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Archive for June 2011
Hmm. June has come and gone — and still no summer. My only solace in this summer of our discontent is that I'm not alone in my suffering. If temperatures top 90 sometime in the next 60 days, we'll all be by or on the lake with our tongues hanging out, panting. Still a cold June in Coeur d'Alene is better than a hot summer day almost anywhere else. Right? Right? Now for your Wild Card …
Canton, Ill., High School graduate Wayne Decker, a specialist with the U.S. Army's 1st Battalion, 18th Infantry, lifts his one-year old son Ethan to share a smile together after he surprised his children on a return to Peoria, Ill., after a deployment in Iraq, Wednesday.(AP Photo/Peoria Journal Star, Ron Johnson)
Glenn Beck has officially signed off from Fox, for good. Like a professor teaching his last class, the 
chalkboard-happy Beck summarized what he believed he had accomplished in his 2.5 years on Fox, where his passion, fiery rhetoric and polarizing arguments – and occasionally extremely offensive slips – made him one of the most popular faces of the conservative movement. “It's been an amazing ride,” a surprisingly composed Beck told his viewers. “And I have worked with some amazing people and made some amazing friends – mainly you”/Nina Mandell, N.Y. Daily News. More here.
Question: What will be Glenn Beck's legacy with Fox?
“The Lord saved me from homelessness,” said Marianne Fox of Coeur d'Alene during the ground breaking for Union Gospel Mission Center for Women and Children in Coeur d'Alene earlier today. (SR photo: Kathy Plonka)
On the same day that Washington eliminated its tourism promotion funding and shut down its state tourism office, Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire (flanked in photo by Utah Gov. Gary Herbert, left, and Idaho Gov. Butch 
Otter), in her new role as chair of the Western Governors Association, has announced that her initiative for the year will be a “Get Out West” campaign, promoting outdoor recreation, conservation, tourism and volunteerism across the 19 western states. “The state can no longer afford to do some things it has done historically,” Gregoire said. “So we’re turning to the private sector to see if we can’t fund a coalition. … This is about partnering with private-sector organizations that have already come forward to me and said how enthused they are. REI has already stepped up and said, ‘Let us know what you want us to do’”/Betsy Russell, Eye On Boise. More here.
Question: How important is tourism promotion for Northwest states?
Jeff Ellis of West Linn, shows the cell phone image of the scorpion which stung him while he was trying to sleep on a red-eye Alaska Airlines flight on June 17 during a interview today in Portland, Ore. The Oregon man got a big surprise on a commercial flight from Seattle to Anchorage, Alaska, when he was stung by a scorpion while sitting in his plane seat. When he felt something in his sleeve and tried to brush it away. He said he felt the crawling again, looked down and saw the culprit. More here. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
Question: I've never seen a scorpion live in the wild — or on a plane for that matter. Have you?
Malheur County District Attorney Dan Norris was asked by Ada County Prosecutor Greg Bower to handle the case against Sen. John McGee, R-Caldwell, in connection with a Father's Day morning arrest. “Because there 
might be an appearance of conflict, he asked me to handle it,” Norris said Thursday. “Any prosecutor's office in Idaho would potentially have some kind of conflict in that he is a senator and every prosecutor's office has to lobby for public safety.” McGee is charged with felony operating of a vehicle without the owner's permission and causing more than $1,000 damage and misdemeanor DUI. McGee, the Senate Republican Caucus chairman, is scheduled for a preliminary hearing Friday at 8:30 a.m. in the Ada County Courthouse/Dan Popkey, Idaho Statesman. More here.
Question: Is Ada County Prosecutor Greg Bower being wise in seeking outside council in the DUI/grand theft case involving Sen. John McGee?
The Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office wants to remind everyone that only fireworks classified as “non-aerial common fireworks” are legal to use throughout Kootenai County, to include all of the incorporated cities within 
the County. Non-aerial common fireworks are those that can be purchased in local temporary stands and some businesses throughout the many communities in the County. The only exception to the law is the land within the exterior boundaries of the Coeur d’Alene Indian Reservation. The fireworks sold on these lands must be used on these lands and are illegal to possess or use off of these lands. As time allows, deputies will be working emphasis patrols on known high problem areas for fireworks violations. One area in particular will be in the State Line Village area near the Washington State Line/Major Ben Wolfinger, KCSD news release. More here.
Question: Do you buy fireworks on the Coeur d'Alene Indian Reservation?
Coeur d'Alene Police Detective Crystal Miller (left) and Coeur d'Alene firefighter Scott Dietrich (above) have 
been named 2011 Police Officer of the Year and Paramedic of the Year by the American Legion. … According to a story posted on the Coeur d'Alene Police Department Facebook wall: “Detective Miller was chosen based on her work in investigating crimes against children including sex abuse cases, and internet pornography cases. She is also a youth mentor in her work as a Police Explorer Advisor.” And: “Firefighter Scott Dietrich was chosen based on his work as an EMS Instructor and Firefighter Paramedic. … Dietrich also acts as a teacher/mentor to Paramedic Interns. He is well deserving of this award.” Full press release here.
At Bay Views, Herb Huseland reports that the Buttonhook reopened for business around 4 this afternoon, with lunch being served beginning at 11 a.m. on the weekends. The floating Patio will also open around noon with limited items available. There is new management at both the Buttonhook and Floating Patio. Writes Herb: “We aren't really ready, but hey, it's Bayview Daze. Please have patience as we solve the start-up challenges, but be sure to tell us if any thing makes you unhappy so that the oops can be quickly corrected.” More here.
The Coeur d’Alene Police Animal Control Division is requesting citizens make plans for their pets on the 4th of 
July. Animal control deals with a large volume of dogs that become frightened by the noise of fireworks and run from their residence. This results in many more calls for service of dogs “running at large”. The dogs are put at risk of being hit by a car, fighting with other dogs, or possibly biting someone out of fear. Police Chief Wayne Longo asks citizens to “please use caution over the holiday weekend and be aware that due to the increase in calls for service our response will be prioritized but we will try and respond as we are available”/Sgt. Christie Wood, Coeur d'Alene Police Department news release. Full release here.
Question: How do you pretect your pets from being scared by fireworks on the Fourth of July?
Actor Kelsey Grammer lower sings “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” during the seventh inning stretch at the Chicago Cubs against the San Francisco Giants baseball game on Wednesday in Chicago. (AP Photo/Brian Kersey)
Question: Do you have a good enough voice to lead the singing of “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” during a baseball game at Chicago's Wrigley Field?
Mayoral candidate Barbara Lampert is lucky Spokane's famous yellow-bellied marmots don't vote. At the first 
significant mayoral debate of the election season, Lampert listed controlling Spokane's varmint population among her priorities. “Varmints bring disease,” Lampert said Tuesday at the forum sponsored by the nonprofit group Sustainable Resources INW. “Let's create a city plan to control pests and rodents.” Lampert said in an interview on Wednesday that the city needs to reduce the population of squirrels, crows, marmots, skunks and potentially other rodents and animals/Jonathan Brunt, SR. More here.
Question: What type of four-legged varmint is the biggest pest in your community?
So
what do you do after reading in the morning paper about a father throwing his young son into some cacti and driving off, abandoning the little boy? Me, I tried hard to think about something I saw last night. The preschool boy across the street was running around with a towel draped from his shoulders. Clearly it was intended to serve as a cape. He also had on some sort of headgear that I can only assume is much like what the superheroes are wearing these days. He and his dad tossed a ball back and forth. Well, at least they were trying to do that. The little boy is just learning about throwing. And catching will come a bit later. But the dad could not have been more patient/Paul Turner, The Slice. More here. (AP photo of 4YO abuse victim Angel Rico)
Question: How do you react when you read stories of extreme child abuse like the one in Texas?
Mike Murray and other members of Sandpoint-based Team Laughing Dog (Wayne Pignolet, Jacob Styer, and 
Al Lemire) were featured in a story in Mike's hometown newspaper, Monticello (Minn.) Times: “The Fourth of July weekend is a popular time to take a road trip. Many Minnesotans head north and find a favorite lake. Mike Murray, a 1981 Monticello High School graduate, went cross-country, and he went a couple of weeks before the holiday weekend. Oh, and he made his trip on a bike. Murray is part of Team Laughing Dog, which took part in the 30th version of Race Across America, leaving Oceanside, Calif., on June 18 and arriving in Annapolis, Md., approximately six days and 10 hours later, finishing 10th out of 30 plus 4-person teams.” Team Laughing Dog raised $80,000 for autism. More here. (H/T: Susan Drumheller, via Facebook)
Jeff Westerberg, of Nampa adjusts his hat while taking a look at replicas of historic American flags on display at the God and Country Family Festival on Wednesday in Nampa. (AP/Press-Tribune photo: Charlie Litchfield)
An Idaho State Police trooper who shot a fugitive to death during a pursuit north of Coeur d’Alene in February will not face charges. Trooper Dan Howard was justified when he used deadly force to stop a Jeep that was 
approaching him after he exited his police car following a collision, the Ada County Prosecutor’s Office said today. Howard fired several shots, six of which hit the Jeep. Investigators believe he was aiming at the driver of the Jeep, Mark M. Maykopet, a fugitive from Butte, but one of the shots hit Maykopet’s wife, Christie Anne Little. Little, who was wanted for federal probation violations, was breathing when medics arrived on scene at but soon died of her gunshot wound. Maykopet suffered only minor injuries after being grazed by a bullet/Meghann Cuniff, SR. More here.
A Moscow area man has been arrested for allegedly delivering newspapers without wearing pants. Moscow Police responded to a report early Thursday morning that a pantsless man was walking in a trailer park on Almon Street. Officers found the suspect nearby inside a vehicle pulling his pants up. 30-year old Carlos Colon then reportedly admitted to officers that he sometimes goes naked from the waist down while on his newspaper route/Nicole Hensley, KXLY. More here.
Question: Have you had any problems with your newspaper carrier?
Representatives of various community organizations gathered at the Walden House Wednesday to receive donations from the estate of Ace and Ellen Walden. From right: Cynthia Marlette, First Presbyterian Church; Dorothy Dahlgren, Director of the Museum of North Idaho; Doug Eastwood, Coeur d’Alene Parks Director; Jon Parson, NIC Booster Club; Steven Roberge, Coeur d’Alene Rotary; Warren Olson, Principal of Coeur d’Alene High School; Rayelle Anderson, NIC Foundation; Hazel Bauman, Coeur d’Alene School District Superintendent; Teri Farr, Kootenai Health Foundation President; Jennifer Schmidt, US Bank. Story here. (Courtesy photo: Kootenai Health)
Question: Did you have the pleasure of knowing the late Ace Walden?
A couple weeks ago, Derek and I took our 25th wedding anniversary celebration on the road and journeyed to
the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland, Ore. Our official anniversary was in March, but we’ve been celebrating ever since. After stocking up on red licorice and beef jerky, we programmed Lee (my GPS) and hit the Oregon Trail via Starbucks on North Hamilton. Five minutes into our 10-hour drive, I posted this Facebook status update: “We are still married”/Cindy Hval, SR Front Porch. More here.
Also by Cindy:
Question: What's the longest road trip you've ever taken? Any travel tips on how to survive a long road trip?
Idaho Gov. Butch Otter, center, visits with guests at the Western Governors Association’s Wednesday night reception at the Casco Bay lake home of Coeur d’Alene resort owner Duane Hagadone. (SR photo: Betsy Russell)
Today's stories from Western Governor's Conference:
Julie Dibens high fives fans near the finish line of the 2011 Ford Ironman Coeur d'Alene Sunday afternoon in downtown Coeur d'Alene. Dibens set a new women's course record of 9:16:40. After her victory in Ironman Coeur d'Alene, Julie shared a few of her favorite things with Triathlete Europe here. (Special to the SR: Bruce Twitchell)
Also:
The treatment of Hubbard Avenue has been re-evaluated through the July 4 holiday. MDM Construction will 
postpone the excavation of Hubbard Avenue until after the holiday weekend. This will keep Hubbard in a passable condition for emergency vehicles to utilize at all times. In addition, Hubbard Avenue will be open to the general public throughout the holiday weekend, except on July 4th between 4 p.m. and “breakup,” which begins shortly before the end of the fireworks display and ends when traffic is cleared from town. During breakup, Mullan Avenue will be the only exit from the Fort Grounds neighborhood and North Idaho College campus for traffic. More below. And: Education Corridor website for updates here.
I had never given much thought to cherry blossoms until last month, when my first-grade daughter began researching a school project on the topic. After delving into the taxonomy, she learned of the high cultural 
esteem in which cherry blossoms are held in Japan. “Sakura,” as they are known, are metaphors for the beauty, fragility, and ephemeral nature of life. In a society that, to Western eyes, can seem mystifyingly oblique, they are a potent symbol of human mortality. I gave a lot of thought to sakura last week, after my friend Tom had a terrible accident at work. A builder of sublime skill and talent, he was transforming an old grain mill into a bright and airy living space. One moment he was up on a scaffold. The next moment he was tumbling headfirst into a stairwell. Suddenly, his world was filled with operating rooms, anesthesia and emergency surgery. It was a terrifying glimpse into the abyss between life and death/William Brock, Moscow-Pullman Daily News. More here.
Question: When did you last get a reminder re: how fragile life is?
Trapping will be used to try to remove members of a wolf pack near Elk City and hunting outfitters working in 
Idaho's Lolo Elk Hunting zone will have another month to try to kill wolves there. Dave Cadwallader, supervisor of the Idaho Department of Fish and Game's Clearwater Region, said he approved the trapping effort after a wolf was killed by Idaho County deputies last weekend. Trappers from the federal Wildlife Services Agency will work with department officials, a landowner and the Idaho County Sheriff's Department to monitor the trap. In May, shortly after wolves were removed from federal protection, Cadwallader gave deputies authority to shoot wolves in and around the remote mountain hamlet/Eric Barker, Lewiston Tribune. More here. (AP file photo)
Question: Should trapping be used to thin out Idaho wolf numbers?
Shelby Kunas of Parkwood Business Properties weeds a flower bed at the Interlake Medical Building on Wednesday on Ironwood Drive in Coeur d'Alene. (SR photo: Kathy Plonka)
Reports of Idaho state workers receiving bonuses or salary increases may have raised eyebrows or outcry with some, but Sen. Dean Cameron, R-Rupert, who works closely with legislative staff and helps write the 
state budget, said he’s reviewed the bonuses for lawmakers’ staff and is fine with it. “I certainly didn’t see anything that I would consider to be inappropriate,” Cameron said about bonuses paid out to workers at the Legislative Services Office (LSO). All LSO employees received a bonus of more than $1,200 this year, for a total more than $90,000. Those bonuses were within LSO’s budget for the fiscal year. Agency head Jeff Youtz said the payments came after several years of stalled wages and were recognition and compensation for workers doing less with more as the agency reduced its overall staff/Brad Iverson-Long, Idaho Reporter. More here.
Question: Legislators and their hired hands don't get it, do they?
Houston entrepreneur George Ballas poses with the original Weed Eater, in this October 1975 AP file photo. Ballas, best known for inventing the Weed Eater, died Saturday. He was 85. Story here. (AP Photo/Houston Chronicle)
Question: Do you own a weed eater?
HMOffsuite:
Looks like Duane is having a little get together for the Western Governors at the lake house (on Casco Bay) tonight (Wednesday). My guess is about 350 people. 4 large cruise boats, 4 sheriff’s boats and the fire and rescue boat. The marine deputies are monitoring who enters the bay and security personnel have been around the area for a couple of days. Nice event for those attending that are new to the Cda area, imo.
Question: Have you ever visited Duane Hagadone's digs on Casco Bay?
Idaho 1st District GOP Rep. Raúl Labrador is urging President Barack Obama to emulate his fellow Democratic President Bill Clinton in striking a budget deal with Republicans. In a three-page letter 
Wednesday, Labrador hails Clinton's leadership and suggests Obama follow his example. “Today the political talking heads may still argue over whether the resulting economic boom should be credited to Bill Clinton or the Republican Congress; notwithstanding, what the majority of the Amercican people remember is that their work together resulted in a period of economic prosperity that continued until the end of his administration”/Dan Popkey, Idaho Statesman. More here.
Question: Do you agree with Labrador that President Obama should be more Clintonesque in dealing with congressional Republicans and the budget?
(Today) marks Boise State’s final day as a member of the Western Athletic Conference — a welcome milestone for many around the Broncos, who have long chased the Mountain West membership that begins Friday. But before the balloons rise and the confetti falls, before the celebratory toasts and the logo changes, Boise State owes the league it is leaving a simple statement: Thank you. Thanks for the opportunity, the exposure, the support, the cheerleading, the scheduling, the marketing. Thank you. It wasn’t a one-way relationship, no doubt/Brian Murphy, Idaho Statesman. More here.
Question: Are you sorry to see Boise State leave the WAC? Or excited to see what will become of the Broncos in the new Mountain West Conference?
I almost got picked off on my bike en route to work today, on Homestead Avenue along the north side of the Assembly of God church. A woman in a parked van attempted a U-turn just as I rode up behind her. She didn't know I was three feet from her left back bumper until I said, “Woe!” Then, I heard her say sorry as she continued her turn and drove off. No harm. No foul. But that's how close you came to being without Hucks Online this morning. Now for your Wild Card …
Bristol Palin prepares to sign her new book, “Not Afraid of Life: My Journey So Far” as she and her mother, former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin signed their books at the Mall of America today in Bloomington, Minn. (AP Photo/Jim Mone)
Question: Can you think of 20-year-old who could write an autobiography that you'd like to read?
Following is a report by Jody Genessy of the Deseret News who became an Ironman in Coeur d'Alene last 
weekend: “I was anything but calm race morning. Amazingly, I actually slept for five hours after dealing with internal issues Saturday (mostly butterflies from the enormous task ahead, and perhaps partly from the big beef and salami sandwich I inhaled). Dealing with an 11th-hour bike problem didn't help. Being with my wife's witty and wise uncle, four-time Ironman Chris, and chatting with amazing friends from my triathlon club, the Desert Sharks, helped ease some race-morning jitters. But as the time to toe the starting line on the beach approached, I couldn't help but thinking: Did I train enough? Can I finish my first marathon after doing the longest bike ride and open-water swim of my life? Will I even make it out of the bitter-cold lake alive? Am I completely nuts?!” Jody's complete story here. (More Main Street photo: Kerri Thoreson)
Question: Can you ever imagine yourself trying to run Ironman Coeur d'Alene?
Window washer Chris LaPrelle, works his way around the Wells Fargo Bank Building today in downtown Boise. (AP/Statesman photo: Darin Oswald)
Remember when Idaho business and economic development leaders bragged about the quality of education and educated workforce available for companies considering relocating? Well Idaho now ranks No. 31 among “America's Top State for Business,” according to CNBC (which ranked states with the help of National Association of Manufacturers and the Council on Competitiveness). Of the 10 categories considered in the rankings, Idaho's lowest ranking came for “education,” a category in which it ranked No. 45. And this is before the so-called education reforms of Superintendent of Schools Tom Luna takes effect. The three top states for business are Virginia, Texas, North Carolina, Texas, and Colorado. Among Northwest states, only Montana ranks lower in these rankings than Idaho. You can see the rankings for yourself here.
Question: Will Superintendent Tom Luna's education reforms move Idaho higher or lower in the rankings?
OrangeTV reports on his Get Out! North Idaho Facebook wall that fried Kool-Aid balls will be available for your guilty pleasure at the North Idaho Fair later this summer. Wonders OTV: “Does this sound delicious or atrocious? Above, “Chicken Charlie” holds one of his fried Kool-Aid balls at the San Diego County Fair a week ago at Del Mar, Calif. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
Hucks Online numbers (for Monday): 6945/4403, and (for Tuesday): 7432/5009
Question: Do fried Kool-Aid balls sound delicious or atrocious?
Coeur d'Alene police arrested a 21-year-old man for shooting a paintball gun at cars passing on I-90.Investigators say Samuel Whitehead was spotted on a roof in the 1900 block of North Ninth Street allegedly shooting a paintball gun.After getting a 911 call, police responded and Whitehead turned the paintball gun on officers/KXLY. More here.
Hundreds of hostile calls and emails poured into Eugene City Hall after the city council's vote Tuesday to recite 
the Pledge of Allegiance at four meetings a year. City spokeswoman Jan Bohman told The Register Guard more than 90 percent were from out of state, generated by a Fox News report she called misleading. It characterized the vote as against saying the pledge on a regular basis. Some people reacting to the story said they will boycott Eugene. The council voted to recite the pledge at four meetings each year close to patriotic holidays: Memorial Day, Veterans Day, Flag Day and the Fourth of July. It was a compromise after Councilor Mike Clark suggested that the pledge be recited at the start of each regular meeting/Associated Press. (SR file photo for illustration purposes)
Question: The Coeur d'Alene City Council (and I suspect Post Falls, Hayden, Rathdrum, and other local councils) recites the pledge of allegiance before every meeting. Do you think it should? Or should it follow the example of the Eugene council and only recite the pledge near patriotic dates?
Ironman Foundation Director Dave Deschenes, left, presents Executive Director Major John Chamness of the Kroc Community Center with a check for $10,000 during the 2011 Coeur d'Alene Ironman Welcome Banquet. The Ironman Foundation is the charitable arm of the World Ironman Corporation. The donation was given to support the programs and services of the Kroc Center. The funds will also provide membership and program scholarships for individuals and families. Kroc Center press release here. (Courtesy photo: Kroc Center)
Question: Has your membership at the Kroc Center been a good thing?
Investigators looking for fugitives uncovered what they suspect to be a large stolen vehicle operation near Oldtown last week. Most of the cars located at Mr. D's Auto Repair and Salvage Yard on Highway 41, just south 
of Oldtown in Bonner County, appear to have been stolen from Washington state, said Sgt. Marty Ryan of the Bonner County Sheriff's Office. “We are just still knee-deep in this investigation,” Ryan said. Detectives arrived at the property June 22 trying to serve two felony arrest warrants. Instead, they found a vehicle with a punched ignition that had been reported stolen in Stevens County. Detectives obtained a search warrant and spent two days seizing evidence from the property. They checked records for 294 vehicles, many with missing or altered VIN plates/Meghann Cuniff, Sirens & Gavels. More here. (Photo: Bonner County investigators search Mr. D's Auto Repair and Salvage Yard on Highway 41, just south of Oldtown, as part of an ongoing car theft and stolen property investigation.)
Also from Sirens & Gavels:
Question: Have you ever had a vehicle stolen?
Seattle Mariners' Dustin Ackley (13) safely steals second base just ahead of the tag by Atlanta Braves shortstop Alex Gonzalez during the second inning of an interleague baseball game this afternoon in Seattle. The Braves beat the M's 5-3 today to sweep the three-game series. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)
BSU head football coach Chris Petersen told the Western Governors Association that for the past decade, he's been studying successful teams — not just athletic teams, but other groups, and what makes them 
successful. “It doesn't matter if it's sports, business, government, individual success, the principles are very, very similar,” Petersen told the group. When asked the reason for the BSU Broncos' success, he said, his answer is, “It's nothing in particular, but it's everything in general. … It's really about culture.” Petersen said his “formula for a successful team” is an equation. “I think it's very simple that you're not going to win the Derby on the back of a donkey,” he said. “It's all about going out and getting talent. Talent for us, when we're talking about our team … it's athletic ability with experience, and it's depth/Betsy Russell, Eye On Boise. More here. (AP file photo)
Question: Is it possible to develop a culture of success at your workplace or organization using Boise State Coach Chris Peterson's sports model?
In his Boise Weekly column, Ted Rall lambastes the Puritanism of our culture — he considers it a curse 
second only to racism — that resulted in the resignation of Congressman Anthony Weiner. Writes Rall: “It is well past time we Americans grew up. No one should be pressured to resign because of sex. Even when they're a hypocrite.” Then, Rall claims America missed a teachable moment during the low-level scandal involving former U.S. Sen. Larry Craig. Again, Rall: “Rather than ridicule the man, we ought to have defended him as a victim of an unjust law. In the 21st century, why should anyone go to jail for soliciting consensual sex?” You can read Ted Rall's full column here. (AP file photo)
Question: Should elected representatives like Weiner and Craig be shamed and even forced out of office when they become entangled in odd sexual behavior? Or should the country merely shrug?
Item: Legislative services director defends staff bonuses/Ben Botkins, Twin Falls Times-News
More Info: The state Legislative Services Office director is defending bonuses paid to all his agency's staffers, telling legislators email that rewarding and motivating employees, especially in tough times, is part of his duty. LSO Director Jeff Youtz's note to lawmakers came on Monday, following media reports about $167,000 in one-time bonuses for 102 state employees at six agencies. The bulk of that - almost $95,000 - went to LSO staffers, who each got a bonus ranging from $1,281 to $1,984, records show.
Question: Jeff Youtz seems to think that employees who go above & beyond the call of duty in these hard economic times deserve a bonus (even if it comes from taxpayer money). Using Youtz's measuring stick, do you deserve a bonus for your work, too?
No one needs an excuse to kick back with a cold brew on a holiday weekend. But just in case, there are two new area breweries to check out. Bi-Plane Brewing Co. in Post Falls and Budge Brothers Brewery in Spokane are sporting new Northwest- and English-style ales. Both recently opened tasting rooms to show off their wares. Nadine and Doug Martindale are brewing and pouring three offerings at the Bi-Plane Brewing Co. tap house in Post Falls. SR story by Lorie Hutson here. (SR Photo: Christopher Anderson)
“I'm gonna bear bait,” Levi Johnston texted Bristol Palin in 2008. “Want to come?” And so began the encounter 
in a Mat-Su bear stand that led to Palin's teenage pregnancy, at least according to “Not Afraid of Life,” the 20-year-old mother's autobiography that came out this month. Full of cringe-worthy Wasilla teen romance scenes, the book is a cautionary tale aimed at teens tempted to stray into “the deep quicksand of sexual sin” by having sex before marriage. But when I read it, I found a cautionary tale for all of us. The book is about what happens when teenagers — girls in particular — don't have adults they can talk to get good information about contraception and the support they need to make smart choices about sex/Julia O'Malley, Anchorage Daily News. More here. (AP file photo of July 26, 2010 cover of Us magazine)
Question: How did you approach the topic of sex with your children?
On her Facebook wall, Cindy reports that her new cat, Thor, has the same attitude toward laundry that she has. Cindy continues: “Trish Gannon thinks it's suspect that I don't own a pair of 'sleepy pants.' Don't know what she'll think about my confession that I hate shopping malls, have never seen “Titanic” and loathe the song “My Heart Will Go On.” My Woman Card may be in jeopardy.
Question: Is there any household chore that you enjoy?
Now those researchers — those meddling quinoa-cooking do-gooders — have just gone too far. They’ve 
singled out the potato, our potato, as a leading cause of weight gain. Those scapegoating scientists! Where do they get off, slathering on the blame like so much sour cream on a russet? (Excuse me for a second, as I stop frothing at the mouth and commence to salivating. OK, I’m back.) And where do these scientists “work,” you know, for lack of a better word? At, gasp, Harvard! Well, let’s just adopt an affected New England accent and pass the couscous, why don’t we? But here’s the problem. What if these pointy-heads actually have a point? What if their theory isn’t — sorry, I can’t resist —half-baked?/Kevin Richert, Idaho Statesman. More here. (AP file photo)
Question: Are you having second thoughts re: potatoes since the release of the Harvard study?
Laura Little of the Coeur d'Alene Summer Theatre sent along this photo of John Travolta talking to all of the Munchkins in the cast of “Wizard of Oz” during intermission. Travolta was in town to attend “The Wizard of Oz” because two of his sisters, Ellen and Margaret, played the Wicked Witch and the Good Witch, respecitvely/Jim Kershner, Spotlight. More here.
Question: Are you a John Travolta fan?
After several days of gorgeous weather, clouds have moved in over Coeur d'Alene, the breeze is kicking up 
and thunderstorms are threatening as the Western Governors Association gathers for its annual meeting, which starts today at the Coeur d'Alene Resort. Eight western governors will convene; nine had been scheduled to attend, but North Dakota Gov. David Dalrymple of North Dakota canceled at the last minute due to flooding in his state. First up for the governors today: A keynote speech from Boise State head football coach Chris Petersen (pictured in AP file photo), and a session on how western states can increase educational and career opportunities for veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan/Betsy Russell, Eye On Boise.
Question: Are you impressed that the Western Governors Association is meeting in Coeur d'Alene?
Dover, in the panhandle of Idaho, has a population of about 400, and a fire chief who is paid $80,000 
annually. According to records obtained by IdahoReporter.com, Mike Tucker, the head man at the Westside Fire District, has made that wage for the past four years. … … The head of another nearby fire agency, Robert Webber of the Sagle Fire District, makes $52,000 annually. Sagle, with a population of about 5,600, is about 14 times the size of Dover. According to records, Sagle took 634 calls in 2010/Dustin Hurst, Idaho Reporter. More here.
Reaction?
A June 21 photo shows a billboard at 417 North James in Columbus, one of several put up by Freedom From Religion Foundation around Columbus. The billboard supporting atheism has been taken down from property owned by an Ohio church after the pastor complained. The sign upset Rev. Waymon Malone of Christ Cathedral Church, which owns the land where the billboard went up. (AP Photo/Columbus Dispatch, Kyle Robertson)
Question: Can you be good without God?
The Liberty Lake Satanists – which would be a great name for a Hoopfest team or a best-ball foursome – are 
still waiting for their chance to pray. Same with the Wiccans and Jains. Not to mention Hindus and Muslims. And all the other scary folks who might hope to share their non-Christian prayers in the land of golf and prosperity. The Liberty Lake City Council there has drawn a line in the sand trap: Only Christian prayers before council meetings. That’s not the letter of the law, but it is very much the spirit. The letter says only that members of the council and the mayor may give the invocation before the meetings. In practice, this means a Christian prayer – if not an explicitly Mormon one – every single time/Shawn Vestal, SR. More here.
Question: Should City Council meetings permit only Christian invocations?
A foolish grandstand play from the outset, the campaign to recall state schools Superintendent Tom Luna met its predictable demise Monday. Not content to dance on the grave, Luna and state Republican Party Chairman 
Norm Semanko stomped on it. Said Luna: “Opponents of the laws have tried to make it personal. Reforming education has never been about me; it’s about giving our students more opportunities.” Said Semanko: “This is a huge blow to the anti-education reform establishment. The union leadership’s efforts to use scare tactics and spread misinformation in order to maintain the status quo and to place union interests ahead of the true recipients of public education, the students, have failed in Idaho.” Game over. Just ask these guys, right? Not so fast/Kevin Richert, Idaho Statesman Editorial Board. More here.
Question: Should Idaho Republicans be worried about the attempt to overthrow Tom Luna's reform measures via referendum in November 2012?
Dillon Fabie, 21, was honored by the Spokane Police Department for chasing down a suspected purse snatcher ata Spokane Walmart. (SR photo: Colin Mulvany)
Cheney police are not afraid to do a little dumpster diving if it will help solve a crime.Investigators say after a man's wallet was stolen out of his car on June 6, they began tracking illegal purchases on his credit card, including a belly-busting, $44 purchase at Carl's Jr.”Once we started back tracking those charges, we were able to get in touch with the retail outlets where the purchases were made. Many of them had either video or still surveillance photos,” Cheney Police Chief Jeff Sale said/Jeff Humphrey, KXLY. More here.
Question: Have you ever taken something from a Dumpster?
Those who think the days of Native American tribes fighting other Native American tribes are long gone, best 
think again. The advent of and phenomenal growth in Indian gaming has created a division of haves – the tribes with revenue producing and political powerful casinos – and the have nots. Gaming tribes in Idaho, the Coeur d’Alenes, the Nez Perce, and the Shoshone/Bannock, appear to have natural markets where there is no real competition. They appear at peace with neighboring tribes. … Where the warfare begins is when two tribes relatively near to each other decide to co-locate casinos. It becomes especially vicious if one tribe perceives the other as encroaching and there is a belief that the market cannot sustain two enterprises/Chris Carlson, Ridenbaugh Press. More here.
Question: Which area casino do you consider best?
Former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, left, and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, center, greet each other after unveiling the new statue of late US President Ronald Reagan, during a centennial commemoration in Budapest, Hungary, earlier today. The 180 kilograms (400 pounds) and 2.18 meter (7 feet, 2 inches) tall bronze statue honors Reagan at the Freedom Square in central Budapest to mark his efforts to free the people of Hungary from the yoke of communism. (AP Photo/Bela Szandelszky)
Question: What was President Reagan's greatest accomplishment?
Idaho could become more than a piggy bank for GOP candidates if the Republican Central Committee adopts a proposal to elect delegates at a Super Tuesday caucus, likely on March 6, replacing the primary election in 
late May. “For years and years, the Republican presidential nominee has essentially been picked before our primary,” said Ron Nate, a BYU-Idaho economics professor who chairs an Idaho Republican Central Committee subcommittee that approved the proposal last week. “The motivation here is to make Idaho more relevant in national politics.” Former Secretary of State Pete Cenarrusa tried for years to get Idaho in a regional primary with an earlier date, but it never happened. Democrats have used a caucus to pick delegates since 1980. In 2008, Barack Obama filled Taco Bell Arena, part of a caucus state strategy that keyed his win over Hillary Clinton/Dan Popkey, Idaho Statesman. More here.
Question: Would you like to see the Idaho GOP vote to move its presidential primary to March 6 to become part of a Super Tuesday election event?
Keith Hutcheson, chief of the Coeur d'Alene Tribal Police, told the Kootenai County Republican Central Committee Tuesday night that he plans to run for Kootenai County sheriff next year as a Republican. Sheriff's 
Major Ben Wolfinger also has announced his intention to run as a Republican for the seat of long-time incumbent Rocky Watson, who has announced he won't see another term. Hutcheson, according to Betsy Russell/SR, who was at the meeting told the Central Committee that he has always been a Republican — and offered the cross-deputization agreement that he hammered out with Benewah County officials as proof that he can get things done. Hutcheson lost by 44 votes to incumbent Ron Jacobson in a race for Post Falls City Council in 2009.
Question: Do you like the way the GOP primary race for Kootenai County sheriff is shaping up?
Item: Piling on: Cougar Bay group, county agreement will spare posts/Alecia Warren, Press
More Info: The Cougar Bay Osprey Protective Association, Inc. reached an agreement with Kootenai County on Tuesday that will allow the handful of bay residents to maintain the pilings, which they hail as crucial for wildlife habitats and keeping a little peace and quiet on the north end of Lake Coeur d'Alene. “This finally puts an end to this controversy that started two or three years ago,” said Scott Reed, attorney for the nonprofit association. Under the agreement, the osprey association will volunteer time and resources to protect the pilings and booms in the bay's no-wake zone.
Question: Is this a good settlement? Or do you think all the pilings should have been removed from Cougar Bay?
Nick Anderson/Houston Chronicle
I'm headed for the first Handshake Productions concert of the summer at Sherman Park Square (near Java on Sherman) from 6 to 8 this evening. Jazz, I believe, is on the schedule tonight. I'm a ha-huge fan of the free concerts provided by Chris Guggemos at several venues, including City Park (Sundays) and Sherman Park Square (Tuesdays). Later in the summer, he tosses in concerts in Hayden & Rathdrum parks. Riverstone, meanwhile, offers its own concerts in the Riverstone Pond amphitheater. Dunno what summer would be like without the outdoor concerts. Now to repost your Wild Card …
“This photograph reminds me of the feature photos I used to take all the time when I first started at The Spokesman-Review twenty-three years ago,” writes Colin Mulvany, Snaps & Frames. “It’s just a fleeting moment captured of two kids goofing off while waiting for customers at their “refreshment stand.” It doesn’t scream news, or say all that much. As journalists, too often we pick at the edges of society, telling stories that only comment on the harsh realities of life.” More here.
Responding to “Rapture ribbing leads to shooting,” Brent Andrews comments: “I think we laugh off the end of 
the world at some risk. We could find ourselves laughing, ha ha, only to discover at Zero Hour that on May 21 the Japanese knew they’d never be able to clean up their mess; that also on that day the last whale left the Gulf of Mexico forever; and the last dancing woman, harassed and taxed to death and no longer able to make a living in a no smoking, no extras, socialist new world order - walked out of the Deja Vu never to return. It would take a while for the effects to be known. Whatever was supposed to have happened might have actually happened, but we just don’t know it.”
Question: What sign would indicate to you that the end is here?
In this 2008 photo, rewarded with a breathtaking view, people stand at the top of Table Rock near a 4,500-pound cross, in Boise. The prominent six-story cross whose 2,100 watts of white light has illuminated the night above Boise since 1956 is going green, and getting even brighter, the Associated Press reports today. The private group that owns the cross atop Table Rock is replacing its electricity-devouring fluorescent tubes with 2,600 energy-efficient LED lights that will cut the electricity bill from about $60 monthly to just $15. Story below. (Statesman photo: Darin Oswald)
New York City police officers watch while an unidentified man who climbed a traffic light pole in New York's Times Square earlier today. You write the cutline. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)
Top Cutlines:
A Lorane woman says her son told her that he was shot last Friday by a co-worker who had been teased at work about his apparent belief in the biblical Rapture that some predicted would cause the end of the world 
beginning on May 21. Robin O’Brien said the alleged shooter has worked alongside her son, Jerry Andrews, at LHM Hydraulics in west Eugene for several years. While her son told her that he and Dale O’Callaghan had argued occasionally, he didn’t think they were on bad terms, O’Brien said. But O’Callaghan took it personally when Andrews and other co-workers needled him in recent weeks about his belief in a California preacher’s prediction that May 21 was to be the day that Jesus Christ returned to Earth, O’Brien said her son told her/Jack Moran, Eugene Register-Guard. More here. (AP file photo, of an RV advertising impending Armageddon May 21, in downtown Seattle)
Question: Do you enjoy teasing & being teased?
Sometimes I find myself just sittin' around and wondering: “¿Que Pasa? Why don't we have more Mexican restaurants in this town!” OK, I lied. Didn't we just have three or so new Mexican eateries just swing open their 
doors? According to my quick count, taco trucks and fast food included, there are approximately 43 places in the Cd'A-PF-Hayden area to choose from when your brain and tummy gang up on you and say “We need tacos right now“. Yes, brains and tummies can speak in bold print. It does seem a bit like overkill at times, but here's what I say: the more, the más feliz. Driving up Lincoln Way yesterday en route to a routine colonoscopy, I noticed the sudden un-expected appearance of El Paisa Mexican Restaurant in the strip mall space that Donut House used to occupy (1801 N Lincoln Way)/OrangeTV, Get Out! North Idaho. More here.
Question: Some of you may suspect that I posted this simply to include the line: “Driving up Lincoln Way yesterday en route to a routine colonoscopy … ” I take the 5th. But I'm curious re: how many different Mexican food places you frequent in town?
Taegun Goddard's Political Wire reports: The New Orleans Times-Picayune reports that local city councilman Joe Stagni (R) admitted “that he sent a picture of himself in his underwear to a city employee 18 months ago and that the image ended up on a city computer server.” Said Stagni: “I asked for God's mercy and forgiveness. I apologized to my wife and family and asked for their forgiveness as well. My actions and bad judgment had nothing to do with my duties and responsibilities as a public official. They were private acts, but I take full responsibility for my irresponsible behavior. ”
DFO: Huckleberries is checking out origination of photo of local pol seemingly competing in muscle man competition. It appears to be fake. ;-)
Question: Can anyone remember a female politician doing this sort of stupid thing?
A computer-generated image of Princess Diana is shown with Kate Middleton on the cover of the July 4 issue of Newsweek magazine. Diana was killed in a car accident in 1997 and would have turned 50 on Friday. In April, Middleton married Prince William, the oldest son of Diana and Prince Charles. (AP Photo/Newsweek)
Question: How has life changed for you in the 14 years that Princess Diana's been gone?
The Northwest Region of the Aryan Nation was supposed to have a “eat, greet, and meet” event June 27, at 
Valley County’s Lake Cascade State Park. According to fliers and a website, the event was to take place between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Idaho Parks and Recreation communications manager Jennifer Blazek told Citydesk a group of about eight individuals showed up at 5 p.m. and left at 9 p.m. “They set up their awning and flag, had a barbecue, and then left before sunset,” Blazek said, calling it a “non-event”/Jody May-Chang, Boise Weekly. More here. (AP file photo)
Question: What do you make of the poor attendance at the Northwest Region of the Aryan Nation gathering?
On Thursday afternoon, after 42 years of newspapering for the Chronicle and The Spokesman- Review, I’m off 
to sample the pastures of retirement. Never one to recognize a good chance to shut up, I’m tempted here to retrace every miraculous technological twist along the road from hot-metal type to Twitter. I heard something like that once from my father, except it was about horse-drawn buggies and jet airliners. Every generation marvels at its own journey, I guess. ’Nuff said. The change that I find most striking, and scary, is not the technological advancement of the past four decades but the way it’s being used to poison the public conversation that sustains democracy/Doug Floyd, SR. More here.
Question: Are you a regular reader of newspaper editorial pages?
She’s the most powerful woman accountant in the world — just ask Forbes magazine — she’s from Kimberly, 
and she’s retiring at age 59. Sharon Allen, Kimberly High Class of ’69, is standing down as chairman — and that’s the term she prefers — of the board of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Ltd., the largest accounting firm on the planet. In 2009, Forbes ranked her 98th on its list of the 100 most powerful women in the world. With the exception of Declo’s J.R. Simplot, Allen is probably the most influential business leader the Magic Valley has ever produced/Steve Crump, Twin Falls Times-News. More here.
Question: Do you have an accountant?
The Mormon church is reminding its senior leaders that they should steer clear of politics as a campaign season ramps up and two of the faith's own compete for the GOP presidential nomination. In a letter sent 
June 16, church president Thomas S. Monson and his senior counselors say lay leaders with full-time church responsibilities and their spouses should not participate in political campaigns. That includes making endorsements or financial contributions. The letter was sent to the highest officers of the Utah-based Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Part-time leaders are not barred from such political involvement. A church website post describes the letter as a restatement and clarification of an existing policy of political neutrality/Jennifer Dobner, Associated Press. More here. (AP file photo, of Temple Square in Salt Lake City)
Question: Do you agree with the position of the Mormon church that top senior leaders should steer clear of politics?
Sky Belieu practices playing her guitar while skateboarding through downtown Spokane Monday. (SR photo: Colin Mulvany)
Question: Have you ever ridden a skateboard?
You don't have to answer that. But me, I went with my first Hawaiian shirt of the season today. I believe I have 
about a dozen, almost all purchased on sale. Years ago, I was suspicious of those wearing such garments. I regarded these shirts as the uniform of what Calvin Trillin once described as “the party as a verb crowd.” Serious people didn't wear them to work. Then, as if to emphasize their absurdity, we had a stretch here at the paper where certain Fridays would be a designated “Hawaiian Shirt Day” in the newsroom. Yes, forced frivolity at its finest/Paul Turner, The Slice. More here.
Question: What are you wearing today? And/or: Do you wear Hawaiian shirts?
Idaho County Deputies Stan Denham (left) and Mike Chlebowski shot this 90-pound female wolf after it was spotted in Elk City on Saturday. Lewiston Tribune story here. (Courtesy photo contributed to Lewiston Tribune.
Question: Will wolf hunts in Idaho & Montana strike a good balance in protecting elk herds, as well as livestock and family pets?
The forces trying to call Idaho Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Luna and two legislators fell short, substantially short, in their petition drive today. They ran out of time with not enough signatures. No surprise; 
that outcome was pretty widely predicted. Recalling public officials beyond the level of a small city is very difficult in Idaho, and rarely happens (as, in our view, ought to be the case). No statewide official has ever been recalled in Idaho. The recent referendum effort, which was prompted by the same issue as the recall – Luna’s public school overhaul proposals passed by the Legislature this year – are a different matter. Those are headed for the ballot, are very much alive and their future may be in the hands of the campaign ahead/Randy Stapilus, Ridenbaugh Press. More here.
Question: Randy Stapilus points out that Recall Luna organizers now have all those names on their petitions who might be fodder for the referendum pushes and other political activity. What role will the referendums play in the 2012 general election campaign?
“No matter what you hear, this was NOT a partisan effort, this was not started by teachers or unions or Democrats. Anyone who says it was, is NOT telling you the truth! There were MANY Republicans who told me face to face, 'I voted for Luna, and now I am sorry I did. I want to sign the Recall petition!'” — Nancy Berto, Recall Luna founder, in a prepared statement. Full Statement here.
Question: Did you sign a petition either to recall Superintendent Tom Luna or to place referendums against three pieces of Luna education reform bills on the 2012 ballot?
Four Sandpoint men, known as Team Laughing Dog, finished 10th among 19 in their division of the Race Across America cross-country bicycle race. From left: Al Lemire, Jacob Styer, Wayne Pignolet and Mike Murray. (Photo courtesy of V. Scott Pignolet)
Four mostly middle-age Sandpoint men have bicycled across the country in 6 days, 9 hours and 28 minutes to raise $80,000 for autism. Wayne Pignolet, 51, describes his experience with Team Laughing Dog as “epic.” The Sandpoint cyclists’ 10th place finish among 19 teams in their division of the Race Across America was faster than Pony Express riders took to get halfway across the country on swift horses. Laughing Dog, named for the brewery that sponsored it, averaged 19.5 mph in the nearly 3,000-mile relay race. Riders climbed 100,000 feet of grades that sometimes exceeded 10 percent and rode down them at speeds that reached 55 mph/John Craig, SR. More here.
Question: Have you ever raised thousands of dollars for a worthy cause? Tell us about it.
Sharon Cousins protests as a crew from T.R.E. Tree Service prunes trees to make way for Imperial/Exxon megaloads along Washington Street in Moscow on Monday. The megaloads will now be diverted up Highway 95 through Moscow, the Palouse, Coeur d'Alene, and then east on I-90 toward Billings, Mont. Brandon Macz's Daily News story here. (Moscow-Pullman Daily News photo: Dean Hare)
Question: Do you consider tree-trimming to accommodate megaloads to be the root of evil, as the protesters do?
Believe it or not, thousands of otherwise sane and civilized Americans are raising chickens on their city property. Really. I wouldn’t pullet your leg. I learned this the other day when I was outside and heard this 
mindless clucking noise. Fearing the worst, I figured that the mayoral candidates must be campaigning in my neighborhood. Upon further reflection, however, I realized what I was hearing was not from dumb cluck politicians but from, well, actual dumb clucks. A call to the City Hall the next day confirmed my suspicion that Spokane is part of the large chicken-raising trend that is pecking the nation. “Oh, yeah, definitely,” said Sandy Scott, who works in neighborhood services. “They think the eggs taste better than supermarket eggs”/Doug Clark, SR. More here.
Question: Do you think eggs straight from the chicken are better than those purchased at a store?
On day one of her presidential campaign, Republican Rep. Michele Bachmann was already insisting that 
she's not a “flake.” Today, on day two, she's acknowledging a minor flub she made the day of her presidential kickoff speech Monday that elicited a few chuckles. Speaking from her home town of Waterloo, Iowa on Monday, Bachmann told Fox News, “John Wayne was from Waterloo, Iowa. That's the kind of spirit that I have, too.” As the Washington Times first noted, however, the actor John Wayne was born nearly 150 miles away in Winterset, Iowa. John Wayne Gacy, Jr. — the serial killer — was born in Waterloo/Stephanie Condon, CBS News. More here. (AP file photo of Michele Bachmann)
Question: Who is the better candidate for president — Michele Bachmann or Sarah Palin?
There was never a real chance that supporters of a recall of Idaho’s Superintendent of Public Instruction would be able to collect the nearly 160,000 valid signatures needed to force a recall of the controversial 
superintendent. Now that the recall effort is officially dead, the question becomes whether opponents of Tom Luna’s education reform ideas can keep the public concern – even anger – at a level sufficient to make a 2012 referendum, already qualified for the ballot, successful? I’d argue the failure of the recall is a significant strategic setback for those who think Idaho’s education policy is headed in the wrong direction. The decision to mount the recall was, with perfect hindsight, a miscalculation that will now be portrayed as a sign of weakness/Marc Johnson, The Johnson Report. More here.
Question: Do you agree with Marc Johnson that the Recall Luna effort was a miscalculation that will hurt attempts to turn back Superintendent Tom Luna's so-called education reforms?
Two years ago, Tom Aylward couldn’t ride a bike. On Sunday, he rode 112 miles in 8½ hours. Two years ago, the 62-year-old couldn’t swim more than 25 yards. On Sunday, he swam 2.4 miles faster than many much younger competitors. But when the Spirit Lake man reached mile 80 of the bike ride in the 2011 Ford Ironman Coeur d’Alene, his legs locked up and his shoulders throbbed with pain. A few blocks into the 26.2-mile marathon, he had nothing left: “I knew when I got off that bike that it was over, but I tried. Alison Boggs' story here. (SR photo: Kathy Plonka)
Question: Even though Tom Aylward didn't finish Ironman Coeur d'Alene, are you inspired by his dedication to changing his life by working out for the triathlon and changing his eating habits?
Coeur d'Alene police recovered a stolen high-end bike in time for its owner to ride it in the Ironman triathlon on 
Sunday. The $3,500 bike was stolen with a $1,000 bicycle near City Beach on Wednesday. About four hours later, a snow blower was reported stolen from the Best Western Inn. An employee reported a red Chevrolet Corsica without a license plate drive past him earlier that morning with a snow blower on the back. He later realized it belonged to the motel and called police. The Corsica matched the description of the bike thieves' getaway vehicle. Police located the snow blower in a pawn shop data base the next day and contacted the seller, Justin C. Luce, 31, (left, and Lukas R. Porto, 18, of Coeur d'Alene, right) who told officers they could find the stolen Ironman bike at a Pawn One in Spokane/Meghann Cuniff, Sirens & Gavels. More here. And: Full Coeur d'Alene police press release here.
Question: Can you imagine something as lowdown as stealing an Ironman competitor's bike?
Soleil, left, and Dagmar de Zwart of Maui, Hawaii, wait at Kalapaki Beach in Nawiliwili, Kauai, Hawaii as Bart de Zwart paddles the final few yards of his 300-mile solo, unsupported crossing aboard a stand up paddleboard from the Big Island to Kauai, Sunday. The crossing took five days and five nights. Dagmar is his wife and Soliel is his daughter. (AP Photo/The Garden Island, Dennis Fujimoto)
Question: Have you spent much time on the ocean? If so, please explain?
Item: Thieves get on their backs to rip off Spokane drivers/Jeff Humphrey, KXLY
More Info: Spokane area thieves have come up with a new way to steal from you while they're lying down on the job. Crooks are actually crawling underneath our cars and cutting off the catalytic converters.Brian Graham, a mechanic at The Muffler Mart says most victims are unaware the converter is missing until they turn the ignition. “Well when they start it up it sounds like an eight v-8 truck, they say uh-oh something's the matter,” Graham said.
Question: Are you amazed re: what lengths a thief will take to make a few bucks, instead of finding honest work?
Among the revelations from the hearings so far: North Idaho's District 2 is likely to be completely realigned, 
and that could mean that District 2 Sen. Joyce Broadsword, R-Sagle, right, ends up in District 1 - along with District 1 Sen. Shawn Keough, R-Sandpoint, left. Even Broadsword told the commission the district has to change. “It isn't about seated legislators. It's about what's best for the citizens who live in those districts, what's easiest for them to be able to get to the polls and participate in the system,” she said at the hearing in Sandpoint. “That's just the reality,” Frasure said. “I think all of us are committed to do the right thing. … She testified against her own legislative district”/Betsy Russell, Eye On Boise. More here.
Question: Which two incumbent GOP legislators from North Idaho would you like to see forced to run against each other in a primary race? Why?
Clay Bennett/Chattanooga Times Free Press
I enjoyed a wonderful weekend in the sun, beginning with the North Idaho branch of my family celebrating my mother's 86th birthday Saturday. After church on Sunday, I hauled mom to the Coeur d'Alene Bible's community feed for Ironman Coeur d'Alene observers along 4th Street. She munched on her picnic lunch under a shade tree and thoroughly enjoyed the exciting event in the sun. I don't know how much longer we're going to be fortunate to have our matriarch. But it's nice that she's still able to get around and do things with us. Now for your Monday Wild Card …
Miss Virginia contestants form a prayer circle backstage before the Miss Virginia competition at the Roanoke Civic Center in Roanoke, Va., Saturday. Miss Arlington, Elizabeth Crot, was crowned Miss Virginia. (AP Photo/The Roanoke Times, Rebecca Barnett)
On her Facebook wall, Corinna Hunter writes: “2 of the things in our lives which are important to us, at least to me, are having enough money to fill my car tank and the other is coffee in the morning! Did you know that coffee has gone up and will go up more in price soon?!”
Question (from Corinna): Have you had to give up some things that just are too expensive to buy anymore?
Gonzaga University star Robert Sacre' poses with Kelli Allison of Spokane, during the State Farm Battle in Seattle Autograph session Saturday as her friend, Rebecca Estelle, snaps a picture. (SR photo: J. Bart Rayniak)
Chairman Norm Semanko, of Idaho Republican Party, issued a statement re: failure of Recall Luna drive, 
which reads in part: “This is a huge blow to the anti-education reform establishment. The Union leadership’s efforts to use scare tactics and spread misinformation in order to maintain the status quo and to place Union interests ahead of the true recipients of public education, the students, have failed in Idaho. This confirms that the will of the people was made known in the 2010 elections, a year that proved most successful for the candidates of the Idaho Republican Party.” (H/T: Idaho Conservative Blogger, more here)
Question: Is the Idaho Education Association a legitimate target for Semanko's comment since it didn't take part in the Recall Luna effort?
The interior of Ponderay's Golden Dragon was nothing to call HGTV about, what with the obligatory assortment of red paper lanterns, lurid Great Wall landscapes, and an ominous glass case full of Chinese trifles and 
whatnots. But overall it was a perfectly tidy and agreeable atmosphere, with the reassuring Mandarin (?) chatter of the two waitresses and cook (sisters and dad?) and some tinkly Asian elevator music providing an appetizingly authentic audio environment. So was the food as good on the taste buds as it is on the eyeballs in the above photo? Generally speaking, yes it was. Golden Dragon is, in many ways, a few notches above pretty much any Chinese food on offer anywhere in the Coeur d'Alene-Post Falls-Hayden triangle, but I still can't say it lives up to the best of the best Asian-American meals I've sat down to (locally, Spokane Valley's Peking Palace still holds that personal award)/OrangeTV, Get Out! North Idaho. More here.
“A while back a small restaraunt was opened up in Troy at a remodeled gas station and is called The Filling Station,” posts Jean of JeanC's Cat House & Shooting Gallery. “We've been driving by for a while and kept telling ourselves we had to stop in some time and check them out.” Jean & hubby did stop finally. You can read her report on this unusual eatery on the Palouse here.
Hucks Online numbers (for week of June 19-25): 40421 page-views/25604 unique views
Our friends from the Kootenai County Constitution Party are now concerned that the statistical metropolitan area designation assigned to Kootenai & Spokane counties will take away our freedoms in North Idaho. In a post on the KCCP website, Chad von Lind “No, obviously this is an occasion in which it behooves the state of Idaho to invoke our 10th Amendment right of Nullification and for the Coeur d’Alene/Kootenai County community to assert our endemic right of 'rule by consent of the governed.'” Von Lind outlines for unwanted outcomes as a result of this forced linkage, including: “Local government will become less responsive to its constituency in favor of the Industrialists and the federal government’s social engineers.” You can read it all here.
Question: Do you view as positive or negative the designation of Kootenai & Spokane counties as one metropolitan statistical area?
Coeur d'Alene Police Department officer Nick Knoll is shown running through a water area on the marathon course during the third leg of Ironman Coeur d'Alene Sunday. Knoll finised the race in 13 hours, 37 minutes, and 30 seconds. You can see the final results for the pros and all age groups by clicking on this link here.
Three local residents are among the five people wanted on felony warrants in the latest roundup issued by Major Ben Wolfinger of the Kootenai County Sheriff's Department. Joshua Dean Edelblute, 21, of Rathdrum, is wanted for failing to appear in court to faces charges of burglary and grand theft. (Bail for Edelblute is set at $30,000.) Danielle Alohilani Harrison, 29, of Coeur d'Alene, is wanted for failing to appear to face charges of grand theft and possession of paraphernalia. (Bail for Harrison is set at $38,000.) Jerry Lewis Williams Jr., 38, of Post Falls is wanted on a felony warrant on six counts of grant theft & four counts of forgery. You can read Major Ben's complete list of felony and misdemeanor warrants here.
Golden State Warriors draft picks Jeremy Tyler, from left, Klay Thompson, and Charles Jenkins hold up jerseys as they are photographed at an NBA basketball news conference in Oakland, Calif., today. Thompson is the slick shooting wing man that led Washington State to the NIT tournament finals this year. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
Get Out! North Idaho is glad that Ironman is in the rear-view mirror. OrangeTV writes via Facebook: “My grump isn't really about the blocked roads or the noise, I've learned to plan for all that. What gets me is how many (not 
all) of the participants themselves seem to forget that even though Iron Man is happening, they need to observe normal rules of traffic and common courtesy. So many times I've seen them go flying through stop signs or residential neighborhoods without a second thought if there might be a car coming. I've had a few close encounters over the years that practically made my heart stop, and I'm basically a grandma driver. Also, many (not all) of them come to town expected to be treated like Queens and Kings of the Universe just because they happen to be involved. Many are super nice, but I've seen some outright rudeness — respect earns respect and many don't seem to have it. (Bruce Twitchell photo: special to SR)
Question: Have you encountered Ironman Coeur d'Alene athletes behaving badly before or after the race?
Item: Sprouts linked to 20 cases of salmonella poisoning/Mary Clare Jalonick, AP
More Info: The Food and Drug Administration is warning consumers not to eat Evergreen Produce brand alfalfa sprouts or spicy sprouts because they may be linked to 20 cases of salmonella poisoning. The Idaho-based company has not recalled the sprouts though they are possibly linked to illnesses in Idaho, Montana, New Jersey, North Dakota and Washington state. The FDA warned consumers not to eat sprouts labeled “Evergreen Produce” or “Evergreen Produce Inc.” The sprouts were distributed in Idaho, Montana and Washington state.
Question: I can't remember the last time I ate alfalfa sprouts. Can you?
Item: Jury convicts ex-Ill. Gov. Blagojevich at retrial/Michael Tarm, AP
More Info: Rod Blagojevich, who rode his talkative everyman image to two terms as Illinois governor before scandal made him a national punch line, was convicted Monday of a wide range of corruption charges, including the incendiary allegation that he tried to sell or trade President Barack Obama's Senate seat. The verdict was a bitter defeat for Blagojevich, who had spent 2 1/2 years professing his innocence on reality TV shows and later on the witness stand.
Question: Does anyone outside of Chicago and Illinois care about Blagojevich any more?
Item: TSA orders 95-year-old woman to remove adult diaper during 45-minute search/Associated Press
More Info: A woman has filed a complaint with federal authorities over how her elderly mother was treated at Northwest Florida Regional Airport last weekend. Jean Weber of Destin filed a complaint with the Department of Homeland Security after her 95-year-old mother was detained and extensively searched last Saturday while trying to board a plane to fly to Michigan to be with family members during the final stages of her battle with leukemia. Her mother, who was in a wheelchair, was asked to remove an adult diaper in order to complete a pat-down search.
Question: Can anyone other than a TSA security guard justify this action?
Coeur d'Alene Dr. Roger Dunteman powers up Bennett Bay hill during the final leg of the 2011 Ironman Coeur d'Alene and heads back to Coeur d'Alene. (Huckleberries Online photo by Christa Hazel)
My favorite Downtown Coeur d'Alene Bar Report from June 9-18 report, from Thursday, June 16, 2011: 2240 hours N 4th St & E Sherman Ave – Disorderly: “Officers arrested a 26 year old California male for being intoxicated in the roadway after observing him standing in the middle of Sherman, blocking traffic and pretending to be a bull (hunched forward and holding his hands up to simulate a bull’s horns).” Full Downtown Coeur d'Alene Bar Report here.
Question: Have you ever seen a bull paw the ground in preparation for an attack?
Christa Hazel, who photographed Ironman Coeur d'Alene for Huckleberries Online, e-mailed that this was her favorite uniform worn by the 2800-plus Ironman athletes this year. More Christa photos here.
DFO: I did one double take during my Ironman Coeur d'Alene watching this year. At the northwest corner of the Coeur d'Alene Resort golf course, I saw a woman who was 8-plus months pregnant, wearing a bikini top and a skirt below her protruding stomach. She had a monster set of wings tattooed on her upper back. And was pushing a baby carriage. Surprisingly, she almost pulled off the look. Obviously, she didn't care what others thought.
Question: Did you see any strange sights at Ironman?
For those keeping score at home, Coeur d'Alene police issued 68 open container warnings on Friday night, 
June 17, after the cruise portion of Car d'Lane — the majority going to Iron Horse customers who weren't aware that they couldn't have alcohol outside the chained area in front of the bar. Another nine warnings were given to Moose Market customers and three to Icon/Beacon customers. All this, according to the June 9-18 Downtown Coeur d'Alene Bar Report. Also, CPD Blues responded to 18 disturbances/fights) after the Car Cruise, b/n 9:30 p.m. Friday, June 17, and 2:30 a.m. Saturday, June 18. “A majority of these were arguments or some minor pushing/shoving observed by officers and immediate intervention prevented them from becoming worse.” You can read more about these disturbances/fights and the rest of the Bar Report here.
Athol has always had a bit of an identity crisis, at least name-wise. The town started as Colton, which was 
changed to Athol after a settler from the Massachusetts town with the same name decided it was somehow better. In 1966, after the Girl and Boy scouts both held events nearby at the old Naval base, the name Roundup City was suggested and rejected. Later that year, when Farragut State Park opened its gates a few miles away, a town debate arose among its 300 residents whether they should change the town’s name to Farragut to sort of “cash in” on all the tourists that would be blazing through. Some residents thought it would be a good way to avoid confusion, others were vehemently opposed/OrangeTV. Get Out! North Idaho. More here.
Question: What do you know about Athol, Idaho, other than its name causes snickers?
Tom Aylward, 62, comes out of the swim portion of Ironman Coeur d'Alene on Sunday. Tom finished the swim and the bike portion of the triathlon but was unable to finish the marathon. Story here. (SR photo: Kathy Plonka)
Question: Alison Boggs & Kathy Plonka have been following the progress of Tom Aylward of Spirit Lake for 6 months, as he dropped the last of some 80 pounds in preparation for the 2011 Coeur d'Alene Ironman. Aylward was happy with his progress although he was unable to finish marathon portion of event. Were you inspired by his attempt?
I was slow getting up to speed in the technological age, but now that I'm there I have to admit there are times I wonder how people ever got along without iPods. My kids gave me an iPod for my birthday last year. Gifts from 
your children, in fact, are the way most old people like me get hooked into technology. Computers? you say. My typewriter is still good. Cellphone? Who needs it? I don't want most people to get hold of me anyhow. An iPod? I told my kids it sounded like the body part of an insect. I didn't want one. They insisted that I would enjoy it on my morning runs, but I wasn't so sure. I liked listening to the serene sounds of nature - the chirping of the birds, the quiet lowing of the cows, the wind whispering secrets among the trees/Kathy Hedberg, Lewiston Tribune. More here.
Question: Did you kids drag you into the technology age? Or did you get there by yourself?
(Campaign manager Morgan) Hill, a Boise pilot, said the campaign raised only about $4,500, plus another $15,000 worth of in-kind advertising donations, and relied entirely on volunteers. Though it reported in early 
June that it had more than 75,000 signatures, Hill said an “error in the numbers” forced a recount yesterday, which led to the conclusion late last night that the campaign had gathered only about 50,000 signatures for the statewide recall petition. … Hill said the campaign also was hurt by the Idaho Education Association's decision not to support the recall effort; the teachers' union backed a successful referendum drive that will place all three of Luna's controversial new school reform laws on the ballot for possible repeal in the November 2012 election/Betsy Russell, Eye On Boise. More here.
Question: Do you consider the failed recall effort as an endorsement of Superintendent Tom Luna & his policies?
Craig Alexander, two-time Ironman World champion, high-fives fans near the finish line of the Ironman Coeur d'Alene before setting a course record. SR story here. Also: Top 10 men, Top 5 women finishers here. (Bruce Twitchell/Special to the Spokesman-Review)
The Supreme Court on Monday refused to let California regulate the sale or rental of violent video games to children, saying governments do not have the power to “restrict the ideas to which children may be exposed” despite complaints about graphic violence. On a 7-2 vote, the high court upheld a federal appeals court decision to throw out the state's ban on the sale or rental of violent video games to minors. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Sacramento had ruled that the law violated minors' rights under the First Amendment, and the high court agreed/Associated Press. More here. (AP photo)
Question: Do you agree with this decision?
Don Dietrich doesn’t overreact when he gets emails calling him a traitor or a dupe opening the way for an invasion of Idaho by Chinese Communists. “Given what they’re reading, they are rightfully concerned,” said 
Dietrich, director of the Idaho Department of Commerce. “But what they are reading is in some cases nonsense.” Much of the attention stems from what he told the Statesman a year ago, just before Gov. Butch Otter led a trade mission to China. The state has been looking for foreign investment to boost the economy here, and there is one foreign country with more investment potential than all the others. “The Chinese are looking for a beachhead in the United States,” Dietrich said then/Rocky Barker, Idaho Statesman. More here.
Question: Where do these rumors come from?
In response to criticism about the small protest against the public art statue of Hindu god Ganesha in downtown Coeur d’Alene June 10, Kootenai County Constitution Party Chairman Daniel Brennan claims on 
the group’s website that many Lake City residents agreed with his group’s stand, but they were too intimidated by political correctness to show it. Writes Brennan on the KCCP website: “As I chatted with others the general sentiment was one and the same with my own – that the statue was, on Christian principle, offensive to the vast majority of Coeur d’Alene residents, an egregious misappropriation of public resources, and in light of the constant and ongoing litigious crusade against any and all Christian symbols all over the country, a gross expression of governmental hypocrisy”/DFO, Hucks Online. More here.
I enjoyed watching Ironman Coeur d'Alene at three venues Sunday. First, Mrs. O & I stopped by the hamburger feed offered to the community by Coeur d'Alene Bible Church (across from Coeur d'Alene High) during the biking section of the Ironman event. Hundreds were treated to a picnic lunch and live contemporary Christian music at the church while watching bikes zip by. Later, we rode bikes to the back of the Coeur d'Alene Resort golf course where a neighborhood party was going on to cheer the marathon runners on. Finally, we went downtown to watch some finishes. Amazing event. The only part we missed was the swim. But Christa Hazel was there to snap this photo of Tina Marie Bell of Hayden Lake exiting the water and running to the transition area.
Question: Do you watch any portion of Ironman Coeur d'Alene Sunday?
Having an interest in the city of Sandpoint I occasionally go on line and read the Daily Bee. Occasionally I will also check the opinion section so as to see what the resident have to say about events. In the past few months I have noticed that many of the posters have turned from intelligent discourse to name calling and the use of severe vulgarity and sexual innuendo in their comments. Is this allowed? Is this what you want the paper to represent?/Richard Dawson, Spokane. More here.
Question: Do you consider the discourse in the Hucks Online comments section to be intelligent or over the line?
Wheeldog (“Christie: Saying goodbye to my best pal”): My condolences, Christie. It’s something I have had to do numerous times over the years and it never, ever gets easier…maybe even harder, as time goes by. Do 
dogs go to heaven? I don’t know but the Inuit (Eskimoes) believe that when they die, the dogs they’ve had that have preceded them are there, waiting not only to greet them—but to judge them. They are judged on the basis of how they treated their animals when they were alive. Strong incentive to treat your animals, especially the ones you depend on for your livlihood, with respect and dignity, wouldn’t you say?
Question: Can you tell much about a person by the way he treats his/her dog?
Arpie (Recall Luna effort falling short): The IEA sat this one out. As mentioned above, gathering the signatures would be and has proven to be a huge undertaking. getting more people to vote him out- in a special election 
-in August -than voted for him in a regular election -in November would have been another huge undertaking. Then having Butch name his successor would have been plain defeating. This is not a reflection on the IEA. They made the right call. I carried petitions for the initiatives -as did many of my colleagues and friends. I only knew one person who was carrying recall petitions. I’m still glad folks tried.
Question: Was it a good thing or a bad thing that organizers tried and apparently failed to get the signatures to recall Superintendent of Schools Tom Luna?
Joe Heller/Hellertoons
Don Sausser, Huckleberries Eye on Sherman Avenue, provides this photo of downtown Coeur d'Alene at 9:30 p.m. Sunday night with 2 1/2 hours to go until midnight, the official end of the race.
Craig Alexander celebrates at the finish line of the 2011 Ford Ironman Coeur d'Alene Sunday afternoon in downtown Coeur d'Alene. Alexander set a new course record of 8:19:48. (Bruce Twitchell/ Special to The Spokesman-Review)
Craig Alexander promised maximum effort in Sunday’s Ironman Coeur d’Alene, but the two-time world champion wasn’t sure what that would be. Turns out it was the best there’s ever been in the nine-year-old event. Alexander was a little faster than the previous bike record – which was shattered by Maik Twelsiek – and shaved about a minute off the marathon record. That added up to a course record of 8 hours, 19 minutes, 48 seconds, almost 4 minutes faster than the previous best for the 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bicycle ride and 26.2-mile run. “I was prepared to give 100 percent of what I had but I didn’t know what that was,” said the 2008 and 2009 champion, who missed his planned season debut two months ago in his native Australia because of a viral infection that cost him a month of training/Dave Trimmer, SR. More here.
Julie Dibens celebrates the finish line of the 2011 Ford Ironman Coeur d'Alene Sunday afternoon in downtown Coeur d'Alene. (Bruce Twitchell/ Special to The Spokesman-Review)
Craig Alexander, the two-time World Ironman champion who wasn't expected to enter Coeur d'Alene Ironman due to illness, captured the 2011 Coeur d'Alene Ironman title in a course record eight hours, 19 minutes, & 48 seconds, according to KXLY. And Julie Dibens of Boulder, Colo., set a record in the women's division — the third straight year that has happened, by shaving 74 seconds off the 2010 record to win in nine hours, 16 minutes, and 40 seconds. See KXLY story here.
CdA resident, Amy Wallace Evans, exited the 55 degree water and made way into the transition area for her bike. (Huckleberries Online photo: Christa Hazel)
Hayden resident, Kristin Ludwig, rides the bike portion east of Coeur d'Alene along Lakeshore Drive. She finished with an official time of 14:53:44. (Huckleberries Online Photo: Angie Phillips)
Coeur d'Alene resident, Tom DuBos, running on Bennett Bay hill during the third leg of the 2011 Coeur d'Alene Ironman today. (Huckleberries Online photo: Christa Hazel)
Ironman Coeur d'Alene is upon us again, which means we'll be encountering runners and bikers wherever we go around town today, either intentionally or as part of traffic jams and detours. You probably should check online to see how the route of triathletes affects your in-town travel plans. And try to stay away from Government Way. I'll see you back here at 8 o'clock Monday …
The ongoing fight to recall State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Luna is ending. The “Recall Tom Luna” campaign won't get enough signatures by their deadline on Monday. Organizer Morgan Hill Jr. told Channel 12 News his campaign have collected only about half of their target goal of 158,000 signatures as of this weekend. “Yeah unfortunately we won't be successful,” Hill said. Even so, the volunteers who make up the group don't feel defeated. These local volunteers still hope to send a message to Luna/Matt Standal, Fox 12. More here.
Question: How do you interpret the fact that the effort to recall Superintendent Tom Luna is falling far short?
Yoda, the diminutive winner of the 2011 World's Ugliest Dog Contest, squares off against a boxer named Pabst on Friday in Petaluma, Calif. Yoda took home $1000 and a plethora of pet perks after winning the Sonoma-Marin Fair competition. Story here. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
Question: Would your dog do well in an ugly-dog contest?
Christie Wood: Today is a very sad day for me. “The Adventures of Woodville” have come to an end as I have put down my beloved Oscar. I can only hope all dogs do go to heaven, and his adventures will continue there. He was a wonderful boy who inspired me for the last 13 years to write stories for children. RIP to my best pal.
DFO: I'm sure I speak for Hucks Nation when I see that I'm sorry that you lost your wonderful companion and inspiration. I'd like to think that our pet dogs & cats will be on the other side. After all, heaven is a place of joy. And pets are a source of happiness for many.
Question: Do you think all dogs go to heaven?
Walkabout: I wish people would learn to respect (Tubbs Hill). It isn’t even July yet and the garbage on the hill is
starting to pile up. Those that stay on the main trail may not see much of it but that’s because people go there to drink on the beaches and hidden areas all over the hill. I know most of these areas and try to clean some of them out every few days. But, I am just one person. If you are in the mood someday grab a bag and seek out the beaches and hidden areas and fill it up with what the litterbugs left behind.
Question: Have you ever picked up litter as part of a cleanup project, formally or informally? Did you learn from that experience?
Brent Andrews: I guess you will always use “redneck” but I have said before, and will say again, that it is like the 
N word or calling a gay person the old name for cigarette. Lots of hardworking people who would never hurt anyone’s feelings - people who go to church every Sunday - remain red in the neck year-round, and they have a right to do so without the Poynter types, who seek to insult no one in the whole wide world and try to paint truly such notorious enemies as al Quaida, and even the Chinese Communist Party, without namecalling, reserving this one nastyism for their columns and even headlines. I will ever oppose your use of ‘redneck’ as an unnecessary insult, akin to the N word, that belongs in quotation marks in your stories, if it has any place at all.
Question: Do you consider “redneck” to be an extreme and unnecessary insult?
People in the New York Senate gallery react to the passage of gay marriage at the Capitol in Albany, N.Y., on Friday. Story here. (AP Photo/Mike Groll)
Question: Will Idaho ever OK gay marriage?
Melvina Cameron, 80, of Athol was killed in a one-car rollover this afternoon when her westbound 2000 Buick Century left Highway 54 near Howard Road and struck a tree, ejecting Cameron. The crash occurred at 4:42 p.m. Cameron wasn't wearing a seatbelt.
I rode my bike to work this morning, for the second time this spring. Almost all down hill from my place in the Borah Triangle but the wind was blowing against me. My brother-in-law has been trying to get me to ride the Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes with him this summer. Definitely a bucket list item. Might be fun to break the ride in half and see the wildlife along the way. I'll let you know when I take the ride on. Now for your TGIF Wild Card …
A barred owl perches on a highway sign in Poulsbo, Wash., just before sunrise. Barred owls usually hunt at night and return to their nests during the day. (AP Photo/Kitsap Sun photo: Larry Steagall)
Idaho state public health officials are investigating a number of Salmonella cases believed to be connected to 
the consumption of alfalfa sprouts. The investigation is ongoing and includes 19 ill persons from northern Idaho, eastern Washington and western Montana. Of the persons reported with Salmonella infection linked to the outbreak, six have reported consumption of sprouts obtained from a northern Idaho grower, Evergreen Produce, located in Moyie Springs. Idaho public health officials are recommending that people avoid eating sprouts from Evergreen Produce and discard any Evergreen Produce sprouts in their possession while the investigation is ongoing/Trish Gannon, River Journal. More here. (Courtesy photo: River Journal)
Question: Can you name some veggies that you simply will not eat?
“After a chase, Kevin Hodgson, 39, is arrested on the east side of Spalding Auto Parts wrecking yard in Spokane Valley on Thursday,” writes Colin Mulvany, Snaps & Frames. “Hodgson allegedly stole a car as Spokane Valley Police officers approached to arrest him on an outstanding warrant and sped north on University Road.” More here.
President Barrack Obama stands in front of a robot as he makes remarks during a visit to Carnegie Mellon University's National Robotics Engineering Center in Pittsburgh this morning. You write the cutline. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Top Cutlines:
In recognition of state Sen. John McGee's recent arrest on charges of DUI/grand theft auto, Bubblehead/The Stupid Shall Be Punished published a post, “Stupid Drunk Tricks.” In it, he recalls destroying an outhouse as 
part of the “drunken celebration after the Activities Banquet my senior year in high school.” In the Navy, he writes he was able to “avoid doing really stupid things when I was drunk, but I did have some shipmates who weren't so lucky.” He was on inport duty on the USS John C. Stennis in 2000 in Dubai when “we got a call that one of the pilots from the Marine squadron was in jail in Dubai. It turns out that he had stolen a hotel courtesy van and driven it lots of places where he wasn't supposed to, and ended up mooning the Dubai cops who came to arrest him. The upshot was that the Admiral had to come off the golf course to apologize personally to the Chief of Police in order to get him released back to our custody.” More here (make sure you read the comments).
Question: What's the dumbest thing that you've done while drunk (that you feel safe to share)?
I don't know how I haven't seen this photo by SR colleague Kathy Plonka before. I spotted it today while looking for art to go with that USA Today story about Tubbs Hill. It's from August 2009. Here's the cutline that ran with it: “Leonel Hoskinson and her husband Rob Hoskinson jump into Lake Coeur d’Alene from Tubbs Hill with the rest of their wedding party on Monday. 'It’s only a $2,000 wedding dress; I have to have it dry-cleaned anyway,' she said.”
Question (for the Ladies of Huckleberries Online): Do you still have your wedding dress? (Notice that I totally sidestepped a dangerous question: Do you still fit in said dress?)
If you're a U.S. senator, it pays to carry your ID. On Tuesday, a Capitol cop asked Idaho Sen. Jim Risch to 
produce his ID, after Risch went past a security check while trying to catch a train. A portion of the interchange, as blogged at thehill.com, a Beltway insider news site: “Do you have an ID?” the officer demanded. “Oh yes, I have an ID,” Risch responded, irritation creeping into his voice while he pulled out his wallet and flashed his senator’s ID card. “Will you remember me now?” asked Risch, who has been a member of the Senate for two and a half years/Kevin Richert, Statesman. Kevin's blog here.
Question: Have you ever known U.S. Sen. Jim Risch to get testy?
A megaload bound for the Kearl Oil Sands in Canada via Moscow and Coeur d'Alene won't be leaving Monday 
as previously scheduled. The section of an ExxonMobil/Imperial Oil processing plant is waiting for its trip at the Port of Lewiston, where it was barged from Korea. “They're working on staffing issues with (the Idaho State Police) and ISP is not going to have the staffing needed for that,” said Adam Rush, a spokesman for the Idaho Transportation Department. Two ISP troopers working overtime paid for by ExxonMobil/Imperial Oil will accompany the 23-foot-wide, 208-foot-tall shipment that takes up two lanes of traffic/Lewiston Tribune. More here. (AP file photo)
Question: Do you ever get the impression that the right hand doesn't know what the left hand is doing in terms of Idaho oversight of the oil company megaloads?
Jim Mangis was test-driving his test-driving his new lens on his camera Thursday evening, snapping away, when he was surprised to catch these two men in thongs running on the Centennial Trail by CI Shenanigans/Spokane.
Question: Would you be more/less likely to use the Centennial Trail if these two regularly frequented your favorite section?
“Bicycle transportation is good for a lot of things—it’s healthy, it’s green, it’s quiet, it’s fun, it builds community.
It also makes financial sense, and the magnitude of bicycling’s economic impact gets far less attention than it deserves. In the Bikenomics series, Elly Blue explores the scope of that impact, from personal finance to local economies to the big picture of the national budget. In the grassroots and on a policy level, the bicycle is emerging as an effective engine of economic recovery”/Paul Dillon, Down To Earth. More here.
Question: Do you ride your bike for exercise or to save money? Or both?
Republicans are waging a “war on women,” charges the Democrats' new national chair, and her party is 
seizing on that war — real or imagined— to regain ground lost in the 2010 mid-term elections and boost President Obama's re-election. The stakes are simple: No 'Gender Gap,' you lose: Gender Gap and you win,” Stephanie Schriock, president of Emily's List, said in Seattle on Thursday. Emily's List raises campaign cash for pro-choice Democratic women candidates. She's right, and both parties know it. According to recent national polls, Obama has a job approval rating 11 or 12 points higher among women voters than among men/Joel Connelly, Seattle PI. More here.
Question: Do you think the GOP is waging a war against women?
In its Great American Outdoors Travel section, USA Today asked experts to choose “a great place to hike” — one per 
state. Quoth USA Today: “From sinuous, scenic paths to arduous, awe-inspiring treks, the country is ribboned with trails that beckon the casual and stalwart hiker alike. USA TODAY asked local experts to name one great place to hike in each state and the District of Columbia.” The expert selected for the state of Idaho was Kellie Kluksdal/Idaho Division of Tourism. The “great place to hike” she picked was (drum roll, please) — Tubbs Hill on the Lake Coeur d'Alene waterfront, east of the Coeur d'Alene Resort. You can read what was said about Tubbs Hill and the 50 other selections here. (SR file photo: Kathy Plonka)
Question: Do you agree with the choice for best place to hike in Idaho?
Wanda Mumm of Eureka, Mont., does a thumbnail sketch of the mountains over McDonald Lake on Wednesday morning Glacier National Park. Mumm was one of thirty artists taking part in the Hockaday Paint Out. The painting produced this week will be on sale to the public on Saturday evening at the Hockaday Museum of Art Centennial Pavilion Tent in Kalispell, Mont. (AP/Daily Inter Lake, Brenda Ahearn)
LoveToHateMe: Perhaps I’m just a hopeless optimist, but I truly believe that most individuals are at-heart
good, caring people who will reach out a helping hand to those in need without being forced to do so. If that’s a kool-aid side talking, so be it. I understand there are bad, uncaring, unkind people out there lacking generosity, but they’re few and far between. Most people are loving, caring, and compassionate and will happily give their time and resources of their own free will to help a cause they believe in.
Question: Do you believe most people are “good, caring people who reach out a helping hand to those in need” or “bad, uncaring, unkind people lacking generosity”?
Tri Inland Northwest shot this 50-plus-second video of Coeur d'Alene Ironman triathletes “warming up” in the 55-degree waters of Lake Coeur d'Alene. You'll notice that none of them are saying, “brrrr,” although they might be thinking that.
Question: When do you plan to get swim in Lake Coeur d'Alene for the first time this year?
A Berry Picker called in to bumpersticker riding around on a silver 4-by-4 Jeep @ Hayden & Government Way moments ago, a message that takes Obama-phobia to a new level. Alongside a photo of President Obama is this message: “Does this (butt) make my car look bigger?”
Question: Mebbe I shouldn't have printed the bumpersticker message here. But it sets up this question: How do you react when you see a bumpersticker that's blatantly offensive to you?
In this April 2002 AP file photo, television personalities Mr. T of A-Team, left, and Peter Falk of Columbo, tease each other at a press luncheon to celebrate NBC's 75th anniversary in West Hollywood, Calif. Falk, who played the irascible detective, died Thursday at age 83. Story here. (AP Photo/Krista Niles)
Question: Who is your favorite TV detective character?
Somebody up there must have a soft spot for columnists and editorial writers trying to get through the summer doldrums. How else can you explain Rex Rammell? The former Senate and gubernatorial candidate — and 
reliable gift that keeps on giving to Idaho political pundits — delivered once again on Thursday. Rammell scheduled a news conference to discuss his latest criminal charge: a felony count of jury tampering. His news conference was cut short. In a scene worthy of an episode of “Cops,” Bonneville County deputies cuffed Rammell and squired him away in a squad car, over his objections/Kevin Richert, Idaho Statesman. More here. (SR file photo/Betsy Russell, of Rex Rammell during 2009 guv campaign)
Question: Which political figure is Idaho's looniest tune?
You weren't seeing things if you noticed fit-looking individuals running around in their underwear from City Park this morning. Coeur d'Alene Ironman triathletes (some of whom are shown here warming up in City Park) participated in the annual run at 7 o'clock this morning through the streets of Coeur d'Alene. (Courtesy photo: Coeur d'Alene Ironman/Tri Inland Northwest)
Although she's never lived in Bonners Ferry, Nevada author Elizabeth A. Patterson considers the North Idaho 
town to be magical — so much so that she's based a book involving a princess on the North Idaho town. The book's name? “Bonners Fairy.” It was published June 6. Reports Julie Golder for the Bonners Ferry Herald: “Patterson traveled through north Idaho and could not imagine a more mystical, magical, beautiful setting other than north Idaho for her book. It just happened to be a strange coincidence that the town she chose for the setting of her story was named Bonners Ferry, which inspired the name of her book.” More here. (Book jacket photo: Borders.com)
Question: Is Bonners Ferry the best North Idaho town for a fairy tale book?
Your mother wants you to know that smoking is bad for you, and she's doing everything she can to make sure you either don't take up the habit or, if you are smoking, that you quit right away. By “your mother,” of course I 
mean the government, which, increasingly comes in the form of the Obama administration and Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. HHS announced that packs of cigarettes will now bear alternating images that include rotting teeth, human corpses and a man smoking through a hole in his neck. The government is requiring that its warning labels occupy the top half of the front and back of cigarette packs and 20 percent of print advertisements. Cigarettes that don't bear the labels can't be sold in the U.S. after Oct. 22, 2012/Wayne Hoffman, Idaho Freedom Foundation. More here.
Question: Does anyone pay attention to food/drink warning labels?
Marty Trillhaase, the Lewiston Tribune opinionator, gives jeers to Idaho Senate Idaho Senate President Brent Hill, R-Rexburg, and House Speaker Lawerence Denney, R-Midvale. Quoth: “Under their leadership, the 
Legislature has put public schools, higher education, health care and state government in general on a starvation diet. People have lost their jobs. They've been placed on unpaid furloughs. Those who remain have been forced to pick up the slack.” However, Marty continues, Legislative Services Director Jeff Youtz went to his bosses last spring, he got their approval to hand out bonuses. Not just one or two for people who might jump ship. But 59. Throughout state government last week, only 102 workers got a bonus. Concludes, Marty: “So now we have two classes of state workers: Those who work for Denney and Hill. And those who don't.” (Marty also offers jeers to Gov. Butch Otter in latest editorial)
Question: Why were Hill & Denney so tone deaf re: bonuses handed to legislative staffers?
In the Coeur d'Alene Press editorial this morning, Editor Mike Patrick argues that the search committee to replace North Idaho College President Priscilla Bell (who's retiring at the end of 2011-12 year) should look for 
local candidates, too. Quoth Patrick: “Why not prepare the job description now and announce the vacancy soon afterward in sources scoured by prospects nationwide? While the applications come flooding in from coast to coast, a local search committee could focus on the best applicants from our immediate region and, by end of summer, have winnowed down those prospects to the best two or three locally.” Patrick goes on to argue that outside presidents tend to last only 4-5 years after taking 2-3 years to get acclimated. Why not find someone who already knows the territory? the edit sez. Full editorial here.
Question: Should the search committee for North Idaho College make a point of looking for a local candidate to fill president's seat — or would such an appointment be too political?
NBA Commissioner David Stern, left, poses with the No. 11 overall draft pick, Washington State guard Klay Thompson, who was selected by the Golden State Warriors in the NBA basketball draft Thursday in Newark, N.J. Story below. (AP Photo/Bill Kostroun)
The head of a lawn deer remains above the flood waters from the Souris River in an evacuated western neighborhood of Minot, N.D., this morning. About one-fourth of the city's 40,000 residents have evacuated their homes. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
Question: Have you ever been flooded out of your home?
LastDemoInIdaho: We sure remember this place (Great American Restaurant). My wife and daughter just
loved it because it got them out of the house and the wife didn’t have to cook that night! The pasta was OK, I guess, but we are not professional pasta critics. One evening we looked across the room and saw where we were breaking bread with the Aryan “King” Butler, in uniform no less We were not happy, but just finished our meal and left. Decided then that if there was a next time we would leave and let the management know why. Seems like that was 100 years ago.
Question: I once ran into Aryan Nations leader Butler while dining at Charlie Nipp's old restaurant, Mr. Steak, on Lincoln Way. Did you ever had a dining encounter with Butler & his goose-steppers?
DeePee:
If you’re in the CdA area, drop whatever else you were planning to do and wrap yourself around some of Bent’s BBQ. Bent and his entourage were up here in Wallace last weekend for the Lead Creek Derby and we feasted on his slow-cooked ribs. A great guy and an even greater graze! Give the sauce a pass; you won’t need it. Wallace eagerly awaits his return.
Question: Have you tasted Bent's BBQ or home-made beer?
Item: Charter goes to head of the class: Cd'A school ranks 59th in national survey/Maureen Dolan, Press
More Info: Coeur d'Alene Charter Academy's star continues to rise on the lists of national high school rankings. The public school, serving grades six- through- 12, ranks 59th on Newsweek magazine's most recent list of the best high schools in the United States.
Question: Have you and your family had a good experience with Coeur d'Alene Charter Academy?
I'm still amazed at Scanner Traffic from Wednesday afternoon — 30-some items, including 17 after 4 p.m. The items were amazing, too. Overturned raft below Post Falls damn. Road rager displays gun. Boy shooting neighbor's dog with BB gun. Post Falls boy pulling knife on another boy. Crashes. Mebbe things will settle down a little today since the isolationist sun is playing hide-and-seek again. Now for your Wild Card …
In this spring AP file photo, Washington State student Emily King holds a sign asking junior guard Klay Thompson to stay for his senior season, before Washington State's college basketball game against Northwestern in the quarterfinals of the NIT on March 23 in Pullman. Thompson decided to leave school early for a chance to be drafted by an NBA team. Moments ago, he was picked 11th in the first round by the Golden State Warriors. Story here. (AP Photo/Dean Hare)
Question: Can you blame a talented young athlete like Klay Thompson for leaving college early to cash in on professional sports?
The classic tale of teen rebellion is an inspiring one for Rachel Kaufman. “I look at ‘Footloose’ and I
remember all the high school and middle school students who showed up at the Capitol a few months ago. They were not OK with what Tom Luna was doing to education, and they helped change things,” she said. Kaufman hopes that St. Thomas Playhouse’s production of “Footloose” (in Twin Falls), opening Wednesday, will inspire other teens to stand up and be counted about things they believe in/Karen Bossick, Twin Falls Times-News. More here.
Question: Bomont was the fictional town in the middle of nowhere that served as the back drop for “Footloose.” Is there an Idaho town who resembles Bomont in attitude toward teens?
Whitney Urmann, right, 16, of Priest River, and Bill Myers, center, 16, of Sandpoint, participate in a journalism workshop hosted by the University of Idaho on Tuesday at the KUID studio in Moscow. Holly Bowen's Daily News story here. (Moscow-Pullman Daily News photo: Dean Hare)
Breaking: Golden State Warriors take WSU's Klay Thompson with the 11th pick in the NBA draft — SR
From 43rd State Blues re: the arrest of former Idaho gubernatorial candidate Rex Rammell: “Classic line: “..and they're handcuffing me and treating me like a criminal.” This is pretty fresh but it appears as if the Bonneville County Prosecutor (correctly) decided to charge Trifecta (Governor Congressman Senate) candidate Rex Rammell (R-Wingnuttia) with a felony jury tampering charge for his efforts to instruct prospective jurors of their right not to follow the law. (Jurors have no such right, the judge instructs them on the law, and they stand in judgment of the facts as presented by the attorneys.) In inimical Rammell form, he attempts to grandstand the event by calling a press conference to turn himself in. The deputies follow protocol, handcuff him, and with much ado, take him to jail.” More here.
In his latest Remember the Roxy posting, OrangeTV provides this photo of The Great American Restaurant at the corner of H95 & Hayden (which later became the first Hayden Rustler's Roost and now is owned by the Hagadone Corporation). I never ate at the Great American Restaurant. But I remember the business.
Hucks Online numbers for Wednesday, June 22 (6568/4302)
Check out the ad below the No. 3 post on the main thread below. Our own Bent will be staging Bent's BBQ at 
Steve Widmyer's Fort Ground Grill on the 4th of July. Click on the ad, and you'll find the menu and prices for the event. Also, Bent's BBQ will be featured at the annual Blogfest 2011 at the Fort Ground Grill next month, as well Spokesman-Review columnist/singer Doug Clark. Who is famous for his song parodies about Inland Northwest news events. Doug signed on when I encountered him at the Ganesha unveiling earlier this month. So test-drive Bent's BBQ while you enjoy downtown Fourth of July weekend events and then come back for the annual Blogfest. BTW, Bent explains how he got into BBQing and brewing beer in a Bent's Beer Garden post here,.
This image provided by the author shows the cover of “Triple Crown Winner: The Earl Sande Saga,” by Richard Maturi. At one time, Sande, the former American Falls, Idaho, jockey made national sports headlines as large in type as Babe Ruth and Jack Dempsey. Now Maturi, of Cheyenne, Wyo., is on a quest to remind the country of the remarkable feats Sande made during the 1930s, and the classy manner in which he accomplished them. Story here. (AP Photo/Courtesy of Richard Maturi)
Question: Do you follow horse racing at all?
Here's the unshakable logic: Treasure Valley sees the world through one lens. We see it through another. 
Boise has urban transit. We have megaloads. In Boise, it's possible to confuse Twin Falls with Idaho Falls. Really. It happens. Boise has the state capital. A century and a half later, the former territorial capital of Lewiston still seethes with anger about that. Boise has Hewlett-Packard and Micron Technology. Grangeville has a stop light. Boise got the connector and rush-hour traffic. Moscow has some passing lanes on U.S. Highway 95. Boise goes nuts over its Boise State University Broncos football squad. Pocatello? Not so much/Marty Trillhaase, Lewiston Tribune. More here.
Question: Should we simply include all of Boise and some suburbs into one legislative district and the rest of Idaho into another?
North Idaho College Vice President for Community Relations and Marketing John Martin announced his 
retirement at the June 22 NIC Board of Trustees meeting after more than three years in the position. It will be effective Dec. 31. Martin was appointed to the position in August 2008 on temporary assignment to fill the position vacated by former vice president Kent Propst when he accepted another position at Peru State College in Nebraska. Martin was selected to fill the position in January 2009 after a national search for a permanent replacement/Stacy Hudson, NIC Press Room. More here.
The government has now mandated that in 2012, graphic photos of tabacco related images such as 
cancerous lungs, rotting teeth, and dying individuals are part of the warning label on cigarettes. The image will take up half of the package. You can thank Congress for the ” The Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act.” This required the F.D.A. to place more prominent warning labels on the package, signed by President Obama. Enough is enough! These cigarette warning labels are just the start of more to come in the name of your health! The government is sticking their noses in every aspect of our lives because they claim it is for our own good. Let’s put warning labels on everything even milk!/Stebbijo, Stebbijo's Place. More here. (Stebbijo's Place illustration)
U.S. Olympic gold-medalist Kristin Armstrong Savola of Boise prepares to compete in an inidvidual time trial in the elite women's category at the USA Cycling National Championships at Lake Strom Thurmond earlier today, near Clarks Hill, S.C. Armstrong Savola finished in third place, missing out on an automatic bid to the World Championships to be held in Denmark. Story here. (AP Photo/The Augusta Chronicle, Rainier Ehrhardt)
The closure of the last U.S. horse slaughter plants in the fall of 2007 has failed to reduce the number of 
horses shipped to slaughter. Instead, the federal funding ban had the unintended consequence of forcing horses to be shipped great distances to be slaughtered in Canada or Mexico where they are killed and not necessarily humanely. That’s one key conclusion from a 62-page report released Wednesday from the Government Accountability Office, the investigative arm of Congress. The report confirms what many horse owners have been saying for years: Because of a glut in the horse market, prices for all but the most expensive horses are seriously depressed/Jan Falstad, Billings Gazette. More here. (AP file photo of wild horses, for illustrative purposes)
Question: Should the U.S. allow a few well-regulated slaughter houses for horses to reopen?
According to documents first made public by MSNBC.com, Butte copper heiress Huguette Clark (shown in AP file photo in 1930) left about 75 percent of her $400 million fortune to charity — but not a dime to her family or anyone associated with Butte. She did, however, leave $500,000 to each of her financial advisers, one of whom is a convicted felon, even while the two continue to face criminal charges over the handling of her estate. MSNBC.com reporter Bill Dedman first uncovered the will and testament, which was signed by Clark on April 19, 2005/Tim Trainor, Butte Standard. More here.
Question: Have you been the beneficiary of a will?
“This has kinda put me off meat, to be honest,” Ryan Desmond says, sitting on a stool in Neato Burrito, 
surrounded by his paintings, which hang from the duct work like sides of beef in a meat locker. Two months in a row, now, patrons of Spokane’s First Friday art walk have gazed upon Desmond’s large-scale paintings of raw cuts of meat at local bars, only to find them pulled from the walls by the time the work week rolls around. The first time, in May at Soulful Soups & Spirits, the paintings hung through the weekend, when a bar crowd dominates. By the time of Monday’s lunch rush, however, they were taken down. Owners feared that the paintings would offend their mostly vegetarian customer base/Luke Baumgarten, Inlander. More here. (Inlander photo)
Question: When does discretion re: customers' feelings toward art become censorship?
Lena Thomas gets ready to BASE jump Twin Falls recently. Thomas checked off another item on her to-do list last week when she and 58-year-old daughter Terri Scott, of Concord, Calif., BASE jumped off the Perrine Bridge. Both jumped tandem with an instructor, and an observer found Thomas remarkable. Story here. (AP Photo/Lena Thomas)
Larry Spencer just sent a copy of his “One Man, One Vote” bumpersticker to which I referred below.
Question: Anyone out there besides Larry & the OpenCDA crowd believe that Coeur d'Alene government is corrupt?
Washington Nationals Jayson Werth, left, is tagged out at home by Seattle Mariners catcher Miguel Olivo (30) during the first inning of an interleague baseball game in Washington today. Werth was trying to score on a sacrifice fly to shallow center hit by Nationals batter Ryan Zimmerman. The Nationals scored a walkoff run in the bottom of the ninth to win 1-0, their third one-run victory in a row over the Mariners this week. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
The Northwest Region of the Aryan Nation is promoting an all-day “eat, greet and meet” event Sunday, June 
26, at Valley County's Lake Cascade State Park. Idaho Parks and Recreation Communications Manager Jennifer Blazek told Citydesk Lake Cascade’s park manager has been communicating with John Bolen, Aryan Nations NW Coordinator, informing him of Camp Buttercup's park rules. State parks require a per-approval application for groups larger than 25 persons. Blazek said the park has yet to receive an application from the group and so far only two campsites were reserved for attendees/Jody May-Chang, Boise Weekly. More here. (AP file photo)
Reaction?
In a lengthy analysis of the DUI/grand theft auto arrest of Senate Majority Caucus Chairman John McGee, R-Caldwell, Sisyphus, of 43rd State Blues urges the media to hold McGee's feet to the fire as the legal 
process continues. Writes Sisyphus: “The legal defense will not be impaired provided the fourth estate does a professional job. The court of public opinion can not be satisfied by merely awaiting the trial at which McGee's presentation will be carefully crafted and which involves only his defense to the criminal charge.” Sisyphus goes on to break down: 1) the logistics of the evening in question; 2) the Good Ol' Boy network obviously in play; and 3) the culture of alcohol that emanates from the Statehouse. Great read here.
Question: What do you imagine is going on behind the scenes to help McGee survive this embarrassing incident?
“it's amazingly calm and mild in Boise this morning, with only a few puddles testifying to last night's wild weather — massive amounts of lightning, hard, soaking rains, and whipping wind gusts,” writes Betsy Russell/Eye On Boise. “We lost power at 10 p.m., which meant TV and computer were silenced in favor of watching the incredible lightning show by candlelight for the next hour and a half.” More here and: here. (AP Photo/Idaho Statesman, Shawn Raecke)
If you thought that OpenCDA.com was giving up its never-ending attack on the 2009 Coeur d'Alene City Council election between incumbent Mike Kennedy and near-miss candidate Jim Brannon, you need to think again. 
Bill McCrory used the recent personal recount of a highway district election by County Clerk Cliff Hayes to attack again. McCrory, of course, applauds Hayes' efforts to ensure an absolute accurate account in the election and to remove politics from the local election process. Far more interesting that McCrory's predictable spiel, however, was a comment by Larry Spencer, who said he's printed bumperstickers that say: “One resident, one vote (except for CdA, 2009).” Then, Spencer adds: “If you want one, go to a R. Republican meeting, or ask around, several people will have them.” More here.
Question: Do you want one of Larry's bumperstickers for your vehicle?
After two years of having others speak for him, former Coeur d'Alene City Council candidate Jim Brannon 
emerged from the shadows to discuss at Lake City Development Corp in an OpenCDA.com comment thread today. Mary Souza launched the thread under a headline, “What's the Truth About Taxes,” which encouraged her followers — both of 'em — to read a letter to the editor by Len Crosby, former Post Falls URA board chairman, in the Coeur d'Alene Press Wednesday. This morning, in the sole response to the posting, Brannon commented: “Urban renewal is not evil. The question is when will our Legislature pass new laws to reign in the unchecked abuses.” You can read Mary's posting and Brannon's comment here.
Question: Would Brannon have a good shot at winning a council seat if he ran in this falls city elections?
Construction is well underway on Phase 1-A of the Education Corridor project. Currently River Avenue is closed while pavement and sidewalk removal takes place to allow for underground utility work. The entrance to campus via Park Drive off of Northwest Boulevard is still open and guides drivers along the detour path. Drivers needing access to Rosenberry Drive (the dike road), are routed through the main North Idaho College campus along Garden Avenue and College Drive/Stacy Hudson, NIC Press Room. More here. (North Idaho College photo)
Question: Does this mean that the usual suspects will quit fighting the Education Corridor?
“But it’s no surprise that the McGee story spread rapidly Sunday, over the Internet and via social media,” writes 
Kevin Richert/Idaho Statesman in his blog. “It’s a different world from 1992, when then-Lt. Gov. Butch Otter was arrested on a drunken-driving charge. Convicted a year later, Otter has never lost an election since — for lieutenant governor, for 1st District Congress and, most recently, for governor. Otter’s arrest was big news, rich with its own elements of weirdness, but it didn’t receive the instantaneous rocket propulsion provided by the Internet.” More here (2nd item). (AP file photo: John McGee police mug shot)
Question: Are we as news consumers better served by the immediacy of news and the social media today? Or would you prefer that the clock was rolled back to times before every misstep by politicians was magnified?
The City of Airway Heights City Council passed a new firework restrictions ordinance at the June 20th city 
council meeting. The new section says that fireworks shall not be allowed on city property, school property, and vacant lots and fields. Except by approval of the owner, fireworks shall not be allowed on commercial, industrial and public/quasi-public areas which will include parking lots. Another exception is commercial displays approved by the City Council/Nicole Hensley, KXLY. More here.
Question: Would you like to see a total ban for private fireworks in Coeur d'Alene, Post Falls, Hayden, and/or your North Idaho town?
On his newspaper blog, Kevin Richert of the Idaho Statesman writes: Bloomberg.com profiled Idaho Gov. Butch Otter — and his states' rights philosophy — in a lengthy feature this week. Alison Vekshin's lead set the 
tone for what followed: “Otter pulled a pocket-sized Constitution from his back pocket with a grin and recited the 10th Amendment from memory. “'Twenty-eight words,' Otter said about the passage that grants states rights not given to the federal government. 'They wanted to keep it simple because they wanted the states to be the laboratory of this republic.'” No big surprises here for anyone who has followed Otter's political career closely. A good read, though, and extra credit to Vekshin for perhaps some unintended wordplay. More here. (AP file photo: Butch Otter, left, and Karl Stressman, of Colorado Springs, CO., compete during the team roping event at the 2010 Dodge National Circuit Finals Rodeo in Pocatello)
Question: What impact has Butch Otter had on Idaho during his years as governor?
Sen. Jim Risch, R-Idaho, Republican presidential hopeful Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and Gov. Butch Otter arrive in Idaho Falls Monday. Romney has received wide-spread support from Idaho GOP leaders in his bid for the Republican presidential nomination. (AP Photo/Post Register: Robert Bower)
Question: Are you surprised that Idaho GOP leaders are in Mitt Romney's corner, including Idaho steering committee co-chairs Otter and Risch, as presidential politics begin to heat up?
Item: Fresh Start grows stale: Petition says homeless centercauses too many problems/Tom Hasslinger, CdA Press
More Info: A group of neighbors is circulating a petition to get Fresh Start to move from East Sherman Avenue. They want the homeless service center to relocate to an industrial area, away from neighborhoods. The petition gathered 60 signatures citing problems the neighbors have experienced since the service provider moved to 1524 E. Sherman Ave. two years ago.
Question: Where should a homeless service center like Fresh Start be located in Coeur d'Alene?
(Coeur d'Alene Councilman John Bruning, pictured) noted that his city's population grew by more than 9,600 people in 
the past decade, nearly 28 percent growth since 2000. “Coeur d'Alene grew at a faster pace than the overall state of Idaho, for many good reasons,” Bruning told the (redistricting commission), “among them a healthy business climate, a good place to live, a caring community … a desirable place to call home.” Speaking for the whole city council and the mayor, Bruning urged the commission to keep Coeur d'Alene and other cities whole in redistricting, rather than dividing them among legislative districts. Given the numbers, Bruning said, “Keeping Coeur d'Alene whole in redistricting is not just sensible, it is almost mathematically perfect.”
Question: Should Coeur d'Alene be kept as a single legislative district or be split among other districts?
British author J.K. Rowling reacts as she poses for photographers during a photo call for her new website project Pottermore at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London on Thursday. For the project she has written new material about the characters, places and objects in the Harry Potter stories. (AP Photo/Akira Suemori)
Question: How many of the Harry Potter books have you read? Would you like to read more about Harry and his friends, by J. K. Rowling?
Idawa: I hope their “mormon” faith isn’t an issue for either of them (GOP prez candidates Jon Huntsman and Mitt Romney) with voters, but I’m sure that their primary 
competition will sure make it one. Out of the field, Huntsman seems like he has the stuff to at least be appealing with moderates - but I’m not sure he’ll get through the primary season with a rapid right base eager for a libertarian purist.
Question: Is the Mormon faith of GOP presidential candidates Jon Huntsman and Mitt Romney an issue for you?
Cindy: Speaking of bike/ car accidents … My husband bikes to work. On his way home this evening, as he was minding his own business in the MARKED BIKE LANE, a guy pulled up next to him, honked loudly and yelled, “You are NOT A CAR!” and then sped off. What is the deal?
Question: Do you consider bike riders to be a nuisance?
Duane Rasmussen: I attended the first half hour of the meeting. I counted six people on the stage and thirty in the audience. Nine of the people in the audience were children. Bruce Maddox, Paul Mathews, Mike Oliver, 
Roger Benoit, Tom Robinson, and Bjorn Handen were all on the stage sitting at a table. It appeared that most of the people present were in favor of raw milk. Ron Paul was mentioned as the sponsor of the Raw Milk Freedom legislation which is federal legislation. Bjorn stated that the Town Hall Meeting was sponsored by the Kootenai County Republican Central Committee. No raw milk was served.
Question: Are you surprised by the small turnout for the raw milk seminar?
Joe Heller/Hellertoons
I wonder if the first day of sunny weather is like the first day of snow, after listening to the scanner Tuesday. Seems drivers were playing bumper cars throughout Kootenai County, particularly at intersections. T-bones. Head-ons. Kids crashing near Sanders Beach. The ever-present DUI drivers. But no one seems to have been hurt badly. So we can be thankful for that. Be careful out there. Other drivers are cuh-razy. Now for your Wild Card …
San Diego Padres rookie pitcher Evan Scribner wears a “Star Wars” Yoda backpack as he walks in the pouring rain from the bullpen to the clubhouse after defeating the Boston Red Sox 5-1 in a rain-shortened eight innings of an interleague baseball game at Fenway Park in Boston today. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
President Barack Obama says 10,000 troops will come home from Afghanistan by the end of this year as the U.S. mission shifts from combat to support after nearly 10 years of war. The president said a total of 33,000 troops would be withdrawn by next summer, as he announced what he called “the beginning but not the end of our effort to wind down this war”/Associated Press. More here.
Question: Would 2008 presidential candidate Barack Obama approve of the time table to fight the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan being used by President Barack Obama?
Blame the potato chip. It's the biggest demon behind that pound-a-year weight creep that plagues many of us, a major diet study found. Bigger than soda, candy and ice cream. And the reason is partly that old advertising 
cliche: You can't eat just one. “They're very tasty and they have a very good texture. People generally don't take one or two chips. They have a whole bag,” said obesity expert Dr. F. Xavier Pi-Sunyer of the St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital Center in New York. What we eat and how much of it we consume has far more impact than exercise and most other habits do on long-term weight gain, according to the study by Harvard University scientists/Associated Press. More here. (AP photo)
Question: What is your biggest diet demon?
Grizzly bear No. 399 crosses a road in Grand Teton National Park, Wyo., with her three cubs. The bears are part of a family that's become a tourist attraction because of their frequent appearances near roads. Biologists speculate this behavior keeps at bay adult male bears, which sometimes kill cubs. (AP photo/Tom Mangelsen)
It's apparent that the handcuffs on the Coeur d'Alene Police Department bike rack will become a favorite near the police substation at City Park. Huckleberries hears that this photo, featuring William Tickman & Chase Helgeson from Issaquah, Wash., is one of several already taken at the bike rack. More info & another photo here. (Coeur d'Alene police photo)
The Southern Poverty Law Center identified a total of 54 hate groups operating in Washington, Oregon, Idaho 
and Montana in 2010. The Alabama-based human rights group found 15 such groups in Oregon, and 13 each in Washington, Idaho and Montana. Hate groups are defined as those that follow ideologies of the Ku Klux Klan, neo-Nazis, white nationalists, racist skinheads, Christian identity, neo-confederate, black separatist or general hate. By state, in Washington there were two hate groups in the Spokane area, one in the Wenatchee area and 10 in Western Washington. In Idaho, there were seven in the Panhandle, five around Boise and one around Idaho Falls/Associated Press. More here. (AP file photo of Richard Butler & Aryan Nations)
Question: Are you surprised to see that there are 7 hate groups listed for Idaho Panhandle?
The deputy who shot a 74-year-old Spokane Valley pastor will face no disciplinary action over the fatal 
encounter. Deputy Brian Hirzel (of Hayden) properly followed all departmental policies and procedures during the fatal Aug. 25 encounter with Wayne Scott Creach, Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich said today in announcing the results of his internal investigation. He met with members of the Creach family earlier in the day to advise them of the findings as well. The decision disappointed the Creach family. In an e-mail prior to his briefing with the sheriff, Alan Creach — the pastor’s son — again called for the sheriff to stop using unmarked cars on private property, a point of contention that family members believe contributed to the fatal encounter/Thomas Clouse, SR. More here.
Question: Are you surprised by the decision?
A driver who crashed into a log truck and died while being chased by sheriff’s deputies was a Post Falls man 
with severe diabetes, friends say. Authorities identified Daniel James Marinovich, 50, late Tuesday after an autopsy, which concluded he died from injuries sustained in the crash. Investigators are trying to determine if a medical condition may have been a factor, said sheriff’s Lt. Steve Barbieri. A former coworker of Marinovich’s believes he may have suffered a diabetic episode while driving from his new job in Deer park/Meghann Cuniff, SR. More here.
The Coeur d’Alene Police Department recently installed a new bike rack in Coeur d’Alene City Park near the department’s sub-station. The rack was created by students in the North Idaho College welding program on request by the police department and features large handcuffs and the NIC Cardinal mascot. Funding for the materials was provided by the Coeur d’Alene Rotary Club. Pictured, from left, are Coeur d’Alene Police Department Capt. Steve Childers, NIC Trustee and Coeur d’Alene Police Department Sgt. Christie Wood and NIC welding technology instructors Jeremy Dodge and Tim Straw. (NIC photo: Tom Greene)
Question: Can you think of any political group who might be offended by this new public art (a la Kootenai Constitution Party/Ganesha)?
You had to know this was going to happen. Two years ago, in a fit of irrational exuberance, GMAC Insurance 
proclaimed that Idaho drivers were the safest in America. It did so after asking drivers in all 50 states questions taken from actual state Division of Motor Vehicle tests, covering both traffic and safe-driving habits. Idahoans had the highest average test score in the country, answering 87.1 percent of the questions correctly (the average score nationally was 77.1). Last year, we slipped to eighth, and the insurance company this week announced the results for 2011. Let’s just say that if this trend continues, it won’t be long before Idaho’s drivers will be worse than Wyoming’s. Wait a minute: They’re already worse than Wyoming’s/Steve Crump, Twin Falls Times-News. More here.
Question: Do you consider yourself to be a careful driver?
Item: Study shows nearly four unemployed Idahoans for every job opening; more people exhausting benefits/Twin Falls Times-News
More Info: A report released today by the New York-based Conference Board, showed there were still nearly four unemployed Idaho workers for every job opening in the state. Adding to the dismal report are statistics showing that jobs listed with the Idaho Department of Labor have also been down dramatically from pre-recession levels, while more than 10,000 unemployed workers have exhausted all benefits without finding jobs.
Question: Have you been successful in finding a job during this Not-So-Great Recession?
Nothing, ever – nothing – is certain in politics. A candidate or officeholder can literally go from hero to zero in the length of time it takes to send a tweet or jackknife a trailer behind the SUV you have apparently just stolen. 
There are no sure things. Nothing is ever pre-determined in politics. The game must be played, the votes cast and counted. Hero to zero avoided. So, with the acknowledgement that Barack Obama shouldn’t, and by most accounts isn’t, taking a second term for granted next year, the president must have taken some cold comfort from the fact that, until yesterday, the likely GOP field confronting him was not comprised of political world or incumbent beaters. The guy that I’m betting the White House fears the most formally got into the race yesterday. Jon Huntsman, the former Governor of Utah and U.S. Ambassador to China, is all that the rest of the field isn’t – moderate, interesting, possessed of humor and good looks and projecting something like charisma/Marc Johnson, The Johnson Report. More here. (AP file photo)
Question: Which GOP presidential candidate with Morman faith would you prefer — Jon Huntsman or Mitt Romney?
A Missoula County Sheriff's Department SWAT team drives on U.S. Highway 12 near Lolo, Mont., last week after officers responded to a tip about about person living in a remote cabin in the area that they suspected might be fugitive former militia leader David Burgert. Several law enforcement officers from the Missoula County Sheriff's Department and the FBI responded to the area but did not find Burgert. Increasingly, extremists are finding fertile ground for their views in northwest Montana. Story here. (AP Photo/Missoulian, Kurt Wilson)
Earlier this week, Texas Gov. Rick Perry reintroduced a bill that would make it a felony in his state for 
employees of the federal Transportation Safety Administration (TSA) to conduct pre-flight pat down searches at security check points. It looks like Idaho might follow Perry’s lead when lawmakers meet in Boise next year. Rep. Phil Hart, R-Athol, told IdahoReporter.com said he may address search methods in the next legislative session, set to begin in January. “I do plan on revisiting the issue,” said Hart, who unsuccessfully pushed a bill to limit the use of full body scanners at public airports in Idaho in 2010/Dustin Hurst, Idaho Reporter. More here.
Question: Do you want the Idaho Legislature to ban full-body scanners at its public airports?
Airline passenger Jill Tarlow provides this June 9 photo of an unnamed passenger scantily dressed at the airport in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. US Airways is defending its decision to allow the man wearing skimpy women's panties and high heels to fly days before a football player was arrested on a plane in California over a dispute over his saggy pants. The man flew six days before University of New Mexico football player Deshon Marman was arrested on a US Airways flight in San Francisco over allegations he refused to pull up his pants. A US Airways spokeswoman told the San Francisco Chronicle employees were right not to ask the man on the Phoenix flight to cover himself but declined to comment on Marman's arrest. (AP Photo/Jill Tarlow)
Question: Would you be intimidated if a guy dressed like this sat next to you on an airplane?
David Townsend, via Facebook: “Coeur d'Alene is gearing up for Ironman on Sunday. I'm afraid I'm going to
have to skip it again this year. The race pretty much shuts down streets throughout downtown and reroutes traffic all over the county. I appreciate how much Ironman gives to the community. I hope the organizers appreciate how much the community is also giving.”
Question: Do you consider Coeur d'Alene Ironman to be good for the community or a nuisance?
There's a new attraction at Silverwood Theme Park in North Idaho. No, not another roller coaster! Dream 
Machines (interactive computer recycling kiosks) premier this summer at the park. Silverwood has teamed with Pepsi Co. and local Waste Management offices to install 150 recycling receptacles within the Northwest's largest theme park. Two of these recycling machines interact with guests as they recycle their bottles or cans, rewarding them with coupons to Silverwood, discounts at attractions around the country and points for Pepsi merchandise. Nancy DiGiamarco, Silverwood's director of marketing and sales, hopes the machines will be another hit attraction for Silverwood guests/Nancy Dooley, Idaho Conservation League. More here.
Question: Do you go out of your way to support businesses that are environmentally friendly?
Coast to coast and
across the nation
the whispered word
is now “stagflation.”
The Bard of Sherman Avenue
Dogs race through the SpokAnimal Dog Park at High Bridge, including G, at left, and Tesla, right, on Tuesday. A non-native weed, called houndstongue, which spreads easily in animal fur and is toxic to cattle, is forcing the closure of Spokane’s only dog park for two days this week as officials work to eradicate it. SR story here. (SR photo: Dan Pelle)
Question: Have you and your pet used any of the area's new dog parks? Reaction?
(Bristol Palin) has right to be angry with Levi Johnston, and to be miffed as Cindy McCain, Megan McCain, and 
all the rest. However, it doesn’t mean that she has to publicly voice everything, particularly against Johnston who has shown himself to be a trashy individual over the course of the past few years. When you treat the allegations of a trashy person like they’re worth responding to, you increase their credibility and lower yourself to their level. This is something that Sarah Palin didn’t realize which is a big part of the reason why she isn’t better positioned for a 2012 run. She’d be doing far better if she had not engaged in a tit-for-tat with playgirl model Levi Johnston. And sadly that lesson has been lost on Bristol as well/Adam Graham, Adam's Blog. More here. (AP file photo: Bristol Palin and her then boyfriend Levi Johnston meet U.S. Sen. John McCain before 2008 GOP national convention in Minneapolis, Minn.)
Question: Are you interested in reading an autobiography by Bristol Palin?
In an editorial today, Lewiston Tribune opinionator Marty Trillhaase writes of Idaho's tolerance for officials involved in drunken driving (as state Sen. John McGee, R-Caldwell was Sunday). Among others who were cited for DUI and survived:
Question: Why are we so tolerant of DUIs from our elected and appointed officials?
Melissa Luck, now on maternity leave from KXLY, is having her baby this morning via C-section. She has been 
tweeting about the blessed event for several days including this Monday: “My sports guy husband might be tempted to tweet the birth. But, I will urge him to resist!” And: “Biggest difference between an emergency c-section and a planned one? Makeup! Already like this one better.” In the last week, she's also mentioned that her “sports guy husband” has been tempted to tweet re: the birth of their second baby. But Melissa writes: “I will urge him to resist!” Also, she said: “I think I just found the most depressing activity on earth: trying on nursing bras three days before you have a baby.”
Question: Anyone else ready to sing the praises of C-section births over natural ones? Or vice versa?
Originally posted at 2:01 p.m. Tuesday, June 7
Following is a notice circulated by the Kootenai County Republican Legislative Subcommittee: “The Kootenai County Republican Central Committee encourages the public to attend an open forum/town hall meeting concerning U.S. House of Representatives Bill H.R. 1830, authorizing the sale of raw milk by private citizens. The meeting will be held Wednesday, June 22 (today), from 6 to 7:30 p.m., in the community room of the Coeur d'Alene Library (702 E. Front Ave./Coeur d'Alene). More here.
Question: Do you plan to attend the raw milk townhall meeting, pushed by Kootenai County Republicans, tonight?
A fleeing driver who crashed into a log truck and died while being chased by law officers has been identified as a Post Falls man. Daniel James Marinovich, 50, died at the scene of the accident Monday morning on U.S. Highway 395 four miles north of Spokane in the vicinity of Hatch Road. More here.
A child reads a book at “Egalia”, a Swedish preschool aiming at gender stereotypes, in Stockholm, Sweden, Monday. At the “Egalia” preschool, staff avoid using words like “him” or “her” and address the children as “friends” rather than girls and boys. Every little detail has been carefully planned _ from the color and placement of toys to the selection of literature _ to make sure the 30 or so children don't fall into gender stereotypes. “Society expects girls to be girlie, nice and pretty and boys to be manly, rough and outgoing,” says Jenny Johnsson, a 31-year-old teacher. “Egalia gives them a fantastic opportunity to be whoever they want to be.” The public preschool which opened last year in the liberal Sodermalm district of Stockholm is among the most radical examples of Sweden's efforts to engineer equality between the sexes from childhood onward. (AP Photo/Scanpix Sweden, Fredrik Sandberg)
Question: Would you like to live in a gender neutral society?
Comedian Jay Leno tonight returned to the story of Idaho state Sen. John McGee, proclaiming it one of his “favorite stories,” and recounting once again the DUI arrest and jackknifed SUV and cargo trailer two doors down from where it was taken from a stranger's home by the prominent GOP politician. “In his defense, there's not a lot to do in Idaho,” Leno said. “Ever been to Idaho? There's not a lot going on”/Betsy Russell, Eye On Boise. More here.
Question: Do you agree with late-night talk-show host Jay Leno that there's no much going on in Idaho?
The $94,633 in bonuses to legislative staffers isn’t enough to break the state budget. But these ill-timed, one-time payments are big enough to look bad. They leave the perception — accurate or not — that the policymakers are taking care of their own, while stiffing other hard-working and deserving state employees. They send a message — intended or not — that there are winners and losers in a public workforce that extends from the Statehouse to public schools and college campuses. To say nothing of the message to the private sector. Any goodwill and employee loyalty these bonuses purchase will come at a steep collateral cost/Idaho Statesman Editorial Board. More here.
Question: Should Idaho legislators be giving bonuses to staffers at a time when they're slashing education, Medicaid, Health & Welfare, and other important budgets?
Stebbijo: No, I don’t think (Rep. Kathy Sims) should apologize (for claiming Mayor Sandi Bloem & Coeur d'Alene City Council had a conflict of interest in dealing with McEuen Field 
makeover). She is representing her constituents - that is what she is supposed to do. What is published via the media is not in her control. The letter from the prosecutor in Bonner and the AG’s office is an analysis. Granted, it carries weight, but it is not set in stone and is a ‘reply’ and she is entitled to it. IF various city officials believe that she has hurt their reputations or has cast stones that are unwarranted, they have the same recourse available - they can consult attorneys and they can sue. It is called justice.
Question: Do you think this matter is over, now that the state attorney general and the Bonner County prosecutor have opined that there's no merit to it — that Mayor Bloem & the council have no conflicts?
Nick Anderson/Houston Chronicle
I've shaken off most of the cobwebs from my vacation last week — and I'm almost ready to rock 'n roll at Huckleberries Central today. I envy those of you who can be outside today because it appears as though summer finally decided to appear today. It's hard to beat Coeur d'Alene when its sunny outside with temperatures in the high 70s/low 80s. Now, I'll post your Wild Card and search for items to shake things up here …
On her Facebook wall, Kerri Thoreson publishes this photo of a thermometer in Post Falls showing a temperature of 83 degrees today. Anyone remember the last time the temperatures in the Inland Northwest topped 80?
In the annals of May-December romances — heck, early April-late December romances — we have this: a 
16-year-old beauty queen from Ocean Shores has married an actor older than her father. Internet entertainment sites are all abuzz over the nuptuals of Courtney Alexis Stodden, who is trying to put together a singing career, and Doug Hutchison, best known for playing prison guard Percy Wetmore in “The Green Mile.” As an actor, Hutchison specializes in creepy, underhanded types. He's 51/Seattle PI. More here.
DFO: I had 2 aunts who were 14-15 YO when they married 30ish men in the late 1920s. And my wife has female relatives who married as young as 15 way back when.
Question: Did you or any of your relatives marry under age 18?
Darren O'Donnell, 24, a lifelong baseball fan, poses with his bicycle in Tampa, Fla., on June 14. O'Donnell is riding his bicycle to all 30 major league baseball stadiums. The Bellingham, Wash. man is about half way through a bicycle trip to all 30 major league ballparks. Story here. (AP Photo/St. Petersburg Times, Daniel Wallace)
Huckleberries just received poster of next Tea Party Patriots of North Idaho confab. So here it is. Seems NRA executive veep Wayne LaPierre and Dr. Marshall Foster (founder & prez of the Mayflower Institute) will be keynote speakers at the event, tabbed: First Great Northwest 'Clingers' Festival & 2nd Amendment Rally. It will begin at 6 p.m. Friday, July 15, at the Stateline Speedway.
Question: Have you ever attended a local Tea Party function?
Ever wonder what the showers look like inside the Seattle Mariners’ clubhouse? Mariners closer David 
Aardsma tweeted a photo a few weeks ago. Want to see the view from the Safeco Field roof? Aardsma is working on that. Aardsma, 140 characters at a time via Twitter, is bonding with fans this season in ways he never imagined thanks to the link that form of social media provides. He has answered fans’ questions, shown them photos, asked for advice himself and generally provided insight into life as a major leaguer/Kirby Arnold, Everett Herald. More here. (AP file photo)
Question: Do you follow any famous people on Twitter?
Clarence Clemons is shown in this Jan. 29, 2003, AP file picture during an interview at his Singer Island, Fla., home. A spokeswoman for Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band says the saxophone player died in Florida at age 69 on Saturday. Story here. (AP Photo/Hillery Smith Garrison, File)
Question (from Sodahead.com): Who is the greatest rock-n-roll sidekick of all time?
Spokane just made a dubious list. It was ranked No. 4 in the country for car theft rates. The annual “Hot Spots” report from the National Insurance Crime Bureau said the Spokane metropolitan area had 2,763 car thefts in 2010, a rate of 586.35 per 100,000 residents. The Seattle-metro area jumped to 13th from 37th last year on the list, and leads the state with more than 55% of all auto thefts/KREM. More here.
Question: How you ever had a vehicle stolen? Can you tell us about the experience?
I remember sitting through the taunting public commentary by state Rep. Kathy Sims, R-Coeur d'Alene, at the last McEuen Field make-over hearing in which she accused Mayor Sandi Bloem and almost every council 
member of conflicts of interest on the proposal. Sims seem to be enjoying a “gotcha” moment when she finally had caught the Bloem administration and council groupies in misconduct. Since her moment at the podium, Sims has been told by the state attorney general's office that the elected officials aren't guilty of a conflict in the McEuen Field matter and that she should present the matter to County Prosecutor Barry McHugh. Who punted that matter to the Bonner County prosecutor because his wife is involved in public art. Bonner County Prosecutor Louis Marshall agreed with the AG that there's no conflict. Seems like Sims made a public accusation that has been proven unfounded by two independent entities. Now, she should publicly apologize to those she tried to smear. Meanwhile, the crickets at OpenCDA.com are chirping loudly.
Question: Do you expect Rep. Sims to apologize for her errant claim?
Four long boarders pass by as the Mish-an-Nock prepares for its 8 p.m. Monday cruise. “Actually, writes Eye On Sherman Avenue Don Sausser, “there were a group of eight boarders, the most I have ever seen, sailing from around Tubbs Hill toward the NIC beach.”
Question: Do you ever rent paddle boats, para-sail, or ride on Brooks seaplane from the north shore of Lake Coeur d'Alene?
Item: Montana among leading states as births at home rise nationally/Cindy Uken, Billings Gazette
More Info: Less than 1 percent of U.S. births occur at home. But the proportion of home births is markedly increasing, according to researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The spike in home births occurred between 2004 and 2008, rising from 23,150 in 2004 to 28,357 home births in 2008. Between 1990 and 2004, the number of home births had been trending downward. Twenty-seven states had significant increases during those four years. Montana, Vermont and Oregon recorded the highest percentage — about one in 50 births were at home in those states, according to the CDC. In 2008, Montana had the highest number of home births, 275, or 2.18 percent, according to the CDC research.
Question: Were any of your children born at home?
Call it the big flush. Because a 21-year-old man was caught on a security camera urinating into a city reservoir, Oregon's biggest city is sending 8 million gallons of treated drinking water down the drain. Portland officials 
defended the decision Monday, saying they didn't want to send city residents water laced, however infinitesimally, with urine. Public health officials say, however, that urine is sterile in healthy people and that the urine in the reservoir was so diluted — perhaps a half pint in millions of gallons — that it posed little risk. Some people in the city, in the suburbs and around the world called the flush an overreaction, especially since animals such as ducks contribute waste routinely and, sometimes, die in the water/Associated Press. More here. (AP/Oregonian photo: This spot at the Mt Tabor number 1 reservoir is where a 21-year-old man was seen on surveillance video urinating.)
Question: Did Portland over-react to human pee in the reservoir?
The sounds of cowboy gospel music and the faint smell of manure wafted down to the door of the Central 
Wyoming Fairgrounds’ indoor arena on Saturday. Corey Ross, a preacher from Texas, stood before men in cowboy hats and women wearing large belt buckles. As he began to sing about God’s grace, his voice broke through the murmur of stock calves shuffling just a few rows below him in the large arena. In the crowd, some dressed in their country best in preparation for the night’s championship go of the College National Finals Rodeo, while others wore simple T-shirts and sun-bleached baseball caps. They clapped along with Ross’ folksy tune before sitting down, their eyes trained on the singing preacher man/Amy Huddleston, Twin Falls Times-News. More here. (Idaho Press Tribune file photo of high school rodeo in Caldwell)
Question: Do you mind when an athlete uses the podium provided by his/her sport to share his/her faith?
Meesterbox: I worked for Walmart as an assistant manager for a short stint in my early career (regret it and
still have nightmares at times) and the number of crazy customers I had to deal with trying to take advantage of ‘the system’ was phenomenal. One instance a lady dropped a container of laundry detergent and it spilled out onto her flip-flop. She demanded to speak to a manager (lucky me) and she started yelling how we ruined her flip-flop, she deserved a free pair, and took it off and shoved it in my face and told me to smell the damage.
Question: In your experience in retail, do you believe the customer is always right?
Traci Warner of Victor, Mont., describes the harrowing rescue of her six-year-old Tennessee Walker named Calvin from the freezing cold waters of Willow Creek in Corvallis on Sunday. Missoulian story here. (AP Photo/Ravalli Republic, David Erickson)
Florida Marlins interim manager Jack McKeon, left, smokes a cigar in the dugout as he talks with third base coach Joey Espada before an interleague baseball game against the Los Angeles Angels Monday in Miami. At 80 years old, McKeon is the second oldest person to manage a Major League Baseball club. The legendary Connie Mack was the oldest. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)
Question: What do you plan to be doing at age 80?
Via email, Avista's Dan Kolbet writes: “Avista was just named the top utility in social media by our utility peers 
through a survey conducted by E Source, an energy analysis and research firm. Part of that recognition speaks to our commitment to have the sometimes hairy discussions about energy and the industry on your blog and S-R/other media comments. Our social media program was built on the model that says an authentic voice is the most effective way to engage with our customers. This channel is successful because we’ve committed to it as a complement to all of the other efforts employees take part in daily.” You can read Dan's entire blog post here. (SR file photo)
Question: Do you appreciate Avista's commitment to be involved in the social media? Should other utilities & major corporation follow the model “that says an authentic voice is the most effective way to engage customers”?
She was banned from every Walmart in the United States for life, and it was all because of an argument over 
coupons. April Cuevas says Walmart has started “cracking down” on extreme couponers like herself who want to use coupons from other stores to save money. Cuevas says she was told that Walmart's “Ad Match” policy had changed late last week, and asked to speak with a store manager so she could better understand why. She decided to record the interchange — which quickly became an argument — with her iPhone. She says the action wasn't welcomed by the Walmart manager, who slapped her hand away and told her to pay the full price of her groceries or leave. Which she did. That's when things got weird/Fox12Idaho. More here. H/T: Sam Crawford. (AP file photo)
Question: Did Nampa WalMart do the right thing by banning an extreme couponer for life in all of its stores?
Mark Hill of Nashville, Tenn., has his photo taken by Sayde Lewis, 11, of Nashville, Tenn., outside the office of Rep. Anthony Weiner, D-N.Y., on Capitol Hill in Washington this morning. Weiner's last day in Congress will be today, he has told House and New York State officials. You write the cutline. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
At the KEA Blog, Terry Harris writes: “New lines for Congressional districts are not likely to affect north Idaho, as the entire panhandle is expected to remain in the 1st Congressional district. However, new lines in legislative districts are likely to shift significantly. Census data shows a significant migration away from rural areas and into more urban and suburban areas. Kootenai County and the Rathdrum Prairie cities kept pace with Idaho’s overall growth, but Shoshone and Clearwater Counties lost residents and Boundary, Bonner and Benewah counties grew at a somewhat slower rate than the rest of the state. The result is that the more rural panhandle — consisting of Districts 1 through 8 — has lost about half of a legislative district.”
Question: Wouldn't it be a hoot if District 2 is realigned to force Rep. Phil Hart, R-Athol, or his other 2 District 3 playmates to run against the current District 2 legislators, including Rep. Dick Harwood, R-St. Maries?
Investigators examineacrash scene Monday on U.S. Highway 395 near Deer Park. The driver of the red car was killed, after he attempted to outrun police during a routine traffic stop. Meghann Cuniff SR story here. (SR photo: Dan Pelle)
Here's good news for bloggers and online commenters who may have been intimidated by the suit-happy tactics of Las Vegas Review-Journal and partner Righthaven. A judge has ruled “that a man didn’t violate copyright law when he posted a complete Las Vegas Review-Journal editorial to an online forum.” As you may recall, Righthaven, acting on behalf of the Review-Journal, routinely files suit against individuals who use the newspaper's material without permission. If memory serves me correctly, Idaho blogger Clayton Cramer was intimidated by a Review-Journal suit into shutting down his blog. You can read more about this development here. Also, you can read how the same judge ruled that Righthaven doesn't have legal standing to file suits on behalf of the Las Vegas Review-Journal here.
Question: Are you careful and respectful in using media copy for your blog and online posts?
A record breaking cold and wet spring means Ironman participants will be feeling the sting of the cold waters of Coeur d’Alene. The water temperature is in the low fifties, but athletes say it won’t slow them down. Ironman participants will swim 2.4 miles during the Sunday race. Some out-of-town participants are already testing out the water. “It’s chilly, but you kind of just get numb. Once the numbness sets in, you just go,” said Caitlin Snow who lives in Boston/Katie Utehs, KREM. More here.
Question: Should the 2011 Coeur d'Alene Ironman be canceled to protect triathletes from cold Lake Coeur d'Alene?
In a lengthy response to criticism re: the protest against the public art statue of Hindu god Ganesha at 6th & 
Sherman by the Kootenai County Constitution Party, Chairman Daniel Brennan writes on his Web site that many agreed with his local party's demonstration. But were too intimidated by political correctness to take a stand. Writes Brennan on the local Constitution Party Web site: “As I chatted with others the general sentiment was one and the same with my own — that the statue was, on Christian principle, offensive to the vast majority of Coeur d’Alene residents, an egregious misappropriation of public resources, and in light of the constant and ongoing litigious crusade against any and all Christian symbols all over the country, a gross expression of governmental hypocrisy.” You can read more here.
Question: Has the Ganesha hubbub given the Kootenai County Constitution Party its 15 minutes of fame?
The Sandpoint Assembly of God church is dealing with tens of thousands of dollars worth of damage thanks to two 16-year-old vandals who decided to discharge fire extinguishers all across the church's interior.”It's not easy to not take it personally,” Pastor Brian Noble said.Police say two 16-year-old boys entered the church through a window sometime Thursday night, got their hands on all the fire extinguishers and let them go. The ventilation system picked the stuff up and coated almost the entire building/Anusha Roy, KXLY. More here.
Question: What should be done with the vandals, if found guilty?
For a lawmaker who has long championed restrictions on texting while driving, citing the risk to public safety, McGee’s arrest seemed all the more out of character with his political persona. The 38-year-old McGee lands 
on the short list of top recent Idaho political scandals. The results have been a mixed bag. Boise Mayor Brent Coles resigned in 2003 and served jail time over a City Hall spending scandal. U.S. Sen. Larry Craig reneged on his 2007 “intent” to resign when he pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct after a Minneapolis airport restroom arrest; Craig completed his term, then retired. Lt. Gov. Butch Otter rebounded from a 1993 drunken-driving conviction to climb the career ladder to Congress and the governor’s office. McGee’s political future is ripe for speculation, at a later date. McGee is, for now, a criminal suspect facing serious charges. No more — but also no less. He deserves his chance to answer to his charges/Kevin Richert, Statesman. More here.
Question: Obviously, McGee deserves a chance to explain his side of this bizarre story in court. But does that mean the public should be quiet re: speculation about this case and his political future?
This is one of the new, more explicit graphics for cigarette package labels, released by Health Canada on Dec. 30, 2010. The. U.S. isn’t the first country to require graphic cigarette labels on packs. We look around the world at what over countries are doing. In recent years, 30 countries or jurisdictions have introduced similar labels. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Health Canada)
Question: Do warning labels, even explicit ones like this, reduce smoking?
Oh, my. Idaho state Sen. John McGee's troubles made Jay Leno's monologue tonight. Leno asked, “Did you hear his excuse? He said computer hackers got into his bloodstream and put alcohol in there.” Reflecting on the recent revelations about a New York congressman, a California governor and an Idaho state senator, Leno asked, “Is it spring break for politicians?”/Betsy Russell, Eye On Boise.
Question: What causes elected officials — almost always male — to behave so badly?
More and more people are looking for their food to be fresh and pesticide free.Now some are taking matters 
into their own hands by building urban chicken coops in their own backyards.Sue Puhek has a farm in her backyard. She and her husband Paul raise chickens and sell the eggs. They have been raising chickens for years and are now starting to teach people how to do the same as backyard chicken coops are growing in popularity.The Puheks say raising chickens is less work than having a dog or a cat/Erik Loney, KXLY. More here. (SR file photo for illustrative purposes)
Question: I noticed some chickens in a fenced yard along 7th Street, south of Harrison, a couple of weeks ago during a bike ride. Do you have any urban chickens living near you? Have the chickens caused problems?
A sinister part of me would rather not be spreading the word about the hundreds upon hundreds of collectibles that will be auctioned Thursday night inside the Spokane Valley Applebee’s restaurant at Mission 
and Pines. Applebee’s, you see, will soon be updating its décor. So the management decided to let the public bid on the eye-catching items that have been displayed on the restaurant’s walls for years. Most of the items were donated back when the restaurant opened its doors. The idea was to infuse the business with local flavor. Items like vintage advertising signs, say. And celebrity photographs. And movie posters. And Valley high school band uniforms. And musical instruments. And old fishing gear/Doug Clark, SR. More here. (SR photo: Dan Pelle)
Question: What type(s) of memorabilia do you collect?
As I said in the comments section … Christa Hazel earned a monster Hat Tip for her superb job of subbing for me while I was on vacation last week at Huckleberries Central. I'm extremely fortunate to have two sharp women who understand this blog culture ready to sub for me. As you know, Cindy was also on vacation last week. Which meant Christa had to step in untested with only an hour or two of instruction. Now, I'll post this Wild Card while I try to shake off the cob webs that gathered during my week off …
Attorney Scott McKay, foreground, speaks as his client Idaho State Senator John McGee is arraigned via video monitor on charges of misdemeanor drunken driving and taking a vehicle without the owner's consent, causing more than $1,000 damage, a felony, today at Ada County Court, in Boise, Idaho. McGee later posted $5,000 bail and was released from the Ada County Jail. (AP Photo/The Idaho Statesman, Chris Butler)
Question: Will McGee survive politically?
On Father's Day, Liz penned a poignant piece, titled “Fathers & other strangers.” It begins: “I should be writing 
some big tribute to my dad. However, I did not have a father, not really in the sense that people who write odes to someone who exerted a great influence on their life did, anyway. Oh, sure, he lived in our home until he died when I was ten. But I don't remember interacting with him much and some of the stories I have heard floating around from other family members (which may or may not be true) indicate that it is in the realm of possibility that that might be a very good thing. It's not like I have some horribly abusive memory to erase in the same way that mother's day leaves a bad taste in my mouth because of a lot of the very unloving things that my mother did in the name of “love”. It's more like I draw a blank. I have no idea what it might be like to have had some male figure be there for me. More here. (AP file illustration)
Question: Are special days for parents painful for you because of loss of one or both — or a childhood that was less than idyllic?
Item: US troops coming home? Obama to say on Wednesday/Associated Press
More Info: President Barack Obama will announce the critical next steps in America's decade-long war in Afghanistan on Wednesday, outlining both a plan to start bringing thousands of U.S. troops home next month and a broader withdrawal blueprint aimed at giving Afghans control of their own security in 2014. But even as Obama finalizes those plans, there are divisions in his administration, with military leaders favoring only a gradual reduction in troops but other advisers advocating a significant decrease in the coming months.
Question: If you were a presidential adviser, what would you recommend President Obama should do re: American troops in Afghanistan?
In this photo by Bryan Correll, published on As The Lake Churns, the expression on the face of a young swimmer named Zack indicates how cold Priest Lake still is.
Stickman & Walkabout provide this photo of a couple of osprey in a nest above Tubbs Hill earlier this spring.
Hucks Online numbers (for vacation week of June 12-18): 31,647/20,998
Led
by Kootenai Environmental Alliance, regional conservation groups filed comments June 10th with the Idaho Water Resources Board on the draft Comprehensive Aquifer Management Plan for our local Rathdrum Prairie Aquifer. According to the comments, the plan is “not specific enough, not enforceable enough, and doesn’t go far enough to properly protect the aquifer resources.” The comments expressed concern that the plan would prove to be insufficient to protect the aquifer over the plan’s long-term planning horizon. KEA was joined by Spokane Riverkeeper, Lake Pend Oreille Waterkeeper and the Lands Council in comments to the Water Board/Terry Harris, KEA Blog. More here.
Question: Does the KEA's objections to the draft Rathdrum Prairie Aquifer plan concern you?
Don Sausser, Huckleberries Online's Eye On Sherman Avenue, snapped this photo of the moon over Tubbs Hill & McEuen Field this weekend.
Jared Howerton drives down a winding, single-lane dirt road on a 300-acre farm in North Idaho surrounded by 
tall pine trees and open highway. He stops into a musty-smelling basement filled with mismatched refrigerators, where he retrieves three barely labeled half-gallon jars of raw, unpasteurized milk. He puts them in the rear of his Volkswagen Rabbit and slams the hatchback closed. Howerton, wearing a beanie, says the milk is healthier than its grocery store counterpart and helps him stick it to the man — greedy corporations, industrialized agriculture, Republicans. His farmer, Luana Hiebert, calls herself a conservative, however, and says the same product helps her fight big government/Heidi Groover, Inlander. More here. (Inlander photo)
Question: Have you ever consumed raw milk? Impression?
As I sit here typing, I am currently in a haze of hot dog bliss after consuming a divine Dangerous Dog lunch consisting of the #7, the All Cheese Dog. Cheddar, Monterey Jack, Mozzarella, Cotija cheese, and whole grain 
mustard all layered nice and thick on a plump wiener on an intensely fresh-baked bun that was soft and doughy on the outside and crispy golden in the center. It was a fantastic way to spend my lunch break and very well worth every penny of the $4 i put into it. Cheese nirvana! Today was actually my third experience with the Dangerous Dog, and like cheap no-prescription narcotics mail-ordered surreptitiously from overseas, I'm totally hooked. These folks do wonderful, creative things with the blank canvas of a hot dog, and really, downtown Coeur d'Alene kinda got a few notches groovier overall when they decided to open up their doors/OrangeTV, Get Out! North Idaho. More here.
Question: How do you best like your hot dog prepared?
Five North Idaho men are wanted on felony warrants by the Kootenai County Sheriff's Department, according to Major Ben Wolfinger's weekly warrant report, including Joel Robert Jacobs, 41, of Rathdrum (upper left). Jacobs is wanted for failure to appear in court in a felony DUI case. Bond has been set for him in the amount of $50,000. Others being sought by Major Ben & Co. are: Samuel Leroy Pearson, 49, of Post Falls (upper center), for alleged probation violation in an aggravated assault case (bail: $40,000); 
Ronald Wayne Rollins Jr., 35, of Pinehurst (upper right), in a case involving burglary and obtaining a controlled substance by fraud (bail: $20,000); Cody James Rupnick, 25, of Rathdrum (lower left), for alleged probation violation in a case originally involving possession of a controlled substance (bail: $35,000); and Eric Larry Wishart, 44, of Coeur d'Alene (lower right), for alleged probation violation in a case originally involving aggravated battery, battery, and 2 counts of delivery of a controlled substance (bail: $75,000). Complete list of warrants here.
On his Get Out! North Idaho Facebook page, OrangeTV offers this Food Porn alert for
I saw something during the lunch hour that brought a smile to my face, as I turned from s/b 15th Street (near the ongoing road construction) west onto Harrison Avenue — a man and a woman riding horses on the sidewalk. Adding to the rare sighting in Coeur d'Alene proper was the fact that the woman was holding two, large, purpose irises aloft in her right hand.
Question: Describe a strange sight that you've seen in your North Idaho town this spring?
Item: Number of bicyclists hit by vehicles in Idaho jumps 24.5 percent in four years/Brad Guire, Twin Falls Times-News
More Info: According to the Idaho Transportation Department Office of Highway Safety’s 2010 report, the number of crashes with serious injuries has risen in a five-year period. From 2006 to 2010, the amount of pedestrians sustaining serious injuries is up 1.7 percent. For bicyclists, the same figure has spiraled by 24.5 percent.
Question: Have you had a close call with a motorist while riding a bicycle? Please describe.
In an attempt to ensure accuracy, Kootenai County Clerk Cliff Hayes personally recounted one highway district race on the May 17 ballot with an election worker. Hayes said “the close tallies in some races made me want 
to confirm the accuracy of the ballot counting machines.” No recount requests were received from any of the candidates however, and the legal deadline for challenging has passed without incident. 12 voters have been sent letters to re-register after a spot-check found they had listed the Elections office as their residence. “These 12 people were originally following a directive from the Secretary of State to register at an address which is a County facility”, said Hayes, “because they were either serving in the military or traveling overseas”/Kootenai County Clerk's Department news release. More here.
Question: What do you think of Cliff Hayes' hands-on approach to confirm accuracy of highway district races?
On his Outdoors blog, Rich Landers publishes the experiences of a group of bicyclists who recently enjoyed 
the Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes: “We did a key exchange on Trail of Cd'A Sunday late afternoon/evening. It was spectacularly beautiful with the dark threatening clouds. All the colors seemed intensified, the wind had calmed and there were reflections in the water everywhere. Brisk 54 degrees and the trail was pretty much empty except around Harrison. The North Fork of the Coeur d'alene had mist on it by 6 p.m. Fly fishermen were out; fish were surfacing. Evidence of the river's flooding was still apparent. The area of Bull Run to Cataldo was full of wildlife: Three moose, one elk swam and exited onto the hillside, deer, pelicans, and all sorts of bird life.” More here. (SR file photo: The Chatcolet Bridge is a highlight on the Trail of the Coeur d’Alenes.)
Question: Have you ridden the Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes? Impression?
A woman twirls a Hula hoop while leading Seattle's SlutWalk march on Sunday. Demonstrators marched from Cal Anderson Park towards Westlake Center via Pine Street. The marches were organized in response to a Canadian police officer's remark that to avoid being raped “women should avoid dressing like sluts.” Chelsea Bannach/SR reports on Spokane SlutWalk here. (AP Photo/seattlepi.com, Joe Dyer)
Question: Have you — or would you — participate in a SlutWalk?
Eric Barro of Lake City Photography attends Car d'Lane each year to honor the memory of his father, a racing and auto enthusiast. On his Facebook page, Eric writes: “My dad loved cars. I remember him taking me to slot 
car racing tournaments where I spent several hours watching him and his buddies work on their scale model slot cars and raced them until the wee hours of the morning. … He worked for a car dealership and he would bring home posters of Mustangs, Corvettes and Camaros and I would stare at them for hours imagining myself driving one of those beauties. He even let me play with scale models of those cars. (Eric snapped the photo above during Car d'Lane over the weekend. You can read the rest of Eric's story and see more Car d'Lane photos here.)
Question: What did you do to honor your father over the weekend?
“Jackass” star Ryan Dunn, who along with his castmates made Americans cringe and snicker through vulgar stunts in their multimillion-dollar TV and movie franchise, was killed early Monday in a fiery car crash. He was 34. Dunn, a daredevil whose most famous skits included diving into a sewage tank and shoving a toy car into his rectum, was driving his 2007 Porsche in suburban Philadelphia when it went off the road into the woods and burst into flames. A passenger was also killed, and speed may have been a factor in the crash, West Goshen Township police said. Dunn appeared on MTV shows “Jackass” and “Viva La Bam” and the three “Jackass” big-screen adaptations. He also was the star of his own MTV show, “Homewrecker,” and hosted “Proving Ground” on the G4 cable network/Associated Press. More here. (Photo: Wikipedia)
Question: Is it strange that a vehicle accident killed Dunn, after all the stupid, dangerous stunts that he survived?
What's more Coeur d'Alene than punk rock? An even better question would be: what's more punk rock than 
punk rock? Answer : D'Mouse Trap. Other than the Cove Bowl (R.I.P.), there isn't another venue within twenty miles that exudes the essence of punk as much as D'Mouse Trap. Exactly what is the essence of punk, you ask? It's a tough to describe, but it smells something like a mixture of stale beer, B.O., GPC cigarettes, vomit and two other bodily fluids of your choice. With that in mind, D'Mouse Trap seemed like the perfect venue (smell-wise, at the very least) to host a reunion show for the only punk band from Coeur d'Alene to stick around long enough for people to remember their name: Fattercox. Or Splattercox. Or Starfox. Something like that/OrangeTV, Get Out! North Idaho. More here.
Question: Any punk rock fans out there?
Marchers carry a rope along US Highway 95 simulating the length of the megaloads the Idaho Transportation Department issued permits for last week, during an International Day of Action Against the Tar Sands protest Saturday in Moscow. Moscow-Pullman Daily News story here. (Daily News photo: Dean Hare)
Question: Why does the Coeur d'Alene area seem unconcerned that megaloads will be routed northward via Highway 95 & Interstate 90?
Tracey Carleton said her two teenage sons woke her up about 2 a.m. Sunday, saying a drunk man (identified as Idaho state Sen. John McGee) had jack-knifed the neighbor’s Ford Excursion and a 20-foot trailer in their large south Boise yard. The man had 
wandered around the property, up and down the road and eventually went to sleep in the vehicle’s back seat. Another vehicle and trailer on the Carleton’s property were damaged along with the neighbor’s Excursion and trailer, she said. Carleton said her husband, Joe, a volunteer chaplain at the Ada County Jail, went outside to speak with the barefooted man, who said he was looking for the “promised land.” When he saw Tracey Carleton in her white bathrobe on the front porch, he said, “Look there’s an angel,” she said. Then the Carletons called police/Kathleen Kreller, Idaho Statesman. More here. (AP file photo) H/T: Sisyphus
Question: Have you ever been so drunk that you saw angels?
One of the most annoying things about elders my age is that we have lived long enough to see humanity rise 
high and fall low and we can't resist blurting out judgments on whether our unstable species is getting calmer or crazier. When you look back across three or four generations, you see a changed world. Unfortunately, we in the geriatric portion of the population can't agree on whether humankind is mellowing or barely clinging to its marginal sanity. Some see the glass half full. Some see it half empty. Count me in neither column. I see the glass two-thirds full. Over recent decades, we have taken more steps forward than backward/Bill Hall, Lewiston Tribune. More here.
Question: Do you think humanity is advancing or digressing as a species?
State Sen. John McGee hasn't been heard from yet; his initial court appearance isn't scheduled until this afternoon. But the story of the Caldwell Republican's bizarre arrest on misdemeanor drunken-driving and 
felony grand theft charges has long since gone viral on the Internet — and international. London's Daily Mail jumped across the pond to write about McGee. In a sidebar — under the headline, “When Will All These Lawmakers Learn?” — the Daily Mail likened McGee to former U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner, D-N.Y., who resigned amidst a Twitter photo scandal. I was a bit surprised that the Daily Mail took interest in an Idaho state legislator's travails, no matter how juicy the details/Kevin Richert, Idaho Statesman. More here.
Question: Can anyone answer the question posed by London's Daily Mail: 'When will all these lawmakers learn?' Also, izzit just me or does the overwhelming number of misbehaving lawmakers tend to be male?
Sgt. Tommy Simonds, center, raises a photograph of Commandant of the Marine Corps James F. Amos, a 1970 University of Idaho ROTC alumnus, after a fire damaged the UI Navy ROTC building Saturday in Moscow. See story below. (AP Photo/The Moscow-Pullman Daily News, Dean Hare)
Update (from KXLY): Moscow Fire Chief says hot briquettes from a BBQ likely caused the fire that heavily damaged the Navy ROTC building on the U of I campus.
Item: Loads permitted for Coeur d'Alene: Alternate route uses U.S. Highway 95/Betsy Russell, Eye On Boise.
More Info: The Idaho Transportation Department has issued the first two permits for modified megaloads of oil field equipment to travel up U.S. Highway 95 to Coeur d’Alene, then turn onto Interstate 90 to Montana. The two loads could start moving as soon as June 27, destined for the Alberta oil sands in Canada. They’re among 33 giant loads of oil equipment that have been stalled in Lewiston for months, awaiting permits to travel on scenic, twisting U.S. Highway 12 to Montana. Imperial Oil/ExxonMobil has been cutting those loads in half, reducing their height but not their length or width, to allow them to travel on the interstate.
Question: Is it fair that the Coeur d'Alene area is stuck with mini-megaloads without much input?
Don Sausser, Huckleberries Eye On Sherman Avenue, spotted a small plane advertising Geico insurance as it was blying over Tubbs Hill Sunday. It also flew over Blossom Mountain. (And I spotted it a week ago en route to the Spokane airport.
Question: I consider insurance companies to be a necessary evil. How about you?
Item: Politico: Labrador could be GOP’s ‘credible face for immigration reform’/Betsy Russell, Eye On Boise
More Info: Politico yesterday took a look at Idaho Rep. Raul Labrador as a possible “credible face for broader immigration reform” for the GOP. Reporter Marin Cogan writes, “Wading into the tricky politics of immigration reform would seem to be a dead end for any Republican these days — let alone a conservative freshman from Idaho. But Rep. Raul Labrador, a Puerto Rican-born former immigration lawyer and overnight tea party darling, is doing just that.
Question: Would you be proud/dismayed if Congressman Labrador becomes the credible GOP face for immigration reform in this country?
Item: Idaho Senate leader McGee arrested for DUI, vehicle theft/Associated Press
More Info:
Idaho Senate Republican Caucus Chairman John McGee was arrested early Sunday after police say he took a Ford Excursion and cargo trailer from the Boise home of a “complete stranger” and a blood-alcohol test showed the four-term lawmaker had been drinking. The lawyer for the 38-year-old senator, who represents Caldwell and is the head of the Canyon County GOP, says McGee is embarrassed by the situation and intends to handle his legal case responsibly.
Question: Is there anything Idaho GOP leadership can do to stem misconduct by key members?
Item: Bonner County prosecutor: No conflict of interest: Marshall: Officials won't benefit from McEuen project/Tom Hasslinger, Coeur d'Alene Press
More Info: Bonner County Prosecutor Louis Marshall said Friday conflict of interest violations for Coeur d'Alene city officials regarding the McEuen Field project do not exist. … The Bonner County Prosecutors reviewed a complaint from Coeur d'Alene Rep. Kathy Sims that said ethics in government laws were breached as Coeur d'Alene city officials worked on the conceptual plan for the downtown park because some officials have business and property ties near the park.
Question: Should state Rep. Kathy Sims apologize to Mayor Sandi Bloem and the Coeur d'Alene City Council for her frivolous, public accusation that they had a conflict of interest in dealing with McEuen Field?
Have a great Father's Day, folks! If you get a chance to go enjoy any of this weekend's area activities (Car d'Lane, Gyro Days, some brew fest at the fairgrounds, etc.), check back in here and let us know how it was. Monday morning, all should be right with the world — DFO will be back in the driver's seat. Hopefully, he will be able to get back into his groove quickly because he has been missed. And thanks for putting up with my nonsense all week!
A special shout out to Cindy Hval, who usually sits in for DFO on vacation. If it weren't for her also going on vacation this week (not with DFO), I may not have had the opportunity to sit behind the controls here at HBO. Cindy - Hope you had a great getaway!
New York State Senator Roy McDonald (R-Saratoga) responds to gay marriage opponents over criticism for changing his mind and now supporting the law moving through the senate legalizing same-sex marriage. Sen. McDonald told reporters,
You get to the point where you evolve in your life where everything isn't black and white, good and bad, and you try to do the right thing. You might not like that. You might be very cynical about that. Well, f– it, I don't care what you think. I'm trying to do the right thing. I'm tired of Republican-Democrat politics. They can take the job and shove it. I come from a blue-collar background. I'm trying to do the right thing, and that's where I'm going with this.
You can read more here.
Do you think this quote could apply to other political topics?
Wayne Hoffman of the Idaho Freedom Foundation, offers an opinion published at The Coeur d'Alene Press website here. Hoffman writes,
Taxpayers should ask local government officials about staff levels. Is the local government planning office staffed like it was a few years ago when the economy was chugging along? Are police departments staffed like it was when crime was higher? Is police overtime going up or down now that crime is lower? For school districts, taxpayers should ask about the growth in administration and non-teaching positions, and what steps have been taken to cut out the administrative bureaucracies have that have taken hold in our school districts in recent years. Certainly, there are more questions to ask. This is a start. Taxpayers — go to your local government budget hearings. Ask questions. Demand answers.”
At some level, shouldn't we allow our leaders to lead instead of micromanage at every meeting?
Rush Limbaugh is selling his own beverage, Two If By Tea. Emblazoned with a picture of Limbaugh dressed in full colonial costume, 'Two If By Tea' takes its name from Longfellow's famous poem, Paul Revere's Last Ride, about the arrival of British troops during the War of Independence.
According to its website, the tea represents 'traditional American values of capitalism and the pursuit of excellence', and each bottle 'is designed to rise above the sameness and mediocrity that threatens our great nation.'
A percentage of every sale will go to the Marine Corps Law Enforcement Foundation, a charity which helps the children of servicemen who died in combat. Limbaugh said: 'I wanted to demonstrate that even in this economy, with an oppressive regime like the one we have standing in the way of economic growth that it can still happen with ambition and with ingenuity and with desire.' Read more here.
Anyone (besides me) curious about this product? OR fill in the blank: I would rather ______________ before I tried this.
A newly launched URL, pottermore.com, indicates that author J.K. Rowling has a few more tricks up her sleeve. As of now, there really isn't much to go on. The site is bare-bones. Two owls sit atop branches and there's a “coming soon” message. That's it. Click on the owls and you're taken to a YouTube link with a countdown to the mysterious announcement. As of now, the big reveal is a little less than a week away on Wednesday, June 22. More on the internet buzz here.
Care to guess what the big announcement will be?
On Monday and Tuesday, the 39-member education technology task force met for the first time, beginning work on how Idaho can best implement technological upgrades in Gem State classrooms. The two-day meeting, estimated to cost a little more than $11,000, is the first in a series of ongoing expenses as the task force moves forward with its work.
According to figures given to IdahoReporter.com Tuesday by Department of Education communication director Melissa McGrath, the total cost for all the meetings could be as much as $175,000 by the end of the year. McGrath noted that while $175,000 is budgeted to meetings, Luna is “committed to spending less than budgeted, if possible.” It was noted that Govs. Jeb Bush and Jerry Wise paid for their own way to this week's meeting. Read more here.
The 70th Annual Lead Creek Derby & Gyro Days continues in Wallace this weekend. More information can be found at the Wallace Gyros website here. The Lead Creek Derby starts at noon at the Last Chance Bridge in Mullan where giant balls are dropped in the water. People will then follow the balls as they float down the creek to Wallace. (Courtesy photo)
Have you witnessed Gyro Days in Wallace? Can you describe it to someone like me who wondered why Wallace celebrates greek sandwiches? Does wagering take place?
Documents:
Former New York Giant David Tyree spoke about his views against gay marriage in a video for the National Organization for Marriage while former New York Giant Michael Strahan openly advocates the legalization of same sex marriage in the state of New York.
In his video, David Tyree states, “How can marriage be marriage for thousands of years and now all the sudden because a minority, an influential minority, has a push or agenda … and totally reshapes something that was not founded in our country,” Tyree continued. “You can't teach something that you don't have, so two men will never be able to show a woman how to be a woman.” Full interview video here.
On the other hand, Michael Strahan stated in an interview, “I have plenty of gay friends, and I don't judge them. I want them to have all the same rights I have, and all the opportunities I have to be in a relationship, a great relationship, with the person that they're in love with.” Read more here.
Tyree or Strahan? Does it make it harder to watch athletes be athletes if you don't agree with their politics?
Former University of Montana law professor and outspoken conservative Rob Natelson has been denied his request for professor emeritus status, a decision he called “petty” and “inexplicable.” Natelson, who retired in May 2010 after serving 23 years as a professor in the law school to take a job as a senior fellow with the Independence Institute, was informed upon his return to Montana in June that the law school faculty had voted against granting the constitutional scholar emeritus status.
Natelson has been an outspoken advocate for the conservative movement in Montana, leading ballot initiatives, hosting radio talk shows and twice running unsuccessfully for governor. For years, Natelson said he's had to fight for a sabbatical, course assignments, reimbursement for legitimate travel expenses, and he doesn't know if he has the energy to appeal the decision regarding emeritus status to the provost, UM president or the Montana Board of Regents.
Law School Dean Irma Russell says she could not speculate as to why the faculty denied Natelson's request. “The faculty considered the standards set forth by the policy,” she said. “Each faculty member has to make a judgment and vote their conscience.” Read the full article here. Missoulian Photo/Kurt Wilson
Is this a case of liberal academia sticking it to the conservative? Or is this a cautionary tale encouraging one to get along with their co-workers?
In a followup to a previous HBO post (here), David Hickam, the guy who stole 5 cents worth of tinfoil and then 
used pepper spray on the security guard who tried to subdue him, was sentenced to prison yesterday. Hickam received the 47 month sentence Thursday after a jury found him guilty of first degree robbery. In addition to prison time, he will get mandatory drug treatment and is prohibited from entering any Rite Aid for the next twenty years.
Hickam's sister in law, Lorelei Hickam thinks the case was overcharged. “It's just unrealistic to think that David was the aggressor in this situation. That's why David had pepper spray . He was always victimized and he didn't fight. He wouldn't throw punches. He never had a gun or a knife or anything like that,” Hickam said.
Had this been Hickam's first conviction instead of his twenty first, perhaps the court would have handed down a different sentence. More details and video report here.
Note: The prosecutor in this case is my brother-in-law, Tony Hazel. The kids were very excited to see their uncle on television yesterday regarding this story.
Reports of a camel on a property in eastern Spokane County led to the recent arrest of a mother and daughter duo already charged with animal cruelty.
The camel belonged to a neighbor, but animal control officers say Kelly J. Covey, 49, had two dogs in her camper - a violation of a court order. The restriction has been in place since a Jan. 29 raid at the property, 6204 N. Idaho Road, that led to charges against Covey, her mother, Carol McMullen, 70, and Mullen's son, James W. McMullen. In addition to the camel, SCRAPS investigators found cows and llamas at 6204 N. Idaho Road that also violated court orders. Read more here.
Sad case but prompts the question, “How does one go about getting a camel around here?”
Customers at the Kootenai County Driver's License Office have been facing up to 4-hour waits this month, due to complications with the office's new, state-required computer system, training of new staff and seasonal crowds. The new system requires fraud-prevention technology that is only offered in Boise.
This means that instead of licenses being created at the county office and handed out minutes after ID photos are snapped, the county must send customers' records via computer to the Boise office, where licenses are created and mailed to recipients within 7 to 10 days. A temporary license is printed out for folks to use before the final version arrives. Complicating matters, the State added more computers with very little training on how to use it and the state network “fails almost daily.” Read more about this here. CdA Press Photo/Shawn Gust
Does it seem as though someone set out to intentionally make things more complicated? Anyone worried about the “More Computers/Less Staff” reform theme that is prevalent right now?
As a Huckster, I've always hated DFO vacations. The week drags out and its impossible for those filling in to provide the really important things like Scanner Traffic. I can tell you that sitting on this side of the HBO Controls, the week flies by as a blur. DFO will be returning on Monday to fire up HBO Central and shake out the cobwebs.
Father's Day is this Sunday. According to just about every greeting card I've read, this will require beer, a BBQ and some TV time since he's not really a golfer. Father's Day stereotypes are about as dumb as Mother's Day stereotypes. Feel free to post your own ways that you will honor and celebrate the fathers in your life. Car d'Lane perhaps?
Using gambling analogies, Jeff Ward writes in his Kootenai County Reagan Republican Newsletter about lessons learned from the recent May 17th nonpartisan elections while looking forward to the November local elections for city council, which is also non-partisan. Mr. Ward writes,
Republicans and conservatives just had a very successful May 17 election in Kootenai County and we could just rest on our laurels and pat ourselves on the back. Yet, I don't think that would help our community much. We on that other hand can take the electoral lessons learned and the political capital gained and parlay them into a much bigger wager on the November 8 elections. We could “double down” on the good bet of Republicans and conservatives winning key city council and fire district seats. If we win, it will be a huge win for our community, the taxpayers and the North Idaho way of life. Link.
Do you agree that the efforts offered by the KCRR would be “a huge win for our community” in our non-partisan offices like city council?
Rep. Anthony Weiner resigned from office Thursday, saying, “Unfortunately, the distraction that I have created” has made it “impossible” to continue his work in Congress. Weiner apologized “for the personal mistakes I have made and for the embarrassment I have caused” to his neighbors, his constituents, and his wife.
Republican Rep. Peter King, who once engaged in a shouting match with Weiner on the House floor, said Weiner had to resign because he would now be ineffective in Congress. King called Weiner “talented” and said: “I always felt he was so ambitious, so driven to succeed, that apart from morality or anything else, that he would never leave himself so exposed, as he's done, so literally.” Read more here. Photo/CNN
CH: I watched Congressman Weiner live. I have never cared for Rep. Weiner but I am willing to admit it took courage to opt for a press conference instead of delivering a written press release. I felt that the heckling was poor given the time and manner it was done. Mr. Weiner should have been able to deliver his statements without interruption.
Are you satisfied now?
Happy Thursday! Still looking for sunshine … especially after yesterday's rain showers. Lots of things happening around town. Keep me posted of anything interesting here on today's Wild Card. Anyone planning on going to lunch with Supt. Luna today?
Angry, drunken fans ran wild Wednesday night after Vancouver Canucks' loss to Boston Bruins in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup finals, setting cars and garbage cans ablaze, smashing windows, showering giant screen TV screens with beer bottles and dancing atop overturned vehicles. More here. AP Photo/ Geoff Howe.
Former presidential candidate, John Edwards, poses for his official federal mug shot. The 58-year-old former senator, former vice presidential nominee, former presidential candidate and former philanderer of a wife dying of cancer, is under six federal felony counts, including conspiracy. See more here.
Author Chris Carlson served as press secretary to former Idaho Governor Cecil D. Andrus for ten years and has written a book about entitled Cecil Andrus: Idaho’s Greatest Governor. The book recounts an insider’s view of events that happened in the 10 years he worked for the “good, great former governor.” 
Elected to four terms covering 14 years with a 10-year break between the first six years and the second eight years, Carlson writes, “Andrus is without question the longest serving, most influential political practitioner to ever hold Idaho’s reins.”
Carlson adds, “When a reader is finished with this book, I can only hope those that know him will say “Yup, that’s Cece.” Those that don’t at least will feel they have met and gotten better acquainted with him. Even 16 years after leaving office, according to almost all polls, Andrus remains the most popular and best known hunter/ fisherman in the state. Many believe he could easily win the governor’s chair again.” For more info on the book, follow the link.
Any good Gov. Andrus stories you would like to share?
According to Idaho Statesman's Dan Popkey, facilitator Lauren Morando Rhim asked members of the Students Come First Technology Task Force to respect colleagues' time, attend regularly and arrive promptly to complete their duty to make recommendations to the Legislature by Jan. 31.
“
To the degree that it's possible, I would encourage you all to turn off your technology and stay focused on what you're discussing at hand,” Rhim told the group at its opening meeting Monday. “It will enable you to contribute in a much more significant and meaningful way. There are breaks built into all the agendas so that you can check in with your office, but please be present during the committee meetings.”
Luna viewed his iPad during much of the 45 minutes he spent in Monday's Online Learning Implementation subcommittee. You can read about this and a couple of other examples here. (SR Photo 2010)
Ummm. What? Sorry. I got distracted by my computer. Ugggghhhh — what were we commenting on again?
Financial disclosure forms made public Wednesday show that Idaho's congressional delegation has a wide range of investments in land, real estate and stocks. The forms, released annually, are meant to allow the public a glimpse at the investments, personal wealth and potential conflicts of interest of those who represent them in Congress. They are not required to report their $174,000 congressional salary. Read more here. (Photo/Idaho Statesman)
Any surprises or concerns?
In return for a $5 donation to his reelection campaign, President Barack Obama is offering supporters a chance to participate in a raffle to win a “casual” dinner with him at an unstated location. In an e-mail to supporters, the president says his campaign will raffle off four tickets for the casual dinner.
“We rely on everyday Americans giving whatever they can afford—and I want to spend time with a few of you,” Obama's e-mail reads. “So if you make a donation today, you'll be automatically entered for a chance to be one of the four supporters to sit down with me for dinner. Please donate $5 or more today.” Read more here. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
Is $5 worth a chance at having a “casual dinner” with Obama?
It appears Eastern Washington will be passed over by the Rainbow Family for its national gathering July 1-7. All signs point to the Gifford Pinchot National Forest in southwestern Washington as the venue for the annual event that attracts thousands of participants. Though the Colville National Forest appeared to be a strong contender, an unusually cool and wet spring in Eastern Washington has made the forest more appealing to mosquitoes than humans.
The Rainbow Family has been meeting in U.S. national forests since 1972. Its annual gathering, which attracts from 10,000 to 30,000 people, occurred once before in Washington – in the Colville National Forest in 1981. Last year’s annual gathering in the Allegheny National Forest of Pennsylvania attracted about 12,000 people. Read more here. (SR Photo)
In an interview with NBA TV soon after the Dallas Mavericks earned their first NBA title on Sunday night, team owner Mark Cuban jokingly dismissed the idea of giving his team championship rings as a reward. Probably because he was bored. Most likely because he's Mark Cuban, and he just likes saying things like that — pointing out that rings were “old school” and mentioning that he'd try to come up with some new sort of reward for Dallas' 8 1/2-month trek.
“We've got to talk to him about that,” said Dirk Nowitzki, the finals MVP. “I don't think the last word has been spoken yet. We know he always wants to do something different, something bigger. But the ring is just so classic. I think I would vote for a ring. I mean, I'm a man. I don't know how I'd feel about a bracelet.” Read more here. AP Photo/LM Otero
Ring or bracelet? Or something else?
Photo courtesy of Herb Huseland up in Bayview who reports on his blog, Bay Views, about the local flooding. He writes, “The worst case I observed was Harborview Marina. The entrance is under water, as is the gate to the docks. Hip waders or another boat will be necessary to get out to boats and float homes. The docks themselves are floating just fine. It's getting there that is the trick.” For more pictures and details, follow the link.
It's been fun hanging out here at Huckleberries while DFO is on vacation. Some have asked, “Why you? How did that come about?” I've come to the conclusion that DFO doesn't like to complicate things. Ever notice that the other blogsitter, Cindy Hval (who had a previously scheduled vacation but is NOT vacationing with DFO), and I have similar initials (C.H.)? And both our first and last names are two syllables each? Coincidence? I think not. Now for your Wild Card … .
Supt. Tom Luna will be addressing the Reagan Republicans tomorrow, June 16th, from Noon - 1:00. The event will be at Fedora's Pub & Grille if you are interested. (SR File photo.)
Is it me or does Mr. Luna speak often to the Reagan Republicans?
An “all class” reunion for all previous participants in the Coeur d'Alene Chamber of Commerce's Leadership Coeur d'Alene program on Thursday, June 16 from 5-8 pm. Food and beverages will be provided and there 
is a suggested $20 donation to attend. Proceeds from the event will be distributed between several local charities: the Toni Sayler Leadership CdA Scholarship Fund, the Food Bank and Community Action Partnership, the Kootenai County Police and Fire Memorial Foundation, and St. Vincent de Paul's Transitional Housing Program. See the event flyer for more details.
Anyone on HBO participate in Leadership Coeur d'Alene? Would you recommend it to others?
Documents:
In a letter to the editor to The Coeur d'Alene Press, Dean Isaacson clearly dislikes the art commission's installment of the Ganesha Statue. Isaacson writes, “This is not the kind of art that is appreciated by the majority of the citizens here. The claim that it is art is subjective — most people would not interpret an idol as art. In this exhibit, there were other cultural symbols. I am not protesting all the pieces I disagree with. The placement of the Hindu god Genesha is going beyond cultural symbolism; it is the display of a pagan god. This would strike against the sensibilities of most people in this community.” Read the full letter here.
Other letters this morning included a second letter of late regarding dog poo in our post office here, and another letter suggesting that the local DMV drives people to drink here.
Are you entertained by our local letters to the editor? Do you appreciate folks like Mr. Isaacson who are willing to speak up about the things that irritate them?
The Idaho Statesman's Dan Popkey reports today that some members of the Students Come First Technology Task Force got an unwelcome surprise in subcommittee meetings of the group this week - the consortiums their school districts are forming to offer distance-learning classes over the Idaho Education Network won't qualify as online courses for graduation requirements for the kids in their own district, who are in the same building as the teachers. It also appears that their efforts won't prevent district funds being siphoned off to other online course providers, including for-profit ones, if students decide to take classes from them.
That's the “fractional ADA” provision of the reform laws, the part that former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush yesterday described as unique in the country. ADA stands for average daily attendance, which determines how state school funds are parceled out to school districts. Under the reform laws, if students decide to take an online class, a fraction of the ADA for that student is automatically shifted to the online course provider, whether or not the school district approves of it. Follow more of this story at Eye on Boise here.
According to Popkey, school officials learned from Luna aide, Jason Hancock, that classes delivered over Idaho Education Network will not satisfy the online mandate if the teacher works at the student’s school. Hancock said allowing face-to-face access in these required online classes would “defeat the purpose” of teaching students the skills necessary for online learning, which they’ll need in college and in life. Dan Popkey's full story can be read here.
Reform or ridiculous?
Marc Johnson writes an interesting analysis comparing LeBron James and Derek Jeter. Of James' performance in the NBA Championship, Johnson writes, “On the intense stage of a championship, regardless of the sport, it is one of life’s guilty little pleasures to watch the most hyped guy, the guy with all the press, all the cash and all the big talk, fall flat on his face. LeBron James certainly didn’t disappoint. And, as if to further cement his well-earned reputation for lacking in class, he handled defeat with, well, not a lot of it. Class that is… . Give LeBron this much: he united most of the country behind a team from Texas, no small accomplishment.”
Johnson goes on to compare James to Jeter by opining, “Derek Jeter is the antithesis of a guy like LeBron James. He’s played his entire career in New York, the media capitol of the world, and has found a way to not be a constant feature in the tabloids. He survived and thrived through the Steinbrenner years. He’s played along side the not so loved Alex Rodriguez and projected a certain calm professionalism that then A-Rod or a LeBron can only dream about. Of course, Jeter has his detractors, but mostly because he’s a Yankee and not because he’s a chump.” The full analysis is worth a read.
Well? Is it a fair analysis?
Bill McCrory at OpenCdA learned that another Excutive Director at Habitat for Humanity has been let go. McCrory reports, “Marcie Schreiber recently departed rather abruptly after only eight months as Habitat ED. That seems confirmed by Schreiber's LinkedIn bio. Her name is noticeably missing from the Habitat's webpage as well.”
McCrory added his two cents by opining, “It sounds as if Habitat for Humanity of North Idaho has a leadership problem on its Board of Directors.” See original post here.
How long before dots get connected on this one?
The Meridian School District will consider modifying a plan to have kindergarten on alternating days to save busing costs. About 300 people attended a public hearing on the district’s proposed budget Tuesday.
A non-profit charity founded by Newt Gingrich to promote freedom, faith and free enterprise also served as another avenue to promote Gingrich's political views, and came dangerously close, some experts say, to crossing a bright line that is supposed to separate tax-exempt charitable work from both the political process and such profit-making enterprises as books and DVDs.
The charity, Renewing American Leadership, not only featured Gingrich on its website and in fundraising letters, it also paid $220,000 over two years to one of Gingrich's for-profit companies, Gingrich Communications. It purchased cases of Gingrich's books and bought up copies of DVDs produced by another of the former House speaker's entities, Gingrich Productions. Gingrich's team did not generate a reply by the time of publication. Read much more to this story here. AP Photo/Cheryl Senter
Is there anyone disappointed with this news? Will this be the controversy that will flatline the Gingrich campaign, which seemed in critical condition from the start?
Playboy magazine founder Hugh Hefner says his fiancee has called off their wedding. The 85-year-old Hefner says in a Tuesday message on Chicago-based Playboy's official Twitter feed that 24-year-old Crystal Harris has “had a change of heart.”
Hefner announced in December that he and the former Playmate were getting married, tweeting that he'd given Harris an engagement ring. He has said that the wedding was scheduled for this Saturday at the Playboy Mansion in the Holmby Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles. The marriage would have been Hefner's third. He divorced Playmate Kimberly Conrad in 2009. Read here.
Any doubt that Hugh Hefner will be able to re-bound quickly? Ever known a personal dumped-at-the-alter story?
Way back in the 1970's, I was saw the Coasters. I remember this vaguely because I was very shy and the singers were so much fun. The news this morning of the Coasters lead singer Carl Gardner's passing prompted my memory of this photo. The couple that booked the Coasters stated in a phone call today that they don't remember the name but they do remember that the lead singer had been 'the original Coaster” even though there were obviously new band members in the group. Carl Gardner spent many years trying to protect an artist or group's name from being used in a way that confused the public. There were many imposter Coasters, including The Fabulous Coasters, Cornell Gunter's Coasters, The Coasters Mark II, etc. , that toured around on the Coasters name. So many in fact that a website has a dedicated page to all the other Coaster groups here.
So can anyone help me figure out which Coaster group I'm standing with?
Carl Gardner, original lead singer of the R&B group the Coasters, has died in Florida following a long bout with congestive heart failure and vascular dementia. He was 83.
Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987, the Coasters had a string of hits in the late 1950s, 
including “Searchin',” ''Poison Ivy” and “Young Blood.” Their single “Yakety Yak” reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 following its 1958 release. It also spent seven weeks as the No. 1 rhythm and blues song. The Coasters have continued to perform over the decades, with multiple changes to the lineup. Gardner has always held the rights to the group's name, and his son, Carl Gardner Jr., took over as lead singer when his father retired in 2005.
Gardner had been a longtime advocate for legislation that would prevent bogus groups from using the names of famous acts like The Coasters, The Drifters, The Shirelles, The Platters and many others. Florida lawmakers passed such legislation in 2007. Read more here. AP Photo/ Ron Frehm from file (1988)
Congressman Allen West (R- FL) is taking heat for planting the American flag underwater while leading a group of veterans on a scubadiving trip off the coast of his Florida district over the weekend. Mr. West was photographed holding an American flag underwater in violation of United States Code Title 4, Chapter 1, Section 8, Subsection B which states, “The flag should never touch anything beneath it, such as the ground, the floor, water, or merchandise.”
In an email, West's communications director, Angela Sachitano, said, “Congressman West participated in an event to bring attention to scuba diving off the coast of his Congressional District.” She further added, “He went diving with several disabled veterans who fought to defend the American Flag and this nation. Congressman West displayed the American Flag on an underwater wreck as a sign of respect for the flag and the accomplishment for these veterans who each and every day work to overcome their disability. In addition, Congressman West would like to wish everyone a Happy Flag Day.” Read more here.
Flag Day Question: How bad of a violation is this for you? Do you support flag burning but are anti-submersion?
Another day blogsitting while DFO is on vacation. Will be posting throughout the day different news items of 
note. At some point I'll be attempting to find a Father's Day Card that isn't based on the Doofus Dad stereotype. It seems that most Father's Day cards are built around beer, bbqs, golf or tv remotes. Maybe I'm in LaLa Land but most father figures I know have more depth than the greeting cards are willing to acknowledge. Or is it just me?
The Coeur d'Alene Press is reporting that Bonner County Prosecutor Louis Marshall is reviewing Coeur d’Alene Republican Kathy Sims’ complaint and would issue a legal analysis at the end of the week regarding the City of Coeur d'Alene and possible conflicts of interest with McEuen Field decisions. The complaint says that ethics in government laws could have been breached as Coeur d’Alene city officials worked on the conceptual plan for the downtown park because some officials have business and property ties near the park. Kootenai County Prosecutor, Barry McHugh, forwarded the complaint onto Bonner County because his wife had contracts with the City of Coeur d'Alene and he, too, wanted to avoid the appearance of a conflict of interest. Read the full article here.
Do you think that Prosecutor Louis Marshall will have a finding different than Deputy Attorney General Brian Kane, who found no conflicts existed?
Giving legitimacy to an Internet conspiracy theory that the gold in Fort Knox is fake, Rep. Ron Paul (R) from Texas has asked adminstration officials to audit the purity of the nation's 700,000 gold bars held in Fort Knox, according to an internal Treasury document obtained by CNBC. Paul, a presidential candidate who chairs the House's subcommittee on Domestic Monetary Policy, had previously called for the U.S. gold reserve to be counted and for a return to the gold standard. He now appears to be going a step f
urther in his request that representatives from the U.S. Treasury Department and the U.S. Mint testify at a subcommittee hearing on June 23 about the authenticity of the nation's gold.
The Treasury document says it would cost about $15 million to conduct an audit. The process would take about 30 minutes to verify the gold content of each bar, or 350,000 man hours; to do that would would take 400 people working for six months, according to the document. The Mint is audited annually by the Treasury's Office of the Inspector General. Read more here. AP Photo
Is this additional audit to satisfy the subcommittee on Domestic Monetary Policy, i.e. Rep. Ron Paul, worth the time and money involved? Are you curious about whether or not the gold in Ft. Knox is real?
The Coeur d'Alene Press is reporting that the KYRO Ice Rink is hoping to re-open in August, however they still need $480,000 in donations in order to meet that deadline.
“The gap we have to close is $480,000,” said Matthew Beam, KYRO manager. The fundraising goal to open the facility began at $800,000. While there's still work to be done to meet it, the group is keeping its hopes up. It is still pursuing grants, fundraising events, and making the rounds to local groups to spread the word. It's also added a fundraising option on its website, www.kyro.org, for support. Additionally, a naming-rights deal from a sponsor on the building may be announced soon, but the nonprofit still needs community support. Read more here.
Who should sponsor the building and what should they name it?
After their address to Idaho's school technology task force, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and former West Virginia Gov. Bob Wise joined Idaho Gov. Butch Otter and Idaho schools Supt. Tom Luna for a press conference. Luna said, “There's no better example of education reform experts in the country than these two gentlemen.” Bush said, “I'm here just as an evangelist for digital learning, but also here to commend the incredible, bold leadership of these two gentlemen, in passing the comprehensive suite of reforms that really is as important as any state effort in the last decade.” Read more coverage from Betsy Russell here. SR Photo/Betsy Russell
Experts? Evangelists? Or something else?
Country superstar Dolly Parton may have 25 #1 singles and 41 top 10 county albums under her belt, but the “Queen of Country Music” is just as legendary for her philanthropy. Inspired by her father, Parton created the Imagination Library, a literacy program to share her love of reading with countless children across the United States.
Parton, 65, said her generosity was born from her humble roots. “I think your values are always influenced by your family and your community,” she said. “We grew up poor and most everybody around me was just as poor. Even the ants never took away crumbs from our house cause they saw how poor we were!”
“Funny thing is that the poorer people are, the more generous they seem to be,” Parton laughed. “We were always helping people and people were always helping us. It also gave me the belief that all of the things we own and possess can be gone in an instant.” Read the full article here. Photo courtesy of Imagination Library.
Do you need to be rich to be generous? With today's economy, how have you continued to be generous with others or charities?
Adrian B. Shannon, 30, is among a growing number of people who question the legitimacy of federal, state and local government agencies and employ a series of legal maneuvers they believe exempt them from driver’s licenses and birth certificates, paying taxes, or even criminal charges.
“People call it a movement, but it’s individuals, literally sovereigns, that are all learning, ‘Hey we don’t have to put up with these ridiculous laws, because we are the government,’ ” Shannon said. Read more on Sirens & Gavels.
Here in Idaho, I think we call these people Constitutionalists. (Or Phil Hart voters.) Do you think there's much of a difference between our local Constitutionalists here in our area and Spokane Sovereigns?
According to The Coeur d'Alene Press, the jury trial for accused Hayden couple, Ronald Prior and Susan Harris, will be delayed until July 25th. Harris, 63, and Prior, 66, were declared illegal voters by the judge during the election challenge trial. They listed their commercial property at 4915 N. Industrial Way (since re-addressed as 4931 N. Manufacturing Way) in the Coeur d’Alene Industrial Park as their residence when they voted. The couple has lived in Hayden for about 20 years, and told investigators leading up to the election challenge that they use their commercial address because they owned it. Niether Prior or Harris could recall for whom they voted, and their votes therefore could not be tossed out. Read more here.
Do you think all the issues surrounding the last city council election in 2009 will be fully resolved before the next city council election in November?
Good morning, fellow Hucksters! I spent the weekend relaxing with relatives in anticipation of a fully exciting week “working” here at HBO while Dave is on vacation. This is also the first morning of summer vacation for our area school districts. Personally, I'm adjusting from Late Start Mondays to a No Start Monday this a.m. In case you were wondering, there are 84 days left until the first day of school. Will try to keep up the posting with a mix of topics today. DFO shared everything BUT his super secret sources, so I will try to manage as best I can. Use this thread to send tips or file complaints … .
To put in your Couldn't-See-That-Coming file, a toy company is making the Anthony Weiner Action Figure. The toy company known for producing action figures of US political figures was Sunday advertising its latest addition — the Anthony Weiner doll.
Herobuilders.com is offering two versions of the doll modeled after the New York Democrat who shot to fame around the world last week after admitting to having sent a lewd photo of his crotch to a Seattle college student on Twitter. The Weiner doll comes as a standard doll for $39.95 and an adults-only “anatomically correct” version for $49.95. Read more here.
Seriously? Isn't playing with a Weiner doll worse than playing with … uh … well, you get the picture.
Looking to set themselves apart, rivals to Republican frontrunner Mitt Romney sharpened their criticism of the former Massachusetts governor before their first presidential campaign debate with him Monday night. The debate in the early primary state of New Hampshire could provide an early test of Romney's ability to weather 
the pummeling he's getting for his state's health care overhaul, which was the model for the Democrats' national effort that is loathed by many conservatives. Ahead of the debate, the other Republican candidates already were competing among themselves over who would emerge as an alternative to the second-time presidential hopeful. Former Mass. Governor Mitt Romney, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, former Sen. Rick Santorum, Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota, businessman Herman Cain and Rep. Ron Paul of Texas plan on attending. More here. AP Photo/Jim Cole
Do you plan on watching tonight's debate or is it too soon to get immersed in presidential primary debates? Anyone taking shots each time “Obamacare” or “founding fathers” is mentioned?
According to The Billings Gazette, an extensive manhunt was under way in the mountains west of Lolo late Sunday for a former anti-government militia leader who allegedly led Missoula County sheriff's deputies on a chase and shot at them earlier in the day. The suspect is David Burgert, who is on federal and state probation and who, a decade ago, led the right-wing militant group called Project 7. He was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison in 2004.
Burgert is 6 feet 2 inches tall and 230 pounds, with brown eyes and brown hair. He was last seen wearing a bluish colored shirt and a fanny pack, and is believed to be armed with a handgun and possibly a rifle. Anyone who has information that will help in Burgert's arrest is asked to call the Missoula County Sheriff's Department.
Idaho Democratic Party Chairman Larry Grant is calling on House State Affairs Committee Chairman Tom Loertscher, R-Iona, to resign from the Legislature, citing Loertscher's killing of a bill proposed by Idaho highway districts to require a public hearing before a public road is vacated, shortly before he filed a lawsuit seeking to declare a road on his land private. “Loertscher’s actions are highly suspicious,” Grant said. “It certainly appears he has used his office for personal advantage.” House Speaker Lawerence Denney, who assigned the bill to Loertscher's committee at his request, rather than to the Transportation Committee, has declined thus far to call for an ethics committee to investigate the issue, though any House member may request one. Follow Eye on Boise here.
Any chance the Idaho D's get their wish?
Documents:
The Chronicle of Higher Education is out with new research about the educational attainment of all of the country’s 7,000 state legislators.
Key nuggets in the report: while only about 28% of adult Americans have an undergraduate degree, no state has less than 53% of legislators with a degree. It also doesn’t make much difference to a legislator’s support for higher education where they went to college and most, like most college going Americans, went to a public school. Read more from The Johnson Post.
Are you surprised that 73% of the Idaho legislators have college degrees? Are you concerned that this percentage is out of proportion with the general public they represent?
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is giving significant new powers to its roughly 14,000 agents, allowing them more leeway to search databases, go through household trash or use surveillance teams to scrutinize the lives of people who have attracted their attention. Valerie E. Caproni, the F.B.I. general counsel, said the new manual would adjust the definition of assessments to make clear that they (the assessments) must be based on leads. But she rejected arguments that the F.B.I. should focus only on investigations that begin with a firm reason for suspecting wrongdoing. More on the changes and impact here. Photo: NYTimes/Brendan Smialowski
Does broader G-Man powers concern you?
The profane and hysterical “The Book of Mormon” took home nine Tony Awards on Sunday including the prize for best musical, a considerable achievement for a pair of first-time Broadway playwrights known more for their raunchy cartoons featuring potty-mouthed kids.
Collecting the best musical prize, a subdued Trey Parker, who tied Josh Logan of “South Pacific” with four Tonys in one evening, said he'd be remiss if he didn't thank his late book co-writer — Joseph Smith, the founder of the Mormon religion. “You did it, Joseph! You got the Tony!” Parker said looking skyward and holding up his award. More on last night's Tony Awards here. AP Photo
Do you consider the South Park guys comedic geniuses or too offensive? Do you think you would attend this musical if it ever came to Spokane?
Group Health Cooperative is closing its Coeur d’Alene Medical Center after failing to sustain adequate numbers of patients. IIn a letter to patients, the Seattle-based organization that has earned national accolades as a model for reform said, “organization efforts to grow our enrollment have not been successful, and we have determined that the Coeur d’Alene Medical Center is not on a sustainable path.” More here.
Will you be affected by this closure in some way?
Alexander Endo is planning what will hopefully be a large scale flash mob dance routine to raise money for th
e Kooetnai County Boys and Girls Club and the MEB Foundation. According to an article in The Coeur d'Alene Press (sorry — link can't be provided), a $20 donation will allow anyone to participate. The flash mob will include a choreographed routine. The song and video of the routine will be emailed to anyone who register. Registration will take place on July 29 at McEuen Field Gazebo and there will be a dress rehearsal in August. The group planning this is hoping for 1.000 to 1,500 participants which could set a flash mob record. You can request a registration form via email at flashmobcda@gmail.com or by visiting the official Facebook page here. PS — flash mobs have nothing to do with Congressmen, in case you were wondering.
Are you interested in appearing in a flash mob? Doesn't this sound goofy enough to be really fun?
State schools Superintendent Tom Luna has opened the first meeting of his “Students Come First” Technology Task Force this morning with a speech calling on Idaho to become a “global leader” in education, saying, “Our economic competition is global and it's focused and it's fierce and unrelenting.” He said, “The fact is that everyone in the world wants our jobs, and for the first time ever they have the means to take them.” Jobs will go “where the educated workforce is,” he said. “Intellectual capacity is the currency of the 21st century, and other countries have figured this out.” Read more from Eye on Boise plus a link to live coverage here. Tomorrow, former Florida Governor Jeb Bush and former West Virginia Governor Bob Wise will speak to the task force.
Anyone believe that this Task Force will be able to help offer solutions for Idaho to become a “global leader” in education?
As reported in Time.com, a recent Learning & Behavior study indicates that canines may have an innate ability to sense our mental states. This idea of “canine telepathy” has been suggested before - often, pet owners comment on how their dog seems to know what they're thinking. Researcher Monique Udell and others from the University of Florida questioned this idea of animal telepathy by studying canine attentiveness to humans in both domestic dogs and wolves, and found that the animals may be born with the ability to perceive and react to human emotion. Read more here.
Do you think your canine can read your mind? Do you think your cat cares?
Prairie and McGuire will see the addition of a roundabout intersection to handle traffic flow. According to the Coeur d'Alene Press, construction will start today and run through the end of August. More here.
Are we used to roundabouts yet? Any concern about a roundabout on the rural-like prairie versus more urban settings like 4th Street in CdA?
About six months from now, officials from the city of Boise and the World Triathlon Corporation will discuss the future of the Ironman 70.3 Boise race. If a new contract isn't renewed, next year's race will be the last in the Boise area. In addition to an economic impact for area businesses, the Ironman Foundation has donated $20,000 to local non-profit groups. Detractors complain about road closures and detours that Ironman causes. More here.
Fourth time Boise Ironman 70.3 racer, Ben Hoffman, 28, from Grand Junction, Colorado, dominated the field on Saturday, completing the 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike ride and 13.1 mile run in 3 hours, 52 minutes and 41 seconds. Race results here. PHOTO: Katherine Jones/Idaho Statesman
With Ironman CdA just days away, do you think it is worth it for communities like Coeur d'Alene and/or Boise to host such an event?
When I caught wind of this elephant uproar there was no doubt in my mind. I had to go to Coeur d’Alene and meet Lord Ganesha for myself. The piece, created by Spokane’s Rick Davis, is an artistic rendering of the Hindu 
god of success and vanquisher of evils and obstacles. It looks like Dumbo on acid. Ganesha’s got a hatchet in one of his hands. He wears earrings, and the antennae curling out of his head reminded me of those springy “deely bobbers” they sell at the circus. Oh, yeah. There’s also this strange rodent lurking under Ganesha’s chair. I don’t know what the rat’s called so I nicknamed it “Hagadontha” in honor of a dude I once worked for. True, I’m hardly an expert in Hindu deities. But from his flamboyant attire, I think Ganesha would make a terrific mascot for the Log Cabin Republicans. This protest is so lame/Doug Clark, SR. More here. (A Berry Picker snapped this photo of Doug Clark & DFO checking out protesters at the official Ganesha unveiling in downtown Coeur d'Alene Friday evening.)
Question: Have you check out Ganesha, 'Hagadontha', and the rest of the public art-on-loan in downtown Coeur d'Alene? Thoughts?
The dedication of Ganesha and friends was anti-climatic but fun. SR columnist Doug Clark was on hand to take in the ceremonies and add his wit to the controversy. He tried out a couple of lines for a Sunday column about the event on me. I can hardly wait to read his thoughts. Meanwhile, I'm turning the controls of the Good Ship HBO over to Christa this weekend. Her test runs during the last few days were spot on. I'll be looking forward to reading what she does here while I host Amy Dearest next week. I showed Christa how to delete posts and use the cooler. So you commenters had better be nice instead of naughty. Now for your Weekend Wild Card …
Protesters stood on opposite corners of 6th & Sherman Friday evening, demonstrating for and against a public arts display depicting the Hindu god Ganesha in downtown Coeur d'Alene. This is one of a half dozen protesters from the Kootenai County Constitution Party, including two children, who opposed the sculpture of Ganesha, which is one of 14 pieces displayed around downtown Coeur d'Alene as part of the art-on-loan program. The demonstration was peaceful, with demonstrators simply holding signs and answering questions from local and Spokane reporters.
Counter-demonstrators held their own hand-made signs in support of the Hindu god Ganesha sculptor on the southeast corner of 6th & Sherman, in front of the Parkside building in downtown Coeur d'Alene. Recreation Director Steve Anthony (behind demonstrators on the left) handled the master of ceremonies duties at the dedication of the art-on-loan program that features 14 sculptors around downtown Coeur d'Alene. About 35 to 40 people attended the demonstration, some drawn to it by the controversy surrounding the Ganesha art display.
Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin walks to the door of Trump Tower for a scheduled meeting with Donald Trump in New York in this May 31 AP file photo. Thousands of Palin's emails from her first two years as governor are being released by the state of Alaska, a disclosure that has taken on national prominence as she flirts with a run for the presidency. AP story here. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle, File)
Question: Are there any surprises for you among Sarah Palin's emails?
An axe wielding neighbor threatens Philadelphia reporter, Kenneth Moton with ABC news as he reports in front of the home of a 17-year-old Concord High school student who Congressman Anthony Weiner made contact with through Twitter Friday. Story here. (AP Photo/The News Journal: Suchat Pederson)
Question: Even if Weiner's contact with a 17YO girl wasn't indecent, is it enough to finally push him out of office? Or can he still survive this scandal?
Construction has begun on the education corridor in Coeur d'Alene. Crews broke ground on the site on river road near downtown, which will connect to Northwest Boulevard, Hubbard Road and College Drive.Friday was the groundbreaking for the 17-acre project, which will transform dirt roads into sidewalks and future buildings.The education corridor is a project years in the making, which hopes to create opportunities to expand higher education in North Idaho/Anusha Roy, KXLY. More here.
Question: What do you think the Education Corridor means to the future of Coeur d'Alene?
Marshall Mend, long-time member of the Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations, was part of the audience that dedicated Coeur d'Alene's art-on-loan program in downtown Coeur d'Alene Friday evening, including the controversial sculpture of the Hindu god Ganesha.
Nick Anderson/Houston Chronicle
If you're a CAVEr and looking for something to demonstrate against this fine Friday, you're in luck. NIC & LCDC — those two great symbols of, ahem, government waste — will be breaking ground on the first phase of the Education Corridor. And Mayor Sandi Bloem and the “godless” Arts Commission will be driving the Kootenai County Constitution Party nuttier by dedicating the art-on-loan program that includes a sculpture of the Hindu god Ganesha. I hope to shut things down by 5:30 this afternoon to watch the fun on torn-up Sherman Avenue. Mebbe I'll see you there? Now for today's Wild Card …
Walkabout snapped this photo of an osprey return to its nest during one of our daily trips around Tubbs Hill this spring.
Seems the flap created by the Kootenai County Constitution Party has reached India. A story in DailyIndia.com 
reports: “Hindus have welcomed Lord Ganesha sculpture as a part of Coeur d'Alene (Idaho, USA) public art display. Applauding the City of Coeur d'Alene for this gesture, Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Connecticut (USA) today, called it “a step in the right direction”. Rajan Zed, who is President of Universal Society of Hinduism, said that this public display of Lord Ganesha would bring more inclusivity in religion and help create a unity that celebrated diversity. Moreover, Ganesha's presence is always considered auspicious, Zed adds. More here. (SR photo: Kathy Plonka)
Question: Are you surprised by the attention this controversy has received — now reaching as far as India?
Here's another shot taken by Don Sausser, Huckleberries Eye On Sherman Avenue, of downtown Coeur d'Alene street work at about 8:30 p.m. Thursday. Don reports that Sherman Avenue is finished. But about a half a block on the side streets needs to be done.
Marabous are seen watching photographers doing their work at an enclosure at the zoo in Duisburg, Germany earlier today. You write the cutline. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein)
Top Cutlines:
Marianne Love offers this canvas of lovely lupine from her portion of Bonner County on her Slight Detour blog. More here.
Hucks Online numbers (for Thursday, June 9): 8593/5202
13 other art-on-loan statues will be dedicated tonight by Mayor Sandi Bloem and the “godless” city Arts Commission, besides the controversial Hindu god Ganesha statue near the Parkside building on Sherman Avenue (which Stebbijo provides for Huckleberries Online today). Councilwoman Deanna Goodlander provides this link to the other art already on display around downtown Coeur d'Alene here.
Going downtown Coeur d’Alene, in search of a Ganesha puts Big Foot to shame! Seriously, I spotted St. Francis right away. I did so, because I used to work at a hospital by the name of St. Francis Medical Center, so I instantly recognized him. I slowly continued to creep down Sherman, checking each corner and side street to see if I would see this Lord of Success. I had to be careful, in my search, I did not want to hit a pedestrian or a wheelchair. It is an artful drive to say the least. Slowly, slowly, slowly …. and there he was, sticking out like a sore thumb!/Stebbijo's Place. More here.
Question: Do you plan to attend the Art Walk/art-on-loan dedication on Sherman Avenue today?
JEERS … to former state Sen. Evan Frasure, R-Pocatello (pictured). His launch as co-chairman of Idaho's newly 
ordained redistricting commission is a visceral reminder of why he's not been missed from public office: He's a partisan mischief-maker who makes Peter Lorre look like a novice. Now he's sitting on the six-member citizens commission - half Democrats, half Republicans - responsible for redrawing Idaho's political map. At Tuesday's inaugural hearing, Frasure all but declared open season on the Democrats: “This is a very partisan event. There's no getting around it. It's political bloodsport”/Marty Trillhaase, Lewiston Tribune. More here.
Question: Do you have faith that the Idaho Redistricting Committee, co-chaired by former state Sen. Evan Frasure, will do what's best for Idaho residents not the Idaho Republican Party?
Matt poses with Kerri Thoreson after buying an autographed copy of Sarah Palin's “Going Rogue” at Coeur d'Alene Fred Meyer in December 2009. Matt tells Huckleberries.
So do you remember back in December 2009 when Sarah Palin rolled into Coeur d Alene on her book tour?
Well I was there, waited in line, freezing, for 5 hours to meet her. Well I'm now selling a first edition Autographed copy of Going Rogue. The book is in perfect unread condition. I figured one of your loyal readers might be interested in taking this item off my hands. I'm asking $50 for the book. If one were to look on ebay the same thing is currently selling for $200 so this is quite a deal.
DFO: Usually, I don't advertise things for sale here at Huckleberries Online. But this one from a long-time blog reader has piqued my interest. Can't help but wonder about the back story. Has the Berry Picker grown tired of Sarah Palin? Or does he simply need a few extra bucks? If you're interesting in buying the book, contact Matt at cdagardner@gmail.com
Question: Are you interested in buying a signed, first-edition copy of Sarah Palin's “Going Rogue”? Phaed?
Item: Dow closes below 12,000 for the first time since March/Christine Hauser, New York Times
More Info: Stocks on Wall Street closed sharply lower on Friday on sentiment that analysts attributed to a sense that the global economy was slowing and that European debt problems were entrenched. The three main indexes closed off more than 1 percent, with the Dow Jones industrial average closing at 11,951.91, down 172.45 points, a loss of 1.42 percent. The last time it closed below 12,000 was on March 18, at 11,858.52.
Question: Are you worried by this six-week swing?
Athol legislator, Phil Hart, is asking the Idaho Supreme Court to determine whether he filed an appeal with the Idaho Tax Commission on time. If the court rules in his favor, Hart said, it could bring him one step closer to being granted tens of thousands of dollars in business deductions, lowering the grand total he owes after years of boycotting income tax payments. Hart stated, “I believe they don't want to give me my day in court. But you know, if I was frivolous, I would think they would welcome the opportunity for me to have my day in court so I could make an idiot of myself.” Read the full story here.
Question: Is Mr. Hart peruasive in his argument? Should he get his day in court?
Allen Slabaugh, top row left, is joined by his cycling teammates after their van overturned in Burley on the way to Seattle for the start a 3,600-mile bike ride to Washington, D.C., to raise money for the Georgia-based Fuller Center for Housing. Slabaugh is a survivor of the 2007 bus crash in Atlanta that killed five of his teammates on the Bluffton University baseball team. See story below. (AP Photo/The Fuller Center for Housing, Scott Umstattd)
A white supremacist who ran for the Hayden City Council in 2003 has been convicted of a racially motivated 
attack on a black man in southwestern Washington. Zachary Beck, 32, was convicted Wednesday of conspiracy to violate civil rights after a bench trial in U.S. District Court in Tacoma. Beck, Kory Boyd and Lawrence Silk attacked the man in January 2010, shouting racial epithets. Boyd was sentenced to 34 months in prison after pleading guilty to interference with a federally protected right. Silk pleaded guilty to malicious harassment in state court and was sentenced to 24 months. Beck is to be sentenced Sept. 2/Meghann Cuniff, Sirens & Gavels. More here.
Can you tell Huckleberries readers what is happening above?
A lot of fights and public urination in this week's Downtown Coeur d'Alene Bar Report. But the Gold Star for the 
best incident goes to an angry young man who celebrated his 21st birthday this week by partying most of the evening. Seems he punctuated the celebration sometime late Tuesday or early Wednesday by punching an Iron Horse worker in the nose. Twice. Later in the evening, according to the Bar Report, the victim of the first punch saw his assailant outside and congratulated him on his 21st birthday. You know, let bygones be bygones. The newly minted 21YO rewarded the Iron Horse worker by punching him in the nose again at about 1:20 a.m. Wednesday. The suspect then left in a vehicle and couldn't be located by Coeur d'Alene police. You can read the complete Downtown Coeur d'Alene Bar Report here.
Before the Kootenai County Constitution Party was offended by the public art depicting Hindu god Ganesha on Sherman Avenue, it got ticked off by a Coeur d'Alene Public Library Thanksgiving display. Which showed some 
of the Pilgrims as African-Americans. Here's part of a letter that Justin Cottrell of the Constitution Party sent to library Director Betty Ammon on Oct. 1, 2009: “On a recent trip with my family to the Coeur d’Alene Library I took notice of the festive holiday kiosk in the children’s section of the library. However in enjoying the vivid array of color, I was shocked and disappointed when my family and I came to the display on Thanksgiving. While the display was full of fall colors and traditional harvest related items, the portrayal of the Pilgrim’s race is in obvious error. Even by the most liberal accounts of the Puritan Thanksgiving, of which our holiday is based off of, none suggest anything other than the Pilgrims were European in their lineage.” More here. (Wikipedia photo: “The First Thanksgiving” by Jean Louis Gerome Ferris)
Question: Do you suppose the Native Americans who helped saved the Pilgrims wereof European descent, too?
Four all-night work sessions have prepared the road surface for tonight’s overlay on Sherman Ave, downtown Coeur d’Alene, emails Don Sausser, Huckleberries Eye On Sherman Avenue. Don speculated that the work would be complete by this morning and should be ready for the art-on-loan dedication/ArtWalk/Constitution Party protest this afternoon.
Veterans and community members are angry, asking why someone would deface a war memorial in Post Falls, spray painting “War Pig” on Vietnam War era armored personnel carrier.The M113 APC, along with an M-60 tank, are outside the American Legion post in Post Falls, a place that they've sat for the last 14 years. They've never been defaced until earlier this week.”This is against all the American people, not just me, not just the American Legion, against the people,” Post Falls American Legion commander John Dunlap said/Anusha Roy, KXLY. More here.
Now that we're nearing the final weeks of the state's budget year, it appears fairly obvious that the state will close out June with a budget surplus in the range of $70 million. The state's tax collections had been running 
about $74 million ahead of expectations. May tax collections came in $8 million lower than projections, but May is a relatively small month and the deviation probably doesn't reflect a trend. Nonetheless, a situation is being created wherein the state's general fund income is, by far, exceeding budgeted needs, and now there are renewed calls increased state spending. Assuming the revenue collections continue to grow larger, those calls will only grow louder/Wayne Hoffman, Idaho Freedom Foundation. More here.
Question: Should the 2012 Legislature cut taxes? Or use surpluses to restore funding cuts for education, health care, Medicaid, etc.?
The Italian restaurant in Coeur d’Alene has officially chopped the pasta from its name, reinventing itself as the more mature Tito's Italian Grill and Wine Shop. Gone are the white, butcher-paper table coverings, crayons 
and the selfserve bottle of wine reminiscent of Tomato Street. In their place are real tablecloths, candles and a wine shop with 125 labels at any given time. Wine prices are grocery-store level. The majority of bottles are under $20, and there’s a handful under $10. But there’s a catch. Our 14 Hands Cabernet Sauvignon was $6 per glass, and only $9 per bottle, but every bottle on the menu comes from the on-premises wine shop, and so a $6 corkage fee applies. Still, figuring you get four glasses per bottle (we could have taken the rest with us), buying by the bottle still made more sense/Carrie Scozzaro, Inlander. More here.
Question: Anyone try out new Tito's yet? Reaction?
Members of the Kootenai County Constitution Party are planning to protest today the dedication in Coeur 
d’Alene of a public artwork sculpture of the Hindu god Ganesha – a four-armed being with an elephant head. A posting on the party’s website encourages Christians to protest the artwork, calling it an “abomination” approved by the “godless group of individuals” who manage the city’s public art program. Though the protest is not a party function, it’s supported by many party members, who believe only Christianity provides a world view “consistent with the framing of our Republic,” said party Chairman Daniel Brannan/Alison Boggs, SR. More here. (SR photo/Kathy Plonka: “Ganesha,” by Spokane metal artist Rick Davis, is part of “ArtCurrents,” the Coeur d’Alene public art display.)
Question: Do you think this is a good piece of art?
Idaho State Rep. Jim Marriott, right, and Idaho Govenor C.L. “Butch” Otter, center, speak about the flooding situation in Bingham County at the A.V. Center in Blackfoot on Thursday. (AP Photo/Idaho State Journal, Jordon Beesley)
Item: Man having diabetic episode Tased by police:Low blood sugar caused him to be incoherent, police said/Chelsea Bannach, SR
More Info: A driver was Tased today for resisting before police realized he was actually having a diabetic episode. The incident started about 4:45 p.m. when dispatchers got a report of a man driving erratically on Seltice Way in Post Falls, “slow, fast and all over the lane,” said Post Falls police Sgt. Kathy Eshoo. Before an officer caught up to him, the man drove over a porch and clipped the corner of a house, before stopping in the yard, she said. The man was not complying with police orders and was Tased, Eshoo said, but he then began fighting with the officers.
Question: Was this situation handled properly by Post Falls police?
Bonner County has a bear problem—or is it really a people problem? Last year, Bonner County had a record number of bear complaints—770 complaints, in fact. That's a whopping 740 more complaints than in any 
other county in Idaho. All those negative human-bear interactions amount to a lot of danger—for people and bears alike. The Upper Panhandle is bear country: We've got lots of black bears and two threatened populations of grizzly bears in the Cabinet and the Selkirk mountains. But when folks unintentionally or intentionally attract bears with bird feeders or dog food or even doughnuts, they're not helping them to survive. Instead, they may be sealing their fate/Susan Drumheller, Idaho Conservation League. More here. (Photo: Idaho Department of Fish & Game)
Question: Do you know people who shouldn't be feeding wildlife?
We’re No. 1. Measles will be overjoyed. A new report shows that more parents in Washington refused to have their children vaccinated than any other state in the nation. I’d have thought Mississippi would have taken that 
flag, but no – it’s apparently a different kind of counterculture that drives this particular paranoia, and we’ve got a big dose of it. In the 2009-’10 school year, 6.2 percent of Washington parents claimed an exemption to vaccination requirements, most of them citing philosophical objections. Idaho was at 3.8 percent. The national average was 1 percent. This information is courtesy of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which you probably know is the gang in charge of supporting, organizing and propagating the lies your doctor tells you/Shawn Vestal, SR. More here.
Question: Do vaccines worry you?
Christa's been warming up in the Huckleberries Online bullpen, preparing to take the controls of the U.S.S. Starship Huckleberries next week. I'll be hosting Amy Dearest. Cindy's running off for a romantic interlude with her true love (who's also her husband). So we're tossing the rookie to you cyber wolves. Interestingly, Christa was very interested in learning how I toss miscreants into the cooler. Now for your morning Wild Card …
A deer comes across a lawn ornament version of himself in a yard of a house near the Old Fort Townsend Road near Port Townsend, Wash. (AP Photo/Kitsap Sun, Larry Steagall)
When I was a high school kid in the late 60's and the early 70's I wondered to myself, “What will hippies and radicals look like when they get old? Old Hippies? Ha, what a funny thought for a kid who was raised in a 
military family and really neither had long hair nor had an interest in having long hair. For some reason, I couldn't shake the image of some long-haired old guys…and then I would dismiss it with a laugh. “C'mon, Den, these guys will grow up.” Lo, these many years later, I have to ask the greater question: Where are all the adults? You know, the people who left their youth and “wrinkled up” and gained wisdom. Where are they? I meet people NOW who say things like “50 is the new 30”. Say what?/Dennis Mansfield. More here.
Question: Do you agree with Dennis that too many 50s and 60s people are trying too hard to act young and need to grow up? And/or:
“Ganesha” by artist Rick Davis is part of the Coeur d'Alene Public Art display. Members of the Kootenai County Constitution Party are planning to picket the statue stating that the statue is a Hindu demon and an abomination. (SR photo: Kathy Plonka)
John Kennedy’s best biographer made a startling revelation recently that was both ominous and eerie and 
says a good deal about Kennedy’s appreciation of how history works. Robert Dallak, author of An Unfinished Life, the best book on the 35th president, gave a speech recently in Ireland where he said Jackie Kennedy was told by her husband a year before his death that his assassination would protect his legacy. “If someone is going to kill me,” Kennedy told his wife, “it should happen now”/Marc Johnson, The Johnson Report. More here.
Also: Idaho Blogs roundup:
Question: What would have become of JFK's legacy had he not been assassinated?
According to the Washington Post, over 24,000 e-mail messages to and from former Alaska governor Sarah Palin during her tenure as Alaska's governor will be released Friday. The Washington Post is asking for help in the large scale job to “analyze, contextualize, and research those e-mails right alongside the Post reporters following the release.” The Washington Post is looking for 100 people to “work collaboratively in small teams to surface the most important information from the e-mails. Participants can join from anywhere with a computer and an Internet connection.” Read more and follow the link to apply here. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
Any guesses as to what will surface in the Sarah Palin emails? Who would best represent HBO in these research efforts if you could nominate a commenter?
Tazo, a northern sea otter eats a fish while swimming in the pool at the New York Aquarium’s Sea Cliff’s exhibit in the Brooklyn Borough of New York. Tazo, who was rescued from Alaskan waters after being orphaned in 2010, has already made his public debut at the New York Aquarium. (AP Photo/Wildlife Conservation Society, Julie Larsen Maher)
Question: Do you eat raw fish?
Item: Stephanie Hendren's horse killed on U.S. 95: Sister of young woman who died in May 9 car crash also loses her rodeo competition mount/Kathy Hedberg, Lewiston Tribune
More Info: One of the three horses killed on U.S. Highway 95 in a collision with a pickup truck belonged to a Craigmont girl headed to state rodeo competition next week. … The horses belonged to Rene Stamper of Winchester, whose daughters, Stephanie and Miranda Hendren, competed in barrel racing and qualified for state rodeo. Stephanie Hendren, 18, was killed May 9 in a car accident on U.S. Highway 95 near Craigmont, one day after competing in the Riggins Rodeo.
Thoughts?
Item: Teen who passed out while cleaning up customer's vomit battles employer over workers' comp claim/KBOI
More Info: Nineteen-year-old Karrie Lombard had an accident at work. A customer threw up inside the Meridian Souper Salad, and she passed out after cleaning up the mess. “A few minutes later I woke up to paramedics just surrounding me - they were everywhere,” Lombard said.
Question: Have you ever had to clean up someone else's vomit (or worse) as part of a job?
I dislike senseless vandals — and the punks behind those acts — about as much as I dislike neighbor dogs that bark all the time. The creeps who sprayed graffiti on the Post Falls American Legion tank should get special treatment from the courts when they're finally caught as they will be (because individuals like that enjoy bragging to buddies about their misdeeds). That's why a Twin Falls News-Tribune story caught my eye this morning. It tells of two boys who destroyed downtown Twin Falls flower beds. Seems they'll be spending two hours cleaning around downtown every Saturday for the rest of the summer. You can read about it here.
Question: What penalty would you suggest for the punk(s) who spray-painted the American Legion tank?
The parents of one Coeur d’Alene teen killed in a single-vehicle crash in September 2010 are suing the 
people they say caused their son’s death. Tim and Paula Austin, along with Jessica Duran, the lone survivor of the crash, filed a complaint for damages for the death of 19-year-old Devon Austin (pictured in SR file photo) on June 3 in Twin Falls County 5th District Court. They name Kade Laughlin, Ryan Balles, Colt Robinson, Naccona Tegan Robinson and Ryan Reinhardt, the driver of the car, as defendants in the death of Austin, who came to Twin Falls last year to play baseball for the College of Southern Idaho. Both Austin and Reinhardt died at the scene near Filer around 1 a.m. on Sept. 12, 2010/Bradley Guire, Twin Falls Times-News. More here.
The Colorado lawyer who defended Edgar Steele in his murder-for-hire case has been disbarred. Robert T. 
McAllister agreed to give up his law license after he acknowledged misusing client funds on two occasions unrelated to Steele's case, according to a document signed this week in Colorado Supreme Court. According to the document, McAllister misused a $5,255.43 check while representing a company in a lawsuit. He also used $100,000 from another client, transferring $80,000 into his own account and $20,000 into an accounted owned by Steamboat Skyglass Lodge, LLC, an entity he controls/Meghann Cuniff, Sirens & Gavels. More here.
Ginger Fields, center, from Old Time Photos and Antique Boutique, is owner and photographer of just one of the new businesses along the city's trademark boardwalk. The city has been a ghost town in recent years, but there are signs of life out there now featuring new businesses, events and attractions for visitors. Katy Moeller's Statesman story here. (AP Photo/Idaho Statesman, Katherine Jones)
The Kootenai County Constitution Party plans to protest the dedication Friday of the city of Coeur d'Alene's art-on-loan program as a result of the inclusion of a “Hindu demon, Ganesh, statue” now displayed on 
Sherman Avenue in downtown Coeur d'Alene. Mayor Sandi Bloem will oversee the dedication, which is scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m. during the monthly ArtWalk program. On the Constitution Party Web site, the following notice is given: “Christians of Kootenai County should be dismayed at the appearance of a Hindu demon, Ganesh, statue that is currently found on Sherman ave in Coeur d’Alene soon. The godless group of individuals that manage the “art” of the city have approved and paid with tax-payer money for a Rick Davis to sculpt a statue as ugly as sin.” The site goes on to list the members of the 12 members of the Art Commission who serve three-year terms. Click here. (Photo: About.com Hinduism)
Reaction?
These artists are painting portraits from models at the Coeur d’Alene Resort Shops. This is one function of an oil painter’s juried show and convention with events this weekend. Friday, from 5 to 8 p.m. Devon Galleries has scheduled a reception open to the public in conjunction with Art Walk. (Hucks Online photo: Don Sausser)
The Lewiston post office quit delivering mail for a week to a neighborhood where a vicious dog roamed free to chase the mail carrier. Mail service has resumed for one Lewiston neighborhood after a week-long hiatus, the product of a near dog attack on the mailman. In a Lewiston Tribune article, reporter Brad W. Gary writes: “Such mail stoppages are not all that uncommon in Lewiston, but the number of people affected and the length of this stoppage is a first for Lewiston Postmaster Rick Glessner.” About 15 homes were affected. Seems the dog came after the carrier and was pepper-sprayed for its troubles. “In this case,' continues the story, a corner lot gave the dog sight distance to a number of residences. The incident was also exacerbated when Glessner said a friend of the dog's owner allegedly confronted the letter carrier over the use of pepper spray.” More here.
Question: Do you have an aggressive or troublesome dog in your neighborhood?
Michael Dowell, left, and his daughter Hailey, 4, center, with family dog Kamora, along with more than 200 pit bulls, owners and supporters, gather at the Fred Meyer store at Mill Plain and Chkalov to protest against the Vancouver City Council's proposed ban on pit bulls. (AP Photo/The Columbian, Steven Lane)
Question: Have you ever been bothered by a pitbull?
Though political sophisticates give opponents of Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Luna little chance 
of collecting the 158,000 voter signatures necessary to force an Aug. 30 recall election, the Idaho GOP is asking for “emergency” gifts to help Luna. In a letter sent to Idaho Republicans, Chairman Norm Semanko says the Recall Protection Fund will “defend our brave leaders who dared to stand up to the status quo, reform our education policies, provide better schools for our children, and save taxpayers' hard-earned money.” Semanko highlights Luna's reform efforts in the letter, but doesn't mention two other recall targets, Boise freshmen Sen. Mitch Toryanski and freshman Rep. Julie Ellworth/Dan Popkey, Idaho Statesmen. More here.
Question: Even if the recall effort fails, as expected, what is the overall effect re: the attempt and, now, Idaho GOP efforts to fight the recall?
Lewis and Clark High School seniors Caylin Novell, left, and Katie Sell unveil a 400-pound bronze tiger, a gift from the senior class to the school, during Wednesday's Move-Up convocation. The seniors held a fundraiser to pay for the $3,000 statue of LC's mascot. The tiger will be mounted above one of the school's original archways on Stevens Street at Fourth Avenue. (SR photo: Dan Pelle)
A glazier examines the damage after a moose burst into a geriatric care home in Alingsas east of Goteborg, Sweden earlier today. The moose jumped through a canteen window into the building in Alingsas in western Sweden Thursday. The residents were evacuated and the moose locked into a small room next to the entrance. Since the moose's injuries were concluded to be minor it was released into freedom. You write the cutline. (AP Photo / Adam Ihse , SCANPIX)
… That the Idaho Dairymen's Association is concerned about the affiliation of the Kootenai County Republican Central Committee with a townhall meeting scheduled to discuss the Raw Milk Freedom Act of 2011. KCRCC secretary Lorri Erickson circulated an email recently encouraging members to attend the meeting from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 22, at the Coeur d'Alene Library community room. Afterward, KCRCC member Duane Rasmussen sent Erickson an email asking who okayed the Central Committee's endorsement of the meeting. Rasmussen asked: Rasmussen asked: “Do you consider this sort of Town Hall Meeting good for the Republican Party?”
Question: Can you answer Rasmussen's question? Do you consider this sort of Town Hall Meeting (supporting raw milk distribution) good for the Republican Party?
Mary Souza in a post entitled, “Ready To Rumble,” looks to be posturing for an intiative process on the McEuen 
Field issue. She states this morning, “The very good thing in the letter was the part about the public’s right to a referendum or initiative on this issue. The AG himself, Lawerence Wasden, told Kathy Sims, in a phone conversation, that he does NOT agree with Scott Reed’s assessment of the public having no right to a vote; the Attorney General said the citizens do have a voice.” See more Mary.
Would you be interested in signing a petition to get the intiative process on McEuen on the ballot? Or would you enjoy telling petitioners that you are not interested in supporting this process?
Documents:
Tax-protesting state Rep. Phil Hart is taking his fight against having to pay past-due state income taxes to the Idaho Supreme Court, despite already having lost four appeals. Hart, R-Athol, lost his fourth round in March, 
when 1st District Judge John Mitchell refused to reconsider a December 2010 decision tossing out the appeal. In a 13-page decision, the judge twice termed Hart’s arguments “simply wrong,” and called his central argument – that he’d actually filed his appeal one day earlier than the state says – “patently wrong.” Hart, whose first court appeal in November 2010 charged that the state income tax is unconstitutional, also is arguing that he should have months longer to appeal his taxes than other citizens because of his status as an Idaho state legislator/Betsy Russell, Eye On Boise. More here.
Reaction?
Lisa Weiss, a blackjack dealer from Las Vegas, is iterviewed in Las Vegas Tuesday by Jim Moret for an “Inside Edition” broadcast to be shown Wednesday, June 8. Weiss, 40, admitted to sexting with Congressman Anthony Weiner. (AP Photo/Inside Editon)
Question: How are we going to persuade teens that sexting is improper when congressmen do it?
Item: Babbitt urges Obama to stand up for public lands, criticizes bill by Idaho Rep. Labrador: Clinton’s former interior secretary says Republicans in the House have declared war on the environment/Rocky Barker, Idaho Statesman
More Info: Former Democratic Arizona Gov. Bruce Babbitt singled out a bill by Idaho Rep. Raul Labrador as he charged the new House majority with taking the “most radical course in our history” on the environment. Labrador’s bill would remove the power of the president to designate and protect public lands in Idaho under the Antiquities Act of 1906. Babbitt said a House attempt earlier this year to “gut” the Antiquities Act failed by only four votes.
Question: Do you support the right of the president to designate and protect public lands under the Antiquities Act of 1906?
Item: Mini-megaloads may enter CdA: Massive cargo would be routed onto I-90/Chelsea Bannach, SR
More Info: “As far as I’m concerned, I’ve seen large loads similar to that go through here before,” said Councilwoman Deanna Goodlander. “These aren’t the huge loads that are going through Highway 12.” Imperial Oil, a Canadian affiliate of ExxonMobil, is cutting the loads down in height in Lewiston so they can travel on U.S. Highway 95 through Moscow and Coeur d’Alene, onto Interstate 90, into Montana, and eventually to Canada.
Question: Do you support oil refineries using H95 & I-90 to move their mini-megaloads to Billings, Mont.?
This show has a Tin Man, a Scarecrow and a Cowardly Lion. It has a 19-piece orchestra playing classic Harold Arlen-Yip Harburg songs, including “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.” It has a flying Wicked Witch who 
is – no doubt about it – 100 percent evil. It is, in no way, a prequel, a sequel, a retelling or a reimagining. In other words, the Coeur d’Alene Summer Theatre’s “The Wizard of Oz” is a faithful stage version of the classic 1939 MGM movie, from its head all the way down to its Toto(s). It has all of the charms and even most of the dialogue of the movie. And that came as a pleasant surprise to Margaret Travolta, who plays both Glinda (the Good Witch) and Auntie Em/Jim Kershner, SR. More here. (SR photo/Jesse Tinsley: Margaret Travolta (right) plays Glinda the Good Witch while Mallory McKooney-King plays Dorothy)
Question: Have you ever read Frank Baum's “Wizard of Oz” or any of the other Oz books?
A two-car crash at the intersection of Highway 95 and Garwood closed the southbound lanes of the highway for 90 minutes, beginning at 3:18 p.m. today. According to Idaho State Police reports, Larry C. Franklin, 64, of Sandpoint, was southbound in a 1980 Volvo when he crashed into a 2001 Ford F150 driven by Elizabeth A. Campbell, 15, of Hayden at the intersection stoplight. Campbell was hit after she entered the intersection on a green light. Franklin, who was taken by ambulance to Kootenai Medical Center, was cited for not yielding to the red light.
We're 2 weeks from the summer solstice — and I don't think spring is officially here. Overcast again today. I guess I can continue to live with it as long as one of the weekend days is sunny. Adding to the gloom … my 4Runner's in the shop again, to fix a rear-wheel bearing. It has run like a top since I bought it from a brother-in-law several years ago. But it has reached that stage of life when some things need to be replaced. Still way better than buying a new vehicle. Now for your daily Wild Card …
A moose calf reaches to lick its twin sibling Wednesday in a yard in Kenai, Alaska. Their mother, not pictured, was browsing nearby. This year's moose calves are about a month old now. (AP Photo/Peninsula Clarion, M. Scott Moon)
With the signatures collected, including those received in the mail daily, and correspondence from 
Idahoans working as individuals, the committee can now estimate that we are half way to our goal needed, if not a little over. Putting numbers around 75,000-80,000 signatures collected, with three weeks remaining. Signing events are still available state wide, and several counties have began canvassing neighborhoods with tremendously positive results/Recall Luna campaign news release. More here.
Question: Do you expect Recall Luna forces to succeed in getting recall effort onto ballot?
Councilman Mike Kennedy: Here’s my take on this: The permits have not been let by the state yet. But it was presented to us as though it was a fait accompli. I have some questions (as did Terry and KEA last night) and 
I’m pulling them together to submit to the state. I’m trying to wade through what I can, but the engineering study and permit application is an enormous document. The loads are supposed to be coming in beginning the end of June (again, ITD presented on the assumption that the permit is approved) and lasting through September. Their plan is to have one load per night come through - cut down from the original size - between the hours of 10 pm and 4 am. The ITD rep presented to us that the lawsuits regarding the loads are centered around Highway 12, not 95. Unfortunately I don’t think there is much the city can do about it as it is on state and federal roads. The state is the controlling legal authority on this road.
Question: Should the city of Coeur d'Alene and others along the new Trail of ConocoPhillips simply smile and accept the fact that Butch Otter's ITD are forcing these mini-loads on us?
Firefighters from the Boise Fire Department anchor the bottom of an American flag as it is raised by the boom on a ladder track during a ceremony at the Idaho fallen Firefighters Memorial on Wednesday in Boise. Known as The Patriot Flag, this 30' x 55' banner is touring the country being displayed in all 50 states in 50 weeks before flying over Shanksville, Penn., the Pentagon and New York City on Sept. 11, 2011—the tenth anniversary of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. (AP Photo/Idaho Press-Tribune, Charlie Litchfield)
Frank Perez is seen outside American Airlines Center before Game 4 of the NBA Finals basketball game between the Miami Heat and the Dallas Mavericks Tuesday in Dallas. You write the cutline. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
Top Cutlines:
Huckleberries has received an email from a Berry Picker that reveals some discontent in local GOP ranks re: Republican backing for a townhall meeting scheduled in Coeur d'Alene later this month to discuss the Raw Milk Freedom Act of 2011. Duane Rasmussen, a member of the Kootenai County Republican Central Committee, apparently emailed Lorri Erickson, KCRCC secretary, asking who gave the authority for Republicans to encourage a meeting about the Raw Milk Act. Rasmussen said in his note that he can't recall voting to “encourage” the “public to attend” such an event. Then, he asks, Was this matter presented to the Kootenai County Central Committee for approval? Was it presented to the executive committee? He goes on to ask how the announcement came about and who authorized it. Finally, Rasmussen asks: “Do you consider this sort of Town Hall Meeting good for the Republican Party?”
Glenn Beck is planning to charge his fans a monthly subscription for his daily talk show online starting this summer, as he makes the move from being a Fox News host to the owner of his own Internet network. See more. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon dated Aug. 28, 2010)
Are you willing to pay to subscribe to Glenn Beck TV? If you knew of someone subscribing to Glenn Beck TV, would it affect your opinion of that person?
According to the briefing (at the Coeur d'Alene City Council meeting last night), the “half-height” loads are a reduced version of what was originally proposed to head up Highway 12 through the Lochsa – Clearwater corridor. Originally thought to be not feasible and too expensive to cut down, the new, smaller loads are still 24 feet wide (two traffic lanes) and an amazing 208 feet long. ITD says there are some 62 loads proposed to come through Coeur d’Alene beginning in Late June and running through the end of September. ITD says the movement will be done at night between 9 pm and 4 am. Traffic will be stopped at each intersection as the mini-mega passes through town/Terry Harris, KEA Blog. More here.
Question: How do we get stuck with these shipments?
“On a quest Monday evening to shoot a snap I would not normally take, I found myself below the Spokane Falls shooting the spray from the thunderous wall of water as it crashed on the rocks below the dam,” posts Colin Mulvany, Snaps & Frames. “What visually captivated me, besides the warm light, were the layers within the photo – the horizontal spray in back, the vertical lines of the water in middle, and the splatter of spray in the foreground.” More here.
Featured Blog Post: Ah, here we are in June — the invitation season. That is when the mail comes with an invitation practical weekly or less. Invitation to graduations, to weddings and what ever else the summer brings. There are
several invitations types. There are the “save the day for us invite.” The “we are getting married, finally” (that was ours 12 years ago) invite. The “graduation invite” that wants you there if you are the parents or grandparents — all else please send gifts/Cis, From A Simple Mind. More here.
Hucks Online numbers (for Tuesday): 7704/4796
Question: Which type of invite bugs you most?
President Barack Obama gets away from the White House for an afternoon of golf at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland, just outside of Washington, Saturday. (AP Photo/ J. Scott Applewhite)
With golf season starting, how much golf is too much golf? Is there such a thing as too much golf?
Their marriage has become the subject of intense speculation and scrutiny amid an embarrassing online sex 
scandal. Now, Representative Anthony D. Weiner and Huma Abedin are about to make news of a different kind: they are expecting their first child. Ms. Abedin, 35, is in the early stages of pregnancy, according to three people with knowledge of the situation. The pregnancy, which the couple has disclosed to close friends and family, adds a new dimension to questions about the future of their marriage/KHQ. More here. (AP file photo, of Wiener and wife, Huma, at January swearing-in ceremonies)
Question: What would you do if you were Huma?
Huckleberries has received the lengthy response by the Idaho Attorney General's Office into a request by Rep. Kathy Sims, R-CdA, to investigate possible conflicts of interest involving local elected officials and the McEuen 
Field project. Deputy AG Brian Kane dismissed Sims contentions that Council members Al Hassell and Deanna Goodlander have conflicts simply from serving on the council and Lake City Development Corp. Also, he said Mayor Sandi Bloem gets no direct benefit from the project simply because a building she and her family own is nearby. Also, he said the AG's office is not authorized by statute to initiate a law enforcement investigation into a local matter at the request of a legislator. “If after reviewing this analysis, you believe an investigation is warranted, I recommend that you contact your local county prosecutor or county sheriff s office because they have primary law enforcement authority.” Read full response here.
Question: What is your reaction after reading Brian Kane's response to Kathy Sims?
“There's still several weeks until the North Idaho Fair rolls around but here's a sneak peek at one of the new menu items for 2011,” posts Kerri Thoreson/More Main Street. “Ekness Catering, a perennial fair favorite food booth, debuted a fried bologna sandwich at Post Falls Days.” More here.
Question: Have you ever tried a fried bologna sandwich?
In an email, Arpie writes: “On Facebook the other day a friend was proud of her 13 year old son who went to YouTube to learn how to tie a tie. I've used YouTube for everything from how to fix a bicycle break to fixing my plumbing. I know Idaho Dad used it to learn how to drywall his basement.
Question (from Arpie): What is the weirdest thing you have used You Tube for?”
On his Facebook wall, Sisyphus writes: “Saw a fairly large moth flying to find his way into the house through my window. Then with a brilliant flash of yellow with a hint of orange, a tanager had made the moth its breakfast. Are you predator or prey today?
Question: Well, which are you today — predator or prey?
Although Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said he has no advice for embattled Rep. Anthony Weiner, two 
prominent Democrats offered some guidance on how he might weather what one called a “perfect storm” of controversy. “For Anthony Weiner, it's about showing true remorse and removing politics from the calculation,” Democratic strategist Robert Zimmerman said. “He has to then not just worry about his constituents but worry about whether he'll have a district to run for.” He added that Weiner must focus on his work as a congressman and demonstrate a commitment to public service, not just politics and soundbites/CNN. More here. (AP file photo/BigGovernment.com, of Anthony Weiner)
Question: What do you think Weiner would have to do to survive the political firestorm caused by his Twitter?
Cousins Cole Womack, left, Kristen Belcourt, center, and Thomas Olin-Berger look at a baby robin they brought with them to the annual North Central Montana Everything Antique Show at the Great Northern Fairgrounds in Havre, Mont, recently. The robin was one of a whole nest that the family rescued from a pond while visiting their grandmother. (AP Photo/Havre Daily News, Nikki Carlson)
John Carpenter's horror flick, “The Ward,” which was filmed in Medical Lake and Spokane, became available 
through various cable on-demand services today. It stars Amber Heard as a woman in a mental institution. And guess what? This mental institution is not what it seems. This movie has not exactly received stellar reviews, but so far it has been treated more kindly than many other locally filmed movies. It has a 48 percent positive score among reviewers on Rotten Tomatoes. The Guardian, a British paper, called it a “well-made film, with some finely crafted shocks and a steady pace that almost seems stately in these days of fast-cut horror”/Jim Kershner, SR. More here. (AP file photo, of zombies)
Question: Which horror movie is your favorite?
Sisters Ellen, left, and Margaret Travolta (right) play the Wicked Witch and Glinda the Good Witch while Mallory McKooney-King plays Dorothy in the Coeur d'Alene Summer Theatre production of “The Wizard of Oz” which opens Thursday night at North Idaho College's Schuler Auditorium. (SR photo: Jesse Tinsley)
Question: Do you hope to see John Travolta at the “Wizard of Oz” production (which stars his two sisters)?
Gov. Butch Otter did not resign Friday. That is a matter of public record, and a rather routine matter, too. But on 
Thursday afternoon, the Boise Twitter community was abuzz with rumors that Otter would abruptly step down the following day. And while rumors and political reporting have been forever conjoined at the hip, Thursday's non-story showed how rumors can catch a wave in the age of social media. Back in the not-too-distant-past, Brooke Seidl of Boise might have called a reporter with her tip. But on Thursday, she was able to share it, instantly, with more than 700 Twitter followers. She attributed the tip, cryptically, to “somebody who doesn't spread rumors.” The same, of course, can scarcely be said about anyone on Twitter. So, off the Otter rumor went/Kevin Richert, Idaho Statesman. More here.
Question: Do you consider yourself more informed/misinformed in the “age of Twitter”?
“After a near torturous day of editing a weekend assignment,” writes Linda Lantzy of Idaho Scenic Images, “I had to get out of the office last night. This is from the dike road of Hayden Lake. Sadly, I have little photography of this lake, because there is very limited shoreline access.” See more of Linda's photography here.
Question: Do you spend much time on Hayden Lake?
In a guest opinion in today's Coeur d'Alene Press, Paula Austin writes poignantly re: the inexpressible pain of losing a child. Paula is the mother of former Coeur d'Alene High athlete Devon Austin, who was killed along 
with friend Ryan Rhinehart, in a crash involving a chase in the Twin Falls area 9 months ago. Writes Paula: “My reason for this letter is that a close friend of mine, coincidentally the mother of the other young man that was killed with Devon, gave me the enclosed letter titled “An open letter to the Non-Bereaved,” written by a mother sharing the same experience as we are. We were both in awe of how she so eloquently stated our feelings and emotions. We find now the only people that we can talk to about how we feel and what we are going through is other bereaved parents.” More here. (SR file photo of Devon Austin)
Question: How have you been comforted by someone who has gone through the same experience as you?
At OpenCDA.com today, Mary Souza introduces an open thread by continuing to complain that Coeur d'Alene City Council members routinely take notes and don't look at speakers during the public comments period. 
Now, I can't say if that's truly the case. Quoth Mary: “Why do they all have to write fast and furiously when the meetings are video taped, audio taped separately, with written notes taken by two of their staff members? I can understand a few notes here or there, but giving attention and respect to the speaker must be top priority.” I can't speak for the council members — or say whether Mary's correct that there's little eye contact — but I do know that taking notes while someone is speaking is a good one to remember what they said later. I've spent 41 years taking note while others speak. And I can guarantee you that I remember better than most what was said. Also, I take notes and rarely look at my pastor when he's sermonizing on Sunday. It's the opposite of disrespect. I want to remember what's said.
Question: Do you take notes while listening to a speaker?
Idaho always has tolerated an element of good old boy politics. Its lawmakers self-policed themselves. But at least when the political parties were more balanced, a natural tension kept legislators honest. The good old 
boys also operated under a honor system. In the Senate, a ethics review essentially ousted former Sen. Jack Noble, R-Kuna, who tried to promote a bill to profit himself. In the House, former Speaker Bruce Newcomb, R-Burley, once called an ethics probe on himself. Political balance no longer exists. The good old boys are gone. So is their political culture that held itself to an ethical standard. The sooner Idahoans realize that, the sooner they'll give the job of enforcing ethics to somebody else/Marty Trillhaase, Lewiston Tribune. More here.
Question: Is it time for ethical GOP lawmakers — if there are any of them with a backbone — to band together to remove Lawerence Denney from his role as House Speaker?
Dalton Elementary first-grader Grace Ellison waits for instruction before planting her pumpkin sprout in The Roots Community Supported Agriculture garden in Dalton Gardens on Tuesday. The community supported agriculture program of the Kootenai Environmental Alliance partnered with Dalton Elementary to provide a hands-on learning experience for first-grade students. See story below. (SR photo: Kathy Plonka)
Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Luna warned educators last month they could be fired for politicking 
at school, but says he can't disclose whether any are under investigation. Luna's spokeswoman, Melissa McGrath, wrote last week that “at least 10 informal complaints” had been filed with the 18-member Idaho Professional Standards Commission, the panel that reviews violations of the ethics code for Idaho educators and can strip them of the certification required to teach in public schools. In a May 13 memo sent to all of Idaho's K-12 school trustees and administrators, Luna said he had received “numerous reports” of ethical violations/Dan Popkey, Idaho Statesman. More here.
Question: Should teachers be investigated for political conduct on campus that may have occurred prior to Luna's well-publicized warning to stop such conduct?
So what do they do when they aren’t counting dead birds? It is at no small risk that we even broach this 
subject. That is there is a danger this could all be misconstrued. So let the record show that we are unequivocally opposed to dead swans. Anything as beautiful as a swan should stay that way forever. Of course things don’t work that way. Swans die. By the hundreds every day. For a myriad of reason. Perhaps even from swan flu. Yet those deaths go unnoticed n and unreported. But if a swan dies for the wrong reason, then the dead-bird census workers magically appear to give us a body count/Dan Hammes, St. Maries Gazette Record. More here. (SR file photo/Kathy Plonka: dead swan near Rose Lake)
Question: Do you agree with Publisher Hammes that there may be too much attention to the swan die-off in the Chain Lakes every year?
The Legislature’s most recent ethics investigation was hardly House Speaker Lawerence Denney’s finest moment. Hayden Republican Rep. Phil Hart relinquished his vice chairmanship of the House Revenue and 
Taxation Committee — which seemed only fitting, since the self-styled tax protester faced allegations of repeatedly blowing off filing deadlines. Denney pulled Hart from this powerful committee only after Hart gave the move his blessing. Denney seemed interested in providing a soft landing for an ideological ally, and far less interested in preserving the reputation of the House. What can Denney do for an encore? How about dropping the entire pretense of an ethics committee investigation? Denney has another problem on his hands, again involving a trusted foot soldier (Tom Loertscher)/Kevin Richert, Idaho Statesman. More here.
Question: What would a loyal foot soldier of House Speaker Denney have to do to get in real trouble in the Idaho House of Representatives?
Item: Luna schedules Jeb Bush to address first tech task force meeting/Associated Press
More Info: Public schools chief Tom Luna says two former governors will visit Idaho next week to help him kick off the first meeting of his technology task force. Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and former West Virginia Gov. Bob Wise are expected to make presentations Tuesday when Luna's task force convenes at the Idaho Capitol in Boise.'
Question: Are you impressed that Luna's education reforms have the endorsement of a high-profile, former governor like Florida's Jeb Bush?
Although critics say the deal was rigged from the get-go - and we have been outspoken critics of the tendency for school board trustees to retire/resign and then appoint their replacements, rather than let voters decide - 
we can't argue with the selection of Quinn. While Quinn is the most likely of the finalists to represent a continuation of recent board policies and programs - support for superb but controversial offerings like International Baccalaureate classes, as well as giving qualified teachers a strong voice in determining what novels should be read in high school - she also is the one candidate who clearly is most qualified to jump right in at such a crucial time in public education/Mike Patrick, Coeur d'Alene Press Editorial Board. More here.
Question: Are you surprised that the Coeur d'Alene Press endorsed the appointment of Wanda Quinn to the Coeur d'Alene School Board?
Item: Spokane, Coeur d’Alene now one statistical region/John Stucke, SR
More Info: In the eyes of the U.S. Census Bureau, Spokane and Coeur d’Alene have been merged into a single metropolitan area with a population of 609,000 people. The combined statistical area “Spokane-Coeur d’Alene” ranks as the 87th most-populous metropolitan area in the United States, just behind Boise. The designation has been anticipated for years, and business boosters hope the placement in the top 100 largest U.S. population centers earns the region a closer look by companies planning to expand. It could also help the region collect more federal funding.
Question: What are your thoughts re: Spokane-Coeur d'Alene being viewed as a metro area that's almost the same size as the Boise area? Would you rather have Coeur d'Alene continue to go it alone?
Nick Anderson/Houston Chronicle
I get a kick out of Henry Johnston's description of Moscow in his column this morning as the “Berkeley of North Idaho.” As someone who was in college 200 miles away from “Beserkley” in the 1960s, I can say that Moscow resemblance to that Berkeley is imaginery. A few dozen protesters against megaloads does not a Berkeley make. I know what Henry means, of course. Compared to the rest of the Tea Party Panhandle, Moscow is liberal. Then, Ronald Reagan would be considered a liberal in this climate. With that happy thought, I'll post today's Wild Card …
People gather to take photos from the lower falls bridge in front of Multnomah Falls along the Columbia River Gorge Tuesday, near Bridal Veil, Ore. States across the west are on the watch for potential flooding in the coming weeks once a record mountain snowpack starts melting and sending water gushing into rivers, streams and low-lying communities. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
We, as a nation, give too much time to media reality shows. Pimplike for Bachelorette or Bachelor and the Kardashian family. What is with that? Let’s rub it into the faces of the poor, the people who are losing their 
homes, see how rich and spoiled we are? My ring is more than what your home is worth, that you are losing? Kardashians and the list goes on of the rich and famous. Then you have the rich and fallen who are in a rich rehab. No wonder other countries have such a poor ideal of who we are. And it is your fault. Not mine as I can't get the channels and wouldn't watch if I did/Cis, From A Simple Mind. More here.
Question: Which reality show is the dumbest? Defend your answer.
Here's a link to Betsy Russell's full story at spokesman.com on today's first meeting of the state's bipartisan citizen redistricting commission; here, new redistricting commissioner Lorna Finman of Rathdrum, right, visits with state GOP Executive Director Jonathan Parker, left, during a break in today's meeting. More here.
Seattle Mariners center fielder Greg Halman, on ground, is unable to catch a fly ball by Chicago White Sox right fielder Carlos Quentin after crashing into the wall during the first inning of a baseball game Monday in Chicago. Covering on the play is center fielder Franklin Gutierrez. You write the cutline. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
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The Idaho Statesman in Boise and the paper’s readers said so long this weekend to long-time columnist/reporter Tim Woodward. As I get a little older, I tend to reflect more and more on such transitions 
and, as a result, I have a much greater appreciation of the value of guys like Tim to an institution, whether it be a newspaper or any other outfit. Woodward, a talented writer and a very good guy, is one of the very few links to Boise and Idaho journalism that dates to the same era when I started in the business. In 35 or 40 years in any business, you accumulate a big Rolodex and, if you’re smart and engaged, as Tim was and is, you rack up the kind of perspective and knowledge that only comes with time and experience/Marc Johnson, The Johnson Report. More here.
Question: Who is your favorite columnist of bygone days?
A 41-year-old Coeur d'Alene man with and extensive criminal record has been sentenced to a fixed prison 
term of 33 months for attempted strangulation and felony domestic violence against a former girlfriend. David B. Moen wasn't given credit for the 257 days he's already served awaiting sentencing in the brutal attack against his former girlfriend last Sept. 12. Moen choked the woman, banged her head against a wall, and punched and kicked her in the head. Judge Fred Gibler handled the sentencing. You can read the rest of the news release from Prosecutor Barry McHugh's office here.
Eric Barro, who together with Rocky Castaneda runs Lake City Photography, snapped this photo, and many others, at the Red Cross Fashion Night Out at the Spokane Convention Center Friday. Models shown in the photo are: Katelyn Eyford, Hannah Metz, Haley Jacobson, Makenzie Lowther. You can view all the photos from the shoot here.
North Idaho College and Lake City Development Corp. have scheduled a groundbreaking ceremony for Phase 1-A of the Education Corridor project at 2 p.m. Friday on Hubbard Avenue, across from the wastewater treatment plant. Officials who will participate in the ceremony include representatives from the city of Coeur d'Alene, NIC, University of Idaho, Lewis-Clark State College, Fort Grounds Homeowners Association, and LCDC. The ceremony will take place after a pre-construction meeting among JUB Engineers, MDM Construction, and their subcontractors in the city's old council chambers.
Pecky Cox/As the Lake Churns offers this home remedy for warding of mosquitos (but she doesn't think it'll 
keep bears away while hiking or huckleberry picking): “Mince a few cloves of garlic then cover with mineral oil. Allow it to sit for at least 24 hours. Next you take a teaspoon of JUST OIL and mix it with 2 cups of water and 1 teaspoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice. Strain through a cheesecloth if you have any floaties then pour into a spray bottle. Shake before each use. Will avoid mosquitos but not sure about bears.”
Question: Do you have any home remedies to deal with pests, sunburns, & other ailments of the summer season?
“Remember who you're responsible to - you're responsible to the citizens of Idaho. You're not responsible to your respective political parties” — former redistricting commissioner Dean Haagenson of the Coeur d'Alene area addressing the current panel today. More of Dean's thoughts here.
“Let's talk about hypothetical situations,” posts KXLY Web producer Nicole Hensley in her Blush Response blog earlier this afternoon. “You're in downtown Coeur d'Alene craving a hot dog. Something you would expect from a baseball stadium. You see a place called Dangerous Dog: Serious Sausage and immediately think, “they must mean serious business.” They do. Erick, from Ecuador, is the owner and he knows his dogs from a global standpoint. Oh, and your typical hot dog with onions, kraut, mustard and ketchup? It's #2, the Classic, out of 22 different dogs from hot dogs, to sausage, to chorizo.” More here (w/more photos). (KXLY photo: Nicole Hensley)
Question: Which do you prefer — hotdogs or hamburgers?
What if:
Realistic or not, those were some of the ideas tossed on the table Monday during the first joint meeting of Spokane and Kootenai counties’ boards of commissioners.
Question: I'd be willing to give up studded tires to drive to Spokane Airport if Spokane County would limit the amount of visitors it allows to pack our waterfront. Can you think of any other sweet deals the two counties could make?
A Spokane man is standing trial this week for allegedly stealing a single piece of aluminum foil from a north 
side pharmacy.The aluminum foil is worth about a nickel, which would have made David Hickam's charge a simple shoplifting charge, but when he fought with a loss prevention officer, it upped the ante on his arrest.Police say Hickam, 26, went into a Rite-Aid pharmacy, picked up a box of aluminum foil, tore out a sheet, stuffed it in his pocket and walked out of the store. A security guard who had watched the alleged theft on a video camera confronted Hickam outside the store/Jeff Humphrey, KXLY. More here.' (KXLY photo)
Question: Who's more ridiculous here — the pharmacy who is pushing the shoplifting case or Hickam who fought a security guard over a sheet of aluminum foil?
Idaho's current legislative districts will “have to be substantially changed” this year, BSU political scientist Gary Moncrief told the redistricting commission this morning, whose job it is to draw those new district lines. That's because the ideal district size, should Idaho stick with 35 legislative districts, is now 44,788. That's about 8,000 more people than the ideal legislative district size 10 years ago. But while some areas have grown substantially in population, others haven't grown much or have even shrunk/Betsy Russell, Eye On Boise. More here.
DFO: I know I should care about redistricting. It's wery, wery important. However, I'm so disgusted with the lousy representation provided by the 9 legislators in Kootenai County that I really don't care all that much how they draw the lines this time — as long as one of the three Tea Party solons of House District 3 isn't part of my new district.
Question: Will North Idaho get a fair shake from a Redistrict Commission that includes 2 co-chairs from Pocatello and only 1 Panhandle rep?
Volunteers help cary dozens of boxes filled with signed petitions to place new education laws on the November 2012 ballot on Monday outside the Idaho State Capital in Boise. The planners of the event, Idahoans for Responsible Education Reform, expect over 200,000 signatures, well over the 47,432 required. (AP Photo/Idaho Press-Tribune, Adam Eschbach)
On his Facebook wall, Joe Butler said he's “trying hard not to launch into a 'when I was your age' moment after 
repeated whines about 'why do I have to read — it's been TWO HOURS since I watched TV!' To which a FF responded: “I had a moment of inspiration when I long ago said: for as long as you read you can watch TV for the same length of time.” Another FF said she makes her kids “buy” their TV time in 30-minute increments using tickets they earn for doing chores. Quoth: “When they are out of time and don't have a ticket, I just tell them they can clean toilets until they have more time. It's actually cut down on the TV quite a bit.”
Question: How do you get your kids to do home work or chores when they want to watch TV?
“As I was getting into my car (recently), I spotted this dandelion seed bloom in my neighbor’s yard,” posts Colin Mulvany/Snaps & Frames. “I don’t normally think about shooting pretty pictures for newspaper, but this time it just felt good to shoot one for myself. I like the light on the seeds and the dark background. This is a photo that’s been done a million times by other photographers – but I don’t mind. It’s my first time shooting a dandelion this close up. Now I just have to figure out how to keep these seeds out of my lawn. Nikon D3s/Nikkor 60 mm macro lens
Question: Whose yard has more dandelion — yours or your neighbors?
Item: NJ court says shield law doesn't apply to bloggers: The New Jersey Supreme Court says bloggers and online posters don't have the same protections for sources as mainstream journalists/Beth DeFalco, AP. H/T: Orbusmax
More Info: People who post to online message boards don't have the same protections as mainstream journalists when it comes to keeping their sources secret, the New Jersey Supreme Court ruled Tuesday. The court said in a unanimous ruling against a Washington state woman that New Jersey's shield law provides broad protection to the news media and is not limited to traditional news outlets like newspapers and magazines, but does not apply to message board posters.
Question: Does this New Jersey decision worry you?
“This pair of retrievers enjoyed a great view of the people coming to Q'emiln Park for the final day of Post Falls Days on Sunday,” writes Kerri Thoreson/More Main Street.
Pump up the bike tires and grab your helmet - one of the Inland Northwest's favorite trail rides, the Route of the 
Hiawatha, opens Saturday! The June 11th opening actually marks a delay in the trail's typical season. The route usually opens from May to September, but the cool spring and heavy snowfall delayed the opening. Crews from Lookout Pass, which operates the trail, have been clearing the snow from the trailhead's highest peak to get ready for this weekend. Route of the Hiawatha follows the old Milwaukee Railroad grade between the old town site of Taft, Montana and the North Fork of the St. Joe River near Avery, Idaho. USA Today recently named it one of the top rail-to-trail adventures in the country/Melissa Luck, KXLY. More here. (SR file photo: Christopher Anderson)
Question: Have you ridden the Route of the Hiawatha? Would you recommend it to other bicyclists?
“I'm an intern here,” said Anne Schnura as she raked the beach at Outdoor Pursuits (North Idaho College Beach) on Monday. She is studying Recreation Administration. (SR photo: Kathy Plonka)
About a month ago the city of Moscow hosted a public forum to discuss the potential of moving ExxonMobil's megaloads through Moscow on U.S. Highway 95. The meeting was preceded by a good old-fashioned 
protest, demonstrating the true size of a megaload and decrying what it will do to Moscow's precious trees. It has been a long time since Moscow's hippies have dug out their leather vests, put on their Birkenstocks and readjusted their graying ponytails in an effort to rally “the movement” against “the man.” There's something about a protest to get the blood pumping and, as the Berkeley of north Idaho, Moscow really knows how to throw one. Quite frankly, I've missed it/Henry Johnston, Moscow-Pullman Daily News. More here.
Question: Do you consider Moscow to be the “Berkeley of North Idaho”?
You only need to stroll by the New York Public Library building on 5th Avenue in the big city to know that serious business is done here. The main New York Public Library is a beautiful, iconic building – two handsome lions stand guard out front – that opened in 1911, almost exactly 100 years ago. Best of all, virtually everything is 
free. The NYPL notes on its website that the only price of admission is curiosity. Of course, taxpayers support libraries, but the value of the investment pays off to an individual a thousand fold over, or maybe a thousand thousand fold. Unfortunately, the public library, the great leveler of a society that is increasingly made up of haves and have nots, is having less and less to work with. One of the great myths about libraries, expressed primarily by penny-pinching politicians and folks who never set foot in a library, is that the Internet is making libraries obsolete. It’s a foolish notion on par with thinking that computers can somehow replace teachers or smart librarians/Marc Johnson, The Johnson Report. More here.
Question: How often do you use the local library? For what purpose?
Item: Boise Democratic Rep. Sue Chew chided for email: Rep. Sue Chew sought teachers’ help in recruiting students to overturn the Luna education reform laws/Dan Popkey
More Info: House Minority Leader John Rusche told Rep. Sue Chew on Monday that an email sent from her legislative account to nearly 800 addressees was inappropriate. The May 12 email suggested high school government classes focus on referendums seeking to overturn three education reform laws authored by GOP Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Luna. “Allowing students to register to vote and keeping them informed of upcoming events, such as the referendum, is a way for the teachers to instill the rhetoric from class within their students’ lives,” said the email.
Question: Did Rep. Sue Chew act properly in using her legislative email to lobby against education “reform” laws pushed by Superintendent of Schools Tom Luna?
JimmyMac: Been twice (to Atilano's on Appleway) I liked what I had the first time but was less than impressed with the second go around. It is pretty cheap. On a value basis, not bad. On an quality basis … meh. Two words: Orlando’s. Soon. Then we can have a meaningful discussion on burritos. I hope you cover him, OTV.
Question: I'm going to shift focus from Atilano's to the word Jimmy used to describe his reaction to the food: “meh.” It means indifference. Sorta the new term for “whatever.” I don't even know how to pronounce it. And I'm not too crazy about it. How about you?
I see that a federal judge has banned prosecutors from using terminology like “Hells Angels,” “Mongols” and 
“gangs” in the upcoming Ricky Jenks trial. Thank God. Nobody wants to see our sacred judicial process tainted by reality. As anyone who has studied the law or Judge Joe Brown episodes would know, nothing can be more unfair and prejudicial than reality in a courtroom. How do you think jurors would react at hearing that Jenks is the sergeant-at-arms for the Washington state chapter of that notorious biker gang, the Hells Angels? They could be highly prejudiced, that’s what/Doug Clark, SR. More here.
Question: Was the judge being too cautious in handing down his order that prosecutors couldn't mentin “Hells Angels,” “Mongols,” or gangs in the trial of a Hells Angel sergeant-at-arms?
Idaho held its spot at No. 4 in the second “Freedom in the 50 States” report published Tuesday by the Mercatur Center at George Mason University in Virginia. The new report follows up on a 2009 study, with what researchers say is an improved methodology. … The top 10 in the 2011 study: New Hampshire, South Dakota, Indiana, Idaho, Missouri, Nevada, Colorado, Oregon, Virginia and North Dakota. The study ranks four categories. Idaho was seventh in fiscal policy, 13th in regulatory policy, fourth in economic freedom and ninth in personal freedom/Dan Popkey, Idaho Statesman. More here.
Question: Do you you feel freer in Idaho than you have in other states?
The chairman of the Republican party says Rep. Anthony Weiner should resign after admitting he sent a lewd 
photo of himself on Twitter to a woman and then lied about it repeatedly. Reince Priebus says in a statement that either House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi and Democratic chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz believe that members of Congress are held to a different standard, or they believe the congressman's actions demand his departure from the House. Weiner vowed on Monday he would not resign his seat, and apologized repeatedly at a news conference for his actions/Associated Press. More here. (Associated Press photo)
Question (from Associated Press): Do a married person's online flirtations — including explicit ones — count as infidelity?
Joe Heller/Hellertoons
Mrs. O and I enjoyed one of those splendid days on the waterfront Sunday afternoon and evening — first attending a bluegrass concert put on by Chris Guggemos' HandShake Productions and then enjoying a 10-mile bike ride along the water front that reached Riverstone. Visitors have replaced bad weather. City Park and the north shore was teeming with picnickers, sun bathers, bike riders, strollers, skaters, and more. For one weekend at least, the perfect weather almost made me forget about 7 months of cold and rainy weather. I'm hoping for more sunshine, as we all are. Now for your Wild Card …
This undated photo taken from the website BigGovernment.com, run by conservative activist Andrew Breitbart, purports to show Rep. Anthony Weiner, D-N.Y., shirtless. After days of denials, Weiner confessed today that he tweeted a photo of his bulging underpants to a young woman, and he also admitted to “inappropriate” exchanges with six women before and after he got married. The scandal escalated when the website, BigGovernment.com,, posted photos, including the one shown, purportedly from a second woman who said she received shirtless shots of the congressman. The site said the pictures were in a cache of intimate online photographs, chats and email exchanges the woman claimed to have. The website did not identify the woman. (AP Photo/BigGovernment.com)
The exterior is nice enough, with a splashy new yellow and red paint job screaming “we're authentic!”, but open the door and walk inside and certain thoughts occur. Who broke into this poor old KFC, stole all the 
decor, then spray-painted over all the logos with a can of red spray paint? Was it a mad electrician with a fetish for exposed wires? (There are literally open outlet boxes with wires sticking out of the walls in several spots.) Can I still get a “famous” fried chicken, corn and mashed potato bowl and a side biscuit and coleslaw? Other than the employees, the only hint of old Mexico was the tejano music floating through lightly the air, and frankly, the place could use some serious sprucework and love on several levels/OrangeTV, Get Out! North Idaho. More here.
Question: Do you plan to visit Atilan's Mexican Food (old KFC building on Appleway) within the month?
Bonner County deputies busted a meth lab in the Blanchard area last week. See story below. (Courtesy photo: Bonner County Sheriff's Department)
Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, holding a booklet depicting Paul Revere, speaks briefly with the media as she tours Boston's North End neighborhood on Thursday. On Fox News Sunday Palin insisted Sunday in Washington that history was on her side when she claimed that Paul Revere's famous Massachusetts ride was intended to warn both British soldiers and his fellow colonists. At right is Palin's daughter Piper. You write the cutline. Story here. (AP Photo/Steven Senne, File)
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The Mountain West Conference on Monday unveiled its new logo — part of an intense branding campaign that 
marks the league’s transition away from Utah, BYU and TCU and to Boise State, Fresno State, Nevada and Hawaii (football only). The new logo looks like a cube, with a block “M” and block “W.” Conference officials are calling the logo “The Rock” — and they say it’s a sign of unity and strength for the reshaped conference. The old logo featured a mountain scene. “We’re about as much west as we are mountain,” commissioner Craig Thompson said. “We’re going to emphasize both names”/Chadd Cripe, Statesman. More here.
Question: What do you think of the new Mountain West logo?
At As The Lake Churns, Pecky Cox calls this photo of the clouds above beautiful Priest Lake: “Yesterday's Symphony.” You can see more of Pecky's art and catch up on Priest Lake news here.
Hucks Online numbers (for week of May 29 - June 4): 35002/21995
This metal moose sculpture at the corner of 5th & Lakeside/CdA is one of 14 art pieces now located in the downtown Coeur d'Alene area as part of ArtCurrents. The city’s newest art-on-loan program provides sculptures on loan from artists around the country and available for purchase. The 14 art pieces will remain in the downtown Coeur d'Alene corridor and City Park for public viewing for one year, or until sold. You can read more about the program here.
Idaho’s place as the number one lottery jurisdiction to win a multi-state Draw Game prize over $500,000 continued when Clifford and Helena Jordan became the third one million dollar, or higher, winners from 
northern Idaho this year. The couple claimed last week’s $1,000,000 Mega Millions prize Monday morning at Idaho Lottery Headquarters after making the 8 hour trek on Sunday from their home in Hayden to Boise. After realizing he had the $1,000,000 Mega Millions winning ticket when he checked his numbers at the Dexco Mini Mart on Government Way in Coeur d’Alene, Clifford Jordan told his wife he felt like taking a drive to Boise. “Not only is it a long drive, but it’s also expensive these days,” said Helena Jordan, laughing.“When he told me he wanted to go to Boise, I just didn’t want to be out the expense. Then he told me he’d won the lottery and I really didn’t believe him”/Idaho Lottery news release. More here.
And now a word from the Ladies of Huckleberries re: U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner and the 2 incidents in recents days of Kootenai County men getting caught allegedly pleasuring themselves in Spokane Valley parking lots:
“With the media coverage of the Weiner scandal, and now this, I have something to say to all you gentlemen.
Please keep your junk to yourselves. The ladies thank you.”
Any Questions?
After a round-robin interview with all five candidates seeking appointment to the seat being vacated by Chairwoman Edie Brooks, the Coeur d'Alene School Board unanimously picked former chairwoman Wanda 
Quinn, pictured, a long-time former trustee. Few will be surprised by the move. Trustees-elect Tom Hamilton (who was present during the interviews) and Terri Seymour had lobbied the board not to make the selection until they became members July 1. The candidates — Quinn, Christa Hazel, Tony Norris, Jim Purtee, and Carole Stringer — answered 11 questions during the forum and a 12th question in writing re: how they would handle parents' inquiries. Afterward, the trustees voted for their choice by secret ballot. The result was read by the board secretary. Brooks then made her resignation effective immediately. Quinn will take her seat when the board meets tonight. No public input was allowed. Dan Gookin and Duncan Koler's wife were also present at the meeting. (Photo: Coeur d'Alene Chamber of Commerce)
Question: Do you approve of the method & decision used by Coeur d'Alene School Board to select the replacement for resigning Chairwoman Edie Brooks?
A Post Falls man is accused of masturbating in the Spokane Valley Mall parking lot Sunday afternoon. Brian J. Jeffries, 25, was booked into jail on a misdemeanor charge of indecent exposure after witnesses reported him to mall security about 3:20 p.m. and he fled in his Toyota pickup, police said. Police traced the pickup to a man named Jeffries, and witnesses said the masturbator was wearing a shirt “embroidered with the name of a national retailer,” according to a news release. Police showed an image from mall security video to the store manager, who identified the man as Jeffries. Jeffries was arrested a few minutes later when he arrived to begin his shift/Meghann Cuniff, SR. More here.
Reaction?
In this comic book image released by DC Comics, the cover of the new Detective Comics No. 1, featuring Batman, is shown. The issue, available in September, is part of DC Comics company wide push to renumber all of its superhero titles and give the characters new looks. (AP Photo/DC Comics)
Question: Which comic book superhero is your favorite?
After days of denials, a choked-up New York Democratic Rep. Anthony Weiner confessed Monday that he 
tweeted a bulging-underpants photo of himself to a young woman and admitted to “inappropriate” exchanges with six women before and after getting married. He apologized for lying but said he would not resign. A conservative website that last week started a furor over a lewd photo sent from Weiner's Twitter account posted new photos Monday purportedly from a second woman who said she received shirtless shots of the congressman. At a news conference Monday, Weiner called the initial underpants photo a joke and a “hugely regrettable mistake”/Beth Fouhy, AP. More here. (AP file photo of Anthony Weiner)
Question: Is the extreme poor judgment of Rep. Anthony Weiner in the same league as former U.S. senator Larry Craig's toe-tapping misstep? Should Weiner resign?
Don’t say the folks at Oxford Dictionaries refuse to get with the times. The well-established authority on the English language is giving an official nod to a host of questionable terms, including “schmick,” “man cave,” and “Twittersphere.” Also on the list of new words admitted to Oxford Dictionaries Online: “ZOMG,” “bridezilla,” and “lappy.” (That last one is short for laptop, in case you didn’t know.)/Amy Rolph, Seattle's Big Blog. More here.
Question: One of my favorite new expressions is “back story” in place of background. What's yours?
If you thought about it, which U.S. states would have the highest percentage of total income spent on driving? We'd have guessed Alaska, Montana, New York and Hawaii would rank in the top 10. But no. Guess who is No. 5? Idaho, according to a recent survey by the National Resources Defense Council for 2010, is the No. 5 state in terms of percentage of income spent on driving/Office Hours. More here.
Question: Do you spend a significant part of your income at the gas pumps?
The new American symbol for a healthy diet is laden with vegetables, and it includes plenty of room on the plate for Idaho potatoes. The dinner plate-based guide from the U.S. Department of Agriculture released last 
week is divided into four parts. Fruits and vegetables take up half the space; grains and proteins take up the other half. The plate, which replaces the food pyramid that’s been in place for two decades, encourages people to fill their plates at least half full with fruits and vegetables. “The overall message is very simple, and I applaud the effort to make people understand that fruits and vegetables should be half your meal,” said Frank Muir, president and CEO of the Idaho Potato Commission. “I’d also encourage people to make sure they’re using the right-sized plate”/Erika Bolstad, Idaho Statesman. More here. (AP file photo: Organic potatoes are harvested at the Holm farms, west of Idaho Falls)
Question: Which is your favorite way to eat potatoes?
Spectators are reflected in the polished wing of a historic B-17 at the Spokane Airports Open House at Felts Field Saturday. (SR photo: Christopher Anderson)
A 20-year-old Liberty Lake woman is making leaps and bounds in her recovery after a wrong-way driver smashed into her car head on six weeks ago, leaving her bones shattered from the pelvis down.The 
accident happened along I-90 near the Geiger exit. Jessica, 19 at the time, was driving westbound on the freeway when 73-year-old William Ainsworth slammed into her car head on; he died instantly and Jessica was left maimed. The impact, Washington State Patrol said, exceeded 120 miles per hour.“I don't remember any of it and I'm blessed to not remember any of it,” Sharpe said. “I broke my right humerus, shattered my pelvis, broke both femurs, both tibulas, both fibulas, broke my right ankle and my three middle toes were upside down and backwards”/Colleen O'Brien, KXLY. More here. (KXLY file photo)
Question: Have you ever been injured in a vehicle accident?
Former presidential candidate John Edwards is seen with his daughter Cate following a court appearance in Winston-Salem, N.C., Friday. A grand jury indicted the two-time presidential candidate on Friday, accusing him of trying to protect his political ambitions by soliciting and secretly spending more than $925,000 to hide his mistress and their baby from the public. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)
Question: If you were in John Edwards' shoes, would you allow your daughter to appear with you in court?
Singer-songwriter Carole King talked about her life in Idaho on MSNBC’s Morning Joe program this morning. 
King noted she has lived in Idaho 34 years, 30 in her current home, the Robinson Bar Ranch near Stanley in the White Cloud Mountains. She noted that her neighbors are “simple great working people” who generally vote Republican but have reconciled themselves to her Democratic views/Rocky Barker, Idaho Statesman. More here. (SR file photo: Patty Duke, left, kissing Carole King during a 2004 campaign event in Coeur d'Alene)
Question: How long have you lived in Idaho?
“Cellphones a possible carcinogen, like coffee,” the headline in the newspaper read last week. This is 
ridiculous. First of all, how could cellphones be like coffee? People don't drink cellphones. They don't even taste good. And second of all, coffee is not a carcinogen, or maybe it is, but so what? “Anything is a possible carcinogen,” said Donald Berry, a professor of biostatistics at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center at the University of Texas. “This is not something I worry about and it will not in any way change how I use my cellphone or drink my coffee,” he said - speaking from his cellphone and sipping a latte. I'm with you, guy/Kathy Hedberg, Lewiston Tribune. More here.
Question: Are you tired of scientists constantly warning that something may be a possible carcinogen?
More than one in three likely voters expect to be worse off when they go to the polls a year from this November, a somber fact for President Obama’s reelection campaign, while just 25 percent believe they will be better off, according to this week’s The Hill poll. Thirty-nine percent said they expect to be in the same economic position they are now, but 65 percent also said they believe the country is on the wrong track/John T. Bennett, The Hill. More here.
Question: Do you believe you'll be better/worse off in November 2012? Or about the same?
Buoyed by encouragement from a nurse, Chico Corral breathes deeply into a machine to test his lungs at Deaconess Medical Center in Spokane. The former Midnite Mine employee, who has been diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, believes his disease was caused by the dust he breathed in his two decades working in the uranium industry. Becky Kramer SR story here. (Special to SR: Jed Conklin)
In his column today in the Coeur d'Alene Press, weatherman Cliff Harris of Hayden writes: “There is no peer-confirmed scientific research that establishes a cause-and-effect relationship between increased atmospheric carbon dioxide and higher (or lower) global temperatures. This is a clever deception put forth by those attempting to impose a centralized, worldwide socialistic form of government headed by an empowered United Nations.” More here.
Question: Which do you believe in more/less global warming or a “centralized, worldwide socialistic form of government heading by an empowered United Nations”?
At OpenCDA.com, Dan Gookin congratulates former trustee Wanda Quinn for being appointed to fill the position being vacated by Chairwoman Edie Brooks of School District 271. DanG figures that Edie owes 
Wanda because she was appointed to Wanda's position back when. The interviews, of course, are to take place later today. However, DanG surmises: “My experience with the board is that such a step is merely procedural in nature. Based on their past performance, it easy to predict that they’ll appoint Ms. Quinn to fill in the position Brooks is vacating.” In the spirit of full disclosure, DanG admits that his contention that Wanda will be appointed is merely a rumor. In a separate post, DanG urged OpenCDA.com followers to bring their cameras to record the meeting at noon today at the Midtown Meeting Center.
Question: Do you think former trustee chairwoman Wanda Quinn is a shoe-in for appointment to the Coeur d'Alene School Board?
Who’s in the mood for an uncute kids story? It turns out not all children are adorable. “The reason I write is to 
relate a lemonade stand story that happened to me last Saturday (5/28),” wrote Jeffrey Wisman. “These kids weren’t as nice as those you meet. “I went for a bike ride. Early into the ride I stopped at a stop sign. Across the street, about 50 feet to my right, were three girls about 10 years old. They called out, ‘Hey, you want some lemonade? Hey, you want some lemonade? You in the blue shirt.’ “I said, ‘It’s not hot enough. I’m not hot enough yet.’ “Their reply: ‘You’re retarded!’”/Paul Turner, The Slice. More here.
Question: Have you ever purchased lemonade sold by a child along a sidewalk?
Item: Cd'A School District trustee to be appointed Monday/Coeur d'Alene Press
More Info: By Friday, letters of interest had come in from Christa Hazel, a stay-at-home mom who served as chair of the district's Long Range Planning Committee; Tony Norris, the parent of two children at Bryan Elementary School; Carole Stringer, an “elections administration and training consultant;” and Wanda Quinn, a program development specialist at the University of Idaho-Cd'A and former trustee who served from 1994 to 2006. Downtown restaurant owner and former candidate Jim Purtee threw his hat in the ring earlier this week.
Question: Trustees-elect Tom Hamilton and Terri Seymour have complained that they want to be part of the process of naming the new trustee. If the tables were turned, and Tea Party Republicans had control of the board, do you think they'd do what resigning Chairwoman Edie Brooks and the board is doing now?
Item: Eye On Boise: North Idaho representation on redistricting panel down/Betsy Russell
More Info: Idaho’s bipartisan citizen redistricting commission is gearing up to draw new legislative and congressional district lines, and this time around there’ll be just one North Idaho member: businesswoman Lorna Finman, of Rathdrum, a GOP appointee. Ten years ago, both the Democrats and the Republicans appointed Panhandle representatives – Democrat Ray Givens and Republican Dean Haagenson – and they ended up having substantial influence on the result, which must include at least one commissioner voting with members of the other party to get a four-vote majority on the six-member commission.
Question: Does it matter to you whether North Idaho has decent representation on the committee that will draw the new legislative boundaries?
Item: Senators: Some uses of Patriot Act would shock citizens: Objections raised to extent of secret surveillance/Associated Press
More Info: When two senators warned that the Patriot Act is being interpreted in a secret way that would alarm Americans if they knew the details, civil liberties activists could only speculate about what they meant. The activists’ fear: that the government is using the anti-terrorism law to collect vast troves of personal information, including cellphone records, on Americans who have no link to terrorism. Congress voted overwhelmingly last month to reauthorize key provisions of the Patriot Act for four more years. President Barack Obama signed it from France by authorizing the use of an autopen.
Question: Do you trust the Patriot Act?
Clay Bennett/Chattanooga Times Press Press
In a bike ride with my wife downtown and along Rosenberry Drive Friday evening, I saw chickens in a yard along 7th Street, a couple herding three wiener — not Weiner — dogs across from Steve McCrea's plance on West Lakeshore Drive, and young men playing volleyball at the recently submerged court at the North Idaho College beach. I also saw that Chris Guggemos/Handshake Productions is back with summer concerts on Sundays, beginning this weekend. Bluegrass music kicks off the series from 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday at the bandshell. Mebbe I'll see you there? Now for your Weekend Wild Cad …
Maria Jose Cristerna poses for pictures during a press conference at a tattoo shop in Bogota, Colombia, Friday. The Mexican tattoo artist said she started to cover her body in tattoos, piercings, titanium implants and dental fangs to re-invent herself as a vampire, her reaction after suffering domestic violence. Cristerna is in Colombia to attend a tattooing international convention. (AP Photo/William Fernando Martinez)
Question: How would you reinvent yourself if you could and were bold enough to do so?
One moment that you won't find posted on the (SarahPace blog) is Palin's response to reporters when they 
asked her who Paul Revere was. Instead of saying, “Come on, everyone knows who Paul Revere, the silversmith and patriot is,” she stammered while saying this: “He who warned, uh, the British that they weren’t gonna be takin’ away our arms, uh, by ringing those bells, and um, makin' sure as he’s riding his horse through town to send those warning shots and bells that we were going to be sure and we were going to be free, and we were going to be armed.”
Needless to say, the lamestream media are having a field day with that gaffe/Andrew Malcolm, Los Angeles Times. More here. (AP photo)
Question: Do you know more about the American Revolution that Sarah Palin?
This 1956 file photo shows actors Dennis Weaver, left, as the slow-witted deputy Chester and James Arness as Marshall Matt Dillon, are shown in a scene from CBS' TV classic western “Gunsmoke” in 1956. CBS spokesman Chris Ender says Arness died Friday of natural causes. He was 88. Los Angeles Times story here. (AP Photo/CBS-TV, file)
Question: Which old western show or character was your favorite?
Stickman: I see all sorts of private planes flying over my area to land of course at the Coeur d’Alene airport, like the Duane’s and all sorts of fancy dancers as I call them. Tonight, around 5:30 or so, a different plane could be heard from way out. I knew exactly that it wasn’t a fancy dancer. It was a war plane as I call them, much louder 
and with much more force and vigor. I would say an F-18 Falcon, or Super Falcon maybe. It came in low and hard and had my heart a jumpin’. It landed at Pappy’s field for sure, as I could here it all the way from here. My question, does anyone know why? It might have something to so with the B-17 that has been at Felts field lately and will be till Sunday. If you have any urge to visit a piece of History, Felts Field will be it this weekend. You can actually ride in that plane if you have a lot of spare change. I don’t, but seeing that war plane today raised all of the hairs on my body, and still does. Does anyone know more than I do, as I would surely appreciate any and all information on what is going on at Pappy’s field this weekend. I will be there in a second if anyone can guide me. (SR photo of two Marine Harrier jets on display at Coeur d'Alene Airport in September 2007 when the airport received the name Pappy Boyington Field.)
Question: Can someone answer Stickman's question about the war plane and what may be happening at Pappy Boyington's Field at the county airport?
I'm moving on to Sally today. Kelly has done her last hair job. She retired last week, and Sally has taken on several of Kelly's clients, including me. Over my lifetime, I've had very few hairdressers, mainly Joyce and Kelly 
AND my mother. My mother did my hair when I was a little girl. And, as I think back on it, the preparation period resulting from Mother's at-home styling salon looked slightly similar to what Kelly has been doing for the past year and Joyce before her. Kelly taught Joyce how to pull those bunches of hair, load 'em on paper strips, dab 'em with sauce from the back room and tack 'em to my head. Once completed, the head looked somewhat like a series of white collapsed dominos until a timer went off/Marianne Love, Slight Detour. More here.
Question: Do you stay with one barber/stylist? Or do you bounce around looking for the best bargain?
The weekend forecast finally is in our favor. But we still need to take care of things here at Huckleberries HQ today. While I dig for material to feed the insatiable maw of this blog beast, you should feel free to use this Wild Card to start your own threads …
A film crew documents the feeding of “Pandora” a rescued brown bear cub from Angoon, Alaska, at the Fortress of the Bear bear sanctuary in Sitka, Alaska, Wednesday. From left are, Anne Devereaux, Tom Winston, Les Kinnear, Ami Otten, Casey Anderson, Rick Smith and Tyler Gerstein. (AP Photo/Daily Sitka Sentinel, James Poulson)
… Cis Gors offers another of her online news IQ quizzes, this one from Pew. Cis scored 10 of 11. See how you do here.
Photographed from inside a parked car on Main Street in downtown Walla Walla, Wash., Thursday, rain flows across a windshield as a pedestrian walks by. According to the National Weather Service, Walla Walla received 1.14 inches of rain for the day which is just short of the 1.15 inch average it normally accumulates for the entire month of June. (AP Photo/Walla Walla Union-Bulletin, Jeff Horner)
President Barack Obama eats a french fry as he makes an unannounced visit to Rudy's Hot Dog with Toledo Mayor Michael Bell, center, Friday in Toledo, Ohio. Owner Harry Dionyssiou is at right. You write the cutline. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
Top Cutlines
Former Coeur d'Alene School Board chairman Wanda Quinn is one of five candidates to apply for the appointment to fill the seat of resigning Chairwoman Edie Brooks. Brooks first joined the board by being appointed to fill Quinn's spot. Others who have submitted their names for consideration are: Christa Hazel, Jim Purtee, Tony Norris, and Carol Stringer. Conservative Trustees-elect Tom Hamilton and Terri Seymour have asked the board to delay the appointment until they join it in July. But Brooks has said she wants to be involved in the appointment.
Two 22YO sisters end up in the cross-bar hotel on battery charges after attacking two people in two downtown bars early Sunday morning. The first victim of the Twin Hurricanes was a 46YO man who approached them at 
the bar at about 12:40 at Baja as they were talking to other men. He was spit on and punched in the face by the 22YO women for his troubles. The second victim was a woman who tried to talk the sisters into leaving the Rendevouz. She was yanked to the ground by her hair for her troubles. Coeur d'Alene police encountered the drunk sisters when they spotted a fight in front of the Baja at 1:27 a.m. Security was trying to detain one of them on the ground. They were angry because security wouldn't let them enter the bar again. One sister couldn't understand why her sister had been attacked and turned the air blue. The two were arrested on multiple battery charges. You can read the latest Downtown Coeur d'Alene Bar Report (May 27-31) here.
Liz Dane is shown in this undated 1958 photo performing her act with Queenie the water skiing elephant. The Valdosta Daily Times reports that 59-year-old Queenie was euthanized Monday, after her health deteriorated. (AP Photo/Courtesy of Liz Dane)
Montana and Idaho authorities responded this afternoon to an airplane that apparently crash landed in the Clark Fork River just east of the Cabinet Gorge Dam. The pilot survived the crash and has been transported to Bonner General Hospital in Sandpoint for hypothermia treatment, a dispatcher said. The Sanders County, Mont., Sheriff’s Office received a call at about 2:20 p.m. that a small airplane was floating upside down towards the dam. Emergency crews from Bonner County also responded from Sandpoint and the pilot was located and transported to the hospital to be treated for hypothermia, Sanders County dispatcher Bill Brown said/Spokesman-Review. More here.
From information provide in a city of Coeur d'Alene Heads Up memo: This morning a federal jury returned a verdict in favor of the city in this case after only 20 minutes of deliberation. On June 15, 2008, Coeur d'Alene police responded to a report of an assault with a deadly weapon. Edward Michael Thompson was eventually arrested and charged with assault with a deadly weapon and obstructing an officer. Thompson alleges that police used excessive force during the arrest, his arrest was without probable cause, and violated his civil rights. The jury found that the officers did have probable cause to arrest and no excessive force was used by any officer. This is the fourth case filed by attorney Larry Purviance that has gone to trial, and all four juries have found in favor of the city Coeur d'Alene police officers after brief deliberations. Two other cases are pending.
On her Facebook wall, Cindy writes: “So when I called Wild Sage to make reservations they asked if it was a special occasion. I said, “Yes, it's my husband's birthday.” “Wonderful,” they said. “We'll have a little gift ready for him but we don't do an emabarassing song or dance.” “No problem,” says I. “I'll take care of that part.”
Question: Do any of you consider those Happy Birthday songs and dances that some businesses do for diners to be fun?
A missing man sought by the Coeur d'Alene Police Department was found dead about a half mile west of the 
Bunco Trailhead, southeast of Athol, an apparent suicide victim. At about 10 a.m., Brent Vandemark, 34, of Coeur d'Alene was found dead partly inside a sleeping bag among trees just off the road by an individual hunting for shed antlers. Deputies confirmed that Vandemark had died from a self-inflicted injury. He had been reported missing and suicidal May 24.
Sukanya Roy, 14, of South Abington Township, Pa., holds the trophy after winning the National Spelling Bee in Oxon Hill, Md. on Thursday, June 2, 2011. She won by spelling the word cymotrichous, which means wavy hair. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
Question: Would you like your hair described as “cymotrichous”?
In her weakly newsletter, Mary Souza castigates Prosecutor Barry McHugh for not jumping when state Rep. Kathy Sims told him to as well as her favorite pincushion, Councilman Mike Kennedy. Mary's in a huff because 
McHugh hasn't deemed it important so far to waste is valuable time chasing Sims' claims that Mayor Sandi Bloem and almost all of the City Council have conflicts of interest in dealing with McEuen Field issues. After all, fumes Mary, the Idaho AG's office has responded twice to the Honda car dealer's demands for an investigation. Kennedy disgusts Mary today because he maintains that it's illegal for Coeur d'Alene to conduct a public vote on McEuen Field, a claim seconded by respected local attorney Scott Reed. Hucks Online will provide a link when Mary posts her latest rant at OpenCDA.com.
A new analysis shows that over the past 31 years, Idaho's been more conservative than most states in 
estimating its state tax revenues - the key figure that determines how lawmakers set the state budget. In 11 of the last 31 years, over-estimates of revenues resulted in deficits; but in 20 of the last 31 years, under-estimates resulted in surpluses. The issue has been much in the news the past few years, as Idaho and other states saw revenues fall short during the sharp economic downturn, then under-estimated revenues, forcing deep budget cuts even as the economy began to rebound/Betsy Russell, Eye On Boise. More here.
Question: Is Idaho cautious or reckless or looking for cover to make controversial cuts in spending (education, Medicaid, H&W, etc.)?
Item: Coeur d'Alene trustees-elect Hamilton, Seymour seek slowdown in appointment process/Maureen Dolan, Coeur d'Alene Press
More Info: (Resigning CSB Chairwoman Edie) Brooks told The Press that the board won't wait to make a decision, and that she will help select the appointee. “It's my seat that's being filled, and I really have an interest that someone who thinks close to I think takes my seat,” Brooks said. “Everything we're doing is legal.”
Question: Should Chairwoman Edie Brooks have the right to help choose her successor?
If you’ve lived in south-central Idaho for any length of time and don’t know that Wendell’s Larry LaPrise wrote 
the ubiquitous children’s song Hokey Pokey, I’m revoking your citizenship. LaPrise held a copyright on the song — and received royalty checks until he died on his 84th birthday in 1996. But his claims have always been controversial, and now the other songwriter who penned a version of Hokey Pokey is also gone. Robert Degen, a musician from Scranton, Pa., who copyrighted a song called The Hokey Pokey Dance in 1944, died recently at age 104/Steve Crump, Twin Falls Times-News. More here.
Question: I consider the Macarena to be the worst dance ever invented. The Hokey Pokey would land in my Top 5 of my all-time worst — mebbe the Top 2. Which dance do you consider the all-time worst invented?
Emilee Rivers, 16, Brandi Wheeler, 16, and Kim Shanks, 23, pick out feather extensions for their hair at MiraBella Salon and Spa in Boise recently. From the coasts of Maine to landlocked Idaho, fly fishing shops are at the center of the latest hair trend: Feather extensions. Story here. (AP Photo/Jessie L. Bonner)
Huckleberries is still wondering about that Hayden man from Rude Street that reported his dog, a Pomeranian/blue heeler mix, was missing Thursday afternoon. Now there's nothing unusual about a dog being missing. It happens every day in Kootenai County. But I was amazed that you can mix a Pomeranian and a blue heeler. A blue heeler and an Australian shepherd, yes. I once had one of those. But a heeler and a Pomeranian?
Question: Can you think of dog breeds that shouldn't be mixed?
Former University of Idaho/NFL football star (and current ESPN sportscaster) Mark Schlereth now has his own bobblehead. The University of Idaho is rolling out a bobblehead figure of three-time Super Bowl champ-turned ESPN analyst. “It's fitting that the school that gave a kid from Alaska an opportunity to play football and get an education is also giving me my first bobblehead,” said Schlereth in a statement. More here.
Question: Which bobblehead figures do you have?
On her Idaho Scenic Images wall, Linda Lantzy posts this photo taken in the evening along the Centennial Trail, east of Coeur d'Alene, of Lake Coeur d'Alene. You can see more of Linda's scenics here.
In a Twin Falls News-Tribune story today, Prosecutor Grant Loebs defends his office's department not to assign criminal responsibility to Kade Laughlin (pictured in Twin Falls County Sheriff's Department mug shot) in the crash that killed former Coeur d'Alene High athletes Devon Austin and Ryan Reinhardt near Twin Falls Sept. 12, 2010. Laughlin, 20, of Filer, has been charged with misdemeanor reckless driving for being involved in a chase that led to the crash. Said Prosecutor Loebs: ” “This is the most serious charge we believe the evidence supports.” Laughlin has been labeled as a killer by individuals sympathetic to the victims' and their families. Times-News story here.
Reviewing this year's legislative session, Legislative Services Director Jeff Youtz told the Legislative Council this morning that this year's unprecedented large public hearings were a success. “By and large it went very well, I thought,” Youtz told the council, which is chaired by House Speaker Lawerence Denney and Senate President Pro-Tem Brent Hill. “The opportunity for the public to participate is just tremendous in this newly redesigned building. We could never have done that in the past”/Betsy Russell, Eye On Boise. More here.
Question: Do you consider hearings to be a success when lawmakers ignore the public and end up doing what they intended to do in the first place?
I saw a news report out of Twin Falls last month that got me thinking a bit more about the current state of public employee union negotiations. Thanks to the education reforms passed by the Legislature last winter, 
labor negotiations between the teachers' union and school boards must be conducted in an open meetings. Until now, the teachers' union and school boards in most school districts have ducked behind closed doors to hash out their multimillion dollar deals under the cover of secrecy. Now, the two sides must meet publicly. That led the Times-News to report in May that for the first time ever, “members of the public watched as district officials and local teachers union representatives started bargaining.” What a concept, and what an improvement over the old, secretive backroom dealing method the taxpayers had been stuck with before/Wayne Hoffman, Idaho Freedom Foundation. More here.
Question: Hoffman goes on to say that labor negotiations between cities and unions for police and fire personnel should be open, too. Do you agree?
Robbie Johnson's decision to get in better shape for his last year of high school football turned out to be a life 
changer. When the Clarkston student started working out, he weighed 365 pounds and rarely exercised. He didn't think twice about eating fast food or loading his plate. Now he's a regular at the gym, he runs, he avoids junk food, soda pop and almost never eats out. When he graduates with about 175 of his classmates Saturday, Johnson will be weighing 145 pounds less than he did as a junior/Kerri Sandaine, Lewiston Tribune. More here. (Lewiston Tribune photo)
Question: Do you weigh more/less today that you did a year ago?
JEERS … to Idaho State Police Cpl. Fred Rice. You can no longer rely on a cop to tell the truth when his testimony condemns someone to 25 years in prison. Rice walked into a 2006 trial of Jonathan Wade Ellington (pictured at 2006 trial) 
of Hayden. Then he lied. Ellington was charged with second-degree murder and two counts of aggravated battery for running over a woman in what was allegedly a road rage incident. Ellington's expert witness, Dr. William Skelton, said the defendant didn't have time to respond. Reaction time averages 1.5 seconds, he said. He also said wreckage from the accident indicated Ellington had been in the proper lane. Rice disputed the idea of an average reaction time and the reliability of the debris field. Like most people, the jury believed the police officer. More here/Marty Trillhaase, Lewiston Tribune. (SR file photo)
Question: Do you think the overwhelming number of cops tell the truth?
A federal grand jury charged two-time presidential candidate John Edwards on Friday with soliciting and covering up the secret spending of more than $925,000 to hide his mistress and their baby during the peak of 
his 2008 campaign for the White House. The grand jury's indictment in the case of USA v. Johnny Reid Edwards contained six counts, including conspiracy, four counts of receiving illegal campaign contributions and one count of false statements. The indictment said the payments were a scheme to protect Edwards' White House ambitions. “A centerpiece of Edwards' candidacy was his public image as a devoted family man,” the indictment said/Associated Press. More here.
Question: Who's the bigger wiener — Anthony Weiner or John Edwards?
From his perch above downtown Coeur d'Alene, Don Sausser snapped this photo of EMTs responding to a report of a man down at 1st & Lakeside.
In this Feb. 6, 1991 photo, retired Royal Oak, Mich. pathologist, Dr. Jack Kevorkian, left, listens as his attorney, Geoffrey N. Fieger, talks with reporters, after return of the Suicide Machine. A lawyer and friend of Kevorkian says the assisted suicide advocate has died at a Detroit-area hospital at the age of 83. Mayer Morganroth tells The Associated Press that Kevorkian died Friday at William Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, where he had been hospitalized. Kevorkian had been hospitalized since last month with pneumonia and kidney problems. Story here. (AP Photo)
Question: What is your view of assisted suicide advocate Dr. Jack Kevorkian?
Item: Complaints of alleged politicking by Idaho educators released: Luna says 25 calls and emails prompted his May 13 warning that teachers could be fired for ethical misconduct/Dan Popkey, Idaho Statesman
More Info: Idaho Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Luna fielded complaints about educators pressuring students to fight his “Students Come First” plan and using school district email accounts to inform parents they opposed the plan. In response to a public records request, Luna also reported complaints of people using school resources to back a failed levy in Meridian and campaign for a school trustee in Coeur d’Alene.
Question: Do you think Luna had to be pushed very hard to send out that memo warning teachers of dire consequences should they be caught politicking on school property?
But then, perhaps, a miracle. On a whim Scott Jensen's wife called a vet in Cheney. That vet had an injured dog matching Annie's description. The dog had been brought in the day before.It was Annie.Turns out she had been hit by a train Friday afternoon. Her pelvis was crushed. Her leg was cut. Her ear was nearly chewed off by scavengers.Annie laid on the ground near the tracks for nearly 48 hours until Sunday evening when a man fishing on a nearby lake saw Annie and rescued her/McKay Allen, KXLY. More here.
Question: Has any of your pets been injured or killed by a vehicle?
A man accused of masturbating while videotaping the reaction of a barista is a supervisor at Silverwood Theme Park. Matt Alan Lambert's public defender told a judge that today when asking for Lambert to be released from jail on his own recognizance or on a low bond. Spokane County Superior Court Judge Michael Price imposed a $5,000 bond. Prosecutors had requested $15,000. Lambert, 50, has four misdemeanor convictions from more than 15 years ago but no felonies. He's accused of masturbating in his 1992 Ford Aerostat minivan at Dagny's Coffee Co., 12900 E. Trent Ave., Wednesday while videotaping the barista, police say/Meghann Cuniff, Sirens & Gavels. More here.
Question: Does this story cause you to feel any differently about Silverwood?
The latest dose of accommodation comes from the Coeur d’Alene Press, which is owned by grandiosity magnate Duane Hagadone. The Press published an editorial last week glibly dismissing the work of the 
Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations as yesterday’s news. The editorial – which has drawn outraged responses from task force stalwarts Tony Stewart and Norm Gissel – dealt with the departure of Human Rights Education Institute honcho Dan LePow, who raised less money than was hoped. The unsigned editorial assures readers that “We are ardent supporters of human rights causes in general and HREI in particular.” But the Press’s ardor for human rights runs aground on the shoals of not really wanting to get all specific about local racism. It’s such a bummer. Makes it hard to raise money from the wine-sipping cheese eaters who like their human rights more along the lines of “children’s safety” and “international peace”/Shawn Vestal, SR. More here.
Question: What do you say to people who don't think the region still has a problem with racism?
A lot of weird stuff happening out there this week. Boys beating up on boy on Tubbs Hill. A suspected perv offering money for a woman's granddaughters in Midtown. A dead man on the English Point Trail. And now another possibly dead man in a sleeping bag at the Bunco Road trailhead. I know it's not a full moon. Mebbe it's the never-ending rain. With that happy thought, I'll post today's Wild Card …
Amateur Brad Anderson, of Ankeny, Iowa, hits out of a bunker to the 13th green during the pro-am at the Champions Tour's Principal Charity Classic golf tournament earlier today in West Des Moines, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
Over the weekend, I went through four boxes of “must save” items from the past 40 years. It's such an emotional process to decide what to save, what to pitch. In one box, from my year as a young reporter in 
Delaware, I came across crackers I'd been given while doing a story on whatever happened to community fallout shelters. The crackers are about 50 years old and I found a description of them on a museum website. They were called “bulgar wafers.” It's hard to explain to people who didn't experience the Cold War how massive the preparations were in case we all had to go underground during a nuclear war with Russia. I wonder what those years of fear did to entire generations, in terms of anxiety/Rebecca Nappi, End Notes. More here.
Question: Were you affected by the long cold war between this country and the old Soviet Union?
Coeur d'Alene state champions Kinsey Gomez, left, and Chad Chalich are The Spokesman-Review's North Idaho athletes of the year. Greg Lee SR story here. (SR photo: Kathy Plonka)
Question: Now that Denney has passed on an ethics investigation into Rep. Tom Loertscher's road scandal, I'm beginning to wonder if Denney is capable of finding fault among any of his hand-picked lieutenants?
A Coeur d'Alene man accused of offering a woman money in exchange for her granddaughters left jail just 
hours after he was arrested Wednesday. Shan Anderson, 34, posted $1,106 bond on four misdemeanor charges, including attempted child enticing, Wednesday night, according to the Kootenai County Jail. Police were called to 1034 N. 3rd St. at 3:58 p.m. Wednesday, where they were told that Anderson approached a grandmother and “attempted to give her money so he could have her granddaughters,” according to a Coeur d'Alene police news release/Meghann Cuniff, Sirens & Gavels. More here.
Question: Was $1106 sufficient bail for this case?
A Libyan volunteer jumps over his comrades during a military training course before going to the frontline in the rebelstrong hold of Benghazi, Libya, Thursday. You write the cutline. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Top Cutlines
Update: Rathdrum man arrested for videotaping barista while fondling himself is a supervisor at Silverwood.
A 50-year-old man is accused of fondling himself in front of a Spokane Valley coffee stand employee while videotaping her reaction.A police officer was inside Dagny's Coffee Co., 12900 E. Trent Ave., when Matt Alan Lambert, of Rathdrum, Idaho, began fondling himself in Wednesday, according to the Spokane Valley Police Department. Police received a complaint earlier this week about a man who fondled himself while at the stand/Meghann Cuniff, Sirens & Gavels. More here.
Beginning Saturday, June 11, Honeysuckle Beach will be open for business. Lifeguards will be on duty seven days a week from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. This is tentative depending on weather and beach conditions. As a reminder, fees are in effect for launching boats at the Honeysuckle Beach boat launch. The fees are required from Memorial Day to Labor Day and are as follows:
Daily Fees:
Season Passes (Sold @ Hayden City Hall)
DFO: In the late 1980s or early 1990s, then Scenic Bay Marina owner Wally Wright challenged Kootenai County commissioners who wanted to charge out-of-county boaters more for a boat sticker than local boaters. Wright prevailed. The unequal fees were ruled unconstitutional.
Question: Should the city of Hayden adopt unequal fees for launches on Hayden Lake?
Update: The dead man has been identified as Paul A. Prescott, age 62 from Seattle, WA. His next of kin has been notified. An autopsy was performed this afternoon and results are pending. At this time, there is nothing suspicious about the death.
A horse rider found a body on English Point Road and Lancaster while riding the English Point Trail system late Wednesday afternoon. The Kootenai County Sheriff's Department and Northern Lakes Fire and Rescue responded to the area after the rider called 911. Emergency personnel found the dead man lying face down in the middle of a trail. Detectives responded to the scene. Cause of death is still unknown, but an autopsy will be scheduled later in the week. The identity of the male is not being released pending notification of relatives/Kootenai County Sheriff's Department news release.
Rep. Anthony Weiner, D-N.Y., waits for an elevator near his office on Capitol Hill in Washington earlier today. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
Out Of Stater Tater: Can we please, please, PLEASE have a faux headline contest for Congressman Anthony
Weiner? Pretty please! It’s like a once in a lifetime coincidence for a politician with the name “Weiner” to be caught in a sex scandal! With so much depressing news out there, everybody could use a little comic relief. THINK OF ALL THE POSSIBILITIES! They are endless!
Question: Against my better judgment, I present the back story of the viral story re: Rep. Weiner and the lewd photo tied to him via Twitter over the Memorial Day weekend. Democrats insist “Weinergate” is no scandal. What do you think?
Tom Hamilton and Terri Seymour, who were elected in the Coeur d'Alene School District trustee races last month, are accusing the district of “unnecesssarily rushing the appointment process” of Chairwoman Edie Brooks. In a letter sent to Superintendent Hazel Bauman and the Coeur d'Alene Press, Hamilton and Seymour said no reason has been given to expedite the process. And they contend that the district and other trustees are trying to exclude them from providing input. They said in the letter: “We wish to make clear our desire to be included, so that we can start to build a foundation for cooperation among trustees.” You can read the rest of the letter here.
Question: Should Hamilton & Seymour be included in the selection process for a new trustee? Or will that deadlock the process?
Seven-year-old Angie Solis, of Caldwell holds a Yellow Longwing butterfly inside the new “Butterflies in Bloom” exhibit at Zoo Boise on Wednesday in Boise. The display has been on hiatus since 2007 but has returned this summer and now features dozens of species of butterflies that will be on display through the summer. (AP Photo/Idaho Press-Tribune, Charlie Litchfield)
They say there are snake pits on Wall Street. Chase has learned there are snake pits on Main Street too. Last 
year, the J.P. Morgan Chase banking unit foreclosed on a home near Rexburg, Idaho, that is infested with garter snakes. They slide through the yard, the crawl space, the walls, the ceilings, even across the floors. Sure, they're harmless, but there are perhaps thousands of them. They give off malodorous secretions when alarmed, and can even leave the well water tasting a bit like the way they smell/Al Lewis, Yahoo! MarketWatch. More here. (Wikipedia photo of common garter snake)
Question: If the price was right, could you live in a house full of garter snakes?
Sriram Jagadeesh Hathwar, 11, from Corning, N.Y., far right, jumps in the air next to eight other finalists, upon on being told that they made it into the final round of the National Spelling Bee earlier today in Oxon Hill, Md. From left are, Lily Jordan, 14, Cape Elizabeth, Maine; Sukanya Roy, 14, Newton Ransom, Pa.; Joanna Z. Ye, 14, Carlisle, Pa.; Mashad Nair Arora, 14, Los Fresnos, Texas; Nabeel Rahman, 13, Williamsville, N.Y.; Prakash Mishra, 13, Marvin, N.C.; Samuel George Estep, 13, Berryville, Va.; Dakota Jones, 14, Las Vegas, and Hathwar. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
Question: Have you ever been a finalist in a competition? Which competition? How did you do?
On his Twitter account, Dustin Hurst of Idaho Reporter tweets: “Governor's temporary spokesman Mark Warbis says Otter resignation rumors are “silly” and not worth comment.” But, you also not that Warbis did not give a strict and straight denial of the rumors.
Question: Do you expect Gov. Butch Otter to complete his second term, or resign early in favor of Lt. Gov. Brad Little?
An 8-foot tall Sasquatch taken from a downtown Spokane retail store was recovered this week at Medical Lake 
High School. The cutout steel sculpture was taken from Roost home décor store, 7 W. Main St., overnight on Tuesday, said co-owner Joy Arch. She said the theft appeared to be some kind of prank, but now she is left with the heavy job of retrieving the sculpture from Medical Lake’s police department. It’s going to take a large truck and at least three strong people to lift and load the art work for its return, Arch said/Mike Prager, SR. More here. (Photo courtesy of Roost)
Question: Were you ever involved in a school prank? Do you want to tell us about it?
Nez Perce County this week became the sixth northern Idaho county to adopt a resolution in favor of oversize megaload transports; Nez Perce commissioners join the commissioners of Idaho, Clearwater, Lewis, Shoshone and Boundary counties in adopting such resolutions since December. “Our highways were built for commerce,” the Nez Perce county resolution declares/Betsy Russell, Eye On Boise. More here.
Question: Should Kootenai County commissioners take a position on megaloads?
The Coeur d'Alene Summer Theatre will launch another season a week from today with its production of “The Wizard of Oz” (June 9-19). 'Wizard' will be followed by “A Little Night Music” (June 30-July 10), “Once on this Island” (July 9-19), and “The Sound of Music” (Aug. 11-21). You can read about this year's plays here.
Question: Which Coeur d'Alene Summer Theatre production ranks as your all-time favorite?
Sitting at his computer, Hans Lienesch aka “the Ramen Rater,” tests a dish of Ramen he purchased at Ranch 99 Market, just down the street from his home in Edmonds, Wash., Tuesday. Lienesch initially gave this ramen a score of 3.25 out of a possible 5. His reviews can be found on his web site, www.ramenrater.com. Story here. (AP Photo/The Herald, Dan Bates)
Question: How important was Top Ramen to your diet during your college or early-adult years?
The McEuen Park Plan was blessed, cussed, dissected and otherwise commented upon in a continuous and 
lengthy packed hearing before the Coeur d’Alene City Council on May 24th. Many attending held signs and testified demanding a public vote upon the plan. As a matter of law in Idaho, the city council could not order a public vote. There is no provision in the Coeur d’Alene city ordinances nor in Idaho Code Title 34 “Elections” nor in Title 50, Chapter 4 “Municipal Elections” for a public vote/attorney Scott Reed, Coeur d'Alene Press online. More here.
Question: What do you think of attorney Scott Reed's contention that a public vote on McEuen Field would be illegal (if the City Council had bent to pressure at a recent hearing to call for one)?
Here's a weird one from Bill Turner of the Boise Conservative Examiner, who contends that there's some sort 
of deal between Gov. Butch Otter and “B. Hussein Obama” to transform Idaho into the first Chinese state in the union. Turner writes: “Otter and company have named this Project 60. Sounds innocent enough, until you realize that Otter and his minions are afraid to call it what it is, globalization of America and surrender of sovereignty. If it were called that someone may want to charge Otter with sedition.” Don't know much about Turner other than he's not a legislator from Idaho's Legislative District 3. More here. (AP file photo: China President Hu Jintao & President Barack Obama in Washington Jan. 19)
Question: Will the Chinese do a better job of running Idaho than current leadership?
On Wednesday, Huckleberries published a photo and the wording of a statement posted on door of Kootenai County Community Development (old P&Z department), complete with bureaucratese and a line telling 
seekers of building permits to go elsewhere. It was a spoof. Now, Huckleberries has, via a Berry Picker, the true mission statement of Community Development (as adopted 4 years ago): “It is the mission of the Kootenai County Building and Planning Department to provide the public with friendly, efficient, professional customer service and guidance in a manner that will promote safety through building and land use applications while protecting the open space and natural beauty of Kootenai County for the present and future generations.”
Question: Which mission statement do you like better?
LastDemoInIdaho: The one, overriding, outstanding, disturbing issue with our schools is the PARENTS. 
The teachers and unions have become the butt of all the critics. Have had two teachers in our family. The stories they can tell about poor parenting or no parentlng would curl your hair. This from the Kalispell, Columbia Falls area. Not the deep, urban jungle. Our son left teaching because of the threats and horrible 7-8th graders he had to deal with. No parenting, and when they tried to talk with these so-called parents, they were laughed at or ignored. If parents don’t care, why should the kids?
Question: Why don't some parents get the blame for raising lousy kids and students?
A trail of water follows the flinging motion of Emily Starnes Buchanan's hair as she cools herself in the water of Pickwick Lake in Florence, Ala. (AP Photo/TimesDaily, Jim Hannon)
Question: Can you do that with your hair?
Item: Charge filed in deaths of former Vik athletes: Filer driver charged with reckless driving, faces 6 months in jail, $1K fine/Tom Hasslinger, Press
More Info: Twin Falls County Prosecutor Grant Loebs said Wednesday that the charge, filed May 5, is related to the Sept. 12, 2010, single-car accident off 3900 N Road in Twin Falls County that took the lives of Coeur d'Alene High School graduates and College of Southern Idaho students Ryan Reinhardt, 18, and Devon Austin, 19. Reinhardt, the driver of the vehicle, crashed the car off the rural road around 1 a.m. The accident's lone survivor, Jessica Duran, 19, identified Laughlin as an acquaintance from school who chased the Coeur d'Alene teenagers as they left Laughlin's party.
Question: Is the possible penalty in this case sufficient?
On Mother’s Day, my husband and sons spoiled me as usual with flowers and breakfast in bed. But the following Friday, I celebrated the holiday again – this time with a group of very special moms. For the past 15 
years Catholic Charities Spokane and Spokane Consultants in Family Living have sponsored a luncheon for mothers of all ages and backgrounds with one thing in common: they are birth mothers. Sandra Maher, adoption specialist for Catholic Charities, facilitates the event. “For most birth mothers, this time of the year is difficult,” she said. “The purpose is to honor the special women who’ve relinquished children for adoption”/Cindy Hval, SR Front Porch. More here. (AP file illustration)
Question: Do you know someone who has given their baby up for adoption?
House State Affairs Committee Chairman Tom Loertscher, R-Iona, wouldn't be where he is without House Speaker Lawerence Denney (pictured), R-Midvale. And where the eastern Idaho Republican finds himself is in the vortex 
of a widening scandal. Simply put, Loertscher abused his public trust. Back home, he's got a dispute with his neighbors about whether a road on his property is public right of way. He says no. But a bill sponsored by the Idaho Association of Highway Districts would have submitted such claims to a public hearing before the county commissioners. If you're one of Loertscher's neighbors, you prefer the more convenient, cheaper and less formal process of going before local elected officials. Not if you're Loertscher. He couldn't wait to take his dispute with the county to a judge. First, however, he had to kill the highway district bill/Marty Trillhaase, Lewiston Tribune. More here.
Question: Do you consider House Speaker Lawerence Denney to be ethically challenged?
Gov. Chris Gregoire addresses students and their families at Bridgeport High School's graduation in Bridgeport, Wash., Wednesday. Gregoire attended the ceremony, and U.S. Labor Secretary Hilda Solis, far right, delivered the commencement address. SR story here. And here. (AP Photo/Shannon Dininny)
Question: How many students were in your high school graduating class?
Cindy: Grounding is a contentious subject around our house because my spouse is famous for grounding 
numerous kids from numerous activities. Then he goes to work for 12 hours a day five days a week. I told him the next time he grounds someone that someone has to go to his office with him every day until he’s ungrounded. We don’t ground much anymore.
Question: Who handles the discipline in your house?
AlmostInnocentBystander: So who exactly out there thinks we get a good educational return for our money? 
What a rathole public education has become, Luna has a lot more support than you’ll ever want to admit. We are paying a fortune to purchase stupidity for our kids -we need to address many issues the teacher’s union are dead against. The union is the strongest single force for home schooling since the dawn of time.
Question: Do you consider homeschools to be a good alternative to public education?
LoveToHateMe: While I’m thinking of parking lot “intersections, I have to say I think the one by the old 
Hollywood Video in the Fred Meyer parking lot is the worst! One stop sign, two yield signs, and one way uncontrolled. No one seems to know how to use it properly, and just turn it into a free for all. I tend to park on the west side’s “back” parking lot just to avoid the cluster on the other side.
Question: Which parking lot in Coeur d'Alene area worries you most re: driving and parking in it?
A Coeur d'Alene man who offered a grandmother money for her granddaughters in the 1000 block of Third Street 
in Coeur d'Alene was arrested and charged with attempted child enticing, disturbing the peace and attempted child custodial interference. Shan Anderson, 34, was arrested by Coeur d'Alene police and booked into the Kootenai County jail after making that offer at 3:38 p.m. During the course of the investigation, officers learned of a second incident at the same location that occurred a few minutes earlier where Anderson attempted to lure a juvenile male who was walking home from school.
I'm already replacing tomato plants that couldn't withstand the constant rain of May. Mebbe I'll wait until this weekend to see if predicted 70-80 degree temperatures will stay around for a bit. The rest of the warm-weather veggies — bell peppers, eggplants, zucchini, yellow squash, cucumbers — seem to be doing OK. But the tomatoes have gone south. Still, the yard is pretty nice already. And the late blooming lilacs & irises add a nice touch as we move into June. Now for your Wild Card …
A adult black bear runs through Tualatin Elementary School yard earlier today in Tualatin, Ore. Police in Tualatin, just south of Portland, tracked the bear roaming in a wooded area near the elementary school. The bear was later caught near the school. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
I don't know if this one belongs to Cindy or to her friend Jill Barville. But it seemed like a nice conversation starter for late in the afternoon: “When our oldest son started preschool, his teacher told the class: 'You get what you get and you don't throw a fit.” That became our family motto.”
Question: Do you have a family motto?
Warren Olson will take the helm of the Viking ship at Coeur d’Alene High School, according to a Coeur d'Alene School District announcement this afternoon. Olson brings years of administrative and leadership experience to his new role of Principal at CHS. Now principal at Fernan Elementary, Olson served as assistant principal for curriculum at CHS from 1998-2007. He served as counselor at CHS from 1987-1998 and a speech and English teacher at CHS from 1977-1987.
In covering a state championship track meet last week, Colin Mulvany/Snaps & Frames came across this fellow who collapsed at the finish line of his 4X4 relay race. “Some of the photos I take defy a journalism category,” writes Colin. “Sometimes it is just a creative exercise on my part to fight off the numbness I feel at shooting the familiar.” More here.
Donald Trump makes a point as he walks with former governor of Alaska Sarah Palin in New York City as they make their way to a scheduled meeting Tuesday. You write the cutline. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle)
Top Cutline:
A Berry Picker spotted two pieces of paper pasted outside the old P&Z office in the Kootenai County 
Courthouse. The first piece of paper that the county agency has a new name: “Kootenai County Community Development.” On the paper below is this bureaucratic statement of purpose: “Working together with you to create an eco-friendly, diversity-oriented, progressive community where we can all work collaboratively to achieve fulfillment.” And at the bottom this: “If you want a building permit perhaps this isn't the community for you.” (Update: An insider tells Huckleberries that this sounds like the work of a disgruntled taxpayer. I'll check further Thursday.)
Question: Can anyone interpret all of this?
Taryn Hecker-Thompson and hubby, Phil, were driving on the back roads of Farragut State Park when they got stuck behind a very slow-moving crowd of llama cart people. Explains Taryn: “It was a while before we could pass because one of the llamas was acting up. The driver thanked us for being patient saying it was the first time the llama had pulled anyone on a cart. The lady said they go to Farragut every year for the event.”
Hucks Online numbers (for Tuesday, May 31): 7533/4413
Idaho Gov. Otter vowed today to personally campaign against the voter referendum to overturn this year's school reform legislation, even as the tally of Idahoans signing petitions to place the measures on the ballot hit the 65,000 mark - nearly 20,000 more than the number required. “That's the people's right - that's what being part of a republic is all about,” Otter said. “We're going to do our level best to make sure that the correct information gets out.” Otter said, “I fully intend to be as involved as I possibly can be,” and added, “I hope they fail”/Betsy Russell, Eye On Boise. More here.
Question: Are you surprised that Gov. Otter is going to actively oppose referenda to overthrown the Luna laws?
A Washington state man remained in serious condition after police said his 15-year-old daughter shot him 
with an arrow for taking her cell phone away.Police told ABC News the arrow struck the torso of the 35-year-old father, who was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.The Tahyua, Wash., man told police he had taken away his daughter's cell phone to discipline her, although police did not know why she'd been grounded. “He crawled out of a window of his house, and then he was able to crawl to a vehicle and drive to a neighbor's house. The closest neighbor was a third of a mile away,” Mason County sheriff's spokesman William Adam told ABC News/KXLY. More here. (Wikipedia photo)
Question: Do you ground your children to discipline them?
A dozing driver nearly crashed into an off-duty Spokane police officer Tuesday evening, the Spokane Valley Police Department said today. Clarence R. Keesler, 49, of Coeur d'Alene, was arrested for misdemeanor reckless driving and making false statements after allegedly telling Spokane Valley police he was asleep in the passenger side of his Ford Bronco when it drove over a sidewalk and crashed into a chain link fence. Off-duty Spokane police Officer Nathan Donaldson was westbound on Broadway Avenue about 5:40 p.m. when he swerved to avoid the eastbound Bronco when it crossed the center line, police said/Meghann Cuniff, SR. More here.
Thirty-five years ago this week the Teton Dam in eastern Idaho catastrophically collapsed on June 5, 1976, causing the deaths of 11 people, millions of dollars in damages as well as displacing hundreds from their 
homes and ruining thousands of acres of productive cropland. Governor Cecil D. Andrus flew to Rexburg, jumped in a National Guard helicopter for an inspection flight and was simply stunned by the destruction the collapse had wrought. The chopper returned and landed near the Administration Building of what was then known as Ricks College and today is Brigham Young University-Idaho. A group of newspaper reporters and television anchors with camera men spotted him getting out of the chopper and came charging at him across the lawn. The first one to reach the Governor was from KSL-TV in Salt Lake City. He breathlessly threw out the first question: “Governor, are you going to rebuild the dam?” Andrus’ eyes flashed in anger at the insensitivity and the impropriety of the question/Chris Carlson, Carlson Chronicles. More here.
Question: Should the Teton Dam be rebuilt today?
Stickman: I was actually sitting in the park when the five youts ran by. I should have gotten their plate number, but it was dark and it happened so quick. I have been watching over this side of the hill for a very long time and 
rarely does anything like this happen. Yabetcha, I think you are giving this Hill a bad name by implying stuff like this happens all the time. Very few things have happened on this Hill in all the years I have been here, even though it’s one of the most popular places to take a walk in the middle of town so to speak. As for packing heat, what would that have done? Would you have shot five young boys because they wanted your money. I hope not.
Question: Have you encountered unruly individuals during hikes around Tubbs Hill?
The Obama administration is backing away from a plan to make millions of acres of undeveloped land in the West eligible for federal wilderness protection, the Associated Press reports. In a memo today, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said his agency will not designate any of those public lands as “wild lands,” and instead will work with members of Congress to develop management proposals for the land. Congress had been pressuring the administration not to move forward with the “wild lands” proposal/Betsy Russell, Eye On Boise. More here.
Question: Do you agree/disagree with Obama administration's decision to back away from wilderness protection in the West?
I’m of Swedish extraction, and like all Scandinavians we have a hard time embracing humanity. It’s not that 
we’re aloof, exactly; just fumbling. A Swede has all the natural physical grace of a roller-skating buffalo. Other folks are much more at ease with a hug — the Spanish and the Italians, for example. They even have words for a hug — abrazo in Spanish, abbraccio in Italian— that don’t have exact equivalents in English. The Italian word abbraccione, which translates as “big hug,” describes an experience closer to being adopted than being embraced/Steve Crump, Twin Falls Times-News. More here.
Question: Are you a hugger?
A half-submerged pathway lantern lights the way for passing geese as they ply the swollen Willamette River waters in Portland, Ore., earlier today. Heavy Spring runoff coupled with recent heavy rains keep the areas at high levels.(AP Photo/Don Ryan)
My blog sidekick Cindy reported on her Facebook wall that she's never flipped anyone off. Rather, she said, “I usually just shake my head sadly. Sometimes, I throw my hands up in the air but that makes it difficult to
steer.” To which one friend responded, “Today?” And another: “What??? Is your middle finger missing on both hands???” And another: “It's like we don't know you any more.” Which prompted Cindy to respond: “This thought occurred to me as an ignorant rube ingnored the 'lane ends' sign and try to race ahead of a half dozen cars. I chose not to let him merge. He chose to flip me off. And that's when I realize I've never flipped the bird. I practiced it at home in the mirror. I dunno if it's my manicure or what but It just looks silly when I do it.”
Question: Have you ever flipped someone off? When was the last time you were flipped off?
So how’s this for a Last Word: I am leaving The Inlander after almost exactly seven years. Buh-bye! OK, so I realize I just wrote at least 11 — or possibly even 12 — words, depending on your view of hyphens. (No one has ever accused me of under-writing.) Here is something I’ve yet to tell many people, a little factoid that makes moving on not so painful: In the seven years I’ve worked at The Inlander, I have never put the office keys on my key ring. Just carried them loose in my pocket/Kevin Taylor, Inlander. More here. (Inlander photo: Young Kwak)
Question: Any parting words for Kevin?
A St. Maries High School student could be facing felony charges. In the past two years there have been two “sexting” incidents at the school. “I don’t have a term for it really,” St. Maries High School principal John Cordell said. “They are sending nude photos back and forth through messaging on their cell phones. It’s becoming more and more common, which is scary.” Both incidents were discovered after students’ phones were confiscated because they were being used during class time. Afterwards a student came into the office to inform administrators that there were inappropriate photos of another student on the phone that were being shown during class/Mary Orr, St. Maries Gazette-Record. More here.
Relying on the Environmental Working Group's data base, IdahoReporter.Com found Lt. Gov. Brad Little and 18 lawmakers accepted $4.3 million in farm subsidies in the years between 1995 and 2009. Among these are 
some of the most conservative, anti-government, pro-free market acolytes you'll find anywhere. For instance, House Majority Leader Mike Moyle, R-Star. In 15 years, he accepted $163,502. Says Moyle, the money is there. He might as well take it. “If they're not giving it to me, they're going to give it to my neighbor,” Moyle said. Just a second there. While it is true there's a line of farmers waiting for limited conservation program dollars, a small portion of Moyle's federal check - $3,500 — comes from that account. The rest comes from commodity subsidies. That's an entitlement. If Moyle says no, nobody else collects. It goes unspent/Marty Trillhaase, Lewiston Tribune. More here.
Question: Is there a bit of hypocrisy going on here among Idaho legislators who love to spout against the federal government on other occasions?
Caleb Matthew Miller, 11, from Monroe, La., spells his word in his hand during round two of the National Spelling Bee Wednesday in National Harbor, Md. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
Question: Are you a better speller than most others here at Hucks Online?
A $1 million Mega Millions ticket for last night's draw was been sold in Kootenai County, according to the Idaho Lottery. The Idaho Lottery has confirmed that one ticket for last night’s Mega Millions draw matched all five of 
the first numbers, but not the Megaball, and has the Megaplier option which makes it an automatic $1,000,000 winner.The winning numbers from last night’s Mega Millions draw were 28, 30, 31, 37, 55 and the Megaball was 13. This is the sixth “Match 5” winner on Mega Millions since the game began in February of 2010 and the fourth for northern Idaho. Last night’s winner makes the second $1 million winning ticket on Mega Millions sold in Kootenai County.In addition, the Coeur d’Alene area had two $250,000 winners last fall and one jackpot winner last January – all on Mega Millions. Idaho Lottery news release here.
Question: What's the most money you've won playing a lottery?
The Task Force has listened to Neville Chamberlain style assertions for all the years of its existence. In fact the comment “If you don’t say anything about the Nazis, they will simply go away” is by far the most common 
criticism the Task Force hears. The opposite is true and will always be true. The Nazis themselves regard community silence as a cultural affirmation of their atrocious actions and beliefs. The victims of the Nazis also regard community silence as a community’s affirmation of the actions that harm them. In this context, both the Nazis and their victims are right. To our knowledge the editors of the Press have never argued that we should be silent around child abuse and child abusers, rape and rapists, theft and thieves, murder and murderers, arson and arsonists, etc, etc, etc. But we should be silent around Racists and their criminal activities when they occur? No. No not now and no not ever/Norm Gissel, Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations. More here. (SR file photo of Norm Gissel with Tony Stewart in background)
Question: Do you think the work of the Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations is almost finished?
Trumpets sounding fanfares might be over the top for anything as wonkish as a “combined statistical area,” but Spokane and Kootenai counties’ new status in the eyes of the federal government deserves at least a respectful mention. With a combined population of 609,715, according to the 2010 Census, the bordering counties will rank in the top 65 such areas in the country once the designation is formally implemented, probably in 2013. To businesses looking for locations with a certain population mass, that joint identity can be an attention-getting device that neither county could match individually/Spokesman-Review Editorial Board. More here.
Question: In the past, Kootenai County has had the attitude that it didn't want to have anything to do with Spokane County. Do you think that attitude prevails today? Do you consider a “combined statistical area” to be a good thing?
It is with no anger or retribution that I share with all of you my grief over the setback this editorial could do to the advancement of human rights. I know from a life time of commitment to this cause that the peddlers of hate 
would like nothing better than have human rights organizations and activists become silent. As long as God gives me the strength to be active, I will not remain silent. Today I did a silent prayer asking God to give me the strength, wisdom and kindness in making the proper response. I find no examples in history that silence resulted in a victory over the forces of prejudice, bigotry or the eradication of hate. The conservative columnist for the Washington Post, Kathleen Parker, stated it most eloquently in her column when she wrote: “When you choose to remain silent, consider yourself complicit in whatever transpires”/Tony Stewart, Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations. More here.
Reaction?
A dramatic show flows over Shoshone Falls with water gushing at 18,500 cubic-feet per second Friday on the Snake River near Twin Falls. (AP Photo/Idaho Statesman: Darin Oswald)
The passing of the great Harmon Killebrew recently caused a few Idaho political, history and baseball junkies to reflect on another guy from Payette, Idaho – one-term wonder Sen. Herman Welker. Welker is mostly 
forgotten to history these days, and probably deserves to be, except for two or maybe three footnotes in history. The Welker footnotes: 1) Welker’s nickname, Little Joe from Idaho, references his bosom buddy status with Sen. Joseph McCarthy, the Commie hunting, red-baiting politician from Wisconsin who had an entire era of politics – McCarthyism – named after him. Welker was just about McCarthy’s biggest defender, even as Joe was censured by the United States Senate. 2) Welker’s re-election was derailed in 1956 by a fresh faced young Idaho Democrat by the name of Frank Church/Marc Johnson, The Johnson Report. More here.
Question: Are you surprised that a former U.S. senator for Idaho would be 'Tailgunner Joe' McCarthy's biggest supporter?
Item: Attorney General reviews conflict of interest rules: Rep. Kathy Sims sent letter asking for help with interpretation/Tom Hasslinger, Coeur d'Alene Press
More Info: The Idaho Attorney General's Office is reviewing letters regarding rules related to conflicts of interest when it comes to city officials and the McEuen Field project. After it reviews the letters, the office will issue a written response to Rep. Kathy Sims. “We've not been involved in this issue,” said Bob Cooper, spokesman, on Tuesday. “In order to respond to her concerns we have to understand the background.”
Question: I'm amazed that Sims demands strict adherence to her interpretation of the law, but she ignored attempts by the city of Coeur d'Alene for more than a year after the 2009 City Council election to get her to comply with financial disclosure laws. How about you?
Idaho ranks 50th in the nation for per-pupil spending on schools, a measurement for which the state 
perennially has scored a low ranking. Now, according to the latest U.S. census report released last week, Idaho’s ranking for per capita spending based on personal income in the state has dropped dramatically, from 15th in the nation in 2001 to 41st. “I think we are in a race to the bottom here, it seems like,” said Sherri Wood, president of the Idaho Education Association, the state’s teachers union. “Unfortunately, it certainly is not going to be good for the state, and not for our students either”/Betsy Russell, Eye On Boise. More here. (SR photo/Kathy Plonka: Sorensen Magnet School fourth-graders, from left, Noah Burton, Schreyer Jones and Chloe Teets, work on math problems on Tuesday.)
Question: Why do Idahoans pay lip service to education support, yet allow such poor funding of public education?
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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