Spokane7
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A man who shot and killed a college student home for Mother’s Day after a fight at a Coeur d’Alene bar last year will serve at least 20 years in prison before he’s deported to his native Honduras. Juan C. Aldana Villanueva, 23, was sentenced today to 20 to 28 years in prison for the murder of Timothy I. Wolfe, 21, on May 9, 2009. Villanueva, who worked at a Post Falls restaurant, had argued with Wolfe (pictured), a member of the Coeur d’Alene Tribe who was attending college in Montana, at a Coeur d’Alene bar before Villanueva drove to the Post Falls home where he lived with his girlfriend and child to get a gun, according to court documents. More 
w “Judge Judy” has brought a Spokane man more than just 15 minutes of syndicated fame.
Joshua J. Mulvey, 26, now faces new criminal charges in an Internet fraud scheme after a Snohomish County man who saw the episode recognized Mulvey as the same person who conned him out of $2,500 last year, police say.
Mulvey was arrested at a Coeur d’Alene motel in February. Detectives used a cell phone tower ping triggered by Mulvey’s mobile phone to trace him to the Lake City after they say he escaped from his Spokane apartment during a raid.
Read more about the latest twist in the case, and see a video of his Judge Judy appearance, 
Republican rift. Fourteen months prior to the
primary, Vaughn Ward was plucked from DC by Dirk Kempthorne, anointed by
the Republican establishment such as Phil Batt, and funded by Idaho big
business Republicans like Micron. Ward had secured the support of the
NRCC who provided labor and promotion labeling him one of their “Young
Guns” to take over DC from the likes of Nancy Pelosi. In stark contrast
Labrador came to the race late, had sorely anemic fund raising, and
secured the endorsement of …Bill Sali, as well as most his colleagues
in the Idaho House of Representatives known for its extremism and for
bucking the Governor and his moderate cronies in the Senate. This is not to say that Minnick has the general locked up by any
stretch. Minnick is still clearly 
Woody Allen’s famous phrase - “Eighty percent of life is showing up.” Back in the gloomy cold of winter, with the Idaho Republican establishment in line with the guy Labrador decked on Tuesday, you wouldn’t have found many political watchers in Idaho - this one included - who would have given the very conservative state legislator even a five percent chance to win the GOP primary. You gotta hand it to Labrador. He had the guts to show up and win he did. All politics require measures of luck and timing and courage and Labrador got just enough of each/Marc Johnson, The Johnson Post. 
For 20 years, federal agents allege, a Coeur d’Alene cocaine dealer went undetected by law enforcement, thanks in part to a tight-knit group of traffickers that included his friends and family. 
Dan of the County: Still looking quite light…even by late afternoon some Post Falls precincts were still in single digits…hoping the after work and dinner crowd will bump up the numbers plus when the absentees get added in…still, I fear it will be closer to 20% turnout than the mid-twenties.
Several of you Berry Pickers received a robo-call from Sarah Palin on behalf of Vaughn Ward today in his 1st Congressional District race against state Rep. Raul Labrador, including Chatterbox, who posts: “We received the Sarah Palin robocall at work this afternoon. Some of you know, I work for a local government office. Seems kinda silly to program a robocall to the county.”
the NCAA gets ready to lift a moratorium on schools moving up to the Football Bowl Subdivision, Griz football fans are debating the pluses and minuses. Montana native and ABC and ESPN sports broadcaster Brent Musburger says such a move would be “economic suicide.” Musburger was in Bozeman for a fundraiser for the Montana State women’s golf team. Musburger says moving Montana up to the FBS would be a horrendous mistake and that the state could not support a FBS team/Associated Press. 
Rack is moving east, to be closer to the highway and closer to North Idaho. Those are the reasons given by the Seattle-based clothing retailer for leaving the NorthTown Mall and taking up a 30,000-square-foot space in the Spokane Valley Plaza. It expects the Rack, Valley version, will open in October. It’s taking space last used by Linens ‘n Things, in a triplex flanked by Sportsman’s Warehouse and Old Navy, west of the Spokane Valley Mall. The Rack is the off-price division of Nordstrom that offers merchandise from other stores at significant discounts/Tom Sowa, Office Hours. 
in Kellogg say they are still no closer to ending a fight over a Veterans’ memorial there, even after a city council meeting on Monday night. Those veterans are upset after the city stopped flying the American flag over the memorial and then moved both. Those vets were hoping to hear a decision one way or the other about moving the small memorial about 100 yards. Those veterans say 100 yards is a very big deal. One veteran says he was happy with the little plaque because of what it stands for and he says what it stands for is bigger than the vets.The plaque dedicated a piece of land as Memorial Park/KREM.com. 
1,912 less games than former star catcher Mike Piazza, but he’s never been named to an all-star game. But that didn’t stop MC Andy Finney from introducing the Kootenai County commissioner as Mike Piazza. Now, you have to give Andy allowances for the mistake. The county commissioner was also listed as Mike Piazza in the program honoring Father George Rassley at Holy Family Catholic School for his many years of service to his faith and the local community. Some 200 to 250 parishioners attended the event. Councilman John Bruning, subbing for ailing Mayor Sandi Bloem, announced that the city is naming the men’s homeless shelter and warming shelter in Rassley’s honor. Piazza, Rich not Mike, BTW, had a good chuckle re: the mixup. (2006 AP File Photo of San Diego catcher Mike Piazza)
only chance I have to vote for County Commissioners. I think as a resident, I should be able to cast my ballot for the best candidates. In other races, if I know there’s a Democrat I will support in the general, I leave my ballot blank. The Republicans are afraid that Dems cross over to mess with their elections, and get the weakest candidate to win. That’s not why I do it, and I’ve never talked to anyone who crosses over to intentionally get the weakest R’s on the November ballot. We cross over because we want the R’s that most closely represent out interests to win.
(UI) abandoned 
Facebook, Bent points out that this is Sisters Week, a time to remember the great things your sister(s) has meant to you and done for you. Writes Bent of his sis: “S
Facebook, David Townsend noted that Friday was the 10th anniversary of his going to work for the Coeur d’Alene Public Library. Quoth David: “
Sen. Mike Crapo on Monday asked 1st District GOP candidate Vaughn Ward to correct a campaign e-mail that Crapo says leaves the “inaccurate impression” Crapo has endorsed Ward. The Ward e-mail was sent Monday morning, less than 24 hours before polls open in his race with state Rep. Raul Labrador. The Ward e-mail included a quote from Crapo praising Ward and listed 47 people who have endorsed Ward, starting with former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin. Crapo reiterated what he and his staff have told Ward and Ward’s campaign at least four times: Ward should not imply he has received Crapo’s nod over Labrador. Since he was elected to Congress in 1992, Crapo has never endorsed in a contested primary/Dan Popkey, Idaho Statesman 
coming in steadily today. But he shares my opinion that there’s widespread apathy this year, despite key races that will be decided in the primary election — Idaho Supreme Court, two Kootenai County commissioner seats, and two of the three seats in state District 3. I didn’t get one question from another church member re: the races Sunday, which has to be a first for the Sunday preceding an election. Dan predicts that the final turnout total will be lucky to top 25 percent. I’d say a low turnout will make it easier for a dedicated group of partisans (like Tea Party sympathizers) to grab some seats that they might not otherwise get (read: Steve Vick over incumbent Mike Jorgenson in Senate District 3). Also, the Tea Party might be disparaged elsewhere but not here in Idaho. Where Tea Party Boise has endorsed Raul Labrador in the 1st Congressional District race w/former frontrunner Vaughn Ward. Which would be a gauge of the clout Sarah Palin has in her state of birth. I’m predicting close races will go to diehard conservatives Tuesday.
not only lost their edge over the last couple years, but have become cutesy to the point of making me violently ill. The worst offender is Rose Is Rose. I don’t know, wasn’t it more edgy, more gritty at one time? It’s like a Doberman who’s been neutered, and now just sits on the porch with little rainbows and hearts and ice cream cones where his balls used to be. I no longer read Peanuts because it just seems so lightweight to me now. I know that Charles Schulz died ten years ago, and that the strips are selected reruns from the last 40 years or so. But I read the comics to make me laugh and/or think, not to be gently tickled with an occasionally amusing feather. Peanuts, due to its inherent time capsule status, has fallen victim to our cynical times/Bob Wire, New West. 
d’Alene store was the sudden disappearance of the old sign at the corner of 3rd and Miller which proudly proclaimed “Serving Coeur d’Alene Since 1938”. Still, Judgment Day must eventually come for all things, and the sign had most likely been in use since the last time the store had a facelift around 40 years ago. In other words, the place was in desperate need of an update, and the replacement sign’s modern, minimalist rendering of the Safeway’s latest corporate logo is an accurate representation of the store’s slick interior improvements/OrangeTV, Get Out! North Idaho. 
dispute between veterans and city leaders that has escalated into recall petitions being filed against the mayor and all six City Council members. The flagpole formerly displayed both the American flag and a Tree City USA flag, until the commanders of Silver Valley veterans groups informed the city in August that flying both on the same pole was improper. The flags flew above a veterans’ memorial dedicated to the city more than 50 years ago. The stone memorial embedded with a plaque honored veterans of the two World Wars and of the Korean War/Alison Boggs, SR. 
“I’ll never use one or those. I like the touchy feely tactile sense of a substantial book in my hand with my fingers fondling paper.” Yes, and people way back in history hated it when parchment scrolls became forerunners of Gutenberg’s books and helped destroy storytelling around the fire. But hardly anybody is reading scrolls anymore, and they would be whining if they had to. However, in one sense, the electronic book is nothing new. It is merely a redesign - an electronic version of a paper book. But it is an improvement on the whole when you’re traveling because each half pound electronic reader holds hundreds of books weighing nothing at all/Bill Hall, Lewiston Tribune. 
CindyH: Found a small boy wandering down the middle of Lincoln Road (on Sunday). Some guys had stopped but the boy kept running. We stopped and the boy ran to me. He was autistic and couldn’t tell us his name. Called 911— he’d been reported missing. He held my hand and we walked to a nearby church where he and I stayed busy high fiving a
Dustin Hurst 
when the entire island story line we had been following for six seasons turned out not to matter very much within the internal organization of the show’s narrative — to be largely disconnected from that final quasi-religious resolution of the plot — it was deflating, despite the warm feelings the finale otherwise inspired. Most of the post-mortem discussion of the finale will involve parsing and grading that final 10-minute sequence. Before conducting our own analysis, however, let’s talk about the previous 140 minutes of “The End”/Mike Hale, New York Times. 
Then, has any losing candidate ever followed the steps taken by Jim Brannon after his five-vote loss to incumbent Mike Kennedy, sidestepping a recount in favor of a lawsuit to overturn the entire election? That fact hasn’t been lost on Kennedy. Who posted this comment at HucksOnline last week: “Writing as a private citizen being sued, here, regardless of whether he loses or wins this court case, because of this willful and admitted plan of suing me individually first without pursuing all legal steps in the process, I would assume that Mr. Brannon has been preparing himself personally for the time when I as a private citizen seek to recover every penny of all applicable legal costs, personal costs, and damages in this lawsuit through full discovery in the courts …”/DFO, SR Huckleberries. 
Scholars are divided as to why Twain wanted the first-hand account of his life kept under wraps for so long. Some believe it was because he wanted to talk freely about issues such as religion and politics. Others argue that the time lag prevented him from having to worry about offending friends. One thing’s for sure: by delaying publication, the author, who was fond of his celebrity status, has ensured that he’ll be gossiped about during the 21st century.
agenda of the tea party movement,” and one in six call themselves members. The finding in the nation’s most Republican state comes from an Idaho Statesman/KBOI-TV Channel 2 poll conducted May 17-19 by Mason-Dixon Polling & Research in Washington, D.C. A national ABC/Washington Post poll in late April found 27 percent support the tea party movement. The same poll asked respondents of all political parties if they were “active” in the movement, and just 2 percent said yes. The Statesman/KBOI-TV poll asked a different question of Idaho Republicans, “Do you consider yourself a member of the tea party?” and 16 percent said yes/Dan Popkey, Idaho Statesman. 
late arrival to the race for Congress, state Rep. Raul Labrador (pictured) has demonstrated competence, composure and a command of nuanced policy. Despite more than a year of full-time campaigning, decorated Marine Major Vaughn Ward has proven himself untrustworthy. Labrador has earned the support of Republicans in Tuesday’s primary. He has earned the opportunity to present his case to 1st Congressional District voters in the fall, in a heated race likely to carry national implications. Let’s be realistic. Should a Republican win in November, the victor will be a newcomer in what will probably be a deeply split House. No first-termer will be a phenom. Labrador has the better chance to make an impact/Idaho Statesman. 
several out in the Rathdrum area that concerns the Vick race but nothing really over the top like you see some days or appears to be happening with the congressional candidates. I wonder if people have less funds to do those nasty attack jobs or if we maybe are going to be so lucky to experience some positive growth and maturity on the part of our candidates and their supporters…and maybe I’ll wind a big ‘ol Powerball jackpot too…probably more likely to win the Powerball than that the politicians have decided to “just all get along.”
Republican primary race to represent western Idaho in Congress, says an Idaho Statesman/KBOI TV Channel 2 poll. The snapshot of the electorate, taken a week before the vote, shows Ward backed by 31 percent of voters and Labrador by 28 percent, putting the race within the plus or minus 5 percent margin for error. Undecideds topped each candidate with 37 percent. Harley Brown had 4 percent. Ward had big leads in fundraising and advertising, but Labrador has gained momentum in recent weeks as Ward suffered a series of setbacks culminating in the resignation of his campaign manager last week/Dan Popkey, Idaho Statesman. 
10:30 Friday night, Dustin Hurst, a newshound for the Idaho Reporter and regular commenter at HucksOnline, posted this on Facebook: I’m “getting married in less than 20 hours. Wow. Scary. Anyone care to pass on some good marital advice?” Among the advice he received was: “Happy wife. Happy life.” And: “Say thank you a lot.” And: “No matter the argument she’s right.” Also: “Love the way you want to be loved. treat each other the way you want to be treated. Always be honest with the one you love. Always put eachother first.” How about you?
set up the question below: “Okay scenario: your kid comes home from a concert telling you so-and-so was not allowed in the concert because she couldn’t pass security’s tests for being drunk. Would you inform the parents of this 15/16 years old? Just curious. Btw if it was my kid I would hope to be informed. Drinking and driving kills.”
In fact, the City of Marysville throws an annual festival about this time of year - The Strawberry Festival. (I know - creative, right?) … My family was involved with the festival for a few years. My dad, brother, and I all worked the vendors market and volunteered as parade security. It came with perks. … Oh the free food. The food vendors understood that we were in control of their power supply and their access to ice. So they repaid us with goodies. This was greatly appreciated, but as it was a benefit it was also a curse. … After eating nothing but a variation of strawberries for five consecutive days, at the end of May, every year, you suffer something akin to strawberry burnout. At least that’s what happened to my brother and me. For years, neither of us could stand to eat that infernal fruit/Nic, via Facebook. 
George: Today I found the carcass of a beautiful golden-buff common barn-owl. Not a feather out of place, not a mark on its body — but it had died within just a few hours before I found it. Possibly it had eaten a poisoned mouse. The barn-owl isn’t on the endangered list but I’ve never had the experience of holding such a beautiful bird-creature in my hand before. Its heart-shaped face and extremely soft feathers and down is unlike anything in any of my previous experiences. The thought of a species being wiped out forever is a sobering thought. I would rather that we, as the dominant species, over-reacted in protecting all-species from a careless extermination rather than under-reacting.
30th Anniversary is commemorated today, May 22! Can you still recall the early years of 
you know Sarah Palin was the star attraction today at Quest Arena in Boise stumping for Idaho 1st CD GOP hopeful Vaughn Ward. I want to extend a thank you to the Ward Campaign for giving ICB press credentials. It was fun tweeting during the event and irritating the print press with my presence at their table. As you know ICB is a huge Palin fan and today she did not let me down. I have some pictures and a video below/Idaho Conservative Blogger. 
New Facebook friend Kiki Miller tells of a problem that should have a familiar ring to it, for many of you. Sez Kiki: “
left as she gave an enthusiastic speech rallying voters for GOP congressional candidate Vaughn Ward in Boise today. “The left and some of the lamestream media, they can really play dirty sometimes, trust me on this one, I know this one,” Palin told a crowd of about 1,500 at the Qwest Arena in downtown Boise. Ward, who headed the McCain-Palin presidential campaign in Nevada in 2008, is facing state Rep. Raul Labrador, R-Eagle, in Idaho’s primary election on Tuesday for a chance to challenge freshman Democratic Congressman Walt Minnick/Betsy Russell, Eye On Boise. 
Pentagon’s brownie recipe is 26 pages long. Just grab a copy of 
his latest dustup is spot on. Otter has taken exception to a Salmon-Challis National Forest official’s decision to deny an Idaho Public Television request to send a lone cameraman into the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness Area for educational-filming purposes. Specifially, IPTV wants to film about 15 participants in a Student Conservation Association program meant to train future land managers, according to an Associated Press report. The footage would be featured in an “Outdoor Idaho” program/Doug Bauer, Moscow-Pullman Daily News. 
There appear to be about 500 seats set up on the floor of the Qwest Arena for the Sarah Palin-Vaughn Ward rally, and so far roughly half have filled up. In the free seats on the risers at the sides a little over 100 people are seated so far. Outside, people filing in included Linn and George Pitt of Garden City; “We’re big admirers of Sarah Palin,” she said, to which her husband added, “We’re undecided on Ward vs. Labrador, so we want to hear him some more.” Glancing at her husband, Linn said, “I’m going to vote for Vaughn Ward”/Betsy Russell, Eye On Boise. 
yours and just waste a bunch of your asses.” That was what John Hough, owner of the Roosevelt Inn Bed and Breakfast, said he told Avista Corp. over the phone on Wednesday, which led to the power company calling police. Police handcuffed Hough and took him to Kootenai Health for psychiatric evaluation. Hough also told the serviceman there to cut off his power that the visitor had a choice. “You can shut off the power and suffer the consequences,” Hough said he told the man, “or you can take my request and depart my property”/Tom Hasslinger, Coeur d’Alene Press. 
paleoconservative tendency to many of these younger upstarts. Who is uberconservative, a “front porch republic” guy (look it up), or a FOX news type? And it depends what you mean by “take over”. It is inevitable that the old giuliani-lovin’ centrists will dwindle away anyway, they are old and tired, and not particularly ..ummm ..intellectually curious, shall we say. Shaking things up will be a good thing, and no one really knows how it will look at the other end, except we will certainly have a stronger Ron Paul element, that is certain.
total amount of creosote-laced soil from the old Carney pole site is small in comparision to the total amount leeching from the thousands of piers and bridge pilings spread throughout the Coeur d’Alene Lake, Coeur d’Alene River and St. Joe River. Why isn’t the EPA concerned about them? The pilings that comprised the quarter-mile city levee, constructed by the Corps of Engineers and now replaced by a steel-sheet levee, leaked twice the amount of creosote into the river than what slopped out of the pole soaking-pan of Carney’s pole site.
I don’t think there’s a consensus, so I can only say what I was taught in the military when we had washed-up politicians visit. We were told that, in general, former chief executives (Presidents, Governors) are still given the honorific they had as chief executive after they leave office, but former representatives (Senators, Representatives) are not. Therefore, Governor Palin would be correct, as would Mr. Sali, if they were to visit a military post.
speak, by the ever-morphing-but-consistently-disgusting saga of the gulf oil spill, 
seeing before … political ads in the Nickel’s Worth (or anywhere else) for precinct committee people … let alone three for different people … ” Which prompted me to check out the precinct races. Do you realize that 38 of the 71 Kootenai County Republican precincts have contested races. Some of those being challenged are such local Republican stalwarts as: Ruthie Johnson, Matt Roetter, Jeri DeLange, Kerri Thoreson, Betty Ann Henderson, Gus Johnson, Barry McHugh, and Rick Currie. I mentioned some time back that there’s a group out there, to the right of the Reagan Republicans and Pachyderm Club that are trying to shake things up at the local GOPCC. You can see the list by clicking on this county election department link and then on 
anti-personnel mines would be a fine and effective deterrent to Mexicans who cross illegally onto United States soil. He said some mines, which might “castrate you or cause some arterial bleeding,” are “a splendid idea.” On the big issues facing our country, this is a candidate who knows where he stands. Abortion? “I’m down on abortion like God Almighty is down on sin.” Iran? “That guy in Iran, he’s over there threatening the whole Middle East with those nuclear weapons. I believe in wiping them out with a preemptive nuclear strike.” Medicare? “That is completely government socialism,” he said. “And I would attack it”/Michael Ames, Boise Weekly. 
the Forest Service denied a request by Idaho Public Television to film a crew of students doing stewardship work in the Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness. The Forest Service believed the request was “commercial” in nature because IPTV sells copies of its programs on compact discs. But IPTV sales strictly cover operating costs. As a state agency, IPTV is prohibited from generating profits. That aside, IPTV plays a critical educational and informational role in communicating the values of wilderness to Idahoans/Brad Smith, Idaho Conservation League. 
At his Get Out! North Idaho Facebook page, OrangeTV writes: “I always love spending some time picking out a couple of new brewskis to try at Pilgrims Market on North 4th Street in Cd’A, where the selection of micros and imports is wild and impressive.” OTV goes on to post a list of unusual varieties that he sampled and then commented on. 
numbness — of cycling long miles during Bike To Work Week: “
and then step down and the lieutenant governor would become the governor, which I think is not being sincere and honorable in your intentions.” It’s a variation on some recurring scuttlebutt. We have asked Otter and his staff about the governor’s health and his commitment to a second term, and they’ve debunked the rumors. What Ullman did, cagily, was to bring the question out from the shadows. On Wednesday, Otter campaign manager Debbie Field denied Ullman’s claim. Meeting with the Statesman editorial board last week, Otter again said this is the best job he has ever had, and he said voters can support him without worrying about his health/Kevin Richert, Idaho Statesman. 
some huge revenue for the Ward campaign. It also give those interested in seeing Palin but unsure on who to back for the Idaho CD GOP primary a chance to see and hear Ward speak. Don’t underestimate her power to draw a crowd thus giving Ward a huge opportunity to reach new eyeballs. But can this one event fix all the Ward campaign problems from the past? Can Palin bring back former Ward supporters who jetted away after all the negative press lately from the Idaho Statesman and Spokesman Review?/Idaho Conservative Blogger. 
reports): And while either a County Clerk or Secretary of State can assess a fine ($50 a day if I remember right) for late filings, it’s rarely done. The main thing is to just get the information out in a timely manner. It’s when someone completely ignores the rules or timelines that there becomes a real problem. And again, I’ve rarely seen that at the county level. While we offer training classes as well as a written manual on how and when to fill out sunshine reports it can still be a bit daunting for new candidates and treasurers that aren’t used to dealing with election laws…a bit like tax forms.
Christa Hazel: Actually, we should cut him some slack. Ward is so busy cramming for the “How To Look Like An Idahoan” refresher course that he doesn’t possibly have time to learn about other places. 
introduced by the Kootenai County Commissioners which would allow developers to escape their obligations under existing land use approvals and financial guarantees for up to two years by simply sending a written request. The draft bill says that the Board of County Commissioners may consider such a request at any regular meeting. But the legislation does not provide any standard for a decision by the Board, nor does the legislation require any findings of fact or law prior to granting an approval. Indeed, other than a “written request” that contains “reasons why good cause exists (minimally including an economic hardship),” these requests may evidently be granted by the Board on a whim/Terry Harris, KEA Blog. 
I can see how Avista could drive a person to this. They are horrible to work with on commercial accounts. There staff is uncaring, uncooperative, and not the least bit helpful when it comes to working witth small businesses. When I had my cafe dealing with Avista during the hard times was always a nightmare. I defenitly can understand Avista’s poor attitude driving someone over the edge.
breath of my support this early in a campaign cycle. I had a very healthy number 
d’Alene Police Sgt. Christie Wood. John and Tina Hough have owned the business for about 11 years, Tina Hough said. The power shut-off notice listed unpaid bills totaling $3,132.14. John Hough was alone in the B&B when the serviceman showed up, his wife said. Receiving the notice “just set him off” she said, because the couple has been behind on bills and was pinning hopes on the lucrative summer tourism season. All other creditors have been patient with them as they worked to catch up, she said. “We’ve been struggling to get through here,” Tina Hough said. John Hough called Avista’s customer-service center and police said he made threatening statements that included reference to a gun/Alison Boggs, SR. 
Shred Day is underway right now, what are you doing to keep your personal information safe? Experts say, with identity theft on the rise, now more than ever it is important to shred all sensitive documents you might have lying around your home, or at work. As part of Shred Day this year, KHQ followed one local business working to keep your personal information safe. PAML on the South Hill, a company that works in the Health Care industry, says not only is shredding your documents the right thing to do, it’s critical/KHQ. 
the budget puzzle in Rexburg, where trustees are trying to make about $3 million in cuts. Last week, teachers turned down the trustees’ proposal of 10.5 percent in pay cuts over three years … . Sherri Christensen, REA (Rexburg Education Association) president, said she understands board members’ caution but the situation is frustrating. ‘If we’re getting paid less, we will work less,” Christensen said. “Some of us really will have to go out and find another job.’” To broadcast to the world a potential pay cut will mean a work slowdown should be unthinkable in tough times when many people would be grateful to HAVE a job, even one where they had to take a temporary pay cut/Idaho Freedom Foundation. 
“which isn’t fun anymore since they won’t give me nitrous oxide for routine cleanings. Then there’s the lying about flossing. This time I’m going to tell the truth.” Which prompted another commenter to post: “Look. I don’t floss unless I’m trying to cram for this dental exam. I know I should. I’m a bad person. Blah. Blah. Blah. I should floss more. Noted. Let’s move on.” To which, Cindy responded: “It’s the sad look of disappointment that’s hard to deal with. I mean I only see these people twice a year, but I crave their approval. And a prize from the treasure box.” (SR File Photo for illustrative purposes)
blog is six years old today. Seems like ages since I first started writing about being a dad. That’s a lot of thinking and sorting and guessing on the subject of fatherhood. But it’s not so much what I’ve written that has made me a better dad. No, it’s the other dad blogs I’ve connected with over the years. It’s their posts and comments and personal emails that have made this all worthwhile. So, cheers to them on my 6th birthday. I appreciate the mom bloggers too. One of whom as become a good friend to my family/Idaho Dad, A Family Runs Through It. Washington state is forging ahead with its insistence that Idaho cities meet a more difficult standard of wastewater discharge than do Washington dischargers. Disappointing, yes. Surprising? Nope. When Washington Department of Ecology Director Ted Sturdevant decreed that the two neighbors would be held to different water quality standards, not even the ducks downriver gave a quack. Business as usual. But this business as usual, barring an unexpected veto from the federal Environmental Protection Agency or from the courts, is going to cost you. In fact, the phospherous-o-meter is running right now/Mike Patrick, Coeur d’Alene Press. More here.
Question: Is it right for Washington to insist that North Idaho meet more stringent wastewater discharge demands that it does?
Mayor Nancy Chaney said Tuesday memories of the sniper shootings in 2007 won’t go away, but Moscow is still a safe place. “Has life returned to normal for most people? Yes. But have we forgotten? Absolutely not,” she said. “I think newcomers to the area will see Moscow as a safe, friendly community and that’s unchanged, but there are some wounds that are still there.” Today is the three-year anniversary of an “ambush-style” attack committed by Jason Hamilton. He killed his wife, a church caretaker, Officer Lee Newbill and himself, and seriously injured Sgt. Brannon Jordan and a University of Idaho student/Kelsey Samuels, Lewiston Tribune. 
the TV showing a bunch of misspelled signs, tell them that a purely fictitious “2 million” showed up in Washington and they believe they’re going to take over the country. They believe any apparition so long as its coming from Fox. So yesterday they have a special election in a competitive congressional district in Pennsylvania, a district Obama lost in 2008, and the Democrat carries it by 8 points. This is where illusions get shattered by the cold stone facts. Nevertheless I don’t expect that to phase the Captain’s delusional ardor one iota.
you can use it to make more than just bread. One plant will provide you with more than enough zucchini for the entire season.” Now, I don’t know about you. But zucchini is a staple in the vegetable part of my garden. Gotta have ‘em, along with yellow crooknecks and some other type of squash that usually doesn’t grow for some reason. Also, I’m neighborly enough not to try to pawn the ones that grow to the size of large hogs because I forget to check them every day.
spectacular Coeur d’Alene Resort Golf Course is well-known for its floating green on the 14th hole and beautiful location on the shores of Lake Coeur d’Alene. The park-like course is continually ranked among the best resort golf courses in the United States by Golf Digest, Golf Magazine, and more. Although the course is well-known for priding itself on course conditioning (Golf Digest has proclaimed Coeur d’Alene “The Best Conditioned Course in America”), golf pro Andy MacKimmie says conditions are currently better than ever, due to the mild winter which has put play about a month ahead in terms of course conditioning/Idaho Golf Trail Newsletter. 
forget that it was the parents of todays liberals that did that. Perhaps after they grew up they somehow forgot to pass those experiences on to you. Heck, up here in Bayview, we recently had a sit-in by some lefties, (some or most are my friends, or used to be before I wrote about them) The cause? The replacement of a park bench in the boat launch area in Farragut State Park. It turn out the bench had reached it’s end of useful life, and the park decided it wasn’t a good place for foot traffic, what with boat trailers backing up with limited sight lines. They decided not to replace it and a cause celeb was born.
to the state Legislature. Sen. Mike Jorgenson, a Hayden Lake Republican, still must survive his May 25 GOP primary, where he faces Steve Vick. There’s no Democratic foe for November’s general election. Jorgenson, who has tried unsuccessfully to enact a law to punish Idaho employers who knowingly hire illegal aliens, vowed to push “an exact duplicate of the Arizona law” in the 2011 Legislature. Arizona’s new law requires police to ask for citizenship documents from those suspected of committing a crime, if officers had reasonable cause to believe the suspect was an illegal alien. Jorgenson says following suit in Idaho would “force Congress to get off their kiesters.” At least nine states are considering Arizona-style laws/Associated Press.
different fronts: an anonymous blog and complaints about the organization’s financial information are all in the mix. If anything, the attention means area Republicans have to fend off allegations of improper handling of financial records. Sometimes officials cannot even respond publicly because they don’t know who their accuser is. Ken Edmunds, former treasurer of the central committee, found that out the hard way. When he resigned last week, an anonymous blog called “Twin Falls Republican Party Restoration” suggested a possible reason was because the blog put heat on Edmunds for his work as treasurer. “They misrepresent things so badly, it’s very irritating,” Edmunds said/Ben Botkin, Twin Falls Times-News. 
Cindy: If breakfast is the most important meal of the day, shouldn’t we eat our most important foods then? For me that would be PB chocolate ice cream, a juicy grilled ribeye, steamed new potatoes slathered in butter, smoked salmon with capers and onions on a chewy baguette, and a chunk of dark chocolate. I’m thinking that says “important”. In fact it may say, “Breakfast of Champions.”
for the first time we have protesters — this time in Idaho — trying to get the 
paper’s website), Judge John Bradbury stated that rather than taking the Supreme Court’s approach, he would have sent the case back to the district court to determine how much money was required in order to fix the defective school buildings (a state estimate placed the amount at between $700 million and $1 billion), that he would then have mandated the Legislature to come up with the money and, if it did not make the necessary appropriation, he would hold the Legislature in contempt of court. This is activist approach that would have taken longer to resolve the matter and have produced a constitutional confrontation between the court and the Legislature/Justice Roger Burdick, Lewiston Tribune. 
Bauer, the managing editor at the Moscow-Pullman Daily News, is being promoted to the same position at the Lewiston Tribune, as Paul Emerson retires. Bauer, 37, will begin supervising about 30 newsroom employees on May 26, just two days before Emerson completes 29 years in the job. Bauer was selected from a field of 44 candidates that was narrowed to three, including another in-house candidate. Bauer met the criteria for the position of being a person of character who will be a partner in charting the course of the region’s newspaper, said Nathan Alford, editor and publisher of the Tribune and the Daily News. “He starts with a passion and respect for the region’s people and communities. He loves where he lives. That’s one of the keys to success in newspapers. You’ve got a foundation for success”/Elaine Williams, Lewiston Tribune. 
(Incumbent Donna) Jones is stronger on the controller’s one policy function: voting on the Idaho Land Board. Jones joins Attorney General Lawrence Wasden in pushing for higher lease rates on cabin sites at Payette and Priest lakes - although she is noncommittal about Wasden’s decision to sue the board over the issue. Hatfield says he is not fully up to speed on this issue - a troubling sign, considering Hatfield lives in McCall, center stage for the cabin lease battle/Kevin Richert, Idaho Statesman. 
been among the most anticipated in modern history. But the size and force of the blast, the landslide and mudflow from superheated snow were far beyond expectations. A magnitude-5.1 earthquake below the volcano triggered a blast that blew out the top 1,300 feet of the volcano, pushing some 3.7 billion cubic yards of debris to the north and west. Temperatures in the blast zone reached an estimated 600 degrees Fahrenheit. Trees were snapped off and laid down like dominoes. An avalanche of debris rushed down the North Toutle River, raising it as much as 600 feet in some spots, wiping out bridges and burying roads. Fifty-seven people died/Jim Camden, SR. 
don’t know how accurate of an “intensity indicator” it is, but on Saturday we had had our elections office open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. for early absentee voting and only had a little over a dozen voters show up. For several years now, we’ve had one Saturday voting session before each Primary or General for people who want to vote early in-person but who can’t make it during the work week. Hopefully we may still have a gang-buster turnout on election day but so far the absentee interest seems pretty light …
Congressional candidate Vaughn Ward’s campaign says it is “just a rumor at this point” that former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin will come to Idaho on behalf of Ward’s campaign. “We don’t have confirmation of anything at this point,” said Mike Tracy, the new campaign spokesman for the 1st District GOP hopeful. “Right now people are speculating.” Palin endorsed Ward on March 30, along with two other veterans who are seeking congressional seats in Florida and Illinois/Betsy Russell, Eye On Boise. 
stay completely out of it. But my feeling is that the coroner’s job is a ‘full-time, boots on the ground’ requirement. You’ve got to be committed to getting up at 2 o’clock in the morning and driving to wherever it is – Plummer or Harrison or Athol. That requires a lot of commitment and it also requires people that have demonstrated working relationships with law enforcement and with funeral homes and with the public. You can’t run the coroner’s office from your desk and you can’t run it from home. I’m not law enforcement and I’m not the prosecutor. It’s my job to speak for the deceased, the victims, and the only way you can do that is if you’re willing to get out of bed. You have to be there. It’s not something that will wait until 8 o’clock the next morning.” 
campaign debate that Idaho’s long-standing school funding lawsuit isn’t over. “That was a misstatement,” Burdick told The Spokesman-Review on Monday. “We indicated the case was over.” The end of the drawn-out case, which stretched for 19 years, came in late 2005 after the Idaho Supreme Court ruled the state’s system for funding school construction unconstitutional and ordered the Legislature to fix it, then closed the case without any further action or review of subsequent legislative changes/Betsy Russell, Eye On Boise. 
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