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Archive for August 2011
How did we get to Aug. 31 without experiencing summer? Well, maybe we did during the two weeks that I was in California earlier this month. I shouldn't complain, I guess. The weather has been OK to brilliant since July 4. Before that … not so much. I'm a ha-huge Inland Northwest fall weather fan. Unfortunately, you know what's next on our seasonal list beyond fall. I won't think about that today. Or tomorrow. Or until Halloween. Now for your Wild Card …
Charlie Taranto, of Valentino's in Coeur d'Alene, Id., prepares his chocolate-dipped, raspberry-topped chees cake today on the first day of the 32nd annual Pig Out in the Park in Riverfront Park. (SR photo: Dan Pelle)
Question: Do you attend Pig Out In the Park? Which booth offers your favorite food treat?
When you ask someone about his or her summer vacation, you are … A) Not really listening to the answer. B) 
Sincerely hoping to hear that the person had a happy, restorative time away from work. C) Ready to compete by jumping in and explaining why YOUR vacation was so utterly superior in every way. D) Just making small talk. E) Not really sure how you will handle it if the individual gets miffed and says “Didn't you follow my tweets?” F) Good for about two minutes of listening but after that you sort of drift off and start wondering whatever happened to that one woman who used to be on Q6/Paul Turner, SR Slice. More choices here.
Question: Which choice best describes you when someone begins to talk about his/her vacation?
North Idaho College will honor the memory of former student Brian Williams with a memorial bike ride fundraiser at 1 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 10, at O’Shays Irish Pub and Eatery, located at 313 Coeur d’Alene Lake Drive. Williams was 28 years old when he was killed in a plane crash in 2010 while flying over Glacier National Park. More here. (Photo of Williams provided by NIC Press Room)
A cadet checks a fellow classmate's cover before the First Formation of the Organization of the Corps of Cadets ceremony on Tuesday at Fishburne Military School in Waynesboro, Va. You write the cutline. (AP Photo/The Daily News Leader, Pat Jarrett)
Top Cutlines:
In a way, we're lucky that Gawker has rated Idaho only the 21st worst state in the country, far behind the Top 5 
(1. Arizona, 2. Alabama, 3. Utah, 4. New Jersey, and 5. Mississippi). Of the Spud State's positives, Gawker sez: “Americans probably know the least about Idaho, maybe more than any other state, and you get the impression when you’re there that that’s how they like it. The state is also a beautiful one, rugged and big-skyed, full of great skiing and other outdoorsing. As small Western cities go, you could certainly do a lot worse than Boise. Which, if nothing else, is really pleasing name to say. And, of course, where would any of us carb-chompers be without potatoes? We’ve Idaho (partly) to thank for those.” More here.
DFO: In the minus column, Gawker mentions “Wide Stance McGee” (Larry Craig), annoying celebrities in Sun Valley, no good north-south road, & Napoleon Dynamite. But sez nothing about supremacists. Have we finally shed that image?
Question: Which state would you rate as worst in the nation?
Linda Lantzy of Idaho Scenic Images provides this view of a Lake Coeur d'Alene Sunset from the eastern end of the North Idaho Centennial Trail.
Hucks Online numbers (for Monday): 8637/5153, and (for Tuesday): 7978/4897
It's perhaps a smidge on the perplexing side that an eatery advertising itself under the moniker Red Bowl serves all their items in plastic black bowls. The situation conjures up several ponderous questions. Does the 
plastic bowl wholesaler charge an extra .02 per for the red ones? Was the name “Black Bowl” somehow too morbid and un-cheery or was it already trademarked by a bowling alley with a African-American History theme? Did they at one point consider the name “Green Bowl” but thought better after realizing they might be mistaken for a medical marijuana dispensary? We may never know the reason, but after a couple of trips to Coeur d'Alene's Red Bowl Fresh Grilled, located deep inside Goodie's Conoco gas station/c-store, I've concluded that it wouldn't really matter if their food was served in Pistachio Puke or Burnt Hair Ochre colored bowls, it would still be pretty darn okay/OrangeTV, Get Out! North Idaho. More here.
Question: Have you tried the black bowls and Red Bowl?
Bruce Gordon, 49, of Denver, Colo., is a long-distance swimmer looking to do what has been done just 19 
times before: cross the 26-mile Kaiwi Channel connecting the Hawaiian islands of Oahu and Molokai. To prepare for his historic crossing, he swam 18.5 miles in Lake Coeur d’Alene, Id., starting at Harrison and landing at Coeur d’Alene Beach. The swim began Friday at 8:20 a.m. and ended at 8:49 p.m. on Friday night. A handful of supporters and surprised beach goers were there to greet him as he stepped out of the water and onto the beach. “It was a big relief to get out of the water,” Gordon said. “I didn’t really know what was going to happen since I’d never gone that far. I finished without being too tired and I was very lucid, and that surprised me. I’m already anxious to be swimming again”/21Ten. More here. (SR file photo of swimmer on Lake Coeur d'Alene, for illustrive purposes)
Question: How far can you swim?
Four-year-olds Venice MacDonald, left, and Jayden Frans, both of Caldwell, stand together as a staff member with the YMCA demonstrates bicycle maintenance following a ceremonial bike ride across the city Tuesday in Caldwell. Olympic Gold Medalist Kristin Armstrong, community leaders, and youth took part in the event that was aimed at raising awareness of the new bike path that connects many area schools, the library and the YMCA. (AP Photo/Idaho Press-Tribune, Charlie Litchfield)
Question: How old were you when you first rode a bike?
An associate athletic director at Montana State says the school's newly remodeled football stadium could mean the end of so-called “money games.” The Bobcats have played opponents from the Football Bowl 
Subdivision in each of the past 12 years and the team will receive a $375,000 guarantee for its game against Utah on Thursday night. But senior associate athletic director Dan Davies tells the Great Falls Tribune ( http://bit.ly/ran4rA) that because MSU's stadium now has a capacity of more than 17,000, the school should be able to make enough money to play another home game they can win rather than risking a road loss for the payout. The Bobcats have beaten only one FBS team since 2000, a 19-10 upset at Colorado in 2005/Associated Press. More here.
Question: Should smaller colleges like Montana, Montana State, Eastern Washington, & Idaho end “money games,” in which they receive a big payday to serve as practice fodder for major college teams?
“I haven't been to school for three months and I'm excited to see my friends again,” says Riley, a Chief Joseph Elementary fourth grade student. The building was all abuzz on the first day of school. Students meeting old friends, parents saying goodbye, and kindergarten students crying for their mothers, were all a part of the show. Rebecca Yeager is sad to see her third grader out of the house all day. “To see the summer end is a little hard, but it's also kind of nice to see him grow up and start a new fresh year and learn some new things this year,” says Yeager/Adam Behrman, KBOI. More here.
Question: Are you sorry to see summer go and school begin?
In the comments section of a Yelp review that lists the Canton Restaurant as Coeur d'Alene's best Chinese eatery, OrangeTV writes: “The cosmetic improvements alone make the Canton that I reviewed back then seem 
like a dusty old dive stuck in the ruins of some old Chinatown. Changes have been gradual, but Alex and staff have managed to clear up the dinginess that once lingered with simply fresh paint, a bit of modern feeling décor and most likely a lot of elbow grease. The seemingly low turnover level of servers has created a sense of familiarity and friendliness, and I never have to worry about returning late from my break after stopping in for lunch. There's almost always enough time left over to relax and ponder the deep, hidden meaning of my fortune cookie. But really, the most impressive difference at Canton in the last few years has been the noticeable upgrade of the food itself.” More here (3 comment).
DFO: I'm glad to hear the Canton has upgraded. It's a special place for my family, once owned by a neighbor on my street. It was the place where my son told us about the young woman who's now his wife of 8 years, lovely Stephanie.
Question: Which INW eatery holds a special memory for you?
How bad are the Seattle Mariners this year? Their most popular player, “Larry Bernandez,” isn't a real person. Above, Seattle Mariners pitcher Felix Hernandez, in his role as “Larry Bernandez,” surprises fans by handing out bobblehead likenesses of his character before a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox, Saturday in Seattle. Story here. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson) H/T: Orbusmax.
Question: Do you have any Seattle Mariner bobblehead dolls? Which one(s)?
When it comes to trees and levees, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers needs to revise its one-chainsaw-fits-all 
policy. A new study by the Corps reveals why. The study, conducted by an Army Corps research unit in Mississippi, examined how trees affect flood-control levees in California, the Pacific Northwest, New Mexico and Mississippi. It found that trees actually strengthen levees in some situations. It also urged that engineers conduct site-specific evaluations to determine if trees on levees are harmful or beneficial, according to a report Saturday by The Bee's Matt Weiser. The Corps didn't need to commission a study to inject some common sense into this debate. But we are glad it did/Sacramento Bee Editorial Board. More here. (SR file photo/Kathy Plonka: Roger Smith, a retired civil engineer from Coeur d'Alene, said the Ponderosa pines in question are an “aesthetic heritage feature” for the city)
Question: Do I sense that momentum is changing in this debate (which includes the Corps of Engineers goofy demand to clear-cut Coeur d'Alene Dike Road trees)?
Dale Marshall is dwarfed by an Atlantic Giant Pumpkin that he estimates to be around 1,780-pounds inside a greenhouse in Anchorage on Monday. The giant pumkin was started by seed on April 1 and has a 202-inch circumference. He plans to enter the pumpkin in the Alaska State Fair during the weigh-off on Wednesday in Palmer. Marshall holds the state record with a 1,101 pound pumpkin that he entered in the state fair last year. (AP Photo/Anchorage Daily News, Bill Roth)
Ernesto Bustamante once threatened to kill a woman other than Katy Benoit, and had sexual relations with at 
least one other University of Idaho student while he was a professor there, according to court documents. Bustamante and Benoit, a UI graduate student, had a sexual relationship that deteriorated earlier this year, leading to Bustamante’s Aug. 19 resignation from the university. Bustamante killed himself last week after murdering Benoit on her front porch. According to a statement from Moscow police detective Rodney Wolverton contained in a search warrant application, Bustamante made the previous threat while in his “psychopathic killer” personality/Joel Mills, Lewiston Tribune. More here.
The Kootenai County Sheriff's Office has identified a man who is missing and presumed drowned in Lake 
Coeur d'Alene as Riley Odwire, 24, who recently moved from Fernwood to Coeur d'Alene. Odwire reportedly was urinating at the back of a pontoon boat at 8:40 p.m. Tuesday when he fell into the water that ranges in depth from 115 feet to 180 feet deep. Alcohol was believed to be a factor. Sheriff's office rescuers resumed their search today after suspending it at 11 o'clock last night. Deputies from the Recreation Safety Section of the Sheriff’s Department will be checking shorelines in the search area and preparing for the sonar search that will begin tomorrow, weather permitting. Earlier story here.
In his Kootenai Weekly Conservative newsletter, Reagan Republicans president Jeff Ward announces that his group plans to raise $10,000 to help Republicans win nonpartisan mayoral, City Council, and fire district seats 
Nov. 8. Writes Ward: “As you may know the Kootenai County Reagan Republicans were very active in the School Board and Highway District elections in May. Our Reagan Republican Victory Fund was highly effective in turning out Republicans voters through our mail ballot and voter targeting campaigns and we had great victories when our KCRR endorsed candidates won on Election Day. We called May 17 a “200 Million Dollar Day” because the officials elected that day control about 200 million tax dollars a year in Kootenai County. With the Mayoral, City Council and Fire District elections on November 8, we will have another “200 Million Dollar Day” in Kootenai County. This election the Reagan Republican Victory Fund hopes to raise twice as much (ten thousand dollars) as we did for the May elections. More here.
Reaction?
The Fallen Heroes Plaza will be the site of a 10th anniversary observation of the 9/11 attacks, beginning at 1 p.m. at the Cherry Hill location, followed by an open house at the nearby fire station. The event is sponsored by the Coeur d'Alene police and fire departments as “a tribute to all who perish on 9/11 and those who have paid the ultimate price for serving and protecting out freedom.”
Question: Have you ever visited the Fallen Heroes Plaza?
On his Twitter account, Councilman MikeK tweets re: fund-raising efforts by Gov. Butch Otter on behalf of the Idaho Freedom Foundation: “Governor raises money for lobbyists who run partisan 'news' blogs. What's next — replace teachers with online corporate donor computers?”
An Idaho woman prosecuted for terminating her own pregnancy with an abortion pill ordered over the Internet has filed suit challenging a decades-old law under which she was charged, as well as a new state ban on abortions after 20 weeks of gestation. The lawsuit is believed to be the first federal court case against any of several late-term abortion bans enacted in Idaho and four other states during the past year, based on controversial medical research suggesting a fetus feels pain starting at 20 weeks of development/Laura Zuckerman, Reuters. More here.
Question: Do you think she'll prevail?
Back in January I recounted some of my journey to become fit and lose weight, which prompted a reader to communicate his own struggles. He shared a touching story of how last summer he'd taken his daughter to 
Silverwood but was unable to accompany her on the roller coaster due to his size. He promised her that day that he could do something about his weight and would. And that this summer they'd take that roller coaster ride together. A promise made is a debt unpaid, he said. … I mentioned the story to my friend, Nancy DiGiammarco, who happens to be the marketing director for Silverwood. She mentioned it to owner Gary Norton. They were both as moved as I was with the story and long before the park opened for the summer, gifted the father with passes to the park. I was thrilled to hear that Tom Hamilton kept his promise to his soon-to-be sixth grade daughter, Lizzie this past Sunday/Kerri Thoreson, Main Street, Coeur d'Alene Press. More here. (Tom Hamilton Facebook photo: Tom & daughter, Lizzie)
Question: Have you ever lost a considerable amount of weight — and kept it off?
A reveler lays in tomato pulp during the annual “Tomatina” tomato fight fiesta in the village of Bunol, near Valencia, Spain, earlier today. Bunol's town hall estimated more than 40,000 people, some from as far away as Japan and Australia, took up arms Wednesday and pelted each other with 120 tons of ripe tomatoes in the yearly food fight known as the 'Tomatina' now in its 66th year. (AP Photo/Alberto Saiz)
Question: Ah, how are your tomatoes growing and ripening this year?
From the time Benoit contacted the UI on June 10 with her concerns, the university appeared fully engaged. It investigated. It contacted police. It prodded Benoit to take precautions. It severed ties with Bustamante six 
weeks after Benoit made her complaint - virtually the speed of sound in a government bureaucracy. Moscow police should have been brought in sooner and more aggressively. Focusing the investigation more firmly upon Bustamante - such as bringing him in for an interview and checking his background - might have yielded results. Nonetheless, would an irrational person respond to rational appeals? It suggests cops have more discretion than they otherwise might when no restraining order was sought or issued/Marty Trillhaase, Lewiston Tribune. More here.
Question: Can society deal with a mentally ill person bent on violence?
The case of the north Idaho man who faces prison and a stiff fine after shooting a grizzly bear in his yard is another chilling example of a federal government that is out of control, overzealous, overreaching, overbearing 
and now, threatening the freedom of a father who was merely doing what any parent would do n responding to a mortal danger to his family. Indeed, Hill shot the bear because it wandered into his yard. Out of fear for his children’s safety, Hill shot the bear, and afterwards, contacted Idaho wildlife officials to let them know what happened. And yet, 33-year-old Jeremy Hill is charged by the feds with unlawfully killing the bear, which is protected by under the Endangered Species Act. Hill pleaded not guilty in the case days ago, and Gov. Butch Otter weighed in, sending a letter to U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar regarding the incident/Wayne Hoffman, Idaho Freedom Foundation. More here.
Question: Do you agree with Hoffman that the government reaction to the shooting of a grizzly in Boundary County is “overzealous, overreaching, overbearing”?
Item: Local average wage drops: Coeur d'Alene is lowest among Idaho's metro areas at $17.22/Brian Walker, Press
More Info: Coeur d'Alene had the lowest average wage among the state's five metropolitan areas in 2010 and was the only one that saw a wage decline from the previous year, according to a study released on Tuesday by the Idaho Department of Labor. The Coeur d'Alene metro area's average wage in 2010 was $17.22 per hour, a dime less than in 2009. The area's median wage, the point where half the workers are paid more and half are paid less, declined to $13.52 from $13.89 the previous year.
Question: What is Coeur d'Alene doing wrong?
A cello and flowers frame an image of Katy Benoit at her memorial service Tuesday at Boise High School. Benoit was the University of Idaho graduate student who was gunned down in a murder-suicide by assistant psychology professor Ernesto Bustamante. Story here. (AP/Statesman photo: Chris Butler)
After GOP commissioners attempted again to suggest doing a congressional plan first - an idea Democratic commissioners already have rejected, the two side began talking about a flashpoint issue: The treatment of District 2 in North Idaho in the Democratic plan. That district takes in southern Bonner County, then stretches all the way south through Shoshone County down to Riggins. … Commissioner Lorna Finman of Rathdrum said, “District 2 is a worse version of what was done 10 years ago, which up north was an outrage to everybody, an abomination was the word. And to leave a legacy of a District 2 that's worse than 10 years ago, at least to me, was a nonstarter.”/Betsy Russell, Eye On Boise. More here.
Question: How would you avoid the messy boundaries that District 2 has been stuck with for the last decade?
Ladies, too many of you aren't listening to the doctor. That's doctor as in physician; it's also Dr. as in Dr. 
Priscilla Bell, president of North Idaho College. A new study reveals that in the last two years, more than one of every three Idaho women over the age of 40 did not receive cancer-screening mammograms. That puts Idaho dead last in the nation for screening. These vital tests for breast cancer can be life-savers. Ask Dr. Bell. She really wants you to. Almost one year ago, as word of Dr. Bell's illness quickly spread across campus, the college's leader urged the community to focus not on her health, but on theirs. “Get your mammogram,” she said. “That can't be overstressed”/Mike Patrick, Coeur d'Alene Press. More here.
Question (for Ladies of Hucks Online): Do you get cancer-screening mammograms regularly?
If you want to “fix schools,” apparently, there’s one group of people you should ignore. Teachers. And when, in 
the course of fixing schools, you ignore this group of people, you should make it clear that you are not really ignoring “the people.” They’re just teachers. If you want to fix schools and put students first – well, first after taxpayers and “customers” and federal standards and ideological opponents of unions – what you should do about this group of people is remove them from the equation altogether. Make ’em leave the room while kids learn on computers. Teachers. If only we could have schools – very cheap, very effective schools – without them/Shawn Vestal, SR. More here. (AP file photo of Superintendent Tom Luna)
Question: Why do Idaho political leaders have such disdain for teachers?
Lisa Benson/Washington Post Writers Group
The Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office searched until 11 p.m. Tuesday for a person who reportedly fell off of a boat in Coeur d’Alene Lake between Carlin Bay and Crescent Bay. Deputies were notified about 8:40 p.m. by a male who told them that his friend, an adult male, had fallen off of his boat. The reporting party first reported that he thought he was near Gotham Bay, but first responders eventually found the reporting party near the center of the lake between the Carlin and Crescent bays. Deputies from the sheriff's recreational safety section and Dive Team members searched the area from about 9:25 to 11 p.m. The search will resume in the morning.
The Reagan Republicans helped veep Steve Adams kick off his campaign to unseat Councilman John Bruning at Bluegrass Park Monday, as the candidate filing period began in earnest. I'll need to get up to speed today with Post Falls & Hayden filings, as this falls local political scene could be one of the more interesting ones in my 27 years of newspapering in Coeur d'Alene. RR Tea Partiers appear to have the momentum. It'll be interesting to see who challenges their challengers. Now for your Wild Card …
Slain Navy SEAL Jon Tumilson's dog Hawkeye lays next to his casket during funeral services in Rockford, Iowa. Tumilson, a 35-year-old from tiny Rockford in northern Iowa, was one of 30 American soldiers killed in Afghanistan on Aug. 6 when their helicopter was shot down during a mission to help fellow troops who had come under fire. The University of Iowa athletic department announced today that it will honor Tumilson at one of two home games in November as part of a commemoration of Veteran's Day. (AP Photo/KIMT New 3, Shane Delaney)
Mike Weland published the following spoof in his online News Bonners Ferry: “In a move that surprised even 
the most wizened court watchers, it has been learned that prosecutors in the U.S. vs. Jeremy Hill case have, with great difficulty, had a subpoena served on the grizzly sow whose two year old silvertip male offspring was shot and killed in Boundary County on Mother's Day. Professor Henry Brubaker, doctor of jurisprudence at the Institute for Studies and an expert consultant for Tru TV, called the move unprecedented, but brilliant. “She's the only per … er … witness who can testify with any sort of credibility as to her family's motive in going to the Hill property that fateful day,” Brubaker said. “She's the only one who can say whether those kids playing basketball were ever in imminent danger.” More here.
Question: Is the case involving Jeremy Hill shooting a 2-year-old grizzly cub on his Bonners Ferry property fodder for a spoof column?
Bulldog Tavern co-owner and manager, Trish Mullarkey, removes a neon beer sign from the window Monday as Mullarkey and other workers vacate the building near the Gonzaga University campus in Spokane. A contractual dispute between the Bulldog's owners and the property owner, Willard Quinn III, has resulted in the neighborhood institution closing it doors after 65 years. (SR photo: Dan Pelle)
In a completely fascinating piece in the current New Yorker, Supreme Court watcher Jeffrey Toobin has what many will consider a surprising take on Justice Clarence Thomas: “In several of the most important areas of 
constitutional law,” Toobin writes, “Thomas has emerged as an intellectual leader of the Supreme Court. Since the arrival of Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr., in 2005, and Justice Samuel A. Alito, Jr., in 2006, the Court has moved to the right when it comes to the free-speech rights of corporations, the rights of gun owners, and, potentially, the powers of the federal government; in each of these areas, the majority has followed where Thomas has been leading for a decade or more. Rarely has a Supreme Court Justice enjoyed such broad or significant vindication”/Marc Johnson, The Johnson Post. More here.
Question: Has the country underestimated Justice Clarence Thomas?
A CT scan shows a pair of pruning shears embedded in the head of an 86-year-old Green Valley, Ariz., man before it was removed by Medical Center surgeons in Tucson recently. Leroy Luetscher was accidentally impaled through his eye socket after falling on the shears while working in his yard, the handle penetrating his eye socket and reaching down into his neck. He is expected to make a full recovery. (AP Photo/University Medical Center,Tucson, Arizona)
Question: What's the biggest thing you've ever been poked in the eye with?
Among the myriad decisions expectant mothers have to make, one has to do with the way they will feed their 
newborn infant. Many women wonder whether it would be best to use formula, and if so, what brand? Or are there more benefits to breast feeding? Those are the questions researchers are attempting to answer through the Washington State University Lactation Nutrition Project. For the past six months, WSU graduate student Mara Riley has worked with researchers Shelley and Mark McGuire to determine the effects of breastfeeding compared to a formula diet. The research is unique according to Riley, who said a study of this kind has not been attempted in the past/Katie Roenigk, Moscow-Pullman Daily News. More here. (Daily News photo/Geoff Crimmins: Stacey Camp holds her son, Tyson, in Moscow on Monday)
Question: Which method of baby feeding do you prefer for your family?
In my June 7 column I predicted Moscow's hippies would dig out their “leather vests, put on their Birkenstocks and re-adjust their graying ponytails” in response to the movement of ExxonMobil's megaloads up U.S. 
Highway 95. Now, imagine the belly laugh I enjoyed when I woke up Friday morning and saw on DNews.com a photo, taken by Daily News photographer Dean Hare, of my exact prophecy. Well, my friends, it's official - I am a modern day Nostradamus. Now I didn't attend the protest in person, but did review the YouTube footage provided by local politico Tom Hansen. Most of the reporting on the incident is spot-on, so I need not rehash the details here. But I will say that I was surprised Moscow Mayor Nancy Chaney didn't stand in the crosswalk all by herself, recreating the showdown in Tiananmen Square/Henry Johnston, Moscow-Pullman Daily News. More here.
Question: Do you consider the megaload protests to be an “asinine exercise in pure stupidity,” as Henry does?
Three Post Falls City Council incumbents have filed their candidacy petitions to seek re-election: Kerri Thoreson (Seat 1), Scott Grant (Seat 3), and Skip Hissong (Seat 5). Also filing papers to run for the City Council are challengers Joe Malloy, who will be seeking Grant's spot, and Jim Edgington (who will seek Thoreson's position). Other individuals who have picked up election packets include: Barry Rubin, former councilman Joe Doellefeld (who is eyeing Hissong's spot), former councilman Joe Bodman (who had considered running for sheriff until Coeur d'Alene Tribal Police Chief Keith Hutcheson tossed his hat in that ring), and Bob Flowers. Filing deadline is Friday, Sept. 9.
The Idaho Vandals host Bowling Green at 6 p.m. Thursday at the Kibbie Dome to kick of their 2011 college football season. After nearly four weeks of fall practices, Coach Robb Akey reports that the Vandals are showing signs of marked improvement on the offensive and defensive fronts as well as stability in the backfields and among the receiving corps. You can read Akey's preseason State of the Idaho Vandals here. (Courtesy photo: Idaho Athletic Media Relations)
Question: Any predictions re: how the Vandals will do without Boise State on their schedule this year?
My sister Janice and I have been tracking for years how crazy people, and things, seem to get the last week of 
August. Part of it might be a weird grief process as we bid farewell to summer, the season of light, in many ways. Grief of all kinds produces anxiety. it is always a dynamic process. So even those of us who love autumn best of all might feel some of this anxiety. And people seem to act out in weird ways, too/Becky Nappi, End Notes. More here.
Question: Do you act any crazier during this, the last week of August, as a result of summer giving way to autumn?
On the KEA Blog, executive Terry Harris writes: “Just as Kootenai County gets on with the long-overdue business of re-writing the dysfunctional land use codes, the chronic malcontents have indeed crawled out 
from under their rocks to wail about their property rights and to attempt to derail an important process. Unfortunately, their lack of concern for everyone else’s property rights illustrates how misguided they actually are. In a hysterical email that was widely circulated, several local residents are stirring up opposition to the County code revision process. The email circulated by Coeur d'Alene resident Leah Southwell opens with “If you care about Freedom & Property Rights and you live in Kootenai County, wake up!” And in the Coeur d’Alene Press article about the controversy, local representative Kathy Sims (pictured) is quoted as saying 'We’ve got to be very, very careful we don’t lose our private property rights.'” More here.
Question: Do you support a rewrite of the Kootenai County comprehensive plan?
Fresh Shart Director Howard Martinson is raising funds for the homeless Deshazer family, which lost a 5YO son and has a second child, a 1YO daughter, in critical condition after a crash into Fernan Lake Sunday 
afternoon. Evan Deshazer, 5, died, and his sister, River Deshazer, 1, remains in critical condition at Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center. Sarah Deshazer, 25, and her husband, Michael, 28, were able to escape the vehicle. “The Deshazers were a homeless family and have been Fresh Start clients for a while now,” said Howard Martinson (pictured), director of the homeless drop-in center on East Sherman Avenue, in a news release. “There’s a huge hole in our collective hearts. We are so sorry for their loss.” Martinson said an account has been opened at Idaho Independent Bank to benefit the family/Alison Boggs, SR. More here.
Reaction?
Partial statement from Lonnie Richards of ISP re: megaload protests: “The Idaho State Police fully recognizes, acknowledges and is sworn to uphold the constitution including an individuals 1st Amendment rights, and the 
Idaho State Police will not interfere with the rights of an individual to peacefully assemble and protest until it becomes a matter of public safety. Allowing the temporary sit down protest during the inaugural Mega Load transport on US-95, has afforded the opportunity for those interested to voice their protests in that manner. The Idaho State Police now asks those that choose to protest during future movements of Mega Loads on US-95, to do so from the safety of a sidewalk or roadside outside the right-of-way. The Idaho State Police has no desire to arrest anyone for exercising their rights.” Full news release here.
Question: I'm impressed that the ISP seems to be going out of its way not to arrest megaload protesters. How about you?
On his Facebook wall, SR colleague Jim Kershner writes: “I just finished my summer reading project: “Les Miserables,” all 1,463 pages of it. Yes, it was well worth it. I was actually sorry for it to end. But next time I'll tackle something easier, like reading the encyclopedia backwards.” I've also read “Les Miserables.” It's probably the longest book I've ever read. How about you?
Question: Which book is the longest you ever read?
A Montana Highway Patrol officer surveys the damage Sunday evening, after a Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway train derailed just east of Havre, Mont. Two crew members were treated for injuries suffered in the derailment and released from the hospital. (AP Photo/Havre Daily News, Pam Burke)
A coyote finds a buffet of meadow voles in a field of freshly cut, swathed hay near the Little Pend Oreille National Wildlife Refuge in Northeastern Washington. Outdoors editor Rich Landers watched the song dog cruise rows and effortlessly reach in with its snout to grab “field mice.” The morsels were tenderized with a few chomps and swallowed whole. In five minutes the coyote easily caught and ate 10 helpings, no running or pouncing necessary. It was still hunting and feasting when Landers drove away.
An Associated Press story reports that rangers are still searching for a grizzly bear that killed 59-year-old hiker John Wallace, of Chassell, Mich., last week along a trail about five miles from the nearest trailhead. Story here. A colleague recently returned from the Lake Louise area, where hikers are required to travel in groups of four in areas with high grizzly concentrations. Rangers do spot checks at the trailheads. Hikers who don't comply are subject to fines of $2,000. On certain trails in Jasper National Park, backcountry hikers are required to carry bear spray.
Question: Should hikers in this country be required to travel in groups of four and/or to carry bear spray when recreating in bear country?
Wolf season started without the hoopla surrounding the 2009 in Idaho. There are fewer people out hunting 
this year. As of Tuesday 7,774 resident tags and 571 non-resident tags have been sold. That compares to 25,744 resident tag in 2009 and 684 non resident tags. Idaho Department of Fish and Game big game manager Jon Rachael expects license sales to pick up as hunters get ready for deer and elk seasons this fall. Hunters can shoot two wolves this year. The Idaho Department of Fish and Game did not set an overall limit but it’s Director Virgil Moore said they will shut down hunting once biological limits are met in specific areas. The agency offers wolf hunting information on its website/Rocky Barker, Idaho Statesman. More here.
Question: Would you shoot a wolf if you had the chance to do so?
Parcels within Post Falls Landing, a project billed for years as a downtown-style community, are being sold at a trustee’s sale this December. The development, which includes a 142-slip marina and dozens of condos, is still largely unfinished. It sits on 33 acres just upstream from Post Falls Dam on the old 33-acre Louisiana Pacific sawmill site. Legal notices published over the weekend outline the trustee’s sale. Attorney Jonathon Hallin, acting as trustee, said Monday afternoon that the sale is scheduled for Dec. 19 at the Kootenai County Courthouse. Project developer Harry Green paid $1.7 million 10 years ago for the property and envisioned building a town center that Post Falls could consider its downtown core with retail shops, recreation and housing/John Stucke, SR. More here.
Question: Anyone else there attend Harry Green's dog-and-pony shows back when in which he announced all the glorious features he was bringing to the old mill site on the Spokane River?
U.S. Sen. Jim Risch, R-Idaho, spent Monday morning in the jury pool at the Ada County Courthouse. But when he explained his schedule to 4th District Judge Darla Williamson she excused him from serving. The Senate 
reconvenes next week and Risch said he told Williamson, “I have to cast a vote and if I'm not there, there's a chance a U.S. marshal will be looking for you or me.” “I think I will excuse you,” Risch said the judge replied. Risch said the criminal trial was scheduled for three weeks. As a former prosecutor — Risch was a deputy for two years and then elected to two-year terms in Ada County in 1970 and 1972 — Risch said he guessed the defense attorney would likely have used a peremptory challenge to remove him from the jury/Dan Popkey, Idaho Statesman. More here.
Question: Should Sen. Risch have been excused from jury duty?
“Dancing with the Stars” reveals celebrity cast for its upcoming dance competition series: (back row from left) NBA player Ron Artest, actor David Arquette, actor and Iraq War veteran J.R. Martinez, TV personality Rob Kardashian, activist Chaz Bono; (seated from left) TV personalities Ricki Lake, Kristin Cavallari, singer Chynna Phillips, TV host Nancy Grace, Soccer player Hope Solo and Italian personality Elisabetta Canalis. The series will premiere on Monday, Sept. 19, on ABC. (AP Photo/ABC, Adam Taylor)
Question: Is this cast of characters of enough interest to get you to tune in to “Dancing with the Start”?
“Are you good without God? Millions are.” These words, superimposed over an image of blue sky and white clouds, appear on king-sized ads placed on the outsides of 11 Spokane Transit Authority buses. The ads will 
continue through September 25, which includes the run of the Spokane County Interstate Fair. They were placed by the Spokane Coalition of Reason with $4,516.00 in funding from the United Coalition of Reason. This ad campaign also marks the public launch of the Spokane Coalition of Reason, an alliance of three nontheistic groups in the Spokane area, with activities ranging from support to education to activism. As part of its launch, during the run of the bus ads, the Coalition will have an exhibit booth at the Spokane County Interstate Fair, Sept. 9-18. … Moreover, the Spokane bus ad campaign is part of a larger effort/Spokane Coalition for Reason news release. More here.
Question: Are you bothered by this public relations campaign by Inland Northwest atheists?
Rural solidarity is clearly up against anti-rural bigotry in the continuing debate over federal prosecution of a north Idaho man who fatally shot one of three grizzly bears that wandered onto his property and allegedly 
posed an immediate threat to his children. The case remains a hot topic among Northwest hunters and gun rights activists at the Hunting-Washington, Northwest Firearms, WaGuns and HuntFishNW forums. Over the weekend, the debate got nasty in the wake of the release of a letter written by Boundary County Prosecutor Jack Douglas in support of Jeremy Hill, who killed a male grizzly back in May, immediately reported it to state wildlife agents, and now finds himself charged with a federal crime. Portions of the letter were quoted by the Spokane Spokesman-Review/Dave Workman, Seattle Gun Rights Examiner. More here.
Question: Do you agree/disagree with columnist Workman that the killing of a grizzly by Jeremy Hill of Bonners Ferry has attracted anti-rural bigotry?
Jeremy Bergquist knew there was going to be a noticeable decline in the number of student-athletes at Meridian High School this year. As the school’s athletic director, Bergquist began projecting a lower turnout for 
sports after the Meridian School District announced it was implementing a $110 pay-for-play fee at all high schools this year and a $90 fee at middle schools, one of a series of steps the district took to bridge a $22 million budget gap. The fees, designed to cover half of the $1.6 million the district pays out annually in coaching salaries, are charged for the first two sports a student plays. … Football, which had 120 players last year, is down to 90. Boys soccer has dropped from 35 to 16, girls volleyball from 50 to 41 and cross-country from 40 to 27/Joe Estrella, Idaho Statesman. More here.
Question: Would you pay $110 to the school district for a child to play sports?
(Coeur d'Alene City Council candidate Steve) Adams said he would look into reducing city department head wages by 10 percent each, giving 5 percent back to city coffers and 5 percent to the “rank and file” employees. 
He said he would implement this first for the police and fire departments, but consider it for all employees. He said he would also be interested in exploring ways to do away with the city's collective bargaining groups. “I would not have voted to accept those increases, but it's deeper than that because of the contracts,” he said about the proposal to give 3 percent cost of living raises for city employees. “I think I would support going the way of Wisconsin and getting rid of any union representation for government employees”/Tom Hasslinger, Coeur d'Alene Press. More here.
Question: Do you think department heads in the city of Coeur d'Alene are paid too much?
Nathan Black, 22, of Post Falls, Idaho takes advantage of the beautiful weather while sailing his Dad's Sunfish at Q'emiln Park in Post Falls recently. (SR photo: Kathy Plonka)
A worker tries to trap a squirrel on the field during the WPS championship soccer game between the Western New York Flash and the Philadelphia Independence in Rochester, N.Y., Saturday. You write the cutline. (AP Photo/Dan Cappellazzo)
Gary Dustin liked being a teacher in Jefferson Joint School District 251 and being a part of the community of Rigby in eastern Idaho. But he says he wanted to provide for his family, so the Rigby Junior High School teacher made the move to Star Valley High School in Afton, Wyo., where his pay jumped by $25,000 to $57,000 a year. The Idaho Falls Post Register reported Sunday that Dustin has several colleagues in eastern Idaho who have done the same, lured by bigger paychecks. Marjean McConnell, human resources director for Bonneville Joint School District 93 in eastern Idaho, says she tries to focus on the recreation and lifestyle opportunities of the region when recruiting new teachers. But competing with Wyoming is a challenge, she says/Idaho Falls Post Register. More here.
Question: Do you know a teacher who left Idaho for better pay or a better education climate in another state?
The Spokesman-Review's Betsy Russell recounts a “database glitch” that landed a letter addressed to 
Secretary of State Ben Ysursa at her Boise home over the weekend, with Otter's contribution pitch for the advocacy group headed by lobbyist Wayne Hoffman, former spokesman for ex-GOP Rep. Bill Sali. Hoffman told Russell, “It's a very normal practice,” for a sitting governor to solicit funds for a private group and have contributors send money to him in care of the organization. Otter approved the letter, according to his spokesman. Hoffman founded the group after Sali's defeat in 2008, but has never disclosed the source of its funding. Otter is among many GOP elected officials who have supported the free-market think tank that operates an online news outlet/Dan Popkey, Idaho Statesman. More here.
Question: Should Gov. Butch Otter be involved in raising money for the Idaho Freedom Foundation?
Item: Incident could lead to life sentence: Man issued $50K bond, no contact order for alleged hate crime/Tom Hasslinger, Coeur d'Alene Press
More Info: A Coeur d'Alene man faces up to life in prison stemming from an alleged hate crime incident on Saturday. Joel T. Diekhoff, 29, faces five years in jail and up to $5,000 on one count of felony malicious harassment - or hate crime. With two convicted felonies on his record, Diekhoff qualifies as a persistent offender, upping the possible incarceration term to life.
Question: Do you agree that hate crimes should carry a stiffer penalty?
Clay Bennett/Chattanooga Times Free Press
Green flag is out for candidates to begin filing for mayor & City Council positions throughout Idaho. We already know three people who will run for Coeur d'Alene City Council: Dan Gookin (for open seat), Steve Adams (for incumbent John Bruning's seat), and Councilman Ron Edinger (for re-election). All three, therefore, are running for different seats. Bruning told me earlier this year that he's going to seek re-election. It'll be interesting to see who else runs for re-election. I'll post this Wild Card and keep my eye on the filings …
Swiss tightrope artist Freddy Nock walks on a cable high above the Thunersee, the lake of Thun, near Leissigen in the Bernese Oberland, Switzerland on Saturday. Due to winds and rain Nock later had to abort his attempt to cross the lake on the cable. Nock is attempting to set a new world record by achieving seven tightrope records in Germany, Austria and Switzerland in seven days. (AP Photo/Keystone/Alessandro della Valle)
President Barack Obama's uncle was stopped on suspicion of drunken driving in Massachusetts, told police 
he planned to arrange bail through the White House and is being held without bail by federal immigration officials, authorities said Monday. Onyango Obama, 67, was arrested last week in Framingham, about 20 miles west of Boston, after police said he made a rolling stop through a stop sign and nearly caused a cruiser to strike his sport utility vehicle. Police said that after being booked at the police station, Obama was asked whether he wanted to make a telephone call to arrange for bail. “I think I will call the White House,” he stated, according to a police report filed in Framingham District Court/Associated Press. More here.
Question: Do you have an embarrassing relative? Do you want to tell us about him/her w/o naming names?
Here's one final look at the damage to Kootenai Electric Cooperative poles & equipment caused by a microburst in the Setters area around 10 p.m. Sunday. You can see more photos and read the KEC report here and here.
Wearing a dunce cap, Don Bahl attends the Tea Party Express tour kick-off in Napa, Calif. on Saturday. Bahl said he voted for President Barack Obama in the last election but didn't get the change he wanted. You write the cutline. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
Top Cutlilnes:
After twelve days of travel, frustration as some of the folks at Harborview needed help pulling their collective heads out of their asses, I am home. I managed to spring Yvonne Wallis at least four and probably six days 
later than was necessary. It turns out Harborview wasn't talking to Idaho Health and Welfare until she was ready for release. I finally put in a call for the neurosurgeon and charged him with abandoning his patient. Suddenly things started to happen.I got through to people that were able to cut through the lethargy that permeated the staff. It would seem that their routine was more important than the patient or family. In this case I was temporary family and the designated representative. I made sure that was set up so they would have to talk to me/Herb Huseland, Bay Views. More here.
Hucks Online numbers (for week of Aug. 21-27): 40,253 page-views/24,999 unique views
Of all the odd things to find in my mailbox over the weekend, there was a letter from Gov. Butch Otter, 
addressed to Ben Ysursa, who happens to be Idaho's secretary of state, but at my address. Since it's a federal crime to open someone else's mail, I took the letter to Ysursa's office so he could open it, and he said he got one at his home as well. It was a membership pitch from the Idaho Freedom Foundation, asking people to send from $50 to $5,000 to become “charter members” of the group - and to send the money to Gov. Butch Otter, care of the Idaho Freedom Foundation. Ysursa said, “As you get into it, it's pretty clear it's not the state of Idaho that's doing this, it's the Freedom Foundation/Betsy Russell, Eye On Boise. More here.
Question: What the heck?
I’m an inmate at the Kootenai County Jail, and I have been for the past eight months. I try to read The Spokesman or the Press every day. In fact, I was even in The Spokesman just the other day. I was listed under sentencing for accessory to a felony, and was sentenced to two years in prison. But enough about me. What is going on in Kootenai County? First, we have the nurse (Cynthia Lynn van Holland) for the jail allegedly robbing banks all over the western U.S., who apparently likes wearing ridiculously bad wigs. And then we have a former Kootenai County clerk (Sandra Martinson), who had worked for the county for three decades, embezzling over $100,000. Wow! Now, obviously I’m not saying I’m better than these people. Ha! Far from it! But I do want to ask a few questions if I can: What’s happening to this county? Who is it that hires these people? And, finally, where do I send my resume?/Christopher B. Urbat, SR letters to the editor.
Question: Are you qualified for a Kootenai County job?
At 8:07 this morning, the Idaho County Sheriff's Dispatch Center was advised of an airplane crash at a private airstrip near Hungry Ridge. Deputy Mike Brewster and Fish & Game Officer Roy Kinner responded to the scene and found that a Cessna 180 single prop airplane had hit the trees after experiencing mechanical difficulties while taking off. The plane burnt following the impact and is a total loss. The pilot and sole occupant, 75 year old John Bokk of Winthrop, WA. suffered only minor injuries and did not require medical assistance. (Photo courtesy of Idaho County Sheriff's Office)
Question: Have you ever survived a crash that you shouldn't have?
Before they dove into discussions about technology updates and special education, administrators and principals in the Coeur d’Alene School District began a Wednesday morning management retreat with training 
in suicide-prevention techniques. The session was a grim reminder of four suicides by district students within the past 15 months. Two were by juniors at Lake City High School who died within about three weeks of each other. Another, last June, was by a middle school student. The fourth, this past June, was by a student who had recently withdrawn from a district middle school. But the practice session also was an indicator of the district’s resolve to prevent more deaths and ensure the mental health of its students/Alison Boggs, SR. More here. (SR photo/Jesse Tinsley: Deanne Clifford, left, principal of Lake City High School, goes through a role-playing exercise with Assistant Principal Tom Mollgaard)
Question: Is preventing suicides a proper part of the Idaho education mandate?
Of all the humiliations embattled Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi has suffered over the past several months, surely the most painful is this: “It's over, frizz-head,” chanted hundreds of jubilant men and women, mocking 
the curly headed dictator as rebels took control of most of Tripoli last week. OK, so the guy has been a brutal despot for decades, executing his enemies and not even being so nice to some of his friends. It's clear he has issues - probably could benefit from some anger-management therapy - and it's time for him to go. But really, isn't making fun of somebody's hair hitting below the belt? In this day and age must we be so juvenile as to ridicule the other person's physical appearance, just because they strip us of our liberties and threaten our lives and safety? There must be better ways to get even/Kathy Hedberg, Lewiston Tribune. More here. (AP file photo: Gadhafi effigy)
Question: Do you ever make fun of someone's appearance?
A woman receives a foot massage from Jason Burns in the Suite Spa booth at the International Spa Association expo in New York. Hyperlocal ingredients, a blend of high tech and tradition, and treatments focusing not just on skin, nails and hair but also on remedying stress and pain are some of the latest trends turning up at spas. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)
Question: Have you ever received a foot massage? What's it like?
Councilman John Bruning confirmed for Hucks Online moments ago that he'll run for re-election in November. Bruning, a first-term councilman and former long-time city planning commissioner, said he'll make his formal announcement soon. Filing for city offices begins today through Friday, Sept. 9. Earlier today, challenger Steve Adams announced his candidacy for the seat now held by Bruning. Adams was an unsuccessful candidate for council in the 2009 election.
Question: Can Bruning hold off the challenge from Steve Adams and the Reagan Republicans?
The Lake City Development Corp. provided the funding for the construction of roadways that will include roundabouts, sidewalks, curbs and a signal at Hubbard and Northwest Boulevard. The contract for this work, 
at just under $3.7 million, was awarded to MDM Construction of Hayden and work began immediately following a groundbreaking ceremony on June 10. River Avenue work is near completion and includes widening and the installation of two roundabouts, one at Hubbard and the other at College Avenue. By the latter part of October, Hubbard will be extended out to Northwest Boulevard and a new signalized entrance to the college and the Harbor Center will be open. You can see all the plans, routing and get construction updates from www.edcorridor.com. There is also a webcam there to provide visuals of the construction progress/Priscilla Bell, North Idaho College president. More here.
Question: Do you consider yourself to be a supporter/detractor of the Education Corridor?
A grizzly shot by a Boundary County man had approached within 40 yards of his children, who were outside playing basketball, and when wounded, charged at the man, according to a statement by the Boundary County 
prosecutor’s office. The statement provides more details about the May 8 shooting. Jeremy M. Hill, 33, of Porthill, Idaho, pleaded not guilty last week to a federal charge of illegally killing a threatened species. A jury trial is scheduled for Oct. 4. The case has attracted regional attention, with local and state officials saying that Hill acted responsibly to protect his family. Idaho Gov. Butch Otter sent a letter to Interior Secretary Ken Salazar asking him to look into the matter. The Idaho Department of Fish and Game, which investigated the shooting, has not released its report. But Boundary County Prosecutor Jack Douglas issued a statement over the weekend/Becky Kramer, SR. More here.
Question: A caller to Hucks Online raised an interesting question re: Prosecutor Douglas' statement. Will there be repercussions for the prosecutor for revealing this information before the investigation is complete?
A participant in The Dirty Dash 10K goes head over heals as he rolls across the finishline after wading through a mud puddle Saturday at Bogus Basin Mountain Recreation Area outside Boise. (AP Photo/Idaho Press-Tribune: Charlie Litchfield)
Here's another photo taken by Melissa Newcomer, marketing and business development rep for Kootenai Electric Coop, of damage caused by high winds to KEC poles and equipment in the Setters area, south of Coeur d'Alene.
This photo, provided by Kootenai Electric Cooperative, shows damage to KEC poles, looking west from Setters Road to the Setters substation, south of Coeur d'Alene. (KEC photo: Melissa Newcomer)
On Sunday night at approximately 10 P.M. Kootenai Electric Cooperative (KEC) was hit by a localized microburst or tornado between the Setter's Substation and US Hwy 95. Every pole in a double circuit overhead line for approximately 1.3 miles was shattered and on the ground. Crews were already in the area working in preparation of a planned outage scheduled for 1 A.M. on August 29th. No crews were injured during the microburst and the crews were quickly able to assess the damage and create a work plan to rebuild the approximately 20 poles affected. More below.
Question: Are you a Kootenai Electric Cooperative customer?
New numbers released by the U.S. Census Bureau shows Idaho residents are more likely to get married and more likely to stay that way than their counterparts across the country. The research published Thursday used data from 2009 to show that Idaho has one of the highest marriage rates in the nation. The marriage rate for men was more than 25 per 1,000, compared to the national average of about 19 per 1,000. The rate for women in Idaho was just over 25 per 1,000, compared to the national average of more than 17/Idaho Falls Post Register. More here.
Question: How long have you been married? How would you portray your marriage — Sunshine & lollipops? Or war & peace? Or something else?
New Zealand's Nikki Hamblin falls as the pack runs to the finish line in a heat of the Women's 1500m at the World Athletics Championships in Daegu, South Korea on Sunday. (AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus)
Question: When do you last fall down? How badly were you hurt?
In a news release, Kootenai County Sheriff's Department has corrected information provided in fatal Fernan Lake accident, to reveal that child in critical condition is a 1-year-old girl not a boy: “The Kootenai County 
Sheriff’s Office is continuing its investigation of the traffic crash that occurred on Sunday afternoon on Fernan Lake Road that left a five year old boy dead and a one year old girl in critical condition at Sacred Heart Medical Center. The children involved in the collision have been identified as 5 year old Evan Deshazer and 1year old River Deshazer. Evan was pronounced dead at Kootenai Medical Center on Sunday; River was air-lifted to Sacred Heart Medical Center in Spokane where she remains in critical condition. The Spokane County Medical Examiner will be conducting an autopsy of the deceased boy today. ”
As we moved into August, frantically trying to soak up as much summer as possible, Congress was just as 
frantically trying to make political gold out of some pretty moldy hay—raising the debt ceiling. This debate didn’t just occur in the halls of Congress, of course, but exploded throughout social media and the blogosphere, despite the fact that, until recently, most of us had no idea there was a debt ceiling or any idea what it was all about. That didn’t stop any of us from becoming instant experts, opining at large either for or against raising it.
Yet the question was really a very simple one: do we or do we not pay the bills we have incurred? Quite honestly, I didn’t think we had a choice in this/Trish Gannon, River Journal's Politically Incorrect. More here.
Question: Trish goes on to opine that she'd rather have a company run by government rather than business. Do you agree with her?
Surfer Tayler Brothers, of Osprey, Fla., catches a wave as a pelican rides the updraft of the surf in Ponce Inlet, Fla., Saturday. Surfers flocked to the beach to catch the remnant waves of Hurricane Irene. (AP Photo/Daytona Beach News-Journal, Nigel Cook)
Question: Do you think Hurricane Irene has been as destructive as predicted?
A grizzly bear killed a Michigan man whose body was found by hikers last week in Yellowstone National Park, 
officials said Monday. The victim was identified Monday as John Wallace of Chassell, Mich. Wallace's body was discovered along a trail about five miles from the nearest trailhead. Results of an autopsy concluded that he died as a result of traumatic injuries from a bear attack. It is the second time a visitor to the park has been killed by a bear this year. Authorities say Wallace likely died Wednesday or Thursday. He was traveling alone and had pitched a tent in a campground on Wednesday, park officials said/Matthew Brown, Associated Press. More here. (AP file photo of Yellowstone Park grizzly, for illustrative purposes)
Question: So grizzly bears are dangerous? ;-)
Coeur d’Alene small businessman and community activist Steve Adams will announce today his candidacy for Coeur d’Alene City Council (for seat now held by John Bruning). Adams, who came close to winning a council seat two years ago, will make the 
announcement at a gathering of supporters in Bluegrass City Park today at 6 p.m. Adams, 45, is an Allstate insurance agent and a native of Coeur d’Alene, where he lives with his wife, Candace, and three sons, ages 16, 7 and 4. He is a 1984 graduate of Coeur d’Alene High School and attended North Idaho College and the University of Idaho. He now serves on the Coeur d’Alene Parking Commission and is Kootenai County Reagan Republicans official. Adams describes his top issues as support for a public vote on McEuen Field changes, opposition to proposed city pay hikes in the midst of the “Obama recession,” and support of public safety in Coeur d’Alene. Full announcement here. (Facebook photo: Steve Adams' wall)
Question: Adams joins Dan Gookin, who announced last week, as a candidate calling for a public vote on approved McEuen Field changes. Is the 2011 election an unofficial referendum on McEuen Field?
Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) joked in Florida this weekend that last week's earthquake and hurricane 
affecting the East Coast were signs from God, meant to grab lawmakers' attention. The Tea Party congresswoman, who took her campaign for president to the Sunshine State this weekend, joked about the case of those natural disasters during a stop in Sarasota. “I don't know how much God has to do to get the attention of the politicians. We've had an earthquake; we've had a hurricane. He said, 'Are you going to start listening to me here?'” she told the audience, per the St. Petersburg Times/Michael O'Brien, The Hill's Blog Briefing Room. More here.
Question: Does God use natural disasters to gain people's attention?
freshmen climb down from the sculpture of the Washington State University mascot, Butch, during a walking-tour of the campus in Pullman, Wash., which is for all freshmen and transfer students. The group had a photo taken in front of the sculpture. (AP Photo/The Seattle Times, Alan Berner)
Blogger Ohmidog was surprised when Dog Fancy named Coeur d’Alene America’s most dog-friendly town recently. So was your Huckleberry Hound. After all, the dog park at Lake City isn’t that old, and there doesn’t 
seem to be much else that distinguishes it from other Dog Towns – other than leash laws being ignored on Tubbs Hill. Previously, Ohmidog had criticized another organization, Petside.com, for dubbing Dallas second most dog-friendly after it had bestowed the key to the city on Michael Vick, the NFL QB who went to prison for dog abuse. In this instance, Ohmidog notes that Santa Cruz, Calif., which is in the Dog Fancy Top 5, lifted a 33-year ban on dogs downtown only recently. Also, Ohmidog questioned why Dog Fancy Editor Ernie Stone quoted Barbara Walters in his announcement that Coeur d’Alene is “a little slice of heaven/DFO, SR Huckleberries. More here.
Question: Do you think Coeur d'Alene deserves to be honored as the nation's most dog friendly town?
Idaho Gov. Butch Otter is promising more of the same from his administration: tight budgeting that may 
underestimate state revenues, forcing budget cuts that later prove unnecessary, to avoid mid-year holdbacks. That approach attracted criticism this year after Otter and state lawmakers discounted economic forecasts and set the state budget tens of millions of dollars lower than estimated revenues, then ended the fiscal year June 30 with a fat surplus, most of which was doled back out to make up budget cuts to schools. “You can expect the same thing the remainder of my time in office,” Otter declared last week in a talk at a luncheon sponsored by the Boise Metro Chamber of Commerce/Betsy Russell, Eye On Boise. More here.
Question: What do you think of Gov. Butch Otter's approach to writing the state budget?
After years of receiving a passing grade for safety from the Army Corps, our local dike was examined by an 
independent contractor who found over 100 flaws in the dikes’s structure and then recommended the city should remove all the trees. It’s another Alice in Wonderland moment. First the verdict, and then the trial. The trees must go, but the Army Corps admits there is no scientific evidence to suggest our trees are destabilizing the dike. That’s yet to be determined. Let me be clear. The real, everyday issue is not flood prevention but the prevention of high flood insurance rates. A major flood has not come in the 58 years that my husband, Scott, and I have lived in Coeur d’Alene, and it may not come within our lifetimes/Mary Lou Reed, Inlander. More here. H/T: Terry Harris, KEA Blog
Question: Are you willing to sacrifice the trees along the Dike Road (NIC's Rosenberry Drive) to protect the home insurance rates of Fortgrounds residents?
“Little Linda” is big talk at this year's North Idaho Fair. Billed the “world's smallest woman” at 29 inches, Linda, a 35-year-old Haitian woman, is one of two new side attractions at the carnival that has drawn a steady stream of curious lookers. Depending on who you ask, reactions to seeing her range from dazzling to disgust. Most who pass by wonder first if she's real, only to get affirmation from those who pay a dollar or 75 cents (10 and younger) to enter. Some who come out feel sorry for her; others are amazed at her tiny stature/Brian Walker, Coeur d'Alene Press. More here.
Question: Did you see “Little Linda” at the North Idaho Fair? Were you dazzled? Or disgusted?
Signe Wilkinson/Philadelphia Inquirer
The Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a traffic crash on Fernan Lake Road this afternoon that killed a 5-year-old boy and left a 1-year-old boy in critical condition at Sacred Heart Medical Center. Emergency personnel were dispatched to the crash about 1:45 p.m. today to a report of a vehicle that had gone over an embankment and was submerged in Fernan Lake about 3/8 of a mile east of Lakeshore Drive. Idaho State Police and Coeur d’Alene Fire Personnel were the first on scene. Fire Department personnel were able to recover both children from the submerged vehicle and start CPR. Initial investigation shows that a Dodge Durango driven by Sarah Deshazer, 25 of Coeur d’Alene, was turning around on Fernan Lake Road when one wheel went off the roadway causing the vehicle to slide down the embankment. More below.
Coeur d’Alene man who allegedly yelled racial slurs at a black man was arrested and charged with a felony Saturday. Joel T. Diekhoff was charged with felony malicious harassment and taken to the Kootenai County jail, according to police. Police responded to the area of South 19th Street and Mullen Avenue after Demetrius K. Lee, 39, said a white man with several Aryan tattoos yelled slurs and threatened him for walking in front of his house. Lee said he was on his morning walk to Sanders Beach and has lived in the area for six years. Lee said the man, who police identified as Diekhoff after interviewing witnesses, came out of the house with three other men to “beat him up”/Spokesman-Review. More here.
For some reason, I thought this weekend was the three-day Labor Day weekend. But Mrs. O informed me that I'm getting ahead of myself. Which is OK. I enjoyed being back among you guys Wednesday through Friday after the two-week vacay. (For Cindy & others keeping score at home, I'm down to 4-5 days of vacay this year — and don't plan to take them until the holidays.) Meanwhile, the political scene is beginning to heat up. Which is always good for discussion here on Huckleberries. I'll post this Wild Card and prepare to do all the yard work that's been piling up …
One of two people rescued from a sailboat, right, uses a line to make their way onto the beach on Willoughby Spit in Norfolk Saturday morning after they and another person were rescued from the boat that foundered in the waters of the Chesapeake Bay during Hurricane Irene. A rescuer, left, waits for s second person to exit the boat. (AP Photo/TheVirginian-Pilot, Bill Tiernan)
Three more protesters were arrested early Saturday in Coeur d’Alene as a megaload shipment of oil excavation equipment passed through the Lake City. Law enforcement officers confirmed that the arrests were made by Idaho State Police, but the names were not released. One woman taken into custody had refused to identify herself, officials said. The Coeur d’Alene arrests bring to nine the number of persons taken into custody in North Idaho since the 208-foot-long megaload left the Port of Lewiston on Wednesday night/Mike Prager, SR. More here.
Item: Gookin seeks council seat: Sees election as public vote on McEuen Field/Tom Hasslinger, Press
More Info: “I think this is the public vote on McEuen Field,” Gookin said. “People have wanted a public vote; on Nov. 8, you get your public vote. You can vote for McEuen - you can vote against McEuen - based on who you vote for on city council.” Gookin, who opposed the planning process on the downtown park overhaul and favors putting the conceptual plan up to a public advisory vote, said the controversial, multi-million dollar project has put the city under too much scrutiny not to sway the ballot box one way or another.
Question: Do you agree with Dan Gookin that the 2011 Coeur d'Alene municipal election is an unofficial referendum on McEuen Field reconstruction?
Alexis Soderbeck, 15, cleans up her steer, Tex, outside the beef and swine barn at the North Idaho Fair Wednesday. The fair continues through Sunday. (SR photo: Jesse Tinsley)
Question: Which North Idaho Fair attraction is your favorite?
“In my mind, there’s no question that the Hill family was likely in danger or that Jeremy, by his actions, did what he did in defense of his family and his property. I believe that our local IDFG officers did a thorough investigation and came to the proper conclusion that Jeremy Hill acted reasonably in light of the circumstances” — Boundary County Prosecutor Jack Douglas (pictured) re: the shooting of a 2-year-old endangered grizzly cub near Bonners Ferry. Complete news release from Douglas as provided by News Bonners Ferry here.
Question: Have you changed your mind about this case, after reading the details provided by Prosecutor Douglas of Jeremy Hill shooting the grizzly?
University of Idaho President M. Duane Nellis responded Friday to demands from the public and the family of slain graduate student Katy Benoit for an explanation about how the university handled her complaint against the 
professor who killed her Monday. The school’s account said it met with Benoit and counseled her numerous times beginning June 10, including the day she died. University officials referred her to Moscow police for assistance and contacted the police department themselves on June 10. “I am committed to ensuring the continuing safety and welfare of members of the university community,” Nellis told reporters Friday. He said he had commissioned an independent review of university safety policies, the details of which would be released later. “I don’t have any reason to think our policies and procedures are not all they should be,” he said, “but I want to be absolutely certain”/Patrick Orr, Idaho Statesman. More here.
Question: Do you now feel as though the University of Idaho is on top of this tragic situation?
In an editorial today, Marty Trillhaase of the Lewiston Tribune lambastes state Rep. Marv Hagedorn, R-Meridian, (pictured) 
for his insensitive remark that a gun safety class might have prevented the murder-suicide at the University of Idaho that claimed the life of grad student Katy Benoit: “That transcends oafishness. It's beyond ugly. It exceeds insensitivity. Inhumane doesn't begin to describe it. Such talk from anyone is irresponsible. From an elected official charged with writing our laws and embracing our standards of decency, it is nothing short of depraved. Complete editorial here.
Question: Do you think Rep. Hagedorn has learned a lesson in using this tragic matter to push his political agenda?
The day started at 5 a.m. for the Coeur d’Alene football team, as sleepy players boarded a charter bus bound for Meridian. Eight hours later, the Vikings arrived in the Treasure Valley, stopped for lunch in Nampa and then made their way over to Rocky Mountain High. Kickoff was more than four hours away, so players spent their time goofing around while trying to avoid the heat. Their long wait was rewarded Friday night, as the defending 5A state champions opened the 2011 season with a 37-24 victory over Rocky Mountain at Brighton Stadium/Rachel Roberts, Idaho Statesman. More here.
Also:
Signe Wilkinson/Philadelphia Inquirer
As I mentioned in the comments section, Hucks Online Twitter/Facebook just picked up its combined 1100th follower — UI ASB president Samantha Perez. Who's dealing with some harsh realities on campus this week as a result of the tragic murder-suicide involving a grad student from Boise. Altogether, Hucks Online has about 10,000 followers (8500 to 9000 from the blog). It's been a nice, long run from Feb. 16, 2003, when I backed into this blog (originally called No Holds Barred & later Hot Potatoes). Thanks for your continued support, ideas, comments, and fodder. Now to repost this Wild Card and get outtahere …
Children stroll along the boardwalk at Coney Island beach while Hurricane Irene bears down on the eastern seaboard further south Friday in the Brooklyn borough of New York. The low number of visitors at the typically crowded beach reflects the wind, rain, and flooding dangers the storm poses to the already saturated New York state. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
On his Facebook wall, Nic posts re: a close encounter with a terrible singer at a stoplight this week. Writes
Nic: “Girl in car at stoplight next to me is singing Katy Perry's 'Firework.” Loudly. Off key. So very off key. I might have laughed at her.” I used to sing while driving tractor because the engine drowned out my voice. However, my mother believes I have a good voice. If so, I got it from my father. Who once sang country western on the radio. How about you?
Question: When did you last encounter someone singing loudly and off key?
Two horses drink water from a sprinkler system near Ravelli, Mont., earlier this week (AP Photo/Ravelli Republic, Perry Backus)
Al Hassell, the long-time Coeur d'Alene council member and former mayor, told Huckleberries moments ago 
that he won't seek another term. Hassell said he needs time off to focus on his financial consultant/insurance business as a result of the 2010 death of his partner, Judy Anderson. Hassell has served the city of Coeur d'Alene 41 years beginning as a Parks & Recreation member. He lost his first race for the council in 1972. Hassell has served on the Coeur d'Alene council for 20 years, including 4 years as mayor from 1994-97. “I need to do something lower key,” he told Huckleberries. On Thursday, community activist Dan Gookin announced his candidacy for Hassell's seat.
A Coeur d'Alene defense lawyer and former deputy prosecutor is going back to prison after a judge ruled he'd 
violated his probation on OxyContin charges. Shawn C. Nunley, 40, was ordered to prison late last week after his probation officer said he smelled faintly of alcohol when he reported to his office May 9, and that his blood alcohol level registered at .017. Nunley admitted to consuming alcohol that day and the day before and said “he didn't think it was a big deal,” according to court documents. He also refused to provide a urine sample as requested. His probation officer said Nunley agreed not to travel to Orange County as previously allowed but that he left the probation office without asking and boarded a plane at the Spokane airport the next day, court documents say/Meghann Cuniff, Sirens & Gavels. More here.
As the University of Idaho student body president, a senior and a woman, I have always felt safe on our 
campus and in the Moscow community. This semester marks my fourth year at the University of Idaho; I have never questioned the dedication of our administration, the Moscow Police Department or the community in providing a safe environment for me to live, study and work in. Last year, the University of Idaho was ranked the 36th safest campus in the United States by Newsweek magazine. We received this high ranking because of the concerted work of organizations and departments on campus/Samantha Perez, University of Idaho ASB president. More here.
Question: Do you consider the UI campus to be safe … now?
Yoandri Hernandez Garrido, 37, known as “Twenty-Four” shows his 12 fingers in Baracoa, Guantanamo province, Cuba. Hernandez is proud of his extra digits and calls them a blessing, saying they set him apart and enable him to make a living by scrambling up palm trees to cut coconuts and posing for photographs in this eastern Cuban city popular with tourists. Known as polydactyly, Hernandez's condition is relatively common, but it's rare for the extra digits to be so perfect. (AP Photo/Javier Galeano)
Long-time Coeur d'Alene Councilman Ron Edinger told Huckleberries moments ago that he planned to seek 
re-election this fall. Edinger said he was gathering signatures for his candidacy petition and will submit them to the city clerk's office next week. Edinger has been on the City Council since the 1960s, serving as mayor in the late 1970s. He told Huckleberries that he's in good health after a scare earlier this year. His doctor confirmed that during an examination last week. He said he's still looking for a second to his motion to put proposed changes to McEuen Field to a public vote. Otherwise, he said he's eager to seek another term, commenting: “It's hard to put us old guys down.” Edinger becomes the second candidate to indicate his candidacy for council. Dan Gookin announced Thursday that he'll seek the seat currently held by former mayor Al Hassell. Hassell has been leaning all year toward not running again.
Looks like an environmental organization named Howl Across America is planning a protest rally in Coeur d'Alene Sunday afternoon, staging from 11 to noon at 
Ramsey Park. A Berry Picker sent a link to Hucks Online, containing an exchange between Howl Across America and its followers. First, the announcement: “The Northern Idaho Wolf Alliance is planning to hold two protest rallies in August to protest the wolf hunt planned to start on Sept. 3rd in Idaho, and to protest the removal of the Gray Wolf of the Northern Rockies from the Endangered Species list, by way of the Budget Bill last April. One of our protests will take place in Sandpoint, Idaho and the other in Coeur d' Alene.” The Sandpoint rally had been scheduled for yesterday afternoon. You can read the entire exchange here.
Reaction?
A Berry Picker sends this photo of the Kootenai County Reagan Republican booth at the North Idaho Fair this afternoon, with the note: “No bumperstickers.” I'm not surprised. But “Corrupt d'Alene” bumperstickers were there opening day b/n 4-5:30, according to a reliable Berry Picker and her mother who passed by the booth on several occasions to check them out. Although KCRR poohbah Jeff Ward denies that the stickers were there at all, he does describe to the notion that Coeur d'Alene is corrupt.
On Mother’s Day, May 8, 2011, 33 year old Jeremy Hill was enjoying this special occasion with his family. He had no idea that his life was about to change; and all because he did the right thing. After his guests had left, 
four of his six children were outside playing and shooting baskets in front of the house. His 5 year old daughter Aspen, the 8 year old twin girls Mercedes and Sierra, and his 11 year old son Cameron were engrossed in their play not realizing that three grizzly bears had come onto their property from the trees through the yard at the back of their home, not 40 yards away from where they were playing. Luckily for the children, the bears went after their four pigs in a pen on the side of their log home. Two of the pigs were for the kid’s 4H project and the other two were being raised for food. Jeremy was just getting out of the shower when his wife Rachel saw the bears out of their bedroom window/Mike Weland, News Bonners Ferry. More here. (News Bonners Ferry photo/Mike Weland, of Jasmine Hill's pig, Regena, which sold 15 times for $19,558 at county fair to raise money for father's defense fund.)
Reaction?
University of Idaho President M. Duane Nellis said Friday that university officials worked closely with student 
Katy Benoit and the Moscow Police over the summer to investigate a complaint she made against assistant professor Ernesto Bustamante. Nellis, who issued a public statement Friday saying the University was committed to full public disclosure regarding the shooting death of Benoit, released a detailed timeline of how university officials dealt with Benoit’s complaint against Bustamante this summer. That timeline indicates university officials urged Benoit to contact Moscow police about Bustamante June 10, the day she first filed the complaint/Patrick Orr, Idaho Statesman. More here. H/T: Kevin Richert
Dan of the Camp: I know my weight loss stuff is old news now but in addition to all the health related benefits of losing about 58% of my former self I found a real practical upside to it yesterday. I accidently locked my keys 
in my pickup at Lowe’s recently but luckily had put some long boards through the little slider window on my extended cab Mazda pickup so it was open. I tried reaching through it to get to the keys or door lock but no go. So then I took a hard but quick look at the window and thought “I think I can just make it through there.” It was a bit tough getting the first shoulder through but then it went easier right up to where the waist and belt on my jeans got pretty stuck. More below.
Question: How much more/less do you weigh now than when you graduated from high school?
On her way through the Costco aisles at a Spokane Costco, Cindy spotted this unwelcome site when the temperatures were in the 90s outside Wednesday.
Question: Do early displays of Christmas, Halloween, & other holidays bother you? Or do you merely shrug?
When South Boise Women's Correctional Center Warden Terressa Baldridge was arrested for DUI earlier this month, she was immediately put on administrative leave and subsequently demoted and suffered a $10,000 pay cut — even though she's pleaded not guilty. But when Tony Faraca, deputy director and chief financial officer at the Idaho State Liquor Division, pleaded guilty to DUI in May he remained in his $85,114 post/Dan Popkey, Idaho Statesman. More here.
Question: Do you think a double standard is at work in the Otter administration re: these two DUI cases?
I got my first clue, as many parents do, on Facebook. My oldest son, a senior at the University of Idaho, had written a post asking if anyone else had taken a class from Ernesto Bustamante, the former assistant 
professor who is believed to have murdered a U of I graduate student before taking his own life. Anyone else? After swapping text messages, I learned that, indeed, my son had taken a psychology class from Bustamante. It was one of those chilling moments for a father, and one of those difficult moments for a journalist. It's where the passions of parenting collide with a profession that demands detachment. It's an awkward place, but here we are. Standing at this intersection, I better understand just how much of a crisis this is for the U of I/Kevin Richert, Idaho Statesman. More here.
Question: Are you a Vandal parent with concerns re: how UI handled Ernesto Bustamante?
Environmental activists gather outside the White House in Washington earlier this week, as they continue a civil disobedience campaign against a proposed oil pipeline from Canada to the U.S. Gulf Coast, in Washington. The Obama administration outraged environmentalists today by giving a green light to the project. New York Times story here. (AP file photo)
Question: How do you read the decision by the Obama administration to OK the pipeline project?
U.S. Sen. Mike Crapo's statement about the grizzly shooting case involving Jeremy Hill of Bonners Ferry: “I 
have deep concerns about this incident and the decision of the government to prosecute Mr. Hill, who did what any parent would do in this situation. Clearly, Mr. Hill thought that his family was in danger and was protecting them from harm. I understand that the Endangered Species Act is intended to protect threatened and endangered species, but Congress never intended to do so at the expense of basic public safety and the ability to protect oneself or their loved ones in the face of danger. The American people need to know that they can protect themselves, their families and property when threatened by federally protected wildlife, and that the government will support their right to do so.” More below.
Question: Are you glad/mad that Gov. Butch Otter and the Idaho delegation have gotten involved in this case?
Former Coeur d’Alene Tribal Chairman and Casino Executive (1994-2006) David Matheson, is back in a seat 
of prominence, his old job as Casino executive, after five years of acrimonious litigation full of charges and counter-charges the press shouldn’t repeat because there were no verdicts and no real conclusions. Any observer of Native Americans, or anyone who has business or political dealings with tribes as an entity quickly learns the internal politics of any tribe are as Byzantine and as complex as any politics anywhere. If one has not been raised in that culture one cannot begin to understand the machinations. … Suffice it to say to outward appearances the Matheson family is back in the saddle of real power. Whether that is at the expense of some other powerful family, which is now out, who outside can say?/Chris Carlson, The Carlson Chronicles. More here. (SR file photo/Kathy Plonka: David Matheson in previous stint running casino)
Question: How much involvement have you had with the Coeur d'Alene Indian Tribe?
CoeurGenX offered this story to Huckleberries Online: “I purchased my $11.50 Wolf tag the other day. So I
call up Fins and Feathers to inquire about it. I am NOT a hunter and haven’t purchased a hunting license in about 10 years. So I ask if they sell wolf tags, and the guy says yeah. So I say, “I’m not much of a hunter, so do I need a hunting license to buy a wolf tag?” his response was, “that’s why they call it hunting!”
Question: Are you much of a hunter?
A half-height Imperial Oil/ExxonMobil megaload sits on a trailer near the main gate to the Port of Lewiston Thursday evening. (Moscow-Pullman Daily News photo: Dean Hare)
At least four people were arrested early Friday morning in downtown Moscow as protesters sat cross-legged in front of the 413,600-poundmegaload making its way north on Washington Street. Several of the protesters passively resisted arrest, and law enforcement officers crammed limp bodies into a Latah County Sheriff’s Office van. Some who weren’t arrested yelled and made lewd gestures at police and the megaload convoy, while counterprotesters called for law enforcement to make arrests and get people out of the crosswalk/Moscow-Pullman Daily News. Story here.
Question: Have you ever been involved in a protest in which police arrested demonstrators?
Now that the road and sidewalk infrastructure project is complete along River Avenue, the Education Corridor construction will move north. Beginning Monday, a portion of Northwest Boulevard will be restricted to one lane as work begins on the installation of a new traffic signal at Northwest Boulevard and Hubbard Street. Motorists should expect delays when traveling in this vicinity/Stacy Hudson, Education Corridor. More here.
There is no waiting period on political opportunism. Hence Rep. Marv Hagedorn’s insensitive and ill-timed 
reaction to the Moscow shootings. On Tuesday, the day the news broke, Hagedorn urged University of Idaho President Duane Nellis to teach gun safety on campus and chided the school for “running away” from the Second Amendment. There’s a backstory here. Hagedorn (pictured), R-Meridian, co-sponsored a bill in 2011 to allow concealed weapons on campuses. Opposed by university administrators and law enforcement officials alike, this misguided bill was defeated in a Senate committee. It’s bad enough that Hagedorn callously reopened the campus gun rights debate. He doesn’t even have the facts on his side/Idaho Statesman. More here.
Question: Has the tragic murder-suicide at UI prompted you to rethink your position on Hagedorn's 2011 legislation that would permit guns on the state's college campuses?
Over the past two days, the story of Katy Benoit’s slaying has unfolded — in slow and unsettling detail. According to a police affidavit, the Boise High School graduate and University of Idaho psychology student had 
been threatened several times over a period of months. Benoit’s assailant, U of I assistant psychology professor Ernesto Bustamante, once put a gun in her mouth. According to family members, Benoit was “deeply alarmed” by Bustamante’s behavior after their breakup. “Our family had grave concerns when we heard that the university may have received complaints from other students about Bustamante, and that Katy was the only one willing to sign her name to a complaint.” The one entity that can address many questions about Benoit’s death — and, indeed, the entity with the most to answer to — is largely silent/Kevin Richert, Idaho Statesman. More here. (SR photo/Christopher Anderson: Students, staff and friends gathered in downtown Moscow to honor slain U/I grad student Katy Benoit)
Question: What should the University of Idaho have done when it received complaints about the behavior of Ernesto Bustamante?
Hundreds of students, staff and friends gathered in Friendship Square in downtown Moscow Idaho to honor slain U/I grad student Katy Benoit Thursday. Story below. (SR photo: Christopher Anderson)
Home Depot remained open late into the night as residents prepare for the worst as Hurricane Irene makes it's way up the east coast, Thursday in Manahawkin, N.J. Tens of thousands of visitors to the New Jersey shore and many residents have begun an orderly exodus after a series of requests to evacuate because of Hurricane Irene. Story here. (AP Photo/Joe Epstein)
Question: Do you have family or friends in the predicted path of Hurricane Irene?
Looks like Mary Souza is calling Huckleberries Online on that “Huckleberries hears …” note of Wednesday reporting that the Reagan Republicans were selling “Corrupt d'Alene” bumperstickers at their North Idaho Fair 
booth. Mary and her followers — both of them — are delighting in using the term “gossip monger” to refer to your Huckleberry Hound, offering this statement by Reagan Republican jumbo Jeff Ward denying the sale of the bumperstickers: “In no case were these bumper stickers ever sold from the KCRR Booth. I was told Larry Spencer was giving them away around the fair but they were not distributed or sold from our booth.” (I'll get back to that statement in a moment. But I find this follow-up statement by Ward to be amusing given the subject of this post: “Although the method of pointing out corruption in CDA may be in dispute, there is no doubt the CDA city government is rife with corruption.” So Ward claims the bumperstickers weren't sold or given away at his booth — even though I have a source who saw Spencer at the Kootenai County Republican booth at the same time three stickers were lying on the upper right corner of a table in the Reagan Republican booth (from 4-5:30 p.m.). Then, Ward swallows the Kool-aid re: Coeur d'Alene being corrupt. Unbelievable. Here's Mary's latest diatribe.
Question: Do you think Coeur d'Alene's corrupt?
Rachel Hill and she and Jeremy's six children, including Jasmine, holding the baby at left, who celebrated her 14th birthday by attending her dad's arraignment on a federal felony charge for killing a grizzly bear. Story by Mike Weland/News Bonners Ferry here. (H/T: Duane Rasmussen)
Question: Have you ever lived in bear country?
Item: Fishing, logging, aircraft, & farming top USA most dangerous jobs/AP
More Info: Fatal work injuries involving farming, fishing, and forestry workers increased by 9 percent in 2010. Fatalities involving agricultural workers, including farmworkers and laborers, rose from 127 in 2009 to 156 in 2010. Fatalities among logging workers also increased in 2010 from 36 in 2009 to 59 in 2010, but fatalities among fishers and related fishing workers declined. The number of fatal workplace injuries among police officers increased by 40 percent, from 96 in 2009 to 134 in 2010.
Question: Have you ever worked at a dangerous job?
Item: NIC president Bell to receive 3 percent pay raise/Maureen Dolan, CdA Press
More Info: North Idaho College trustees voted unanimously Wednesday to increase college President Priscilla Bell's salary of $152,250 by 3 percent. They also decided to increase the amount the college contributes to Bell's supplemental retirement account by $3,500.
Question: How much of a pay raise are you getting next year?
Nick Anderson/Houston Chronicle
I'm headed to Riverstone Pond for the final free concert of the season offered by Riverstone & the Coeur d'Alene Arts Council at the amphitheatre. I've missed the various evening & Sunday afternoon music venues around Kootenai County while on vacay. A big hat tip to Chris Guggemos/Handshake Productions, Riverstone, and the Arts Council for offering such fare to the public. See you there in a few minutes? Now to replay the Wild Card …
New York Yankees right fielder Anruw Jones looks at the scoreboard during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Oakland Athletics this afternoon at Yankee Stadium in New York. The Yankees set a Major League Baseball record by hitting three grand slams as the defeated the Athletics 22-9. Story here. (AP Photo/Bill Kostroun)
I was in Redding, Calif., on vacay when I received a cellphone message that my Wells Fargo debit card had been blocked. The message urged me to Dial 1 and then answer some questions. I immediately dialed the 800 number on the back of my debit card — and discovered that the card had been blocked because I was rolling up debits at strange places along my vacay route. I didn't think much about the original message afterward. Today, my wife got the same message, urging her to Dial 1 and answer questions. She called the 800 number on the back and learned that the card wasn't blocked. A scammer was trying to get personal information to gain access to my debit card. Lousy jerk.
Question: Have you been the target of a scam attempt this year?
Last week, Live, Love, Laugh, Hope wrote: “A couple nights ago, I loaded up my dog and my camera and set out in search of a sunset. I ended up at a wheat field, where I sat for a good half an hour. Except for a rare car driving by, it was quiet, really quiet. I haven't had that type of quiet for awhile and it was nice to just sit in the silence and watch God's creation.” See more photos of wheat here.
A demonstrator moons police during protests as part of a national strike in Santiago, Chile, Wednesday. Chilean students, opposition politicians and union workers are leading a two-day nationwide strike to fight for fundamental changes in government. You write the cutline. (AP Photo/Victor R. Caivano)
Top Cutlines:
The conversation wasn’t going well. He averted his eyes, sighed, yawned and finally just tuned me out 
altogether. I could tell because he started snoring, softly. I jostled him and he opened one green eye. “Listen Milo,” I said. “Just because we have a new baby, it doesn’t mean we love you less. You will always be our first cat, no matter how many kittens we adopt.” Milo didn’t want to hear it. He hopped down from my lap and hid under the entertainment center/Cindy Hval, SR Front Porch. More here.
Question: Do you think pets can be jealous of a new baby in the house?
“She's gone,” said the vet, lifting her stethoscope and raising her eyes. My wife and I were a mess - sobbing, 
and unable to hold back the emotion. The vet was choked up as well. Our faithful dog, Abby, supplier of ten thousand smiles, lay dead in her bed. And we had ordered her death. It was a death with dignity, which is more than some humans are allowed. That we had ordered Abby's death seems inconceivable because she was with us for every milestone in our family's history. My wife had her before she knew me, and as she liked to put it, “The dog was here first.” Sixteen years/William Brock, Moscow-Pullman Daily News. More here.
Question: How many dogs have you owned? How many have you had to “put down”?
On Pecky Cox's As The Lake Churns blog, photographer Bryan Correll offers this shot of youngsters enjoying time on Priest Lake, titled “Oh Summer Days.”
Hucks Numbers (for Wednesday, Aug. 24): 7603/4581
Here's another view of that marmot that summer intern Tim Kincaid helped out of that Spokane Valley Stormwater Utility drywell last week. Kincaid, a student in the Spokane Community College Water Resources Program, discovered the critter had fallen into the drywall. So he fished it out & turned it loose. Berry Picker Otis G who provided 3 photographs of the rescue noted the large amount of garbage that had washed in from the street. Previous photo here.
DFO: Didn't you say after your loss to Deanna Goodlander that you weren't going run again?
Dan Gookin: No, I said I'd rather cut off my own head. But I couldn't find anyone else to do it. Lots of people kept asking me whether I was going to run again. People told me that they still had my sign in their garage to put out when I ran again. I believe we can do better in the city. I'd like to see some balance. It's like the Idaho Legislature. You have all those Republicans down there. There is no debate. We need to hear both sides on the council.
Also: Coeur d'Alene Press Online announcement story here
Question: I'm hearing that Councilman Ron Edinger plans to run again. Who else do you think will run?
In lecturing Texas Gov. Rick Perry about economics, conservative commentator Ben Stein of CBS News 
bragged that he was going to leave Perry alone “for this month and just spend it on my boat up at Lake Pendoreille (sic) in North Idaho, a mountain lake where ospreys soar and where I feel at peace.” Huckleberries’d like to think that the misspelling of Lake Pend Oreille was an editor’s error rather than one made by Stein (boring economics instructor in “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.” Stein, after all, has spent many vacations in the Sandpoint area. Story here. (AP file photo of Ben Stein)
Question: Which local place name causes you the most problems when you try to spell it?
There are many theories forwarded that attempt to explain Spokane's youth diaspora. Kids leave town, people 
say, because of better job prospects in cities like Seattle and Portland, or for greater perceived culture. There is probably truth to these beliefs. There's more work in Seattle, for sure. Portland, too, assuming you want to work in a vintage boutique or as a server at a farm-sourced restaurant. … But a tantalizing new survey from the dating site OKCupid, suggests another reason Eastern Washingtonians and North Idahoans are drawn west, as if by an uncontrollable biological urge: There's an actual uncontrollable biological urge. The website went out in search of the most promiscuous cities in America. It found its top two in the Pacific Northwest. Portland was first; Seattle was second/Luke Baumgarten, Inlander. More here. (AP file photo, to illustrate big-city party scene)
Question: Are young adults drawn away from the Inland Northwest to Seattle, Portland, and other big towns as a result of better chances to indulge in “casual sex”?
Earlier this month, Berry Picker RhodeTrip was using the Centennial Trail near WSU River Point when he spotted these two boys seemingly walking on the water of the Spokane River. Actually, the boys were walking on top of a sand bar in the river.
In past years, some students would show up for the first day at Syringa Middle School in Caldwell sporting 
new clothes: a Justin Bieber T-shirt, maybe, or a shiny skirt from Forever 21. Others might wear faded sweatpants or ratty shorts, while a few might have red or blue shirts with gang insignias. But on Wednesday, the first day of classes this year, the students at Syringa were all wearing basically the same thing: clean collared shirts and dark pants. Caldwell School District has extended its dress code to the middle schools this year, after the elementary schools successfully adopted it last year. Next year, the high school plans to follow suit/Nate Green, Idaho Press Tribune. More here. (Idaho Press Tribune photo: Charlie Litchfield: Syringa Middle School students line up before heading to their next class around noon Wednesday in Caldwell.)
Question: Should schools in your North Idaho community adopt a dress code?
That’s pathetic. More than a one-third of Idaho women over 40 didn’t receive a breast cancer screening in the 
past two years, making Idaho last out of 50 states and the District of Columbia in mammogram rates. The Cancer Data Registry of Idaho estimates that there are more than 122,000 Idaho women over the age of 40 — that’s equivalent to the population of Twin Falls, Jerome and Cassia counties combined — who haven’t had a mammogram in the past 24 months. … Idaho’s low mammogram rate is inexcusable/Steve Crump, Twin Falls Times-News. Full editorial here. (AP file photo of actress Sarah Chalke in movie, “Why I Wore Lipstick to My Mastectomy,” for illustrative purposes)
Question: Has shyness or embarrassment prevented you from undergoing a complete annual physical or partial checkup?
A writer who chronicled the Magic Valley’s triumphs, foibles and transformations for almost three decades will 
retire Aug. 31. Times-News Opinion Editor Steve Crump, 59, started at the newspaper as sports editor in 1983, later serving as city editor, features editor and features writer. He has penned most of the newspaper’s editorials and edited its Opinion pages since 2007. His “Don’t Ask Me” column has appeared in the Times-News since 1990, and its “You Don’t Say” counterpart since 2008. Why call it quits now? Crump was married six years ago to a woman whose joint-custody arrangement ties her to Boise, and the couple has commuted between Twin Falls and Boise since then. “We decided the time is right to actually move in together,” Crump said/Virginia Hutchins, Twin Falls Times-News. More here.
Question: How many newspaper columnists have you followed for decades, if any?
Huntington Beach, Calif.'s Trevor Windisch, left, doesn't get the tag down in time as Billings, Mont.'s Patrick Zimmer (19) slides safely into second base with a sixth-inning double during a baseball game at the Little League World Series in South Williamsport, Pa., Wednesday. Montana won 1-0 in seven innings to advance to U.S. finals. Story below (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
On her Facebook wall, Frum Helen Back writes: “Went to the Kootenai County fair yesterday with five
grandkids. One got sick from the heat so Dave took her home. That left four but we finally decided we had to leave at 9 last night even though they would have stayed. The youngest was a trouper. They didn't tell me she had puked four times after some of the rides. When we got in the car to go home, I told them to open the windows because she was stinking up our space.”
Question: Do you suffer motion sickeness? And/or: Can you handle the rides at the fair carnival/Silverwood without getting sick? And/or: When did you last puke in a public place?
Entertainers Bob McMeans, center, and Jason Rariden stop to talk to 2-year-old Payton Wilk at the North Idaho Fair on Wednesday. The two are part of a troupe called Fables of the West, based in California, that was featured in commercials for the fair. (SR photo: Jesse Tinsley)
The Idaho Fish & Game Department has contacted the media to say that the grizzly killed by property owner Jeremy Hill was one of the two 2-year-old bear cubs and not the mother bear. The misinformation may have been the result of this line in a news release circulated by the Boundary County commissioners Monday: “The press has stated that the animal was just crossing his property. In fact, it was a female with two sub-adult cubs. Three Grizzly Bears in a yard with your children is at the very least a dangerous situation, and the children must be protected at all costs.” Corrected SR story here.
Question: Does it make a difference to you that the grizzly Jeremy Hill killed was one of the two cubs & not the mother bear?
Apparently, Senate Education Committee Chairman John Goedde is dismissing the overwhelming testimony against online education at 7 hearings around the state. Reports Betsy Russell/Eye On Boise: “He dismissed 
the negative testimony at the public hearings, saying, 'I don't know the makeup of the people that testified. … I was there for the Coeur d'Alene testimony, and without exception, every person that testified was either an educator or a former educator. And I think that is just consistent with their insistence that education reform is a bad thing.'” Betsy goes on to report that Goedde's subcommittee of the state Board of Education voted today to approve a two-online-course requirement for high school graduation in Idaho, starting with next year's freshmen (the class of 2016). Story here.
Question: Do you feel that Sen. John Goedde, R-Coeur d'Alene, represents your interests on the issue of online education that faces a refendum vote in fall 2012?
Otis G provides this feel-good photo & cutline information from the Spokane Valley: “Each year, the City of Spokane Valley Stormwater Utility hires some summer interns to do inventory on our storm drain systems. Last week, Tim Kincaid (who is a current student with the Spokane Community College Water Resources Program) looked in a drywell and found a marmot that had fallen in. It was still alive, so he fished it out and let it go in a field.”
Idaho's courts are obligated to tolerate Rep. Phil Hart's insistence that it respect every single one of his due 
process rights before he pays his taxes. But the Athol Republican's constituents are free to judge Hart's actions now. As his latest legal maneuver makes clear, Hart is — to borrow liberally from Idaho State Tax Commission lawyers - clearly engaged in a “pattern of delay and obstruction.” Hart's claim to fame is that he writes laws for the rest of us to obey while taking a decidedly cavalier approach to following those laws himself/Marty Trillhaase, Lewiston Tribune. More here.
Reaction?
re: MikeK queries county clerk about voter registration “volunteers”/Hucks Online
In an email to Coeur d'Alene Councilman Mike Kennedy that Huckleberries Online received moments ago, Deputy County Clerk Pat Raffee revealed the names of volunteers who culled voter registration rolls looking for unqualified voters: “Hello again Councilman. The volunteers were Collin Coles, Jodi Hissong, Chris 
Pappas and DeDe Tondee. You may know these people; all but one are former appointed public servants. Their unpaid work at County Elections was for a few hours on June 2. Their process included examining addresses for voters registered on what are notable commercial streets, such as Ironwood Drive, Sherman Avenue, Government Way, Seltice Way, 4th Street, Mullan Drive, Aqua Drive, Railroad Avenue, Highway 41, etc. The volunteers examined some County Assessor records to verify a residence through a homeowners’ exemption at that address, or County GIS Mapping information to determine via photographs that a residence was on site. Full email here. (Photos: Mike Kennedy, left, and County Clerk Cliff Hayes)
Question: Any problems with volunteers?
Correction: The Boundary County Sheriff's Department is now reporting that the grizzly shot by Jeremy Hill was one of the cubs, a 2-year-old silvertip, and not the mother grizzly.
A North Idaho man deserves our respect for calling wildlife authorities after he shot a grizzly bear in his yard on 
May. 8. That was the right thing to do. It was a stand-up lesson to the five children Jeremy M. Hill said he was defending in his Porthill-area home. But that doesn’t necessarily mean shooting the bear was the right thing to do. It’s not clear the 2-year-old male silvertip was doing anything more than trying to survive unusually harsh spring conditions along with its mother and sibling, fresh out of their den. Hill, 33, pleaded not guilty in federal court Monday to charges of killing a grizzly, a threatened species protected under the Endangered Species Act/Rich Landers, SR. More here.
Question: Is it wrong to choose up sides before trial for the North Idaho man accused of killing a grizzly bear who'd wandered into his yard with two cubs?
A Berry Picker provided this photo from the North Idaho Fair at the Kootenai County Fairgrounds opening day, featuring Raul Labrador either discussing a child's age — or possibly term limits — in front of the Republican tent at the fairgrounds. (If you get a good photo at the fair, please send it to Huckleberries Online for possible publication)
Item: Without COLA, wages still went up: Cd'A employees got merit increases during tough economic times/Tom Hasslinger, CdA Press
More Info: A records request shows that 58 percent of all city of Coeur d'Alene benefited employees were eligible to receive 5 percent merit pay increases in fiscal year 2009-2010. That was the year the city agreed with its three employee bargaining unions not to give 3 percent Cost of Living increases to all of its employees — as the contracts between the entities outline - due to economic reasons. So the 0 percent increase actually amounted to roughly $283,000 spread over 173 employees, out of 300.
Reaction?
Deanna Goodlander: Since the Reagan Republicans in their infinite wisdom choose to call my City, and by 
inference myself, Mayor and other Council members and City Staff, corrupt, I thought that I would look up the meaning of the word. Corrupt - dictionary.com. guilty of dishonest practice, as bribery…..lacking integrity, crooked, debased in charactor, depraved, wicked evil. How do you react to such name calling? The people I know and work with do not resemble those words in any way. We are simply trying to do our jobs the best way we know how. Others may disagree with our decisions, but does that give them the right to use such words against us? More below.
Question: In a later comment post Reagan Republicans board member Dan Gookin said he would insist that the RR's remove the stickers from its booth. Will one of you check today to see if they have?
I attended the meeting tonight. It was basically a sales pitch for Gozzer by the Council CEO, Tim McCandless. 
Everything about a new camp at a new site was “Great!” while the current Easton was painted as a decrepit money pit. I don’t believe McCandless gets it. Camp Easton is not about the crowded dining hall or the rundown staff cabins. It’s about the physical geography of the place. The new site, at Sunup Bay, comes nowhere near matching the layout of the current camp. Gozzer could build a “premiere camp” (Tim’s words) at Sunup Bay and would still pale in comparison to Easton as it exists right now. He seems to think that kids love Easton because of the buildings, but it’s the land they love. The kids would be happy sleeping on the ground and eating freeze dried stew around a campfire/Idaho Dad. More below.
Question: Should the Boy Scouts concentrate on raising funds to improve Camp Easton rather than swap its prime site for what Idaho Dad considers a lesser one at Sunup Bay?
Michael Ramirez/Investor's Business Daily
I've shaken most of the cobwebs off & am now planning to head to the North Idaho Fair this evening. Mebbe I'll see you out there. Please say hello. Meanwhile, I've shaken off some of my cobwebs from my recent two-week vacation. It's nice to be back with you Berry Pickers. California & Oregon are fine places. North Idaho is better. Now to repost the Wild Card & dream of the huckleberry ice cream that'll be waiting for me at the fair …
Brooks Owens, 3, of Gilbert, Ariz., keeps cool playing in the water at the Splash Playground at Tempe Beach Park in Tempe, Ariz. Tuesday. (AP Photo/East Valley Tribune, Tim Hacker)
The Spokane office of the Boy Scouts of America is awaiting a formal offer from a North Idaho developer before 
considering whether to sell Camp Easton, a 380-acre camp it has operated on Lake Coeur d’Alene since 1929. Tim McCandless, the CEO of the Inland Northwest Council of Boy Scouts, said Wednesday that Discovery Land Co. is offering to trade about 270 acres on the west shore of Lake Coeur d’Alene for about 380 acres at Camp Easton, on the lake’s east shore. Only after Discovery makes an offer will the council look over the deal, he said/Tom Sowa, SR. More here. (SR photo: Addy Hatch)
Question: Should the Boy Scouts sell Camp Easton to Gozzer Ranch developer Discovery Land Co.?
Kevin Hecket, right, holds the bridle of Dolly, one of three dromedary camels giving rides and chats with passersby at the North Idaho Fair Wednesday. The fair opened Wednesday and continues through Sunday. (SR photo: Jesse Tinsley)
Question: Which day will you go to the North Idaho Fair?
Neighbors contacted the SPCA when they noticed a cow with her head firmly stuck in a ladder in a farmer's field in South Ayrshire, Scotland. The farmer does not know how the cow worked herself into the ladder or why the ladder was in his field. The SPCA was able to extract the cow and she was unharmed in the incident. (Photo courtesy: SPCA)
Top Cutlines:
… That Larry Spencer is manning the Kootenai County Republican Central Committee booth at the North Idaho Fair as I write this. The Reagan Republicans have a booth directly across from the union folks. The Reagan Republicans are selling the Corrupt d'Alene bumperstickers.
In this Jan. 10, 2010, AP file photo, Apple CEO Steve Jobs shows off the new iPad during an event in San Francisco. Jobs announced his resignation as Apple CEO today. Story here. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)
Question: How has Steve Jobs impacted your life?
I have 9 tickets, worth $8 each, for free entry into the North Idaho Fair today. 2 individuals who'd asked for 2 tickets apiece gave them up when they discovered that the tickets are good for only today. So anyone who wants at least 2 tickets for the fair this evening need to contact me and get to the office on NW Blvd within the hour.
Regina and the Hill family, surrounded by all the people who bid on and resold Regina before raising $19,588 and then giving Regina back to Jasmine Hill, who raised her. (News Bonners Ferry photo: Mike Weland)
In E.B. White’s “Charlotte’s Web,” Charlotte the spider extolled the virtues of Wilbur, calling him “some pig,” in an attempt to save him from the butcher's block. Had Charlotte been at the fair barn during the 4-H Market animal sale Friday evening, she’d have run out of both web space and words to extol the virtues of Jasmine Hill’s 4-H swine, Regina, who sold 15 times, raising a record $19,558, and who in the end was returned to Jasmine. Like many in attendance, Charlotte would have probably stopped even trying and, like so many who were there, have given in to tears. It was the way this community showed its support to the family of a man who stood up to defend his wife and six children by killing one of three grizzly bears that wandered into his yard May 8, and is now facing federal charges for doing so/Mike Weland, News Bonnes Ferry. More here.
Question: Some fund-raiser, hunh?
I'm way behind the curve re: Herb Huseland's vigil with Bayview hammer-attack victim Yvonne Wallis at Harborview Hospital in Seattle. Herb has been reporting in his Bay Views blog that a bureaucratic snafu 
involving Medicaid reimbursement has prevented Yvonne's release after surgery to fix metal plate inserted in her skull after the Dec. 19, 2010, attack. In an email to Huckleberries, he reports: “The procedure is finished, she has recovered and is ready to go home. I am still here to take her back, after 9 long days. Unfortunately, a regime of antibiotics have been prescribed that amount to $150 per day, which the state will not pay for unless she is in a nursing home or hospital. So here we sit, the hospital room costing Idaho over $400 per day because they can't get off their collective asses to authorize a nursing facility for when she returns. Catch 22 is alive and well. Why they couldn't anticipate the antibiotics prior to this whole situation is beyond me. Meanwhile, I'm running out of money and patience.”
Background:
Question: Can anyone make heads or tails of the bureaucrats' concerns?
A law-enforcement sniper aims at the window of a room Ernesto Bustamante rented at the University Inn-Best Western in Moscow on Tuesday. Bustamante was found dead in his motel room from an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound. Bustamante is suspected of shooting and killing a 22-year-old woman in Moscow on Monday. Story below. (AP Photo/Moscow-Pullman Daily News, Brandon Macz)
Rebel fighters trample on a head of Moammar Gadhafi inside the main compound in Bab al-Aziziya in Tripoli, LIbya, today. Libyan rebels stormed Moammar Gadhafi's main military compound in Tripoli Tuesday after fierce fighting with forces loyal to his regime that rocked the capital as the longtime leader refused to surrender despite the stunning advances by opposition forces. (AP Photo/Sergey Ponomarev)
Investigators from the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office along with volunteers from the Kootenai County Search 
and Rescue have spent the past couple of days scouring the area near the Coeur d’Alene River, south of Rose Lake where human bones were found over the weekend. Investigators report that additional bones were found and they are now preparing to send them to a forensic anthropologist in Seattle for dating and possible identification. Investigators hope to be able to compare dental records of missing persons from the region with the remains that were found by campers on Saturday/KCSD news release. More here.
The Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office is requesting assistance from the public in its current investigation of the hit and run accident that occurred on August 16 about 8:45 p.m. on Garwood Road, north of the city of Hayden, Idaho. The 20-year-old female victim was riding her horse in the area when the horse was struck from behind causing serious injuries to the rider. The vehicle was described as a dark colored full size pickup with a contractor’s or similar rack. Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Jason Austin at the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office at (208) 446-1300.
On her Facebook wall, SR colleague Meghann Cuniff writes that she's going to the North Idaho Fair with a friend today — to count mullets. And she invited her Facebook Friends to join her mullet-count party. Quoth Meghann: “This fair is the best.” How about you?
Question: Have you ever worn a mullet?
A psychology professor who shot and killed a graduate student at the University of Idaho had threatened the 
young woman in the past, according to court documents filed in the case.Police say Ernesto Bustamante shot and killed Katherine Benoit Monday night on the front porch of her off-campus apartment. Bustamante, an professor in the Psychology and Communications Department, killed himself at a hotel a few hours later. Court documents obtained by kxly reveal the two had a sexual relationship which deteriorated earlier this year, and that Benoit complained to the University of Idaho about Bustamante's behavior. Benoit's roommate told police, “Benoit complained Bustamante had pointed a handgun at her on multiple occasions and put the gun in her mouth at one point”/Executive Producer Melissa Luck, KXLY. More here.
Question: Am I the only one who's amazed that a person as troubled as Bustamante could work as a psychology department prof at the University of Idaho?
In a second e-mail to Pat Raffee at the office of County Clerk Cliff Hayes (right), Coeur d'Alene Councilman Mike Kennedy (left) writes: “In a press release that you sent out in June, you indicated that the Clerk’s office was using “volunteers” to 
review voters and decide what voters’ registration and/or residency should be challenged. Can you please detail the process, please list the volunteers used, and list what voters have been challenged in the process and the outcomes of those challenges? I am hearing concerns from my constituents and other elected officials about whether the process being undertaken is open, transparent, and not ideologically motivated, considering that none of the “volunteers” have yet been publicly named and the process for these voter registration challenges is still unclear as an election cycle is upon us.”
Question: Should the county clerk reveal the names of volunteers scoring his voter registration lists?
Idaho's citizens' redistricting commission is on hiatus this week — but in politics, there are no vacations. Today, it was the Republicans' turn to lobby charges at their three Democratic counterparts, accusing them of derailing the remapping by injecting “raw partisanship” into the process. The GOP's claim goes as follows: The Democrats reneged on supporting a plan to redraw the state's two congressional districts, and have since blocked efforts to redraw the state's 35 legislative districts/Kevin Richert, Idaho Statesman. More here.
Question: Who do you blame for lack of concensus for the current redistricting attempt — Republicans, Democrats, the process?
Huckleberries wonders if the officers who cited three females for open container and/or a minor in 
possession of alcohol had ever heard the excuse they used to explain why they were drinking in their vehicle. Seems the officers spotted them drinking in the vehicle at 11:35 Saturday, Aug. 13. They told officers, according to the Aug. 11-14 Downtown Coeur d'Alene Bar Report, that they were “trying to save money by not paying bar drink costs.” Now, it's time to catch up from my recent vacay by providing the last two Downtown Coeur d'Alene Bar Reports here and here.
After retrieving a high pick off throw from Cleveland Indians catcher Carlos Santana, Indians third baseman Jack Hannahan flips over Seattle Mariners baserunner Brendan Ryan as he steals third in the fifth inning of a baseball game in Cleveland today. The Mariners are leading Cleveland 9-2 in the top of the 9th, behind the pitching of Felix Hernandez. Boxscore here. (AP Photo/Amy Sancetta)
Seems County Clerk Cliff Hayes (pictured) has been a busy elected official while I was on vacation, withdrawing extension offices at local City Halls that made it easier for his constituents to vote absentee during election 
years. Hayes claims that he made the move because, after all these years, the polling places aren't secure enough for his liking and he wants to save money. Cindy posted a story about this on Monday here. Today, Councilman Mike Kennedy e-mailed this message to Hayes' Girl Friday, Pat Raffee: “Can you help us understand how much money was received by the County Clerk’s office for the new election changes from the state and a specific accounting of how that money is being used? Considering that financial matters were cited by your office in reducing service to make voting more accessible for voters in cities in the county, and in the last election it appears that the cost of the satellite office in Coeur d’Alene was roughly a mere $750, it would be helpful for us to understand where the state tax windfall monies are going for the elections.”
Question: Is County Clerk Cliff Hayes looking out for your best interests by eliminating absentee voting at local City Halls?
Dustin Hurst tweets: “I lost my wallet in another state recently. Someone from the town in which I lost it just mailed it to me. Wow. Amazed at the generosity.” The Twitter message reminded me of the time decades ago when my wife left her purse at a restaurant in The Dalles during a trip back from the Oregon Coast. We didn't notice it until our VW Rabbit broke down at Arlington along the Columbia (which is a separate story). Long & short, the purse was turned in to the restaurant manager, who sent it to us in Kalispell. We were also amazed.
Question: Have you ever lost your wallet & purse? What was the outcome?
On her Blush Response blog, Nicole Hensley offers the final installment of creative workplace spaces, including the one above which spotlighted my corner on Northwest Boulevard. Writes Nicole: “These are a selection of a few Twitter users that graciously agreed to let me in their space to show the world just how messy (or neat) their desk is. I picked a vast choice of individuals from stay-at-home fathers kicking off their photography business or the guy that’s been sending you those lightbulbs in the mail. You’ve seen them on Twitter. You may follow them. They may follow you.” Check out others she spotlighted and Nicole's past looks at workspaces of regional people here.
Question: Do you consider your workplace space unique?
Rep. Marv Hagedorn, R-Meridian, (pictured) who co-sponsored a 2011 bill that would have allowed concealed weapons 
holders to take guns on campus, wrote University of Idaho President Duane Nellis late Tuesday. Teaching gun safety “could have possibly served as a deterrent to the shooter had he really understood what the mis-use of his gun really meant to her and her family as well as his,” Hagedorn wrote. Hagedorn began his email with a quotation from a statement issued by Nellis earlier Tuesday, after police said graduate student Kathryn Beniot was killed by an assistant professor who resigned Saturday. The professor, Ernesto Bustamante, later shot himself, police said. Wrote Nellis: “I am deeply committed to keeping our students safe and preparing them for a bright future. That is certainty”/Dan Popkey, Idaho Statesman. More here.
Question: Should Rep. Marv Hagedorn have commented on this murder-suicide?
The Republican establishment inside the Washington Beltway may be pining for new candidates to enter the 
race for president, but two-thirds of influential local Republicans surveyed by The Huffington Post and Patch in the early primary and caucus states are satisfied with their choices. And while Sarah Palin is gearing up for a major speech in Iowa, just 8 percent want her to run. Sixty-three percent of the 169 influential Republicans surveyed in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina in our second HuffPost-Patch Power Outsiders poll say they are satisfied with the candidates now running for president, while just 36 percent say they want to see more candidates get into the race/KHQ. More here. (AP file photo)
Question: Are you surprised that so few of the GOP establishment want Sarah Palin to run for president?
More than a third of Idaho women over 40 did not receive important breast cancer screening in the last two years, reports the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare. That places Idaho last out of 50 states and the District of Columbia in cancer screening mammogram rates. The Cancer Data Registry of Idaho estimates there are over 122,000 Idaho women over the age of 40 who have not had a mammogram in the previous two years/Coeur d'Alene Press. More here.
Question: Any idea why Idaho would rank last for breast cancer screening?
Item: Smokey's story Coming soon to a TV near you: Horse, Post Falls owner to appear on national reality TV series/Brian Walker, Coeur d'Alene Press
More Info: After BB's Smokey Dun collided head on with another horse last year, owner Diane Robson said her decision to put him down was “immediate.” “There was no question in my mind that he had broken his shoulder,” Robson said of the accident during opening ceremonies of the Spokane Interstate Rodeo. But Smokey had other ideas.
Question: Have you ever had to make a tough decision to put down a pet that was injured or extremely sick?
A Moscow police officer uses a video camera in a room rented by Ernesto Bustamante at the University Inn-Best Western in Moscow on Tuesday. Bustamante is suspected of shooting and killing a 22-year-old woman in Moscow on Monday. Story here and here. AP Photo/Moscow-Pullman Daily News, Geoff Crimmins)
Item: Coroner busts budget: Wilkey: High number of autopsies is to blame/Alecia Warren, CdA Press
More Info: Due to a high number of autopsies, the Kootenai County commissioners have injected an extra $50,000 into the coroner's budget to make it to the end of the fiscal year next month. “She told us what she had for current payables and what was projected through September,” said Commissioner Jai Nelson. The budget for autopsies will also increase next fiscal year, from this year's $135,000 to $150,000. The commissioners want to take a closer look at the coroner's expenditures, Nelson added.
Question: Do you blame autopsies or inexperience for the budget busting in the coroner's office?
Item: Not guilty plea entered in federal case of shot grizzly: Officials, many in community question prosecution of father/Becky Kramer, SR
More Info: “It seems unjust to me that someone would be charged when they were protecting their family,” state Sen. Shawn Keough, R-Sandpoint, said after the hearing. “I’m at a loss to understand why the U.S. government is pursuing this in the manner they are.”
Question: Did the U.S. government goof in filing this case?
Facebook said Tuesday it would roll out new controls for sharing personal information on the social network 
later this week, giving its more than 750 million users new tools to manage who can see information about them. On Thursday, the company plans to move a number of privacy controls — which previously required navigating to a separate settings page — to users' homes pages and profile pages, next to where they view and post content. Facebook and other social networks have at times been criticized for designs that lead users to inadvertently share information with a wider audience than they intended/Fox News. More here. (AP photo: Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg)
Question: What is your biggest problem with Facebook?
After taking a closer look at the Washington monument Tuesday, National Park Service officials found some 
cracks at the very top of the world's tallest obelisk. Structural engineers plan to continue examining the monument Wednesday to decide how to best fix the 127-year old structure, which remains closed indefinitely after a 5.8 Earthquake struck Tuesday near Mineral, Virginia. The monument is the highest profile structure to suffer damage, perhaps because it is also the tallest: 555 feet. The landmark in downtown Washington near the White House is also the world's tallest stone structure/CBS News Political Hot Sheet. More here. (AP photo)
Question: Which monument in Washington, D.C., is your favorite?
Signe Wilkinson/Philadelphia Inquirer
It's Tuesday! Oh, happy day, DFO will be back tomorrow. Unless he didn't get enough of a blog break— you never know.
He sure does earn his vacation days. Riding herd on a blog like Huck's online can be exhausting. In fact, I won't be around much myself today. I still go out and interview people and report stories. Today, I'll talk to mother/daughter cheerleading coaches and check out a neighborhood running club. Hard hitting stuff to be sure!
In the meantime, here's your Wild Card. You know the drill.
Indian youth make a human pyramid to reach and break the Dahi Handi, an earthen pot filled with yoghurt, as they celebrate Janamashtami, the birth anniversary of Hindu God Krishna in Mumbai, India, Monday, Aug. 22, 2011.
A new non-partisan fiscal policy center is being launched in Idaho, with Mike Ferguson, former longtime state chief economist, chosen to head it.
The Idaho Center for Fiscal Policy will be housed at the Mountain States Group, and is funded by a grant from the Northwest Area Foundation. “The whole idea behind the center is to provide an independent, nonpartisan, unbiased source of factual information and analysis relating to Idaho's fiscal policies,” Ferguson said, “in particular the revenue stream, but it'll also of necessity have to deal with issues on the spending side – basically that's why you raise revenue in the first place, the whole question of adequacy.” Betsy Russell, EOB More here.
Thoughts?
This 152 Cessna plane crashed near Priest Lake today. The pilot, Dr. John Hershey of Chattaroy, was hospitalized.
A Chattaroy man is in the hospital after he crashed his small plane at Priest Lake today.
Dr. John Hershey was conscious when emergency crews found his wrecked Cessna plane at the Cavanagh Bay airstrip, on the south end of Priest Lake in Coolin, Idaho.
Witnesses said Hershey was trying to land when the plane veered off the runway about 11 a.m.
Hershey was taken by MedStar helicopter to Kootenai Medical Center, where he is listed in critical condition
TACOMA, Wash. – A woman caused an accident SR 512 on Monday when she lost control of her vehicle as she was giving another driver “the bird,” the Washington State Patrol said.
The 23-year-old woman, driving a 2004 Taurus, was traveling eastbound next to a Subaru Outback, the State Patrol said.
She wanted to get over to the right lane, but it was occupied so she flipped off the driver of the Outback. As she was doing so she lost control of her vehicle and hit the back end of the Outback, causing it to run off the road and roll over. She ended up in a ditch further down the roadway.
Three people were taken to the hospital with minor injuries.
The woman faces charges up to reckless driving.
Do you make a habit of flipping people off?
For President Obama, the NATO air war in Libya was driven by a humanitarian impulse: to prevent the slaughter of Libyan civilians. On March 28, in fact, Mr. Obama said the United States would not stand by and allow a massacre that would have “stained the conscience of the world.”
Now the war is ending with Muammar Qaddafi, who ordered attacks on civilians in the city of Benghazi, apparently on the run. Will that same humanitarian rationale now be needed in post-Qaddafi Libya? Read more.
Thoughts?
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Genna Saucedo supervises cashiers at a Wal-Mart in Pico Rivera, California, but her wages aren't enough to feed herself and her 12-year-old son.
Saucedo, who earns $9.70 an hour for about 26 hours a week and lives with her mother, is one of the many Americans who survive because of government handouts in what has rapidly become a food stamp nation.
Altogether, there are now almost 46 million people in the United States on food stamps, roughly 15 percent of the population. That's an increase of 74 percent since 2007, just before the financial crisis and a deep recession led to mass job losses. More here.
Does this statistic surprise or concern you?
Breast cancer survivors pose for a group photograph behind the INB Preforming Arts Center on Sunday, April 17, 2011.
More than a third of Idaho women over 40 did not receive important breast cancer screening in the last two years, reports the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare. That places Idaho last out of 50 states and the District of Columbia in cancer screening mammogram rates.
The Cancer Data Registry of Idaho estimates there are over 122,000 Idaho women over the age of 40 who have not had a mammogram in the previous two years. “Mammography screening is an important tool in making early diagnosis of breast cancer and saving lives,” says Patti Moran, who heads up the cancer program at the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare. “Idaho has consistently ranked at or near the bottom for breast cancer screening. We want Idaho women to take note, and if they are 40 or older and haven't had a mammogram this year, to make an appointment today to get screened. It could save their life.”
Have you or anyone you know been affected by breast cancer?
People stand in Foley Square in New York after being evacuated from the federal and state buildings that surround it Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2011.
MINERAL, Va. — A 5.9-magnitude earthquake centered in Virginia forced evacuations of all the memorials and monuments on the National Mall in Washington and rattled nerves from South Carolina to Martha’s Vineyard, the Massachusetts island where President Barack Obama is vacationing.
A District of Columbia fire department spokesman said there were numerous injuries, no reports of serious injuries or deaths.
My brother and his wife are in DC as he wraps up his 30-year career with the State Department. No news is good news, right?
DuaneRasmussen on Montanan tapped as Idaho lands director on August 23 at 1:01 p.m.
I am amazed. We hear about this but nothing about the grizzly bear case which drew so many people to federal court in Coeur d’Alene today. What is up with that?
Is no one on this blog interested in the fate of Jeremy Hill and his family? And if so why?
Here's the story Duane references. As I said earlier, I've been away from my desk most of the day. But I too, would like to know your thoughts about the Jeremy Hill case,
A man wades through a flooded street after Hurricane Irene hit the area of Naguabo, Puerto Rico, on Monday. Irene could reach the U.S. mainland by the end of the week.
NAGUA, Dominican Republic – A rapidly strengthening Hurricane Irene roared off the Dominican Republic’s resort-dotted northern coast on Monday, whipping up high waves and torrential downpours on a track that could see it reach the U.S. Southeast as a major storm by the end of the week.
Have you ever experienced a natural disaster?
The Idaho Land Board, from left, Attorney General Lawrence Wasden, Secretary of State Ben Ysursa, Gov. Butch Otter and state Controller Donna Jones, meets Tuesday to hire a new state lands director.
BOISE - Idaho’s state Land Board has voted unanimously to hire Tom Schultz, current administrator of trust land management for the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, as Idaho’s new state lands director.
Schultz replaces George Bacon, a longtime department employee and the director from 2007 until about a month ago, when he retired; Schultz was chosen from among four finalists, including two from within the department. Betsy Russell, SR
Michael Jordan in 1998.
A lot goes into being a pro athlete—hard training, raw talent, the ability to perform under pressure. But for some stars, a little superstitious reasoning is the added edge they need to get into the zone.
Whether it's drinking urine or talking to goal posts, these 10 athletes have used weird rituals to help take their game to the next level. Full story.
Michael Jordan, Serena Williams and Wade Boggs made the list. How about you? Are you superstititious?
Lia Whitmore has sustained several concussions in her career playing soccer so she now wears a head brace for protection.
School physical. Check. Immunization record. Check. Emergency contact. Check. Head examined. Huh?
Back to school means back to sports for many student athletes, but before they get their heads in the game, a greater number of them will be getting baseline concussion scans, which can improve treatment if they suffer a blow to the head.
Several recent high-profile sports-related head injuries, including the one sustained by former Florida Gators quarterback Tim Tebow, have highlighted the importance of proper concussion management. As a result, more high schools, and now a leading sporting goods retailer, are stepping up to the plate to make sure athletes receive baseline testing in time for fall sports.
My son had this done when he started football and I think it's a great idea. Have you ever had a concussion?
COEUR d'ALENE - This year's highlights: More beer, but not everywhere.
Plus a post-rodeo shindig, and discounted tickets online.
On Monday, vendors were already arranging their wares and workers installing towering carnival rides on the Kootenai County Fairgrounds, in preparation for the 2011 North Idaho Fair and Rodeo. The fair officially opens Wednesday. More here. Alecia Warren, Cda Press
Gave away a lot of fair tickets last week. Today's your last chance to pick them up by 5 PM at the SR Cda office.
Do you plan to attend the Fair? What's your favorite thing about it?
Dr. James Levine, of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., demonstrates how to operate the Walkstation at the Steelcase showroom in Manhattan in 2007.
In an 18-year career at the University of Michigan, where she’s a customer service center supervisor in the payroll department, Jackie Adams figures she’s done a whole lot of sitting.
And that scares her.
So when her department installed a treadmill desk, Adams started using it to fit a little bit more exercise into her day. More here.
How much sitting do you do during the day?
Joey Bonacci displays his triathlon medal.
Joey Bonacci is only 5 years old, but he’s training for his second triathlon.
He asks his baby sitter to time him as he sprints across his Hayden lawn. He took swimming lessons this winter so he’d be more comfortable in the water. And he packs milk in his lunch because it’s better “fuel” than soda. Full story. Alison Boggs, SR
Have you ever competed in a triathlon?
Latest in a seemingly never-ending series on nature’s attempt to murder me.
As I write these words I am trying to ignore a red, itchy welt on my left wrist.
Itchy tells only part of the story. There is burning, too, as if some fiend were intermittently jabbing the center of the welt with the business end of a flame-heated needle.
This has been driving me crazy since the other night, when I was attacked while sitting on my deck by the al-Qaida of the insect world …
The yellow jacket. Doug Clark, SR.
Have yellow jackets or bees got you yet this season?
The University of Idaho assistant professor accused of shooting and killing a 22-year-old female at a residence on South Lilly Street in Moscow on Monday night is dead, according to the Moscow-Pullman Daily News.
Moscow Police said they served a search warrant at the University Inn-Best Western around 7:45 a.m. and found the body of Ernesto A. Bustamante, apparently dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, the newspaper’s website says.
The University of Idaho issued a statement this morning saying that Bustamante is a “former faculty member who worked at the university from 2007 to 2011.” He was an assistant professor in the department of psychology and communication studies. More here.
COEUR d'ALENE - They can manage for now.
But some providers of non-mandated services in Kootenai County worry that upcoming budget cuts are the beginning of a long fall.
More important for us is the long-term implications,” said Mike Howell, district director for the University of Idaho Extension Office. “I don't think we want to go through this every year.”
The commissioners announced last week that county funding for the Extension Office would drop about $20,000 to $140,000, in their proposed 2011-12 budget. Alecia Warren, Cda Press Read more.
Thoughts?
A man walks in a star wars dress at the gamescom 2011 computer game fair in Cologne, Germany, Thursday, Aug. 18, 2011.
You write the cutline.
MILWAUKEE – Mention Amazon to the incoming class of college freshmen and they are more likely to think of shopping than the South American river. PC doesn’t stand for political correctness and breaking up on Facebook is more common than any more personal encounter.
These are among the 75 references on this year’s Beloit College Mindset List, a compilation intended to remind teachers that college freshmen born mostly in 1993 see the world in a much different way:
How aware are you of cultural trends/changes?
Before judging, hear the pitch.
The Inland Northwest Council of Boy Scouts of America is holding town meetings this week to explain Discovery Land Company's offer to purchase Camp Easton, and why the organization is considering accepting.
“We hope to fully inform folks of more details of the proposal being considered, answer questions and get their feedback,” said Tim McCandless, scout executive for the Inland Northwest Council.Alecia Warren, Cda Press Full story.
How concerned are you about the proposed sale?
For many of us, a morning without coffee or tea is a like the proverbial day without sunshine. For me, much of it is about the ritual.
OK, who am I kidding? It’s about the caffeine. Mmm, I love caffeine — that naturally occurring alkaloid found in the leaves, seeds, and fruits of more than 63 plant species worldwide. But at what risk do I indulge in my morning coffee and afternoon espresso?
Caffeine is most famous for its role as a stimulant and its ability to delay fatigue. I clearly get a boost of energy and clarity, as had been scientifically proven. But caffeine has also acquired a bad-boy reputation — an unfair one, perhaps? Read more.
How do you get your daily caffeine intake, coffee, tea, other?
The Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial is seen Monday in Washington, D.C., ahead of its dedication Sunday, the 48th anniversary of the March on Washington.
WASHINGTON – Some were locals who’ve watched for years as the memorial to the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. took shape on the National Mall. Some were tourists who happened to be in Washington the day it opened. All felt honored to be a part of history as they gazed at a towering granite sculpture of the civil rights leader.
What other leader/s do you think deserves a national momument?
In this photo from the mid-1930s: A seaplane takes off from the Coeur d’Alene waterfront. In the center of the photo is the millworks where the Coeur d’Alene Resort now stands. Tubbs Hill is in the background.
On Friday's wild card and on his facebook page Herb Huseland shared what he's been up to this weekend. He took his neighbor, Yvonne Wallis, to the UW Medical Center in Seattle for surgery.
Wallis, you may remember, was one of the victims of a brutal hammer attack in December, that left another woman dead.
Sez Herb, “I'm just a grumpy old man that didn't have anything better to do and wanted to help.”
He may be a grumpy old man but he's got a heart of gold, makes a killer potato salad and plays a mean banjo. I for one am happy that he's part of our Huckleberry family. You can read his latest update here.
Here's your Wild Card.
Idahoans increasingly are being targeted in a “phishing” scam in which people receive calls that claim to come from their bank, suggest that their account has been compromised, and ask the victim to provide information to reactivate the card.
The Idaho Attorney General's office today issued a “Consumer Alert” about the scam, which often uses the name of Wells Fargo bank. More here.
Have you ever been the target of a phone phishing scam?
In this photo provided by the Oregon State Police, a marijuana growing operation is shown in in Northeast Oregon on Friday, June 17, 2011.
PULLMAN – The Pullman City Council will discuss medical marijuana and the possible regulation of newly approved “community gardens” at its regular meeting Tuesday.
The discussion is prompted by recent changes in state law, which took effect July 22. The law now allows up to 10 patients to join together and raise “community gardens” for the purpose of supplying themselves with medical marijuana. Each garden would be limited to a maximum of 45 marijuana plants. More here.
Community marijuana gardens: good idea or bad idea?
A Missouri teacher has sued the state over a new law that prevents teachers from contacting their students over the Internet, arguing that it will make it illegal for her to chat with her own child over Facebook.
The law, which has been nicknamed the Facebook law, prohibits teachers from having exclusive communications with students over non-work Internet sites. Students are defined as anyone under 18 who attend or used to attend the school where the teacher works. Full story.
Do you think teachers should be allowed to contact students via facebook?
High school students scream on the Corkscrew roller coaster at Silverwood Theme Park in 2009.
When Corkscrew first opened at Knott's Berry Farm in 1975, it achieved two things of historical significance. Corkscrew was not only the first modern inverting coaster in the world, but it also was the first roller coaster to take riders upside down twice. Silverwood owner Gary Norton purchased and relocated the ride in 1990 to the park where it continues to thrill guests today.
On this coming Friday and Saturday August 26th and 27th, ACE – American Coaster Enthusiasts, the world’s largest ride enthusiast organization – will bring a group to come play in the park as well as present owner, Gary Norton, with a 2 foot by 1 and a ½ foot metal plaque. Inscribed on the plaque is a short history of the ride as well as a recognition of Silverwood’s efforts in preserving this historic coaster. Silverwood Press Release
Rode the Corkscrew at Knotts Berry Farm many years ago, after my husband assured me it only went upside down once. He was wrong. We are still married, but the only Corkscrew I'm a fan of is in my kitchen.
Do you enjoy rollercoasters?
Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney is planning to nearly quadruple the size of his $12 million California beachfront mansion.
Romney, a former Massachusetts governor and the nominal front-runner for the GOP’s 2012 presidential nomination, is planning to bulldoze his 3,009-square-foot home facing the Pacific Ocean in La Jolla, Calif., and replace it with an 11,062-square-foot home, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune.
The Union-Tribune reported late Saturday that Romney has filed an application with the city for a coastal development permit, but that no date has been set to consider the project.
A Romney campaign official confirmed the report, saying the Romneys want to “enlarge their two-bedroom home because with five married sons and 16 grandchildren it is inadequate for their needs.
Um… 11,062-square-feet seems like a lot of house, but your thoughts may differ.
Crowds fill the boardwalk at the Coeur d’Alene Resort on Saturday during the annual Coeur d’Alene Wooden Boat Show. Jesse Tinsley SR photo
On the water, the vintage hydroplanes move forward fast, but their existence is steeped in the past.
Inland Northwest residents caught a glimpse of history in Coeur d’Alene this weekend at Hydros, Hot Rods and Harleys, an event sponsored by the Diamond Cup Hydromaniacs featuring vintage piston-powered hydroplanes, vintage hot rods and custom cars, and a motorcycle show. It was held in conjunction with the annual Coeur d’Alene Wooden Boat Show. Chelsea Bannach, SR
Did you enjoy the festivities this weekend? How were the crowds?
One of these days I'm going to __________
Jim Sutton of Spokane displays arrows with lighted nocks, which he believes should be allowed for hunting in Washington.
A Spokane sportsman says the state should consider his bright idea for reducing the number of deer and elk wasted by archery hunters.
“Allowing lighted nocks is a no-brainer to me,” said Jim Sutton, referring to an LED light in the fletching end of an arrow that illuminates upon release by the bowstring’s thrust.
Washington hunting regulations prohibit the use of certain modern and electronic equipment such as lighted sights and nocks for use during the special primitive weapons seasons. Rich Landers, SR Full story.
Seems to me lighted arrow nocks might be a good idea. What do you think?
Alison Cassem and her husband, Bruce, check out used bikes Friday at Lone Wolf Harley-Davidson in Spokane Valley.
The new Lone Wolf Harley-Davison megastore in Spokane Valley is more than a motorcycle dealership.
It’s a regional hub for Harley riders and fans, said Beth Ernst, dealer principal.
“People will actually just come here and meet and have a place to hang out,” Ernst said. “It’s an experience.”
The store, 19011 E. Cataldo Ave., is 70,000 square feet filled with bikes, apparel and other gear, a lounge with Wi-Fi, pool and foosball, and a large fireplace. Full story. Chelsea Bannach, SR
Are you a Harley fan?
Airline passengers annoyed by add-on fees will be pleased that Spokane International Airport is listening.
Passenger surveys in recent years have shown that people who fly, many of whom are business travelers, want free wireless access at the airport.
Starting today, laptop users will get 20 minutes of wireless Internet before fees kick in.MIke Prager, SR Read more.
What other changes would you like to see at Spokane International Airport?
WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama insisted the U.S. is not in danger of falling into another recession, but acknowledged in a televised interview aired Sunday that his re-election will hinge on the economy.
In the interview with CBS News taped last week – after a new Gallup poll found just 26 percent approve of the way he is handling the economy – Obama said, “I’m the president of the United States and when people aren’t happy with what’s happening in Washington … I’m going to be impacted just like Congress is. And you know, I completely understand that and we expected that.”
Another recession unlikely— agree or disagree?
On Sunday, rafters, kayakers and canoeists protest the proposal to build docks along the Spokane River.
The mood was better than anticipated when more than two dozen kayakers, canoeists and rafters set out from Plantes Ferry Park to protest 30 private docks proposed for the Coyote Rock development along the Spokane River.
On Friday, the environmental groups behind Sunday’s protest float were notified that the developer of Coyote Rock – Coeur d’Alene-based Neighborhood Inc. – is ready to negotiate, and a hearing before the state Pollution Control Hearings Board that was supposed to start today has been postponed. Pia Hallenberg, SR Read more.
How do you feel about the possibility of private docks along the Spokane River?
If Idaho went with a federal health insurance exchange, rather than starting its own, state Insurance Director Bill Deal said as many as 2,500 Idaho insurance agents who are licensed for health and life insurance only could go out of business.
“I think there would be no question that agents would probably not be needed in the exchange, using the federal concept,” Deal told lawmakers. “I think it would be a definite economic disaster from the standpoint of more unemployment,” he said. Betsy Russell, EOB
Betsy Russell is covering the discussion in Boise here re: a health insurance exchange. “Otter said Idaho is not “at a crossroads,” at which it must decide - by Sept. 30 - whether or not to apply for a $40 million federal grant to build a new Idaho state insurance exchange.”
What do you think would be best for Idaho?
Burger King CEO John W. Chidsey, background center, watches as “The King” – the mascot of Burger King Corp. – arrives at the New York Stock Exchange in New York in 2006.
PORTLAND – The King is dead, but the burger lives on.
Burger King Corp. on Friday said it is retiring “The King” mascot, a man with an oversized plastic head and creepy smile who in recent years has been shown in ads peeping into people’s windows and popping up next to them in bed.
The move is an effort by the struggling fast food chain to boost slumping sales by focusing its marketing on the freshness of its food rather than the funny-factor of its ads. Read more.
The King always creeped me out. But then again so does Ronald McDonald and Jack from Jack-in-the-Box.
What's your favorite fast food place? (And don't act like you NEVER eat fast food!)
BOISE – Idaho’s citizen redistricting commission appeared to move toward compromise last week, but after weeks of partisan impasse, it’s worth asking: What happens if the commission fails to agree by its September deadline?
“My personal opinion is the Supreme Court would recognize the constitutional duty of the commission to do reapportionment, and I personally believe would kick it back to them, and tell them to reconvene again,” Idaho Secretary of State Ben Ysursa said.
Ten years ago, when the commission reached a plan that was challenged in court, the Supreme Court reconvened the commission to redraw it. Betsy Russell, SR
Do you think the redistricting commission will reach a compromise?
The Coeur d'Alene Tribe believes it was unfairly stung by a Press report published last weekend, then circulated widely by other media. The story detailed how the tribe no longer makes public disclosure of its gifts to educational entities in and around the reservation. According to the story, five local school districts contacted by The Press all indicated they had not received any funding from the tribe since it had decided two years ago not to announce its donations publicly.
The tribe says it has made donations as set forth in its gaming compact with the state of Idaho; a voter-approved agreement that requires the tribe to donate 5 percent of its net income from gambling to educational entities “on or near the reservation.”
Exactly when those donations are made, and to whom, is completely up to tribal discretion, according to the tribe's spokesman, Helo Hancock. Hancock added that there was consternation among the tribe over what some felt was an unfair portrayal of the situation, and that insult was added to injury because The Press obviously was not taking tribal and Idaho Lottery officials' word at face value that the disbursements had been appropriately made. More here. Cda Press
Do you think it would be prudent of the tribe to disclose when/who received the required educational disbursements?
Padraig Harrington, of Ireland, uses one of his wood covers to aid with his arm position while practicing on the driving range during the Pro-Am of the Wyndham Championship, at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, N.C., Wednesday, Aug. 17, 2011.
Slow day for the cutline contest but Charlie and Santa Fe, there's free fair ticket for you at the Cda SR office. If you want them, pick them up before 5 on Tuesday!
JeanieSpokane on Sandra Martinson pleads guilty on August 21 at 4:24 p.m.
Sorry - it bugs me when people use an illness as “punishment enough” (e.g., “Sandy’s already been sentenced, by a Judge much higher than Fred Gibler, via confinement to a body ravaged by MS”). So, my disability and terminal illness - End Stage Renal Disease - means I can commit a pretty hefty crime - stealing from the public to benefit myself. Dang! Where do I sign up???
Jeanie was responding to a comment from JohnA who is a friend and former colleague of Sandra Martinson. Sez John: “Jail time in real terms would serve no earthly purpose except to placate the lynch mob mentality some in society possess.”
What say you?
COEUR D’ALENE, Idaho (AP) — The Kootenai County clerk says city halls in the county aren’t secure enough to house absentee ballots so anyone wanting to cast such a ballot early and in person in future elections will have to do so at the Kootenai County Elections Office in Coeur d’Alene.
Cliff Hayes also says it’s too expensive to provide staff to work at the absentee polling sites. The Coeur d’Alene Press reports in a story published Sunday that it will be the first time in decades that several Kootenai County municipalities won’t have their city halls open for early ballot voting.
Some Post Falls and Coeur d’Alene officials are unhappy with the change, noting it will make voting more difficult.
Good idea or bad idea?
Green
Kootenai County commissioners are proposing a 2012 budget almost $3 million higher than this year’s, but they say property taxes won’t increase because $4 million will be used from reserve funds.
Several county reserve funds have risen to levels well beyond what is needed, said Commissioner Dan Green, who took office in January. “We are going to draw them down to prudent levels,” Green said. “Right now we have extra money.” Full story. Alison Boggs, SR
Reaction?
People celebrate the capture in Tripoli of Moammar Gadhafi’s son and one-time heir apparent, Seif al-Islam, at the rebel-held town of Benghazi, Libya, early today.
BENGHAZI, Libya – The long, brutal reign of Col. Moammar Gadhafi appeared to collapse Sunday as rebels swept into Tripoli, captured two of his sons and set off wild street celebrations in a capital that he’d ruled by fear for more than four decades, Libyan and NATO officials said. Full story.
Care to speculate on the fate of Moammar Gadhafi?
A former Kootenai County deputy clerk accused of embezzling $139,000 over 10 years pleaded guilty Friday to a single count of grand theft.
Sandra Martinson, 62, retired in November from her career with the county, which spanned more than three decades. The embezzlement is alleged to have occurred for 10 years, ending in October.
Because of Martinson’s long employment with Kootenai County, Bonner County Prosecutor Louis Marshall is handling the case. Alison Boggs, SR More.
Reaction?
I'm happy to say that I've already finished our back-to-school shopping. The thing about having all boys is no one wants to shop with me, which is cool, because I'm a strictly git-er-done shopper.
Took me about an hour last Saturday. Jeans, white sport socks, boxers, t-shirts and hoodies. Shoes are a bit trickier. I just have to remember sizes and keep up with what “brands” are acceptable for my one son who actually knows clothing brands.
Piece o' cake.
Which leaves my weekend free for things that are more fun, including box seats at the Spokane Indians game tonight!
Share your weekend plans or anything else on this Wild Card.
Don Sausser snapped this pic of a crane preparing for hydroplane weekend.
Are you going to check out the hydroplanes?
I get a lot of press releases as part of my job. This one landed in my inbox yesterday and it cracked me up!
REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL HOPEFULS MICHELE BACHMANN, MITT ROMNEY THE TEA PARTY MOVEMENT IN COMIC BOOKS
“It is no secret that the United States' 2012 Presidential Campaign is under way and already Minn. Rep. Michele Bachmann, former Mass. Governor Mitt Romney and, of course, the Tea Party Movement are making headlines. Bluewater Comics is returning to their political roots with bio comics on each of them as part of their “Political Power” line.
Beginning with “Political Power: Michele Bachmann” in November 2011 and “Political Power: Mitt Romney” along with “Political Power: The Tea Party Movement” due out in December 2011, each comic presents a middle-of-the-road approach chronicling the lives and history of the three.”
I think I'll hold out for the action figures.
Here's your Wild Card.
Jessica Alba stars in “Spy Kids: All the Time in the World.”
#1 Jessica Albas stand in will not be upstaged. Charlie
#2 Born with a condition that prevents her legs from reaching the floor, scientists were able to clone a full-sized Jessica Alba onto the child’s back to provide her with hand gesture controlled locomotion. Phaedrus
#3 Coming this fall, the newest bestest superhero ever, Jessica Alba is… the Human Kangaroo! Pounder
A haboob hits the Phoenix area Monday.
PHOENIX – A giant wall of dust rolled through the Phoenix area on Thursday for the third time since early July – turning the sky brown, creating dangerous driving conditions and delaying some airline flights.
The dust storm, also known as a haboob in Arabic and around Arizona, swept through Pinal County and headed northeast, reaching Phoenix at about 6 p.m.
I'd never heard of a haboob before, have you?
BOISE — Every time the pharmacist at the Idaho State Veterans Home in Boise hands out aspirin to a resident, he’s due $11.
He gets the same fee for dispensing other over-the-counter and prescription medications, too.
Jan Poreba, the pharmacist, used this lucrative arrangement to take in an average $14,884 every month — on top of a separate $15,000 monthly fee that pushed Idaho’s payments to him to $358,619 in the 2010 fiscal year.
If Poreba’s compensation package sounds excessive, the state’s Legislative Services auditors say that’s because it is.
They’ve concluded Poreba’s deal with the Boise veterans home is unreasonably generous, especially when compared to less-costly agreements that administrators at Idaho’s other two homes for aging veterans in Pocatello and Lewiston have struck with their own contract pharmacy providers.
This is my six-month old kitty, Thor. This is what he's doing right now. This is what he does for most of the afternoon.
I'm working from home today, which is proving to be problematic because I'd really like to join Thor in his cat nap, but he's taking up a lot of space on my 16-year-old's twin bed.
Do you nap?
It's not every day that conservationists work elbow to elbow with folks in law enforcement and medicine.
But lately, we've worked with Sandpoint Police Chief Mark Lockwood and Bonner General Hospital Foundation board member Kathy Hubbard on a project designed to make our community and environment both safer and healthier.
This week, we launched the community Drug Drop-off Program to keep pharmaceuticals out of our waterways and off the streets. Susan Drumheller, Idaho Conservation League
How do you dispose of your unneeded or outdated pharmaceuticals?
H/t Arpie
SEATTLE — Federal education officials have fined Washington State University $82,500 for violations in 2007 of a campus crime reporting law, including not properly reporting two sexual assaults, the university said today.
WSU will appeal the fine, spokesman Darin Watkins told The Associated Press.
The U.S. Department of Education detailed the fine in a letter to WSU President Elson Floyd today, more than five months after federal education officials completed an investigation of WSU’s campus crime statistics.
Thoughts?
A man who died after being shocked with a Taser by a sheriff’s deputy in North Idaho in May suffered a heart attack, officials announced today.
Daniel L. Mittelstadt, 56, of Mount Shasta, Calif., had a preexisting heart condition and a long history of mental health issues when Boundary County sheriff’s Cpl. Clint Randall responded to a report of a naked man blocking a road with his car about 1 a.m. on May 16.
Mittelstadt was wearing on a jacket and was described by Randall as “uncooperative and irrational.” Full story. Meghann Cuniff, SR
Do you think the officer's use of a taser was reasonable?
School districts across the country are revamping their menus to serve healthier fare, but most schools give students so little time to eat that they could be contributing unwittingly to the childhood obesity problem.
Healthy food can take longer to eat, and research shows that wolfing down a meal in a hurry often means people eat more.
A new national survey by the School Nutrition Association shows elementary kids have about 25 minutes for lunch; middle school and high school students about 30 minutes. That includes the time students need to go to the restroom, wash their hands, walk to the cafeteria and stand in line for their meals.
Many students may have only about 10 to 15 minutes left to eat their meals, school nutrition directors say. Nancy Hellmich, USA Today
How much time do you spend eating lunch? How long should kids be given to eat their lunch?
BOISE — Hundreds of troops assigned to an Idaho-based National Guard unit are slated to return home after spending a year in Iraq.
Military officials say about 2,700 members of the 116th Cavalry Brigade Combat Team are expected to return later this month. The unit is made up of soldiers from Idaho, Oregon and Montana.
Idaho National Guard officials say soldiers will return from Iraq in groups of more than 200, with the first charter flights arriving at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington at the end of August.
Most will spend a week in processing before returning to Idaho in small groups.
Guard officials say about 600 of the returning troops will face a challenge of finding work when they get back home.
Reaction?
BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Attendees of an Idaho Board of Education hearing in Nampa largely panned a plan to require students to take two online courses to graduate, starting with the class of 2016.
Thursday's meeting was the sixth of seven public hearings on the rule passed this year by the state Legislature. Teachers and others Thursday expressed doubts about the plan. Read more.
“Former state Rep. Branden Durst, who teaches at the College of Western Idaho, says requiring online classes would add stress to students who are already under a lot of pressure.”
Do you agree with Durst?
Anthony Bourdain, host of theTravel Channel's “No Reservations,” shown posing in a New York restaurant.
Every once in a while, a celebrity feud comes along that makes past celebrity feuds pale in comparison. The Paula Deen-Anthony Bourdain food fight (har har) is one instance of a famous-on-famous smackdown that is so nasty and unexpected and awesome, it will most certainly be a starred footnote within the enemies' respective Wikipedia pages until the end of time. Or something.
Bourdain, acerbic host of The Travel Channel's “No Reservations,” launched the first grenade at the delightful Deen, who is perhaps the best-liked chef on TV. Sniped Bourdain to TV Guide: “(She is) the worst, most dangerous person to America. She revels in unholy connections with evil corporations, and she's proud of the fact that her food is f–ing bad for you. I would think twice before telling an already obese nation that it is OK to eat food that is killing us. Plus, her food sucks.” Read more.
Are you a food show fan? In a cage match between Deen and Bourdain, who would your money be on?
The latest “Spy Kids” movie features “Aroma-Scope,” in which viewers are given scratch-and-sniff cards with circles numbered 1 to 8. When a number appears on screen, they rub the corresponding circle on their cards, which give off a whiff matching what the characters are smelling.
Robert Rodriguez deliberately tried to make his latest “Spy Kids” adventure a bit of a stinker.
Rodriguez, who helped usher in the new age of 3-D movies with the franchise’s third installment in 2003, is billing “Spy Kids: All the Time in the World,” opening today, as 4-D – adding scent cards so audiences can follow along on the action with their noses.
Worst idea ever! It's bad enough sitting next to a teenage boy reeking of Axe body spray at the movies. But your opinion may differ. Would you like to see more scratch and sniff movies?
Rob Keefe, who helped the Spokane Shock win arena football titles as a player, assistant coach and head coach, is out as the team’s head coach.
The Shock announced Thursday that Keefe’s contract will not be renewed. Keefe guided Spokane to the 2010 ArenaBowl championship in the organization’s first season in the Arena Football League. Spokane had a rocky, injury riddled 2011 season, finishing 9-10 after a blowout loss to Arizona in the first round of the playoffs. Jim Meehan, SR
Have you ever been to an arena football game?
PHOENIX – Comedian Jerry Lewis’ conspicuous absence will not be the only change at the Muscular Dystrophy Association’s telethon this year.
The Tucson, Ariz.-based association is making major changes to the telethon, slashing it down from a nearly 22-hour show to six hours of prime time television in an effort to boost audience numbers, raise more money, and make sponsors and celebrities happy.
The association announced many of the changes Thursday as it moves on from a 45-year partnership with Lewis.
Do you think telethons have served their purpose and are past their prime?
KENNEWICK – A city council candidate in Kennewick has advanced to the general election on a platform that includes calling for illegal immigrants to be executed if they refuse to leave town.
Loren Nichols collected nearly 400 votes in his ward – that’s about 26 percent of Tuesday’s primary vote, enough to place second out of three candidates. He’ll face incumbent Steve Young, who also serves as mayor, in the citywide general election this fall.
Nichols, 56, has said in media interviews that if immigrants are seen entering the country illegally they should be shot on sight, and any who refuse an ultimatum to leave Kennewick should also face the death penalty. More here.
What does it say about this community of Nichols is elected?
An unidentified student protests in Palmyra, Pa., on Wednesday over the working conditions at a Hershey Co. warehouse operated by Exel.
HERSHEY, Pa. – Foreign students working at a candy warehouse protested conditions and pay Thursday, chanting on Chocolate Avenue under streetlights shaped like Hershey’s Kisses, arguing that they were employed under the guise of a cultural exchange but toil away in what amounts to a sweets sweatshop. The State Department said it was investigating.
More than 100 students gathered in touristy downtown Hershey, home to the nation’s second-largest candy maker, complaining of hard physical labor, steep pay deductions for rent that often left them with little spending money, and no cultural enrichment. They said their concerns were met with threats of deportation.
A case of students not reading the fine print or abuse by the factory that employed them?
COLVILLE – Embattled Spokane firefighter Todd Chism won his latest legal battle with the Washington State Patrol on Thursday when a jury cleared him of all charges stemming from a violent 2010 confrontation that injured him and two Washington State Patrol troopers.
A Stevens County jury exonerated the suspended Chism of four felony counts and a misdemeanor resisting arrest, stemming from an early-morning melee outside his Nine Mile Falls home on April 6, 2010.
But the jury not only found him not guilty, they ordered the state to pay for his attorneys’ fees. Thomas Clouse, SR Full story.
Todd Chism has has quite an ordeal. Reaction?
COEUR d'ALENE - Paul Chivvis figured it would be a breeze, getting Kootenai County approval to replace North Idaho College's boathouse on Lake Coeur d'Alene.
After all, it is needed.
The structure dating back to the '60s (actually, it's two structures pushed together) isn't secure from break-ins, and suffers from a collapsing roof.
And the 34-by-16-foot building on Rosenberry Drive is too small to accommodate all the school's boating equipment, which is rented out and used for classes.
“We have to keep a lot of stuff outside, canoes and kayaks,” said Chivvis, NIC instructor for Resort/Recreation Management. “If someone wanted to steal something out there, they can do it rather easily.”
But complications have come up. Alecia Warren, Cda Press
What do you think is the best solution to the boathouse problem?
Tyler Batey of QC Electric works in the former press box that is now premium seating in the remodeled Kibbie Dome.
MOSCOW, Idaho – Taken altogether, the facelift is striking. Once perpetually dark, outdated and structurally unsafe, the Kibbie Dome looks, in the words of University of Idaho football coach Robb Akey, “much classier than what it was before.”
Natural light now filters through panels on the east and west walls during the day. A roomy press box has been built on the north side of the Dome, and a new club room – surrounded by eight suites, eight smaller loge boxes and 217 premium seats – is perched where the press box used to be on the south end. Full story. Josh Wright, SR
Any Vandal fans planning to take in a game at the remodeled Kibbie Dome?
Helo Hancock, legislative director for the Coeur d'Alene Tribe
COEUR d'ALENE - The Coeur d'Alene Tribe is in compliance with its gaming compact with Idaho, reports Idaho Lottery Director Jeff Anderson.
“I consider them good stewards of their gaming activities and generous neighbors to the communities on or near the reservation as well as to other good causes,” wrote Anderson, in an email sent to The Press.
In response to a story published Saturday in The Press, Tribe Legislative Director Helo Hancock also said the Tribe is in compliance with its gaming compact. However, neither Hancock nor Anderson would provide proof of that compliance.
Saturday's story reported that the Tribe will not disclose the details of its contributions of 5 percent of its annual net gaming income to support education. Full Story. Maureen Donlan, Cda Press
Do you think the Tribe should disclose the details of their required contributions?
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – A shark estimated at 6 feet long bit a U.S. tourist earlier this week while she swam in a popular bioluminescent bay at night, doctors said Thursday.
The woman, identified as 27-year-old Lydia Strunk, faces several months of physical therapy and will remain hospitalized until the weekend, Dr. Ernesto Torres said.
The victim is a law student at the University of San Diego in California and is from Wendell, Idaho, said her mother, Patty Strunk, who arrived in Puerto Rico on Thursday. Full story.
I think I've made my point about why I only swim in pools. Have you ever swam in the ocean?
President Barack Obama speaks during a town hall meeting Wednesday in Alpha, Ill., during his three-day economic bus tour.
The Obama administration said it will review the cases of 300,000 illegal immigrants currently in deportation proceedings to identify “low-priority” offenders – including the elderly, crime victims and people who have lived in the U.S. since childhood – with an eye toward allowing them to stay.
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano announced the review as the Obama administration has sought to counter criticism that it has been too harsh in its deportation policies. By launching the case-by-case review, officials said they are refocusing deportation efforts on convicted felons and other “public safety threats.” More here.
Good idea or bad idea?
COEUR d’ALENE — Lake City Development Corp. agreed to increase compensation for its executive director by 3 percent on Wednesday.
The urban renewal board agreed to allow Tony Berns, director since 2001, to decide whether that increase will go toward his salary, the 401k payment program, or divided between the two. Full story. Tom Hasslinger, Cda Press
In the comments section, Mary Souza sez: “Tony gets a raise after bungling the 4th street renovation by not following through and checking the colored cement before the contractor’s warranty expired? Now the taxpayers are on the hook for repairs to the peeling paint, which was a terrible choice in the first place as everyone knows the color should be mixed into the cement, not applied to the top.
Just that one little fiasco will cost the public many thousands of dollars extra. All signs indicate that Tony did not manage the project well and should NOT get a raise!”
What do you think?
River Park Square personnel and others help move a Harley-Davidson motorcycle out of the window at the Pottery Barn store on Main Avenue on Thursday.
A motorcyclist took an unintended detour today and crashed through a storefront in downtown Spokane.
The man, who has not been identified, was transported to a hospital with what witnesses described as non-life-threatening injuries after crashing into the Pottery Barn at 717 W. Main Ave. about 2:45 p.m. More here. Chelsea Bannach SR
Have you ever been in an accident caused by mechanical failure as opposed to operator error?
Popular Spokane Indians superhero Recycle Man poses for pictures with a young recycler before a recent ballgame. “You, too, can be a hero if you recycle,” he says. (SR photo: J. Bart Rayniak)
Happy Bad Poetry Day! Is there such a thing as bad poetry? Because if if makes you laugh or groan, that's something isn't it?
In my youth, I was prone to writing weepy, melancholy rhymes. I filled pages of those “empty books,” with odes to my high school boyfriend who was truly unworthy of my words. But I think everyone should write poetry or at least attempt it.
Feel free to practice poetry on this Wild Card. Or not.
Just a reminder for fair ticket winners. You can pick up your tickets at the Cda SR office. Please get them by 5 PM Friday.
A puppy is held at the Gallup Humane Society in Gallup, N.M., after being quarantined with other healthy dogs for shipment to Colorado for adoption.
#1 Disregard the size of my paws, I won’t grow into them. Charlie
#2 “Yeah, well this here is MY ‘Gallup pole’, so quit askin’ who I like better, Romney or Perry. JohnA
#3 Don't fence me in. Rhodetrip
BOISE — A federal appeals court has upheld the dismissal of an Idaho charter school’s lawsuit against state officials who barred use of the Bible and other religious texts as a teaching tool in the classroom. In a decision Monday, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the previous ruling against the now-defunct Nampa Classical Academy.
The state closed the academy last year citing troubled finances. The founders of the charter school tangled with Idaho officials over the use of the Bible and other religious texts shortly after opening in August 2009 with more than 500 students in southwestern Idaho. The academy filed a federal lawsuit against Idaho officials in September 2009. U.S. District Judge Edward Lodge dismissed that lawsuit, determining the ban did not violate the school’s rights.
Spokane Valley kayaker Steve Bailey surfs Sullivan hole, a Spokane River low-water play spot for white-water enthusiasts on Aug. 1.
Steve Bailey grew up with a fear of the Spokane River and its deceptive mix of currents and eddies.
“I think most of the people I grew up with were raised to fear the river,” said Bailey, an EMT and a lieutenant in the Spokane County Fire Department. “The water is deceptively fast, and if you don’t understand it, you learn to fear it.”
That changed when Bailey took up kayaking. For the past seven years he’s been a certified instructor, teaching others how to respect and enjoy the river. Steve Christilaw, SR Read more.
Have you ever been kayaking? What water activities do you enjoy?
NEW YORK – Wells Fargo plans to test a $3 monthly fee for its debit cards starting this fall.
The San Francisco-based bank said the fee will be applied to checking accounts opened in five states starting in October. The fee would be in addition to monthly service fees ranging from $5 to $30 that Wells Fargo already charges.
Although it’s unusual, Wells Fargo isn’t the first major bank to test whether customers will be willing to pay to use their debit cards. Chase last year also began testing a $3 monthly debit card fee in northern Wisconsin.
Yikes! How happy are you with your bank?
High school students scream on the Corkscrew roller coaster at Silverwood Theme Park in 2009.
NEW YORK — Stocks plunged worldwide today as more signs of economic weakness revived investors’ fears of another recession. The Dow Jones industrial average fell 400 points in a return to the wild swings in the market last week.
The intense selling started as soon as trading began, and the Dow was down 528 points shortly after the opening bell. The drop ended four days of relative calm in the stock market. Market strategists said investors were increasingly pessimistic about the economy.
It wasn’t just the day’s economic reports — warnings like this one added to the gloom: More.
I'm not a fan of rollercoasters. How concerned are you about the ever fluctuating Dow Jones?
Photo courtesy BayviewBob
An early morning fire today in Bayview destroyed a home and displaced the two homeowners.
Timberlake Fire Protection District was dispatched to the fire at the corner of Spruce Avenue and First Street around 3:30 a.m., said Capt. Jake Capaul. Firefighters found a two-story, single-family home on fire, along with a detached garage and a couple of tall trees nearby. More here.
By Dan Hammes, St. Maries Gazette Record
Two days after a report about the Coeur d’Alene Tribe’s contributions to schools from casino profits the tribe made a donation to the Plummer/Worley school district.
“The tribe made a generous contribution to our school district,” Judi Sharrett, superintendent, said.
She said the tribe called Monday afternoon to request a meeting at which two checks, totaling $210,000, were given to the district. Ms. Sharrett said the tribe has been a great supporter of the Plummer/Worley district through the years.
“The Plummer Worley School District is grateful for the financial donation from the Coeur d’Alene Tribe and the priority they have given over many years to their local school district. We recognize they are not obligated to any one district or educational institution in their distribution.”
Under sunny skies at Mirabeau Park in Spokane Valley, Nick Lunga is living his dream.
He spun, twisted and shouted as he attempted to break the hold that a very determined German shepherd had on the chew toy in his hand. His efforts proved fruitless.
“Bad guy, don’t move or my dog will hurt you!” warned Lunga’s wife, Jacqueline.
Lunga fell to the ground and the dog stood over him, his ferocious barking echoing across the park. A few minutes later, that same shepherd was lavishing Lunga with love. Cindy Hval, SR
How well-trained is your dog?
When Sarah and Emily Kladar visited a medical clinic in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, three years ago, they were stunned by dozens of photos plastered on a wall.
All were of children – many their own ages – who might die without heart surgery.
“It was sad,” said Emily, now 11.
“It was overwhelming,” said Sarah, 13. “That was our – this is real – push into the world.”
That visit was the inspiration for a charity the Hayden children created with their brother, Thomas, 9, to provide financial support to families of children who need heart surgery. Alison Boggs, SR Full story.
How did/do you encourage altruism in your kids?
Hugh Grim, right, and Curt Henry, below left, check over the machinery of a 1933 windmill while mounting it on a new tower at Grim’s house.
In 2008, when we last visited Hugh Grim, two towering vintage windmills stood sentry in his yard at the southwestern edge of Spokane. The retired construction foreman had discovered a fascinating, labor-intensive hobby – restoring these relics of rural engineering.
When asked if there was another windmill in his future, Grim said, “We’ll have to see what happens.”
What happened was a 1907 Red Cross windmill and a 1924 Flint & Walling, both of which now grace his lawn on their respective towers. In addition, a 1910 Dempster on a small stud tower sits near Grim’s shop, ready for its Spokane County Interstate Fair debut. Cindy Hval, SR Full story.
Do you collect antiques or vintage items?
With the beginning of harvest a month away, Washington wine grape growers are receiving confirmation of what they have seen in their vineyards: The 2011 crop will be down significantly.
According to a recent U.S. Department of Agriculture’s crop estimate, Washington wine grape harvest will be down about 16 percent, to about 135,000 tons – down from a record 160,000 tons last fall. If the estimates are close to what vintners see in September and October, the crop will be at its lowest since 2007, when 127,000 tons were harvested.
“By the time we got to April and May, our initial crop estimates reflected this,” said Co Dinn, director of winemaking for Hogue Cellars in Prosser, one of Washington’s largest wineries. “We were braced for a big decrease.”
Bad news for wine-lovers. Do you enjoy wine? Do you have a current favorite?
danofthecommunity on Horseback rider hit and run victim on
We think this might have been the same one who did a hit and run on my wife two days ago when she was waiting to turn left off of Highway 95 onto Twin Lakes Road.
She saw a big black pick up coming in the opposite director, then it swerved over into the turn lane and for an instant she thought he was going to hit her head on but he swerved away at the last instant but still passed her so close that he demolished her drivers side mirror.
He kept going without stopping to see the damage and there were no other cars coming in any direction to witness it (you wonder if he looks for those situations). She just got a fleeting glimpse at a dark colored pickup that seemed to set up high.
Have you or your property ever been damaged in a hit and run incident? Was the perp caught?
ATLANTA — Only 1 in 5 malpractice claims against doctors leads to a settlement or other payout, according to the most comprehensive study of these claims in two decades.
But while doctors and their insurers may be winning most of these challenges, that’s still a lot of fighting. Each year about 1 in 14 doctors is the target of a claim, and most physicians and virtually every surgeon will face at least one in their careers, the study found. Full story.
Great read with interesting stats. My brother-in-law is a doc and the amount he coughs up for malpractice insurance is ridiculous. Do you think Americans are sue-happy?
Pay Pal founder and early Facebook investor Peter Thiel has given $1.25 million to an initiative to create floating libertarian countries in international waters, according to a profile of the billionaire in Details magazine.
Thiel has been a big backer of the Seasteading Institute, which seeks to build sovereign nations on oil rig-like platforms to occupy waters beyond the reach of law-of-the-sea treaties. The idea is for these countries to start from scratch—free from the laws, regulations, and moral codes of any existing place. Read more.
Would you like to live on a Libertarian island or start your own country?
In case you missed it, the Sesame Street Workshop put an end to speculation about the sexual preferences of Bert and Ernie.
“Bert and Ernie are best friends. They were created to teach preschoolers that people can be good friends with those who are very different from themselves,” the public television program said in a statement.
“Even though they are identified as male characters and possess many human traits and characteristics (as most Sesame Street Muppets do), they remain puppets, and do not have a sexual orientation.”
The move came in response to a Facebook campaign launched by gay rights activist Lair Scott of the northern US state of Illinois asking that Bert and Ernie get married on the program to teach acceptance of gays and lesbians. More here.
D'oh! I'm all for acceptance and teachable moments, but gosh, can't we just let our preschoolers just be kids for awhile?
BEDFORD, N.H. – GOP presidential candidate Rick Perry told New Hampshire voters Wednesday that he does not believe in manmade global warming, calling it a scientific theory that has not been proven.
“I think we’re seeing almost weekly, or even daily, scientists that are coming forward and questioning the original idea that manmade global warming is what is causing the climate to change,” the Texas governor said on the first stop of a two-day trip to the first-in-the-nation primary state.
Do you think Perry's views on global warming reflect the views of many Americans?
Hot spots flare up above homes near Kellogg on Wednesday.
A fire that burned 20 to 25 acres south of Kellogg on Wednesday is suspicious in origin.
The fire, reported about 2 p.m. just south of town, burned south toward Wardner, and at times came close to homes and the gondola at Silver Mountain Resort. Silver Mountain crews kept the gondola running as part of its emergency protocol to prevent any one spot on the gondolas from getting too hot. No structures were damaged and no one was injured, officials said.
Van Holland’s booking mug
A series of bank robberies involving a woman wearing a variety of wigs may be the work of a nurse employed at the Kootenai County Jail until last week.
The FBI announced Wednesday that Cynthia Lynn Van Holland, 47, is believed to be the serial robber nicknamed the Bad Hair Bandit, who’s been on the FBI’s most-wanted list since June and is suspected in at least 20 robberies in four states.Meghann Cuniff, SR More here.
Bank robbers most always get caught. Was she dumb, desperate or both?
President Barack Obama speaks during a town hall meeting Wednesday in Alpha, Ill., during his three-day economic bus tour.
WASHINGTON – The jobs package that President Barack Obama plans to unveil shortly after Labor Day could include tens of billions of dollars to renovate thousands of dilapidated public schools and a tax break to encourage businesses to hire new workers, according to people familiar with White House deliberations.
As aides work to put together the proposal, they are also hammering out a companion plan to reduce federal budget deficits over the next decade, which Obama would share with the 12-member congressional super committee charged with finding long-term fixes for the growing national debt. Full story.
What's of greater concern to you, the jobs package or the federal budget deficit plan?
BOISE - All Idaho high school juniors can now take the SAT for free, state Superintendent of Schools Tom Luna announced today.
State lawmakers in 2007 approved requiring completion of a college entrance exam by the end of the junior year as a graduation requirement, starting with the class of 2013; this year, at Luna’s urging, they appropriated $963,500 for a statewide contract to pay for the tests. More here. Betsy Russell, SR
Did you take the SAT? How did you do?
A child reaches out to touch a huge straw sandal dedicated to a Buddhist temple in Tokyo Wednesday, Aug. 17, 2011
Cats take a nap in a park in Tokyo in the early afternoon Tuesday, Aug. 16, 2011.
#1 Pedestrian roadkill is a huge problem on speed-walking paths in Japan. The cats never see them coming. Pounder
#2 I hate when people kitty litter. Cabbage Boy
#3 The new Tokyo ‘Cat Walk.’ stebbijo
Winners pick up your Fair Tickets at the Cda office. Up to 4 per person.
We're halfway through the week, halfway through August and halfway through DFO's vacation. Whew! Wednesday is the day after deadline for me. I tend to want to avoid checking my email, in case I forgot something important. I'm also prone to ignoring my phone until noon, at which point I panic because I've got next week's stories to line up.
But for now, I'm going to have another cup of coffee out on the deck and pretend there's no such thing as deadlines, or paperwork or blogs. La la la~
Here's your Wild Card.
The Kellogg Fire Department is responding to two fires, one in town and a smaller one just south of Kellogg.
Details are limited at this time, but fire volunteer Nuel Wallace said drivers should avoid the Main Street, as well southbound Division.
Winds of 10 miles per hour, with gusts up to 22 miles per hour, are complicating firefighting efforts and aggravating the fires’ behavior. However, there is no red-flag fire warning for that area. More.
At the Twin Falls County Jail, inmate visits are now virtual, rather than in-person, the Times-News reports today. Last month, the jail switched from traditional jail visitation to the new video system, which it got for free as a beta test of the new equipment. “We're the guinea pigs,” Lt. Mike Wiggins told the newspaper.
For now, visitors go to a kiosk in the jail lobby, while inmates use video terminals in their cell blocks; within two months, the system will allow visits from home computer webcams. More here.
I can think of several situations in which I'd prefer virtual visiting. Do you think this catch on in other jails?
A 20-year-old Post Falls woman is in intensive care at Kootenai Medical Center this morning after she was riding horseback on Garwood Road north of Hayden Tuesday night and was allegedly struck by a truck heading in the same direction.
Lauren Johnson suffered a fractured skull and collar bone, said Becca Lobato, a friend who was riding alongside Johnson.
Lobato said Johnson was temporarily unconscious and doesn't remember the accident that occurred between 5 and 10 miles east of U.S. 95. at about 8:30 p.m.
“The horse did a somersault from what I saw, and Lauren was face down on the (paved) road,” Lobato said, adding that Johnson and the horse were sideswiped. Brian Walker, Cda Press
According to the story the horse was injured, too. Doesn't sound like the rider was wearing a helmet. How much of a creep do you have to be to sideswipe a horse and rider and just keep driving?
PULLMAN – Faced with a $40 million budget cut in the biennium that ends with the 2013 fiscal year, Washington State University president Elson Floyd is looking for help wherever he can find it. And he will get some from his athletic department.
When the Pac-12’s expanded media deal kicks in next school year, the department will assume academic service costs previously covered by the administration. “It’s in an excess of a half-million dollars,” athletic director Bill Moos said. Vince Grippi, SR More here.
Do you think more university athletic departments should do this?
An Afghan carries his belongings as he passes burning fuel tankers in the outskirts of Kabul, Afghanistan, Thursday, Aug. 4, 2011.
WASHINGTON (AP) — After examining hundreds of combat support and reconstruction contracts in Afghanistan, the U.S military estimates $360 million in U.S. tax dollars has ended up in the hands of people the American-led coalition has spent nearly a decade battling: the Taliban, criminals and power brokers with ties to both.
The losses underscore the challenges the U.S. and its international partners face in overcoming corruption in Afghanistan. A central part of the Obama administration's strategy has been to award U.S.-financed contracts to Afghan businesses to help improve quality of life and stoke the country's economy. Full story.
Does anybody care or is this just the price of the doing the business of war?
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Tobacco companies want a judge to put a stop to new graphic cigarette labels that include the sewn-up corpse of a smoker and pictures of diseased lungs, saying they unfairly urge adults to shun their legal products and will cost millions to produce.
Four of the five largest U.S. tobacco companies sued the federal government Tuesday, saying the warnings violate their free speech rights. More here.
Do you think graphic cigarette labels will deter smokers?
Here's a few phrases that make my skin crawl:
Quote, unquote.
It is what it is.
In my personal opinion.
What phrases would you like to have banished?
LEWISTON, Idaho (AP) — State officials say cleanup crews are finally done removing massive rolls of unprocessed toilet paper that spilled off a truck and were lodged for weeks in the upper Lochsa River.
Idaho Department of Environmental official John Cardwell says teams yanked out the final remnants of the rolls last weekend when lower river flows made the work more manageable. More here.
One more reason I only swim in swimming pools. I like my headline. Can you come up with a better one?
Spirit Lake, Idaho, population 1,945, will be the state's “Capital for a Day” on Aug. 31, Gov. Butch Otter announced today. It's part of Otter's series of meetings in different Idaho towns, to which he brings a slew of senior state officials and members of his cabinet for an all-day gathering open to local citizens.
This month's “Capital for a Day” will run from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Spirit Lake Community Senior Center, 32564 N. 4th Avenue, including a no-host lunch at noon at the city park with Otter, Lt. Gov. Brad Little, and Spirit Lake Mayor Todd Clary. Betsy Russell, EOB Read more.
What town would you like to see be named Capital for a Day? I'd choose Spokane. We're almost in Idaho.
One of the main courses offered at Fleur de Sel is the duck sausage and duck leg confit, featuring sun-dried tomato and fennel ragout, along with a green peppercorn demi-glace..
Approachable and close to home, Fleur de Sel brings the best of French dining to the area.
Perched above Post Falls in a space shared with Highlands Day Spa, the restaurant is unassuming and yet elegant. It may seem an unlikely place for such a fine cuisine.
As we savored the impossibly smooth milk chocolate gelato while watching night fall through the tall windows, it gave me the unexpected feeling that I could be almost anywhere in the world. Lorie Hutson, SR
What is your favorite ethnic cuisine?
COEUR d'ALENE - There was no electricity and no running water, but that didn't stop a team of Kootenai County veterinary care specialists from helping dozens of dogs and cats living on the streets in the cities and villages of the Peruvian Amazon.
During the last two weeks of June, Dr. Kendall Bodkin and his wife, Donna, owners of Hayden Pet Medical Center, led a team of five volunteers on an animal welfare mission deep into the Peruvian jungle. “Imagine this. We would be sitting on a dock on the Amazon River scrubbing instruments and washing bloody surgical drapes, while parrots and macaws and toucans were overhead, and there was a sloth in the tree across the river,” Donna said. Full story. Maureen Donlan, Cda Press
How cool is this? Have you ever done any humanitarian or “petitarian” aid?
Hydroplanes will return to North Idaho this weekend for several events.
On Thursday, both unlimited and limited hydros will be on display at Red Lion Templin’s Hotel on the River in Post Falls.
The event, which also features live music and a buffet, begins at 4 p.m. Vintage unlimited boats on display will include the Miss Wahoo, Miss Burien and Oh Boy Oberto; kids can sit in the cockpits and have their photos taken. More here.
Are you a hydroplane fan?
Every hour spent watching TV, DVDs and videos as an adult reduces life expectancy by almost 22 minutes, a study suggests. And viewing TV for an average of six hours a day can cut short your life by five years.
The research claims that a sedentary lifestyle is as bad for health as smoking and obesity, because of the dangers posed by inactivity and the greater opportunities it offers for unhealthy eating. More here.
Who has time to watch 6 hours a DAY?? How many hours each week on average do you spend watching TV?
Tree Top has chosen Spokane Fire Station No. 13 as the winner of America’s Best Firehouse Barbecue Cook-off.
Firehouse cook Tony Yuen and his Puleihu BBQ Sauce were selected by a panel of judges for the top prize and a $10,000 donation for the station.
Station No. 13 will use the donation to buy equipment and supplement the station’s benevolent fund, which assists needy firefighters and family members facing medical hardships or other problems. Lorie Hutson, SR
Where did you eat the best barbecue?
Colin Farrell, left, and Jason Sudeikis perform in a scene from “Horrible Bosses.”
Anyone who's harbored suspicions that only mean people seem to get ahead in the business world may be glad (or perhaps not) to learn that a new study agrees with them.
While such beliefs are often whispered in the office — and declaimed at volume during happy hour — new research quantifies just how much the nasty seem to profit by the (non-) virtue of their nastiness.
For men, the gain is around 18 percent in annual pay. Men who were rated as “highly disagreeable” on personality tests were paid an average of $9,700 more annually than men rated as “most agreeable,” according to The Globe and Mail. Full story. Bill Chappell, NPR
Do you believe nice guys finish last?
BOISE — Idaho’s rural counties want Washington, D.C., to let the state manage federal land as a way to boost their finances amid threats to a program that has propped up local budgets for nearly a decade.
But to some environmental groups and others, the plan smacks of previous efforts by Idaho to take over public land from the federal government that failed. Full story.
Good idea or bad idea?
Richard Trudell cruises Tuesday on Hayden Lake on the solar-powered pontoon boat he designed and built. SR file photo.
HAYDEN LAKE - The waters of Hayden Lake this summer have been clouded with mysterious black particles floating on the surface, clinging to swimmers and washing up on beaches.
Some have thought it resembles an oil spill on the lake, accumulating wherever the winds and wave action send it. Boaters have spotted it in large bands on the middle of the lake. It grows darkest in shallow areas and near docks. David Cole, Cda Press Full story.
See? This is why I don't like to swim in anything without a concrete bottom and chlorine. Where's your favorite place to swim?
Wisconsin Sen. Bob Wirch, D-Pleasant Prairie, survived a recall election Tuesday.
MADISON, Wis. – Two Democratic Wisconsin state senators targeted by Republicans survived their elections Tuesday, ending a tumultuous summer of recalls spurred by anger over how lawmakers reacted to Gov. Scott Walker’s proposal curbing collective bargaining rights of public workers.
Democrats picked up two seats through the nine recalls but were unable to wrest majority Senate control away from the GOP.
Reaction?
U.S. Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, finished in second place in the Iowa Republican Party's Straw Poll.
By now, pretty much everyone agrees Ron Paul was ignored by the media following his second place finish in the Ames straw poll on Saturday. Whether or not the media blackout was justified due to his less-than-favorable campaign prospects is subject to debate. But the fact is the Texas Congressman lost to Michele Bachmann by nine-tenths of one-percentage point in the contest and was ignored by the Sunday talk shows (as Jon Stewart pointed out) and marginalized by the nation's top newspapers (as Politico's Keach Hagey pointed out).
Why did the media ignore the GOP's peacenik, drug-legalizing libertarian? Read more.
Why do you think Ron Paul isn't given more coverage by the media?
COEUR d'ALENE - Wanda Quinn will remain in her position on the Coeur d'Alene School District Board of Trustees, for now.
In district court Tuesday, Judge Benjamin Simpson denied a pre-trial motion that would have barred the school board from all further action while board chair Quinn remains on the board.
Attorneys representing the district's newest elected trustees, Tom Hamilton and Terri Seymour, filed the request for a preliminary injunction as part of a lawsuit filed in July. The suit questions the validity of Quinn's appointment to the board in June. Read more. Maureen Donlan, Cda Press
Any predictions as to the outcome of this lawsuit?
WASHINGTON — Fitch Ratings said today that it would keep its rating on long-term U.S. debt at the highest grade, AAA, and said the outlook remained stable. But it warned that it could lower the outlook to negative if Congress fails to trim future deficits.
Fitch’s rating was the best given by the three major credit rating agencies. Last week, Standard & Poor’s set off a maelstrom in the stock market after it downgraded long-term U.S. debt to the second-highest level, AA-plus, for the first time. The third agency, Moody’s Investors Service, still lists the U.S. debt at AAA but says its outlook is negative. More.
Feel better, now?
Was a bit anxious yesterday as my 19-year-old son spent his first day on his new job as a commercial roofer. He's living on his own (well, sharing an apartment with his older brother) and working hard to save money for school.
Still this job had me worried. I was relieved when Alex texted me at the end of his 10-hr day. He's working with a crew roofing the new school in Medical Lake and said the job was tedious, but not too hard. “It's worse on the older guys,” he said. “They're like 30!”
Hard for me to believe the baby who once wore a Bob the Builder tool belt, now has genuine tool belt of his own.
Here's your Wild Card.
Western bluebird chicks
In honor of my son's second day as a commercial roofer, I want to hear about the toughest job you ever had.
I'm giving away North Idaho Fair tickets for those with the most impressive stories!
Toughest job Fair ticket winners in no particular order:
Jen: Kindergarten teach and mom. (Thanks for sparing us the potty accident stories)
Lastdemoinidaho: Forest Service and Job Corps Center (Yikes!)
ManlyPointer: Hay bale buckaroo (I tried to lift a hay bale once, they are heavy) and
Eyes&Ears: Law enforcement: (Thanks for keeping your community safe)
An honorable mention for Jeanie. (You can still get your tickets if you aren't too scarred).
You can pick up your Fair Tickets at the Cda SR office. Limit 4 per person.
Jeffrey Saturday, 10, son of Indianapolis Colts center Jeff Saturday, plays on a blocking dummy as the team practiced during the NFL team's football training camp.
I'm not sure why this photo was not more successful at drawing cutline entries. It's got it all— cute kid, cute name and football!
Kagemann and JT get a shout out for wading in, unafraid.
SPARTANBURG, S.C. — Republican presidential candidate Michele Bachmann got her Elvis Presley dates all shook up during a campaign stop today in South Carolina.
The congresswoman from Minnesota played the Elvis tune “Promised Land” at a local restaurant and told the crowd of 300 that she wanted to say happy birthday to the king of rock ‘n’ roll.
“Before we get started, let’s all say happy birthday to Elvis Presley today!” Bachmann said.
But Aug. 16 is the anniversary of Elvis’ death, in 1977, and someone in the crowd shouted back, “He died today!” More here.
Birth dates, death dates, anniversaries, they are all so easy to mix up. Right?
In a file photo, Steve Tuttle, director of communications for Taser International Inc., holds the X26c stun gun.
SPOKANE, Wash. — Worried over the availability and ease of purchase, the Spokane City Council has the city attorney looking into exactly what the law says about taser use. When the attorney brings those finding to the council August 22, they'll decide what can be done, that could include stiffer penalties and even a limit on where tasers can be sold.
Just the sound of one is intimidating and while these electronic devices are made to protect some people are concerned the taser can easily be used to harm.
“They are being sold all over town and not even in stores sometimes a lot of times they are on the streets being sold,” Spokane City council member Bob Apple said. Read more.
Would you like to own a taser?
Ted Fennen is having his 1967 Pontiac GTO restored to better than showroom quality. He won the car in a radio drawing when he was 20.
Ted Fennen has replayed what happened at his family’s dinner table on Valentine’s Day 1967 over and over like a scene from a favorite movie.
And why not?
Who wouldn’t want to keep savoring such a delicious moment of hearing a radio announcer say something like, “And the winner of a brand new Pontiac GTO is … .”
Fennen, who was 20 at the time, said he almost levitated out of his chair upon having his name blared over the KJRB-AM airwaves.Doug Clark, SR
What's your favorite classic car?
ATHOL, Idaho (AP) — Tests of a small northern Idaho community water system showed arsenic at levels about nine times what the federal government allows, prompting residents to drink bottled water.
The Coeur d'Alene Press reports a test two months ago showed naturally occurring arsenic in the Lynnwood Estates Water Association well near Athol reached 91 parts per billion. The federal limit is 10 ppb. Arsenic is a potent poison. The well serves 18 homes.
Since then, the arsenic level has plummeted, but it's still above the federal limit.
Do you drink bottled water?
BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Idaho posted a $50.1 million profit from liquor sales last year, as people paid more per bottle and as the agency that sells booze to Idaho trimmed staff.
Idaho State Liquor Division head Jeff Anderson told media outlets that liquor sales in fiscal year 2011 were $144 million. More here.
Good news or bad news?
Joe Buster, of Spokane, landed this northern pike in Riverfront Park across from the carousel while fishing for trout on Saturday, Aug. 13, 2011 — two days before his 18th birthday. He said the fish measured 42 inches long.
While little kids were reaching for the golden ring Saturday at the Looff Carrousel, a Spokane teenager hooked the fish of his dreams just outside the door in Riverfront Park.
Joe Buster rides the city bus regularly to fish the Howard Street section of the Spokane River and rarely gets much attention from passers-by as he casts for the occasional foot-long trout or bass.
But he rose to rock-star status after a 42-inch-long northern pike smacked his Mepps Agilia spinner and torpedoed across the pool. Full story. Rich Landers, SR
Took 3 guys to help him land it! Have you ever caught a fish?
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Silent mourners with heads bowed and yellow-orange candlelight leading the way paid their respects to Elvis Presley at his grave at Graceland, his longtime Memphis home, to remember the 34th anniversary of his sudden death.
Thousands of Elvis devotees, candles in hand, walked in the humid night to the graves of Elvis and his relatives, some wiping away tears as they filed past. Flower arrangements and heart-shaped wreaths decorated the burial site as “If I Can Dream” and other songs played softly in the background.
What's your favorite Elvis song?
I have a love/hate relastionship with texting. I love it because its a surefire way of getting my two oldest sons' attention and I loathe it because I'm not very good at it.
I want to spell things correctly and use punctuation. I don't understand what most of the abbreviations mean or why my 19-year-old ends every text with LOL. Like, “We r out of food lol” or “Do u have chapstick lol” or “Can I come by and do laundry lol”
Both boys r on, I mean are on txt (text!) only plans, so I'm trying to make peace with it. U knw wht i mean?
How often do you send or receive text messages?
Police say Winnipeg Jets center Rick Rypien has been found dead at his home in Coleman, Alberta. An official with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police confirmed Rypien’s death on Monday, and said it wasn’t suspicious. Rypien is the second active NHL player found dead this offseason. Former New York Rangers enforcer Derek Boogaard died in May due to an accidental mix of alcohol and the painkiller oxycodone. The 27-year-old Rypien signed a $700,000, one-year deal with Winnipeg last month after spending parts of six seasons with Vancouver. He had nine goals and seven assists in 119 career NHL games. Rypien, the cousin of former NFL quarterback Mark Rypien, was granted an indefinite leave of absence last season to deal with an undisclosed personal matter. – Associated Press
Are you a hockey fan?
NEW YORK (AP) — An 18-year-old was dismissed from the U.S. Ski Team's development squad after he was accused of getting drunk and then urinating on a 12-year-old girl aboard a JetBlue flight.
Robert “Sandy” Vietze, of Warren, Vt., was detained by police at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport on Wednesday morning after arriving on a red-eye flight from Portland, Ore.
He faces a federal misdemeanor charge of indecent exposure, according to the U.S. Attorney's office in Brooklyn.
Based on the information we have, Sandy Vietze is in violation of the USSA code of conduct and team agreement, and has been dismissed from the team,” U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association Executive Vice President of Athletics Luke Bodensteiner said in an email sent to The Associated Press on Friday. More here.
According to the story Vietze had consumed “five or six beers and two rum and cola cocktails.” Is there a moral to this story?
What’s the best way to protect teenage girls from sexually transmitted diseases? Some doctors say the answer is to vaccinate boys.
More than 65 million Americans – that’s one in five – carry a sexually transmitted disease. The most common one – the human papillomavirus, or HPV – affects more than half of sexually active Americans at some point, according to the federal government.
Since 2007, health officials have recommended that adolescent girls get vaccinated against HPV because it can lead to cervical cancer later in life.
Now, they’re also suggesting the vaccine for boys to prevent genital warts and anal cancer, rare symptoms of HPV. But for some doctors, vaccinating boys is also a favored new strategy in preventing the spread of the virus to girls. Read more.
Would you want your kids to receive this vaccine?
The Idaho State Land Board meets Tuesday; state schools Supt. Tom Luna, right, cast the lone vote against keeping endowment distributions to public schools even next year.
Idaho's state Land Board voted 4-1 this morning to distribute $47.5 million to state endowment beneficiaries including public schools next year, up 2.3 percent overall from this year's distribution of $46.425 million, but with no increase for schools, which would get $31.29 million, identical to this year's level.
State schools Supt. Tom Luna cast the lone dissenting vote, prompting a questioning look from Gov. Butch Otter, who's chairing the meeting, as he hadn't spoken against the motion from Attorney General Lawrence Wasden to approve the endowment board's recommendation. “I chose not to rehash my concerns I've expressed before at this time,” Luna said, “seeing it wasn't going to change any votes.” Otter responded, “You're probably right.” Betsy Russell, EOB More here.
Reaction?
COEUR d'ALENE - Breaking ground on the McEuen Field redevelopment project is one of the bigger anticipated expenses Lake City Development Corp. expects to fund in fiscal year 2012.
The urban renewal agency penciled in around $6.4 million for anticipated capital projects, namely the McEuen Field redevelopment project, in its 2012 financial plan.
The proposed budget anticipates collecting $5.1 million in tax increment revenue between its two districts. The $6.4 million amount would be taken from the $16 million the agency borrowed from Washington Trust Bank for projects inside its Lake District, in which the downtown park sits. Read more. Tom Hasslinger, Cda Press
Thoughts?
Tea Party Caucus leader Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., center, speaks at a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C.
Where are the feminists of the world to speak out against the sexism, the injustice, the assault on all the progress we’ve made as women in America?
By which, of course, I mean the rhetoric used to attack Michele Bachmann, Sarah Palin, Nikki Haley, Cathy McMorris-Rodgers and other female Republicans — by both mainstream media and the rest of us.
No? Not offensive? Is it legit stuff powerful women into the tired-as-hell crazy/stupid/bitch/slut costume if they’re pro-life and anti-gay? More here.
Spovangelist, a local blog, takes a shot at those who label powerful women with pejorative adjectives like “stupid,” and “crazy,” and challenges those who are prone to name-calling to go a week without slinging insults.
What do you think? Care to take the Spovangelist challenge?
A medical expert hired by the Spokane police officer facing criminal charges over the fatal Otto Zehm confrontation is blaming other officers at the scene for causing the unarmed janitor’s death.
Court documents filed Friday in U.S. District Court indicate Dr. Daniel Davis is prepared to testify in Officer Karl Thompson’s excessive force trial that the asphyxiation that killed Zehm was caused by officers pressing down on him while he was hogtied on the floor of a Zip Trip convenience store. Thomas Clouse, SR More here.
Will there ever be justice for Otto Zehm?
After posing for a photo, summer school kids help President Barack Obama to his feet, Monday in Chatfield, Minn.
DECORAH, Iowa – In the clearest expression yet of his 2012 re-election strategy, President Barack Obama said he will send a jobs package to Congress next month, ask lawmakers to pass it, and campaign against them if they refuse.
Obama made the declaration in a town hall-style meeting in Iowa on Monday night as he is facing criticism for not advancing a strategy bold enough to bolster job growth and his re-election prospects.
“I’ll be putting forward a very specific plan to boost the economy, to create jobs and to control the deficit,” Obama said on the first day of his three-day Midwest bus tour. “And my attitude will be, ‘Get it done.’ ”
If Congress fails to pass the legislation, Obama said, “The choice (in 2012) will be very stark and the choice will be very clear.”
During stops in rural hamlets in Minnesota and Iowa, the president blasted a Republican-led House “that doesn’t seem willing to make the tough choices to move America forward.”
Do you think the president's midwest tour will help or hurt his approval rating?
An anti-Syrian regime protester, shouts against Syrian President Bashar Assad as he protests during a demonstration to show his support to the Syrian protesters, in Beirut, Lebanon, on Monday Aug. 15, 2011.
BEIRUT – Syrian security forces cracking down on opposition strongholds in Latakia herded thousands of people into a stadium after taking away their identification cards and cellphones, activists said Monday.
ZAWIYA, Libya – Libya’s rebels threatened to isolate Tripoli by blocking key supply routes and cutting oil pipelines on Monday after a dramatic weekend advance put them in the strongest position since the 6-month-old civil war began to attack Moammar Gadhafi’s stronghold.
BAGHDAD – A series of blasts and gunshots ripped across Iraq on Monday, killing at least 65 people and wounding more than 300 in a spasm of bloodshed that raised fresh concerns that the nation’s security forces might be overwhelmed by insurgents when American soldiers withdraw later this year.
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan – Militants attacked a fuel tanker depot Monday outside the main international military base in southern Afghanistan, killing four people, officials said.
The assailants set off explosives that were packed in a minibus at the entrance of a compound operated by international contractor Supreme Group, according to a statement from the Kandahar governor’s office.
On a scale of 1-10, how concerned are you about the increasing unrest and violence in the Middle East?
Note to Self:
Mondays happen. Just put on your big girl panties and deal with it.
No wishing you could have 87 billion paid vacation days like some blogmeisters. Just drink your coffee, ignore the sunshine and focus on the 160 tasks in front of you that must be completed by noon.
That's my Monday pep talk to myself, but I really don't want to spend the whole day talking to myself— it scares the kids and the cats. So please join me in civil conversation today, and post your own topics on this Wild Card.
Serena Williams has reached the championship match in her fourth tournament since missing a year with injuries and illness.
Top Cutlines
#1 Serena Williams: ” I wish I never would have married a tennis player, because almost everytime I hit his ball, it makes a bunch of racquet and I end up having a ‘love’ game. And to him love means nothing”! KageMann
#2 I couldn’t figure out why the ball was getting bigger and bigger. Then it hit me. bayviewbob
#3 This #$@&^*N ball, like the rest of the universe, better revolve areound me, me, Me, MEEEEEEEEEEE!!! Eman
Winners, you can pick up your Fair tickets at the Cda SR office. You can have up to four. I've got more to give away tomorrow!
Members of the Hays High School football team begins their workout as they take to the field shortly before sunrise in Hays, Kan., on the first day of high school football practice, Monday, Aug. 15, 2011.
First time in 3 years our fall schedules won't revolve around high school football. I never thought I'd miss it, but I do.
The tiny Pacific island nation of Niue, which is linked to New Zealand, has announced new coins. The coins will be adorned with some familiar faces, Luke, Leia, Yoda and Darth Vader.
In November, the New Zealand mint will offer a limited edition of Star Wars coins. While the coins are meant to be collectible, they will actually be legitimate currency for Niue's 2,000 residents. Each coin is worth two New Zealand dollars but will cost far more for collectors. NPR
What kind of themed-currency would you like to see?
This image provided by the Nevada Historical Society shows the famous group portrait taken in Fort Worth, Texas shortly after Butch Cassidy and his gang robbed the Einnemucca, Nev., bank in 1900.
CHEYENNE, Wyo. — Did Butch Cassidy, the notorious Old West outlaw who most historians believe perished in a 1908 shootout in Bolivia, actually survive that battle and live to old age, peacefully and anonymously, in Washington state? And did he pen an autobiography detailing his exploits while cleverly casting the book as biography under another name?
A rare books collector says he has obtained a manuscript with new evidence that may give credence to that theory. The 200-page manuscript, “Bandit Invincible: The Story of Butch Cassidy,” which dates to 1934, is twice as long as a previously known but unpublished novella of the same title by William T. Phillips, a machinist who died in Spokane in 1937. Full story.
Do you think Butch Cassidy and William T. Phillips were one and the same?
Nadine Woodward, a former news anchor at KREM, was a fixture on the station’s nightly newscast for 19 years.
SPOKANE, Wash. — The KXLY Broadcast Group and Morgan Murphy Media are pleased to announce that starting Monday, September 12, 2011, Nadine Woodward and Mike Gonzalez will debut as the new anchor team of KXLY 4 News at 5:00 pm, 6:00 pm and 6:30 pm. Currently, Woodward and Gonzalez anchor KXLY 4’s Good Morning Northwest. They will be joined by Chief Meteorologist Kris Crocker each evening. More here.
Any Nadine fans out there? Does this news really surprise anyone?
Pounder on August 15 at 2:23 p.m.
Just stopped at the Subway on 95, and as I was getting ready to leave I saw a young lady get out of her small car and head inside. As I’m about to pull forward to leave, her car starts to roll backwards, just missing my wife’s car as she left ahead of me. I have to admit, I paused a couple seconds to ponder if I could just leave without getting involved, even after realizing that the car had no driver. But in the end I jumped out and stopped the car bodily and pushed it back into the parking space as another guy saw me and ran over to put the brake on, and we saved two cars from getting needlessly dinged. I feel like such a boyscout.
Have you done any good deeds today? Do you plan to?
BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Idaho is expecting its second year of big budget surpluses when the 2012 fiscal year ends, presenting conservative Idaho with tough choices that could include restoring programs or cutting taxes.
Come July, Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter's office and the Legislature expect to have $179 million in the bank, based on the spending plan passed by the 2011 Legislature. That's after an $85 million surplus in the fiscal year that ended June 30. More here.
What do you think they should do with the surplus? Loan it to Washington, perhaps?
In the NY Times Warren Buffett writes: Our leaders have asked for “shared sacrifice.” But when they did the asking, they spared me. I checked with my mega-rich friends to learn what pain they were expecting. They, too, were left untouched.
While the poor and middle class fight for us in Afghanistan, and while most Americans struggle to make ends meet, we mega-rich continue to get our extraordinary tax breaks. Some of us are investment managers who earn billions from our daily labors but are allowed to classify our income as “carried interest,” thereby getting a bargain 15 percent tax rate. Others own stock index futures for 10 minutes and have 60 percent of their gain taxed at 15 percent, as if they’d been long-term investors.
These and other blessings are showered upon us by legislators in Washington who feel compelled to protect us, much as if we were spotted owls or some other endangered species. It’s nice to have friends in high places.
Thoughts?
CHICAGO (AP) — The nation's two largest hot dog makers took their legal beefs on Monday to federal court, where a judge will determine whether Oscar Mayer or Ball Park franks broke false-advertising laws in their efforts to become top dog.
The long-ranging wiener war pits Chicago-area companies Sara Lee Corp., which makes Ball Park franks, against Kraft Foods Inc., which makes Oscar Mayer. The case could clarify how far companies nationwide can go when boasting that their product is better than a competitor's.
“So, let the wiener wars begin,” Judge Morton Denlow said as he opened the trial Monday morning, inviting lawyers to begin delivering their opening remarks.
Frankly, I don't give a darn. But do you have a favorite brand of wiener?
Idaho's bipartisan citizen redistricting commission is meeting today, and went over three publicly submitted legislative district plans this morning before turning to the latest plan proposed by GOP Commissioner Lou Esposito – his seventh. The newest plan, L-45, is another version of his L-34, this time making some changes in southwestern Idaho to pair Washington, Adams, Valley and Boise counties with a portion of Ada County, joined by Highway 21. It also keeps Gem and Payette counties together with a portion of Canyon County.
“We've been proposing any number of plan options, hoping to get our Democrat colleagues to the table to start negotiating,” Esposito said. “So we keep proposing variations on L-34.” He said his various plans are aimed at complying with all state laws and constitutional requirements. “I believe the Republican commissioners have acted in good faith,” he said. Betsy Russell, EOB More here.
Any predictions as to the ultimate outcome of redistricting?
Blake Perlingieri measures Finn Logan, 6, for a slightly larger earplug size at Nomad Precision Body Adornment and Tribal Museum in Portland in June.
PORTLAND – Jon Guac burned a design into his skin with a candle and fork to prove a point during a dinner debate about whether branding was an art form. As a teenager, he carved “Iron Maiden” into his arm “for experimentation.”
Stories like his, along with graphic photos of extreme body modifications, encouraged the 2011 Oregon Legislature to establish a new Board of Body Art Practitioners. But body piercers worry that Internet photos of untrained hacks slicing bloody skin with scalpels will distract the board from writing rules for what they say is a bigger problem: licenses for common piercings like ears and belly buttons. Read more.
The Oregonian further reports:
“If you regulate, that implies you will have clinical training,” Sen. Frank Morse, R-Albany, said in a hearing. “Where are you going to find clinical training to put double rings in the glans on a penis?”
Piercers say it’s a waste of resources to regulate the things that most frightened the Legislature.
Should body art be regulated?
Even in the increasingly wild world of American politics, it seemed an especially crazy idea: Matt Damon for president? After all, the handsome actor, whose boyish good looks belie the fact that he has just turned 40, is still best known for his early role in Good Will Hunting, where he played a working-class Bostonian.
Since then, he has won plaudits in Hollywood for solid work in films ranging from action flicks to Invictus, which told the story of post-apartheid South Africa's rugby World Cup triumph.
So why is Damon's name being mentioned in the context of the 2012 race for the White House and a possible liberal challenge to Barack Obama? The simple answer is to blame leftwing firebrand Michael Moore. Read more.
Can you think of a celebrity you'd vote for as president?
WASHINGTON – As he sets out on a three-day bus tour of the Midwest focused on the economy, President Barack Obama is coming under growing pressure from fellow Democrats to put forward a more aggressive strategy to create jobs than the one he has been touting for months.
Obama has offered a jobs package crafted to win Republican support in a divided Congress. But he faces two distinct problems: Republicans say they won’t vote for several pieces of the plan. And Democrats contend the program, even if enacted in full, would fall short of what’s needed to boost job growth or revive Obama’s political prospects.
White House advisers said the president’s economic team is working on a new approach to jump-starting the sluggish economy.
Sunday, Gallup reported Obama’s overall approval rating had fallen to 39 percent in its daily tracking, the worst in his presidency.
Any advice you'd like to offer the president?
The wildlife at West Medical Lake on Sunday was maybe a little wilder than the law will allow, deputies said today.
A father and two sons reported seeing a naked man fishing along the shore while they boated nearby.
Spokane County deputies arrested Dean H. Meginniss, 54, of Spokane Valley, on a felony charge of indecent exposure following the 2:15 p.m. incident.
Staff at a nearby resort said they had been hearing complaints for weeks about a naked man fishing at the lake.
Meginniss was also wanted on an arrest warrant for stalking, and his rap sheet includes a conviction for indecent exposure in 2009. Mike Prager, SR
I really don't want to know what he was using for bait, do you?
Jessica Vowels, left, Ammie Hague, center, and Jennifer Baker display their cyberpunk, fairy and steampunk looks at SpoCon 2011.
They’re geeks and nerds and proud of it.
Fans of science fiction, fantasy and horror movies, literature, art and gaming checked out of the real world this weekend and into SpoCon, Spokane’s own sci-fi convention, where they were able to indulge in their favorite fantasies and exercise their imaginations.
The convention is a place where “geeks can learn to be better geeks,” said convention Chair Chris “Big C” Snell. Chelsea Bannach, SR Full story.
Are you a sci-fi or fantasy fan? Does that make you a geek?
“If we can take a break from the partisan hackery for a moment - Keep Indianapolis in your thoughts/prayers. I’ve got friends in that area and the city is dealing with tragedy and loss today.”
INDIANAPOLIS – The summer evening at the Indiana State Fair turned strangely cold. The wind blew hard, then harder still, tearing the fabric from the roof of the wobbling grandstand stage.
The crowd, waiting under a thunderous sky for the country duo Sugarland to perform Saturday, had just been told over the loudspeakers that severe weather was possible. They were told where to seek shelter if an evacuation was necessary, but none was ordered.
None of the phone calls workers had made to the National Weather Service prepared them for the 60 to 70 mph gust that blew a punishing cloud of dirt, dust and rain down the fairground’s main thoroughfare. The massive rigging and lighting system covering the stage tilted forward, then plummeted onto the front of the crowd in a sickening thump. More here.
The toll in the stage collapse continues to grow and nic's comment is spot on.
Chief Allan, chairman of the Coeur d'Alene Tribe
COEUR d'ALENE - It has been two years since the Coeur d'Alene Tribe last officially announced it was contributing a percentage of its annual net gaming income to support educational programs and schools in Idaho.
It has also been two years since public school districts throughout the region, including one that sits on the reservation, have received a contribution of funds from the tribe.
Tribe spokesman Helo Hancock told The Press by email that the tribe has made its required contributions for fiscal years 2009, 2010 and 2011 as mandated under the tribe's gaming compact with the state, but he would not reveal to whom the funds were disbursed. Full story. Maureen Donlan, Cda Press
The Press reports, “No one at the state government level could confirm for The Press whether the tribe's required education disbursements have been made. The contributions are not monitored by the Idaho Department of Education.”
Who, if anyone, should monitor the Tribe's promised contributions to Idaho schools?
COEUR d'ALENE - One owns the restaurants, resort and myriad other buildings containing thousands of employees.
The next two keep your air conditioner rumbling and appliances humming.
But that's not all Duane B. Hagadone and your electric and gas companies are up to.
They also pay the area's highest property taxes.
According to Kootenai County tax records, Hagadone is the No. 1 property taxpayer in Kootenai County. Utilities like Avista, Rathdrum Power and Gas Transmission Company also have some of the highest bills.
While this Top 10 list is impressive, it isn't necessarily comprehensive. Because several private property owners do business or own property under a number of names, their total property tax bill for 2010 might be greater than listed in this story. Full story. Alecia Warren, Cda Press
Any sympathy for Duane and the utility companies?
AMES, Iowa – Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann won a test vote of Iowans on Saturday, a show of popularity and organizational strength for the tea party favorite five months before the state’s caucuses kick off the GOP presidential nominating season.
The result is the first indication of what Iowans think of the field of Republicans competing for the chance to challenge President Barack Obama next fall. But it’s hardly predictive of who will win the winter Iowa contest, much less the party nod or the White House.
In the weekend Wild Card Dan Gookin wrote:
Maybe to the final election, but for fundraising such polls are money in the bank. They generate news, which is free publicity. They help activate the base, identify new volunteers. They help weed out weak candidates. Hardly inconsequential.
What do you think?
CHARLESTON, S.C. — Texas Gov. Rick Perry says he came to New Hampshire immediately after launching a presidential bid Saturday in South Carolina for one reason.
He intends to compete for every vote in every state.
He may have a Southern drawl and conservative social policies, but Perry says his presidential strategy won’t ignore New Hampshire or anyplace else. Full story.
Folks are already speculating that the race for the GOP nomination will come down to Perry and Romney. Agree or disagree?
Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Charlie Furbush
SEATTLE — When the trade was made that brought Charlie Furbush to Seattle, there wasn’t much background to know if the pitcher could eventually use his long left-handed frame to be a starter.
He was mostly used as a reliever in his time with Detroit, even though the majority of his experience in the minors was as a starter. Seattle has made the commitment for the rest of the season to see if Furbush can fit into its rotation plans.
More performances like Sunday, and he’ll certainly be there.
Furbush allowed just one run in a career-best seven innings, Casper Wells homered and scored two runs and the Seattle Mariners beat Boston 5-3, taking two of three from the A.L. East-leading Red Sox. Tim Booth, AP
Would just like to point out that the SEAHAWKS WON their first pre-season game last week. Carry on.
Well, I thought Christa was going to post a Wild Card, but I think she might be enjoying having an only child at home too much.
So. This is the Weekend Wild Card. Hope you'll be out enjoying the gloriousness of August. I never was a fan of August until I expereienced this year's pathetic July. Wear your sunscreen, 'cuz being tickled pink isn't as fun as it sounds.
Feel free to post some thoughts about what you'd like to talk about on the blog next week.
TGIF, anyone? Will be distracted a bit this morning as I see a child off to summer camp for the first time. Please feel free to share any summer camp stories on this Wild Card. Or post comments or suggestions that don't fit elsewhere on any of the threaded topics. DFO will be on vacation next week and Blogmistress Cindy Hval will be greeting you Monday morning.
A friendly reminder and invite issued from Bayview Herb to come and enjoy Athol Daze this weekend. According to his post here, the parade starts at 10:00 am with activities to follow in the park afterward. If you go, let us know how it went. I've never been to Athol Daze – and now seeing that it's a “daze” and not a “day,” I'm curious as to why.
The Coeur d'Alene Press reports that the Kootenai County commission on voted 2-1 on Thursday to approve a controversial condominium-hotel project along Lake Coeur d’Alene at Neachen Bay. Discovery Land Co., based in Scottsdale, Ariz., and known in Coeur d’Alene for its Gozzer Ranch golf and lake club project, is seeking to develop the 15 large, individually owned condominiums. The units will be placed into a rental pool for half the year, though it’s not clear what months and at what cost.
The Commissioner's vote was conditional — more parking needs to be provided than what the developer had originally planned because Commissioners Dan Green and Todd Tondee deemed the venture to be commercial. Commissioner Jai Nelson disagreed with the condition and with the commercial classification. “The question comes down to what’s the primary use,” she said. “I feel like it’s more a residential-condominium use.” Read more here. SR Photo.
Interesting debate has ignited once again regarding Presidents and family vacations. The White House confirmed Wednesday the Obamas will spend 10 days in Martha’s Vineyard starting next week. It’s their third vacation on the Massachusetts island famous as a summer playground for the rich and powerful, and therefore a fat target in this roller-coaster economy.
“I don’t think Americans out there would begrudge that notion that the President would spend some time with his family,” press secretary Jay Carney told reporters.
Opines the Reliable Source blog at The Washington Post, “Of course they wouldn’t — if the Obamas inflated a kiddie pool and cooked hot dogs on the South Lawn. Once the first family leaves Washington, someone always starts whining.” Read the full post here. AP Photo/Alex Brandon
Earlier thread discussion here at HBO on this topic here.
Do you believe a sitting President ever really 'vacations' when on vacation? Do you think a Presidential vacation is reasonable given all the demands that come with the office?
The Coeur d'Alene Press is reporting a 7,500 gallon raw sewage spill in a Hayden residential area near Honeysuckle and Ramsey. The Hayden Area Regional Sewer Board has contacted a hydro-geologist to evaluate and determine the impact of this release on groundwater and nearby water wells. The Idaho Department of Environmental Quality has been contacted, is apprised of all findings, and will be given written follow-up information which is customary after an incident like this. There are no immediate threats to any drinking water supplies from this incident at this time. Read original report here.
A moderator at last night's GOP presidential debate is coming under fire for questioning Michele Bachmann on what it means when she says she's a “submissive” wife and how it might affect her presidency. The moderator was following up on a quote from an earlier Washington Post interview where she referenced the biblical phrase. “The Lord says: Be submissive, wives. You are to be submissive to your husbands,” Bachmann said at the time, according to the Post. Her campaign hasn't disputed the remarks.
On Thursday, the Washington Examiner's Byron York, a conservative columnist who was one of the moderators of the 2012 debate, asked Bachmann directly about that quote. “As president, would you be submissive to your husband?” he asked, a question that prompted the crowd to erupt in loud boos.
After a slight pause, Bachmann smiled and thanked York for his question. “Marcus and I will be married for 33 years this September 10th,” she said. “What submission means to us … it means respect. I respect my husband. He's a wonderful, godly man and a great father, and he respects me as his wife. That's how we operate our marriage.” Read more here. AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall.
Fair question? Does 'submissive' = mutual respect?
A 2-1 panel of the 11th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in Atlanta on Friday found that the law's “individual mandate” section — requiring nearly all Americans to purchase health insurance by 2014 or face financial penalties — was an improper exercise of federal authority.
“The individual mandate exceeds Congress's enumerated commerce power and is unconstitutional,” Chief Judge Joel Dubina wrote. “This economic mandate represents a wholly novel and potentially unbounded assertion of congressional authority: the ability to compel Americans to purchase an expensive health insurance product they have elected not to buy, and to make them re-purchase that insurance product every month for their entire lives.” Read more here.
Surprised?
Time again for the Coeur d'Alene Triathlon set for 7:30 am tomorrow. The Coeur d'Alene Triathlon and Duathlon is one of the most scenic races in the Northwest. Known as the Scenic Challenge the courses showcase the spectacular Coeur d'Alene community and surrounding area. See event details here.
The Coeur d'Alene Triathlon was started in 1984. Dave Daboll suggested to then Coeur d'Alene Chamber of Commerce Manager Sandy Emerson that a triathlon would be an excellent idea to help promote the area. The idea was brought before the Visitor and Convention Committee (now the Convention and Visitors Bureau) and the planning for the first race began in the spring of 1984. This group included Sandy Emerson, Rick Hoisington, Mike Rasor, John House, Ken Koep, Jim Headly, and Wade Griffith. Rick Hoisington was the first race director. For more history, follow the link. Photo CdA Triathlon.
Anyone have any memories of the early triathlon days? Do you know anyone participating tomorrow?
The Panhandle Health District warns that whooping cough has spread to 16 children in Benewah County in a slow-moving outbreak that has landed one child in the hospital. Children diagnosed with whooping cough—pertussis—range in age from 3 months to 17 years and in locations from Fernwood to Santa to St. Maries. The hospitalized child has returned home and is improving.
“We suspect exposures are occurring at a couple of churches and daycares,” said Jeff Lee, PHD epidemiologist. “Pertussis is highly contagious in group settings—within families, work settings.”
Most of the children with pertussis were not immunized. The pertussis vaccine protects people from getting the disease, but it doesn’t work completely for all people. Still, it has been shown to prevent serious symptoms in people who have been vaccinated. Read the press release here.
The Coeur d'Alene Tribe's police chief, Keith Hutcheson has announced his campaign to run for Kootenai County Sheriff according the Coeur d'Alene Press. His current contract with the tribe will end in early October.
Hutcheson has been the tribe's chief for the past six years and previously worked for the Kootenai County Sheriff's Department for eight years, including as the senior K-9 handler. With the tribe, Hutcheson said he has built a department that had one computer and no records and processing systems to one that has laptops in patrol cars and is on the brink of implementing e-ticketing. Among many changes, Hutcheson implemented a foot patrol program. He now oversees 17 full-time employees and four reserves.
Hutcheson, 43, has lived in Post Falls since 1996 and continues to train law enforcement dogs. He has served as a Kootenai County Fire and Rescue commissioner since 2002. Prior to his previous stint at the KCSD, Hutcheson was a Benewah County deputy and served in the fire service. He has won several awards and holds multiple certificates in emergency response. KCSD Maj. Ben Wolfinger earlier announced he'll seek the sheriff's job. Read the full article here. SR Photo.
Former Colorado Congressman Tom Tancredo is coming out early, questioning Rick Perry's conservatism. According to his op-ed piece at Politico. com, Tancredo believes that Rick Perry is not a “true conservative” based on Perry's stand on immigration and border control.
Perry’s views here are at odds with the vast majority of Americans — and virtually all Republican voters. While he opposes E-Verify for even state employees, 82 percent of all voters, and 91 percent of Republicans, support E-Verify for all employees.
While Perry opposes the border fence, 68 percent of all voters, and 86 percent of Republicans, support the fence. While Perry opposes the Arizona law, SB 1070, voters want 1070 in their state by a 2-1 margin — including 86 percent of all Republicans.
Perry’s only true conservative positions on borders involve calling for an end to sanctuary cities and signing a voter ID law. While I support these measures, they don’t make up for the rest of his positions on immigration. Even a broken clock is right twice a day. Read more here.
Is there a 'true conservative' and would a 'true conservative' have a chance at winning a national election?
According to the Cd'A Press, a group of Rathdrum residents has dropped its appeal of the permit allowing Coeur d'Alene Paving to run a batch plant off Highway 53.
“It's good to finally be done with it,” said Todd Kaufman, co-owner of Coeur d'Alene Paving. “We knew we were right the whole time, which is why we had to fight it.”
Several Rathdrum residents had appealed the permit that the Kootenai County commissioners awarded last year, allowing Coeur d'Alene Paving to operate the plant at its current location permanently. The group chose to drop the appeal, Kaufman said, when his company agreed to waive more than $4,000 in attorneys fees awarded by 1st District Judge John Mitchell. The fees were charged because of the group's failure to follow the correct legal process in serving certain documents.
The resolution of these lawsuits, which kept Coeur d'Alene Paving wrapped up in litigation for three years, finally allows the business to purchase the 30 acres where the plant is operated, Kaufman said, as well as an adjacent 20 acres. Read more here.
Is this result satisfactory?
According to Politico, Vanilla Ice is impressed early on with Presidential candidate Herman Cain.
The former rapper watched Thursday’s Republican presidential debate and shared his reactions on Twitter. His favorite GOP candidate so far? Herman Cain, Cain baby.
He tweeted: “I was impressed with Cain in the debate ? But not really convinced yet by anyone ??? 15 months to go ???”
Explaining that he’s “not that big into politics,” Vanilla Ice wrote, “I just wish someone could fix this mess of economy ???” See full post here. AP Photo.
Yo! V.I.P. Let's Kick It: Which candidate are you most impressed by so far?
Former House speaker questioned the legitimacy of the 12-member panel that Democratic and Republican congressional leaders filled this week in last night's Iowa Republican debate.
“I think this super committee is about as dumb an idea as Washington has come up with in my lifetime,” Gingrich said. “I used to run the House of Representatives. I have some general notion of these things. The idea that 523 senators and congressmen are going to sit around for four months while 12 brilliant people, mostly picked for political reasons, are going to sit in some room and brilliantly come up with a trillion dollars, or force us to choose between gutting our military and accepting a tax increase, is irrational.
“They're going to walk in just before Thanksgiving and say, 'All right, we can shoot you in the head or cut off your right leg, which do you prefer?'” he added. “What they ought to do is scrap the committee right now, recognize it's a dumb idea, go back to regular legislative business, assign every subcommittee the task of finding savings. Do it out in the open through regular legislative order and get rid of this secret phony business.” See original Politico post here. SR Photo Archive.
Do you agree? Will the Super Committee accomplish anything innovative?
Tax-protesting Idaho state Rep. Phil Hart is arguing that a district judge abused his discretion by refusing to delay a court hearing when the state representative was in Boise, debating legislation to permit guns on state college campuses that he strongly supported. Hart, R-Athol, devoted much of his opening brief in his appeal to the Idaho Supreme Court to arguments over how a Coeur d'Alene judge, John Mitchell, went ahead with a scheduled hearing in Hart's case on March 16 when the Idaho House was “debating a very important piece of legislation which my constituents most certainly expect, and would demand, that I be present to vote on.”
Hart, who is contesting an order to pay more than $53,000 in back state income taxes, penalties and interest from the tax years 1996 to 2004, disagreed with the court's ruling that the hearing - on Hart's own motion for reconsideration of Mitchell's order rejecting his case - merely consisted of legal arguments by the attorneys and didn't require Hart's presence, but that he could participate by phone if he chose to. He declined. State Tax Commission attorneys have cited “a pattern of delay and obstruction” in Hart's tax protests, and objected to any further delays. You can read Betsy's full story here at spokesman.com, along with a link to Hart's brief to the Idaho Supreme Court.
Okay - let's play along. What do you think is more important to Athol constituents: Guns on campus or taking personal responsibility in paying one's taxes?
DFO is on vacation enjoying this gorgeous weather. The Huckleberries Paparazzi (you know who you are) might be interested to know that backup Blogmistress Cindy Hval is planning her annual trip to Silverwood — you might find her on the Lazy River with drink in hand. I'll be here through Friday. Use this thread to post on any topic or to ask questions or lodge complaints, etc, etc.
Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos and Amazon VP Greg Hart have recently applied for a patent on “a system and method for protecting devices from impact damage.”
The ideas are all still in the beginning stages, but the pair are starting with the development of a safety monitoring system. The system would have to have some sort of radar or sensors that are able to detect in a matter of seconds if the device is at immediate risk of impact damage.
As seen in the image above, one idea being thrown around is to embed one or more small airbags into the back of the phone. When the safety monitoring system is triggered, the airbags will inflate to keep your device safe from its shattering demise. Read more here.
At least the airbag is for the phone and not the humans carrying them. That would have made it complicated, I'm sure.
The recently disbarred lawyer who defended North Idaho attorney Edgar Steele at his murder-for-hire trial says he acted ineffectively because he was distracted by his own legal problems.
Robert McAllister said his thinking process during Steele's trial in Boise, which ended with his conviction on all counts in May, was disrupted by the pending disbarment proceeding in Colorado, which stemmed from allegations that he embezzled money from clients.
“…I assumed I could perform was well as I had performed previously, not understanding the full extent that the prospect of disbarment would have on me,” McAllister wrote.
McAllister's statement is included in a 50-page motion for a new trial filed this week in U.S. District Court in Coeur d'Alene. Read more of Megann Cuniff's story here.
Reaction?
A new study revealed that nearly one in five married couples go without kissing for as long as one week at a time. And when they do finally lock lips, it will last no longer than five seconds for 40 percent of them.
There are some glimmers of hope in the results, albeit few. Five percent of those age 45 and up squeeze in more than 30 kisses per week, which averages out to just over four per day. So, not counting a presumed “good morning” and “good night” kiss, that leaves two others. Even younger couples age 18 to 24 — not necessarily married — make some time for romance, with an average of 11 kisses per week, or less than two per day. More here.
I wonder what the kiss rate was for those couples getting divorced? I can gratefully say I am NOT 1 out of 5. How often do you kiss your sweetie?
Rumors and speculation about mysterious roadkill could end soon after a retired biology professor examined the carcass Tuesday morning. “I wouldn't be concerned that it's some kind of alien, imported species or anything like that. It has all the characteristics it needs to be a badger,” retired Professor Emeritus from the University of Minnesota - Morris, Dave Hoppe said.
News of the curious creature took off, capturing the imaginations of people worldwide and interest from dozens of media outlets and TV stations. Guesses ranged from a badger, to a skunk, a wolverine, a foreign dog, a wolf, a genetic mutation or even proof of the mythical chupacabra.
The creature was moved to the Glenwood Department of Natural Resources office for further examination and officials soon said they thought it was a badger, but couldn't be positive. More here plus video.
Does this look like a badger to you? Is it possible there is such a thing as a chupacabra?
A new survey finds nearly seven out of ten Americans have created an ultimate “to-do” list for activities they want to achieve in their lifetime, and travel is ranked number one on the lists of 83 percent of respondents.
Achieving a personal goal was on the list of 61 percent of respondents, followed in popularity by “volunteering for a cause” and “doing something mentally or physically challenging.” Read more here.
What's on your lifetime “To Do” or bucket list?
According to this piece in the UK Telegraph, President Barack Obama is facing mounting doubts within his own party about his re-election prospects, with fellow Democrats 
beginning to ask if Hillary Clinton would have made a better president.
“He is a do-gooder at heart,” said Morris Reid, a Washington consultant and former Clinton official. “He thinks everyone has the same agenda to do the right thing, but other people don't have the same agenda. Their agenda is to score points and get their party re-elected.
“This is the downside of him not being terribly political like Bill Clinton was. Bill Clinton woke up every day relishing this kind of fight, and Hillary is just a tougher person. The Clintons are much more combative, they are always ready to go to Defcon 1 ('war is imminent' state).” Read more here.
Would Hillary have been a better choice given the issues we face today?
I’ve always been a hands-on journalist, because I believe the best reporting comes from actively experiencing community life. I’ve sat on a $600 toilet, flown in a biplane and fired fancy 
handguns, all to accurately report a story. But Saturday, I took hands-on to a whole new level when I was invited to judge the Knobbly Knees and Bonny Knees contests at the Spokane Highland Games.
For more than 50 years, folks from around the region, and even the world, have gathered at the Spokane County Fair and Expo Center to celebrate all things Scottish. The heavy athletics competition anchors the annual event. Kilt-clad contestants throw hammers and toss cabers among other traditional contests.
Pipe bands and highland dancers add musical flair, and savory haggis (sheep organs mixed with onion, oatmeal and suet) tempts brave-hearted foodies.
Organizers strive to keep the games fresh and exciting. Last year, they introduced the Pull for the Haggis, a tug of war between Irish and Scots. And this year, co-chairs Steven Schneider and Ruby Devine decided to launch a contest for fearless fellows with nice or knobbly knees.Cindy Hval, SR More here. Pictured: John Forsyth, 35, winner of the Knobbly Knee contest.
Have you ever judged any kind of contest?
Shauna Edwards holds 7-month-old Landry Kopp during a meeting of Young Lives on Aug. 5 at Camp White in Post Falls.
The Spokane River beckoned under a balmy sky at Camp White in Post Falls Thursday afternoon. Nathan Mayfield, 2, couldn’t wait to get his feet wet. “Go to pool?” he asked, pointing to the shimmering expanse of water.
His mom, Jessica Andrew, 18, laughed. “That’s a big pool!”
The pair were part of a picnic and beach day sponsored by Young Lives. Operating under the umbrella of Young Life, (a nondenominational Christian ministry for adolescents) the program reaches out to middle school- and high school-age girls who are pregnant or raising a child. Cindy Hval, SR
How old were you when your first child was born?
The Coeur d'Alene Press reports that Coeur d'Alene is being recognized as DogTown USA, the most dog 
friendly city in the country by Dog Fancy magazine. Coeur d'Alene will be featured in Dog Fancy's October issue, which hits newsstands Aug. 23.
Dog Fancy editor Ernie Slone will attend a Coeur d'Alene City Council meeting on Tuesday to present a check to the Kootenai County Dog Park Association and to present Mayor Sandi Bloem with a plaque honoring Coeur d'Alene as the DogTown USA winner. Factors that went into the decision included the off-leash dog park, Tubbs Hill and area trails, dog friendly businesses, and events like Dog d'Alene. Read more here. Photo Shawn Gust/CdA Press.
CH: Really? CdA is the most dog friendly? I'm kind of suprised by this designation. Dogs are not allowed in city parks or beach areas (even with leashes). In fact, the dog pictured in today's Press is technically a violation of City Ordinance 4.25.080.
Question: The addition of the dog park was a great improvement for our area canines and this designation is a good thing — but is it accurate? Are we really DogTown USA?
The Mayor's Awards in the Arts are presented by the Coeur d'Alene Arts Commission and the City of Coeur d'Alene to recognize and encourage excellence in the arts and to stimulate and support awareness of the arts throughout the City. Nominees may be businesses, organizations, or individuals who have, through distinguished service or creative accomplishment, made a significant contribution to the arts in Coeur d'Alene, but need not be based or have residence actually within the City Limits. Read more here. Nomination forms can be found here.
Any thoughts on who might be nominated? Maybe the Ganesha artist?
The Fourth Street's concrete color patterns need a touch up — again. The Coeur d'Alene Press reports this 
is the second year in a row since the $3 million project was completed.
“We're exploring options,” said Jon Ingalls, deputy city attorney, on the possibility that the city of Coeur d'Alene is seeking a permanent solution for the reoccurring problem. “We don't know if it's an application, product or design issue. It's hard to tell.”
But the city will be taking a closer look over the next couple of weeks to find out. Because unlike last year when the peeled-off paint problem first appeared, the project is no longer covered by its one-year warranty, so the contractor won't come in and touch it up. Safco Excavating and Construction worked as a lead on the project. The sub-contractor that performed the concrete coloring was C4 Concrete, and the product used for the coloring was H & C Concrete Sealer, according to C4 Concrete. Read the full story here. Photo Tom Hasslinger/CdA Press.
Press Commenter Dan Gookin: Oh, please. “It's hard to tell”? The problem is that you didn't dye the concrete. You painted it. Apparently the LCDC learned that lesson because they're dying the concrete for the Education Corridor project.
Should the city re-paint or re-pour the concrete?
Richelle McDermott is a National History Day state contest winner.
For some teens history is either a class they have to pass or a list of recently visited websites. For Mt. Spokane High School’s Richelle McDermott history has become a passion.
In May, McDermott took first place at the National History Day state contest. “I was very jazzed!” said Mt. Spokane history teacher Luke Thomas. “I’ve been teaching this for eight years, and this is the first student I’ve had place.” Cindy Hval, SR Full story
What was your favorite subject in school?
Greenlibertarian is asking for advice from veteran Festival at Sandpoint goers: “Staying overnight in Sandpoint Sat. and Sunday nights with my GF, going to the Festival Finale on Sunday night. Any tips from previous Festival goers would be much appreciated.” Original thread here.
Anyone have any tips or information to report on the Festival at Sandpoint?
According to the city website, you can expect delays next week on Northwest Boulevard from Appleway to Ironwood as city crews repave that stretch of roadway. The work is scheduled for August 16 & 17. You can read more here.
It's nice to be off the bench and called in to play a little on the field of HBO. Use this Wild Card to leave comments or complaints for the Big Guy in case he's checking in or to get my attention on a topic. In the meantime, enjoy the sunshine and the warmth. These were the days we longed for a few months back. It will go fast … Halloween stuff is already on the store shelves.
Redneck Olympics organizer Harold Brooks told FoxNews.com he received a telephone call Monday from a paralegal at the USOC warning him to change the name of his event or face a lawsuit. The redneck games in Maine last weekend included bobbing for pigs' feet, toilet-seat horseshoes, lawn mower races, a mud run and pie-eating contest. About 2,580 people attended the event in Hebron, a town with fewer than 1,000 residents, Brooks said.
“It's a word that was used by the ancient Greeks,” Brooks said. “This is just a bunch of rich people looking out for other rich people. It's sickening that if you own a lot of money, you can own everything — even a word. As far as government goes, I think they have bigger problems than restricting the use of the word that wasn’t even made up here in the United States,” he said. “We’re not going to drop it.”
USOC spokesman Mark Jones told FoxNews.com on Wednesday that the word “Olympics” is the property of the USOC. He explained that the committee has exclusive rights to the name under the Ted Stevens Olympic and Amateur Sports Act of 1978. More here. PHOTO Sun Journal/Jose Leiva.
Any chance of confusing rednecks with world class athletes? Isn't this a little overboard?
Several espresso stands with provocatively dressed employees have opened in the City of Spokane, including a few stands where baristas cover their breasts with little more than stickers. Big Shots Espresso, a bright pink kiosk on the corner of Francis and Lidgerwood, took the hot coffee trend one step further with “Topless Tuesdays.”
And it's got one group of people especially steamed. Emily Swenson's morning jolt is not from her cup of coffee, but the woman who serve it at the espresso stand just below her window. “I see that. The ladies are not dressed. I think it's nasty,” she pointed out of her third-floor apartment window to the women in the kiosk below. “I have kids and I don't like it cause they can see that.”
At Big Shots espresso, the women walk the line between skim milk and skimpy outfits. The line is often several cars long with customers eager for a jolt of java. The girls at the stand have long-since shown off lingerie, but recently they touted a new trend “Topless Tuesdays,” women wearing nothing more than panties and pasties. Read more and watch video here.
Coffee, pastries and pasties — Inappropriate or God Bless America?
A former Washington legislative candidate and convicted conman will spend five years in prison for scheme that bilked a Coeur d’Alene woman out of her high-end riverside home and drew the wrath of a federal judge.
“I think the bottom line in all reality is that you’re a con artist,” U.S. District Judge Edward Lodge said to Travis “T.J.” Sneed (pictured) before sentencing him Tuesday in Coeur d’Alene to 63 months in prison. “You say one thing and you do something different. And it’s not a one time situation.”
Sneed’s sentence was higher than a plea agreement originally called for because federal prosecutors discovered a scheme by Sneed to solicit fraudulent character-witness statements to submit at sentencing. Sneed offered another man $1 for each letter and said he wanted 150 letters, said Assistant U.S. Attorney Nancy Cook. Read more of Meghann's report here.
I'm baffled by this guy's thought process and attempt to con his way out of this predicament. Wow.
As reported in today's Coeur d'Alene Press, the KTEC board and the Coeur d'Alene School District are in the process of hiring an individual whose work time will be evenly split into two positions - one as administrator of the new high school and the other as coordinator of professional-technical education programs for the school district.
“My vision is that this person really gets out and talks to our students and parents about PTE,” said Hazel Bauman, Coeur d'Alene superintendent.
While working for the school district, the individual hired will also be charged with creating more professional-technical education opportunities on the district's campuses. Bauman said the district programs will be aimed at middle and high school students and will be in addition to the offerings at KTEC high school. Read more here.
On MikeK's Facebook page, he offers Love Tip #28: “call your mate's cell phone while you are together and check what ringtone they assigned to your number. #discuss”
I believe Mr. Hazel has assigned Queen's 'Under Pressure' as my special ringtone. Do you know what's been assigned to you? Willing to admit what you have assigned to others?
According to an internal memo obtained by the Houston Press, Whole Foods has directed its stores nationwide to not promote the Muslim holy month of Ramadan due to pressure from conservative bloggers.
“It is probably best that we don't specifically call out or 'promote' Ramadan,” reads a portion of that email. “We should not highlight Ramadan in signage in our stores as that could be considered 'Celebrating or promoting' Ramadan.”
“We recently introduced a line of frozen products in Grocery that are Halal certified (meet Muslim dietary laws) called Saffron Road,” continues the email. “With the introduction of this line company wide, and the beginning of Ramadan last week, we posted a product giveaway on the Whole Story blog (on July 31) to generate awareness and interest in the products. Some people have misinterpreted the blog post to mean we are celebrating or promoting Ramadan in our stores. The misinterpretation has generated some negative feedback from a small segment of vocal and angry consumers and bloggers.” Read more here. Photo/CBS News Archives.
Would the presence of Halal certified food or advertisements for products that are used during Ramadan bother you if you encountered it in your local grocery store? Is there any reason “kosher” is more kosher than Halal?
“The intensity in her eyes is in all the photographs of her. You know, this is the thing that’s connecting with 
people,” Brown said. “We have people in the crowd saying, something about her tells me I should follow her. And there is something about Michele Bachmann, with the eyes looking out, she has this very, very, kind of, intense demeanor.” More here.
Is it 'personal intensity' or 'wild eyes' that is reflected in this photo? Anyone remember the Palin jogging cover? Do magazine cover brouhahas matter in the long run?
Lionsgate says it is remaking the 1987 film that starred Jennifer Grey as a naïve dance student and Patrick Swayze as her teacher and lover. The studio said Monday that Kenny Ortega, who choreographed the original film, will direct the remake. Ortega says he is eager to discover and cast “the next breakout triple-threats” to define dancing for a generation, the way Swayze did in the original “Dirty Dancing.” Reported here. The pros and cons of this remake is examined here.
Will the current generation understand the notion of 1960's “Dirty Dancing” taboos highlighted in the story line? Anyone think Baby just needs to stay in the corner on this one?
The Boise City Council has agreed to convene a group to think of ways to best address the few kids and adults that may be causing problems along the Boise River. A proposed ordinance called for making changes that would clarify the rules and alter penalties for activities such as blocking pathways, or jumping from, or throwing objects from any structure over hanging the Boise River or other waterways or city parks.
“The classic rope on a tree is illegal here. I don't know that that's what we intended,” stated Boise Mayor Dave Beiter. Any changes that will take place will not take place until next year. Read more from the Idaho Statesman here. Photo/Chris Butler.
Should there be any changes to our local laws regarding jumping from Tubbs Hill or any other area recreational spots?
A new trend in punditry is to compare current candidates to Sarah Palin as an insult. The trend is bi-partisan with both Republicans and Democratic strategists using the comparison. GOP strategist Alex Castellanos stated that Gov. Rick Perry has some challenges ahead, one of them being “that people think he's a little bit of a coffee table book, just kind of Sarah Palin with a skirt, not a substantive candidate.”
Economist, PhD, Nobel prize winner, columnist, and Princeton professor Paul Krugman referred to Republican Tim Pawlenty as “Sarah Palin in a suit.” Read more here.
Does Sarah Palin carry any meaningful weight with anyone? What's the deal with being in a skirt or a suit? What if Sarah Palin wore a skirt suit?
Well, Guys & Dolls, I'm outtahere for 2 weeks of vacay, enjoying our viewtiful sun and the weather that finally seems to be sticking around. Christa will be at the controls from Wednesday through Friday with Cindy taking over on Monday through the rest of my vacay, Aug. 23. I'll be back in time for the beginning of the North Idaho Fair. So I might see you there. Meanwhile, behave yourself …
Buddy, an American hairless terrier, rides in a crate on the back of a motorcycle driven by vacationing Dan O'Neil of Stoughton, Mass., Tuesday in Biddeford, Maine. (AP Photo/Robert F.Bukaty)
I am not cooking anymore. It gets me into trouble. Cooks have to eat and taste their own food. I really like the eating part and I like to deep fat fry and cook all of those nasty desserts. I quit. So, this is the next best thing to 
any recipe you are going to get from me for awhile. Diet Tip: #1 Those great big dill pickles in that great big jar is only about five bucks! Why am I so excited about these dill pickles? No, I am not pregnant, I would be a medical miracle. Dill pickles are calorie and carbohydrate free! Yes, you can limit yourself to eating and when you just can’t take the anguish anymore, reach for that dill pickle! Have two or three if you like, take the hunger pangs away! The taste will be just what the doctor ordered, because you are starving and anything in your mouth that can fill your need for food is worth the pucker! Other diet tips from Stebbijo here.
A Cascade red fox yawns on a snowbank near its den just off the Paradise Valley Road at Mount Rainier National Park, Wash. You write the cutline. (AP Photo/The News Tribune, Dean J. Koepfler)
Top Cutlines:
Surrounded by inquisitive geese, a man who refused to be identified lounges in Tom McCall Waterfront Park reading a newspaper in downtown Portland, Ore., Tuesday. (AP Photo/Don Ryan)
BNSF and Kootenai County appear to have resolved differences over conditions of operation at the poorly located railroad refueling station over the Rathdrum Prairie Aquifer near Hauser. Recall that BNSF objected to tougher new conditions the County proposed last year, and ran immediately to the courthouse. Now, scheduled for a hearing before a hearing examiner September 1st, are a new set of conditions that BNSF appears to have agreed to. The main change between what was proposed last year and what will go to the hearing examiner this year appears to govern what happens when something goes horribly wrong/Terry Harris, KEA Blog. More here.
Question: Are you surprised that nothing has gone “horribly wrong” so far during BNSF's operation of the refueling depot at Hauser (that we know about)?
Democrats on the Idaho Redistricting Commission say their Republican counterparts are pursuing “covert partisan goals.” Responding to a Sunday Statesman editorial on the stalled remapping process, 
Co-Chairman Allen Andersen of Pocatello, Julie Kane of Lapwai, and George Moses of Boise say the impasse is rooted in a disagreement over the guidelines. The Democrats accuse the Republicans of giving redistricting law the same weight as constitutional protections. “Unless we can agree on the framework with which both sides will approach maps, we will continue in an impasse. Simply, their approach to redistricting dilutes constitutional protections and cements an extreme one-party rule for the next decade. This does not serve Idahoans, regardless of how they vote”/Kevin Richert, Idaho Statesman. More here.
Question: Are you concerned that the redistricting process will reinforce one-party rule in Idaho?
Idaho Department of Commerce Director Don Dietrich (pictured) is resigning from his post effective Sept. 2. Dietrich, a 
former executive with Aspen Technology and Cargill Inc., said he plans to return to the private sector. He's also been a lightning rod as rumors have circulated that Gov. Butch Otter's “Project 60” trade-building initiative is really a plot to sell Idaho's sovereignty to China; the John Birch Society has been pushing the theory and using quotes from Dietrich about trade with China. The furor even spread to the Idaho Republican Party's Central Committee, which passed a “China Beachhead” resolution last month calling on the Legislature to look into it/Betsy Russell, Eye On Boise. More here.
Question: What role did paranoia over China investment in Idaho play in this resignation?
The debt ceiling debate hurt Americans’ view of Republicans, bolstered their opinion of Democrats, and drove 
the tea party’s favorable ratings to a new low, a poll on Tuesday found. Just 33 percent of Americans approve of the Republican Party, while 59 percent disapprove in a CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey released Tuesday. That’s a net negative 10-percentage-point shift from less than a month ago, when 41 percent of those surveyed by CNN said they had a favorable view of the GOP while 55 percent had an unfavorable one. At the same time, Democrats’ numbers have improved slightly, with approval and disapproval each at 47 percent. In July, 45 percent approved and 49 percent disapproved, a net 4-point positive change/Politico. More here. (AP file photo, of President Obama & House Speaker John Boehner)
Question: Are you surprised by the results of this poll?
The fans at Avista Stadium rise for a standing ovation as Sgt. Chris Weichman embraces his twin 4-year-old girls Gracie, left, and Ruby during a surprise homecoming between innings Monday. His wife Abby stands at left. The homecoming was arranged as a “special prize ” for a promotion during the game between the Spokane Indians and Yakima Bears. Weichman is on his third tour of duty in Afganistan. (SR photo: Christopher Anderson) Also: You can see the KHQ video of the reunion here.
Councilman Mike, who was at the game, offers this description: “After the promo the stadium announcer Jamie Patrick called people’s attention to the 3rd base line and there was a serviceman standing there. His daughters ran right across the field and the reality of what was happening dawned on everyone. When people realized this was the reunion, the crowd rose and applauded (many through tears) and the players warming up for the next inning on the field and in the dugouts all stopped what they were doing and gave the family an ovation. It put everything in perspective and was an unexpected blessing to be a part of.
DFO: This wonderful reunion underscores the awful loss to this country and their families of the 30 SEALS in Afghanistan during the last week.
On his Facebook wall, Councilman Mike offers this formula for dealing with teen-age girls: “Teenage girls + normal adolescent growing pain drama + text messaging = Escalation of insidious self-esteem challenges and overboard emotional responses. (I'm beginning to loathe text messaging.)” I raised my daughter in the pre-text era. (She graduated from Lake City High in 2004.) So I don't have experience in dealing with texting and teen girls. How about you?
Question: What was the biggest challenge in rearing a teen daughter that didn't exist in “your day”? And/or what advice would you give parents who are raising teen daughters?
A new study by the Idaho Freedom Foundation shows levy rates for the city of Dover would be half what they 
are if not for urban renewal projects in the rural panhandle town. Since 2005, the year the Dover Urban Renewal Agency formed, levy rates in the city of Dover have risen 12.7 percent, in spite of property value increasing over 300 percent. This increased tax burden is being placed on residents of Dover because of the city’s need to increase revenues for services in conjunction with urban renewal projects/Erik Makrush, Idaho Freedom Foundation. More here.
Question: Do you support the concept of urban renewal?
Everyone who won an AP cutline contest last week & this has shown up to get their tickets. But the individuals who were awarded 2 tickets apiece simply for entering Friday's contest haven't claimed them. So I'm going to give out 2 tickets apiece to anyone who can post a decent comment below explaining why they deserve them (& can get in to the SR's CdA office by 5 today to claim them). I'm off on a 2-week vacay to enjoy our viewtiful sunshine while I can, beginning Wednesday. So you need to claim the tickets today.
“Sperm! The Musical” is on the way to the Panida Theatre in Sandpoint. No, I don't think this is a joke. It's an 
original musical comedy set in that most romantic of settings, a sperm bank. It's about “sperm radiation therapy, and killer mutant sperm monsters,” or, to put it more directly, about a couple named Willy and Delouise Johnson who are having trouble conceiving. It's written by Sandpoint playwright Ben Olson with music by Brian Hibbard and directed by Andrew Sorg. If it's anywhere near as entertaining as Olson's press release, this show could be a hoot. One example: “Brian's songs are so catchy, you'd hum them all day if they weren't written about sperm”/Jim Kershner, SR. More here. (2005 AP file photo for illustrative purposes: Colombians dressed as sperm cross a main avenue during a campaign promoting condom use in Catholic country)
Question: “Sperm! The Musical”? “Urinetown”? Is there any topic that's verboten for a musical?
On her Facebook wall, Trish Gannon/River Journal reports that a recently harvested tomato tasted like “a bite 
of heaven.” After I responded that I've harvested 5 tomatoes so far and that there were 3 more waiting on the vine for me when I get home tonight, Trish added: “ooohhhh DFO - 8! I think the closest an adult comes to experiencing the anticipation we felt as a child at Christmas is anticipating the tomatoes getting ripe!” BTW, the plants that are producing are the ones that I nursed through the wet May & June. the ones that are far from producing are the ones I didn't plant until June. (SR file photo)
Question: How is your tomato harvest this summer?
Rick Melanson crosses the Riverside Avenue skywalk as a new sign on the front of the former Bank of Whitman building in downtown Spokane announces the change to Columbia Bank on Monday. The Tacoma bank is seeking to be stabilizing influence after Whitman's seizure by FDIC. John Stucke SR story here.
In an op-ed piece, LZ Granderson announces that he is no longer making time for date night in his busy household schedule. “Why? It was ruining my sex life,” writes Granderson. “Every Thursday night, I knew I was going to get some alone time, which I guess is better than not getting any at all. But when you know the precise time you are going to get busy and you know it's going to be that time each week, that makes it routine. And if intimacy becomes routine, it can become boring. And when intimacy becomes boring, well, you have one of the leading causes of divorce.” Read more here.
Is a regularly scheduled “date night” beneficial or detrimental for a busy relationship? Doesn't it add a lot of pressure to an already hectic calendar?
The Coeur d’Alene Tribal Council has filled the top position at its casino in Worley, Idaho, with a tribal member 
who was fired from the same job and sued by the tribe five years ago for alleged breach of fiduciary duties. On Monday, David Matheson was named CEO of the Coeur d’Alene Casino Resort Hotel, a position he held from 1994 until his forced ouster in 2006. “The Tribal Council felt that Dave Matheson was the most qualified candidate interviewed and that the time was right to offer Dave a second chance,” read a statement issued by the council on Monday. Neither Matheson nor tribal Chairman Chief Allan was available for comment on the apparent reconciliation/Kevin Graman, SR. More here.
Reaction?
On her Idaho Scenic Images Facebook wall, Linda Lantzy posts: “Sunrise over the North Fork of the Coeur d'Alene River Saturday. Not a fisherman in site. Slackers.”
Question: How early are you willing to arise to fish?
Idaho’s State Board of Education has set seven public hearings around the state on a proposed new online learning requirement for high school graduation, which would require two online credits to graduate. One of 
the two must be an “asynchronous” course, defined as one in which the teacher is not in the classroom with the student during instructional periods and both students and teachers participate in the course on their own schedules, rather than at a fixed time. The hearings start today in Idaho Falls; they include one Monday in Coeur d’Alene from 4-8 p.m. at North Idaho College, in Room 102 of the Meyer Health Building; and one in Moscow Aug. 16. Additional hearings are scheduled over the next two weeks in Pocatello, Fruitland, Nampa and Twin Falls/Betsy Russell, Eye On Boise. More here.
Question: Do you plan to participate in these Board of Education hearing re: proposed new online learning requirement?
Some neighbors in Coeur d'Alene were surprised this week to learn that a house on their block is now home to men recently released from prison. The 17th Street residents were upset to find out Wednesday that Robert Obeid, the owner of the little yellow house near theirs, is now offering it as transitional rental housing for former inmates. “This is a nice neighborhood, and now our children are prisoners,” said Jarrod Womack, a father of four whose eldest is 12. “We can't let them out alone.” There are 16 children living within 300 feet of the house at 306 17th St., Womack said. His own family lives across the street. “The laws protect these guys, and our kids lose their right to be safe when they're outside playing,” Womack said/Maureen Dolan, Coeur d'Alene Press. More here.
DFO: This is one of those few times that I might agree with Bill McCrory/OpenCDA.com. I don't think it's right to allow a halfway house in a neighborhood with little or no notice to the neighbors.
Question: What do you make of this situation?
Mary Souza, Huckleberries' favorite scold, found the dark lining behind that silver cloud that has been the roaring Tea Party express in Kootenai County. In her latest newsletter, she ballyhooed the Tea Party rally at 
Stateline Speedway this summer, noting breathlessly that NRA jumbo Wayne LaPierre was “incredible; a very powerful and insightful speaker.” Seems (be still my beating heart) that LaPierre had been speaking to the United Nations “just the day before he came to North Idaho.” Mary was also impressed that LaPierre is just an ordinary guy, like you and me. Quoth: “He was wearing khakis and a plaid cotton shirt, offering his handshake while saying, 'Hi, I'm Wayne.' No bodyguards, no entourage, just Wayne and his assistant.” So what's the problem? Attendance. It was “lower than we had expected because of several conflicting events.” More than 500 showed up. But that apparently wasn't enough for She Who Cannot Be Appeased.
Question: Is the Tea Party losing steam locally?
Diana Nyad, right, gestures as U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents board her support boat in Key West, Fla., today. The 61-year-old marathon swimmer had to be pulled from the water early Tuesday during a second attempt to swim from Cuba to the Florida Keys. (AP Photo/Florida Keys News Bureau, Rob O'Neal)
Question: Have you tried something big only to fail? Care to tell us about it?
Sen. Mike Crapo called for additional debt reform after the market freefall on Monday, a tactic he described as necessary to stabilize the economy. The Idaho Republican said a swift response from Congress is necessary 
in the wake of Standard & Poor's decision to downgrade the country's credit rating from AAA status Friday. “I am very worried about it,” Crapo said. “We are obviously seeing in the stock market today the reaction to it.” On the first day of trading since the downgrade, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell by more than 600 points, or 5.6 percent. The Associated Press reported it was the sixth-worst slide for the Dow in more than a century and the worst day for the market since December 2008. In order to minimize the damage, Crapo called for new spending cuts and widespread tax reform/Twin Falls Times-News. More here.
Question: Is Crapo right re: the steps needed to fix financial crisis at this point — new spending cuts & widespread tax reform?
I’ve always thought of Mark Hatfield, the Oregon Republican who died on Sunday, as looking and acting exactly 
as a United States Senator should. If Hollywood were casting a role for a wise, reasoned fellow to be a U.S. Senator, Hatfield could have played the part. Heck, he did play the part for 30 years. Most of the obits describe Mark Hatfield as “a liberal Republican,” and that is probably a fine description, as far as it goes. I think of him in the great tradition of Senate independents and independence is way more important in politics than being a Republican, a Democrat, a liberal or a conservative. Hatfield was an independent/Marc Johnson, The Johnson Post. More here.
Question: Which U.S. senator today “looks” like a U.S. senator should look?
Fire trucks and concrete mixers, semis, heavy-duty pickups and all trucks in between will, for the first time, have to trim fuel consumption and emissions of heat-trapping gases under new efficiency standards 
announced Tuesday by President Barack Obama. The White House said the standards will save businesses billions of dollars in fuel costs, help reduce oil consumption and cut air pollution. The standards apply to vehicle model years 2014 to 2018. The new targets affect three categories of vehicles. Big rigs or semis will have to slash fuel consumption and production of heat-trapping gases by up to 23 percent. Gasoline-powered heavy-duty pickups and vans will have to cut consumption by 10 percent, or by 15 percent if the vehicles run on diesel fuel/Darlene Superville, AP. More here. (AP file photo)
Question: Do you support fuel standards for big vehicles?
A retired lawyer and a professional poker player made a pitch to a Newport High School marketing class: Come up with a viable business plan, and we’ll finance it. The result is a full-service kayak rental business called Bear Naked Adventures, which opened July 18 at Rotary Park in Oldtown, Idaho next to a Pend Oreille River boat launch. The business was created and financed through the Pend Oreille Microenterprise Development Organization, a new nonprofit group. Jody Lawrence-Turner SR story here. (SR photo: Kathy Plonka)
Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) was confronted at a town hall meeting Monday over comments he made from the 
Senate floor last month in which he used the term “Tea Party hobbits.” “What apology is in order?” McCain responded when asked if he would apologize for the remark, as reported by the East Valley Tribune. “What was wrong that I said?” In his floor speech on June 28, McCain read from a Wall Street Journal (WSJ) editorial that drew a parallel between some Tea Party members and characters in the epic The Lord of the Rings/Josiah Ryan, The Hill's Floor Action Blog. (AP photo)
Question: Aren't hobbits cute & courageous? Would you be offended if someone referred to you as a hobbit?
Brent Andrews: I am hearing the general say the loss of these 30 including SEALS in the helicopter crash will 
not affect the overall operation in Afg, but it will. The will for this war was already sapped and this is another blow that cannot but turn our heads from inflicting violence on the poor, spreading “freedom” with bombs and rifles, and losing our troops in battles that don’t even matter to overall operations. If we choose to inflict death to carry out our political designs, we will get death in return. We should make the best of this awful loss and resolve to end the occupation and scale down our military in a drastic way. Else, we can only expect more disasters like this one. (AP file photo)
Question: I'm with Brent on this one. I can't see what purpose is served to keep putting our troops through the meat grinder to protect Afghanistan. It's time to bring those troops home. What do you say?
Bargain hunters helped push the Dow back above 11,000 briefly Tuesday. The Dow Jones industrial average 
rose 193 points, or 1.8 percent, to 11,003 in morning trading. On Monday, the Dow had its worst day since 2008. It plunged 634.76 points as fear coursed through global markets. Investors worried about the first-ever downgrade to the U.S. credit rating, the slowing U.S. economy, debt problems in Europe and rising inflation in less-developed countries. Hope that the Federal Reserve may announce more help for the economy in the afternoon also lifted stocks/Stan Choe, AP. More here. (AP photo)
Question: How worried are you about the current Wall Street meltdown?
Item: Sheriff battles budget: Watson: 'We're the lowest employed with the highest crime rate'/Alecia Warren, CdA Press
More Info: The Kootenai County Sheriff's Department budget has more than doubled over the past decade, but the department is still below the state average of officers and facing an uptick in crime. “Compare us to other metropolitan areas, and we're the lowest employed with the highest crime rate,” said Sheriff Rocky Watson. Much of the extra budget dollars have gone toward shipping out inmates from the overcrowded jail, Watson said.
Question: In terms of budget priorities, where would you place law enforcement?
All those who have won free tickets to the opening day of the North Idaho Fair must pick them up by 5 p.m. Monday. I'll be taking a 2-week vacation to enjoy this viewtiful weather beginning Wednesday. (Cindy's already warming up in the bullpen.) So I'll be indisposed and not taking calls at home after Tuesday evening. BTW, if you hear any rumors about latest buyout involving us SR oldtimers, don't worry. I'm not going anywhere — except on vacay. Hucks Online will continue until they drag my battered, bleeding body outtahere. Now, for your Wild Card …
A youth kicks the window of a jewelry store near the Bullring shopping center in Birmingham, England, as violence spreads outside London Monday evening. In the nation's central city of Birmingham, dozens of people attacked shops in a main retail district, spreading the chaos beyond London for the first time since violence broke out on Saturday night. (AP Photo/PA, David Jones)
Nic has a swell post re: a change in the way her views others of whom he once would disapprove, including an old man with a cart full of alcohol he almost ran into — literally — at a supermarket: “My groceries were 
quickly procured; I made my way to the check out lines and ended up in line behind the old man. As the cashier scanned his beer and took his payment, I pulled out my phone and entered the tweet. Coolest old man ever. I could have said 'most adorable old man ever,' but that might have gone over Twitter's 140 character limit. This is a change in me. A previous version of myself would have been quick to judge the man as a lush. I would have condemned him as an irresponsible drunkard. But there was something different this time. I couldn't be critical of him. Maybe I'm just getting older. Or more forgiving. Or better at giving grace.” The rest of the story here.
Question: Are you quick to judge people? Are do you look for good in everyone?
Live, Love, Laugh, Hope has a new blog (Capturing Life Through My Lens) dedicated to photography in general and Summer on the Prairie. This is one of two shots of fawns that LLLH posted. Posts she: ThePosts she: “They kept hiding behind a blade of grass, thinking I couldn't see them.” More here.
Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange this morning in New York. You write the cutlinie. (AP Photo/Jin Lee)
Top Cutlines
Terry Harris & his KEA troops have taken their petitions to save the picturesque Dike Road (Rosenberry Drive) ponderosas from a clear-cut U.S. Army Corps of Engineers one-size-fits-all mandate. You can get your copy to download, print out, and circulate to friends here.
On Bay Views, Herb Huseland reports that this Saturday marks the 102nd anniversary of Athol's existence. And Herb will again narrate the street parade, which begins 10 a.m., with line up at 9 a.m. A new twist this year will be the addition of a grand marshal. Kootenai County Deputy David Dunkin, formerly the beat cop for Athol and Bayview, will be the community's first grand marshal. More here.
Hucks Online numbers (for week of July 31-Aug. 6): 38,387 page-views/24,357 unique views
The percentage of Americans who expressly state that they are supporters of the Tea Party movement is 
currently about as large at 22 percent of the population as the 21 percent who say they are liberals, according to recent but separate Gallup polls. Meanwhile, at 41 percent of the population, according to Gallup, self-described conservatives outnumber both Tea Party movement supporters and liberals by nearly 2-to-1. In separate polls done on July 27 and August 2, 23 and 22 percent of respondents told Gallup they considered themselves supporters of the Tea Party movement/CNSNews. More here.
Question: What do you make of these poll results? Buh-bye President Obama?
Four Kootenai County people head sheriff's Major Ben Wolfinger's felony warrant list for the week, including Loni Marie Deminski, who may have been sighted in 4700 block of Reeves/CdA this morning. Deminski, 36, of Coeur d'Alene is wanted on a grand theft charge. Bail for her is set at $10,000, once caught. Others wanted on felony warrants include: Peteranthony Paoa 
Hoopii Jr., 23, of Coeur d'Alene, who is wanted for probation violation on an original crime involving delivery of a controlled substance. (No bond set yet.) And Trevor Lee Pumnea, 24, of Coeur d'Alene, for probation violation involving original crimes of delivery of controlled substance ($40,000 bond). And Kimberlee Elizabeth Williamson, 25, of Post Falls, for felony malicious injury to property ($10,000 bond). You can read all the felony & misdemeanor warrants here.
The MTV Cribs series, back this season with the new moniker “Extreme Cribs,” will feature the beagle-shaped building at Cottonwood's Dog Bark Park Inn in an episode airing Friday, Aug. 12. In the cable series family members take viewers on tours of their family’s unusual dwelling. The building, which is a bed & breakfast, is owned by Dennis Sullivan and Frances Conklin. Lewiston Tribune story by Jennifer K. Bauer here. (Lewiston Tribune photo)
When Willie Nelson is on stage, three great gifts to music are present - an historic American song writer, one of the best guitar players in music and a singer with a unique nasal baritone warble that irritates some but 
absolutely delights Willieophiles. However, it is the song writing that most sets him apart. Just think of any country classic and often, it was written by or with Willie Nelson. He sang a couple dozen of those hits the other night - “Crazy,” “Hot-Blooded Woman,” “Funny How Times Slips Away,” “To All the Girls I've Loved Before,” “You Were Always On My Mind,” “On The Road Again,” “Good Hearted Woman,” “Night Life,” “Family Bible,” “Bloody Mary Morning” and others. I found myself trying to decide which was my favorite, and failing to do so. Trying to settle on Willie Nelson's best ever was as pointless as trying to decide which of your children is your favorite kid. It's an honest sentiment to love them all/Bill Hall, Lewiston Tribune. More here. (2010 AP file photo)
Question: Do you love/hate Willie Nelson's singing voice?
Imperial Oil/ExxonMobil has announced that some of its controversial megaloads, instead of traveling a scenic route in Idaho, may instead rumble through Spokane on U.S. Highway 395 and I-90. The company said 
“lengthy permitting delays” for the original route across scenic U.S. Highway 12 from Lewiston, Idaho to Montana, then north through Montana to Canada, have forced it to look at alternative routes, though it still will pursue the Highway 12 route. “We have met or exceeded the requirements typically imposed on other oversize load shippers that have used the U.S. 12 route,” said Chris Allard, Kearl senior project manager for the oil company. “We will continue to pursue the permits for those full-sized modules through Idaho and Montana, which is more efficient and cost effective. However, we will also move forward with alternative routes to maintain project schedules”/Betsy Russell, Eye On Boise. More here. (AP/Lewiston Tribune file photo)
Question: Do you expect residents of Eastern Washington & Spokane to squawk about megaloads?
The road to becoming a professional bodybuilder is long, arduous and wrought with sacrifice. It's one Janet 
Kaufman of Lewiston knows all too well. After 24 years and thousands of hours pumping iron in the gym, the 45-year-old finally earned her International Federation of Bodybuilders Pro Card last month. In the mostly male-dominated sport of bodybuilding, it's the pinnacle of her years of dedication. “I've been trying for that for 24 years, and that was like the monkey that finally got off my back,” she said. “It was almost surreal, because I had been trying so hard for so long”/Kevin Gaboury, Lewiston Tribune. More here. (Lewiston Tribune photo)
Question: Do body builders look good to you? Or do they take a good thing — physical fitness — too far?
Stickman & Walkabout snapped this family of osprey on the light standard in the outfield of one of the McEuen Field baseball fields.
In the fitness center locker room this morning, I struck up a conversation with a woman named Connie who 
had attended her 1971 Ferris High School 40th reunion over the weekend. Out of a class of about 525, at least 31 have died, and the number could be slightly higher, Connie believed, because some there were remembering folks who were not on the official list of those who had passed on. We had an involuntary moment of silence because 31 sounded like a lot. I think when we remember high school, we are all frozen in our prime, and so to imagine 31 gone, it seemed astounding/Rebecca Nappi, End Notes, SR. More here.
DFO: My best friend in high school died about 10 years ago. I didn't find out about it until his former wife contacted me about 2 years ago. Although I'd lost track, I was still stunned that someone as athletic and life-loving as Rich would die at age 50. How about you?
Question: Is there an ex-high school classmate(s) that has passed on that you miss a lot?
It is not really true, as is often said, that history repeats. No historical analogy is ever 100 percent correct. What history does offer, if we’re smart enough to seek it, is a certain context for how decisions made long ago 
played out and that we might learn from those musty old facts. As historian David M. Kennedy recounts in his masterful, Pulitzer Prize-winning book, Freedom from Fear, at the start of his second term in 1937, Franklin Roosevelt made a series of decisions about the fragile U.S. economy that with perfect hindsight – it was 74 years ago – look as though they could have been made in the frightfully dysfunctional Washington, D.C. of the summer of 2011. In the Roosevelt era, the result was “the Roosevelt Recession” or the “recession within the depression”/Marc Johnson, The Johnson Post. More here.
Question: What action would you most hate to see taken at this point by Obama administration and/or Congress?
The death of retired Oregon Sen. Mark Hatfield this week reminds us of a time of bipartisanship that has long 
past in Congress. As a Republican Hatfield often challenged the positions of his own party to raise questions about the involvement in Vietnam and at the end of his career as the one vote that stopped the Senate from passing a Balanced Budget Amendment in 1995. But he joined with members of both parties to pass the environmental laws that remain the foundation of protection today of our air, water, wildlife and public lands. He could stand on principle to the most powerful people and forces when he thought it was the right thing to do. But he also knew how to compromise and get things done/Rocky Barker, Statesman. More here.
Question: Is there anyone in Congress today that you'd call a statesman?
A small audience watches the unveiling of a new larger-than-life-size bronze statue Friday at Centerplace in Spokane Valley. The bronze was placed and given by the Spokane Valley Arts Council. The statue, called “Berry Picker” is a replica of a small bronze by the late artist Nancy McLaughlin that was upsized using computer mapping technology. At far left is Ann McLaughlin-Metting, daughter of the artist, standing with friend Sheri Dial (sunglasses). (SR photo: Jesse Tinsley)
President Barack Obama is least popular in Idaho than any other state in the nation a new Gallup poll shows. Only 27 percent of Idahoans approve of the job Obama’s doing. In Wyoming, Oklahoma and Utah 32 percent approve and in West Virginia and Arkansas it's 33 percent. Read the entire Gallup poll. It is not a surprise and it shows just how hard it will be for Idaho Democrats to make gains in the 2012 election. Presidential election years are never good for Democrats in Idaho but this one could be even tougher/Rocky Barker, Statesman. More here.
Question: Any guesses (before looking) re: who gave President Obama his highest rating?
A US flag is flown at half staff behind a Navy memorial statue of a homecoming in Virginia Beach , Va., Monday. Navy Seal Team Six whose team members were involved in a helicopter crash in Afghanistan, is based in Virginia Beach. Story here. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)
Question: I'm still wondering why we're in Afghanistan & Iraq more than two years into President Obama's administration, given the continuing U.S. losses and 2008 campaign promises. How about you?
Is it that time already? I was lifting weights while watching TV in the living room last night when my wife 
jumped & I caught something out of the corner of my eye — a pregnant hobo spider scurrying across the carpet. Those things creep me out, especially when part of my workout routine involves lying on an exercise mat to do chest presses & situps. The spider was crawling toward the corner of the mat where my head would have been in approximately 10 minutes. I dropped a dumb bell on it. It was ha-huge. Mrs. O curled up on the couch while I grabbed some toilet tissue to clean up the remains. I probably dispatch 6 to 10 hobos every fall when they move into the house. I keep telling myself that I need to buy some spider traps. Mebbe this year I will.
Question: Have you had any hobo spider sightings yet.
In this AP file photo, President Clinton jokes with Rep. Harold Volkmer, D-Mo., left, and others before signing legislation providing $8.6 billion in aid to victims of last month's earthquake in the Oval Office of the White House Feb. 12, 1994. From left are Volkmer, Rep. anthony Beilenson, D-Calif., House Speaker Tom Foley, Oregon Sen. Mark Hatfield, and Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif. The bill also provided relief for last summer's flooding. Hatfield, 89, formerly one of the Northwest' most influential lawmakers, died Sunday in Portland. Story here. (AP Photo/Joe Marquette)
The decision by Standard & Poor's to downgrade U.S. debt underscores the need for a major agreement on 
deficit reduction, President Obama said Monday. The president said U.S. debt remains world-class in the eyes of the markets despite S&P's downward revision — from Aaa to Aa+ — on Friday, but said it was up to the so-called “supercommittee” established by the compromise debt-ceiling legislation to produce an agreement that can forestall a future slide in U.S. creditworthiness. “Markets will rise and fall, but this is the United States of America,” Obama said in the state dining room. “No matter what some agency might say, we've always been and always will be a AAA country”/Michael O'Brien, The Hill. More here. (AP photo)
Question: How low to you expect the market to go before it levels out this time?
It was supposed to be a day of prayer, and fasting: Some 30,000 people converged a Houston, Texas, football 
stadium Saturday for an event called “The Response: A Call to Prayer for a Nation in Crisis.” The featured speaker was Texas Gov. Rick Perry (shown praying), widely known beyond the Lone Star State as an all-but-inevitable Republican presidential candidate in waiting. I guess the fasting didn't work out so well for everyone. Concession stands at Reliant Stadium were open, and some attendees snacked on soft drinks, hot dogs and nachos. (A hat tip on this angle to Thanh Tan, the former “Idaho Reports” host-turned-multimedia reporter for the Texas Tribune. Here's one of her stories from the rally.) Praise the Lord and pass the gelatinous orange processed cheese/Kevin Richert, Idaho Statesman. More here.
Question: Was the prayerfest spearheaded by Texas Gov. Rick Perry sincere or a politician with presidential aspirations trying to win favor in Evangelical circles?
Terry Harris of the Kootenai Environmental Alliance tells Huckleberries Online via Twitter that his organization collected 990 signatures to Save The Trees on Dike Road from the mindless (you can see what side of the issue I'm on) demand by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers dictate to clear cut them.
I was checking out the many and diverse booths at Art on the Green when a maypole dance began on stage in the middle of the annual event. Which prompted a mother to say to her pre-teen daughter: “That's how kids used to play.” Without skipping a beat, her daughter replied: “That's boring. They're just going around in circles.”
Question: What do you say to your kids when they say they're bored?
The credit rating agency Standard & Poor’s showed “terrible judgment” in lowering the U.S. government’s 
credit rating, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner (pictured w/President Obama) said Sunday. “They’ve handled themselves very poorly. And they’ve shown a stunning lack of knowledge about the basic U.S. fiscal budget math,” Geithner said in his first public comments about the credit rating decision. Interviewed on CNBC, Geither said U.S. Treasury securities were just as safe now as they were before S&P announced its downgrade. He predicted that China and investors would remain strong purchasers of U.S. government debt. Republicans have blamed President Barack Obama for the first-ever downgrade of the government’s credit rating/Associated Press. More here.
Question: Who's to blame for Standard & Poor's downgrade of the U.S. government's credit rating?
As deputies describe it, the 6-year-old boy hit by a truck in Newman Lake on July 28 bounced between the Dodge’s undercarriage and the asphalt like a pinball. The boy’s bicycle helmet, which cracked in two places, 
may have saved his life. According the Sheriff’s Office, the boy is at home recovering from his injuries. If not for the helmet, the injuries could have been fatal, said Detective Dave Thornburg with the Sheriff’s Office traffic unit. “I’ve been investigating crashes for 20 years, and usually the impact with the vehicle isn’t what kills,” Thornburg said of crashes involving bicycles or pedestrians and cars. “It’s usually when the occupant comes off the vehicle and their head hits the pavement.” It’s one of many statistics that county commissioners will think about this month as they consider an ordinance for mandatory helmet use within unincorporated Spokane County/Sara Leaming & Scott Maben, SR. More here.
Question: Would you like to see Kootenai County and its major cities require helmets to be worn by bicyclists?
Mark Mitchell of Coeur d'Alene is fixing up this camper trailer for Tristan Neilson, one of the Idaho National Guardsmen who is in Iraq. Mitchell is looking for a little help, supplies and labor in refurbishing the trailer. Jim Camden/SR tells the story here. (SR photo: Kathy Plonka)
A whole lotta peein’s goin’ on in downtown Coeur d’Alene after hours. And, judging from the latest Downtown Bar Report, not all of that urine is finding its way into proper receptacles. In a recent 12-day period, CPD Blues 
arrested eight drunks for public urination, including a 26-year-old man we’ll call I.P. Freely. Seems I.P. suffers from a small bladder or a fundamental lack of modesty. Case in point: I.P. was caught watering the sidewalk after exiting the Rendezvous bar en route to Las Palmitas. When the cops asked I.P. why he didn’t pee at the Rendezvous, the drunk said the restrooms were full. Then he admitted he’d gotten a citation in June for public peeing. He’d just paid off the $190 for that fine two days earlier. One of many stories in our Urine-Part-Of-Town/DFO, Huckleberries, SR. More here.
Other SR columns:
Question: Have you ever accidentally witnessed someone urinating in public? Want to share your reaction?
Dan Treecraft lived his life the way he wanted. He ended it that way, too. When diagnosed with tongue cancer in 2010, he decided against fighting the disease and began planning suicide. He shared his decision in a 
Spokesman-Review story published last summer. Early Thursday morning he died after breathing from a cylinder of nitrogen gas. Suicide is legal in Washington state and a group of close friends and family surrounded him, said his wife, Jan Treecraft. Friends and family (buried) the 62-year-old, nicknamed “Beetle,” (Saturday) in the Worley Township Cemetery, where his wish to be buried in a simple pine coffin (was) granted. Treecraft embraced the role of social critic. He railed against establishment politics and corporations and was an outspoken opponent of war/John Stucke, SR. More here.
Question: Who is the most colorful older person you know?
Duane Hagadone’s former Coeur d’Alene home on the hill will be sold at auction next month, if someone is 
ready to pay $7.5 million or more. That’s the starting price listed by J.P. King, a high-end auction house that calls the Sept. 8 auction “an opportunity of a lifetime.” Built more than a dozen years ago, the 15,000-square-foot home seems almost modest compared to some other mega-million-dollar estates that have popped up in North Idaho. This house, perched on 15 gated acres on Stanley Hill, features three bedrooms, 10 fireplaces and nine baths (plus a nine-car garage to match)/Tom Sowa, SR. More here.
Question: How much has the valuation of your home gone down since the Not-So-Great Recession began?
Conservatism is practically a religion in Idaho’s legislative District 3, the district that elected tax-protesting state Rep. Phil Hart four times and this year added two like-minded lawmakers he recruited to run. “I was 
considered a radical to my friends in California, and then I got up here and found out I was a moderate,” said Vito Barbieri (pictured), a first-term state representative and, like many District 3 residents, a California transplant who moved north. The district, which takes in Hayden, tony Hayden Lake, the once-agricultural but fast-developing Rathdrum Prairie and little towns like Spirit Lake and Athol, has seen massive development and population increase over the last decade, but its conservative nature is nothing new – the last time a Democrat was elected here was in 1994. No Democrat has even run for the Legislature since 2002, and then there was just one candidate, who lost/Betsy Russell, Eye On Boise. More here.
Question: Would you want a hardline conservative trio like Vick-Barbieri-Hart trio to represent you?
I'm only going to post this Wild Card this weekend, which is expected to be viewtiful and packed full of events in downtown Coeur d'Alene and along the waterfront. I imagine the continuing work on the Education Corridor infrastructure will make parking and getting around dicey. But we'll survive. And the finished product will make it all worth it when buildings begin to rise on the old DeArmond Mill property. A quick H/T to the community leaders who had the vision to push the purchase of the mill and Ed Corridor a reality. Now for your Wild Card …
Nick Anderson/Houston Chronicle
Today is Junior's 32nd birthday. Can't believe he's been around this long. Or me either. Life has taken us both to places that we didn't think we'd go. He to Florida. I to Coeur d'Alene. Too many miles between us. But a lot of shared memories that have made our relationship special. Here's wishing Junior a happy birthday today. And here's wishing you a wunnerful time this weekend enjoying the sun and Art on the Green. Now for your TGIF Wild Card …
Two-year-old Rylee Erickson of Portland, Oregon ran through the sprinklers created by Artique Expressions at Art on the Green, Taste of the Coeur d'Alene's and Street Fair in Coeur d'Alene earlier today. (SR photo: Kathy Plonka)
The United States lost its top-notch AAA credit rating from Standard & Poor's on Friday, in a dramatic reversal of fortune for the world's largest economy. S&P cut the long-term U.S. credit rating by one notch to AA-plus on concerns about growing budget deficits. U.S. Treasuries, once undisputedly seen as the safest investment in the world, are now rated lower than bonds issued by countries such as the UK, Germany, France or Canada/Reuters. More here.
Reaction?
It looks like the housewives on Wisteria Lane are moving out. ABC is reportedly planning to announce the pending end to its once-popular primetime dramedy “Desperate Housewives.” Deadline.com says the announcement will come this Sunday during the network's fall TV preview session at the Television Critics Association press tour. Key cast members are reportedly surprised and disappointed by the news since the show was supposed to continue until 2013/Ozarks First.com. More here. (AP/ABC file photo)
Question: Does your neighborhood remind you of Wisteria Lane?
USFWS personnel work in Libby, Mont., on a female bear captured south of Marias Pass, Mont., before releasing her into the Cabinet Mountains as part of an effort to boost the grizzly population in northwestern Montana. (AP Photo/USFWS)
Passengers aboard the Spirit of Ethan Allen cruise ship put their feet up on the rail in the sun before departing on Lake Champlain on Thursday in Burlington, Vt. You write the cutline. (AP Photo/Toby Talbot)
Top Cutlines:
Shannon wins the 4 free tickets. But I'm in a generous mood. Everyone who entered today's contest gets 2 free tickets, if you can drop by the office by noon Tuesday to pick them up.
A 30-year-old Greenacres woman and her 4-year-old son were injured earlier today on Interstate 90 when she 
was rear-ended by a vehicle driven by a Pinehurst driver near the Northwest Boulevard interchange. At 12:54 p.m., Saundra Carver was slowing down to avoid congested traffic on the eastbound freeway in her 2007 Honda when she was rear-ended by Michael Etherton, 22, in a 1994 Chevy pickup. Carver and her son, Ethan, who had been sitting in a car seat, were taken to Kootenai Medical Center with injuries. The two drivers were wearing seatbelts. The crash closed the freeway and stalled traffic for more than an hour.
Lake City Development Corp. has added 69 photos of infrastructure work for Education Corridor that's currently under way, including this photo to the west of Steve Widmyer's Fort Ground Grill. You can see the other photos here. Also: MDM Construction plans to continue work through Art on the Green weekend, limiting parking in the Ed Corridor area lots. You can see detour news here.
Top Post: Dear Teenage Girls at the Movie Theater Last Night,: You are adorable with your trendy clothes,
ponytails, and smooth skin. I'm glad that you enjoyed the movie even if you did figure out that she was his daughter early on. I'm sorry that the movie theater girl had to tell you to put your feet down off the seats in front of you. But why, for all things holy, did you not wash your hands after you went to the bathroom?!!??/A Butterfly Moment. More here.
Hucks Online numbers: (for Wednesday) 6924/4535, and (for Thursday): 7277/4604
Question: Do you always wash your hands after using the restroom?
Further proof that things are getting sketchy in downtown Coeur d'Alene after hours: A young Washington man was beaten in the Third Street lot by males from a larger group of 16 Tuesday night. Seems one of the gang 
was upset because his friends had moved his pickup. When the Washington man pointed out where it was parked, the stranger cussed him and started fighting, accordiing to Coeur d'Alene police reports. The two exchanged punches and went to the ground, prompting other members of the assailant's group to join the one-sided fight. A friend from Hayden tried to help the victim. But backed off when a bare-chested male w/a New York Yankees tattoo on his chest pulled a 6-inch knife and threatened to stab him. The victim was treated at KMC for a bloody lip and bruises all over his face, back, ribs, & chest.
Question: Can you imagine how crazy downtown Coeur d'Alene would be if it wasn't heavily patrolled after hours?
Stickman: Art on the Green looks to be fantastic this weekend. The weather will be beautiful and I expect the 
crowds to be large. I was down there last night helping my sister set up her tent as she is displaying some of her oil paintings and her book she wrote. Her tent is called AndeanSolRocks if anyone is around to say ‘hi’. This morning it was packed early, so I can imagine how it will be this weekend.
Question: Anyone been to Art on the Green or the street fair on Sherman Avenue yet? Reaction?
The face of a three month old Cascade Red Fox is reflected in a parking lot puddle near its den at Mount Rainier National Park, Wash. Park staff members are finding dens built next to busy roads and parking lots near Paradise. That allows fox families easy access to visitors and their food scraps, but it also puts the animals at risk. (AP Photo/The News Tribune, Dean J. Koepfler)
On Aaron Roberts Facebook wall, he writes: “I can tell the huckleberries are ripe by looking at my driveway — can't miss the purple bird poop!”
Question: Any reports re: this year's crop of huckleberries?
Some of the ground turkey being recalled nationwide was sold at supermarkets in Idaho. The turkey, 
distributed by Cargill Inc., was sold under several brand names, including Honeysuckle White. Walmart and WinCo stores are among retailers that sold the turkey, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Cargill on Wednesday launched a voluntary recall of 36 million pounds of ground turkey that health officials believe is contaminated. You can find Cargill’s 18-page list of affected products, including pictures, and the USDA's list of affected retailers at www.cargill.com/turkey-recall. WinCo and Walmart also have details on their websites, WinCoFoods.com and Walmartstores.com/Statesman. More here. (AP photo)
Question: Do you use any of these recalled products?
The Virginian-Pilot reports that Virginia Beach is the first city in Virginia that's considering a tent city for homeless individuals. Coeur d'Alene Councilman Mike Kennedy, who posted the link on his Facebook wall, 
had this comment about a tent city for homeless: “Homelessness is a national problem. It is not because there are service providers providing service, it is not going to be solved by 'giving someone a bus ticket.' That's a short-sighted and uninformed approach, albeit one that's often suggested. I don't agree with a 'tent city' as it's not a solution to the problem. But for those who criticize us for trying to work the issue, the cost of ignoring it is higher.”
Question: Would you support construction of a tent city for homeless in Kootenai County?
Fresh from his guilty plea to criminal contempt, perennial candidate Rex Rammell says “The federal government will fail. It is inevitable.” Rammell also reviews his July poaching conviction, which he is 
appealing. Rammell, who spoke of the “White Horse Prophecy” during his 2010 gubernatorial race, wrote, “It has been prophesied that there will be 'blood in the streets.' Fathers will turn against their sons and sons will turn against their fathers. Mothers will turn against their daughters and daughters will turn against their mothers. People will be starving. Crime will become rampant. America will be on the verge of crumbling to pieces.” His opinion piece may again draw on the prophecy, attributed by some to Joseph Smith, that the Constitution of the United States would “hang by a thread” and be saved by elders in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, of which Rammell is a member/Dan Popkey, Idaho Statesman. More here.
Question: Do you believe in the literal fulfillment of religious prophecy?
So, another monkey movie opens today. Excuse me, ape movie. Funny. I sitll remember seeing the original “Planet of the Apes.” And I remember how shocked I was at two specific parts: 1, when the gorilla on 
horseback suddenly appears and, 2, that shattering ending. Of course, similar to most everything else that Hollywood does, the movie became a series …. the latest chapter of which being “Rise of the Planet of the Apes.” It's hard to think that this will be in any way a match of the original (directed by Franklin J. Schaffner and released in 1968). But I'll go anyway/Dan Webster, Movies & More. More here.
Question: Are you a fan of the “Planet of the Apes” movies?
Spokane police officers investigate a device taped to a bicyclebetween the federal courthouse and the Post Officein downtown Spokane on Thursday. (SR photo: Dan Pelle)
Duane Hagadone's Stanley Hill home will be up for auction Sept. 8, with a minimum bid set at $7.5M. That's a far cry from the $27.5M originally sought for the prominent house and grounds. A Berry Picker reported that the 
auction is advertised in Section D, Page 7A (“distinguished structures and estates”) in today's Wall Street Journal. Here's part of an online description from auctioneer is J.P. King (www.jpking.com), courtesy of OrangeTV: “A Stunning Luxurious Estate with 15.25+/- Private Acres overlooking Lake Coeur d’Alene. With gorgeous views of Lake Coeur d’Alene, Hagadone Estate occupies 15.25+/- acres and provides the ultimate in privacy and a luxurious lifestyle. This premier estate if fully gated with a private drive, helipad, and acres of perfectly manicured lawns. An entertainer’s dream, the estate boasts unbelievable indoor and outdoor amenities.” Hagadone, of course, built a new mega-home on Casco Bay and has one of equal size (30,000sf) in Sun Desert. Full description and video tour of Hagadone's Stanley Hill ex-digs here. (AP file photo, of Hagadone's Stanley Hill house)
Question: Got $7.5M lying around?
In this Facebook photo from the UI Vandal sports information desk, Coach Robb Akey congratulating running back Ryan Bass on a great punt return during the Vandals first practice this week. You can read Josh Wright's stories about that practice here. And: More photos of practice here.
Christa Hazel & Chatterbox have contacted Huckleberries HQ to say that the obituary for Dandelion B. Treecraft in today's SR is. the. best. obit. ever. Writes Christa: “I can't think of any other obituary that I've ever read about a stranger where I wished I had known the deceased.” Here's a sample of the obit:
In late 1980, Mr. Treecraft joined the Spokane Unitarian Church, whose very active singles group had a
surplus of women 10 to 20 years his senior. This was truly a golden era for Dan. He eventually graduated from the Unitarian Church in 1997, with a degree of Critical Thinking. A doldrum period of employment coincided in the late —80s, and included a brief attempt to enter the medical industry as a nurse-aide. This proved, after all, not to be a good fit, as Dan felt compelled to take half of his charges home to provide more adequate personal nurturance, while the remainder, he felt, should be taken out over-night, and shot. Full obituary here. H/T: Christa Hazel, Chatterbox, Herb Huseland
Question: Can you think of something unorthodox that you'd like to include in your obituary?
Once each summer, Vera Lapin and family head to Silverwood Theme Park. This year, Thursday was that day. 
They were not disappointed. “It's always a great day for us,” the Spokane woman said with a smile. It doesn't get much better than sunny skies, 85 degrees, and sitting in the shade eating ice cream cones - oh, and lots and lots of rides, too. “We love the rides,” she added. So, it seems, do lots of people. Silverwood is on track to bring in more than 650,000 guests this season, which would break the best of 628,000/Bill Buley, Coeur d'Alene Press. More here. (SR file photo, of Ricochet Rapids in water park)
Question: Which Silverwood attraction is your favorite?
It’s only a matter of time before some wisecracking college football writer dubs the newly renamed Famous Idaho Potato Bowl the Small Potatoes Bowl. Maybe it’s already happened. It’s been a whole day and a half 
since Boise’s postseason bowl game introduced its new moniker to the world. So who knows? We’re not much for this newfangled Googling thing here on the back 40 (and we’re not talking 40 yard line, either). Smart alecks, your harvest time has arrived. If you can’t find a way to bash Boise’s contribution to college football’s postseason mashup, turn in your credentials. Meanwhile, Idaho, put on your game face and develop a thick skin. No biggie: after all, we all know the skin’s the best part of a baked-to-perfection russet/Kevin Richert, Idaho Statesman. More here.
Question: What current college football bowl name is currently the worst?
IdahoReporter.com has reported on several state lawmakers spiking their pensions by taking high-paying state jobs after lengthy careers in the state Legislature, but it turns out they are not the only ones doing it. After 
six years as president of the Idaho Education Association, Sherri Wood retired this week and will also receive a spiked pension because her private organization is a member of the Public Employee Retirement System of Idaho (PERSI). Due to her 28 years at Van Buren Elementary in the Caldwell School District prior to her service as the IEA president, Wood already qualifies for a public pension. Due to her larger salary while serving as the IEA’s top state official, however, she will see an even bigger monthly payment from PERSI. According to the IEA’s 2010 non-profit filing, Wood earned $105,000 in salary that year/Dustin Hurst, Idaho Reporter. More here.
Question: Are these “spiked pensions” fair to taxpayers?
Roger Smith, a retired civil engineer from Coeur d'Alene, talked on Thursday about the possible removal of the trees along the dike road separating North Idaho College and the Fort Grounds neighborhood from Lake Coeur d'Alene and the Spokane River. The towering pines along the waterfront are an “aesthetic heritage feature” for the city, Smith said. He was one of several speakers at Tuesday night's City Council meeting, who urged the council to seek other options than cutting down the trees. Story here. (SR photo: Kathy Plonka)
When all the new jobs that the new spending cuts are bound to create finally get created, will someone please 
call Anjanette Lal? Lal (pictured) is what the government calls an “exhaustee.” She’s been out of work for 27 months. Her search for a job lasted longer than her unemployment benefits. She’s cobbling together an existence from government programs, but what she wants is a job as a medical assistant – something she trained to do, graduating Nov. 30 with honors from a 10-month program. “I thought for sure I’d have a job by now,” she said. “The longest I’ve ever been out of a job before was two weeks”/Shawn Vestal, SR. More here.
Question: Do you know an 'exhaustee' — someone who has exhausted his/her unemployment benefits and is still looking for a job?
The future is helping Staff Sgt. Jason Rzepa get through the wounds of war. Rzepa (pronounced Zeppa) had both of his legs amputated below the knee due to injuries sustained during a roadside bomb attack in Baghdad last month. “I can't get down about it,” the Coeur d'Alene 30-year-old said on Thursday from Brooke Army Medical Center (BAMC) at Fort Sam Houston, Texas, in the San Antonio area. “I've got a family and two kids and a future planned out. I can't let this get in the way. I'm lucky I'm alive”/Brian Walker, CdA Press. More here.
Question: Are you as amazed as I am re: the bravery of this soldier?
Michael Ramirez/Investor's Business Daily
I'm headed to Riverstone Park tonight (6:30-8 p.m.) to hear the contemporary pop group, Common Ground, in a free concert sponsored by North Idaho College & Coeur d'Alene Arts & Culture Alliance. I'll probably see Don Sausser there b/c he enjoys the concerts as much as I do. Why don't you join us, in the amphitheater? Now, to replay your Wild Card …
Baltimore Ravens cornerback Dominique Foxworth reaches for a pass during NFL football training camp in Owings Mills, Md., Thursday. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
Another Grease actor has died. Annette Charles, who played Cha Cha DiGregorio in the 1978 movie musical, 
lost her battle with cancer at age 63 on Wednesday, Access Hollywood reports. As the self-proclaimed “best dancer at St. Bernadette's,” Charles's character famously hit the floor with John Travolta during the dance competition scene. Charles, who also appeared on TV's The Incredible Hulk and Magnum, P.I., later became a speech professor at California State University Northridge/Dahvi Shira, People. More here.
Question: Which “Grease” character is your favorite?
Boise State head coach Chris Petersen watches his team in the rain shower during NCAA football training camp Thursday in Boise. (AP Photo/Statesman: Joe Jaszewski)
Fans battle for a foul ball during the first inning of a baseball game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres Wednesday in San Diego. You write the cutline. (AP Photo/Lenny Ignelzi)
Top Cutlines:
Crime Stoppers of the Inland Northwest has teamed up with The Landings Homeowners Association in 
Coeur d’Alene to offer a cash reward for information leading to the arrest of suspects responsible for recent graffiti, and vandalism in the Landings sub-division. Sherry Lenarz, Manager of the Homeowners Association contacted Crime Stoppers due to the magnitude of damages done that were reported to the Coeur d’Alene Police Department on August 3rd 2011. Vandals spray painted fences and rock features on North Atlas Road at West Newbrook Drive. This is the first time Crime Stoppers in Kootenai County has partnered with a Homeowners Association to offer a reward/Sgt. Christie Wood, Coeur d'Alene Police Department. More here.
I've had two other Berry Pickers who said bikini-clad NIC volleyballers washing cars for program at Runge's were wearing appropriate attire for Coeur d'Alene's City Beach. Don Sausser provides this proof. More of Don's photos here.
… that the North Idaho College volleyball team are staging a fundraiser by washing cars in bikinis at Runge's. A concerned Berry Picker called to say that there's a lot of skin showing under the hot sun and 90-plus degree temperatures. “I guess they're 18,” said the caller, “but it's a little much.”
Question: Do you see anything wrong with car-washing attire?
The Friends of Pend d’Oreille Bay Trail have climbed another rung of the ladder in their effort to secure a public waterfront trail. At the Ponderay City Council meeting Monday night, members decided to support the group by purchasing the third of four property parcels in a four-year acquisition plan. The Friends of Pend d’Oreille Bay Trail have been pursuing city support ever since the Hall family put the property on the market. “For the first time in history, that trail would be open and available to the public,” group member Susan Drumheller/Cameron Rasmusson, Bonner County Bee. More here.
Some Starbucks may be cracking down on so called “laptop hobos” – those people who spend hours at the 
store on their computers, according to a popular but unofficial Starbucks blog. The blog reports that some Starbucks stores in New York have started covering up electrical outlets. The company hasn't commented on the rumors, which were reported in an unofficial Starbucks blog. Other places like “McDonald's” limit the amount of time customers can spend online/KREM. More here. (AP file photo)
Question: Are you a 'laptop loiterer'?
Religious leader Warren Jeffs, arrives at the Tom Green County Courthouse escorted by a law enforcement officer Wednesday in San Angelo, Texas. Jeffs, 55, was found guilty of sexually assaulting two girls he took as brides during so-called “spiritual marriages.” More here. (AP Photo/San Angelo Standard-Times, Patrick Dove)
Reaction?
The sad, tragic suicide of Jeret “Speedy” Peterson last week helped bring attention to an issue that’s never pleasant to talk about, but one we can’t ignore. It’s far too easy to get caught up in the daily challenges and 
travails of our own lives to notice when those around us are troubled. And when we do observe their emotional struggles, it can be tempting to respond by saying something like, “Hang in there; you’ll be OK,” or “Yeah, I know, we all have our crap we have to deal with,” and then move on. But for some people, what may seem to us like a minor bummer is actually a true time of crisis, and chances are we may not be aware of just how serious it is. Maybe they’ve had a string of bad luck, and this particular incident is the straw that broke the camel’s back/Idaho Press-Tribune Editorial Board. More here. (AP file photo)
Question: Have you ever intervened when you thought someone was contemplating suicide? Want to tell us about it (no names, of course)?
Bree Abbey, left, and Randi Orth, right, sit for a portrait in Portland, Ore. Their dog, Tiffin, and their cat, Bunsen, sit at their side. Census figures analyzed by Portland State University's Population Research Center show the number of same-sex households in Oregon increased nearly 68 percent from 2000 to 2010 here. Meanwhile, same-sex households in Washington increased 53 percent in last decade here. (AP Photo/The Oregonian, Dania Maxwell)
Yakima, Wenatchee and Pasco had some of the highest concentrations in the state. Ironically, those are the same areas of the state where two years ago voters soundly defeated a measure to expand domestic-partner benefits for same-sex couples. The measure, Referendum 71, eventually passed/Seattle Times. More here.
Question: Besides Digger & Spazz, do you know a same-sex couple?
Jamie Lynn Morgan almost became a casualty statistic when she made the mistake of visiting Hayden Super 
1 today in the midst of a produce sale. Writes Jamie: “Have you ever seen people elbowing and doing a bit of pushing to get what they believe is a discount? Now I have witnessed this in department stores over shoes, designer jeans, and the like, but have we really gotten to this point? Next thing we will hear is shopper trampled by mob trying to get a $1.00 bag of red delicious apples. It was at that table that I first started to fear for my life. Elbow to the ribs was enough to make my feet move a bit faster.” Full report here.
Question: I can't figure this one out. Why would shoppers nearly stampede for discounted produce?
Item: Nez Perce commissioners cut their own salaries: Other elected officials decline to do the same/Sandra Lee, Lewiston Tribune
More Info: Nez Perce County commissioners will cut their salaries by almost $3,000 each, starting Oct. 1. But the other six elected county officials declined to do the same thing Wednesday, saying if they give up this year's 5 percent raise, they go back to their Oct. 1, 2008, salary. With inflation, their loss would be 10 to 14 percent in buying power.
Question: Should legislators and other elected officials in Idaho cut their pay, too? How much?
Gone are the big crowds, but City Councilman Ron Edinger is still going against the council grain regarding the McEuen Field project. During Tuesday’s City Council meeting the longtime city official and council president made a motion to put the project to a public advisory vote. He first did that, twice actually, before a large, cheering crowd during the May meeting when the City Council adopted the park’s conceptual redesign plan 5 votes to 1. The one no vote was Edinger. On Tuesday, just like in May, the motion died from a lack of second/Coeur d'Alene Press. More here.
Question (for Mike Kennedy): What's the mood of the council behind the scenes toward Edinger and his motion?
Three rafts bounce through Wolf Creek Rapid on the Selway River in 2005. This year's higher-than-average flows are attracting rafters and kayakers to the Selway's post-permit rafting season, which started Monday Lewiston Tribune story here. (Idaho Department of Fish & Game via Lewiston Tribune)
Question: When did you last raft down a river?
On her Facebook wall, CindyH tells of a couple she knows who are getting a divorce. Cindy wonders if the couple's divorce “had anything to do with the difficulty of making dinner reservations, doctor's appointments, etc.” The post prompted FF Jesse & Shawn to suggest that she write a series of divorce stories. As you know, Cindy is writing a book about Love Stories compiled from long-time marriages of the WW2 generation.
Question: Would you be interested in reading local stories about love gone wrong?
Howie Stalwick, long-time buddy and former SR colleague, has compiled a list of the 50 best athletes of all time from the Inland Northwest. First 5: Ryne Sandberg, John Stockton, Gerry Lindgren, Drew Bledsoe, & Mark Rypien. You can see the entire list and read Howie's story in the Inlander here. (Inlander illustration)
Question: Can you think of anyone who should have been rated among Howie's Top 5 INW athletes?
His last name is Cooper. And a woman calling herself his niece says he acted suspiciously before suddenly disappearing. But it remains to be seen if Lynn Doyle Cooper – the deceased man the FBI is 
investigating in the 40-year-old D.B. Cooper skyjacking – will be positively tied to the fabled case. ABC News first revealed the name Wednesday in an interview with Marla Cooper, of Oklahoma City, who said she is Cooper’s niece and is cooperating with the FBI. Steve Dean, the assistant special agent in charge of the criminal division of the Seattle FBI office, confirmed Wednesday that Marla Cooper had contacted the bureau and turned over items to assist in the investigation/Seattle Times. More here. (AP photo: Marla Cooper speaks during an interview in Oklahoma City)
Question: Who is the most notorious relative in your family tree?
Let’s get this out of the way right off the top: there is no better potato in the world than the Idaho potato. World class. Dependable quality. The tuber gold standard. And the “brand” is valuable. Years ago some enterprising 
fellow in New Mexico got the bright idea of importing potato sacks with the “Grown in Idaho” mark and filling them with spuds grown, of all places, in New Mexico. A stop was put to that pronto. You can’t have an Idaho potato grown in New Mexico. It’s like Champagne. You may call it champagne, but if it ain’t made from grapes grown in the Champagne region of France and bottled there, it isn’t “real” Champagne, it is merely sparkling wine. Same with an Idaho spud. So, given the historic Idaho association with the Famous Potato, it’s a natural, I guess, that the once named Humanitarian Bowl football game is now the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl/Marc Johnson, The Johnson Report. More here.
Question: If it wasn't for the almighty potato, what would Idaho be known for?
A box of satirical breath mints poking fun at President Obama is seen at the office of University of Tennessee Vice Chancellor of Communication Margie Nichols in Knoxville, Tenn., Wednesday. The mints were pulled from the shelves at the University of Tennessee bookstore after local legislator Joe Armstrong told store officials he was offended by the mints. (AP Photo/Knoxville News Sentinel, Saul Young)
Question: Did the University of Tennessee do the right thing by pulling the mints from bookstore shelves?
Sometimes falling in love has painful consequences. For Jim and Andy CastroLang it meant giving up another 
lifelong love. The couple met in August 1981 at Blessed John XXIII University Center in Fort Collins, Colo. Andy had been hired to facilitate campus ministry. Jim was a newly ordained Roman Catholic priest. Andy recalled, “He opened the office door for my friend and me. He said, ‘I’m Father Jim,’ and I thought, no way! He looked like my little brother!” Jim was assigned to help her coordinate the campus ministries and the two worked closely together. It proved to be their undoing. “We were both Vatican II babies – cradle Catholics,” said Andy. “We spent a lot of time getting to know each other, discovering each other’s beliefs”/Cindy Hval, SR Love Stories. More here.
Question: Will the Catholic Church ever allow priests to marry?
A healthy diet is expensive and could make it difficult for Americans to meet new U.S. nutritional guidelines, according to a study published today that says the government should do more to help consumers eat 
healthier. An update of what used to be known as a food pyramid in 2010 had called on Americans to eat more foods containing potassium, dietary fiber, vitamin D and calcium. But if they did that, the study authors said, they would add hundreds more dollars to their annual grocery bill. Inexpensive ways to add these nutrients to a person’s diet include potatoes and beans for potassium and dietary fiber. But the study found introducing more potassium in a diet is likely to add $380 per year to the average consumer’s food costs/Associated Press. More here. (SR file illustration)
Question: Are you willing to spend more to eat healthier?
Art on the Green, Coeur d’Alene’s huge outdoor art party, will fill the grounds of North Idaho College this weekend with color, with music (from two stages) and with swordplay. Swordplay? Yes, members of the 
Coeur d’Escrime fencing club will again roam the grounds and demonstrate their particularly pointed art form. Here’s hoping they stay a good distance away from, for instance, the glass art booths. Glass art will be only one of many kinds of art on display (and for sale) in about 135 booths. You’ll also find jewelry, leatherwork, pottery, metalwork, painting, fiber, photography and some forms of art that defy easy categorization/Jim Kershner, SR. More here. (SR file photo: Art Dodson of Post Falls and his 11-foot-tall sand castle from 2010 Art on the Green)
Question: What attraction do you look forward to most at Art on the Green?
Dolores Cooney, left, of the World Museum of Mining, leads Claire Dubeau, at right, and her daughter, Anastasia, center, on a tour of the museum grounds in Butte, Mont., this week. Dubeau is the great-great-granddaughter of Butte Copper King W.A. Clark. This is the first time they have visited Butte. Story here. (AP Photo/Montana Standard: Tim Trainor)
Pitting all eight Republican senators who opposed public schools chief Tom Luna’s education reforms 
against incumbents is the talk of the Statehouse this week. “We feel like we have targets on our backs,” said one of the Endangered Eight, who was spooked enough by the Republican legislative redistricting proposal to ask not to be identified. Said Sen. Tim Corder, R-Mountain Home, “I’m content to put the best construction on it, but I don’t know that I’ve ever seen in my 62 years that much coincidence.” Coincidence it is, said the author of the GOP plan, redistricting Commissioner Lou Esposito of Boise/Dan Popkey, Idaho Statesman. More here.
Question: Is the Redistricting Commission another front for hardline GOP conservatives who are still trying to purge their party of any elected officials to the left of Atilla the Hun?
Well. Well. Look at the Big Brain on Leonardo. Just got back from Spokane’s Museum of Arts and Culture, where I spent time marveling at the many works of Leonardo da Vinci. I’ve been hoping to catch this exciting 
exhibit ever since it blew into town and Wednesday worked perfectly. It being a workday meant I had loads of time to kill. Anyway, I highly recommend “Leonardo da Vinci: Man – Inventor – Genius” to anyone who loves beautiful art or sharp-bladed machines designed to lop off the heads and limbs of your enemies. … It should be pointed out, however, that the da Vinci masterpieces at the MAC are reproductions, not originals. That didn’t bother me a bit. During one trip to Nelson, B.C., I listened in bliss as “Nearly Neil” reproduced Neil Diamond songs in the hotel lounge. I went away thinking, “Man, when you’re that good who needs real Neil?”/Doug Clark, SR. More here.
Question: Have you seen the Leonardo da Vinci exhibit? Reaction?
Item: Gozzer hearing continued: No vote yet by county commission on resort project/David Cole, CdA Press
More Info: Many opposed the project because they don't believe it fits with the existing residential structures in Squaw Bay, now officially called Neachen Bay. Others believe Discovery's planned structures wouldn't be appropriate in a commercial zone, and don't believe there would be any serious effort to rent them out hotel-style by the individual owners. Critics of the project believe the rental aspect being described in Discovery's plans allows the developer to place residential-type units onto commercial property. The units will be sold for between $2 million and $4 million each on the nearly four-acre property.
Question: Has Gozzer Ranch/Discovery Land Co. been a good neighbor?
Item: County proposes BNSF conditions: Railroad stalled previous proposals with lawsuit/Alecia Warren, CdA Press
More Info: Kootenai County is attempting again to improve safety conditions at a train refueling station above the region's drinking water source. The county commissioners are proposing new amendments to the permit conditions for Burlington-Northern Santa Fe Railroad's refueling depot in Hauser, after previous proposals were stalled by a lawsuit from the railroad.
Question: Has BNSF gained your trust by its handling of the refueling depot in the past 7 years?
Thanks for a little help from my friends (read: Dustin Hurst of Idaho Reporter), Huckleberries Online is one of three blogs named by Chris Cillizza's The Fix Blog/Washington Post as best political blogs in Idaho. Idaho Reporter and 43rd State Blues are the other two. Eye On Boise should be on the list, too. Of course. 'Tis nice to have your work noticed. You can find the list for all the states here. Now for today's Wild Card …
A grasshopper rests on a rail outside the Kansas City Royals dugout during the first inning of a baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles Tuesday in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
On his Facebook wall, OrangeTV writes of a regular at Mic-'n-Mac's who pulls a cart around town full of glossy photos of dead rockers, which he sells to the tourists. OTV was surprised that the wandering entrepreneur already had a photo of Amy Winehouse, who died July 23. OTV was impressed with the quality of the Winehouse photo but passed on purchasing it when he couldn't talk the seller down from $10. (AP file photo)
Question (from OTV): Is the salesman displaying keen business instincts in adding Winehouse to his wares already — or guilty of a tacky cash-in? What do you think?
The new roundabout at the corner of River Avenue and College Drive is starting to take shape. If you haven't seen it yet, check out the webcam at the Education Corridor website at http://www.edcorridor.com/. (NIC Education Corridor photo)
Three clowns including Glitterella, aka Edith Stephenson, from Nampa, and Miss Bea Happy, aka, Brenda Castle, from Caldwell stop to wave to passing cars as they make their way down the steps of the state capitol in Boise. Lollipop, aka Barbara Grimm, from Boise, was having a little trouble navigating the steps with her big shoes. The three members of the Idaho Gem Jesters were on a mission to pick up a proclamation which was signed by Gov. Butch Otter declaring this week Clown Week as part of the big International Clown Week celebration which is the first week in August. You write the cutline (AP Photo/Statesman: Shawn Raecke)
Top Cutlines:
Federal Judge Donald Molloy of Missoula, Mont., denied a lawsuit today by environmental groups that claimed a law removing federal protections of wolves in Idaho and Montana was unconstitutional. The ruling allows hunting seasons in the two states to progress as planned next month/Lewiston Tribune.
Besides the vows the next biggest part of a wedding, most would say, is the food. But dozens of couples are now out thousands of dollars since local catering company Puttin' On The Ritz suddenly closed its doors.The 
reason? Nobody at the catering company is talking, but one bride said she talked to an employee at the catering company said their assets had been seized by the IRS.Shannon Willis and her fiancée Christopher have been carefully planning their wedding for a year. She did her research and with high marks of praise she chose Puttin' On The Ritz as her caterer.She put down $1,800 toward the catering for her wedding reception and was about to make her final $1,600 deposit on Monday/Colleen O'Brien, KXLY. More here. (KXLY photo)
Question: After spending last weekend helping pick out a caterer for my daughter's 2012 wedding, I can only imagine what a potential disaster this would be for a soon-to-marry couple. Do you remember what food was served at your wedding?
The digs are beginning to roll in re: the newly named Famous Idaho Potatoes Bowl. Graham Watson of 
rivals.com offers: “I would be highly disappointed if every meal didn't include some sort of spud and if the players didn't compete in a potato sack race. It's hard to fathom what kind of swag this bowl will be handing out: A sack of potatoes? Mr. Potato Head dolls? Bags of the TGI Friday's potato skins chips? Or maybe, in sticking with the logo theme, normal items made to look like potatoes. Like the limited edition potato Xbox? Or the potato iPod? What about the Bose potato-shaped noise-canceling earphones?” More here.
Question: What will Chris Berman and the sportscasters at ESPN say about this newly named bowl?
Another woman has reported being grabbed on the Centennial Trail. The 22-year old victim was jogging 
westbound on the trail near the 1100 block of East Mission on Tuesday afternoon, when the suspect, like previous reports, grabbed the victim's bottom from behind as he rode past her. The victim described the suspect as riding a silver BMX-style bicycle, wearing high top tennis shoes and denim shorts/Nicole Hensley, KXLY. More here.
Question: Have you ever been bothered by a stranger while using Centennial Trail?
The Corps is presently doing some of this research. And with any luck it’ll be done sooner rather than later. Because, as Councilman Mike Kennedy put it last night (to the best of my notes), “It would be a crime to cut down all the trees only to be told the next day that the Corps has changed its policy due to new science.” Given the circumstances, buying as much time as possible is about the only good option for the City of Coeur d’Alene right now. And we’re glad the Council took that approach/Terry Harris. Full post here.
Question: How often do you visit and/or use the area along the Dike Road?
Seattle Mariners' Casper Wells (33) slides safely into second base on a stolen base as Oakland Athletics second baseman Jemile Weeks leaves the ball behind on a tag in the fifth inning of a baseball game today. Seattle beat Oakland 7-4 today to sweep the series in Seattle. MLB.com Gameday scoreboard here. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)
Top Blog Post: I'm a lot of things … wife, mom, daughter, sister, aunt, friend, teacher, Christian, and more. But
of all these things, one of them I am reminded of more than any other. Mom. Because at least a million times a day I hear the word. “Mom, I can't find socks/ipod/baseball glove.” “Mom, what's for breakfast/lunch/dinner?” “Mom, where's my puppy/kitty/baby/book?” “Mom, I'm hungry/thirsty/hot.” “Mom, can I watch tv/play video games/have a popsicle?” … And on and on and on it goes/A Butterfly Moment. More here.
Hucks Online numbers (for Monday): 6611/3928, and (for Tuesday): 7796/4661
Question: How many titles do you wear in life? What is the most important one to you?
The debt ceiling has been raised. What that means is the government is now able to spend more money. Yet the country's unemployment rate still hovers just under 10%. Future prospects remain dismal. So what does 
the President do to empathize with the people he governs? Throws a birthday bash where it costs ten grand to have a picture taken with him and over thirty five thousand to gain entry to the dinner. Just one of many celebrations to be held around the country hosted by various insiders. Of course it's a campaign event. So why the heck would he want to burden the rich with more taxes? It would mean less for him. Him. Him. Him. It's always him/Dogwalk Musings. More here. (AP file photo)
Question: Is President Obama a narcissist?
President Barack Obama, flanked by Assistant to the President and Director of Legislative Affairs Rob Nabors, left, and Chief of Staff to the Vice President Bruce Reed, eats lunch at the Good Stuff Eatery in Washington, Wednesday. Reed, of course, is a Coeur d'Alene High graduate and son of Scott & Mary Lou Reed of Fernan. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
Question: Who did you have lunch with today?
Every month it seems, we get pitched stories about people biking hundreds of miles, or running hundreds of miles, for a cause. Today I got a press release announcing that ”Professor Henry Sanchez, the Tacolist.com 
Barefoot Eco-Runner, is running from Argentina to Alaska to bring awareness of protecting and reforesting our planet.” I always turn these stories down, because I always suspect a hidden agenda, one the runner or biker might not be aware of. I think they are running from grief. Over a hard marriage, a troubled career, a death. Or they are running to work out some unresolved grief. The hardest thing in times of sorrow and despair is to stay still with the pain. This is just my theory/Rebecca Nappi, SR. More here.
Question: What do you think of Becky's theory that people who bike/run hundreds of miles for a cause are running from grief or troubling situations?
Brian Murphy/Idaho Statesman offers this news release from Idaho Potato Commission: “The Famous Idaho Potato Bowl was unveiled today as the new name for the Humanitarian Bowl which features a top selection 
from the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) and the Mid-American Conference (MAC). The nation's longest-running outdoor cold-weather Bowl, played since 1997, will take place on Saturday, Dec. 17 at 3:30 p.m. MST at Bronco Stadium in Boise, Idaho and televised on ESPN. The Idaho Potato Commission signed a six-year naming rights deal to sponsor the Bowl, beginning immediately and running through the 2016 game. More here.
Question: Do you like the change in name from Humanitarian Bowl to Idaho Famous Potato Bowl?
File this one under “Y” for “You’ve got to be kidding.” The Mountain West conference, the new home to Boise State University’s athletic program, has told the football team it can’t wear its traditional all-blue uniforms for 
home games anymore. Seriously. If you follow the Broncos football program, you’ve probably heard some interesting theories revolving around BSU’s trademark blue playing field. One myth is that birds are always crash-diving into it, mistaking it for a large body of water. That one has led to some pretty clever T-shirts. Another theory is that the Broncos have an unfair advantage wearing all-blue uniforms at home because, since that is the same color as their field, they blend in and are harder for opposing players to see/Idaho Press-Tribune Editorial Board. More here. (AP file photo: action in 2010 game between Boise State and Oregon State in Boise)
Question: Do you think Boise State has an unfair advantage when it wears blue on its blue-turf football field?
Alicia Ponce-Myers, 12, has spent the past month in a Sacred Heart Children's Hospital room recovering from cancer. Alicia and her family, from Tonasket, Wash., are homeless and lived in a tent. (SR photo: Dan Pelle)
In Oregon, big city Portland has cafes where medical marijuana users smoke pot while singing karaoke. But it 
is in the small rural communities of southwestern Oregon where medical marijuana has really taken root. The Associated Press analyzed the locations of people registered to grow medical marijuana as patients, caregivers or designated growers based on their ZIP codes and found that Williams in Josephine County has the heaviest concentration. More than 400 of the town’s 2000 residents, approximately 20 percent of residents, are authorized by the state to grow up to six plants each/SR.com NW roundup. More here. (SR file photo of marijuana plant, for illustrative purposes)
Question: Would you want to live in a town where 20 percent of the residents were registered to grow marijuana?
In a Boise Weekly story, “Red Potatoes: Investigating the truth behind China's takeover of Idaho, reporter Deanna Darr writes, “Since late 2010, a rumor has been circulating that the Chinese government, via a 
government-owned company, has purchased a 50-acre plot of land just south of Boise, upon which it will build a self-sustaining city. As the Governor's Office and even Boise Mayor's Office fielded calls from riled-up constituents, right-wing power players like the John Birch Society spread the rumor as fact. The Idaho GOP even looked at a resolution, “Idaho as a China-Beachhead Withdrawal Resolution,” to call on the state Legislature to look into the issue. Despite numerous media reports shooting down the claims, the rumor persisted. We decided to have a little fun with the rumors.” See cartoon and rest of the story here.
Question: Could the Red Chinese do a better job of running Idaho than Butch Otter & the Idaho Legislature?
“This week Congressman Raul Labrador voted to let America default on its debt for the first time in history, an 
act that would have plunged us back into recession. He has worked all week to find additional votes for the bill to ensure its passage and then turned around and voted against it. This vote is consistent with his history of flip flopping. At a recent interview on Meet the Press, Representative Raúl Labrador falsely claimed he supports closing loopholes saying, 'I am for getting rid of the loopholes'” — Idaho Democrats press release from Kevin Richert's blog. More here.
Question: Did newby Congressman Raul Labrador help or hurt himself with his no vote on the debt ceiling legislation?
Already the pundits predict a second major political meltdown when the Gang of 12 fails in their task to recommend the next major steps just as the holiday season descends on battle weary Americans who don’t 
seem to trust anyone on anything, especially when it comes to the economy and fiscal policy. A new CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey finds broad support – as in 77 percent support – for the notion that Washington’s leaders “acted like spoiled children” in reaching the deal on debt and deficits. Trying to explain American politics to a British audience, historian Robert Dallek writes in the Daily Telegraph that, “something is at work here that makes you wonder if rational discourse is beyond the capacity of many American voters to understand”/Marc Johnson, The Johnson Post. More here.
Question: Describe the next financial crisis this country will face as a result of congressional/presidential squabbling?
ABC News is reporting that it has found a woman who claims to have been the niece of the mystery man 
known as D.B. Cooper who hijacked an airplane here 40 years ago and parachuted out of it, never to be found again. In a report on “Good Morning America,” a woman named Marla Cooper told ABC News that she had provided the F.B.I. with a guitar strap and a Christmas photo of a man pictured with the same strap who she said was her uncle, Lynn Doyle Cooper/Katherine Q. Seeleye, New York Times. More here. (1971 artist's sketch of D.B. Cooper)
Question: Would you be bummed if this woman is right — and the identity of D.B. Cooper is confirmed?
Earthly delights: “It's just beautiful here,” Stella Gutz said Tuesday as she worked in the community garden at Lutheran Church of the Master in Coeur d'Alene. (SR photo: Kathy Plonka)
In the comments section, DanoftheCommunity and Spencer debated re: the impact of the Brannon-Kennedy post-election trial on his defeat as county clerk by Cliff Hayes last fall. Spencer believes the city issue lapped 
over into county politics. Dan points out that most Democrats in Idaho, including then Congressman Walt Minnick, were dead politicians walking. Quote: “Without the Cd’A Election Saga I might have gotten as high as even 42 or 43 percent. But would I have won? Not on your life, not that year. So I think the best you and your friends can claim on that one is you helped make a “dead politician walking” a little bit deader when all was said and done. But I don’t believe for a minute (and I think you know better) that the Brannon-Kennedy case had anything to do with my losing, or especially with Cliff’s winning. As a Democrat in Idaho I was just out of time.
Question: Which Democrat has the best chance of winning an election in North Idaho in the next 2 years?
JKFedWay: My wife and I have been nudists for quite some time, and thoroughly enjoy social nudity. For those who are interested, but think they’d be too shy to participate—trust me, nobody cares what you look like. Your 
shyness will disappear within ten minutes as you realize that you’re no different than anyone else. Contrary to what is stated in this article, nudists don’t “check out” others (unless you’re wearing clothes—that just looks very strange in a nudist setting). Nudism isn’t about beeing seen, it’s about being, period.
Every person I’ve ever known who has tried social nudity has said the same thing— “why didn’t I do this XXXX years ago?!?” (SR file photo: Developers Linda and Tom Janson at Sun Meadow Resort in 2007)
Question: Interested?
Item: Coeur d'Alene approves tree plan … but not so fast on the big trees/Tom Hasslinger, Press
More Info: The Coeur d'Alene City Council Tuesday approved adopting a plan to begin thinning some vegetation and addressing other concerns regarding the levee along Rosenberry Drive in response to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' March order. As part of the adoption, the city will still seek all other options to save the bigger trees along the road.
Question: Do you agree with this approach by the city to the demands by the U.S. Corps of Engineers?
On Saturday, I assured a disabled woman in my daughter's apartment complex in Portland that there's no way Congress would act irresponsibly, despite the growing number of irresponsible members, and allow this country to default on its debt. She was frightened that she wouldn't have the money to afford the apartment that had been her home for more than a decade. I told her that politicians are timid by nature — and wouldn't dare incur the wrath of senior citizens who depend on Social Security checks and vote en masse. Well, Congress has just passed the bill to increase the debt ceiling. A pox on both houses of Congress, both parties, and the president for frightening the elderly and disabled in the process. Now for your Wild Card …
A lamprey is shown at Willamette Falls, in Oregon City, Ore. As long as Indians have lived in the Northwest, they have looked to lamprey for food. But in the decades since dozens of hydroelectric dams have harnessed the power of the Columbia, Willamette and Snake rivers to make electricity, this jawless fish popularly known as an eel has steadily declined until Columbia Basin tribes have just a few places left to go for lamprey. Story here. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
Residents of Hayden's gated Forest Hills subdivision awoke Monday to find driveways and light poles tagged with white paint and symbols, including a Nazi swastika, an anarchy symbol, a penis drawing, and threats. 
Robert Drummond, of 1545 Pebblestone, found the swastika and three other drawings on his driveway. Other houses in the neighborhood were also vandalized and trashcans tipped over. Among the spray-painted threats found in the neighborhood were “Your Dead!” and “Kill U.” Every light pole on Woodstone Drive had a marking of some sort, in white spray paint. David & Norma Alley, who were also victims of the vandalism, said they had had their back fence spray-painted a few months ago. Police have no suspects. All the victims are willing to prosecute the person(s) who is responsible for the vandalism, if found.
Post Falls Police Detective’s located endangered runaways Tina Jewell and Charity Jordan at WalMart in Post Falls after receiving an anonymous tip (see 12:49 & 1:12 p.m. items) — Coeur d'Alene Police Department news release.
A Chinook Salmon passes the viewing window in the visitor center at Bonneville Dam near Cascade Locks, Ore. A federal judge in Oregon ruled today that the Obama administration's attempt to make federal hydroelectric dams in the Northwest safer for protected salmon once again violates the Endangered Species Act. Story below. (AP file photo/Rick Bowmer, file)
An unidentified man wears only a tie and socks as he participates in a performance art piece outside the New York Stock Exchange this morning in New York. For the five-minute piece, dozens of volunteers disrobed and acted out the motions of people at work. Police say they arrested two naked men and one topless woman for disorderly conduct. You write the cutline. Story here. (AP Photo/newcriteria.wordpress.com, Anthony Miler)
Top Cutlines:
Idaho Falls Police investigated a man in a bunny suit after neighbors reported him as a public nuisance for frightening children in their neighborhood on Monday. William Falkingham, 34, was advised by police not to 
wear his bunny suit in public. According to a report, officers responded to the 400 block of Third Street after a resident reported that her son had been frightened by Falkingham wearing a black bunny suit and hiding behind a tree and pointing his finger like a gun at him. The officer also spoke to other neighbors who expressed that they were greatly disturbed by Falkingham and his bunny suit. Neighbors also reported that Falkingham also occasionally wears a tutu with the bunny suit/Idaho Falls Police Department news release. More here. (SR file photo, for illustrative purposes)
Question: What would you say to a neighbor dressed in a bunny suit?
Oh tiny rootlet, orange and sweet,
you nestle near the pickled beet;
torn from your home and shipped by truck
your life’s been full of lousy luck,
and now through circumstance and fate
you find yourself upon my plate;
how sad this is the way I meet you —
but nonetheless I plan to eat you.
The Bard of Sherman Avenue
The most remarkable thing about both the Republican and Democratic Idaho legislative redistricting plans is this: Both of them are willing to throw a lot of current legislators overboard, and by no means just those of the 
opposing party. By that, you have to mean – since every Idahoan, and every legislator, will continue to live in a district – that a number of districts will have as residents more legislators than there will be seats to accommodate them. The Republican plan would put 41 legislators (of 105 total) in districts with too many fellow incumbents and not enough seats; the Democratic would do that to 32. In the Republican plan, 32 Republicans would be be put in that position, and in the Democratic, six Democrats. (There are, remember, a lot more Republicans than Democrats in the Idaho Legislature)/Randy Stapilus, Ridenbaugh Press. More here.
Question: Which incumbents would you most like to see being forced to run against one another?
An oak tree outside Ohio's Malabar Farm State Park in north-central Ohio played a key role in the the 1994 film The Shawshank Redemption. The tree was hit Friday by straight-line winds that split it down its rotted middle and took out one side. (AP Photo/Akron Beacon Journal, Bob Downing)
Question: Which one of the films based on Stephen King's novels or short stories is your favorite?
California environmentalists are fighting a situation similar to Coeur d'Alene's in which the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has arbitrarily demanded that viewtiful trees be removed from a dam. Terry Harris/KEA provides this 
language from the suit: “The Corps adopted a new standard requiring removal of all vegetation from levees without environmental review, consideration of regional differences or scientific support. Not only is there little proof trees or well-managed vegetation threaten levees in California, the Corps’ own research shows trees stabilize and strengthen levees. The Corps must incorporate ongoing scientific research before proceeding.” More here. And: Green Libertarian provides the back story to the California lawsuit here.
Question: Should the city of Coeur d'Alene demand that the Corps of Engineers conduct an environmental impact study and address issues involving the National Environmental Policy Act and Endangered Species Act, before kneeling to the corps demand?
On her Facebook wall, Ada County Commissioner Sharon Ullman writes: “The Idaho Racing Commission confirms that Les Bois Park has never been licensed for live dog racing. That means that the simulcasting of greyhound racing (live dogs racing in other states being broadcast here in Ada County) is a felony under Idaho Code 54-2514A. The Racing Commission chairman claims that their attorney says it is okay. It's not.”
DFO: Long-time Kootenai County residents recall how Duane Hagadone & star-struck local politicians pushed through legislation to create greyhound racing at the Post Falls track — and then how the practice was later banned after Spokesman-Review exposes on how the dogs were mistreated.
Question: Should simulcasts of greyhound racing be allowed in Idaho?
An Idaho family is fighting a city ordinance that regulates backyard chickens. The City of Post Falls slapped the Partington family with a warning for owning chickens. City leaders ordered the family to get rid of their chickens last week. Brian Partington told KREM 2 News that he thought it was legal to raise chickens in his backyard. He currently owns 13 hens. Post Falls leaders said Partington is in violation of a 1998 city ordinance. Only homeowners with more than one acre of land can own chickens. The Post Falls ordinance also limits the number of chickens to ten/Heath Cole, KXLY. More here.
Question: Should Post Falls keep a tight rein on chickens?
The most-stolen car in Washington state last year was the 1991 Honda Accord, according to the National 
Insurance Crime Bureau. The top 10 most-stolen list contains cars and pickups from the 1991 to 1997 model years. The NICB says in a news release that older cars and trucks are popular because their parts are easier to steal than newer models, which often have better-quality alarms and anti-theft systems. Spokane is a hotbed of car theft, according to the NICB, which says the city ranked fourth-highest in the nation for auto theft rates last year, up from No. 18 in 2009/Spokesman-Review. More here. (Wikipedia photo of 1990-91 Honda Accord)
Question: Is your vehicle worth stealing?
Matthew Sells, 12 Justin McDonald, 13 and Steve Jacobson, 13, wore dribbling glasses during drills at basketball camp at Holy Family Catholic School in Coeur d'Alene on Friday. The camp started on Monday and wrapped up on Friday. (SR photo: Kathy Plonka)
Two 17-year-old hitchhikers attacked a 66-year-old North Idaho woman who stopped to help them last weekend in Bonner County, authorities say. Suspects Joseph J. Martin, of Denver, (left) and Marshall O. Dittrich, (bottom right) of Danville, Calif., had run away from a youth explorations program in Trout Creek, Mont. and were hitchhiking near Clark Fork on Sunday when Vera Gadman, of Hope, picked them up and drove them to the Hope Peninsula area to look for a place to camp, according to the Bonner County Sheriff's Office. The teens asked her to stop at an undeveloped cul-de-sac and pretended to look at a map, authorities said, then attacked Gadman, striking her on the head several times and attempting to strangle her. Gadman escaped in her car and went to a nearby home/Meghann Cuniff, SR. More here.
Question: When did you last pick up a hitchhiker?
Idaho was rated number one again and once again it’s not a victory, especially for a state striving to make its agriculture and high tech industries competitive. Idaho was ranked the slowest state for Internet connections by Pando Networks , a company that specializes in measuring connection speeds. Idaho’s average download speed was rated at 318 kilobits per second with a completion rate of 83 percent/Rocky Barker, Statesman. More here.
Question: How would you rate your home Internet speed — on a scale from dial-up slow to fastest Broadband speed available?
Early Saturday morning at approximately 2 a.m. Saturday, Pend Oreille County Dispatchers took a 911 report of 
a van that was submerged in the Pend Oreille River. When Deputy Steve Beery arrived on scene he observed the vehicle was submerged about 40 feet from shore in about 10 feet of water at the end of the boat ramp at the Ione Park. The lights of the vehicle were still glowing under the water. At this time there were several people in the water yelling that there was a lady still in the vehicle. As Deputy Beery got to the dock, an adult male, Samuel “Jamie” Crawford of Coeur d'Alene (pictured) had successfully pulled the woman from the vehicle and was swimming her to the dock. More here.
DFO: I'm posting this story because it has a tie to Huckleberries Online. Jamie Crawford, the man who pulled the woman from the submerged car and swam her to shore, is the son of Berry Picker Sam Crawford. Sam didn't learn about his son's heroics until his daughter told him that she'd read about it on her brother's Facebook page. Hats off to Junior.
“Bachelorette” Ashley Hebert kisses J.P. Rosenbaum on the season finale of “The Bachelorette” in Fiji. Hebert chose the 34-year-old construction manager over winemaker Ben Flajnik from California in Monday's two-hour finale. (AP Photo/ABC, Matt Klitscher)
Question: Why do so few of these couples from this show really find true love?
Emergency legislation to allow the government to borrow more money passed the Senate Tuesday, with just hours to spare before the national debt was slated to hit its ceiling. The Senate vote was 74-26. The bill now heads to President Barack Obama for his signature. The president is scheduled to speak shortly from the Rose Garden at the White House/MSNBC. More here.
Presidential candidate Michele Bachmann and possible presidential candidate Sarah Palin lambasted Vice 
President Joe Biden Monday night for negative comments he allegedly made about the Tea Party. Biden was reported by Politico on Monday to have agreed with an argument by Rep. Mike Doyle of Pennsylvania, who apparently asserted that “[w]e have negotiated with terrorists” during a closed-door meeting with House Democrats about the deal to raise the debt limit. “They have acted like terrorists,” Biden was said to have responded. The Hill reports that in an e-mail Monday night, Bachmann, R-Minn., condemned Biden's alleged statement and called on the vice president to apologize/CBS News Political Hotsheet. More here. (AP file photo, of VP Joe Biden)
Question: Should Biden apologize?
I learned those two words (personal responsibility) as a child and continue to live by them on a daily basis. 
They are also two words that seem to be quickly escaping the vocabulary of most Americans. It's really not that hard of a concept to understand. If you do something wrong you fess up and admit it, and then you do everything in your power to make things right again. In that same vein, you take responsibility for your own behavior and don't arrogantly rely on others to bail you out when you're in a pinch. Accepting help from friends is one thing — expecting it is a totally different ballgame. It's the way I handle things in both life and work, and I really wish more people felt the same way/Henry Johnston, Moscow-Pullman Daily News. More here.
Question: Do most people you know take personal responsibility for their actions?
Ohio University, set in an Appalachian town known for its rowdy Halloween bashes, has been named the nation’s No. 1 party school, pushing the University of Georgia down a slot in the 2011 Princeton Review survey 
released Monday. Ohio was No. 2 in last year’s survey of students nationwide but has never before reached the top. Rounding out the top five this year were No. 3 University of Mississippi, No. 4 University of Iowa and No. 5 University of California Santa Barbara. The Princeton Review survey is part of its 2012 edition of “The Best 376 Colleges,” which includes 61 other rankings in categories such as best professors (Wellesley College in Massachusetts), most beautiful campus (Florida Southern College) best campus food (Wheaton College in Illinois) and highest financial aid satisfaction (Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania)/Associated Press. More here. (AP file illustration)
Question: What is your alma mater known for?
Idaho Dad and his camera were on hand during a recent fundraiser staged by a local health clinic, called “Muddy Miles,” a 2-mile fun run over a muddy obstacle course. Posts Idaho Dad in A Family Runs Through It: “I watched, while my kids ran it with friends. Lots of money was raised, everyone had fun, and washing machines were most definitely working overtime that night.” More photos & the rest of the story here.
The official OK for the city to begin yanking trees along Dike Road could come (today). The City Council is expected to green light the engineer department's mitigation proposal during its meeting at 6 p.m. in the Community Room of the public library. While many people in the community oppose the Army Corps of Engineers order to remove vegetation on the levee along Rosenberry Drive, the city's Public Works Committee recommended the city adopt a plan to begin addressing flood hazard concerns/Coeur d'Alene Press. More here.
Question: Any last words to say to the Coeur d'Alene City Council before it decides on the Corps of Engineers demand to level the viewtiful Dike Road trees?
Item: Illegal voters fined, sentenced: Hayden couple voted illegally in 2009 Cd'A city election/Tom Hasslinger, CdA Press
More Info: A Hayden couple was each fined $200 and sentenced to three months of probation for illegally voting in the Nov. 3, 2009, Coeur d'Alene general election. Ronald Prior and Susan Harris both entered Alford pleas on July 15 after each was charged with one count of illegally registering to vote. An Alford guilty plea means the defendant doesn't admit guilt but admits there is enough evidence for a conviction.
Question: Beyond wasting a lot of money, changing a vote or two, and catching 2 illegal voters, what did the long-running lawsuit filed by losing challenger Jim Brannon accomplish?
The debt-increasing and deficit-cutting deal would accomplish one purpose: It would stave off a first-ever federal default. It would spare an already shaky economy the immediate and damaging effects of default: increased consumer interest rates, delayed payments to federal beneficiaries and/or government contractors. Announced Sunday night, two days before the possible default date, the White House and congressional leaders cut a desperation deal that beats the alternative. Faint praise defined. But important nonetheless. Still, that’s about as far as things go/Kevin Richert, Idaho Statesman Editorial Board. More here.
Question: Do you agree with the Idaho Statesman that the debt-increasing/deficit-cutting deal accomplishes only one purpose, preventing federal default? Or was it more/less than that?
Nick Anderson/Houston Chronicle
I'm back and fired up after a wonderful three days of wedding planning with Amy Dearest and future son-in-law Okie Doke in Portland. Mrs. O & I helped pick out the caterer and saw the wedding and reception venues. Roast beef and salmon will be on the sumptuous menu. 'Tis going to be a swell time in Portland for the extended Oliveria family in Portland August 2012. Also, as a tremendous bonus, got to see Okie Doke baptized. I'm feeling blessed this morning, too. So I'll post the Wild Card and go in search of fodder for you …
A cicada emerges from it's shell which is attached to a brick of a home in Fort Smith, Ark. There are more than 1,500 species of cicada, but one of the best known is the periodical cicada that emerges from the ground every seventeen years. (AP/Photo/Times Record, Kaia Larsen)
Stebbijo writes: “I have a series of photos I took as a kid in 1977 of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. I have them in my photo gallery, here. I rarely if at all remember doing this, however, I wrote on the back of the photos, so I must have done it. An old friend saved some stuff, I left behind from many moons ago, and it all just recently made it back into my hands. I am going to locate each building and street and do a before and after. This before and after is of Roosevelt School. Notice the excellent renovations.” More here.
Question: Which old Coeur d'Alene area building is your favorite?
This Dec. 23, 2009, file photo shows Ani Haas skiing through the moguls during the women's Olympic Trials Freestyle competition in Steamboat Springs, Colo. Haas says she feels fortunate to have suffered just scratches to her left arm and chest when she encountered a black bear while running in western Montana, near her hometown of Missoula Friday morning. Story here. (AP Photo/Nathan Bilow, File)
Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., appears on the floor of the House of Representatives this afternoon in Washington. Giffords was on the floor for the first time since her shooting earlier this year, attending a vote on the debt standoff compromise. (AP Photo/House Television)
DFO: Simply amazing!
Authorities in Pullman, Wash., say they arrested University of Idaho receiver Robert Hatchett III for allegedly 
driving under the influence. The 22-year-old junior from Compton, Calif., was pulled over early Sunday morning and failed two field sobriety tests. Police say Hatchett was initially pulled over because the taillights in his vehicle were not working. KXLY reports that Hatchett was later released on the misdemeanor charge. “We are aware of this matter. It will be handled in a manner consistent with our departmental policy,” Idaho athletic department spokeswoman Becky Paull said in an email to the Idaho Statesman/AP, Idaho Statesman.
Question: Which college team will have more DUIs and criminal activity this year — WSU or UI?
Sgt. Christie Wood reports that Noah Blanchard, a month-old baby that's the apparent victim of child abuse, 
has been removed from a ventilator and is breathing on his own. However, Wood reports, the doctors caution that his condition is still very serious, with likely long term medical problems. He will be hospitalized for quite some time.” The baby boy is now in the custody of the Department of Health and Welfare. Meanwhile, James Dean Blanchard, 19, of Coeur d'Alene (pictured), has been charged with felony injury to a child. Bond was set at $100,000 during Blanchard’s first appearance before Kootenai County magistrate Judge Clark Peterson. A preliminary hearing is expected within 14 days.
Have you ever wondered what Huckleberries Online HQ looks like? Stebbijo takes away some of that mystery with this photo of Your Huckleberry Hound in action last week. How many Huckleberry Hounds can you find? Stebbijo writes: “I wanted to capture some of the personality behind this media spin doctor, thus I transformed myself into an office crasher! He was gracious enough to let me invade his corner and document his treasures.” You can read Stebbijo's thoughts about Blogfest, my office (w/close up photos of my toys), and Fort Ground Grill fare here.
Hucks Online numbers (for week of July 24-30) 40,543 PVs, 24,934 UVs; (for July): 171451 page-views, 109173 unique views; and (year-to-date) 1,361,825 page-views, 847,179 unique views
Question: What one adjective would you use to describe your office?
Two Kootenai County residents and three from Spokane County head the list of Major Ben Wolfinger's weekly warrant list “honor roll.” Bradley Paul Shay, 48, of Coeur d'Alene (upper left), is wanted on a felony warrant for probation violation for a case originally involving felony DUI. No bond is set for him. Also, Anthony James Weimer, 47, of Hayden (upper center), is wanted on a 
grand theft charge and for failure to appear in a case involving stalking. Bond is set at $20,000. Spokane residents wanted on Kootenai County felony warrants are: Beau James Conrath, 27, aggravated batter & leaving the scene of an accident ($25,000 bail); Tanya Jo Garduno, 35 (upper right), probation violation for harboring a fugitive (no bond); and Lili Ann McNair, 42 (bottom), failure to appear for possession of a controlled substance ($50,000 bond). You can read the misdemeanor warrant reports here.
The Coeur d’Alene Police Department is currently looking for two female juveniles that are considered endangered runaways due to their age. Charity M. Jordan, 14 (left), and Tina L. Jewell, 15 (right), both of Coeur d’Alene, are friends and are possibly together. Both were reported by their parents to have left their residences in early this morning. Both girls have runaway together twice in the past year. Charity Jordan is 5’6, 140 pounds, with hazel eyes and brown hair. Tina Jewell is 5’2, 104 pounds, with hazel eyes and blonde hair. Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Jordan and Jewell are asked to contact Coeur d’Alene Police at 769-2320.
From a Facebook Friend: “Community minded citizens and those interested in public education: Reminder of the monthly Coeur d'Alene School Board Meeting tonight at 5 in the Midtown Meeting Room, 1505 N. 5th, (or just south of the Bistro Restaurant on Spruce & 4th). Go to http://www.cdaschools.org/ for more information about one of our local schools.”
Question: Last month, we were treated to newby Trustees Tom Hamilton & Terri Seymour suing to overturn the appointment of back-to-the-future Coeur d'Alene School Board Trustee Wanda Quinn. And then electing not to vote on any School Board action in July. What treat is in store from these two tonight?
“During this morning's (KVNI) show,” begins Kerri Thoreson, on her Facebook wall, “I was telling Joe about how many sailboats were out on the lake this weekend and that North Idaho College's Outdoor Pursuits sailboats had what looked like new crimson and white sails. So I mused that if Erna Rhinehart was listening, she could confirm by texting me.”
Instead of grouping hot dogs with Mom and apple pie, a national medical group wants you to consider them 
as bad for your health as cigarettes. The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, a Washington, D.C., group that promotes preventive medicine and a vegan diet, unveiled a billboard Monday near the Indianapolis Motor Speedway with the advisory: “Warning: Hot dogs can wreck your health.” The billboard features a picture of hot dogs in a cigarette pack inscribed with skull and crossbones. It aims to increase awareness of a link between colorectal cancer and hot dogs/USAToday.com, KHQ. More here. (AP file photo, for illustrative purposes)
Question: Do you eat enough hot dogs to take this warning seriously?
Had occasion to spend a sleepy summer afternoon along the Snake River at Thousand Springs recently. 
Didn’t like what I saw. What I saw were lots of shirtless folks my age taking their leisure. Many had forgotten that when it comes to casual wear in your fifth or sixth decades, more is better. That’s especially true for you guys: The male torso just does not age well. Either you become a sallow-chested question mark as you get older, or you turn into Moby Dick. Kramer, from Seinfeld, said it best, I think: “Frank, you need a Man-ziere”/Steve Crump, Twin Falls Times-News. More here.
Question: Do you have an older male neighbor who needs to keep his shirt on?
Gresham Bouma's Idaho senate campaign manager, Paula Bauer, announced at the Latah County 
Republican Central Committee meeting Tuesday night that there will “be an event to assist Phil Hart,” the Idaho representative from Athol who decided he didn't have to pay taxes for several years and took his losing case all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. He also built his rustic home with logs cut on state-owned land. The INKster wonders if the “assistance” is to help Hart pay his taxes and penalties or to help his re-election fund/Vera White, Moscow-Pullman Daily News.
Question: Are you surprised that Latah County GOP would be helping state Rep. Phil Hart, R-Athol?
When you’re stuck at a stoplight or in heavy traffic, what do you normally do? Chances are you look around. Several things may grab your attention – the sports car next to you, an accident, someone is having car trouble. 
Or, maybe the vehicle in front of you with a license plate dedicated to the … Freemasons. Huh? Currently Idaho has more than 80 novelty license plates motorists may choose from. When souvenir plates are added, there are 99 purchase options. The novelty plates range from Freemasons to winter hobbies (such as snowmobiling and skiing) to Breast Cancer Awareness to the men and women of the armed forces. The armed forces plates account for 43 of the total including recognition of service (World War II, Korea, for examples) for military reservists, Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marines and the Navy/Mitch Coffman, Idaho Reporter. More here. (Photo courtesy of Idaho Reporter)
Question: Do you have an Idaho specialty/novelty plate? What kind?
“I'm just real proud of her,” said Nicole Behar's grandfather Duncan Behar as he waited for her race to start at Stateline Speedway in Stateline July 13. Behar is 13 years old, and though teenagers racing is nothing new, few around the Inland Northwest have seen the success she has at such a young age. See Alison Boggs' story here. And see: Kathy Plonka's slide show here. (Photo: Kathy Plonka, SR)
Question: Would you allow your 13YO daughter or son to race cars at Stateline Speedway?
Idaho Republicans agree on two things: Their affinity for Reaganesque platitudes in November and their animosity toward President Obama year-round. And that's just about it. On the debt ceiling crisis, where is any 
common ground between 1st District Congressman Raul Labrador and 2nd District Congressman Mike Simpson? Until the last minute, Labrador seemed willing to risk default to constrain debt. Simpson sees default as the greater hazard. Can you really say this party stands for a simple standard of right and wrong when the GOP Central Committee can condemn Senate Majority Caucus Chairman John McGee of Caldwell — a moderate — for drunken driving, but looks the other way when Rep. Phil Hart, R-Athol — a renegade conservative — steals state timber and shirks his taxes?/Marty Trillhaase, Lewiston Tribune. More here.
Question: Will Democrats ever benefit from the divided Idaho GOP?
I have lost the original scent of my grandparents' house but I still find it in my mind. I recently located the house 
in Nampa where my grandparents lived when I was a child. The same familiar outside structure remains, but the home I knew doesn't exist. A house is not your home forever so you truly can't go home again. That house was virtually my second home when my grandparents lived there. We farmed a few miles away and visited them weekly. For good measure, my grandparent's home was across the street from my elementary school. Little ingrate that I was, I frequently skipped the watery vegetable soup of the school hot lunch program and slipped across the street for the grandmother-fried chicken/Bill Hall, Lewiston Tribune. More here.
Question: Does your childhood home still stand?
On her Facebook wall, Kerri Thoreson publishes this photo of a readerboard sign at the Oval Office, which is owned by Raci Erdem, who owns the White House (which created a hubbub months ago here with a post about the president).
Question: Any idea why Raci doesn't want male customers wearing tank tops to dine?
There was a whole lot of public urination happening in that cultural war zone known as downtown Coeur 
d'Alene after hours between July 13-25, including some repeat peeing by a 26-year-old man who'd just left the Rendevouz, 203 N3rd. Seems the man was headed toward Las Palmitas for a pit stop. But was moved to act by intoxication and an full bladder. Now, let's hear from the Downtown Coeur d'Alene Bar Report: “When asked why he didn’t go in the bar, he said the restrooms were full.” So what sets this guy apart from the other I.P. Freelies wandering around downtown? The guy also admitted to receiving a citation in June for the same
offense and had just paid off the $190 fine two days prior. File under “Some Drunk Guys Never Learn.” You can read the rest of the downtown Coeur d'Alene Bar Report here.
Forget wading through English Lit or Ancient History - if you want to have a whale of a time at university, there are certain courses that stand out from the crowd. With news that a dedicated Gelato University has opened in Italy, Stylist has delved into the prospecti of universities and colleges the world over to uncover other unique and offbeat courses on offer. From the rigorous study of David Beckham to the existential meaning of fat, here are 10 courses that may not get you a job, but would definitely make for entertaining lectures… More here. H/T: Orbusmax.
Question: Among the lame courses listed in this Stylist article are underwater basket weaving classes offered by Reed College of Portland and the University of California. Which course during your college days was the lamest that you enrolled in?
Despite what some in the Tea Party may think, the deal reached between the President and leaders of Congress is a victory for the Tea Party. How can one tell? Easy - just look at the reaction from the left. Speaking for all but one member of the Congressional Black Causus (Rep. Allen West of Florida), Rep. Emmanuel Cleaver (D-MO) called the deal a “satan sandwich.” Paul Krugman, convinced that American democracy itself is threatened, wrote that President Obama surrendered to Republicans in a piece at The New York Times/Joe Newby, Spokane Conservative Examiner. More here.
Question: Was the Tea Party the overall winner after the dust settled from the near debt ceiling train wreck?
Molly Kreyssler, center, and Judith George, right, of the North Idaho College Idaho Basic Education and Skills Training program hand out information about obtaining a GED to people on Sherman Avenue in Coeur d'Alene on Thursday. (SR photo: Kathy Plonka)
In this Jan. 20, 2009, file photo, President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama dance at the Western Inaugural Ball in Washington. Turning 50 is hard enough. But it's got to be even harder when you're president, because the whole world knows about it. “I feel real good about 5-0,” he said. “I've gotten a little grayer since I took this job but otherwise, I feel pretty good.” Obama added that Michelle has told him that she still thinks “I'm cute.” Obama turns 50 on Thursday. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall, File)
Question: Do you consider 50 old?
Friends and foes alike listen when the respected Kootenai Environmental Alliance speaks. Sorta like the E.F. 
Hutton of the enviro world. That’s why the Coeur d’Alene City Council should heed a KEA blog post re: the demand by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to level the picturesque trees along the Dike Road (aka Rosenberry Drive): “An incompetent Corps of Engineers and an inflexible FEMA are about to destroy a Coeur d’Alene treasure unnecessarily. The out-of-town and out-of-control federal agencies are blindly calling for the City of Coeur d’Alene to remove hundreds of mature trees from the dike that follows the lake and riverfront around City Park and North Idaho College”/DFO, Huckleberries, SR. More here.
Item: North Idaho Pachyderms hear about sovereign citizens/Nick Rotunno, CdA Press
More Info: Campbell is a sovereign citizen, Finman said, who formerly lived in a house on Finman's property. Campbell was not paying rent on the house, Finman said. Last fall, Campbell agreed to leave the house by a specified date. After the date had passed, Finman tried to demolish the house, he said, but a woman and two children - Campbell's family - were inside. Finman was charged with three counts of aggravated assault. He pleaded not guilty in May and will stand trial this fall.
Question: Am I the only one who thinks it's strange that a man facing trial for 3 counts of aggravated assault after he tried to demolish a house with a woman and two kids inside is a guest speaker at the North Idaho Pacyderm Club?
Health insurance plans must cover birth control as preventive care for women, with no copays, the Obama administration said today in a decision with far-reaching implications for health care as well as social mores. The requirement is part of a broad expansion of coverage for women’s preventive care under President Barack Obama’s health care law. Also to be covered without copays are breast pumps for nursing mothers, an annual “well-woman” physical, screening for the virus that causes cervical cancer and for diabetes during pregnancy, counseling on domestic violence, and other services/Associated Press. More here.
Question: Do you agree with the Obama administration that insurance plans must cover birth control for woman w/o co-pays?
Lisa Benson/Washington Writers Group
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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