewn around his Hayden garage.
“I’m not going to live long enough to get on all of this,” the gray-haired man said with a chuckle. “I don’t know what my wife is going to do if I tip over tomorrow.”
For about the past five years, that was all the 68-year-old needed for his retirement. Greasy tools, a beat-up car and time to tinker.
But eventually the former Hayden mayor and county commissioner had to stick his head out from under the engine.
“When I looked at what was going on in our country, I thought, ‘You know, I’ve got time and a little bit of knowledge, maybe I could make a difference and help the town,’” he said.
More.
What are you retirement dreams?
Steve Fancler, left, speaks with Robert Bowles of the Northeast Portland Tool Library in Portand on Dec. 19. Associated Press photos
PORTLAND – If you need a table saw, a 10-foot pipe clamp or a 20-foot pruner, you’ve normally got three choices: Buy it, rent it or borrow it from a neighbor.
Portland is fast becoming a leader in a fourth way: checking it out for free at a tool lending library.
The city’s first nonprofit tool library, founded in 2004 in North Portland, is up to 2,300 members. Its second, in Northeast, has already drawn 800 members in 16 months and just expanded to a far bigger space. A third, in Southeast Portland, is scheduled to open this spring, which would make Portland the only U.S. city with a trio. More.
Would you like to see a tool library in our area?
A handheld shooting computer aides calculations for different calibers, loads and ranges for long-range targets.
Dave Powers has a foot firmly planted at opposite ends of the hunting spectrum. He’s an accomplished archery hunter who has taken several trophy animals after calling or stalking the animals to close range.
But the gunsmith who lives near Orofino, Idaho, also counts himself among a growing number of hunters taking animals with custom-made rifles at distances of 1,000 yards and beyond.
Does this seem very sporting to you?
Minnesota’s Benny Sapp tackles Dallas’ Marion Barber during the first half. Barber ran eight times for 14 yards.
MINNEAPOLIS – “This is what I came back for.”
For the adrenaline rush. For the in-your-face touchdown. For another shot at the Super Bowl.
Brett Favre wanted all of it, and now he’s got it.
Four – count ’em, four – touchdown passes from Minnesota’s 40-year-old quarterback sent the Vikings to the NFC championship game with a determined 34-3 rout of the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday.
“Probably the most fatigued I got today was celebrating,” Favre said, smiling. More here.
NFL Scoreboard:
Vikings 34 Cowboys 3
Jets 17 Chargers 14
Former President Bill Clinton, left, clasps hands with Martha Coakley, right, candidate for the U.S. Senate seat left empty by the death of Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., at the conclusion of a campaign rally in Boston, Friday, Jan. 15, 2010
BOSTON – A panicky White House and Democratic allies scrambled Sunday for a plan to salvage their hard-fought health care package in case a Republican wins Tuesday’s Senate race in Massachusetts, which would enable the GOP to block further Senate action.
The likeliest scenario would require persuading House Democrats to accept a bill the Senate passed last month, despite their objections to several parts.
Aides consulted Sunday amid fears that Republican Scott Brown will defeat Democrat Martha Coakley in the special election to fill the late Edward M. Kennedy’s seat. A Brown win would give the GOP 41 Senate votes, enough to filibuster and block final passage of the House-Senate compromise on health care now being crafted.
What do you think the odds are that Scott Brown will win this seat?
Huckleberries Thanks for the memories CdA police…
Garwood-to-Sagle project in highway plans BOISE – If the Idaho Transportation Board’s much-scaled-back bonding proposal for the coming year wins legislative support, bonds would pay for $14 million worth of additional work on the Garwood-to-Sagle project on Highway 95 in North Idaho.
Remodeled sports pub opens under new name – Club 41 What had been Paddy’s II tavern at 900 Highway 41 (at its intersection with Mullan Road in Post Falls) is now Club 41.
Franklin’s Hoagies is the same after 23 years – still delicious OTV says, “I might not ever get accused of being exactly trendy, but openness to all things new and exciting is just built into my Aries nature.”
Texting and driving issue not likely to go away I remember it vividly. It was two and a half years ago when newscasts around the country flashed pictures of five young women, ages 17 and 18, who were killed in a car accident in New York.
Weekend Poll Results: 65% of respondents (72 out of 110) said Idaho legislators should not try to cut taxes this year. 35% (38 out of 110) said they should try to cut them.
Are you surprised by this result?
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. – The science-fiction blockbuster “Avatar” won best drama at the Golden Globes and picked up the directing honor for James Cameron on Sunday, raising the “Titanic” filmmaker’s prospects for another Academy Awards triumph.
It was a repeat of Cameron’s Globes night 12 years ago, when “Titanic” won best drama and the directing prize on its way to dominating the Oscars. Full story.
What was the last movie you saw in a theater?
Advertising is beginning to pop up on the Huckleberries Online site, to go with the Century 21 banner ad and the Mountain West one down the side. RDI Heating & Cooling has signed on for awhile with one of those tile ads that were popular with Post Falls and Coeur d’Alene city council candidates during the November election. The SR online team is laying the ground work to do much more here. And that idea of spinning Huckleberries off into its on Web site is gaining momentum. I’ll keep you posted on developments. Now for your Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend Wild Card …
Gonzaga’s Elias Harris, center, passes off to teammate Robert Sacre (00) over San Diego’s Chris Lewis, left, during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday in San Diego. Harris scored 20 points in Gonzaga’s 68-50 win. ESPN game story and boxscore. And: Jim Meehan’s SportsLink story here. (AP Photo/Denis Poroy)
Steven Pottenger, foreground, high-fives the crowd after he and partner Kendra Moyle performed their short program during the pairs competition at the U.S. figure skating championships in Spokane Friday. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)
Picking an Olympic team is serious business, and apparently not to be trusted to the vagaries of 
do-or-die competition. Still,
if the U.S. skating aristocracy wanted to do this right, surely it
could figure a way to include in the process the Sagarin Ratings, the
Colley Matrix and the Harris Poll. All are ingredients in the happy
stew that is the BCS, the final word – OK, acronym – in utterly
confounding and dubious ways to decide what should be settled in the
arena, and it’s hard to believe that skating can stomach being
one-upped by college football. Figure skating invented confounding and dubious. Just
to clarify: What might look like an Olympian on the Spokane Arena
scoreboard at these U.S. Figure Skating Championships this weekend and
next may not actually be one/John Blanchette, SR. More here
Question: Should the best skaters at the figure skating championships in Spokane be picked for the Olympics team? Or should other factors figure in, too — like a skater’s body of work?
JT: It’s also ironic that we complain about a lack of funding for most
existing schools and yet there’s 
this groundswell of support for the
Professional Technical High School and whatnot. Once upon a time
businesses trained their own people or supported apprenticeships and
unions to train skilled labor. Now they look to the government to
provide all the necessary training. Yes, it’s great that Ron
Nilson/Ground Force put up a nice chunk of change to get things
rolling. Last I looked it definitely wasn’t an endowment though.
Kootenai County taxpayers will be asked to support a levy for
construction and continued operation/expansion. Full post below.
Question: What do you make of the idea being promoted by local business leaders to build a professional technical high school on the Rathdrum Prairie?
The
snores started a few minutes into the court hearing. She was there to support Peter Krueger, the man badly burned by John
C. Palmer, but Krueger grew upset when the woman wouldn’t wake up and
left court without her. So she kept sleeping, eliciting stares and chuckles. “This person is just following the example of the esteemed counsel,” cracked one lawyer. After Krueger ditched the woman, a deputy entered the courtroom and tried to rouse her. No luck. The deputy shook her hard, but the woman wouldn’t budge. Judge Maryann Moreno didn’t seem to mind.
“It’s OK,” she told the deputy. “It’s a warm place to be, so that’s OK”/Meghann Cuniff, Sirens & Gavels. More here.
Question: Have you ever embarrassed yourself by falling asleep in a public place?
It may seem odd to cut
taxes when state revenues fell 15 percent last year. But some House
Republicans are drop-dead serious about a plan to cut income tax rates
- both personal and corporate - by about a third. Led by House Majority Leader Mike Moyle (picture foreground), they acknowledge their idea often brings a “what-are-you-smoking?” response. The
sponsors have rejected a fiscal note prepared by the Tax Commission in
consultation with Gov. Butch Otter’s budget office. The commission said
the plan would cost $55 million in 2012 and about $250 million in 2021,
said Rep. Marv Hagedorn of Meridian. Hagedorn said the figures
“don’t make any sense” and ignore the stimulative effect of tax cuts.
Instead, he’s working with the legislative budget office to estimate
the bill’s impact/Dan Popkey, Idaho Statesman. More here.
Question: Would tax cuts work to stimulate the Idaho economy at a time when state revenues fell 15 percent, schools are facing holdbacks, and some agencies are facing elimination altogether?
The Ninth Circuit Court has handed Washington Democrats one of their
fondest dreams without 
paying the slightest political price. Two of the
Democrats’ most loyal constituencies are the dead and convicted felons.
Allies such as ACORN see to it that the dead get to the polls. And a
three-judge panel of the Ninth Circuit decided that the sixties era
Voting Rights Act gives felons the right to vote. The court reasoned
that denying felons the vote disproportionately disenfranchised African
Americans. According to Circuit Court Judge A. Wallace Tashima, the
attorneys for the felons “have demonstrated that police practices,
searches, arrests, detention practices and plea bargaining practices
lead to a greater burden on minorities that cannot be explained in
race-neutral ways”/Michael Costello, Lewiston Tribune. More here.
Question: Do you agree with the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals that felons should have the right to vote?
Owner Steve Widmyer of the Fort Ground Grill and I firmed up the time and date for Blogfest VI this year — 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 20. The actual anniversary date for Huckleberries Online (which was known as No Holds Barred and Hot Potatoes in the early days) is Feb. 16. Blogmeister Ryan and I are trying to coax some of the other SR bloggers to make a guest opinion. If you see a bunch of firefighter photos in the coming weeks, you’ll know I’m trying to persuade Cindy to host an, ahem, awards ceremony again with JeanieS and Bent. Other than that, it’s free food and pop on the S-R’s tab. You have to buy your own brewskis.
Keauna McLaughlin falls while performing the short program with her partner Rockne Brubaker during the pairs competition at the U.S. figure skating championships in Spokane, Wash., Friday. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
Dunno if the hard-core Vandal fans out there are willing to join me in celebrating another coach of the year award for Boise State’s Chris Petersen. But much of Idaho should be happy that he’s achieved such standing for the second time in his tenure at Boise State. So, let’s start with Huckleberries’ customary acknowledgement of significant achievement: Saaalute. And post the Wild Card to give you a chance to start your own threads …
The
Spokane Public Library system has passed a milestone, one that may be a reflection of tough economic times. Late last month, the library system for the first time reached the 2 million mark in annual checkouts of books, compact discs and other circulation material. The library system ended the year with 2,014,756 checkouts, an increase of 5.6 percent over the 1.9 million items borrowed in 2008. A review of computer records pinpointed the 2 millionth checkout to the South Hill Library on Dec. 30 at 3:22 p.m. That patron took out a copy of “Uncle Tom’s Cabin,” the classic 1852 anti-slavery novel by Harriet Beecher Stowe/Mike Prager, SR. More here.
Question: Name the last book that you checked out of a local library?
Soaf was out playing among the deer and the antelope — at least the antelope, that is — earlier today in Teton National Park/Wyoming. He took this shot and others of the Grand Tetons and a buffalo that wandered across the road in front of him near the small town of Kelly.
Huckleberries Online tries not to repeat similar APhotos of the Day back to back. But you can see why I’m doing so today. First, you need to look at yesterday’s APhoto of the Day here. Now, consider today’s: A male fan makes a mock marriage proposal to Pittsburgh Penguins’ Sydney Crosby during an NHL hockey game in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, on Thursday. You write the cutline. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, John Ulan)
Top Cutlines:
3:09 p.m. CPD Blue, with assist from other agencies, caught Brian Kincaid, 27, of CdA in parking lot of Kootenai Title/1450 Northwest Blvd. According to CPD Blue spokeswoman Christie Wood, Kincaid was wanted in 2 violent assaults against the same woman, including one in which he allegedly pistol-whipped her last night in an apartment @ 1905 Appleway. A male in vehicle w/Kincaid allegedly had a concealed weapon w/o a permit for one.
On Monday Otter declared in his state of the state address that “we’re all in this together” as he addressed an audience of mostly white middle aged men. While failing to mention any cuts in his salary, or even his administration, he proceeded to announce a systematic dismantling of the Human Rights Commission, the State Independent Living Council, the Developmental Disabilities Council, the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Commission, the Hispanic Commission, and Idaho Public Television, stating “These changes are meant to be permanent, based on a philosophy of government that recognizes our responsibility to individual Idahoans rather than to government itself”/Muskrat, 43rd State Blues. More here.
Question: Do you care if Gov. Butch Otter’s proposal to cut off funding to the Human Rights Commission results in the commission closing down?
Former President Bill Clinton, left, clasps hands with Martha Coakley, right, candidate for the U.S. Senate seat left empty by the death of Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., at the conclusion of a campaign rally in Boston Friday. Republican Scott Brown has edged ahead of Democrat Coakley in the race to replace the late Teddy Kennedy. If Brown wins the special election Tuesday, Senate Democrats lose their filibuster-proof majority in the health care debate. (AP Photo/Steven Senne) Question: Does the closeness of this race in Massachusetts indicate that congressional Democrats will have a tough time hanging on to their large majorities in November?
CindyH: Help! There’s a cryptic note in my day-timer. On Monday, right below “no school,” I’ve written “Carol 1-3”….that’s it. Who is Carol, where are we meeting and why? I’ve looked through all my assignment notes, article deadlines, photo requests. No Carol. And I just picked up some figure skating tickets for Monday afternoon!
Question (from CindyH): What should I do? (Alternative question: Have you been in this situation before?
The United States Supreme Court will decide whether people who signed Referendum 71 
petitions should have their names publicly disclosed. That measure sought to overturn a new expanded gay rights law. The justices said Friday they’ll consider an appeal of a lower court’s ruling that the names should be released. Legal scholars nationwide have been following the R-71 case, saying it could have broad implications for public disclosure laws. Arguments will take place in April. Protect Marriage Washington sought to block the release of the names of the 138,000 people who signed petitions in hopes of overturning the “everything but marriage” same-sex domestic partner law. In November Washington voters upheld the new statute. Gay rights groups have said they’ll post the petition signers’ names online, and some fear harassment or threats if their names are revealed/Chris Grychiel, Seattle P-I. More here.
Question: Do you think opponents of a newly expanded gay rights law in Washington have a legitimate concern that their petition signers will be harassed if their names become public?
In jolly old England, Marmitetoasty/Twaddle shows how tough son Jacob is. Seems snow doesn’t phase the lad. (BTW, this is a gratuitous shot for any cougar who might be blurking in the Huckleberries Online blogosphere. I also have a link to Marmie’s latest below.)
Skyway Elementary fifth-graders from Donna Morey’s music class perform an interpretive dance during the Martin Luther King, Jr. Children’s Program Friday at North Idaho College. More than 1,000 fifth-grade students from the Coeur d’Alene and Post Falls school districts were in attendance during the 25th annual event/Stacy Hudson, NIC Press Room. Question: Will you — the 50 percent of Huckleberries Online who commemorate Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a holiday — do anything special to recognize King’s legacy Monday?
Gov. Butch Otter and First Lady Lori Otter will present an official state proclamation Monday at 
the state’s Martin Luther King Jr./Idaho Human Rights Day celebration, which will begin Monday at noon on the second floor of the Idaho State Capitol, in the rotunda. The ceremony is sponsored by the Idaho Human Rights Commission, an agency for which Otter is proposing eliminating state funding in next year’s budget. Interestingly, that’s also the date of the “Tea Party Convergence on the Capitol,” at which, according to the Boise Tea Party Web site, “Tea Party groups from all over Idaho are coming to Boise for the opening day of the Idaho Legislature.” (The Legislature actually opened Jan. 11, this past Monday.) That group has an event scheduled for the south Capitol steps at 11 a.m./Betsy Russell, Eye On Boise. More here.
Question: Which is stranger — that Gov. Butch Otter will present an official proclamation at Idaho’s MLKJr. celebration (after proposing to de-fund the Human Rights Commission) or that Tea Partiers will converge on the state Capitol that day?
Question: Which movie have you seen more times than any other? Explain why?
The sound slides so smoothly off of your tongue,
With the breath flying away from its now empty lung.
“For the joy of it,” I would declare when I blew,
Everyone would agree with a loud, “Yessiroo!”
And walking away I knew they were still glad,
I could hear them a-laughing at the joke they just had.
That divine sound still rings in my head
Even when I go to bed.
I lick my lips in delight
And keep burping through the night.
An Idaho state lawmaker says the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Bonneville Power Administration have decided against a plan to fluctuate Lake Pend Oreille’s level by five feet this winter, a move that would generate more power but threatened to erode shorelines, shift docks and damage habitat for waterfowl. Rep. George Eskridge, R-Dover, said he and other North Idaho lawmakers expressed concerns about the move, as did Idaho’s congressional delegation and Gov. Butch Otter/Betsy Russell, Eye On Boise. More here.
Here’s the background for today’s High Noon question: At 10:41 a.m. today, Scanner Traffic reported that a tan Pathfinder had run out of gas on U.S. Highway 95 near the Cougar Gulch Bridge. The driver was waiting for a wrecker to bring her gasoline. I can’t remember the last time my wife or I ran out of gas. If ever. However, we’ve been broken down a time or two, including last winter when the one of the new studs on the 4Runner went flat near Davis Donuts as my wife bounced over the pock-marked snowy streets.
Question: When and why did you last need a wrecker to assist you because your vehicle had broken down? And/or: Have you ever run out of gas?
The effort of a spinning jump shows on the face of Christopher Caluza as he competes in the Junior Mens Short Program at the U.S. National Figure Skating Championships in the Spokane Arena this morning. (Christopher Anderson/SR)
Phaedrus: Are Kootenai County commissioners taking the need to upgrade the comprehensive plan seriously enough? No. But can anyone tell me exactly what,if anything the Commissioners have accomplished?
Question: Can anyone answer the question posed by Phaedrus? What has this Board of County Commissioners accomplished in the last two years?
I have spoken to Commissioner Tondee and he is frustrated by the pace of the deliberations. I 
have e-mailed the other two commissioners but have not heard back from them. What could be the reason for dragging out these deliberations and the ensuing adoption of new development regulations? I have my own theories, but I will leave the speculation up to you. Rather, I would ask the Commissioners to make the plan a priority and pick up the snail pace. The citizens of the this county do not want the Comp Plan to wind up on a shelf collecting dust like the plan from 1994. They expect, and deserve more from their Commissioners. The more difficult job of adopting new development regulations which will implement the Comprehensive Plan still looms ahead/Chairman Dan Green, Kootenai County P&Z commission (in Coeur d’Alene Press). More here. Pictured: Commissioner Rick Currie
Question: Are Kootenai County commissioners taking the need to upgrade the comprehensive plan seriously enough?
… that Larry Spencer crossed the Board of County Commissioners last night, and got muzzled. According to A Berry Picker, Spencer chastised the Board at last nights public hearing for Waterford Park Homes’ request to increase the size of a parking lot in Bayview to help with the parking situation in that little hamlet. He basically told the Board that the only reason they do some of the things they do is because a primary election is coming up. The chairman then cut him off. Ya gotta give Spencer props for speaking his mind. But sometimes he shouldn’t.
NCAA football coach Chris Peterson, of Boise State, poses with the Bear Bryant trophy Thursday in Houston. Petersen won the Paul “Bear” Bryant Award on Thursday night, the second time in four years he’s earned the honor recognizing the nation’s best coach. (AP Photo/Pat Sullivan)
Boise State football coach Chris Petersen added another first to his resume Thursday night in Houston. Petersen was named the Paul “Bear” Bryant Coach of the Year for the second time in four years - making him the first two-time winner since the award was introduced in 1986. Petersen is 49-4 in four seasons at Boise State, including two Fiesta Bowl wins. He also won the Bear Bryant award in 2006 after the Broncos’ first Fiesta title. … The Broncos (14-0) finished No. 4 in the polls this season. Petersen said he was “shocked” to beat out coach Nick Saban of national champion Alabama for the honor/Chadd Cripe, Idaho Statesman. More here.
Question: Do you consider Boise State coach Chris Petersen to be one of the top 2 or 3 college football coaches in the United States?
Molly Hightower’s family says they’ve been told she died in the devastating earthquake that struck Haiti on Tuesday. Hightower, from Port Orchard, had not been heard from since Tuesday’s earthquake hit Haiti. The 22-year-old was volunteering with orphans and disabled children for an organization called “Friends of the Orphans.” A friend of Hightower’s told her parents Molly was on the fifth floor of a seven-floor building that collapsed in the earthquake. Hightower has not been heard from since. Rescuers spent Thursday digging through the rubble, according to Hightower’s family. Hightower’s uncle, Craig Hightower, who’s a Gonzaga University Priest, said they received word that Molly’s body had been recovered from the collapsed building/KREM2. More here.
Question: Do you know anyone living or working in Haiti?
This video should be required viewing for anyone aspiring to become a religious leader, 
regardless of their religious background. A pact with the Devil? Is Pat Robertson channeling the Devil these days? Did he perform a live on-camera interview with Satan? Where is the compassion, the pity that the situation in Haiti so desperately needs from people of all faiths? I submit Dr. Pat Robertson’s lack of compassion in this video clip is devoid of any resemblance of compassion, and thus stands as a free-fall from grace/David Laird, Community Comment. More here.
Question: Do you wonder where God is when something horrible like the Haiti earthquake happens?
Borah Elementary kindergartner Blake McCurdy laughs during the Tears of Joy Theater production of Stellaluna at the school in Coeur d’Alene on Wednesday. (Kathy Plonka/SR).
In a poll that was the source of an editorial today, the Coeur d’Alene Press opined that local people overwhelmingly oppose the firing of workforce training director Robert Ketchum by North Idaho College. Today’s poll (to be found in the upper left rail) asks the same question — to see if the Merry Hucksters agree or disagree with the Press poll results.
Today showed polls, both in the Seattle P.I. and Huckleberries online, Spokesman-review that 
asked the following: Should pot be legalized? Secondly, snould it be decriminalized, and third, should the laws be left the same. Interestingly both polls were about the same in results. With the first two categories combined, both showed 85% in favor of either decriminalization or legalizing the drug. Interestingly enough, even hemp, which in the same basic family as Marijuana, is not toxic or usable to get high, is prohibited. This then, suggests that the opponents of pot are so hysterical about the subject, they won’t even allow the manufacture of rope made out of hemp. This, even though most other drugs, especially opium, are commonly used for medical purposes/Herb Huseland, Bay Views. More here.
Question: If/when marijuana is legalized, how would you suggest that it be regulated?
Online polls are hardly scientific. Readers can interpret results just about any way they wish. 
However, results should be ignored at the viewer’s peril. In a recent online poll at cdapress.com, readers were asked, “What do you think of NIC’s decision to fire its workforce training director, Robert Ketchum?” The college’s governing board and administration should not have been surprised to see a large majority of respondents disagreed with the dismissal — 387 votes — versus those who agreed with it, 94 votes. After all, Ketchum (pictured), the scholar and gentleman whose position was eliminated last week, was popular on campus and off. But what should have also alarmed trustees was the third option/Coeur d’Alene Press Editorial Board. More here.
Question: Do you think the Coeur d’Alene Press poll is an accurate reflection of public sentiment on the firing of Robert Ketchum by North Idaho College?
Scott Stantis/Birmingham News
Gonzaga’s Steven Gray (32) shoots over St. Mary’s Mitchell Young of Australia, in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game tonight in Moraga, Calif. Gonzaga led throughout and won 89-82. Jim Meehan’s SportsLink story here. And: ESPN boxscore here. (AP Photo/Dino Vournas)
Now
that the Seahawks have signed Pete Carroll on to coach the Seahawks, we can look at his salary and squirm. ESPN, in its infinite wisdom, has made this painful process easier by cooking up a calculator to help ordinary Seattleites figure out just how long they would have to work to earn Carroll’s annual salary — which should average a measly $6.5 million a year. It’s enough to make even notable Seattleites feel down/Monica Guzman, The Big Blog. More here.
Question: Go ahead, click on the calculator link, and figure out how long it’d take to earn the $6.5M that Pete Carroll will get this year for coaching the Seattle Seahawks. Then, if you have the nerve, you can post a comment and tell us.
An immature bald eagle fights with two adult bald eagles while the birds eat a goose carcass at Union Reservoir in Longmont, Colo., on Wednesday. A fourth adult bald eagle later joined the group before the birds dispersed. (AP Photo/Longmont Times-Call, Richard M. Hackett)
I’ll be back around 8 o’clock tonight to post the running boxscore for Gonzaga’s showdown with tougher-than-nails St. Mary’s in Moraga, Calif. The Zags had a tough time at Portland’s Chiles Arena Thursday. This one will be ever bit as tough as that. ESPN2 will carry the game. Keep your fingers crossed. Now, to continue to play the Wild Card …
For
25 years, P.J. Trzeciak has been turning gawky teens into self-confident young women. When she started a small modeling agency with $500 and some rented tables and chairs she had no idea what would blossom from those humble beginnings. “I never dreamed it would get so big,” she said. “If I’d known it would grow into an international company, I would have been too scared to start!” Trzeciak said she started the business because “It’s what I knew best.” She’d modeled professionally for 10 years for Danskin, Catalina, Bloomingdale’s and Sak’s, among many other clients/Cindy Hval, Washington Voices. More here.
Question: Do you have the size, shape, and looks it takes to be a model, now or at sometime in your life?
Moscow Minidoka e-mailed this poster from the University of Idaho, announcing the bash planned for the University of Idaho football team for its win over Bowling Green in the Humanitarian Bowl. Gov. Butch Otter will be one of the guests. E-mails MM: “Otter’s timing is pretty lousy, considering his proposed budget cuts directed at higher education and Idaho Public TV.”
Question: If you were in charge of the UI football team celebration Friday, would you disinvite Gov. Otter as a protest to his proposed college and public television budget cuts?
Kristyne De Mott, wearing a wedding, dress holds up a sign for Pittsburgh Penguins’ Sidney Crosby before an NHL hockey action between the Penguins and the Calgary Flames in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, Wednesday. You write the cutline. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Jeff McIntosh)
Top Cutlines:
Proprietor Steve Widmyer plans to roll out the chicken wings, meatballs, and other fare in mid-February to host Blogfest VI at his Fort Ground Grill in Coeur d’Alene’s Fortground area. Steve and I will put the finishing touches on the fare for the event in the next few days. Meanwhile, we need to know which Saturday in February to pick.
Question: Which Saturday would be best for the annual Blogfest festivities — Feb. 13, Feb. 20, or Feb. 27?
The Gaels have made it pretty tough on their opponents, too. St. Mary’s scores 82.5 points per 
game, has center Omar Samhan averaging a double-double (20.8 points, 10.9 rebounds) and employs an efficient backcourt: Mickey McConnell leads the WCC with a 2.5-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio. Matthew Dellavedova is second at 2.4-to-1. Somehow, St. Mary’s remains a mystery to the members of the Associated Press poll. Once again this week, the Gaels failed to receive mention even in the “Others Receiving Votes” category. Count Santa Clara head coach Kerry Keating among those seated firmly on the St. Mary’s bandwagon. The Gaels are “one of the top teams in the country,” Keating said after St. Mary’s won 80-72 at the Leavey Center on Sunday night. “Why they’re not in the top 20 in the country right now is beyond me. They’re definitely a Sweet 16-caliber team”/Steve Kroner, S.F. Chronicle. More here.
Question: Any predictions on a final score from tonight’s game in Moraga, Calif.?
Ha Mok-Min, right, and Bae Yeong Ho hold their trophies after winning the LG Mobile Worldcup World Championship today in New York. The Koreans won the top prize in the competition, which tested the speed and accuracy of the participants typing messages on mobile phones. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer) Question: How often do you text on an average day?
Spokane County residents may want to avoid backyard sunbathing in April. That’s when county 
Assessor Ralph Baker (pictured) wants to take a series of high-resolution, low-altitude aerial photographs that promise to make goose pimples visible around the globe. At least, the photos would show new swimming pools, cabanas, decks and workshops. Baker wants the pictures for updating property values and hopes to shoot them in April before trees leaf out and hide the evidence. He would post the photos on his office’s Web site as well as make them available to other government agencies – including the county Department of Building and Planning, which would be interested in construction done without permits/John Craig, SR. More here.
Question (asked by David Laird/Community Comment): Is this an invasion of privacy. (Follow-up question for North Idaho Berry Pickers: Would we allow this here?)
Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, wants the president to poke the powers-that-be in college football by inviting Alabama and Boise State to visit the White House, the latest move in Hatch’s ongoing offensive against the Bowl Championship Series. It is customary for the president to invite the champions of major sports to visit the White House. But since college football’s top team is not selected by a playoff, Hatch thinks President Barack Obama should invite every undefeated squad, which includes Boise, a team from outside of the BCS system. He pitched the idea in a letter to Obama sent Thursday/Matt Canham, Salt Lake Tribune. More here.
Jenny smokes a marijuana cigarette at a medical marijuana rally at Lincoln Park across from the Capitol in Denver, on Thursday. (AP Photo/Ed Andrieski) Question: Sometimes, the poll results on this blog amaze me. I know the comments section is pretty balanced among conservatives, liberals, and those in the middle or who don’t care. However, I’d guess that the blurkers, who often respond to polls, lean center-right, as is evidence by the poll this week when most gave President Obama failing grades for his first year in office. Then, how do you explain the current poll that shows 104 of 118 respondents (in bright red Idaho, no less) so far favoring the legalization or decriminalization of marijuana?
Clayton
Cramer (pictured), a conservative Idaho blogger and former legislative candidate from the Boise area, asks an interesting question in a short post recently: “How many other bloggers get threats to try and get them fired from their day jobs?” He didn’t explain the question. But it sounds as though he has suffered through this experience, one which I consider obnoxious. During my almost six years at the helm of the Good Ship Huckleberries, I’ve had several individuals who have tried to get me in trouble with my bosses. They never have succeeded. But I know individuals are capable of such things. How about you?
Question: Has someone ever tried to go after your job as a result of a blog post or comment you made?
It will now be possible - and because it will be so convenient, I suspect it will happen routinely - for many legislators to move from their private offices down a non-public hallway and into a hearing room. From the new “garden level” offices lawmakers will utilize private elevators to go directly to the third floor where House and Senate chambers are located. In other words, legislators can do the vast majority of their work without ever setting foot in the public parts of the building. This is very different in both practice and symbolism from what has existed for nearly 100 years/Marc Johnson, The Johnson Post. More here.
Question: Dunno how many of you have seen the renovated new capitol building. I’d like to get an impression of it from those who have.
The House State Affairs Committee has voted 13-4 to introduce legislation proposed by Rep. Lynn Luker, R-Boise, to eliminate the current $1 checkoff on tax returns through which Idahoans can donate to political parties. The money doesn’t come out of people’s refunds, so doing the voluntary checkoff doesn’t cost individual taxpayers more. “It’s a diversion from the general fund, unlike any other checkoff,” Luker said. “Right now, I’m just trying to save some money”/Betsy Russell, Eye On Boise. More here.
Question: Have you ever contributed to a political party by using the checkoff on your tax form?
Americans
love holidays. Especially holidays that revolve around food. We’ve got Thanksgiving. We’ve got the Fourth of July. But how about a day to celebrate one of the nation’s favorite desserts? We’ve got that too. Jan. 23 is National Pie Day. Created by the American Pie Council, the event encourages individuals to celebrate pie by entering recipe contests. In addition, bakeries and restaurants get into the swing of things with pie giveaways and discounted pastries/Cindy Hval, Washington Voices. More here.
Question: What’s your favorite kind of pie?
Rico, a Belgian malinois, wears a harness that lets people know that he is part of the Spokane Police Department Wednesday, which was graduation day for three new police dogs at the Spokane Police Academy, where K9 cops train as well. (Jesse Tinsley/SR)
A North Idaho man has been re-arrested on additional felony rape charges. Post Falls Police say Jordan Vernon, 20, was arrested again on Tuesday for three additional felony rape of a minor charges. Vernon already faces five similar charges. He is accused of meeting teen girls while volunteering as a youth leader at Real Life Ministries in Post Falls, and having sex with them/KREM2. More here.
He Pingping of China, 21, sits on the foot of Sultan Kosen of Turkey, 27, during an event organized by Guinness World Records in Istanbul, Turkey, Thursday. The towering Turk, Kosen, is the tallest man walking the planet with a height of 246.5 cm ( 8 feet 1 inch) and He is officially the world’s shortest man with a height of 73 cm (2 feet 5 inch). (AP Photo/Ibrahim Usta)
Question: Who’s the shortest member of your extended family? The tallest? Are you average or above average height for your family?
Crapo also cited a Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll in December that showed the Tea Party 
movement has higher favorable ratings than either the Democratic or Republican parties. The poll found 41 percent of respondents said they had a very or somewhat favorable view of the Tea Party movement, while 24 percent said they had a somewhat or very negative view of the group. Meanwhile, the Democratic Party, which controls both the White House and Congress, has a 35 percent positive rating and a with a 45 percent negative rating. The Republican Party has much in common with the Tea Party, but Republicans fared even worse than Democrats in the poll, with a 28 percent favorability rating compared with 43 percent negative/Dan Popkey, Idahopolitics. More here.
Question: Do you still think the Tea Party movement is going away? Or: Have you ever attended a Tea Party rally?
Item: ‘I can do some good for somebody’: Retired nurse, Carlin Bay resident heads to Haiti to help/Bill Buley, Coeur d’Alene Press
More Info: When Deanna King heard about the earthquake that hit the capital of Haiti on Tuesday, she knew what she had to do. Go there. The retired nurse quickly sent an e-mail to Medical Teams International to let officials know she was available. The response was equally as quick: Yes, we need you. “I’m leaving tomorrow,” she said Wednesday.
Question: Have you thought of a way to respond personally to this horrific tragedy?
Make no mistake, times are tough in Idaho, nevertheless, what Otter has suggested - and he 
has proposed elimination of several small agencies, including the 40-year-old Idaho Human Rights Commission - is more about philosophy than budgets. Otter has suggested, by virtue of his budget proposals, that parks, the Human Rights Commission, public television, and the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Commission, among others, are not legitimate functions of government. The governor has also proposed an unprecedented second year of real cuts in public school, community college and higher education support. This tees up the kind of debate that some folks in Idaho have long relished - what is the legitimate role of government in good times and bad? It will be fascinating to watch/Marc Johnson, The Johnson Post. More here.
Question: Is Gov. Butch Otter using the current bad times to impose his philosophy of smaller government on Idaho for years to come?
The classic architecture of the Spokane County Courthouse rises above the fog covering downtown Spokane Wednesday. (Christopher Anderson/SR)
Cabbage Boy: Anyone else love the fog? No, not for driving in, but for the beauty. Combined with the NI scenery, it is almost like stepping onto a moviescape. Driving in today, as I topped the hill near Huetter on I-90, the fog just barely covered the treetops below. The natural beauty inspired me. Same with the fog that blankets the mountains in the fall.
Question: Have you ever taken time to appreciate the beauty of fog?
Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter’s plan to eliminate annual state funding for Idaho Public Television is 
more than a surgical budget cut for many Idahoans who can’t afford costly cable or satellite packages. It’s a TV lobotomy. From kid favorites like “Sesame Street” to state-specific programming like “Dialogue,” “Idaho Reports” and “Outdoor Idaho,” IdahoPTV informs, educates and entertains residents of all ages. Otter is calling for the state to gradually pull the plug on its $1.6 million annual contribution to IdahoPTV, which amounts to about 25 percent of the network’s overall budget. If state lawmakers approve the proposal, IdahoPTV stations in Moscow and Pocatello could close within the year, and some residents could soon see their rural translators go offline/Doug Bauer, Moscow-Pullman Daily News. More here.
Question: How much do you watch Idaho Public Television?
In case you haven’t heard, televangelist Pat Robertson has said that the Haitian people have 
bad things happen to them because they made a pact with the Devil in exchange with getting the French out of their country many years ago. Meanwhile, Rush Limbaugh has been spouting all sorts of ludicrous vitriol regarding President Obama using this tragedy to curry favor with the Black community and also taking him to task for holding a press conference the day after the earthquake but not the day after the failed bombing in Detroit. Limbaugh also has said, “We already donated to Haiti. It’s called the U.S. income tax.” What does that even mean?/Andrea Reiher, Zap 2 News. More here.
Question: Do you believe the comments by Pat Robertson and Rush Limbaugh reflect the sentiments of their constituencies? Or are they being individually clueless?
Skating coach Scott Wendlend works with Andrew Gonzalez during the 2010 AT&T U.S. Figure Skating Men’s Championship practice Wednesday at the Spokane Veterans Arena. Story below. (Dan Pelle/SR)
While the Legislature wrestles with a huge budget shortfall that generates hearings on everything from closing state institutions to raising college tuition, the most heavily attended hearing Wednesday involved a non-budget item. Marijuana. Should the state legalize it, or turn it into a civil infraction? Or just wait a few months to see if voters pass an initiative to legalize it?/Jim Camden, Spin Control. More here. (Look for new poll at top of left rail.)
I’ve learned that a good apology has three parts:
1. I’m sorry for ________________.
2. It won’t happen again.
3. What can I do to make things right?If an apology is too long, must be explained or does not include the three necessary parts, it is NOT an apology in my book. Rarely do I hear an acceptable apology from celebs or politicians — MamaJD.
Question: When — and why — did you last have to apologize?
JeanieS: I want an email system that can ferret out those nasty chain emails that threaten you with dire consequences, even death, if you do not forward said email to eight, ten, or one 
hundred of your closest friends within the next 60 seconds. I think an automated reply would help my attitude, something like: “Dear friend of Jeanie. Jeanie received your wonderful little email about praying for a girl in England who has a rare disease (however fact checker notes that this girl has since been cured and grew up to become a hooker somewhere in Manhattan and is now 59 years old), and further your email stated that if Jeanie didn’t pray for this now-not-girl AND forward your email to 29 friends, she would *poof* and be gone. We wanted you to know that Jeanie has indeed disappeared and her email box if full and no longer accepting your emails and they are being forwarded to politicians all over the United States that we would like to have disappear too.”
Question: How do you deal with unwanted chain emails or forwards from friends and family?
Michael Ramirez/Investor’s Business Daily
Many
nights of too little sleep when the body’s rhythm says it is time to snooze have cumulative detrimental effects on how a person performs and could be a safety risk, the researchers wrote in the journal Science Translational Medicine. … On average, a person needs about eight hours a night to preserve performance, said Cohen, a neurologist. Acute sleep loss is being awake for more than 24 hours in a row and chronic sleep loss is getting only about four to seven hours of sleep per night/Reuters. More here.
Question: How many hours do you sleep at night? Is it enough?
An officer checks the honor guard during a ceremony prior to a meeting between Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama and high-ranked officers of the Japan Self-Defense Forces at Defense Ministry in Tokyo Wednesday. (AP Photo/Itsuo Inouye)
The string of straight 10,000-plus page-view weekdays has reached six at this merry online circus. Dunno what to do to continue the great fare that’s being posted out front. Banks aren’t robbed every day. Fortunately. And, I believe, CPD Blue now has a pretty good idea who attorney Scott Reed is. So I doubt that he’ll be handcuffed and hauled off to jail any time soon. Alas. We’ll just have to wait for a new cycle of breaking news. Meanwhile, here’s your Wild Card …
Why do those who suffer most have to suffer even more? When disasters like the Haitian Question: Do you have a reaction, news link, or help site to share about Haiti?
earthquake occur, I often do think, “But for the Grace of God go I.” What if, instead of a beautiful little podunk town like Sandpoint … what if I’d been born somewhere else? How much easier or how much more difficult would life have been had I grown up somewhere else? Would I be sitting at a computer in the comfort of my country home tapping away at the keyboard, organizing my thoughts on how to react to the latest world tragedy, or would I have been trapped under a building in the rubble, still breathing and wondering if I would survive?/Marianne Love, Slight Detour. More here.
Pecky Cox/As The Lake Churns tells Huckleberries that she couldn’t resist dipping her garden boots into Priest Lake today. Last year on this day, she was walking across ice on the same spot. Pecky writes, “Windy, 40F and quiet, God, so quiet.”
One of well-wishers using wooden tubs splashes cold water onto herself during an annual cold-endurance festival at the Kanda Myojin Shinto shrine in Tokyo, Saturday morning. You write the cutline. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara)
Top Cutlines:
Coeur d’Alene Realtor Tom Torgerson loves where he lives and loves “hill climbin’” in the great North Idaho outdoors on his modified Ski-Doo 800 Summit X. This photo of Tom was taken by Rand Wichman above Burke Canyon in Shoshone County/Councilwoman KerriT/OnLocation North Idaho.
We’ve had a discussion in the comments section of today’s Wild Card re: lack of coverage of the horrific earthquake that devastated Haiti this week. Usually, I try to keep things upbeat here. And several said in the comments section that they preferred things that way — that there are beaucoup other places to look for coverage of this tragedy. But I notice that SR.com has just posted a slide show of photos from Haiti. I’m reposting a link here. I certainly would appreciate your guidance re: what to do with this tragedy in terms of Huckleberries Online. (BTW, hold your cursor over the photos and the cutlines will pop up. Above, in the AP photo, Mitchelle Monroe prays for the victims of the Haiti’s earthquake during a mass at the Cathedral of St. Mary’s today in Miami, Florida’s Haitian community.)
It’s official. Blogfest VI will happen. Editor Gary Graham agreed without skipping a beat that the SR will pick up the pizza and pop for another mid-February gathering of the Merry Hucksters. In fact, some of the other SR bloggers are making noise that they may attend this year’s event. At this point, I haven’t penned down a time or place. But I’m leaning toward a return to Moon Dollars. Which did such a swell job of hosting the event last year. Also, I’m leaning toward setting the date at Saturday, Feb. 20. The actual sixth anniversary of Huckleberries is Feb. 16.
Question: Any ideas re: time or place for Blogfest VI?
In this undated image provided by Campbell’s Soup Co., former executive Donald Goerke is shown. Goerke, the Campbell Soup Co. executive who was behind the enduring brands SpaghettiOs and Chunky Soup, died Sunday. He was 83. (AP Photo/Campbell’s Soup Co.)
Question: Which is your favorite Campbell’s Soup Co. product?
Beginning Thursday, Hayden’s City Council meetings will be aired on CDA TV (Cable Channel 19) at 7 p.m. “For consistency,” posts Coeur d’Alene City Clerk Susan Weathers on Coeur d’Alene Today, ”we will endeavor to air these Council meetings every Thursday evening at 7 p.m.” The Hayden City Council meetings are held on the second and fourth Tuesdays of each month at 5 p.m. and will be taped for their Thursday airing on CDA TV, Channel 19.
Question: Do you watch public TV broadcasts of the city council meetings in Coeur d’Alene, Post Falls, or Spokane?
US senior pair skaters Kendra Moyle and Steven Pottenger rehearse their routine in the concourse of the Spokane Arena on Wednesday in Spokane. The U.S. Figure Skating Championships begins Friday. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
Question: Who’s your current favorite skating star?
On Monday, Coeur d’Alene City Hall will be closed for the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. Other city offices and facilities will be closed as well. Emergency calls for Police, Streets, and Fire can be made by dialing 9-1-1. Other city facilities have emergency numbers and can be reached if the need arises: Sewer Back-up 769-2241 and Water 755-9729/Coeur d’Alene Today.
Question: Is your business closed for the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday Monday? If not, do you think it should be?
So
I walk into the Mariners Caravan room at SFCC and realize I’m the only woman in the place not toting a toddler. Apparently photos with The Moose were supposed to be the evening’s highlight. Nobody told me. Thank god I’d talked Kegan and Eric into tagging along or I would have come across as a total groupie (which of course I am, but I have this suburban mom facade to uphold). Although my encounter with the two M’s pitchers (Fister and Olson) was brief, it was certainly enough to whet my whistle … So handsome. As in, totally more adorable in person and, surprisingly, hotter out of uniform … does that ever happen? Even Dave Simms, who’s television mug sometimes takes on an unfortunate frog-like appearance is A-OK up close/Tricia Jo Webster, Fabulosity. More here.
Question (for the Women of HBO): Do you appreciate men in uniform? Any kind of uniform?
In
Idaho, there’s no sales tax on caskets. Nor is there a tax on school lunches, meals for seniors, or health and medical services. If you buy something from a vending machine, there’s no tax, either. Those are just a few examples of the state’s tax exemptions. Rep. Wendy Jaquet,D-Ketchum, is sponsoring a bill that would create a review committee that would look over all tax exemptions the state has on an ongoing basis and make regular recommendations to the Legislature about whether the exemptions should continue. “People would have to come in to justify what they want,” said Jaquet, a member of the House Revenue and Taxation Committee/Ben Botkin, Twin Falls Times-News. More here.
Question: Do you believe that most exemptions now allowed by Idaho law are justified? Or do they need to be reviewed regularly to see if they continue to serve their original purpose?
You can’t blame them for asking, but it is a terrible idea. Supporters of the plan said so themselves. Not in so many words perhaps, but in presenting the proposal that 
the state of Idaho should create a cabinet post for Idaho Indian tribes, its boosters made the best argument why it should never happen. For those who missed it, representatives of Indian tribes met with Gov. Butch Otter late last year and asked him to create a cabinet post dedicated to Indian tribes. Tribal representatives argued that the move is long overdue. Tribal economies, they said, generate half a billion dollars a year in the state. In doing so, the argument continued, tribes employ thousands of state residents. Given all that, “It only seems fair for tribes to have a place within Gov. Otter’s administration,” the press release continued. Whoa/Dan Hammes, St. Maries Gazette Record. More here.
Question: Should Gov. Butch Otter create a cabinet post to represent Idaho’s five Indian tribes?
CindyH:
I’m doing my weekly e-mail sorting, but as fast as I sort, delete or respond, NEW mail comes in! I try do a daily sorting, but the tryanny of the urgent means I never get beyond yesterday’s mail. I started the morning with 194 e-mails in my inbox and am finally down to 147. But that’s both work and personal e-mail. I’m getting fairly desperate here. Next week a friend is coming over to show me how to set up Outlook or some other e-mail management system.
Question (from Cindy): How do you folks manage your e-mail?
Heather Roderick, left, and Nora McKeon place signs on the boards in preparation for the US figure skating championships Wednesday in Spokane. The event begins Friday. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)
I just talked with Scott “Sticky Fingers” Reed. Who’s still enjoying the fallout from his near arrest 
at his Bank of America office building Dec. 23 when he was mistaken for a possible robber by 5 CPD Blues. And he also a bit more to the story. Seems he and Mary Lou were walking to the Olympia restaurant to eat yesterday when a half dozen police cars zoomed by and stopped at Washington Trust bank. Scott didn’t know at the time that the bank on Lakeside had just been robbed. The octagenarian watched the officers fan out, from inside the restaurant. He told Huckleberries Online: “I decided not to go out and reintroduce myself.” Also, he quipped, “I kept my walking cane out of sight. After all, the robber got away with the money without a gun. I guess it’s possible to rob a bank with a walking cane.”
David Letterman’s getting gleefully nasty about his longtime foe Jay Leno. 
Jimmy Kimmel pasted on a fake chin and lambasted Leno for his willingness to destroy “The Tonight Show.” Conan popped off a press release so amazing it should be encased in glass at studied at graduate programs, then followed it up with a scathing bit in which he compared his competitor to an elderly ho. Yup, things are not going well for Jay at the moment. No surprise, then, that folks in his camp are beginning to hint that their guy might walk away from NBC as well/MTV Newsroom. More here.
Question: Who is now your favorite late-night, talk-show host?
Butch Otter isn’t Sally Field or even Dirk Kempthorne … and during these past four years of Butch’s Administration it’s seemed to me that Mr. Popkey has been pining for the”likable” Dirk-
days of yesteryear. Like the young surfer wondering when Gidget would return, Dan’s keyboard hums with a sense of sadness … And I for one am extremely glad that Butch Otter’s maturation as our Governor has been so public…even if it has been personally painful to me. Labeled a “back bencher” for his days in the ‘70s as a radical voice in Idaho politics, the older version of Butch has NOW been relegated to an ineffective “centrist”. Not so. He’s just growing up…and leading, not caring what people have to say about him. Otter’s bite still leaves an imprint. Good or bad. He simply doesn’t care if you “like” him or not. He has a job to do. I know. I’ve been the recipient of his bite at times over the years/Dennis Mansfield. More here.
Question: Do you agree with Dennis Mansfield that Gov. Butch Otter is growing up into an effective Idaho governor?
Brittany Edelblute’s car was spray painted with swastikas on Friday while it was parked in front of her Coeur d’Alene home. Alison Boggs’ SR story here. (Photo courtesy of Stephanie Guy) Question: What leadership would you like to see from the Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations to combat the increased racist vandalism in the area?
Item: Schools prepare for lost funds: Lakeland, Post Falls both stand to lose $400K, Cd’A $780K/Maureen Dolan, Coeur d’Alene Press
More Info: Public schools in Kootenai County stand to lose a combined $1.6 million in state funds under Gov. Butch Otter’s proposed $27 million midyear budget cut to public education. During his State of the State speech Monday, Otter said he wants schools to shoulder the full burden of the holdback using their own rainy day fund balances. Previously, districts have been buoyed by the state’s Public Education Stabilization Fund, but the reserves have dwindled to about $23 million.
Question: Should the state continue to tap its stabilization fund to avoid cuts in public school education?
Big Mac: Regret is not the same as an apology, and Gookin even qualifies his regret by writing that the name calling took place “years ago,” as if the mere passage of time erases any consequence. Rather than respond as a man would, candidly admitting his mistake and asking forgiveness, Gookin continues his whiny evasion. Weak.
Question: Big Mac brings up something that I’ve wondered about. Forget Gookin for a moment. And let’s discuss apologies by politicians caught in a controversy — Harry Reid, for example. Is there any apology by any politician that you’d consider sincere?
JBelle: Saw a clip of Ms. Palin’s debut last evening—on MSNBC. She’s got a long way to go. 
She speaks solely in her nose, which makes her highly irritating to listen to and for someone who has been a fitness and yoga practitioner for many years, she has absolutely no command of her breathing which makes her voice both nasal and pinched. Not being articulate in the slightest doesn’t add value to her package and in the final analysis, one is left to ponder her hair and makeup, which on Fox is not even close to what you see when Palin appears on Oprah. Grade for Opening Night: D.
Question: Anyone else care to comment on Palin’s opening night as a Fox commenter?
Brad Smith, left, and Jon Chambers, both operations supervisors the public facilities district which operates the Spokane Arena, walk across the logo set into the ice while working on the rinkboards surrounding the ice at the Arena Tuesday. The ten-day AT&T U.S. Figure Skating Championships start this week. Story below. (Jesse Tinsley/SR)
Question: Are you planning to watch any of the ice skating in person at the Spokane Arena?
In the Coeur d’Alene Press last night, Dan Gookin commented (9:03 entry in this thread): “I regret saying the things I did about Ms. Wood years ago. YEARS AGO. Bringing that up over and over doesn’t detract from the galatically stupid move of firing Dr. Ketchum.”
Question: Apology accepted?
Scootermom: And the Governor wants to de-fund the Idaho Human Rights Commission. I guess we don’t need it.
Arch Druid: The governor should get a life. Or he should find swastikas painted on HIS car. The latter would make him rethink.
Question: Is Gov. Butch Otter showing that he plays no favorites in proposing to defund the Idaho Human Rights Commission? Or is he being politically reckless re: the message he’s sending in a state that has a long-running problem with racism?
As part of the new year tradition I cleaned out my desk drawers: 27 lbs of ‘stuff’ that I threw away and $105 in pocket change, 9 watches and 39 assorted keys — Phaedrus.
DFO: Phaedrus has hit on something that has caused me to wonder. When do you throw out keys? I have dozens sitting in a drawer in my home office. But I’m afraid to throw a key away b/c it could be the key to something I haven’t opened in awhile. When do you throw out keys?
Nick Anderson/Houston Chronicle
Word is out that Sarah Palin has signed on as a contributor to FOX News. Wow. Just when I’ve 
started viewing selective FOX programming. What a bonus! Sometimes I think FOX News Sunday has some merit. That is until Brit Hume suggested Tiger Woods would do well to forgo his Buddhist beliefs in order to redeem himself in the eyes of his public. FOX News Watch also grabs my attention unless FOX contributor Douglas Kennedy is on. He of little knowledge and large opinion. Yesterday he insulted fellow panelist Judith Miller then talked over the entire panel for the remainder of the program trying to right his wrong. The Journal Editorial Report (Wall Street) is another one I try to catch. Not bad for a network I distained as being far too right wing for years/Dogwalk Musings. More here.
Question Why do/don’t you watch Fox News?
A cardinal chases a wren away from a feeder Saturday near Maysville, Ky. (AP Photo/The Ledger Independent, Terry Prather)
I’m dedicating today’s wild card to well-respected and -loved local attorney Scott Reed. Who graciously let Coeur d’Alene police off the hook after he was almost arrested as a possible burglar over the Christmas holidays. (See below for a chuckle.) Local police have been going through a rough patch of late. Yet they do a terrific job in most instances protecting us from the truly bad guys (and I don’t mean the, ahem, machine politics of “Chicago Mike” Kennedy). You can use this Wild Card to start your own threads …
A car was spray-painted with swastikas sometime early Friday outside the downtown Coeur 
d’Alene home of a woman who regularly has African-American friends visiting. In addition, about two weeks ago, some men drove past the Front Avenue home in a white pickup truck, slowed down and yelled a racial epithet while flying a confederate flag, the residents told police. Stephanie Guy (left in photo), who has rented the home for two years, called the police around noon on Friday, the Coeur d’Alene police report said. Guy’s daughter, Tara Silva, told police that she went to bed around midnight the night the vandalism occurred. She was awakened by the family’s dog barking around 2 or 3 a.m. but did not get up. Brittany Edelblute (right in photo), 18, owns the 2004 Subaru Outback that was spray-painted with three swastikas on the driver’s side, which was facing the street/Alison Boggs, SR. Rest of unedited story below.
Question: Are you growing concerned about the increase in the number of vandalisms involving racists symbols and statements in Coeur d’Alene?
Seattle Mariners broadcaster Dave Sims, pitcher Garrett Olson, Mariners Moose and pitcher Doug Fister pose for a picture at Providence Sacred Heart Children’s Hospital. The group is touring eastern Washington as part of the Mariners 2010 Caravan. The three Mariners will be in Eastern Washington and Coeur d’Alene Wednesday. (Dan Pelle/SR)
Question: Which Mariners would you most like to meet who aren’t named Griffey Jr., Ichiro, or Felix?
Utah State fan Bill Sproat tries to distract Hawaii center Douglas Kurtz as he shoots a free throw during an NCAA college basketball game Monday in Logan, Utah. You write the cutline. (AP Photo/The Herald Journal, Eli Lucero)
Top Cutlines:
Long-time
Kootenai Health CEO, Joe Morris, has announced plans to retire in May 2011. “Joe has been with Kootenai Health for 36 years. He has led Kootenai through times of economic downturn, growth, and expansion of services we provide,” said Jim Curtis, M.D., chairman of the Kootenai Hospital District board of trustees. “True to form, he has chosen a time to retire that is good for the organization and fits his plans as well.” “Kootenai is in excellent shape financially and organizationally with an exceptional reputation on both a state and national level. This solid foundation will allow new leadership to guide us toward an even brighter future,” Curtis added/Kim Anderson, Kootenai Health news release. More here.
Question: Are you satisfied with the care you receive at Kootenai Health (aka Kootenai Medical Center)?
The Coeur d’Alene Police Department has released this surveillance video of a man described as being in his late 20s to early 30s who robbed Washington Trust in downtown Coeur d’Alene early this afternoon. You can read the latest description update of the robber from Coeur d’Alene police spokeswoman Christie Wood here.
It’s easy enough to avoid real-life trolls. Keep your billy goats in check and avoid sketchy 
bridges. But online (you know, in the world where you aren’t in charge of Capra aegagrus hircus and the safe maritime transportation thereof), anyone with a blog is bound to run into an internet troll. They’ve been around since the days of newsgroups and BBSes, even before Livejournal was in diapers, and they’ll probably still be around when the aliens come to get us in 2012. In fact, they may be the aliens. Bloggers, beware: here are 10 troll types you will encounter on the internetz, flamin’ ur thredz/Andrea Grimes, SF Weekly. More here.
Question: What kind of blog troll bugs you most?
It’s a titanic battle, and it’s in the 3-D of reality: A Chicago alderman versus “Avatar.” Eleventh 
Ward Ald. James Balcer believes the new blockbuster movie is anti-military and anti-American. Balcer is a decorated Marine veteran of the Vietnam war, and now he’s going into battle against the film that may turn out to be the biggest moneymaker of all time. He hates the film’s message, and he’s not alone. In the movie, an army of mercenaries, led by a villainous Marine, invades the idyllic planet of Pandora and goes after the peaceful blue creatures who live there over deposits of a precious mineral. Balcer says the film makes Marines “look like lunatics.” In reality, he said, “We are a good, generous country that helps people”/Mike Parker, Chicago News 2. More here.
Question: Were you offended in any way by “Avatar’s” message?
Usually, public television is above this kind of awkward, reality-show kind of confrontation. Yet 
here was Wayne Hammon, Gov. Butch Otter’s budget chief, arriving at Idaho Public Television for the airing of his boss’ state of the state address. Minutes earlier, Hammon walked reporters through a budget that would wean public TV off of the state’s general fund. On the studio set, waiting to go on air, the tension was just a little bit higher than the norm. I felt sorry for Hammon. I also felt sorry for “Idaho Reports” anchor Thanh Tan — who professionally and even-handedly mentioned the proposed cuts during the broadcast. (This, by the way, is why I oppose a government newspaper “bailout;” I don’t want to be a journalist forced to cover an agency that controls the purse strings)/Kevin Richert, Idaho Statesman. More here.
Question: What do you think of Gov. Otter’s decision to cut back on public TV funding?
This image released by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals shows a new PETA ad that features Carrie Underwood, first lady Michelle Obama, Oprah Winfrey and Tyra Banks. The animal-rights group says it is pulling an ad campaign that used the likeness of First Lady Michelle Obama without her permission. (AP Photo/PETA) Question: Should First Lady Michelle Obama protest that PETA is using her image without permission? Or would that only serve to bring more attention to the whacky animal-rights group?
One of my downtown Berry Pickers provided this shot of a KCSDeputy standing guard near Washington Trust a few minutes ago.
12:43 a.m.
Coeur d’Alene police are looking for a suspect who just tried to rob Washington Trust Bank, 218 E. Lakeside Ave., Coeur d’Alene. The suspect said he had a weapon but never brandished it. He left on foot, n/b on 3rd. Reportedly he cut across the Mexican restaurant across from The Torch bikini bar. He’s described as being in his late 20s to early 30s, 5-6, 150 pounds, wearing a checkered cap, dark jacket, and jeans. CPD Blue has formed a perimeter around the immediate area.
Question: Why are we being hit by a series of armed robberies in recent months? Is it the economy?
Trish Gannon/River Journal: A question for you merry Hucksters. Most of you know I’ve started a blog for the River Journal, and I’m getting ready to make it live. And then I come 
across a link on here to a page of posts from the CDA Press and I had to ask myself, “AM I NUTS?” Really, is this the kind of crap I’ll be dealing with? Has Huckleberries led me down a false path of high expectation regarding the level of discourse in beautiful North Idaho? Seriously, folks, I’d appreciate your advice. You can email me at trish@riverjournal.com if your info is too long for this forum. But man, I don’t want to end up with something like what I saw over there! I believe in free speech, but I don’t believe I have to pay to provide free speech to total idiots. So what’s the solution?
Question: How can Trish avoid a comments section that avoids the pratfalls of the Coeur d’Alene Press comments section?
After his near-arrest Dec. 23, attorney Scott Reed sent this letter to Sgt. Christie Wood/Coeur 
d’Alene Police Department: “It was a most interesting experience. I am at an age where nothing very exciting ever happens and this certainly was a memorable event. Also, in retrospect, it was rather complimentary that someone in my condition walking only with a cane was thought physically capable of robbing a bank. The tragedy of what happened to four policement in western Washington and then again two others plus the increase of crime in this area, undoubtedly puts a stte of high tension on your officers. I would rather have them make a mistake of fairly harmless nature, than that they be exposed to what happend to others. We know from other reports that advanced age is no assurance that the elder is not carrying a gun/attorney Scott Reed. Full letter here.
Question: You wonder why Scott Reed is so respected in Coeur d’Alene?
RathdrumBob: I have a question: when did it become acceptable to substitute “have a nice day” for “thank you”? This seems particularly true of young ladies working at fast food establishments, or am I just being old and crotchety? I have pointedly said “you’re welcome” but they never take the hint.
Question: Which cliche by fast food/grocery/retail workers bugs you most?
In this Jan. 16, 2007, photo by Kathy Plonka/SR, then-sophomore Katie Baker is shown on her home court at Lake City High. Bill Speltz of the Missoulian reports that the freshman post for the Montana Grizzlies has injured her knee and is out for the remainder of the season. Story here.
Americans are giving Barack Obama a split decision on his first year in office, according to a 
national poll released Tuesday. Forty-eight percent of people questioned in a CNN/Opinion Research Corp. survey said Obama’s presidency has been a failure so far, while 47 percent of respondents said the year has been a success. The poll’s release came just eight days before Obama marks one year in the White House. The survey indicated that Obama’s approval rating as president stands at 51 percent, down 3 points from last month, with 48 percent disapproving, up 4 points from December/CNN Politics. More here.
Question: Has your opinion of Barack Obama changed in the last year?
Wayne Hoffman of the Idaho Freedom Foundation provides 12 proposals he’d like to see pass in the 2010 Legislature, including:
Question: See something you like? What would you add to Hoffman’s list?
Otter, now a centrist, still gets heat from the left. Dick Gardner and Richard Slaughter, 
economists who worked under Democratic governors, complained that he should have seized the opportunity of lean times to reform a tax code riddled with giveaways for business. A fairer system would allow meaningful investments in public and higher education and quality of life, including parks, they said. Businesses that generate good jobs have employees who demand those services, said Slaughter. “They don’t want to live in cheapville.” But Otter’s optimism that good ol’ Idaho stick-to-itiveness will do the trick is welcomed by Alex LaBeau, president of the the Idaho Association of Commerce and Industry, Idaho’s largest business lobby. “What’s exciting to me is the governor has said we’re going to pick up the ball and move things forward and we’re going to come out better than we were before”/Dan Popkey, Idaho Statesman. More here.
Question: Does Butch Otter deserve a second term?
The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders perform before an NFL wild-card playoff football game between the Cowboys and the Philadelphia Eagles Saturday in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Sharon Ellman) Question: Where you ever a cheerleader?
Keith Allred, former head of The Common Interest citizen group and now a Democratic candidate for governor, was in the Capitol rotunda after Gov. Butch Otter’s State of the State address, and he was plenty critical. “Gov. Otter today delivered a message of decline and retreat,” Allred said. “Idahoans deserve better”/Betsy Russell, Eye On Boise. More here. See HBO Poll in upper left rail to vote.
JBelle: I think everybody does their job and works hard. And—everybody has a job to do and a protocol to follow. I wasn’t there but identified closely as I am at work by 5 am during the dark 
months of winter. You see many strange things at that hour. Mr. Reed is generous with CdA Blue and credits them with doing a fine job. How could there be any further comment? Or a better model of generosity? I daresay that now a raccoon won’t disrupt the harmony of the Reed domicile without the CdA police pulling out all the stops, ALL of them, to make sure Mr. and Mrs. Reed are safe and not in danger. Good job on everybody’s part. Including Bruce. Wonderfully funny, warmly fond piece about his father. That messy office part is delicious.
Question: Is your work space neat or messy?
The mainstay here is the burger, of course, and while it’s easy to make fun of them for 
bandying about the slogan “Honest to Goodness” while serving burgers that likely arrive on site frozen, I’ve never had any major complaints about the end product. I’ve only dined at Red Robin a handful of times, but I have managed to sample several of the 20-or-so burger creations offered. The A1 Peppercorn Burger is kind of a monster, piled with bacon, Pepper-Jack cheese, crispy onion straws, zingy A-1 peppercorn sauce, all on an onion bun and was pretty good, but I’d have to say I prefer the Bleu Ribbon Burger because I’m a sucker for the marriage of bleu cheese and ground beef, and the swipe of chipotle mayo is the honeymoon/OrangeTV, Get Out! North Idaho. More here.
Question: Can anyone justify paying $10 for a burger and fries?
“The
police asked him how long he had been in the building. He was tempted to say, ‘40 years,’ but thought better of it and told them he had come to work, as he always does, between 5 a.m. and 6 a.m. They asked what he was doing there. He nodded toward his office, but a Christmas wreath covered the nameplate on his door. Eventually, he persuaded the police to go inside. One officer surveyed the messy office and declared that the place looked like it had been ransacked. The officers asked my father to provide identification to prove he belonged there. He said he would like to but couldn’t reach his wallet because his hands were cuffed. An officer reached into my father’s pocket, pulled out a billfold, and found a driver’s license that matched a face with the name on the door. After some discussion, the officers removed the handcuffs and concluded that Scott Reed was not their man”/Bruce Reed, Slate. More here.
Question: Is Scott Reed an integral part of Mike Kennedy’s Chicago mafia? Or do you think at least five CPD Blues need a class in common sense?
“The Coeur d’Alene Vikings won the Fight for the Fish on the basketball court and in the stands in the annual matchup with crosstown rivals from Lake City High School,” posts Councilwoman KerriT/More Main Street. “The boys won 53-43 and the girls, 55-41. The trout trophy is awarded to the school with the most spirit during the games. CHS’ Elmer Jordan Court held a capacity crowd for the event.”
OrangeTV: Speaking of “smear”, Kage, what do you think about the latest fabulous post over at OpenCDA.gagmewithafirecracker where they respond to my uncle DOTC’s written affidavit or 
whatever it was for the election case by indecipherably mocking him as “psychic”, thereby implying that he knew about some kind of illegal voting situation ahead of time and didn’t do anything about it? He has to be one of the most honest, down to earth people walking the face of the Earth, beloved by nearly everyone in the county, R’s and D’s alike, and would NEVER do anything to compromise the integrity of the election or his job, which he positively thrives on. It is VERY low for those busybodies to even imply otherwise, but very typical.
Question: Which local politicians have the most integrity?
Christie Wood (to Dan Gookin): I am home sick today and your continued nonsense is adding to the nausea. You sent a letter to the SR Opinion page? So you think I am the one to blame for YOUR actions? How about you 
just give it a rest already!!! I have never asked to be the focus of your attention. I try to have a sense of humor with you about this, but seriously…it is getting old. Oh, I get it that I am an “elected official” and it is your right as a taxpayer to name call to your heart’s content. But I think you have had your quota. It amazes me that you have become the “victim” when I have family and friends calling me and asking if they should be concerned that this” Gookin guy writes about me ALL THE TIME”. Don’t worry Dan, I told them you are harmless but you are definitely not a very nice person. How about this? I do not care that you called me Sgt. Cupcake. Good enough? Ok, now move on with your life.
Question (for Kage Mann’s sake): Why is it inappropriate for someone to call a police professional like Christie Wood “Sgt. Cupcake”?
Signe Wilkinson/Philadelphia Inquirer
Coeur d’Alene lawyer Scott Reed was handcuffed in his office last month after police mistook him for a possible bank robber. This case of mistaken identity prompted Reed to commend the department’s handling of the situation. It also prompted his son, who was President Clinton’s domestic policy adviser, to write about it in a column for the online magazine Slate. Five police officers, prompted by a burglar alarm, approached Reed - two with their guns drawn - about 7 a.m. Dec. 23 at the Bank of America building downtown/Meghann Cuniff, SR. More here.
Question: What?!
Golden State Warriors’ Anthony Randolph screams in pain after injuring his ankle during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Sacramento Kings Friday in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Ben Margot) Question: Were you ever in extreme physical pain? What happened?
Huckleberries Online completed a blog record Friday when it posted more than 10,000 page-views for the fourth day in a row. In fact, HBO registered 11,184 page-views and 6100 unique views on Friday to set the record in style. Not a bad way to launch a new year. The numbers certainly fly in the face of Coeur d’Alene Press managing editor Mike Patrick’s claim that our online traffic is hurting. Then, when you’re unaudited as the Press is, you can say almost anything about circulation (as long as advertisers don’t insist at looking at the true numbers). Now, to continue your Wild Card …
Item: New fitness facilities open in Hayden, Coeur d’Alene/Nils Rosdahl, SR
More Info: Describing Precision Fitness as specializing in one-on-one, high-intensity-resistance- training programs, owner Scott Stockwell this past week expanded his business from Coeur d’Alene to Hayden. The new facility is in a 2,688-square-foot space at 8252 N. Wayne Drive. … Also opening this past week, Ultimate Fitness owners Jason Koester, Chad Schmidt and Rich Palmer offer extensive fitness experience as certified personal trainers. Their gym is in Suite 1 at 296 W. Sunset Ave. (east of Highway 95).
Question: Where do you go to work out? Kroc Center? Private club? Home? Couch?
University of Southern California football coach Pete Carroll comments on his leaving to become coach of the Seattle Seahawks during a news conference at the USC campus in Los Angeles earlier today. Carroll says the only reason he is leaving Southern California to become Seattle Seahawks coach is because the challenge was too good to pass up. Story here. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
Question: Will Pete Carroll lead the Seahawks back to respectability? Or should the ‘Hawks have taken Mike Holmgren when they had a chance?
A subway passenger, left, looks on at participants in the 9th annual “No Pants Subway Ride” in Mexico City Sunday. You write the cutline. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)
Top Cutlines:
Coeur d’Alene Police, Fire, and the Spokane Bomb Squad closed a busy street Monday while investigating a grenade inside a pick-up truck. Police say it started earlier today when a person, who was taking care of an elderly couple who recently died, took over their estate. In their home he found a grenade. He said he didn’t want it and decided to take it to the proper authorities to take care of it. While he was driving through town, he called a family member and that family member suggested it wasn’t a good idea to drive with an explosive device. The man then pulled over at the Coeur d’Alene Post Office near 6th and Lakeside. Police closed Lakeside from 5th to 7th/KREM2. More here.
You don’t think Pecky Cox/As The Lake Churns would miss the annual Priest Lake Snowshoe Softball Tournament did you? More here.
On Thursday morning, an occasional HBO commenter named Pip wrote: “I thought you were supposed to be a news man. If so, you should know to check your ‘facts.’ Gookin has never 
called Christie Wood ‘Sergeant Cupcake,’ and she knows it. Someone else did, but it wasn’t Gookin.” I didn’t think much about that comment — other than it indirectly called me a “jackass” at the end — until Dan Gookin sent a letter to the SR opinion page today, also denying he’d ever used the “Sgt. Cupcake” reference verbally or in print. Quoth: “It is wrong for Mr. Oliveria to continue to misrepresent me, as it is for Ms. Wood to fail to acknowledge the mistake on his blog.” Well, HBO researchers came up with Gookin’s reference to “Sgt. Cupcake” in a post from May 15, 2007 (in Coeur d’Alene Press online section). I quote in part: “For months they’ve referred to Congressman Bill Sali as a “turd” — or worse. That’s their right, of course. But I call Sergeant Cupcake a ‘snake’ and the chest beating, projectile sweating, and chorus of self-important harumps is deafening!” Gookin also referred to me as DOF throughout. Which I don’t think was an endearing term. Any other questions?
Item: McGwire admits to steroid use/Associated Press
More Info: Mark McGwire finally came clean Monday, admitting he used steroids when he broke Baseball’s Home run record in 1998. McGwire said in a statement sent to The Associated Press on Monday that he used steroids on and off for nearly a decade. “I wish I had never touched steroids,” McGwire said in a statement. “It was foolish and it was a mistake. I truly apologize. Looking back, I wish I had never played during the steroid era.” McGwire also used human growth hormone, a person close to McGwire said, speaking on condition of anonymity because McGwire didn’t include that detail in his statement.
Question: What should be done with the home run records belonging to McGwire, Sammy Sosa, and Barry Bonds? Bonds, of course, has been accused of using drugs to enhance his baseball performance. But the accusations haven’t been proven.
Iowa State’s Jon Reader, left, rolls Iowa’s Ryan Morningstar, during the 165-pound match in the semifinals of the Division 1 NWCA National Duals wrestling competition in Cedar Falls, Iowa, on Sunday. (AP Photo/The Waterloo Courier, Rick Tibbott) Question: I was a fairly good wrestler in high school through my first year in community college, where I was stuck behind a teammate who had been an all-Northern California wrestler in my weight class. Photos like this make me realize how absurd wrestlers can look on certain holds. How about you? Did you ever wrestle for your school? Or do you like wrestling now?
One
of the more delicious rumors out there re: the makeover at KXLY is this: former KREM2 anchor Nadine Woodward will join Bud Nameck in the station’s new morning show. At this point, this is sheer speculation — and wouldn’t meet the time able if Woodward had the usual non-compete clause of six months after she left KREM2 b/c she left last September when faced with a 15 percent pay cut, additional duties, and changes in her time schedule. Jim Kershner talks about the changes at KXLY (last item) in his weekend column here. Writes Jim: “Bud Nameck will return as the morning host of KXLY beginning Tuesday morning. A co-host will be announced soon, according to Brian Paul, radio marketing manager.” Stay tuned …
Question: What would you think of a morning news team of Nameck & Woodward on KXLY?
Senate
Majority Leader Harry Reid said Monday that he “could have used a better choice of words” when he described Barack Obama in 2008 as “light-skinned” with “no Negro dialect” unless he wants one. The Nevada Democrat spent the weekend furiously calling up black political leaders, including Obama, to express regret for the comments, which were reported in the new book, “Game Change.” Republicans, including GOP National Committee Chairman Michael Steele, have called on Reid to step down as majority leader in the light of the remarks. But Democratic lawmakers have stood by Reid/FoxNews.com. More here.
Question: Republicans are claiming that Democrats defending Reid are being hypocritical in light of their stand against former Senate leader Trent Lott, who praised Sen. Strom Thurmond, a former segregationist, on his birthday in 2002. Is this a legitimate comparison?
Gov. Butch Otter listed five priorities, with the first being not to raise taxes. No. 2: Maintain some cash reserves. No. 3: Protect education. “As our recovery advances, one of our first priorities for new dollars should be our public schools and higher education,” he said. No. 4: Protect health and safety, “especially the neediest and most vulnerable among us.” No. 5: Avoid duplication and waste. “You will hear more about that in a few minutes,” he said/Betsy Russell, Eye On Boise. All the latest legislative news here.
Question: Do you agree with Otter’s priority, including the top priority of not raising taxes this year?
A group of geese cross the street in downtown Boise, Idaho on Saturday. (AP Photo/Idaho Press-Tribune, Charlie Litchfield)
The owner of the Parkside Bistro at the edge of Coeur d’Alene’s City Park is under a lease with BNSF Railway Co., which owns the land. But now, the railroad is abandoning that unused rail line and that piece of the land will revert to the city. Eskelin’s is one of two businesses that have been informed their leases will not be renewed. Alison Boggs’ SR story here. (Kathy Plonka/SR)
Question: Do you agree with the city of Coeur d’Alene’s decision to not renew the lease of the popular Parkside Bistro at the edge of City Park?
The
Board was fully aware of the recent elimination of the Executive Director position at the Workforce Training Center and fully supports the efforts of Dr. Bell and the college to fully integrate our credit and non-credit programs. This decision was entirely appropriate for the college to make and it is disappointing and highly irregular for a local legislator to insert himself into a personnel matter at the college/Chairman Christie Wood, North Idaho College Board of Trustees. More here.
Question: Why are Mike Patrick and the Coeur d’Alene Press, as well as state Rep. Bob Nonini (who fought tooth-and-nail against the purchase of the old mill site by NIC for an education corridor) opposed to Ketchum’s firing, when people have been laid off right and left throughout the country, due to the bad economy?
Item: Sarah Palin signs multi-year deal with Fox News/Robert Seidman, TV By The Numbers
More Info: Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin has signed on as a contributor to the Fox News Channel. Fox News Channel today confirmed that Palin will appear on various network programming on a regular basis as part of a multi-year deal. No financial terms were disclosed. Though no specifics were given according to FNC sources Palin will not get her own show, but will host occasional series that run on the network and appear on other FNC programming.
Question: Will you tune in to hear Sarah Palin’s comments on the news?
Jockeys fall of their horses during a race at Nakayama racecourse near Tokyo earlier today. Nine jockeys were involved in the horse-riding accident. (AP Photo/Kyodo News) Question: Have you ever fallen off a horse?
In the weekend HBO Poll, you Merry Hucksters definitely feel that local businessman Adam Johnson should take stock of his life after being cleared of wrongdoing by a grand jury in the shooting of two Moses Lake men over the holidays. 64 of 191 (34 percent) indicated Johnson’s a lucky guy that he didn’t kill anyone. nother 48 (25 percent) voted that he should stay away from bars. 33 (17 percent) believe he got away with something. On the other hand, 41 (21 percent) voted that Johnson knows how to defend himself. And 5 (3 percent) consider him a hero. Today’s poll question focuses on haircuts (a reference to the Locker Room post at 9:43 p.m.: “Who cuts your hair?”
Guys take note: The Locker Room Men’s Hair Salon is open for business, and any questions about which sex the establishment caters to are quickly answered once inside. There’s a complete lack of the feminine flair that deters men like me from getting a haircut on a regular basis, replaced by a plethora of sports memorabilia and gifts, such as team-emblazoned items, that line the walls. Flat-screen TVs are mounted next to every station in the darkly painted interior, barking sports entertainment throughout the day. In an adjacent 21-and-over room, a bar with beer taps, a dart board, even bigger television sets and several cushy recliners beckons the Y chromosome within me/Jacob Livingston, Handle Extra. More here
Question: What do you think of the Locker Room offering a beer to go with its haircuts for $15?
It didn’t take Dan Gookin long to return to bashing CPD Blue spokeswoman Sgt. Christie Wood. Ornery Gookin reinvented himself as Mr. Nice Guy last fall in a council bid that fell short of 
unseating incumbent Deanna Goodlander. In doing so, he put distance between himself and past nasty remarks about Christie, whom he has called “Sgt. Cupcake” and “a snake.” Now, he’s back on the attack against Wood, questioning in an online comment the quality of a news release she wrote about the downtown shooting involving Coeur d’Alene businessman Adam Johnson – after she’d been up all night collecting information about the crime. Bill McCrory, one of Gookin’s easily agitated playmates at Mary Souza’s OpenCDA.com, bloviated at length about – gadzooks! – the improper use of an apostrophe by Sgt. Wood in the release. All of which prompted Sgt. Wood to offer to bake a made-to-order cupcake to any of my online readers who can explain why Gookin is angry at her 24/7. Berry Picker “Eagle Eye” may have won the prize with his response: “Gookin is intimidated by an attractive woman who carries a gun!”/DFO, Huckleberries. More here.
Question: Who do you think Gookin means by “the usual suspects on the blogs”?
Jeanne and Joe Hunter, left, get into the best position to photograph the Idaho Capitol dome, on the floor Saturday in Boise. Their son, Covey, 10, right, gets ready to lean into the photo for an artistic shot. Jeanne Hunter’s great-great-great grandfather was a lawyer in Idaho City in 1864, and her grandmother came to Idaho on a wagon train. See Betsy Russell’s Eye On Boise entry from Saturday below. (AP Photo/The Idaho Statesman, Katherine Jones)
Bud Nameck will return as the morning host of KXLY beginning Tuesday morning. A co-host will 
be announced soon, according to Brian Paul, radio marketing manager. Nameck will continue to be the voice of the Cougar Radio Sports Network. Rick (pictured) and Teresa Lukens, the former KXLY-AM hosts, are moving to sister station KVNI in Coeur d’Alene. They start there on Monday. The reasons for these changes? Paul said they wanted to get Nameck back on KXLY after a hiatus of several years, and they wanted the Lukens to rejuvenate the KVNI morning show. The Lukens’ show will be similar to their old KXLY show, but with a North Idaho slant/Jim Kershner, SR. More here.
Question: What do you think of KXLY’s move in bringing veteran newscasters Rick and Teresa Lukens to Coeur d’Alene to rejuvenate KVNI’s morning show?
When she cut Robert Ketchum’s job as director of the college’s workforce training program, she essentially fired a man the business community would have promoted. In fact, many in the business community feel strongly that Ketchum is better suited to run the community college — emphasis on “community” — than is President Bell. She had Dr. Ketchum discarded because he did not play by her rules. Dr. Ketchum, the driving force for all 15 years of the workforce training program’s existence, understood that some of the most valuable educational offerings from a community college carry no academic credit. In many cases, he knew, what his students learned paid far greater dividends than those students’ peers completing basic academic courses for credit/Coeur d’Alene Press Editorial Board. More here.
Question: Will the firing of Robert Ketchum come back to haunt North Idaho College in the fall trustee elections?
JohnA: I’m curious also about the CDA Press readership going up. It’s apparently based not only on subcriptions but papers being ‘passed on’. How could they possibly measure that? I am interested in DFOs read on this article. Mike Patrick’s Coeur d’Alene Press article here.
DFO: A couple of Merry Hucksters wanted to know what I thought of this propaganda piece by Press Managing Editor Mike Patrick this weekend. I don’t know if the figures quoted by Patrick are real or not — or how much of the readership is the result of subscribers sharing their papers and the Press giving away papers. Patrick and the many editors before him since I’ve been in Coeur d’Alene have a tendency to exaggerate circulation and readership numbers. Patrick didn’t talk about “paid circulation” for a good reason. Unlike the Spokesman-Review, Press paid-circulation numbers aren’t audited. There’s no way to verify the actual paid circulation of the Press. Never has been. Show me the real numbers if you want me to be impressed.
Nick Anderson/Houston Chronicle
Another week begins and we’re still enjoying our amazingly mild winter 2009-10. Dunno if this week can match last one. As you recall, we enjoyed Jim Brannon’s desperate attempt to prevent Councilman Mike Kennedy from being sworn into office — an attempt to Judge Benjamin Simpson torpedoed in after about 10 seconds of deliberation. Also, the keyboard commandos of OpenCDA entertained us with their latest conspiracy theory re: Mike Kennedy — that Chicago Mike got Norm McBride & Chris Wagar fired from KVNI by offering them a six-pack of Guinness. And the grand jury capped things off by refusing to indict Coeur d’Alene businessman Adam Johnson. All of which boosted Huckleberries Online numbers to over 10,000 page-views for 4 days in a row, a record. Dunno if we can touch any of that this week. But I’ll begin trying by posting this Wild Card …
Women say this to other women all the time: “You don’t need a husband, honey. You need a dog.” “You want unconditional love? Get a puppy.” Ha, ha. This is always good for a laugh. When 
someone says it on “Oprah,” all the worldly wise women nod their heads. Yet on behalf of my fellow husbands everywhere, I would like to challenge this conventional wisdom. Not that I’m actually going to defend husbands – that would be too
much of a stretch. However, I’d like to point out the actual truth
about dogs, which is that dogs are, in some ways, even more trouble
than the average husband. I feel especially well-qualified to address this subject after spending the holidays with two particularly neurotic, borderline-insane mutts named Jack and Mya/Jim Kershner, SR. More here.
Question: Ladies, do you really think a dog makes a better companion than a husband?
Portland players watch as Jared Stohl (20) attempts a three-point shot to tie the game against Gonzaga’s Steven Gray (32) in the final second of an NCAA college basketball game in Portland, Ore., Saturday Jan. 9, 2010. Gonzaga defeated Portland 81-78. Jim Meehan’s SportsLink story here. ESPN boxscore here. (AP Photo/Greg Wahl-Stephens)
Coeur d’Alene Police are calling a
North Idaho man a hero for helping save the life of a young 
woman after
a freak car accident sent her SUV careening off of Interstate 90. Micheal Holt is humble about what he did, in fact he’s reluctant to call himself a hero.”I think that any person would’ve done the same thing, anyone walking by would’ve helped,” said Holt. Holt
was walking home from a bus stop early Saturday morning on the Prairie
trail when he came across a mangled SUV below I-90 near the Northwest
Boulevard exit. “I called 911 and I’m looking around the car to
see if anyone is there, because I didn’t see anyone in the drivers
seat,” said Holt. Holt said he continued looking and using his
flashlight, eventually discovered 18-year old Brittany Hasty
unconscious and huddled in the back of her Jeep/Annie Bishop, KXLY. More here.
At Coeur d’Alene Press online, CW69 upbraided Dan Gookin for suggesting that the city now may 
be on the hook for a lawsuit as a result of police handling of the downtown shootings. Quoth: “” First off I would like to say the city is not at fault for this case.
A grand jury looked at the evidence and found Johnson not guilty
probably for the fact that he was facing multiple perpetrators. Second
Dan Gookin needs to look at his facts before saying a lawsuit is on the
way against the city. Where could the city possibly be sued in this
case. Because they did not get a charge from a jury of our peers. Come
on stop criticizing the city to feed your own purposes. You lost the
election and look your finding another excuse to manipulate the public.
Mr. Gookin you need to stop filling the public with non-sense and start
focusing on the facts.” Full Coeur d’Ålene Press thread here.
Question: Was the city police department at fault in any way in handling this case?
In this 1995 file AP photo, cartoonist Art Clokey demonstrates the flexibility of Gumby, his happy-go-lucky creation at his office in San Rafael, Calif. Clokey, whose bendable creation became a pop culture phenomenon through countless satires, toys and revivals, died Friday at age 88. Story here. (AP Photo/D. Ross Cameron, File)
Question: Are you a Gumby fan?
Re: Grand jury refuses to indict CdA man over Sherman Avenue shooting incident/Meghann M. Cuniff, SR
In the comments section Friday, OrangeTV predicts “Adam Johnson will become somewhat of a local folk hero for keeping ‘out of town ruffians’ in check. Don’t mess with the 208. I’m not necessarily saying I think he deserves it, just a prediction … ” The HBO Weekend Poll picks up on this theme: “How will Adam Johnson be viewed in Coeur d’Alene now?”
A
Spokane County sheriff’s lieutenant with 25 years on the job was arrested in a suspected drunken driving crash early Friday. Liberty
Lake police responded to a 911 call about 1:30 a.m. that a sport
utility vehicle had rolled near Third and Molter Road and a power pole
was blocking the roadway, said Sgt. Dave Reagan, Spokane County
Sheriff’s Office spokesman. Lt. Stephen P. Jones, who was driving
a Lincoln Navigator, appeared intoxicated at the scene, so the
Washington State Patrol was called in, officials said. He was taken to
a hospital to be treated for a gash to his head, and consented to give
blood for the drunken driving investigation/Jody Lawrence-Turner, SR. More here.
Question: Jones’ arrest comes after Spokane Police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick fired Sgt. Brad Thoma for a hit-and-run accident that occurred while Thoma was driving drunk. Thoma’s police union is fighting his dismissal. Should there be a zero tolerance policy for law officers who are caught driving drunk?
Kage Mann: (The downtown Coeur d’Alene clubs) were almost all white when I was in the bar scene back in the
80’s and early 90’s. Back in the 80’s the kids would come from
Wash.over to the 
bars in the CDA area, because the drinking age in
Idaho was 19, so they could come over and drink legally. I used to
hangout at Peabody’s, Cotton Club, Chiller’s, Atrium; those bars that
played some great rock music. I don’t recall very many fights among the
locals and the out of town crowd and if there was a fight, the locals
would quickly gain the upper hand anyway. Sometimes I miss the ole days, but then I’m reminded of the foibles
of my youth and am glad that I survived the madness back then. The
tales I could tell. ;-)
Question: Which local watering hole was/is your favorite? Why?
We
watched, personally, as Broncos all over this town rooted for, cheered for and celebrated for the University of Idaho as they slayed Bowling Green in the ESPN-televised match-up. … Maybe the Broncos felt sorry for the Vandals having such a long-running losing streak. … Maybe the Broncos know that the Vandals winning the Humanitarian Bowl is good for our State, good for the WAC and good for BSU. Maybe the Broncos are just nice. But we couldn’t help but notice that after that AMAZING, intense win, as the cheering and hugging and toasting was taking place, the Vandals started chanting “HATE BOISE STATE. HATE BOISE STATE. HATE BOISE STATE!” Now. That’s not very nice, is it?/FameFifteen. More here.
Question: Are Boise State fans more gracious than Vandal Nation when it comes to the football rivalry between the colleges?
Arizona’s Derrick Williams (23) and Nic Wise, right, watch Washington State’s Reggie Moore, bottom, dive for a loose ball in the second half of an NCAA college basketball game at McKale Center in Tucson, Ariz., Friday. Washington State won, 78-76. Vince Grippi’s SportsLink story here. And: ESPN game story and boxscore here. (AP Photo/Wily Low)
Coeur d’Alene city police and Kootenai County sheriff’s deputies cordoned off a section of Appleway Avenue Friday evening after a robbery occurred at the Dragon House Restaurant. Police said the robbery call came in at 9:35 p.m. after a suspect entered the restaurant, at 512 W. Appleway, claiming to have a weapon. A police spokesman had no other information on whether money was taken during the robbery/Spokesman-Review.
The
Coeur d’Alene businessman Adam Johnson is shown in his office in Coeur d’Alene on Tuesday, Dec. 8. Johnson has been in jail since he was accused of shooting two Moses Lake men on Sherman Avenue during the holidays. (Kathy Plonka/SR)
A Coeur d’Alene businessman who shot two men following an argument at a downtown bar will not face charges after a grand jury declined to indict him. Prosecutors moved to dismiss charges of attempted murder and aggravated battery against Adam M. Johnson, 25, in Kootenai County District Court today after the grand jury proceeding, which was closed to the public/Meghann M. Cuniff, SR. More here. Originally posted at 1:51 p.m. today.
Question: In the comments section, Zelda Krup says that Johnson will probably be viewed as a hero around town now and predicts: “Holy mackeral, now everybody who smells a whiff of danger in the air will be packing heat. More shootings to come, I predict.” What will be the fallout to this decision?
Endangered Siberian tigers fight for a wild bird at the Harbin Tiger Park in Harbin in northeastern China’s Heilongjiang province, Friday. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)
At Not-So-OpenCDA.com, Mary has admonished her followers — both of ‘em — to quit adding to the page-views here by clicking on Huckleberries Online. Quoth Mary: “Anyone who posts over there, or even reads it (and gives its lead person the satisfaction of a page hit, which is all he wants), is part of the problem. Wise up, people. What you do has consequences. If you buy into that garbage, or even look, you are part of it.” Don’t tell Mary, but I think her minions are still peeking at HBO, along with a bunch of others. HBO did something this week that it accomplished only one time last year — during election week in November: It topped 10,000 page-views for three days in a row, Tuesday through Thursday. Looks like a good year ahead. Now, for your Wild Card …
Score one for Lost fans! President Obama will not give his State of the Union speech on Feb. 2, the night ABC has scheduled the premiere of the show’s sixth and final season. The mere mention of the date had sent fans racing to launch a Twitter protest campaign earlier this week. “I don’t foresee a scenario in which millions of people that hope to finally get some conclusion in Lost are pre-empted by the president,” White House spokesman Robert Gibbs told AP today. He later added, “I assume it’s a big deal at ABC.” No word on when the State of the Union will actually be/LifeLineLive. More here.
Question: What do you make of President Obama switching the date of his State of the Union address rather than face of showdown with unhappy “Lost” TV series fans?
Whitworth University director of Athletic training program, Russ Richardson receives medical training from Eastern Washington University student, Caitlin Kokot (left), and Whitworth students Shana McKeever, Kyrsten Kym and Kit Holsten during an instructional session Thursday in the Spokane Arena. The students will be on site for the U.S Figure Skating Championships next Thursday through Jan. 24 in the arena. Story here. (Dan Pelle/SR)
South Korean Special Warfare Forces lay down on the snow during a winter exercise in Pyeongchang, South Korea earlier today. You write the cutline. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
Top Cutlines:
At the Coeur d’Alene Press Web site, “NoWay1” is delighted with the decision by the 
prosecutor’s office to drop charges against Adam Johnson. Quoth: “Hopefully the crazy Moses Lake “Thugs” don’t come back over here and pay Adam a visit! And don’t be surprised if you see Adam downtown tonight having a celebratory drink with his pals! Cd’A sure is safe again knowing Adam and his gun and hot temper are loose on the town!” Meanwhile, “Hass” is hosed: “Yep, I was beaten to a pulp but could fire away and then throw the gun up approximately 40 feet on a roof. What a bunch of crap this whole story is. This little hothead did wrong and now the court’s let this little boy off and we wonder what is wrong with this town and country!” Mary gets in her 2 cents, too. More here.
Question: Will Adam Johnson be viewed as a hero or a goat as a result of this ordeal?
“My three-hour career as a morning radio co-host was big fun,” posts Councilwoman KerriT/More Main Street. “The incredibly early hour call time would be a hurdle in the long-term for sure. Enjoyed my time on KVNI with Kris Siebers, who’s on the air afternoons at KHTQ/94.5 and pinch hitting this week on the AM station.” More here.
HBO Numbers (for Thursday, Jan. 7): 10,110/5,671
A Coeur d’Alene businessman who shot two men following an argument at a downtown bar will not face charges after a grand jury declined to indict him. Prosecutors moved to dismiss charges of attempted murder and aggravated battery against Adam M. Johnson, 25, in Kootenai County District Court today after the grand jury proceeding, which was closed to the public. “Are we disappointed? Sure,” said Barry Black, Kootenai County chief deputy prosecutor. “We felt that there probably was enough to go forward with this charge otherwise we wouldn’t have proceeded.” Johnson had been in Kootenai County Jail since Dec. 27. His friends were en route to the jail after the 1:30 p.m. court hearing to pick him up/Meghann Cuniff, SR. More here.
Question: What do you make of Chief Deputy Prosecutor Barry Black’s comment that he was “disappointed” by the grand jury ruling?
Licking County Christian Academy kindergarten students Glory Overton, left, and Alanna Bland make snow angels in Heath, Ohio on Thursday. They and another student went out with their teacher to play as the snow began to fall. (AP Photo/The Advocate, Matthew Berry)
Question: How old were you the last time you made a snow angel?
The
Washington State Legislative Session begins this upcoming Monday, and because of the current economic climate, it’s been said that this session feels a bit like stepping into an abyss - dark and bleak with a lot of unknowns. So just how deep is the abyss - oh, about $2.6 billion dollars deep (the budget deficit facing the state). But fear not - our very own Senator Lisa Brown (pictured) is approaching the session with optimism and hope fueled by none other than Eddie Vedder. Well, kind of…. You see, every year Senator Brown picks a song for the session. This year she picked Pearl Jam’s “The Fixer”/Down To Earth. More here.
Question: Is ‘The Fixer’ an appropriate song for the Washington Legislature? Or: What theme song would you suggest for the 2010 Idaho Legislature?
Boise State fans are a bit disappointed this morning, after their 14-0 Broncos finished No. 4 in the coaches’ and media polls. So how did the Broncos finish No. 4 in the media poll, the same poll that rewarded Utah with a No. 2 finish last year in a similar situation. The answer? Well, Craig James had a lot to do with it. The ESPN college football analyst voted Boise State No. 7, their lowest ranking. His vote nearly single-handedly keeping the Broncos from the No. 3 position/Brian Murphy, Idaho Statesman. More here.
Question: Did 14-0 Boise State get the shaft in the final rankings of the two major college football polls?
Boise State Radio published the following about SReporter Betsy Russell & her Eye On Boise 
blog: ”During sessions of the Idaho legislature there’s one place where citizens, journalists, and law makers go when they want to know what’s happening behind the scenes in the legislature. It’s not a helpful web site from the state government. It’s a blog. Serious legislature watchers simply call it Betsey’s Blog. The Betsey in this equation is Betsy Russell. Russell is a newspaper reporter who’s been covering the Idaho Legislature for more than 20 years. Currently she covers Boise for The Spokesman Review out of Spokane.” Hear interview here.
Question: Are you an Eye On Boise reader?
In this July 7, 2009, file photo, Seattle Mariners’ Franklin Gutierrez hits a three-run home run during the first inning of a baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles at Safeco Field in Seattle. Gutierrez and the Seattle Mariners have finalized a $20.5 million, four-year contract today that avoids salary arbitration. Read here. In other Mariners’ news, former third baseman Adrian Beltre signed with Boston here, and the M’s traded for Red Sox first baseman Casey Kotchman here. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File)
A
received a very good suggestion for a High Noon question from a Merry Huckster: Let’s see if I can phrase it correctly. Which wars involving the death and injury of American soldiers were fought for reasons that directly affected our every day constitutional rights — our everyday get-up-in-the-morning-go-to-work rights? The Huckster didn’t think Vietnam met this criterion, stating “win or lose, our rights, constitutional that is, weren’t threatened.” However, he definitely felt the Revolutionary War fit the bill. Then, there’s Iraq, Afghanistan, Spanish-American, Korea, the WWs, etc.
Question: Anyone?
Seattle Seahawks head coach Jim Mora looks toward the field in the first half of an NFL football game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Sunday, Oct. 11, in Seattle. Moments ago, the Seahawks announced that they’d fired Mora, who led the team to a 5-11 record this year. Story here. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson) Question: Do you agree with the decision by the Seattle Seahawks to fire Mora?
The hits keep coming from OpenCDA.com. Now, Mary Souza contends that Councilman Mike 
Kennedy is responsible for the firings of morning news team Norm McBride and Chris Wagar (holding the KHQ camera near me in the inset photo) at KVNI Tuesday. Don’t believe me? See for yourself in the comments section here where Mary says in part: “Now she (Mayor Sandi Bloem) has to ignore the major fax pas by Councilman Kennedy that has resulted in two radio personalities getting fired. This is not the kind of “help” our city needs!” Even OpenCDA.com readers thought the comment was over-the-top. Quoth “Eric”: “Mary come on, it’s raving posts like this that keep people from taking this site sreiously. The change at KVNI was in the works.” I talked to both Norm and Chris Wednesday. Classy guys both, they had only good things to say about mother ship KXLY and their stint at KVNI. Both said the poor economy was responsible for their firings.
Question: Kage, how are you going to spin this one?
Geese stand near a warning sign at a frozen lake in a Nashville, Tenn. park on Thursday. While only very light snow fell in Nashville, Arctic air will send low temperatures plunging into the single digits to low teens Friday night and Saturday night. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
Question: HBO sidekick CindyH recently wrote about the Riverfront Park Ice Palace here. Looks like the geese above have no trouble staying upright on ice. When did you last go ice skating?
As I read between the lines re: the stepped up attacks on North Idaho College leadership by the usual suspects and the Coeur d’Alene Press, I had one of those “aha moments.” Can the increasing hysteria about NIC leadership, and especially Trustee Christie Wood, have anything to do with the fact that Christie’s term expires this year. She’ll have to seek re-election in November, if she wants to continue serving the college.
Question: Is the college Board of Trustees the next focus of attack by local partisans who came thisclose to winning two seats on the Coeur d’Alene City Council in November?
In the Coeur d’Alene Press coverage of Robert Ketchum’s ouster as NIC’s workforce
training director, state Rep. Bob Nonini, R-Post Falls, claims that college leadership isn’t accountable to its “stakeholders.” He then goes on to say claim that there’s no local control of the college (even though all five trustees are elected locally). And suggested that “stakeholders” would be better represented if the trustees were elected from geographic zones throughout the county rather than simply being required to live within the district. More here.
Bonus Question: Do you consider Rep. Bob Nonini, chairman of the House Education Committee, to be a friend of the college and/or education in general?
Some people want to make our little town by the lake the human rights capitol of the world. This insanity will ensure the further decline of our community and make it like other turbulent cities in America where certain groups constantly demand their rights. Human rights are no more than disguised assertions of the doctrine that the unfit should survive. The fit are compelled to give some of their fitness to the unfit, which results in a diminished quality of life for all but a select few, as history has proved/Jim Jackson, letter to the editor, Coeur d’Alene Press. More here.
Question: Do you consider human rights important?
Any system of law that empowers 12 jurors to sentence a fellow citizen to death must have a 
tremendous amount of faith in its jurors. Until just a few years ago, only Idaho district judges had the power to sentence a killer to death. However, in 2002 the United States Supreme Court held that the constitutional right to trial by jury was so important - so fundamental to our system of justice - that the life or death decision could not be made by a single judge, but only by a jury of unbiased citizens. The Idaho Legislature then quickly amended the Idaho Constitution in 2003 to require jury sentencing in capital cases. In so doing, Idaho displayed supreme confidence in the wisdom of jurors/attorney Tim Gresback (president, Idaho Trial Lawyers Association), Moscow-Pullman Daily News. More here.
Question: Would you rather have a judge or jury deciding on a death penalty?
“It’s crispy cold,” said Sky Beebe of Coeur d’Alene as he walked along Kathleen Avenue on Thursday. (Kathy Plonka/SR)
Item: Grand Jury deciding on charges stemming from Coeur d’Alene shooting/KREM2 More Info: Prosecutors in Kootenai County have called for a Grand Jury as they pursue charges stemming from a double shooting almost two weeks ago. Coeur d’Alene police say 25-year-old Adam Johnson shot two Moses Lake men after a confrontation at a downtown bar. The grand jury has been hearing testimony for at least two days to decide what charges Johnson could face. In Idaho, local prosecutors call grand juries in certain, sensitive, complicated cases. Question: Is a grand jury investigation the best way to handle the shooting case involving Coeur d’Alene businessman Adam Johnson?
Item: Bell defends Ketchum’s dismissal: Legislator promises hard look at NIC’s leadership structure/Maureen Dolan, Coeur d’Alene Press
More Info: The decision to eliminate the director’s position at the center was made now, Bell said, because the center has never been financially self-sustaining or turned a profit, like centers at many other community colleges. She said staff were told two years ago that the workforce training center had to start carrying its own weight.
Question: Are you satisfied with the explanation that President Bell gave for Ketchum’s dismissal?
Michael Ramirez/Investor’s Business Daily
President Barack Obama ordered his top intelligence chiefs Thursday to patch gaps in the way 
terrorism intelligence is distributed, analyzed and checked against watch lists used to identify potential attackers bound for the U.S. It was his strongest and most detailed response to the Christmas Day attempt to blow up an airliner bound for Detroit. “We are at war,” the president said. “We are at war with al Qaeda.” The White House also released details on how Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab allegedly managed to slip through the intelligence net, used cash to purchase a one-way ticket and, carrying a bomb sewn into his underwear, board Northwest Airlines flight with almost 300 passengers and crew/Wall Street Journal. More here.
Question: Which worries you more? Actual flying? Or increasingly invasive airport security measures?
The Alabama band is reflected in tubas before the BCS Championship NCAA college football game between Alabama and Texas in Pasadena, Calif., tonight. Texas just kicked off to Alabama. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)
Question: Who will win the BCS Championship Game tonight and the national college football title that goes with it?
We’ll find out tonight whether Texas or Alabama will finish ahead of Boise State when they play the Citi BCS National Championship Game (5 p.m. PST kickoff on ABC). Frankly, I don’t care which team won. I’m simply delighted that Idaho and Boise State won their bowl games during the postseason. And that Montana played in the I-AA title game. Seems the Inland Northwest knows how to play football. Now, it’s time to turn our undivided attention to college basketball, where Gonzaga, Washington State, and Idaho perform fairly well. It’s also time to play today’s Wild Card …
HMOffsuite
(re: “It takes a village… ”): That always reminds me, of course, of Hillary Clinton. She claimed it takes a village to raise a child. Well, it takes a village, if the mother places her career in front of the child like she did. If it requires that she work, to help support the family financially, and not be home with cookies after school, then that is another matter. Then, it does take a village. (I hope my comments are not misinterpreted here. I respect mothers that NEED to work and do, a great deal.)
Question: Do you agree/disagree with the old Hillary Clinton comment: “It takes a village to raise a child”?
JeanieS: It has been devastating to me to not be able to continue with my job. I have discovered that my job was my identity. It defined me, it showed who I was, it declared my integrity and professionalism. There is a person that lumps on the couch, depressed and unfocused, who looks like me – but it is not me. I am the professional secretary with skills and talents that are bubbling up, overflowing. That person on the couch is a total stranger. I want “me” back! More here.
Question: How much of your identity is tied up in your job?
The Capitol’s been closed to the public for two and a half years, but it’s almost ready to reopen. That process starts tonight with a reception for all the workers who worked on the renovation project and their families, from 5 to 7:30 p.m., posts Betsy Russell/Eye On Boise. More here.
Two sea gulls spar over a piece of bread at Lions Park Beach in St. Joseph, Mich., Wednesday. You write the cutline. (AP Photo/The Herald-Palladium, John Madill)
Top Cutlines:
Just to ensure that you know I wasn’t playing hookey Tuesday morning, here’s a photo taken by Councilwoman KerriT at the River City Leadership Academy of my panel for Media Day. I’m on the far right; Alison Boggs is on the far left. Can you name the three people in the middle?
A Moses Lake man shot in downtown Coeur d’Alene has filed a complaint against the accused shooter, seeking at least $10,000 to cover medical costs and other damages. Bradley J. Phillips, 25, was shot in the leg Dec. 27 in downtown Coeur d’Alene. A complaint filed Tuesday in Idaho’s 1st District Court says 25-year-old Adam M. Johnson negligently shot Phillips, resulting in more than $2,000 in medical costs. Phillips’ friend Brandon R. Burgess, who was shot in the stomach, filed a complaint last week seeking lost wages, pain and suffering, and medical expenses he said have exceeded $10,000, according to a lawsuit filed Wednesday in Idaho’s 1st District Court/Meghann M. Cuniff, Sirens & Gavels. More here.
A fiery blast from the past is conjuring controversy in the new millennium. The word “negro” is 
now featured on an official U.S. document and now many are questioning if the Census Bureau is being insensitive. It’s a word that many African Americans associate with segregation, so imagine how shocked many were to see it on the 2010 U.S. census form. “The fact that it’s 2010 and they’re still putting ‘negro,’ I am a little offended,” said Secaucus resident Dawud Ingram. Question #9 on the this year’s census asks about your race. One of the boxes you can choose is “black,” “African American,” or “negro,” all placed next to the same box. Ingram said it’s not a word he uses to identify neither himself nor anybody else/Christine Sloan, 2HDTV. More here.
Question: Innocent mistake? Or should heads roll?
The Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday proposed stricter health standards for smog, replacing a Bush-era limit that ran counter to scientific recommendations. The new limits — which are presented as a range — will likely put Spokane, Kootenai and hundreds more counties nationwide in violation, a designation that will require them to find additional ways to clamp down on pollution or face government sanctions, most likely the loss of federal highway dollars. The tighter standards will cost tens of billions of dollars to implement, but will ultimately save billions in avoided emergency room visits, premature deaths, and missed work and school days, the EPA said/Associated Press. More here.
Question: Would you support the new EPA rules, if it meant buying a different vehicle or giving up use of your wood stove?
With her husband Richard by her side, Mega Millions Winner Mary Morrison of Miller Place, N.Y. flashes the number one sign after they were presented with their ceremonial check for $165,000,000 by New York Lottery jackpot announcer Ralph Buckley and the Lottery’s Yoland Vega at the New York Lottery Customer Service Center today in Garden City, N.Y. (AP Photo/Kathy Kmonicek)
Question: Why do you play the lottery when chances are infinitesmal that you’ll win?
Kage Mann: Don’t underestimate the Democrats in this town, they hold the power on the city council and you mess with them; you could be gone. Just ask one former columnist. They’re vicious.
Question: How much influence do you think Demos have in the Coeur d’Alene area?
Roughly 30 people came to the George’s house and packed into the living room as Minnick and Kennedy moved near the Christmas tree. Minnick stood with one arm folded and the other 
gesturing — a posture reminiscent of Ed Sullivan. And his jokes were about as funny. “Mike was my campaign manager when I ran for the Senate in 1996 … I gotta tell ya, his five-vote margin was a lot better than what Mike got for me against Larry Craig!” Minnick deadpans. The living room erupts in laughter. Minnick was slaughtered by the powerful Craig. “Mike and I got to know each other well, and I did actually do him a real favor that year,” Minnick continues, building to another punch line. “He doesn’t regard all of the things I had him do as being to his advantage, but I did keep him so busy that it was the only time in the last 15 years he didn’t have another child.” More shrieks of laughter. Kennedy is famous for his large family. He and his wife have seven children/Kevin Taylor, Inlander. More here.
Question: Do you consider Councilman Mike Kennedy to be as much of a political maverick as the man he once worked for, Walt Minnick?
Knowing that every year my New Year’s resolution is the same (to regain the figure I had at 21) this Christmas my husband thoughtfully provided a gift to get me going in the right direction. 
No, I didn’t find a personal trainer under our tree, nor did I discover a gift certificate for liposuction. Instead, Derek bought me a Wii Fit Plus. Wii Fit is an exercise-themed game made by Nintendo. You step on a balance board and it measures your weight, tests your balance and tells you your fitness age. The Wii Fit Plus is an enhanced version of the original game. I think the “Plus” means extra frustration at no extra charge. Our 10-year-old technology expert set up the system for me. Following the instructions, I stepped on the balance board. Within seconds a message flashed on the television screen: “Unbalanced!”/Cindy Hval, SR Voices. More here.
Question: I know of an eightysomething mother of a friend of mine who is involved in a Wii bowling league. How about you? Do you Wii?
A clan of wooden bears sits in a holding area of the Billings Police Departments evidence warehouse on Midland Road in Billings, Mont., Tuesday. Story here. (AP Photo/Bob Zellar, Billings Gazette)
A 1992 file photo shows one of two stamp designs unveiled in Las Vegas, depicting Elvis Presley. The stamp is one of many exhibits featured at the Smothsonian Institution exhibit showcasing the King of Rock ‘n Roll on the 75th anniversary of his birth. “One Life: Echos of Elvis” opens Friday at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington. (AP Photo, File) Question: On a scale of 1 to 10, how much of an Elvis Presley fan are you?
Sam: I’d like to know what journalist is an elder at a church. As a journalist, I see that absolutely 
as a conflict of interest. At any point, that journalist might be called on to report on said church. It’s not to knock the church at all … the point is to be ethical and to avoid an appearance of bias. I truly believe an honest journalist could easily report on their own church in a fair and accurate manner (I’ve read articles about a brother covering the death of his own brother during a car crash before, etc.). But if you have the opportunity to avoid that appearance, you should. So if someone could tell me who in North Idaho is a church elder and is a journalist I’ll immediately take some points off their journo cred. More below.
DFO: I was an elder in my small Evangelical church (150-180 members) before I started this blog. Still am. I teach
adult Sunday School and filled the pulpit Nov. 22 when my pastor was in India. Also, I was an elder in a small church in Kalispell, Mont., while serving as Duane Hagadone’s editor at the local newspaper. I can’t remember a time when my church duties conflicted with my career. In fact, I’m surprised that the four other elders at my church aren’t more concerned with the fact that I’m a journalist and hang out with a rough crowd online.
Question: Do you think a position in church leadership conflicts with a career in journalism?
There is an icy sidewalk
that’s slick as polished glass;
I saw a lady slip there
and fall upon her…
handbag.
The Bard of Sherman Avenue
Item: Stimulus paves the way: Airport unveils new asphalt, expects full-body scanners/Bert Caldwell
More Info: Turning to security, Sealock said that the Transportation Safety Administration last month brought in two of an expected three canine teams. The dogs will be used throughout the airport, he said. He said the airport is awaiting full-body scanning units, which have become the centerpieces of heightened security measures in the wake of the Dec. 25 attempted airline bombing in Detroit. He said he didn’t know when the scanners would arrive.
Question: Are you bothered that full-body scans apparently are going to be part of the security process at the nation’s airports soon?
First, it must be said that the baby in the photo above turned out okay. Now, onward. In this photo taken on Dec. 26 and released by Bo Ai Hospital, nurses attend Li Jingchao with a chopstick poked into his nose before the surgery at the Bo Ai Hospital in Beijing. a 14-month-old boy is recovering after doctors removed a chopstick from his brain that accidentally poked up through his nose. (AP Photo/Bo Ai Hospital)
Question: What is the strangest thing that one of your kids has put up his or her nose?
Real Life Ministries is snagged in a situation that many churches fear — former youth volunteer Jordan Vernon has been charged with sex crimes. Major Ben Wolfinger, on behalf of the pastor and other elders of the church, has written a letter to members explaining the situation. Wolfinger pointed out that Vernon was confronted and relieved of all volunteer duties at the church after he allegedly exchanged text messages with an under-aged teen girl. Today’s HBO Poll question: “Has Real Life Ministries properly handled the situation involving Jordan Vernon?”
EJS:
Listen, I could care less if Wolfinger was a grand wizard or Bozo the Clown while wearing stilettos in his personal life. He’s an information/damage control professional and I expect RLM figured that this info coming from “him” would lend credibility to whatever action they took to address this. Time will tell if and when all things come to light if it was good idea or not. Maybe it should have come from the pastor with guidance from the Maj. but he’s out there now.
Question: Would you have preferred that the pastor or someone other than KCSD spokesman Ben Wolfinger have written the statement sent to Real Life Ministries members re: the Jordan Vernon situation?
Andrea Parrish and Peter Geyer ( and their cat, Smudgie) of Spokane, Wa., have collected about 16,000 aluminum cans. Their goal is 400,000 cans to pay for their wedding. The living room of their north Spokane home, now has around 120 pounds on Tuesday evening. Doug Clark’s column here. (Dan Pelle/SR)
Otis G Experience: I’m surprised that nobody’s talking about the Spokane Valley City Manager getting ousted last night by the city council. Actually, it always seems that HBO discussions are always about Coeur d’Alene or Spokane politics. Maybe nobody cares about the little ‘ol Valley. After all, we’re only talking about … oh … 90,000 people. :)
Question: Anyone go to Spokane Valley for anything other than the Spokane Valley Mall and Spauldings junk yard?
Nic: Going back further (to 12/14 - covering all posts on their main page) only 8 posters left a 
comment that did not contribute comments to the two most recent threads (one of which was you, kage). Grand total of 123 comments from 15 participants spread out over 10 stories in just over three weeks time. Of those 15 people who have left a comment on openCDA, 4 of them left only one comment, another left more than one, but they’re not a regular there … so that leaves only 10 regulars (including you). Furthermore … 123 comments, and only ONE opposing opinion (from CdACanuck and it was soon ripped apart by Bill. Not exactly what I’d consider “welcoming” of opposing opinions. Full post below.
Question: Do you bookmark OpenCDA.com?
Sam: I truly, truly don’t have an opinion as to how this will play out. But I will say this … I’ve met Scott 
Reed, and his wife, for an article I wrote for the S-R. And I also know Mr. Reed through his reputation as an intensely amazing lawyer. And I know of his son’s reputation as well. With that in mind, what is said above seems to be in line with what might be Vegas odds of the course that is about to happen. I’d never guarantee it, but that’s what the case seems to be. Scott Reed is a damn good lawyer. Even reading snippets of his arguments the other day I could tell they were pretty darn whole compared to the other side. So, I wouldn’t be surprised if Brannon loses.
Question: Who do you think is the best lawyer in North Idaho?
Signe Wilkinson/Philadelphia Inquirer
KCSD Major Ben Wolfinger, who is an elder at Real Life Ministries, wrote a letter on behalf of 
the church’s elders to members of the congregation re: sex charges against former youth volunteer Jordan Vernon (pictured). It reads in part: “20 year old, Jordan Vernon had attended youth group when he was under 18 and volunteered as technical support person and as a co-facilitator for a high school boys’ small group after he turned 18. In July of 2008, it was learned that Mr. Vernon had been text messaging a minor female who attended youth group at Real Life Ministries. This activity is deemed completely inappropriate and Mr. Vernon was immediately removed from all volunteer positions at Real Life Ministries on July 29, 2008. According to Church Records, Mr. Vernon has not attended Real Life Ministries since November 30, 2008.” Full letter here.
Question: What do you make of Ben Wolfinger’s letter on behalf of church elders re: this situation?
A horse rolls around in the snow Tuesday in Gates Mills, Ohio. Forecasters say snow will continue to fall on parts of northeast Ohio that already have two feet or more on the ground. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak)
How about a tip of the cap for Joe Kunka this morning. Kunka? He’s the guy who challenged Sandi Bloem in the 2009 mayoral race — and fared okay at the polls for a long shot. Last night, Kunka took time to attend the Coeur d’Alene City Council meeting and wish the best for the four incumbents who won re-election, including Her Sandiness. Said Kunka: “You need to continue to take care of us.” Too bad other losing candidates aren’t as gracious. Now for your Hump Day Wild Card …
Item: NIC fires job training director: Robert Ketchum has been with college since 1990/Maureen Dolan, Coeur d’Alene Press
More Info: The executive director of North Idaho College’s Workforce Training Center is out of a job. Dr. Robert Ketchum, with NIC since 1990, was advised by NIC administrators Tuesday that his services are no longer needed, effective immediately. Local lawmakers and business leaders question the college’s decision to let Ketchum go.
Question: State Rep. Frank Henderson is demanding an explanation from NIC about it’s surprising move, stating: “At this time in our economy, I can’t imagine why the head of workforce training was terminated.” Can you?
You have to look harder this winter to find snow because there’s little of it on the ground. Don Sausser did just that this morning when he captured the morning sun on the snow on Mica Peak.
In this Dec. 27 photo made from video provided by police in Kansas City, Mo., a woman gets ready to throw a sign as she goes on a rampage at a McDonald’s because she didn’t like her hamburger. Police say the woman caused thousands of dollars in damage when she became upset that the restaurant wouldn’t refund her money. You write the cutline. (AP Photo/Courtesy Kansas City, Mo. Police)
Top Cutlines:
The long weekend started out in Bayview with the imminent closure of the Captain’s Wheel hanging over our heads. Starting with a packed house for New Years Eve, and lasting all the way through to about 7:30 pm Sunday, a full 3 1/2 hours past the scheduled close. Then it was over. The key turned in the lock, perhaps for the last time, at least with present ownership/Herb Huseland, Bay Views. More here
A wheelchair-bound woman was tied up in her Blanchard home early Wednesday morning and robbed of her prescription drugs. The 59-year old victim has Multiple Sclerosis and was sleeping on the couch in her Cedar View Estates home Wednesday morning. Two people broke in through a downstairs dog door. Without speaking to her, they put the victim in her wheelchair and duct-taped her. They took off her glasses, pulled her hair in front of her face and turned her away from them. They searched her home and stole prescription drugs, then released her from the wheelchair and left the scene. A Border Patrol K-9 tracked the robbers’ scent, but it appears they had a vehicle waiting for them at the road/Tania Dall, KXLY. More here.
I would like to look away from the train wreck that is Not-So-OpenCDA.com this week. But Mary and her keyboard commandos keep delivering gold. Mary’s latest post notes that Councilman MikeK announced during an on-air conversation with Chris Wagar and Norm McBride Tuesday that he’d brought them a six-pack of Guinness — and that he might come back and share some with them later. Chris and Norm, of course, were laid off after that interview, so there won’t be any brewski imbibing after hours in the near future. Then, most of us realize that Kennedy was only joking. Humor-impaired Mary didn’t pick up on that when she continued: “Well, apparently it is ILLEGAL to have any alcohol at a radio station, by FCC rules. And word on the street is that Chris & Norm are now gone. Not on the radio today. Replacements coming next week. Aren’t you proud of our elected officials in the City of Excellence?”
Question: Do you suppose Mary thinks Chicago Mike got Chris and Norm whacked for some reason? Inquiring minds want to know?
Sam: So I haven’t seen this anywhere today - but Bill McCrory added over at OpenCDA what he thinks happened at last night’s court hearing on the Brannon issue. It’s quite long, but it seems to say that Brannon was, basically, victorious. Am I reading McCrory’s post right? As far as I recall from other scribings on this, that’s not actually what happened. Can someone clarify?
Question: Can someone help Sam decipher Bill’s analysis of what happened in Judge Simpson’s courtroom Tuesday night?
In this photograph taken on Saturday, sled hockey player Nikko Laderos, of Berthoud, Colo., left, takes control of the puck as Tyler Carron covers during a scrimmage in the Boulder Valley YMCA in Lafayette Colo. Three years ago, high school wrestlers Landeros and Carron lost their legs when they were hit by a car while changing a flat tire. It didn’t take long for Landeros to pick up sled hockey, and he’ll be competing in Vancouver in the Paralympics. Carron is on the junior national team. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski) Question: Can you describe someone who has conquered a considerable handicap to excel in life?
Wayne Hoffman (pictured), head of the foundation, also decried the fact that two state lawmakers who 
have missed all or part of two recent legislative sessions - one to care for his wife who was dying of cancer, the other for his own treatment for brain cancer - continued to receive state health coverage and pension benefits. The lawmakers both appointed substitutes to serve in their absence. Though changing that policy wouldn’t save any state money, Hoffman said it’s not “good for legislators to be gone for two legislative sessions and remain on the state payroll”/Betsy Russell, Eye On Boise. More here.
For those keeping score at home, Dennis Patchin is airing his KXLY sports-talk show (700 ESPN The Ticket) from Paddy’s in Coeur d’Alene at 3 o’clock this afternoon. And his special live guest via phone? Wait for it — University of Idaho football coach Robb Akey. If you head over to Paddy’s, tell them that Huckleberries Online sent you (and make sure you report back here, if anything interesting happens).
H/T: Idaho Dad
Update: Huckleberries has learned that Dickenson died at 11:30 last night. KerriT’s column appeared in the Coeur d’Alene Press this morning. Jim’s funeral service will be at 10 a.m. Saturday at Community Presbyterian, 5th & Williams. English Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Special hugs and prayers to Jim Dickinson. He’s starting out the new year with serious health challenges but is surrounded by the love of family and friends. Jim has many claims to fame … in addition to looking remarkably like town founder Frederick Post and being a familiar face at every golf course within a hundred-mile radius, Jim was the man at the helm of the Post Falls Chamber of Commerce more than two decades ago. In 1988, as president, Jim rallied volunteers, hit up donors and convinced then-Governor Cecil Andrus to come cut the ribbon on the new chamber building located right on I-90. With a population of just over 5,000 at the time, it was a huge deal in Post Falls/Kerri Thoreson, Main Street. More here.
Seattle Mariners’ Edgar Martinez grounds into a fielder’s choice against the Oakland Athletics at Seattle in his final at bat during the 2003 baseball season. Martinze, the Mariners’ designated hitter and a seven-time All-Star, concluded his 18-year career in 2004. He was eligible for the baseball Hall of Fame for the first time this year. But he received only 36.2 percent of the vote from the Baseball Writers’ Association of America on Wednesday, falling well short of the 75 percent of the vote necessary to qualify for induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y. More here. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)
Question: Edgar Martinez is recognized as the greatest designated hitter of all time. But many wonder whether a one-dimensional player who didn’t play defense belongs in the Baseball Hall of Fame. Do you think Edgar is a hall of famer?
A stunned iguana lies on the sidewalk after having fallen from a tree Wednesday in Surfside, Fla. With temperatures in the 40’s the non-native species becomes immobilized in the cold temperatures and fall from their perches. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)
Question: Phaedrus & KeithinCDA already have started a great thread for my immobilized iguana. So I’ll drop in an appropriate question to further prime the pump. What or who does the iguana above remind you of?
I’m a former resident of Coeur d’Alene. It was a proud day when the Aryan Nations left town. It’s sad to see they have returned with a vengeance as indicated by a bumper sticker seen in the parking lot of Fred Meyers, “Don’t blame me, I didn’t vote for Buckwheat.” This knuckle dragger should hide his ignorance in shame instead of advertising it. This doesn’t belong in CdA or anywhere else in this great country. Disgusting/Hal Payne, Wallace. SR letter to the editor.
Question: Have you seen this bumper sticker or anything similar on bumpers in your North Idaho travels? I haven’t.
“The original complaint of plaintiff Jim Brannon was filed without any evidence and lacked any grounds to challenge the conduct of the city election on November 3, 2009, and the results of the election for Council Seat No. 2. Plaintiff Brannon and his attorney, having full knowledge of Noble v. Ada County Elections Board, must be charged with responsibility for bringing a complaint that is frivolous, unreasonable and without foundation. As to all defendants and particularly as to incumbent candidate defendant Mike Kennedy, the lawsuit is unacceptable harassment not made in good faith and reflecting lack of reasonable inquiry as to the law and the facts”/attorney Scott Reed on behalf of Councilman Mike Kennedy (in brief filed with Kennedy’s request for a summary judgment dismissing Jim Brannon’s lawsuit). Full brief here.
Nebraska State Sen. Charlie Janssen of Lincoln proposes to Ellen Fauss in the legislative chamber where family and guests are allowed on the floor the first day of the legislative session this morning in Lincoln, Neb. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik)
Question: Did you (or your mate) get down on a knee to make the marriage proposal?
Huckleberries has confirmed that long-time KXLY fixture Rick Lukens and his wife, Teresa, are moving from the Spokane office to KVNI Thursday morning to replace Norm McBride and Chris Wagar. In a cost-cutting move, KXLY unexpectedly laid off McBride and Wagar Tuesday. McBride and Wagar had been with KVNI 3 years and less than a year, respectively.
Oopsy: I’ve reposted the poll in the upper lefthand rail because I suffered a brain cramp when I posted Norm McBride’s name as “Norm Mahoney.” If you voted before in the poll, please vote again. Mea culpa.
Question: Do you listen to KVNI regularly?
“Pursuant to Rule 56, I.R.Civ.P., Defendant Incumbent Candidate Mike Kennedy moves for summary judgment of dismissal with prejudice of the entire Amended Complaint of Plaintiff Jim Brannon. This motion is supported by two affidavits from Kootenai County Election Manager Deedie Beard, an Affidavit of County Clerk and Auditor Dan English, a brief in support and the files and records in this case. This motion or summary judgment also seeks an award of attorneys fees as against the plaintiff Brannon and his counsel on the grounds that the Complaint and Amended Complaint are frivolous, unreasonable and without foundation entitling defendant Kennedy to an award of attorney’s fees under Idaho Code § 12-121 and Rule 54(e)(1) I.R.Civ.P. plus costs. Dated this 5th day of January, 2010”/attorney Scott Reed on behalf of Councilman Mike Kennedy in seeking summary judgment in Jim Brannon’s lawsuit.
DFO: Judge Benjamin Simpson has set a hearing date of Jan. 27 for this motion for summary judgment by Councilman Mike Kennedy, via one of his attorneys, Scott Reed.
The University of Idaho spent six months investigating the controversial coordinator of its 
Caldwell veterinary center, and managed to duck the big question. Here’s the question the UI missed: Marie Bulgin told a federal court and a legislative committee that there was no evidence wild bighorn sheep die from diseases passed on from domestic sheep. But when she said that, was she aware of her center’s own 1994 research to the contrary? That’s a fairly important question. It’s the issue that landed Bulgin on paid administrative leave. Yet this week, in reinstating Bulgin, UI officials said that was beyond the scope of their review/Kevin Richert, Idaho Statesman. More here.
Question: Was UIdaho’s credibility hurt by its questionable investigation of the controversial coordinator of its Caldwell veterinary center?
Item: Judge allows oath ceremony: Restraining order was sought to prevent installation of incumbents/Tom Hasslinger, Coeur d’Alene Press
More Info: Simpson said that because there would not be direct irrevocable harm to Brannon should the official oath still take place, there was no need to prevent it. Nor did Simpson favor the argument that the city of Coeur d’Alene would open itself up for possible legal pitfalls should the incumbents make governmental decisions with the election results still up in the air.
Question: Does the quick ruling by Judge Simpson a harbinger of things to come as Brannon pursues his long-shot lawsuit?
A truck darts southbound through a just-turned-red light on Browne at Sprague Avenue, Spokane, Tuesday. It’s one of three intersections monitored by red light cameras in Spokane. The camera system monitors the intersection for red light runners and automatically issues tickets to the owners of cars caught running the red light. (Jesse Tinsley/SR)
Question: Would you like to see the Idaho Department of Transportation or the cities of Coeur d’Alene or Post Falls install cameras to catch red-light runners?
Huckleberries hears (from a KVNI-listening Berry Picker) … that the local station is announcing regularly this morning that Rick and Teresa Lukens from the downtown office are heading out to Coeur d’Alene to do the morning show. Dunno what that means for Chris Wagar and Norm McBride. But I’ll try to find out. Meanwhile, today’s poll focuses on KVNI morning people: “Who is your favorite KVNI announcer of the last 25 years?”
At OpenCDA.com, Mary Souza couldn’t believe that mock scenario that Joker conjured 
Tuesday about the then-pending courtroom showdown over Jim Brannon’s ill-fated request for a temporary restraining order. After saying she avoids HBO “with a vengeance,” Mary wonders about Joker: “What normal, functional adult person comes up with these disgusting stories?” Never mind that it was very apparent that Joker was … well … joking. (And besides no one at HBO would say Joker was normal and functional.) Later, Mary fumes: “Anyone who posts over there, or even reads it (and gives its lead person the satisfaction of a page hit, which is all he wants), is part of the problem. Wise up, people. What you do has consequences. If you buy into that garbage, or even look, you are part of it.” Betcha didn’t know that you’re part of the problem. Mary’s full post here.
Question: Do you honestly believe that Mary and her OpenCDA.com playmates don’t look at Huckleberries Online?
OrangeTV: Madame Souza never lets me down, I love her so. Her knack for outrage is impeccable and her 
negativity is relentlessly entertaining. She will always remind me of Mink Stole as Connie Marble in John Waters’ classic 1972 cult classic film “Pink Flamingos”, flying into jealous rages because the tabloids are reporting that she’s not “the filthiest person alive”, then acting all sanctimonious and horrified when others indulge in depravity. I really wish she wasn’t so anti-HBO and would come around here and drop her shiny pearls of insight in a more direct fashion. Man up, Mary. Throw your parrothead hat back into the ring.
Question: Which OpenCDA.com regular would you like to see return to his/her blogosphere roots and comment again at Huckleberries Online: Mary Souza, Dan Gookin, Bill McCrory, or Pariah (aka Any Mouse)?
Signe Wilkinson/Philadelphia Inquirer
Obviously, I’m back from my panel presentation for Leadership River City media day, with colleague Alison Boggs, Brian Walker of the Press, and reps from KREM2 and KXLY. I hope a good time was had by all. I shot the breeze for a coupla minutes with Mayor Clay Larkin and Councilman Scott Grant after a whistle-stop tour of the relatively new Post Falls City Hall, provided by Clay’s daughter, Alison McArthur. Now, it’s back to feeding the unsatiable maw of the HBO blog beast. You can help by providing your threads on this Wild Card …
Challenger Jim Brannon appears in Judge Benjamin Simpson’s courtroom prior to hearing on his temporary restraining order request.
Update (@ 5:19 p.m.): Judge Benjamin Simpson has rejected challenger Jim Brannon’s requet for a temporary restraining order to prevent Mayor Sandi Bloem and council members from being sworn in at their regular meeting at 6 o’clock tonight.
Huckleberries hears … that 1st District Judge Benjamin Simpson will hear Jim Brannon’s 12th-hour request for a temporary restraining order at 4 p.m. today in Courtroom 8. Brannon is trying to prevent the four incumbents who won re-election from being sworn into office tonight, including Councilman Mike Kennedy, who defeated Brannon by 5 votes. The four are scheduled to be sworn in at 6 p.m. in council chambers at the public library.
DFO: Folo blow-by-blow account of Brannon hearing in thread under this post.
A student youth leader from a popular North Idaho church was arrested last week and charged with several counts of sexual abuse of young girls. Post Falls Police say Jordan Vernon, 20, was a student leader at Real Life Ministries in Post Falls. In 2008 police began an investigation into Vernon after they received reports he was making inappropriate sexual advances to a 12-year-old member of the congregation. Vernon was charged with battery, but the charges were later dismissed/Melissa Luck, KXLY. More here.
Claire Taylor, 2, shows her mom, Sharon Taylor a paper bird she made recently at Avista Kids Night Out in the Spokane Convention Center. (Colin Mulvaney/SR)
Former M’s ace Johnson retires after 22 seasons/Associated Press
Patrick H Is Already Sick Of Winter posted the above “Jim Brannon Court Date” Bingo card.
Clearly, the folks at the Idaho Supreme Court have gotten the message — and they have an unpopular idea that lawmakers should consider seriously. They want to collect an additional $15 fee from lawbreakers, to help a cash-strapped court system offset budget cuts. If you commit a crime — or even just admit to a speeding ticket — you would pay a fee designed to raise $2.9 million a year for five years, according to an Idaho Business Review story last week/Kevin Richert, Idaho Statesman. More here.
Question: Would you want the Idaho Legislature to increase fines on minor crimes, like speeding, to help pay for the cash-strapped court system and state law enforcement?
Here’s what could happen in court today.
DFO: You know what’s scary here? It could happen just as Joker imagines.
“Vicki Isakson displayed postcard perfect style on the slopes of Schweitzer Mountain on the last day of 2009,” posts Councilwoman KerriT/More Main Street. “On New Years weekend she took a tumble into the deep powder at Lookout Pass. Not much snow in town but the area ski resorts are winter wonderlands.”
Question: Do you enjoy snow sports? Or do you huddle inside until winter goes away?
Sisyphus: Hahahahahahahaha. Nothing like pissing off a judge right out of the gate. The TRO has to be 
bonded to cover the costs in the event the reasons underlying the TRO are later found to be groundless. There is zero reason this couldn’t have been done weeks ago. Typically this procedure is followed when the status quo has to be preserved and the other side hasn’t a lawyer. That isn’t the case here. In fact, Brannon’s overtures for discussion and possible resolution were never consummated. Plus he has to show a likelihood of success on the merits in the overall lawsuit as well as irreparable harm if the TRO isn’t entered. Mr. Gridley will surely argue that irreparable harm will ensue if the election winners are NOT seated. Motion denied.
Question: What do you think of the analysis of the Brannon motion by Sis?
“These results show that these teams’ planning, execution and just plain guts warrant the attention and adulation that they are receiving. All Idahoans have their hats off today because of these achievements, and all Americans should understand that Idahoans have the commitment to become champions—an understanding that should be shared with those who make decisions about future rankings and bowl assignments”/U.S. Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho. Full statement here.
Question: There’s been some discussion in the comments section re: the continued presence of an elite program like Boise State’s in the non-elite Western Athletic Conference. Would you like to see Boise State switch to a tougher conference?
Huckleberries hears … that challenger Jim Brannon has filed a temporary restraining order to prevent Councilman Mike Kennedy and three other incumbents from being sworn in tonight. And that the city attorney’s office is preparing a response to the request. Stay tuned.
Question: What do you make of Brannon waiting until only hours before the swearing-in ceremony today to file a temporary restraining order?
A member of the Spokane City-County Explosive Disposal Unit checks on the robot used to remove bomb materials from an apartment near the corner of Alki and McDonald in Spokane Valley Monday. The robot placed the material into the disposal unit. Meghann Cuniff’s SR story here. (Dan Pelle/SR)
In this image released by Vanity Fair, golfer Tiger Woods is shown on the cover of the February 2010 issue of “Vanity Fair” magazine which goes on sale nationwide on Jan 12. (AP Photo/courtesy of Annie Leibovitz for Vanity Fair) Question: Are you still interested in the trials and tribulations of Tiger Woods?
New York Mets’ Jason Bay stands for a photo after being introduced as the newest Mets baseball player during a news conference on today at Citi Field in New York. More here. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)
Question: Did you ever see Jason Bay play in Coeur d’Alene as part of the now-defunct North Idaho College baseball team?
Post Falls Mayor Clay Larkin told Huckleberries this morning that the City Council will swear in Koda tonight as part of the ceremonies involving new and re-elected council members. Koda is the police dog from Czechoslovakia hat Post Falls got with leftover funds in its drug enforcement budget. Also as part of the ceremonies, fifth-grader Amanda Howard of Ponderosa Elementary will receive a certificate for submitting the winning entry among 350 entries in the contest to name Koda (which means “ally” in the Czechoslovakia lingo). Koda will be sworn in by the city clerk. Who will read the same oath of office as the ones for Mayor Clay Larkin and three council members. And will bark at the end of the recitation to indicate that he will abide by the words of the oath.
Question: Are you elected officials smarter than a police dog?
Now, that Dan Gookin doesn’t have to play nice guy for political purposes, he has resorted to his name calling at OpenCDA.com. For example, did you know that Thom and Momma (Mama) are “extremists.” Actually, Thom may be a “socialist,” too, according to the man behind the Dummy books. Then, he asserts the continues with the his old whine that doesn’t get better with time: ” … we live in a town where people who question policy are viciously attacked and threatened. The attacks against me and others will continue, encouraged (tacitly or not) by elected officials and propagated by their pawns at HBO.” Betcha didn’t know that I’m a City Hall pawn. Anyway, the whole situation makes Gookin want to vomit. Check Comment No. 7 here.
Question: Sgt. Christie Wood has offered to bake a cupcake for anyone who can tell her why Gookin, who once dismissed her with the nickname “Sgt. Cupcake,” is so angry with her. Describe the cupcake that you’d want Christie to bake and decorate for you.
Dallas police arrest a young woman for prostitution as part of an intervention program in Dallas recently. Dallas is taking a new approach to the world’s oldest profession. Rather than treat prostitutes as criminals, police are treating them as sex crime victims. And rather than locking them up, Dallas police are giving some the chance to get clean and get off the streets. (AP Photo/LM Otero)
Question: Is Dallas taking the right approach to prostitution in treating the individuals involved as sex crime victims in need to treatment rather than as criminals?
We can’t get no job satisfaction. Even Americans who are lucky enough to have work in this economy are
becoming more unhappy with their jobs, according to a new survey that
found only 45 percent of Americans are satisfied with their work. That was the lowest level ever recorded by the Conference Board
research group in more than 22 years of studying the issue. In 2008, 49
percent of those surveyed reported satisfaction with their jobs. The drop in workers’ happiness can be partly blamed on the worst
recession since the 1930s, which made it difficult for some people to
find challenging and suitable jobs. But worker dissatisfaction has been
on the rise for more than two decades/Associated Press. Rest of story below.
Question: Do you enjoy your job? If not, why not?
At the scene of its greatest triumph, Boise State once again set
the college football world abuzz, 
its transition from ultimate underdog
to power player complete. Unlike three years ago when the Broncos
emptied their bag of tricks in a 43-42 overtime win against Oklahoma in
their inaugural Fiesta Bowl appearance, these Broncos proved they can
topple the nation’s best with muscle and might and defense and, since
it wouldn’t be Boise State without at least one memorable trick, a
touch of dashing. While the 2010 Fiesta Bowl will long be
remembered for the Broncos’ perfectly executed fourth-and-9 fake punt
or “Riddler,” as punter-turned-quarterback Kyle Brotzman called it -
just as Circus and Statue Left and Ian Johnson’s Bended Knee have
defined the 2007 Fiesta Bowl - this victory was really more about the
Broncos’ defense and physicality/Brian Murphy, Idaho Statesman. More here. Idaho Statesman game story here.
Question: Did Boise State — like Gonzaga in NCAA basketball 10 years ago — finally establish itself as one of the elite college football teams by dumping TCU in the Fiesta Bowl last night?
Item: Despite Brannon’s challenge, election winners to be installed/Tom Hasslinger, Coeur d’Alene Press
More Info: The three winning Coeur d’Alene City Council incumbents, along with Mayor Sandi Bloem, will be sworn in to their new terms tonight. The official oaths of office come as the election is being challenged by seat 2 challenger Jim Brannon, who lost his race by five votes. Still, the swear-in step doesn’t feel any different than previous years, some incumbents said.
Question: Has losing challenger Jim Brannon hurt or helped his future political aspirations by casting a shadow over tonight’s swearing-in ceremonies by continuing his long-shot lawsuit?
Insect keeper Laura Childs looks up at a spiny stick insect during the annual stocktaking at London Zoo earlier today. More than 750 different species are tallied up in the count. You write the cutline. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
Top Cutlines:
Overwhelmingly, HBO’s Merry Hucksters believe that Mayor Sandi Bloem, Councilman Mike Kennedy, and other incumbents Woody McEvers and Deanna Goodlander should be sworn in tonight, despite loser Jim Brannon’s attempt via lawsuit to overturn the 2009 municipal election results. 99 of 126 respondents — 79 percent — said the four incumbents should be installed at the City Council meeting tonight. Only 21 thought they shouldn’t be. The new poll question at the top of the lefthand rail asks: “Where should Boise State be ranked in the final college football polls?”
Christie Wood: Folks, our investigative team has worked diligently and professionally
on (the 
Adam Johnson) case, and the many, many others that are assigned to us every
day. Contrary to the belief of opencda, Councilman Kennedy does not
keep an office in our wing of the building. And another thing … I have
never even had a conversation with Dan Gookin. We have said hello to
each other and that is it. He seemed friendly prior to the election and
even visited the PD. My point being … why is he angry at me all the
time??? I will bake a cupcake for the first person that can explain
that to me. Full post below.
Eagle Eye: Gookin is intimidated by an attractive woman who carries a gun !
Question: Do you think Eagle Eye’s correct? Or do you have your own theory re: why former City Council candidate is angry with Sgt. Christie Wood 24/7?
IdahoRed: First of all I don’t allow myself to be spoonfed by the MSM. Rammell,
or any candidate, 
has every right to hold a talk to speak to anyone he
would so choose. This is America still (at least for the time being).
This meeting was not to be held on Church owned property. It was in a
facility rented by Rammell’s campaign. It has not been an issue for
Rammell to talk to any other group across Idaho but low-and-behold if
he wishes to talk to people of his own faith the media goes wacko.
Rammell stated that he does not represent the LDS Church. Rammell is
not courting a Church endorsement. Rammell is campaigning to Idaho
citizens of all faiths. If Rammell did not speak to LDS groups as well
that would be discrimination.
Question: What do you make of IdahoRed’s point — that it would be discriminatory if Rex Rammell didn’t have the freedom to speak to the men of his own church re: a controversial prophecy that he believes applies to our times?
Joe Heller/Hellertoons
Boise State running back Doug Martin (22) leaps into the end zone for a touchdown as TCU safety Alex Ibiloye (9) defends during the fourth quarter of the Fiesta Bowl NCAA college football game Monday in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Matt York)
Boise State reached into its bag of tricks again and stunned Texas Christian in a Fiesta Bowl duel of unbeaten BCS busters. After the Broncos pulled off a gutsy fake punt at their own 33-yard line, Doug Martin scored the decisive touchdown to give No. 6 Boise State a 17-10 victory over third-ranked TCU on Monday night. A 10-10 stalemate came alive when Broncos punter Kyle Brotzman hit wide-open Kyle Efaw with a 30-yard strike with about 9 minutes to play. Four plays later, Martin dove over a tackler from 2 yards out to lead the Broncos (14-0) past the Horned Frogs (12-1). The trickery evoked memories of Boise State’s BCS debut three years ago, when it pulled out a passel of gadget plays to defeat Oklahoma on the same field/Associated Press. Boxscore here.
For those keeping score at home, Huckleberries Online finished with 2,089,911 page-views and 1,167,394 unique views in 2009, to top the 2 million mark for the fourth year in a row. That includes a finishing kick of 219,912 page-views and 125,943 unique views in December. HBO, which started slowly in 2009 as a result of a switch to new blogware, finished the final quarter on pace for 2.5 million page-views, if extended over the entire year. As always, thanks for your readership and the crucial interaction that has made this blog a success over the last 6 years. Now, to replay your Wild Card …
TSA officer Robert Howard signals an airline passenger forward at a security check-point at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport Monday in SeaTac, Wash. The names of dozens more people have been added to the government’s terrorist watch list and no-fly list after a failed terrorist attack on Christmas prompted U.S. officials to closely scrutinize a large database of suspected terrorists, an intelligence officials said. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson) Question: How much increased security measures at the airports are you willing to deal with before you decide that air travel in some instances isn’t worth the hassle?
… That attorneys for the city, county, Mike Kennedy, and Jim Brannon met twice over the Christmas holidays to discuss a lawsuit filed by Brannon to overthrow the entire 2009 Coeur d’Alene City Council election — once in the week before Christmas (possibly Christmas Eve) and again in the week after Christmas (either Wednesday or Thursday). Starr Kelso, Brannon’s attorney, asked former county elections chief Deedie Beard a number of questions from the lengthy list of problems that he alleges in the suit took place during the election. Councilman Kennedy wasn’t present during the discussions. A source tells Huckleberries that no compromises were reached and that things stand about where they did a month ago.
Question: Do you think someone from Jim Brannon’s camp show up Tuesday night to protest the swearing in of Councilman Mike Kennedy to a second term?
Silas Parks reacts to the announcement of charges against him during a court appearance in this July 1 photo in Moscow. The Idaho man accused of killing his pregnant wife and then setting the home on fire has been freed after posting a $200,000 bond. Story here. (AP Photo/David Johnson, Lewiston Tribune)
Question: Should the judge have set such a low bond for a man like Silas Parks, who is charged with two counts of first-degree murder?
Two members of the U.S. Secret Service keep a lookout as President Barack Obama arrives at the golf course at U.S. Marine Corps Base Hawaii in Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii, Sunday. You write the cutline. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Top Cutlines:
Vandal Nation, of course, still relishes the amazing finish of the 2009 Humanitarian Bowl in which Idaho rallied from 7 points down and 66 yards away to beat Bowling Green 43-42. Tonight (at 5:15 p.m. on Fox 28), Bronco Nation takes center stage in its quest for a final ranking of No. 2 or No. 3 against the TCU Horned Frogs at the Fiesta Bowl. So, I wonder …
Question: Is it wrong for a true-blue Vandal fan to root for Boise State to win?
New years by the score have left me in doubt
as what more to leave out. I gave up hard spirits,
tobacco and speeding, soaped out my mouth
and even stopped fibbing. I once gave up slouching
and dating bad men, ran from intolerance to pose on the fence.
I’m not pure lily white but surely modest and mild.
I’ve come full circle, which is rather odd, so this year I resolve
to resume smokes and gin, to step up my pace,
and regain ten pounds while practicing road rage
and lewd finger waves — Tumblewords.
At A Family Runs Through It, Idaho Dad takes his camera to shoot the eagles and their lunch, near Higgens Point, east of Coeur d’Alene.
1. being healthier
2. financial security and stability
3. giving more and taking less
4. watching my kids turn 2, 9, and 11 (11!!!)
5. 52 Tuesday nights
6. girls’ nights
7. opportunities to grow
8. peace (please!)
9. laughing more
10. spiritual renewal
Question: What are you looking for this year?
This undated image made available by Fox Broadcasting Co. shows the cartoon family the Simpsons, from left: Lisa, Marge, Maggie, Homer and Bart, posing in front of their home. On Sunday on Fox, “The Simpsons” is airing its 450th episode. (AP Photo/Fox Broadcasting Co.) Question: Which ‘Simpsons’ character do you most identify with? Why?
I am seeing signs in my mail these days of a need for a new, safer way to greet strangers when 
you write to them. Many strangers - especially male strangers - are reluctant to call me “dear.” You, too, have probably noticed that you have fewer letters calling you “dear,” though you readers dearly deserve to be called something like that. In former years, the letters I received from both male and female strangers were invariably “Dear Bill” or “Dear Mr. Hall.” And the same was true of practically everyone’s mail. True, a few cheeky readers would begin their letters “Dear Sir, you cur!” or “Dear Fathead” or “Dear Commie Scum.” But those were rare, even in an angry world. Today’s letters, insulting or friendly, are more likely to begin with just plain “Bill,” with a dearless “Mr. Hall” or frequently with “Hi, Bill.” Even close friends are a little twitchy about calling me “dear”/Bill Hall, Lewiston Tribune. More here.
Question: How do you address a letter to a stranger?
I am the least handy husband in Idaho, and my wife has noticed that other guys in our 
neighborhood are becoming all thumbs too. The fella down the street had an inflatable Santa in his front yard. But he pumped in too much air on Christmas Eve and it burst. A woman who lives nearby had her carpet and subflooring ruined because her 18-year-old son didn’t know how to cut off the water to the washing machine when the hose broke. The dude across the street set his deck on fire when his refrigerator-turned-fish smoker overheated. This is an ominous trend/Steve Crump, Twin Falls Times-News. More here.
Question (for the guys): Are you handy with tools? Or mechanically challenged?
The second reason is that the conservative and Libertarian-slanting members of the 
legislature, as well as Governor Otter, look at the current economic situation as an opportunity—and that’s the word they use—to cut state government. Both legislators and Otter have indicated that entire state agencies may fall by the wayside. With revenues beginning to creep upward, even if job creation is lagging, this may be the Governor’s and those legislators’ last opportunity to use the economy as an excuse for slashing the parts of the state budget they’ve always had their eye on. Consequently, the Legislature and the Governor will avoid doing anything this year that could possibly raise revenues, and instead will focus only on cutting budgets/Sharon Fisher, New West. More here.
Question: Would you like to see Idaho use the current recession as an excuse to cut programs and taxes further?
These Eagles hang out on frozen Hauser Lake early Sunday morning. (Kathy Plonka/SR)
Pondering a radical change in 2010? Then read up right here. These two Inland Northwest 
women know about radical changes. Shirley Bonuccelli, a former school librarian and financial planner, has an educational leadership doctoral degree from Gonzaga University. She now details cars. And loves it. Erica Curless, a former journalist, now does therapeutic massage for horses and dogs. And loves it. These women’s radical-change strategies can be adapted to any life alteration in 2010, large or small. “You should follow your heart and make choices that will make you happy, even if they don’t make you rich or famous,” Curless says. “But you have to be realistic. Do your research.” And Bonuccelli advises: “Plug your nose and jump in. People will criticize you, tease you, make fun. Don’t listen”/Rebecca Nappi, SR. More here.
Question: Have you ever had to reinvent yourself, careerwise, as a result of circumstances or a desire to get out of a dead-end job?
Mayor Sandi Bloem told Huckleberries Online moments ago that the swearing in of the winners of the 2009 Coeur d’Alene municipal elections will take place as usual on the first council meeting of the month. Which is tomorrow night. After consulting with City Attorney Mike Gridley and City Clerk Susan Weathers, Bloem said: “It’s my understanding that there hasn’t been anything that would stop the swearing in.” Jim Brannon, who lost to incumbent Mike Kennedy by 5 votes, has filed a lawsuit to overturn the results of all four city races, won by Bloem, Kennedy, and incumbents Woody McEvers and Deanna Goodlander. Brannon and his supporters claim that any action taken by the council could be deemed invalid should he Brannon win his suit.
Question: Have you noticed more people wearing University of Idaho ballcaps, shirts, and other paraphernalia since the Vandals’ big win in the Humanitarian Bowl?
As Avatar cruises past the $1 billion mark, it’s starting to look like James Cameron might end 
up with the two highest-grossing movies of all time (not taking inflation into account, of course). But Titanic charted a very different course into box office history, taking a leisurely 44 days to hit $300 million — a feat Avatar equaled in just over two weeks. Clearly, pricey 3D tickets are giving Avatar a (lanky blue) leg up. But if memory serves, Titanic had an advantage of its own: repeat views. I remember classmates arguing over who had seen the movie more times, resorting to impromptu quote-offs to prove their claims. Avatar has earned plenty of raves, but is it inspiring the same level of obsessive devotion?/Adam Markovitz, PopWatch. More here.
Question: How many times did you see James Cameron’s “Titanic”? Is “Avatar” worth seeing twice?
(Gubernatorial candidate Rex) Rammell says he has invited about 100 Mormon men to a Jan. 
19 meeting in Idaho Falls to discuss the “White Horse Prophecy,” which some attribute to Mormon Church founder Joseph Smith. The prophecy, which is not embraced by top Latter-day Saints Church officials, holds that the Constitution “will hang … by a single thread” and LDS leaders will step forward to preserve it. Late last month, the church issued a statement distancing itself from the prophecy and from Rammell, saying the prophecy has “not been substantiated by historical research.” The statement also said “we hope that the campaign practices of political candidates would not suggest that their candidacy is supported by or connected to the church”/Dan Popkey, Idaho Statesman. More here.
Question: What do you make of Rex Rammell’s apparently failed attempt to bring the LDS church into his run for Idaho governor?
MamaJD: This seems to be a three pronged approach to criticize the City and the downtown 
area, the city police and the city administration. While a businessman is in jail and a kid is fighting for his life, the OpenCDA crowd is more concerned about apostrophe placement and how Mike Kennedy would benefit from illegal influence in an ongoing police investigation. This group disgusts me at the way they try to manipulate and manufacture political conspiracy by exploiting a tragedy like a shooting. The ones who benefit are the ones who are trying to hide their connections as they attempt to politicize this situation. Full MamaJD post below.
Question: Do you consider OpenCDA.com to be a credible information/opinion source in the local blogosphere?
Boise State fans Brent Archibald, of Boise, with son Adam Archibald, left, brought a little Fiesta Bowl spirit to the annual Great Polar Bear Challenge Friday on New Year’s Day at Lucky Peak Reservoir east of Boise. More than a hundred people jumped into the frigid water to help benefit Make-A-Wish Foundation of Idaho. (AP Photo/Idaho Statesman, Darin Oswald)
Question: Do you plan to watch the Fiesta Bowl game between Boise State and TCU today?
In a New Year’s weekend poll, 63 of 91 (69 percent) of you said that you didn’t make resolutions. 3 of 91 (3 percent) said you usually do but not this year, while only 25 of 91 (27 percent) said you did make resolutions. The new poll question will be up shortly: “Should Coeur d’Alene install the winners of the 2009 municipal elections despite Jim Brannon’s lawsuit to overturn the results?”
Question (for those who made New Year’s resolutions this year): What have you resolved to change this year?
The results of the November 2009 Coeur d’Alene City elections are highly in question, given the pending lawsuit that could invalidate the entire election. It seems premature to install candidates on Jan. 5, 2010, who may NOT have won! Why are we raising this question and concern? If the Coeur d’Alene city election is overturned and those questionable candidates were already installed, any decisions made by the City Council could be invalidated. This would financially burden the city taxpayers and create chaos for individuals and entities involved in those decisions. Every decision made would be questioned/Jim Doty, letter to the editor, Coeur d’Alene Press. More here.
Question: Should the winners of the contested 2009 Coeur d’Alene municipal elections be installed at Tuesday night’s meeting?
It’s unknown exactly when Gittel’s became the sacred homeland for this holy trinity of hot dogs. 
Elton Gittel might have decided to serve up discounted frank triplets on opening day way back when, or perhaps one of the many Gittel descendants who’ve run the store in the decades since had the winning idea. Either way, it’s been a legendary lunch bargain for as long as I can remember. I had a roommate long ago who actually managed to lose a bit of weight by guzzling water and eating nothing but three plain Gittel’s dogs every day for both lunch and dinner. Probably not the healthiest way to go about it, but at the time the special was three dogs for 99 cents, ensuring that he always had lots of money left over for something to stuff in his bong/OrangeTV, Get Out! North Idaho. More here.
Question: Are 3-for-$1 hot dogs an enticement for you to stop at Gittel’s?
Nick Anderson/Houston Chronicle
Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck has taken more than his share of hard hits this season.
Final: Tennessee 17 Seattle 13
The season that can’t end soon enough has skidded into the New Year, and all that’s left to see in Seattle’s regular-season finale today against Tennessee is the Seahawks’ level of resolution.
“This is the last chance for this group to show how good we can be,” defensive end Patrick Kerney said. “Every Sunday you’re trying to show how good you can be. This is it for us, sad as it is. But I hope guys embrace that opportunity and put their best effort forward.” More here.
I watched. It hurt.
Kendramama prepares to take the plunge.
So, I’m wondering why the ladies of HBO are brave enough to do the Polar Bear Plunge, but so far the only Huckster fella I’ve heard of participating was ThomG and that was in exchange for a vote. Hmmm…
Meanwhile, it’s the first weekend of the New Year. Time to undecorate the house. Decorating is so much more fun. Last year I forgot the wreath on the front door and didn’t notice it until February. So much for the keen observation skills of this writer.
Gonzaga travels to Illinois for a game that starts at 10 o’clock this morning Pacific Time. (You can read Jim Meehan’s pre-game story here.)
By the way, how are you doing on those New Year’s resolutions?
Gonzaga’s Demetri Goodson and Illinois’s Demetri McCamey scramble for the ball during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game today in Chicago. (AP Photo/Jim Prisching)
When 84-year-old Kay Mita got a jury summons, he regarded it as a sign the government was acknowledging a six-decade-old injustice. His first day of jury service, however, turned out to be the last day of his life.
Now the widow and son of a juror who died of exposure overnight on the courthouse steps two years ago have filed a $5 million claim with Spokane County, a possible prelude to a federal lawsuit against the county and Guardsmark LLC, which provides courthouse security.
Steve Bartel, the county’s risk manager, said his office is reviewing the claim to determine whether the county has any liability in what he acknowledged is “a terrible event.” Full story.
Such a sad story. Do you think Spokane County should be held liable?
Some people are into cars. Some people dig the ocean. Aziz Inan, a professor of electrical engineering at the University of Portland in Oregon, loves numbers. Truly, madly, deeply.
“I can relate to them,” Inan said. “Each number has its own personality.”
With this adoration in mind, consider Saturday, Jan. 2, 2010. The day is a palindromic date: 01-02-2010, meaning the number can be read the same way in either direction.
There will be 12 palindromic days this century, he said, and Saturday will be the second. The first was 10-02-2001. Read more.
Are you a number nerd?
LOS ANGELES — Football fans and “American Idol” devotees can breathe a sigh of relief. Fox and Time Warner Cable have reached a deal in principle that will keep the network on the cable provider after Fox threatened to pull the plug over a fee dispute.
Friday’s agreement, which included Bright House Networks, ended a week of public sparring that had some viewers worried they’d miss Friday night’s Sugar Bowl, Saturday’s Cotton Bowl and Sunday’s professional football lineup, as well as an array of other programming.
Fox had been threatening to force Time Warner Cable and Bright House to drop the Fox broadcast signal from 14 of its TV stations and half a dozen of its cable channels as a contract expired at midnight Thursday. More.
Happy New Years Hucksters.
Light blogging ahead. Big family party at la casa and I suppose there’s some sort of football game to watch. I’m hoping MamaJD will let us know how things go at the Polar Bear Plunge (rumors of rainbow thongs run rampant) and I wouldn’t mind an update from the Hangover Handicap.
Hope you all get to sleep in, relax and enjoy the first day of 2010!
MamaJD at the Polar Bear Plunge, 1/1/10
MamaJD reports: “Returned from the Plunge and just starting to thaw out. I did catch a glimpse of Stickman on the beach – he was watching, not plunging. No ThomG. No rainbow thongs. Just a lot of crazy people out having a good time.”
No word yet from K-mama. Hope she survived!
It’s an annual event for the brave, weak of mind or strong of drink. The Polar Bear Plunge can even combine all of those factors as hundreds gathered at Coeur d’Alene’s Sanders Beach for a frigid dunking to begin the new year.
Clad in everything from body paint to a mermaid’s outfit, about 200 or so revelers jumped into the water, reportedly at about 37 degrees which matched the 37 degree outside temperature.
“It’s a frosty clean, cleansing start to 2010,” said Shawn Clary, 29, of Spokane, who was about to take his first plunge.
Clary’s friend, 27-year-old Dan Kreft, wasn’t as enthused. “It’s definitely not the dumbest thing I’ve every done.”
About 500 family and friends gathered with fleece blankets and beach towels to await the dripping throng as it made its way out of the frigid lake. Some hearty souls actually turned the plunge into a contest by swimming the fastest to the closest no-wake buoy. More.
COEUR d’ALENE — One of the victims from last Sunday’s shooting in downtown Coeur d’Alene is suing the suspected trigger man.
Brandon R. Burgess, the 25-year-old from Moses Lake, Wash., who was shot in the stomach following an altercation early Sunday morning in the 200 block of Sherman Avenue, is seeking payments for medical expenses, lost wages and pain and suffering, according to court papers filed Wednesday.
“There are a lot of costs and my client can’t pay them,” said Lloyd Herman, the Spokane-based attorney representing Burgess. “It’s already a substantial medical expense.”
Burgess underwent surgery to remove a bullet from his stomach at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. He was upgraded to stable condition earlier this week, according to hospital staff. Full story.
Thoughts?
Oregon’s LaMichael James scores a touchdown during the first quarter of Thursday’s Rose Bowl-clinching win.
ROSE BOWL:
Today: Oregon vs. Ohio State, 2 p.m. TV: ABC Radio: 700-AM
LOS ANGELES – Oregon was pronounced dead by the college coroner the Thursday before Labor Day after the Ducks played like pond scum in a horrific season-opening defeat at Boise State.
Ohio State allegedly packed it in Sept. 12 when it lost at home to USC and forfeited all credibility with the civilized world in “prove-it” games against schools outside the comfy Big Ten confines.
The Rose Bowl was listing toward USC and the winner of Iowa-Penn State and there was nothing anyone was going to do about it.
OK, so how did we get here? More.
I’d like to go on the record as stating “Ducks” is a horrible name for a football team. (Yes, I can hear the gnashing of teeth from the newsroom). Anyone care to predict the outcome of today’s game?
79% of Husksters (87 of 110) believe Akey will be hanging with the Vandals for the time being.
Question (that goes with New Year’s Day poll at the top of the left rail): What New Year’s resolutions did you make this year?
D.F. Oliveria is a columnist and blogger for The Spokesman-Review. Huckleberries Online was judged the best 2008 Idaho newspaper blog by the Idaho Press Club. And the best 2007 news blog in the Pacific Northwest by the Society for Professional Journalist. Print Huckleberries is a past winner of the Herb Caen Memorial Column contest by the National Association of Newspaper Columnists. The Readership Institute of Northwestern University cited this blog as a good example of online community journalism.
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