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Beatles startles me a bit. My first Beatles' album was “Yesterday and Today”, after which I got their subsequent later albums…Sgt. Pepper, White Album, Magical Mystery Tour, White Album, Abbey Road, Let it be, etc. Back in 1966, when I got “Yesterday and Today”, I found out it contained a whole bunch of singles I'd heard on the radio, “Yesterday”, “Day Tripper”, “We Can Work It Out” and “Nowhere Man” plus the rest of the tunes were cool, too. George Harrison wrote one song on that album, “If I Needed Someone” which has a whole different flavor … t was jangly, the lyrics were fairly morose, and it went in a different direction; the song was strangely moody and haunting. With that tune, George began writing some major songs, every bit as good as Lennon-McCartney/Atmospheric Ruminations. 
elected officials at all levels accountable for spending and budget decisions. IFF introduces the new site: “Welcome to Idaho's only website for monitoring, tracking and analyzing the spending habits of your schools, highway districts, state and other taxing districts. It's your money and it's your right to see and understand how every penny is spent. AccountableIdaho.com is designed to help you keep our elected officials accountable, identify possible waste and help our public agencies recognize the importance of close monitoring of every expenditure.”
newspaper they profile a different person in our community. The paper asks several questions about the person like their favorite author and genre of music. One of the questions that is asked is what is the most important attribute you look for in a person. Almost 100% of the time a person will say, integrity or honesty. While I appreciate these attributes my response wou…ld be a Risk Taker. We have too many in our world today who play it safe. Don't rock the boat. Don't upset the apple cart. But I admire people who are willing to put it all out there and try something or do something that no one else is willing to do.”
Street was out of feta cheese. A Greek restaurant out of feta cheese? That's like a Subway out of bread (this actually happened to me once), or a strip club out of dollar bills. It just ain't right. Especially when there's an Albertson's deli case ripe with cartons of feta cheese around the corner in the same shopping center. So I was thinking, “uh…I dunno what I want now, maybe a pizzaloni after all. Maybe, but uh…what kind of pizzaloni do I want?” Or do I want a…uh?” There were other customers waiting on their food and I was holding up the show, and my man rightfully snapped at me that he would be back in a bit and would return was I was through with my fits of indecision/OrangeTV, Get Out! North Idaho. 
cushy “pre-retirement” post, given to him as a “reward” so he can finish out his political service “at the top.” Kind of like a long-time corporate executive being promoted to high-level position before retirement, where he has little to no actual work to do, other than to show up to a board meeting ever quarter, or pop in after his golf game to sign a couple of papers. This state is run by unelected bureaucrats, not an elected Governor.
Sunrise Acres, a Grade A raw-milk dairy in Fruitland. Pasteurization, on the other hand, is a heating process that kills bacteria and other pathogens and has been a standard practice in the U.S. dairy industry since the mid-20th century. Many state and federal health agencies claim that raw milk is dangerous to drink—citing a 2010 outbreak of campylobacter from raw milk in Indiana—and, therefore, ban or greatly restrict its distribution. Raw-milk advocates, like Jantzi, counter that pasteurization kills flavor, as well as beneficial bacteria and the nutrients that make milk healthful/Guy Ford, Boise Weekly. 
Today is the 176th birthday of Mark Twain, or as his parents knew him, Samuel L. Clemens. Twain is best known for his American fiction, including “Tom Sawyer,” but he was also an intrepid traveler and travel-writer who paved the way for the Bill Brysons of our day. In “Innocents Abroad” he wrote, “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime”/Scott Baldauf, Christian Science Monitor. 
bordering on rude.” “Oh god … stay away.” Customer reviews on websites like 
today. In memory of Jonny, HucksOnline is please to run an essay about him by his mother, Elizabeth Yalian. Who notes in the essay that Jonny loved guns and included a note he wrote as a young boy when he got his first gun: “The best thing I ever (heard) was the day Mom said I could have a B.B. gun. I thaohgt I would faint when Mom said yes but I had to get this awfull haircut but I didn’t care. Mom had already gotton me B.B.s and later got me some pellets. We went in to Shopco and thier it was the most buitiful thing I ever saw. After school I couldn’t wait to go shooting I was very angcious to knock some cans of the hey stak. A few weeks later I got a scope and after Christmas I got a case for it.” 
On her Twitter page, Betsy Russell/Eye on Boise tweets: “My fave TG leftover this year: Turkey, dressing and sweet potato enchiladas in green chile sauce. Even better than the awesome sandwiches.”
assistance and the rush to purchase food on the first of the month, when money is deposited into recipients’ accounts. What the piece doesn’t detail is the number of Idahoans enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (or SNAP, formerly known as food stamps), and how much that number has grown in recent years. According to 
ban on funding horse meat inspections, and activists say slaughterhouses could be up and running in as little as a month. Slaughter opponents pushed a measure cutting off funding for horse meat inspections through Congress in 2006 after other efforts to pass outright bans on horse slaughter failed in previous years. Congress lifted the ban in a spending bill President Barack Obama signed into law Nov. 18 to keep the government afloat until mid-December. It did not, however, allocate any new money to pay for horse meat inspections, which opponents claim could cost taxpayers $3 million to $5 million a year/Associated Press. 
kokanee at Lake Coeur d’Alene. On Tuesday, the season's second weekly 
Notre Dame, a 27-win team last season – one of those ‘W’s’ came against Gonzaga – that is dealing with the loss of standout forward Tim Abromaitis to a torn ACL last week. The Fighting Irish (5-2) open GU’s arduous stretch of games that includes Illinois, Michigan State, Arizona, Butler and Xavier before the arrival of 2012. Tip-off is at 8:20 at the McCarthey Athletic Center. “That’s why everybody comes here, to play in those big games,” junior forward Elias Harris said/Jim Meehan, SR.
media for preposterous rumor – Twitter, Facebook, iPhone and the backyard fence – had Paul Wulff’s firing augmented by arrival via private jet of Cougar fandom’s most wanted, the charismatic litigant late of Texas Tech. Yes! Bill Moos is going to announce the new coach – Leach – as he dismisses the old one! Raise the flag! Make those 2013 Rose Bowl reservations now! And a private plane from points east did indeed land at Pullman-Moscow Regional shortly after noon. Open swung the cabin door. Out came … well, a couple with more ties to the AARP than the NCAA. Good thing no one made banners and sent out the marching band/John Blanchette, SR. 
number of highly debatable “successes” for Idaho on his watch reminds one of a story his idol, former President Ronald Reagan, liked to tell. It’s the story about the guy digging madly through a huge pile of horse manure convinced that there has to be a pony in there someplace because there’s so much horse s___. With all due respect to the office he holds, Butch is just plain wrong in almost all he claims. It’s hard to believe he can look at his mismanagement of so much and claim success. This goes beyond rose-colored glasses, beyond the normal PR spin one has come to expect of so many of today’s officeholders. This is pure, unadulterated horse manure which anyone with an understanding of factual information can smell from far away/Chris Carlson, The Carlson Chronicles. 
On her Facebook page, Paula Marano posts: “Did it! Hiked Cherry Hill before dark this afternoon - 4:00. Crispy cold and a good workout/hill climb. Discovered a homemade teepee covered with pines and straw. Soon we heard hacking and coughing. Homeless shelter? Campers? Simple pleasures? Hippies? Aliens? Other?”
time schools who are also courting him? It is the rare instance when a legitimate big time recruit decides to go to WSU over any other big time D-I school. Hey big guy, just look at all the wheat. Never mind the big city flash and all that go with it, come and hunker down in the winter and make snow angels. Let’s face it, WSU is going to continue to be where they have historically been in the PCC, Pac 8, Pac 10, and now the Pac 12. Unfortunately … at the bottom.
nationwide network of over 5,000 law enforcement agencies, including 9 in Idaho. The new service is a citizen-friendly, easy to use website that enables citizens to search for potentially dangerous sex offenders and predators which may be in close proximity to their homes, places of work, schools, churches and day care centers. The information is available 24 hours a day 7 days a week and is updated in real time by the Bonner County Sheriff’s Office as offender information changes and is reported/Bonner County Sheriff's Department news release. 
Three North Idaho men and one from Liberty Lake, Wash., lead the list of individuals wanted by sheriff's Major Ben Wolfinger for outstanding felony warrants this week. Charles Francis Adams Jr., 33, of Bonners Ferry, is wanted for failure to appear for felony DUI and driving with a suspended license. Bond has been set at $60,000. Brian Daniel Limberg, 25, of Coeur d'Alene, 
is wanted on a charge of probation violation for devlivery of a controlled substance. (No bond set.) Darin Michael Pannell, 22, of Post Falls, is wanted on a charge of probation violation for robbery. (No bond set.) Donald Jack Seed III, 24, of Liberty Lake, is wanted on a charge of probation violation for possession of controlled substance. 
Idaho is a model for what the country can expect, there could be trouble ahead. Luna's only experiences with public education before becoming the state's public education leader were personal experiences as a student through high school, a couple of short stints at the old Ricks College (now BYU-Idaho in Rexburg) and Boise State, and time as a school board member in Nampa. Because he did not have at least a college undergraduate degree, he was at first denied his goal of becoming the state's education top dog/Idaho State Journal Editorial Board. 
Washington DC. This morning, Adrienne and I (pictured) delivered the stack of signatures to Rep. Raul Labrador’s Coeur d’Alene office. The Congerssman’s staff says they will take it from here. Our petition is directed at Hon. Jo-Ellen Darcy, the U.S. Army Assistant Secretary for Civil Works, whose office is in the Pentagon. We’re asking her to reconsider the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ policy that may require the City of Coeur d’Alene to remove all the trees from the earthen levee separating the beach from North Idaho College. … Our final tally came in at just over 4400 signatures/Terry Harris, KEA Blog. 
against him “create too much of a cloud” for his Republican presidential candidacy to go forward. Acknowledging the “firestorm” arising from an accusation of infidelity, Cain only committed to keeping his campaign schedule for the next several days, in a conference call with his senior staff. “If a decision is made, different than to plow ahead, you all will be the first to know,” he said, according to a transcript of the call made by the National Review, which listened to the conversation/Associated Press. 
stayed as stray cats who are fed and find a warm place to sleep are wont to do. Ever since the Algonquin lobby has had a cat – 
endorsement, Newt Gingrich set his sights on GOP presidential front-runner Mitt Romney on Monday, attacking him as a flip-flopper and pitching himself as the “conservative alternative.” “I don’t claim to be the perfect candidate, I just claim to be a lot more conservative than Mitt Romney,” Gingrich told WSC Radio in Charleston, S.C./Jonathan Easley, Blog Briefing Room, The Hill. 
Statesman. In a blog post today, Popkey quotes Lee Fang of The Nation: “From Idaho to Indiana to Florida, recently passed laws will radically reshape the face of education in America, shifting the responsibility of teaching generations of Americans to online education businesses, many of which have poor or nonexistent track records. The rush to privatize education will also turn tens of thousands of students into guinea pigs in a national experiment in virtual learning — a relatively new idea that allows for-profit companies to administer public schools completely online, with no brick-and-mortar classrooms or traditional teachers.” 
exposed to indecent or obscene material over the Internet. It is just the kind of one-size-fits-all policy and potential unfunded mandate that legislators enjoy railing against — when they believe the state is on the receiving end of overreaching federal policy. Such sentiments were lost on the 2011 Legislature, which passed an amended version of the Internet filter bill without a single dissenting vote. … As Coeur d’Alene Public Library director Bette Ammon told the Spokane Spokesman-Review: “It’s ridiculous to hold adult use of materials to the same standard as children”/Kevin Richert, Idaho Statesman. 
to collapse into single nano-particle? If the tweet is the speed of light does it go back in time? If you tweet straight down does it go to China? If you tweet something objectionable to an elected official should you have to apologize? I don’t think so, the whole thing is pretty moronic to begin with. I’m ok with the news feed element, but the random comments are a complete waste of time.
Wikipedia describes Alcott this way: “She is best known for the novel 
belonging to a female employee of Goodwill Industries after holding a knife to her throat. The incident occurred at 2 p.m. today at the store at 1212 Fourth St., Coeur d'Alene. The victim reported to police that she was getting into her vehicle in the store lot when the robber grabbed her and held a knife to her throat, demanding her purse. She told police she struggled with the man and was thrown to the ground. The suspect ran off when a witness emerged from the store, saw the fight, and yelled at him. He is described as a white male, in his 30s, with black hair, 6-0 to 6-2, wearing a black hoodie with possible silver writing on it/Sgt. Christie Wood, Coeur d'Alene Police Department. 
helping to organize a new group because of flaws in the local Republican party when she's heading the local Republican Party? Just a guess that (Bob Pedersen of Rally Right) and his posse were none too happy that the Reagan Republicans put their boots to the ground for the Coeur d'Alene School Board and the recent municipal elections with some success and a headline or two. The purpose of the local central committees of both parties is to work towards electing and primarily supporting candidates of each respective party to county offices and the state legislature. It certainly isn't to create splinter groups.
Eman: Which brings me to the photo’s used for cats like wayne and honestly almost all the political mug shots. If that’s the best one of wayne then OK so be it but wow. Look at the one for Adams, scarry. Goodlander? yikes. The mayor’s looks pretty good but clearly takes pains to make it nice. Gookin’s ? yikes. (Former Kootenai County commissioner Rick) Currie, pictured, looked like a little rabbit in his. Who else? Question is, why? Why are those photos so bad?
to speak publicly on the matter. Guerrero, who on Monday announced the firing of Rick Neuheisel, is expected to make a trip to Boise to meet with Petersen. UCLA is believed to be able to offer a contract worth more than $3 million annually that includes donations from boosters. Plans to refurbish the Bruins’ practice facility and a commitment of about $2 million for assistant coaches are expected to be part of the package, accord to one person close to the situation/Los Angeles Times. 
Coeur d’Alene High quarterback Chad Chalich gave Idaho head coach Robb Akey an oral commitment 
Sunday night to accept a scholarship offer to play for the Vandals, Vikings coach Shawn Amos said. Chalich, who led the Vikings to the 5A state championship, had a home visit with Akey on Sunday night and committed, Amos said. Chalich, the reigning 5A All-Idaho Player of the Year accounted for five of Coeur d’Alene’s seven touchdowns, passing for 410 yards and running for 57 more in the Vikings' 49-28 victory against Eagle at Bronco Stadium earlier this month. Amos also said that wide receiver Deon Watson also had a home visit with Akey and is taking an official visit to the Idaho campus next weekend/Idaho Statesman.
Question: Was Chad Chalich wise in picking a scholarship from Idaho over a walk-on invite from Boise State?
are the clip-on ornaments?” She was shown to the decorated Christmas tree, where she picked out several ornaments. She clips a $50 bill onto each ornament for everyone on her Christmas list. The woman is not a hospital patient. She doesn’t visit anyone. She simply shops there, as if it were a “real” gift store. Which, indeed, it is. Many retail stores are ailing in these tough times. But the gift shops at Providence Sacred Heart and Deaconess Hospital enjoy healthy revenues, thanks to changing trends in retail and health care and the buy-local movement/Rebecca Nappi, SR. 
wrote North Idaho’s Diane Newcomer. “She’s a 47-year-old mule.” Maggie has a feline friend, a 5-year-old orange mouser named Thunderfoot. “They have been buddies ever since Thunderfoot was a kitten,” said Newcomer, a retired librarian who lives with her surveyor husband on a ranch near Clark Fork. They have horses, cattle, and Maggie the white mule. And then there’s the sturdy cat that got her name from the sound she made scampering across a tin roof as a kitten. “She joins Maggie for breakfast every day, and most evenings for dinner,” said Newcomer/Paul Turner, SR Slice. 
result, health authorities say, youngsters in the region are at increased risk for illnesses like whooping cough and measles. In early November, nine North Idaho children were diagnosed with whooping cough, also called pertussis. “It’s a personal choice that does carry consequences, and heavy consequences for some,” said Cynthia Taggart, spokeswoman for the Panhandle Health District, which offers low-cost immunizations in all five North Idaho counties. She noted pertussis can be fatal for babies, which is part of the reason that adults who come in contact with babies are advised to get pertussis booster shots/Betsy Russell, Eye On Boise. 
Monday and the holiday shopping frenzy than chowing down on the carbohydrate and sugar dream team that is French toast! Whether you prefer it for breakfast, lunch or dinner — we don't judge — make sure you get your maple syrup fix today.We've been turning stale bread into the wonder that is French toast for quite some time. The earliest mention of the concoction was found in a collection of Latin recipes from the 4th century, and it's even given some face time in one of the Brothers Grimm tales.And contrary to popular belief, this dish gets its name from the chef, not the country/Ashley Strickland, special to CNN via KXLY. 
messages and email. Police say the system - being piloted in this area by PFPD — is not intended to replace 911. If residents need emergency assistance, 911 is still the preferred and fastest way to communicate. But texting or e-mailing crime has advantages, including for hearing impaired citizens who will not have to rely on a relay service or TDD (Telecommunication Device for the Deaf), if a person can't speak for whatever reason during a crime and the appeal to younger people. “Whether you like it or not, it's obvious that the future of communication is texting,” Chief Scot Haug said/Brian Walker, Press. 
infringing statute. You’re walking down the street and a police car races past, blue and red lights ablaze. Surprisingly, the police officer blocks your path, hops out and demands to see identification. “What seems to be the problem, officer?” you ask. “You were just at the McDonalds,” the officer responds. “Yes.” “You ordered a cheeseburger and fries?” “Yes.” “Sir, I’m afraid I’m going to have to take you in. According to our records, that was your third cheeseburger this week. Too many burgers are bad for you, and the government has laws against you engaging in behavior that might be harmful to yourself,” you’re told. Not possible?/Wayne Hoffman, Idaho Freedom Foundation. 
you're frustrated with liberalism taking over in America and the Republican Party drifting away from its Conservative roots, let's do something about it.” The ad then goes on to invite individuals to the inaugaral meeting of United Conservatives of North Idaho at 6 p.m. Monday, Dec. 5, at the Golden Spike Estates Clubhouse in Rathdrum. Some wonder if Bob Pedersen's Rally Right is reinventing itself as UCNI since the Rally Righters meet at Golden Spike. Also, some are upset that UCNI is trying to attach themselves to the Reagan Republicans by using Reagan's photo. Guest speakers include uberconservatives Phil Hart, Vito Barbieri, Dick Harwood, and Bonner County Commissioner Cornel Rasor.
over and schools reduce how long they expect cursive fluency. Idaho formerly tested students for cursive writing skills until about seventh grade, but now only through about fourth grade. Cursive is likely to see further declines as Idaho and 43 other states have started adopting national standards beginning in 2013-2014 that eliminate cursive writing as a required skill but mandate keyboarding. Melissa McGrath, spokeswoman for the Idaho Department of Education, said future requirements for cursive fluency will be made at the district level. Some districts might want to continue teaching cursive/Jason Ford, KOZE-AM. 
The city council-elect, set to take his seat in January, said in interviews he could make a motion to disband Lake City Development Corp., the city’s urban renewal agency, and have the council fill its shoes — a legally possible route. While urban renewal law allows cities to take over their urban renewal boards, Adams said he realizes the motion doesn’t have much of a chance of getting off the ground, at least not in the immediate future. … Yet Dan Gookin, the other council-elect who campaigned on urban renewal oversight, called disbanding the board a “doomsday” option.
John Hawkins of RightWing News is concerned. But U.S. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers does OK too among Hawkins’ list of the 20 most influential conservative women in this country. The Eastern Washington congresswoman ranks No. 5. Filling the gap between Palin and McMorris Rodgers are: No. 2, columnist/author Ann Coulter; No. 3, talk-show host Laura Ingraham; and No. 4, congresswoman and presidential candidate Michele Bachmann of Minnesota. Idaho doesn’t have anyone in the Top 20, unless, of course, you take into account that Palin was born in Sandpoint and attended North Idaho College and the University of Idaho/DFO, SR, Huckleberries. 
Have we become the Bah Humbug Nation? I’m convinced of it, having just reacquainted myself with the mean and selfish stylings of Ebenezer Scrooge in Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” (and its current stage adaptation at the Spokane Civic Theatre). Scrooge’s shriveled heart, in his pre-ghost, pre-conversion lifetime, reminded me, somehow, of a large swath of America/Jim Kershner, SR. 
their children. It's my favorite holiday. Our family felt big back then, but now it has grown even bigger. Mom has 15 grandchildren and more than 30 great-granchildren. Five of her six kids live in the Inland Northwest, and my sister Lucia is moving back in January, after 40 years living in the East. Nearly half my grown nieces and nephews, and their children, also live here. We would have to rent out a hall to fit us all and none of us grown daughters, or our sisters-in-law, inherited the cultural and familial imperative that the matriarch must do the holidays, without much help and without complaint/Rebecca Nappi, End Notes. 
non-Christian faith — and less likely to support Mitt Romney — a majority of those voters are willing to back Romney in a general election run against President Obama, 
slow start. The eagle count at Wolf Lodge Bay is down about 70 percent from last year at this time, said Carrie Hugo, U.S. Bureau of Land Management wildlife biologist. Hugo made the first weekly survey of the season on Tuesday and counted only 12 bald eagles compared with 42 counted on the same day last year. “It could be the storm we just had,” she said. “We’ll be out on the lake Saturday for the special eagle boat cruise for veterans, so we’ll see if the changing weather makes a difference”/Rich Landers, SR. 
And it works. Often in politics, when citizens are busy living their lives, the only people looking at certain things are lobbyists, politicos, elected officials and (at times) bloggers, including me. So, I decided to look around and see how my “neighborhood” was doing. Were people OK? Anyone sick? I looked at current-State Senator Mike McGee of Idaho to do a follow-up on his illness. Illness? What illness? Well, back when he was arrested for the drunk driving and boorish behavior of grand theft of an auto, part of current-Senator McGee's defense was that he was ill, with a “likely” head problem/Dennis Mansfield. 
County, the Reagan Republicans won all the races they invested time and dollars in. Shamelessly, they pulled out all the stops on their party machine and played all the negative cards in their hands. Is there anything wrong with their game plan to insert partisan politics into local nonpartisan elections, practically, politically and/or ethically? I say a loud “yes” to all of the above. It’s not just a question of changing the rules in the middle of the game (although that rankles, too). There are longstanding reasons why some elected positions are historically and appropriately nonpartisan/Mary Lou Reed, Inlander. 
projects and follow through on about 1 percent of them. I procrastinate like a bastard. It’s actually 3:41 am right now, the morning this story is due. I haven’t gone to bed yet. Why did it take 30 years to diagnose? I’m not sure. I did OK in school, considering what a disruptive little shit I was, and how little homework I did, and despite the way my brain would flit between a dozen trains of thought for hours without ever reaching the end of one. I always tested very well. In elementary and middle school, several teachers convinced my parents that I was bored with regular classes. They put me in accelerated ones. I still screwed off/Luke Baumgarten, Inlander.
paradise. Last week, Raci Erdem, owner of Post Falls’ White House Grill and the Oval Office, and south Spokane’s West Wing, opened a stationary food truck — The Garlic Mobile — on a busy stretch of North Division. In case you’re not familiar with Erdem, he specializes in Mediterranean cuisine with a heavy dose of garlic. It’s hard to miss the Garlic Mobile. For one thing, the banner is visible from blocks away. And then there’s the smell. Step out of your car, and one whiff will tell you that you’re in the right place/Kristin Harrington, Inlander. 
Reduction. Dubbed the supercommittee, it was charged with finding at least $1.2 trillion in debt savings over the next decade. Now the political finger-pointing is well underway. One of the people being blamed for the supercommittee’s failure (often by Democrats, and on occasion by Republicans), is Grover Norquist (pictured). He’s a longtime lobbyist who runs the group 
In this digital era, computer users need passwords for everything. But how much effort have you put into choosing your password? SplashData, a password software management firm, looked at millions of stolen passwords posted online by hackers and came out with its list of worst passwords. The worst password of 2011? The word “password.” Up next, was “123456” followed closely by “12345678.” Number six on the list was “monkey” and number eight, the ever original “let me in”/KGW.com via KREM. 
proposed plan that reconfigures the state's legislative districts. The county joins Bonner, Boundary, Benewah, Shoshone and Clearwater counties that have hired Boise lawyer Christ T. Troupis to represent them against the state in the action. … The proposed plan groups Idaho County with Clearwater, Shoshone and the southeast portion of Kootenai counties. Idaho County Commission Chairman Skip Brandt explained the main reason for objecting to the proposal is the difficulty of traveling from one end of the district to the other/Kathy Hedberg, Lewiston Tribune. 
Thanksgiving continued happily along until the 1960s, when retailers like Macy’s started big sales on the Friday after Thanksgiving. Now, of course, we know it as Black Friday, America’s high holy day of deals. It’s been crowding Thanksgiving ever since. To traditionalists, it’s a heretical invasion of one of the few moments of reflection we have left; to others it’s the perfect celebration of our land of plenty. Can Thanksgiving and Black Friday coexist as two sides of the American coin?/Ted S. McGregor, Inlander. 
House members and six senators, six Republicans and six Democrats — were appointed in August to try to find at least $1.2 trillion in deficit reductions. The group gave up Monday, agreeing only to do, well, nothing. Technically, the group’s three-month assignment ends today, the day before Turkey Day. Never let it be said that Congress lacks for a wicked sense of humor. But since it actually does take a couple days to write legislation, Monday was effectively the group’s deadline. To call the effort pitiful and disappointing borders on understatement. By playing to their bases, committee members reinforced the same partisan divide that they needed to transcend/Kevin Richert, Statesman. 
homeless in Post Falls that opened Monday night. “No matter what you do to show you love people, you can never really do enough,” said Tom Hamilton, plant manager at Ground Force Manufacturing. The Post Falls company owned by Ron Nilson is donating use of a 4,000-square-foot warehouse at 6001 Seltice Way. It will have heat, lights, a kitchen, bathrooms, tables and chairs. It will be open daily 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. at least through February. Most important, it will provide a nightly shelter for the homeless from North Idaho's cold, wind, rain, snow and ice, said Patty McGruder, homeless outreach worker with the Dirne Community Health Center/Bill Buley, Coeur d'Alene Press. 
Beaver” the other day. Wally and the Beav wanted a new bike. The one they had their eye on cost more than $50, which was a lot of dough back then. This led to Ward giving them a money-doesn't-grow-on-trees talk. So the boys went out and landed a job delivering newspapers after school. Naturally, antic confusion ensued. And after well-intentioned Ward and June unwittingly contributed to Wally and the Beaver getting fired by the Courier Sun, Ward went down to the paper to try to get their jobs back/Paul Turner, The Slice Blog. 
to take place while he is in office. The death penalty is morally wrong and unjustly administered, Kitzhaber said. “In my mind it is a perversion of justice,” he said at an emotional news conference in Salem. The governor cited his constitutional authority to grant a temporary reprieve for Haugen, in effect canceling the planned Dec. 6 lethal injection of the twice-convicted murderer. Haugen waived his legal appeals and has been preparing for the execution, which would have been Oregon's first in 14 years/Helen Jung, Oregonian. 
belt violations, basically changing the law so anyone cited would pay a fine of $61.50. Currently, adults cited pay a $10 fine, while children under the age of 17 without a belt are subject to the $61.50 fine. Under consideration is designating seat belt violations as a primary offense in all cases, rather than a secondary violation. Seat belt laws are divided into two categories: primary and secondary. Primary seat belt laws allow law enforcement officers to ticket a driver for not wearing a seat belt, without any other traffic offense taking place. Secondary seat belt laws state that law enforcement officers may issue a ticket for not wearing a seat belt only when there is another citable traffic infractionMitch Coffman, Idaho Reporter. 
Michelle Bachmann. I’ve remained on the fence until now. I’m firmly on the Herman Cain train. I laid out what I was looking for in a Presidential candidate 
County Assessor's Office, the “Die Hard” star bought the property north of Hailey in 2001. A listing by Sotheby's International Realty states that the 20-acre property includes a six-bedroom, 8,400-square-foot main house, a detached guesthouse and a gym. Willis' property in Flying Heart subdivision features ponds and streams, and a heated pool with water slides, waterfall features and a rope swing. According to the Wall Street Journal, listing agent Janine Bear said Willis is selling the home because he has not been able to spend as much time as he would like to in the area/Tony Evans, Idaho Mountain Express. 
towel. Out of the six Republicans and six Democrats, not one would break party lines to agree on a plan. Are we surprised? Not a bit. Disgusted? Absolutely. Predictably, our bull-headed representatives are already angrily pointing fingers across the aisle. Republicans call out Democrats who refuse to chop any entitlement programs; the Democrats say that Republicans refuse to quash any of the tax breaks benefiting the nation’s rich. We deserve better/Twin Falls Times-News. 
report that reads in part: “The 27-year-old who went from cult hero in college to purported NBA bust describes the inauspicious start in Charlotte, from the pressure of being the No. 3 pick in 2006 to the devastating knee injury that cost him a season, and how the hopeful return went awry with his unproductive pairing with coach Larry Brown. He talks about the two lost years with the Lakers in Los Angeles, a professional hell of individual failure and collective success where he might have been the most mocked champion in the history of the game. He details the disappearing act thereafter, how his release from the Washington Wizards in October 2010 led to such a low that he fell out of love with the game that once inspired him.” Amick goes on to say that Morrison 
speed or to win, or to complete a pass yet somehow I doubt that in this case, perhaps for strength, courage, to be humble in the spotlight, who knows. Quite presumptuous to judge a mans silent prayer. As for display of prayer, I’m uncomfortable with it as I believe God knows what you ask in silence and if it’s sincere while he also knows all the other little secrets we don’t display publicly. Anonymity in deed and prayer seem hold the greatest rewards as far as what I can tell from scripture, of course talking about it in a Christian light.
Elementary (now part of the Dave Smith empire) when my teacher announced the shooting of the President. I don’t remember grieving the next few days, but our nation certainly did. Unknown to us that day was what would follow: the Civil Rights movement and Vietnam, and in due time the murders of Martin and Bobby, and the shame of Watergate. Although I didn’t know it that day, the age of innocence was gone.
hydrants.The Coeur d'Alene Press reports that city leaders are getting ready to relent on a rule that was never officially on the books in the first place.The city's unwritten rule is that all hydrants be painted yellow. But recently, two property owners ignored the rule, opting instead to paint hydrants dark green to better blend with the landscape.Assistant Water Superintendent Terry Pickel says the department has challenged the property owners, but he says the city fire department isn't bothered by the idea of multi-colored hydrants/AP, KXLY. 
On his Facebook wall, Marc Stewart points out something that I haven't been missing this year: “Gosh, the NBA owners and NBA players are too busy bickering to play basketball. I wish I could say I miss the games, but I don't.”
On her Facebook wall, Post Falls Councilwoman Kerri Thoreson advocates for shopping local: “Why shop local? Local businesses pay taxes, provide paychecks, donate and contribute to organizations and events throughout the year. If not for local businesses who would be donating to the auctions, raffles, scholarships, grad night parties, senior centers, charitable causes, youth sports sponsorships etc., etc.? This Christmas season make your gift giving pay it forward in our communities … SHOP LOCAL!”
1” today, (the latest in the “Twilight” series if you're not a twi-hard)! Seriously, I know you're laughing at me right now, but this one is really good! I've read all the books, so I know what's going to happen, but I was still surprised a few times, and the whole birthing scene was sort of creepy yet tense. The ending is great; I wasn't sure how they'd break up the last book. Be sure to wait through the credits, because there's a scene involving the Volturi (the bad vampires) that sets up Part II and is also quite creepy. I thought it was fun!”
Hoffman's Idaho Freedom Foundation. According to the email, the free-market group is about $30,000 short of its 2011 fundraising goal. We hope the work we’re doing is valuable to you,” writes Hoffman. “If so, every donation counts. Please consider a contribution this season to us so that we can keep up the cause of liberty”/Kevin Richert, Idaho Statesman. 
the first of three injections renders the condemned unconscious so they don't feel the next two fatal shots that stop their breathing and heartbeat. The whole process is very clinical, very sterile and, providing nothing goes awry, painless for the condemned. The whole ordeal has also made me revisit my stance on capital punishment. I was raised in my faith that although God is the ultimate judge and will have the final ruling, society has a duty to carry out punishments for the good of greater society. As I've gotten older and explored my faith further, I realize there are basic tenets of human decency that one must adhere to. When you commit a crime contrary to the core of those tenets, you forfeit your place in society/Henry Johnston, Moscow-Pullman Daily News. 
are matched only by its almost contrarian sense of independence — possibly set an example of responsible governance for the rest of America? In Idaho, we did it by reassessing the proper role of government in people’s lives. We did it by identifying what our constitution and laws require government to do and eliminating much of what they don’t. We did it by instituting zero-based budgeting and bringing business principles to government. We did it by making tough choices and difficult adjustments early in the economic downturn. And we did it by being cautious, prudent, and yes, conservative with taxpayer dollars in order to live within the people’s means/Gov. Butch Otter, Roll Call. 
Hecla officials have voluntarily shut down the Lucky Friday Mine after the now fatal accident that took the life of miner Brandon Gray over the weekend.Last week's accident was the third time this year that a fire or a cave-in have forced the closure of the mine, including the tunnel collapse that killed Larry Marek on April 15.So far 14 people have died in non-coal US mining accidents spread out between Alaska and Florida this year, but only one — the Lucky Friday Mine — has suffered a pair of fatalities/Jeff Humphrey, KXLY. 
quarterback Jake Plummer says he’s heard it enough from Tebow that he doesn’t need to hear it any more. In 
admitted it on the world-wide web, but spent more minutes of my life that I will never get back writing about it. But it made me happy. It gave me two hours of uninterrupted silliness in an otherwise mostly serious life. And, if you must know, I'll even buy it on dvd when it comes out so that I have the whole collection. You can come over and we'll have a Twilight marathon. Come on. You know you want to/A Butterfly Moment. 
allegedly doused his wife of two years with gasoline and tried to ignite her with a lighter she had given him. Daniel Joe Zehm, 52, of 6103 15th St., was taken into custody by sheriff's deputies following an altercation that began Saturday night and culminated with the alleged try to incinerate Sondra Zehm, 58. According to sheriff's reports, the argument began when Daniel Zehm told his wife how attractive a CNA at his mother's assisted living place is. At one point during the domestic fight, Daniel Zehm penned his wife down on their bed and allegedly threatened to kill her, her dog, and her whole family. Zehm allegedly drenched his wife with a bucket of gasoline while she had her back to him, making coffee the following morning. Sondra told deputies that her husband was flicking the red lighter she'd given him to light a fire in his shop as he moved toward her.
slashing the U.S. budget gap, a move that triggers mandatory cuts to military spending and some social programs starting in 2013. “After months of hard work and intense deliberations, we have come to the conclusion today that it will not be possible to make any bipartisan agreement available to the public before the committee's deadline,” Sen. Patty Murray (D., Wash.) and Rep. Jeb Hensarling (R., Texas), the co-chairs of the the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction, said in a statement/Siobhan Hughes and Kristina Peterson, Wall Street Journal. 
up traffic at Highway 95 & Appleway this morning. Fred Rohn was northbound approaching the traffic lights on Appleway at 10:27 a.m. when he suffered a medical problem, causing his 1999 Dodge pickup to his a 2006 Kia driven by Cynthia Walker, 53, of Post Falls. Walker's vehicle hit a traffic light pole. Rohn's pickup contined forward hitting a 2006 Pontiac Grand Am driven by former Coeur d'Alene Councilman Chris Copstead. Copstead's vehicle was pushed into a 2003 Mercury Sable driven by Kevin Butigan, 33, of Post Falls. Injured in the accident Rohn and his wife, Vicki, 60, and Walker and her passenger, Jesi Kitchen, 4.
tenant dispute. Shennen Blackburn of Liberty Lake is suing former tenant Samuel Doyle, of Spokane for allegedly damaging her rental property, according to a press release. Blackburn said Doyle, 25, lived at the home for a year and caused severe damage when he moved out. She said she added Doyle to lease with Tyler McKinley, but Doyle said he never had a lease and just lived there. Blackburn said MKcKinley never actually lived at the home. Judge Judy Sheindlin (pictured) calls Doyle “a hustler”/Meghann M. Cuniff, Sirens & Gavels. 
Three local men and two from Washington head Major Ben Wolfinger's honor roll of men wanted on felony warrants by the Kootenai County Sheriff's Department. Douglas Arthur Andersen, 49, of Coeur d'Alene, is wanted on a charge of probation violation for felony DUI. No bond has been set for him. Others wanted on felony warrant are: Logen Justen Dawson, 18, of Hayden, on a 
possession of controlled substance charge ($25,000 bond). Jerry Lee Drake, 50, of Union Gap, Wash., for failure to appear for 4 counts of burglary, 2 counts grand theft, & possession of controlled subtance (no bond set). Andrew James Dunnagan, 24, of Post Falls, aggravated battery ($50,000 bond). Matthew James Evarts, 30, Otis Orchards, Wash., for grand theft ($25,000 bond). 
stand in Friendship Square silently with a sign. I stand there because the people of this country are being nickeled and dimed until they have lost the chance to advance in life. I stand there because it is expensive to be poor. In these days, banks and other financial institutions charge more for loans, have higher interest rates and add fees to people who make less than $500,000 a year. The money they take then goes to pay for elected officials so they will make laws benefiting corporations to make even more money off of those with lower incomes. It is an incestuous, cyclical system that is not democratic and does not serve the vast majority of the people of this country. 
the snow in the middle your front yard. The only clue: dog prints all around — (no people prints). Purloined from a hunter neighbors trash? ICKY.” My niece married the son of a major dairy farmer in central California. They live on the ranch. Regularly, the dogs drag awful things onto her property: gophers, bovine after birth, etc. She didn't mind until one day when they dragged a carcass of a dead calf onto her line. Then, she demanded a fence.
rubber stamp to important decisions, the entry of Dan and Steve to future deliberations promises to be entertaining and engaging. But we admit to feeling a sense of loss in the defeat of John Bruning, and not just because newspapering is in his family's blood. John's father, Rollie, became editor of the Coeur d'Alene Press in 1956, when John and the rest of the family moved to Coeur d'Alene from Wallace. This quiet, thoughtful man who enjoyed a 40-year career with the U.S. Forest Service has sunk some of the deepest roots in his community. John holds volunteer leadership positions with St. Vincent de Paul and served on the St. Pius X Catholic Church parish council for six years. He has taken his civic duties even further/Coeur d'Alene Press Editorial Board. 
few months, Genuine Sandpoint aims to boost the local economy by encouraging residents to keep their shopping in the community. … “Buying local is not some kind of plea for charity,” (Downtown Sandpoint Business Association manary Marcy Timblin) said. “Just in a straight-up comparison, we think our local merchants, restaurants and service providers offer competitive prices and selection with what you can find out of town — especially when you factor in the cost of driving to Coeur d’Alene or Spokane that can easily add $50-$80 to your expenses, not including the hours of white-knuckle driving”/Cameron Rasmusson, Bonner County Bee. 
Exchange when it comes to keeping track of the calories we consume and burn. We count how many we take in and then we make deals to exchange them for equal amounts of exercise. We're obsessed. We eat, we weigh, we feel guilty, we purge and then we go have a steak and a bottle of wine to celebrate our liberated consciences. But around the holidays people are especially calorie conscious, partly because we easily could consume a month's worth of calories in one meal. And since we are trying to fit into a special outfit for the holiday parties, eating a month's worth of calories at one setting is not a really good idea/Kathy Hedberg, Lewiston Tribune. 
so intoxicating that it probably should be declared a dangerous drug? I speak of tomatoes - hot tomatoes straight off the bush, so hot from the sun, so succulent and slobbery that devouring them verges on an erotic, almost biblical experience. The weather made a sharp turn this autumn from late warmth to sudden winter. Hot tomatoes one day, black tomatoes the next. We are still eating blushing green tomatoes from the kitchen counter, but the outside heat has gone into hibernation. Heat does wild things to tomatoes and to some other fruits that are normally eaten chilled/Bill Hall, Lewiston Tribune. 
by Mr. Larsen. “I think about it every day,” he said Saturday. “Nobody has to remind me.” The Hayden Lake man was at Tom Addis Auto Center from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. signing pictures, baseballs and other memorabilia to raise money for Teammates for Kids. The nonprofit was started in 1999 by co-founder country superstar Garth Brooks and Bo Mitchell, son of Dale Mitchell, who was the last batter to face Larsen in Game 5 of the World Series at Yankee Stadium on Oct. 8, 1956/Tom Hasslinger, Coeur d'Alene Press. 
League Baseball, represents a dismal batting average of .200 – or about the career average of former Seattle Mariner Mario Mendoza. A .200 Mendoza Line average translates to 20 percent in terms of voter turnout. Tiny Huetter, squeezed between Garagetown and the upscale Mill River subdivision on the Spokane River, fell well below the Mendoza Line, with only four registered voters of 40 (10 percent) voting, including only two in the uncontested mayor’s race. Three towns fell below the “Huetter Line” – Spirit Lake, at 9.8 percent; Athol, at 9.4 percent; and Hauser at a woeful 6.9 percent/DFO, SR's Huckleberries. 
top-ranked all season, to a repeat State 5A championship. Chalich, who is finally receiving some late interest from colleges, passed for 410 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for 60 and two more scores as the Vikings handled the Eagle Mustangs 49-28 at Boise State University’s Bronco Stadium. A week after suffering a hairline fracture on the outside of his foot in the second quarter of a semifinal victory, Chalich made it a light week at practice so he would be ready to go in the title game. Just as important as all the yards and touchdowns were two big punts, both with his right foot, of 59 and 60 yards/Greg Lee, SR. 
his brother was arrested as a suspect, Dutch police said. Rotterdam Police spokeswoman Patricia Wessels said police were called to a home in the port city in the early hours of the morning and found the 24-year-old Dutch player bleeding from a stab wound. The officers and ambulance paramedics were unable to resuscitate Halman. Wessels said the officers arrested Halman’s 22-year-old brother. She declined to give his name, in line with Dutch privacy rules/Associated Press. 
after playing one final football game Friday when the Coeur d’Alene senior quarterback led the Vikings, top-ranked all season, to a repeat 5A state championship. Chalich, who is finally receiving some late interest from colleges, passed for 410 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for 60 and two more scores as the Vikings handled the Eagle Mustangs 49-28 at Boise State University’s Bronco Stadium. A week after suffering a hairline fracture on the outside of his foot in the second quarter of a semifinal victory, Chalich made it a light week at practice so he would be ready to go in the title game. Just as important as all the yards and touchdowns were two big punts, both with his right foot, of 59 and 60 yards. His coach, Shawn Amos, had one word to describe the 2010 5A player of the year – warrior/Greg Lee, SR. 
A) “I believe it is my task to personally revive our sluggish economy.” B) “I intend to look for bargains on all sorts of utterly unnecessary imported junk.” C) “There’s nothing like joyless crowds pushing and shoving in the discount electronics aisle to get me in the spirit of the season.” D) “Surgical strikes.” E) “I’m more in tune with the Advent calendar than with the whole concept of door-busting Black Friday blowouts.” F) “I’ll be looking for stores that open at 3 a.m. on Thanksgiving Day.” G) “I need to start early because by Pearl Harbor Day tinny Christmas music playing in stores makes me want to harm myself and others.” H) “First, I’m going to try to establish the run.” I) Other. 
launch the season. “I’m here to get my shred on,” said Tanner Puyleart, 22, a snowboarder who came up from Coeur d’Alene with three friends, all North Idaho College students. “This is one of the best first days I’ve seen in a long time and I’ve been snowboarding 16 years,” said his friend, Jeff Elder, 26. Saturday, two other Inland Northwest ski areas will join Lookout in opening part of their terrain – Schweitzer Mountain Resort in Sandpoint and 49 Degrees North in Chewelah. Mt. Spokane Ski and Snowboard Park and Silver Mountain Resort in Kellogg plan to open next Friday. That means all the resorts will be open to take in lucrative holiday-season revenue/Alison Boggs, SR. 
twists his head to the right and looks toward his mother, who sits in a private room separated from the witnesses, and appears to mouth the words, “I love you.” He looks upward at an overhead light and a video camera in the ceiling, then he twists his head and glances toward the witness room. His eyes alight on each person in the room, and he looks back to the ceiling.
And that's just what happened the very evening I wrote the previous post in this here Wunnerful blog. I was semi-hypnotized after a couple of hours on Ebay and I couldn't react right away. It didn't matter. Dies is as Dies does. And my computer didn't need a fork, for it was already Done. “ZZZZZZHHHHHHHHTTTTT” went the noise that my 'puter was making all of a sudden. Then, nothing but a black screen. I tried signing on, and got the cyberworld's equivalent of a nuclear blast/Atmospheric Ruminations. 
passing of former Rep. Pat Takasugi, also a Republican from Wilder. Takasugi passed away Nov. 6 after a prolonged battle with cancer. His term ends in December 2012. Batt will be no stranger to the job when the Legislature meets for business beginning in January. She filled in for Takasugi for the duration of the 2011 legislative session while he battled appendix cancer. She was instrumental in the passage of a reform to Idaho’s open records law/Idaho Reporter. 
candidate David Condon in the closing days of the race, helping to defeat incumbent Mary Verner. Although the office is non-partisan, Condon has extensive ties to GOP politicians, while Verner has ties to Democrats. Verner is crying foul about the big contributions from the GOP, calling them a “turning point” for local politics in the state's second largest city/KXLY. 
Facebook friends to go out and spend $20 at Wal-Mart or your favorite grocery story to buy a Thanksgiving dinner for a family less fortunate than you. The Coeur d'Alene-based food bank, called the Community Action Partnership Food Bank is short 3,000 turkeys. This is unacceptable. I took my 5-year-old son shopping and to the food bank to show him the importance of giving. He said, 'Daddy, how come people don't have the many foods.'”
Arliacne: It never fails to amaze me the number of people who feel they can live in this region and don’t have snow tires. Now, that being said does anyone know the real statistics on the seasonal readiness of the vehicles involved in today’s slide offs and rollovers?
he had a never seen such a gving community. He moved here this summer from Las Vegas and he said you would never see this in Las Vegas. He certainly fits in as he was not only shoveling my driveway, but also shoveled several blocks of the neighborhood sidewalks. People here are willing to help in hard times.
the second coming of 
blame for his role in the killing of Susan Michelbacher, an Idaho Falls school teacher. His role, implying he did not act alone in her abduction, rape and shooting. He said police need to keep looking for the killer of Stacy Dawn Baldwin and Nolan Haddon. Rhoades managed to say he forgave the state workers who were about to inject him with a cocktail of lethal drugs. His mercy, still, never extended to the families of his victims. Even in his final, hurtful moments. Final moments that are given added weight, and added public attention, when we as a society choose to carry out the death penalty/Kevin Richert, Idaho Statesman. 
Marc Stewart: “It's too bad they can't have Buffy the Vampire Slayer show up in Breaking Dawn film that has much of the pre-teen and middle aged population in full freak out mode. Buffy would drive a big old stake in Edward and Bella's overacted hearts. Yeah, I'd pay to see that one.”
reporter, Idaho Press-Tribune's Nate Green, was one of the witnesses. We'll have stories online a bit later. We also had photographer Charlie Litchfield and reporter John Funk at the site. I appreciate the difficult assignment they had today/Vickie Schaffeld Holbrook, Idaho Press Tribune editor, via Facebook.
this country,” said news anchor Brian Williams. On Block Island, Rhode Island, Mary established a charitable foundation in 1979, and has been answering calls for help from people ever since. She responds to appeals for assistance paying electricity bills and mortgages, money to build wheelchair ramps and buy food. Mary's August fundraiser is considered the island's “the social event of the season” and provides the revenue to send out the support checks she provides. But Williams' intro for the story perhaps unwittingly leaves an unanswered question: Why do people no longer care for their neighbors the way they used to? The answer is fairly simple, actually: The government has taken on the role of caregiver/Wayne Hoffman, Idaho Freedom Foundation. 
amendment to the Constitution — a key component of GOP leaders' plan to end the federal government's spiraling deficit spending. The vote on the amendment was agreed to by both parties over the summer as part of the agreement raising Washington's debt ceiling. Democratic leaders, however, are vehemently opposed to the idea, arguing that it would force the government into an economically destructive cycle of massive spending cuts. Sponsored by Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-Virginia, the measure would require three-fifths of both chambers of Congress to sign off on any future deficit spending. The amendment's requirements could be waved in the event of a declaration of war/Alan Silverleib, CNN Politics. 
act of Congress. A state simply choosing to “nullify” an act of Congress is flat out kooky and in no way, shape or form has any state ever been allowed to do so. Only the Supreme Court can settle a dispute between the state and federal governments. If he wants to make a 10th Amendment argument, the only legal way to do so is with the Supreme Court.
seems to raise his voice. He's even apologetic when the phone rings inside the Allstate insurance agency he bought from his father in 2000. His dad, who taught Adams the insurance trade, and mother still live in the Pine Avenue home at the foot of Tubbs Hill where Adams and his three brothers were raised. “A block from the water,” Adams says. Adams has an unshakable list of priorities, and near the top is Coeur d'Alene, a city he says he loves above most everything else. He moved away once, as a college student, and didn't like it/Tom Hasslinger, Coeur d'Alene Press. 
Regis Philbin
On his Facebook wall, Councilman-elect Dan Gookin posts: “Went to councilman school today. Very interesting. I relish wielding my new-found elected power. Seriously: It was informative, though most of it was quite familiar. Ate lunch with Steve Adams and City Attorney Gridley.”
residential and commercial properties it owns. One LCDC official says the practice is common, but an area state lawmaker (state Rep. Kathy Sims, R-CdA, of course) wants the agency to sell the properties immediately. Tony Berns, LCDC director, wrote in a letter to IdahoReporter.com that his agency is holding onto the properties because it has strategic plans for the land on which the houses and businesses sit. “As practiced across the country, one of the key tenets of urban renewal/redevelopment is the acquisition of and assemblage of real estate located in key strategic areas identified for future public/private redevelopment purposes,” Berns wrote/Dustin Hurst, Idaho Reporter. 
On his Facebook wall, David Townsend laments: “The shame of it! My own son has unfriended me. Says he is tired of my snarky remarks to his status updates. It's true a sage is never recognized by his own family.”
Those members of the media selected (via a drawing) to view the execution have agreed to serve as the eyes and ears of the public and not just their respective outlets. Those journalists will exit the execution chamber and immediately proceed to a press conference where they themselves will report to others what they saw and heard. In other words, the journalists present at the execution have an obligation to not just be reporters, but to be witnesses for the public. And I know from my conversations with journalists involved that they take that higher obligation very seriously.
local TV news would handle the weather. Would they be in full 'Storm Team' mode? Wasn't disappointed. All three led with the news that it still might snow. It's good to know that there are some things you can count on in this world.”
where he is today is nothing short of amazing. Duran thought his athletic ability alone would translate into time on the field last year. “It took Bubba a little while to learn how to work,” CdA coach Shawn Amos said. “If you’re going to play for us, you have to work hard.” Here’s the eye-popping statistic: Duran didn’t have one reception last year. Going into CdA’s 5A state championship game Friday against Eagle (10-1), he has 64 catches and is within six of matching a 1983 school record for most receptions in a season. “Not in my wildest imaginations,” Duran said of whether he thought he’d have a season like this fall. “Looking back at what the receivers did last year, I thought maybe I’d be around 50”/Greg Lee, SR. 
shift in the wrong direction for the movement's support compared to a month ago when 35% of voters said they supported it and 36% were opposed. Most notably independents have gone from supporting Occupy Wall Street's goals 39/34, to opposing them 34/42. Voters don't care for the Tea Party either, with 42% saying they support its goals to 45% opposed. But asked whether they have a higher opinion of the Tea Party or Occupy Wall Street movement the Tea Party wins out 43-37, representing a flip from last month when Occupy Wall Street won out 40-37 on that question/Public Policy Polling. 
Dennis Mansfield: Just as time was on Idaho's side regarding Nazis moving away, multiple marriages stopping and toe-tapping going silent in airport men's rooms, an apparently mentally ill guy from Idaho is arrested, 
installed four toilets in a flower bed in his front yard. Harris tried to approach the council at an earlier meeting regarding the issue, but was not allowed to speak. (Councilman George) Hansen said the council can either tighten the new ordinance by adding the word “toilet” to the definition of junk, or send the issue to the city’s planning and zoning board, which can implement a more comprehensive landscaping ordinance. Councilman Steve McGill said he has personally seen toilets in flower beds that didn’t offend him. He said the council should discuss the issue thoroughly before adding the word “toilet” to the ordinance. 
Rhoades, the state Correction Department will restrict what Idahoans know about this most sobering service of justice. Idahoans will have to accept, on faith, the notion that the state’s first execution in 17 years was carried out without complications. That establishes a bad precedent for future executions — and there’s a good chance other Idaho inmates will be put to death in the next few years. Four reporters will be allowed to watch the execution, but the Correction Department has decided that they will not be able to watch as the execution team straps Rhoades into a gurney and inserts IVs into his veins/Kevin Richert, Idaho Statesman. 
show it’s nearly tripled in size since 1980, to 1.9 million. One of the nation’s fastest growing groups, the 90-plus population is projected to reach 8 million by midcentury, representing 2 percent of the U.S. population. That’s a big change from over a century ago, when fewer than 100,000 people reached age 90. The numbers show the majority of those age 90 or older had one or more disabilities. They also were much more likely than those ages 65-89 to live in poverty. The report also noted the unique challenges created by people living longer, including added costs to the already-strained Medicare and Social Security programs/Associated Press. (Don Sausser photo, of Coeur d'Alene's Betty Owens on her 104th birthday on Veterans Day)
Boise City Club forum. His modesty is sincere. His sense of history though is flawed. The vast majority in the audience, as well as across this state, concur with the assessment expressed by the title as do most other serious students of Idaho history. Even at the age of 80 the zeal and skill with which Andrus skewered the Idaho Republican party for harboring scoff-laws like tax-dodging, state timber stealing Rep. Phil Hart of Coeur d’Alene, drunk-driving and car stealing Sen. John McGee of Caldwell, borrowing-his-association’s-funds party chairman Norm Semanko of Eagle, to ridiculing Tom Luna’s replace-teachers-with-a-computer phony educational reform was a thing of beauty to behold/Chris Carlson, Carlson Chronicles.
A northerly blast rattles the windows and threatens the few leaves still stubbornly clinging to our apple tree. The russet and amber brilliance of autumn is fading fast. Seasons change.I can’t stop the days from growing darker any more than I can stop my children from growing up.Two weeks ago, my third born got his driver license. Zack flashed me a grin and two thumbs up as he walked into the waiting area at the Department of Licensing, after completing his drive. “Way to go!” I said, and gave him a high-five.I’ve learned the hard way not to jump up and give a new driver a hug and a kiss – in public, anyway/Cindy Hval, SR Front Porch. 
not yet exist. The mill was in full operation, with log booms on the horizon from Harrison to the Spokane River. Nearby, a former restaurant and lounge had become city offices for the water and wastewater operations. The plant for the latter had been expanded to allow 2,500 new hookups, mandated by the State to remove the septic tanks all over town that posed a risk to the Rathdrum Aquifer. The road from NIC onto Northwest Boulevard had become an entrance-only access, following the tragic death of a young co-ed at the intersection, so the only way out was winding through the maze of roads by City Park. (2008 SR file photo of Mayor Sandi Bloem addressing NIC's plans to purchase the 17-acre DeArmond mill site for an Education Corridor) More below
veteran, who was medically retired due to combat injuries, couldn't stand by and do nothing when he saw Old Glory hanging upside down in distress. Especially not along Government Way, at Hayden Avenue, in the city he adopted as his home in 2009 because of its patriotism and conservative values. “Hundreds of people saw the flag in that position all day long,” Sciascia said. “We've gotten to the point where some people just turn a blind eye to things and expect other people to act and fix things”/David Cole, Coeur d'Alene Press. 
Gettysburg. That epic contest would surely be remembered regardless, but President Lincoln helped cement it in the national consciousness with his famous Gettysburg Address - delivered seven score and eight years ago this Saturday. I had my first encounter with that small Pennsylvania town two score years ago, when my parents dragged their unenthusiastic children through every Civil War battlefield in a six-state region. Later in life I lived about 20 miles west of Gettysburg, along the route Confederate forces followed on their march toward destiny. But it wasn't until I became interested in geology that I discovered the battle that preserved the Union was fought on rocks that tore a supercontinent apart/William L. Spence. 
injection Friday, making him the first person to be executed under Idaho's new lethal injection guidelines. Prison officials say to maintain Rhoades' dignity, they won't allow witnesses to view him being restrained or having the IVs inserted. They also said changing the procedure now could be disruptive. But a group of Idaho news organizations say that policy conflicts with a 2002 federal court ruling that found the public, through the media, must be allowed to view executions in their entirety. The news organizations have asked the state to reconsider/Rebecca Boone, AP. 
state’s first execution since 1994, Idaho Gov. Butch Otter wasn’t there – he was at a posh resort in Maui to speak about presidential politics, leaving Lt. Gov. Brad Little in charge. Little was Idaho’s acting governor from Sunday, when Otter left for Hawaii, until today, when Otter is planning to return to Boise, leaving the California Independent Voter Project’s “Business and Leader Exchange” a day early to make it back for the Friday execution/Betsy Russell, SR. 
shell of a former Wingers fail, new owner Betty Romps has kept the menu nearly identical as that of as the restaurant's most recent former incarnation, The Breakfast Nook. Nothing wrong with that, really - why get artsy fartsy and mess around with a line up of breakfast and lunch items that's perfectly classic and complete already? And there was no reason to take out the original Wingers interior decor situation of dark green and off-white checkered tile, a fifties style open kitchen and bar-stool lunch counter, and an eye-dazzling ceiling of faux-retro shiny silver hammered pattern squares. It still works/OrangeTV, Get Out! North Idaho. 
years of Josh running and riding and trying to jump to the 5th monkey bar that only resulted in a scraped chin and a broken baby tooth. 10 years of Adam chasing butterflies and throwing rocks and racing with his brother that only resulted in minor scrapes and scratches. And 3 years of Julianna climbing and sliding and running around the playground…which is what finally led to the stitches. Yep. My boys are not the first of my children to require stitches. My cute little girly girl is/A Butterfly Moment. 
On her Facebook wall, Nicole Hensley/KXLY posts: “Well, I missed the morning news meeting because Monroe Street Bridge closed just as I was about to cross. So, what's going on in Spokane? I know what happened here at the station. I missed all the excitement of a cat wandering its way into the morning news meeting. Our executive producer, Melissa tweeted: “Um, this cat just walked into our newsroom. Barged into the morning meeting — didn't bring any story ideas.”
tobacco-free society by 2035.” The prospect prompted Karen Kaplan of the Los Angeles Times to write: “How would you feel if the government told you that you couldn’t smoke in your own car? Perhaps you’d endorse the idea that public health officials were trying to make it harder for people to maintain 
a semiautomatic rifle at the White House on Friday night, as the Secret Service reported finding that at least one bullet had indeed struck the presidential residence. The Secret Service said that Oscar Ramiro Ortega-Hernandez was arrested at a hotel near Indiana, Pa., at approximately 12:35 p.m. by the Pennsylvania State Police, acting on information from the Secret Service’s agents in Pittsburgh. “Ortega-Hernandez is currently in the custody of the Pennsylvania State Police,” the statement said/Charlie Savage, Brian Knowlton & Mark Landler, New York Times. 
Stormwater Utility ordinance can be re-examined and revisions considered in light of a recent Idaho Supreme Court decision. On Nov. 7, the Supreme Court found that the monthly fee charged by Lewiston’s stormwater utility was an illegal “tax” and struck down the fee. Because the City of Coeur d’Alene’s fee structure/utility is very similar to Lewiston’s, the City Attorney’s office is reviewing the court’s decision to determine its impact on the city. Pending that review and possible revision of the city’s Stormwater Utility, the city will suspend the collection of stormwater fees beginning with the Nov. 22 utility billing/Victoria Bruno, Coeur d'Alene Today. 
time hours with suspects brazenly kicking open doors to residences. … On Nov. 9 a resident reported he was home alone at 1000 block of W. Fallview Drive at approximately 2:15 pm.. The reporting party said two suspects, a male and a female, knocked and rang the doorbell multiple times. The reporting party was home alone and decided not to answer the door. The male suspect pulled some keys out of his pocket, and tried to open the front door. The victim heard this, and locked the dead bolt to the door. The male suspect looked through the half-moon shaped window on top of the front door and saw the victim. Both suspects then fled the scene/Sgt. Christie Wood, Coeur d'Alene Police Department. 
regional campuses this fall, but little change has been instituted. To date, only Boise State University has signaled a policy shift, emphasizing security and safety over the privacy of its employees and students. “(The) tragic set of events at the University of Idaho provides many lessons for us and we are carefully reviewing our policies, procedures and communication methods to ensure our system is as effective as it can be,” a BSU official said in an email. “Safety and the proper assessment of concerning behavior are of the utmost importance and in the best interest of security for all”/Joel Mills, Lewiston Tribune. 
the event - the four reporters among 14 witnesses - are ushered into the room, they will see a condemned man strapped down on a gurney with hypodermic needles already inserted into his veins. They'll listen to Rhoades' death warrant being read. If Rhoades - convicted nearly a quarter-century ago of murdering three people in eastern Idaho - has any last words, they'll hear those as well. Then, they'll view Rhoades coming under the spell of sodium pentothal, which is supposed to render him senseless. From there, they'll wait as a second agent, pancuronium bromide, paralyzes him and halts his breathing. Finally, potassium chloride will stop his heart/Marty Trillhaase, Lewiston Tribune. 
retire at the ripe old age of 52. There was another telling report in the same newspaper a couple of weeks earlier that is also worth a mention. In this case it was a sports report about a very successful high school volleyball coach. The woman … has coached for many years. Given that, the reporter asked how much longer she planned to coach. While she deflected the question, she did mention that she is eligible to retire anytime she chose. She is all of 53 years old. So the question begs. How many folks working outside of the government could even consider retirement at that age?/Dan Hammes, St. Maries Gazette-Record. 
question falls to Idaho’s Legislature and its governor. Nor was it Bush’s job to determine whether capital punishment is constitutional. Paul Ezra Rhoades, the convicted mass murderer facing a Friday execution date, is not disputing that point. Rhoades instead argued, through his attorneys, that Idaho’s method of lethal injection is unconstitutional — suggesting that the state’s execution team lacks the training to mete out this sentence without inflicting cruel and unusual punishment. The question before Bush was just that narrow, and just that clinical. Viewed within those constraints, he got it right/Kevin Richert, Idaho Statesman. 
Kage Mann: Wheels, alot of people criticize Spokane’s police force. What people forget is alot of Spokane’s deputys got their work experience over here in the KCS department, before transferring over to Spokane for better pay and benefits, while still living here. Are sheriffs deputies from Kootenai County, ready to tackle the much higher crime rate in Spokane when transferring?
was a grassroots campaign with a small army of volunteers, over 1,000 individual donors, over 400 confirmed endorsers, and over 5,000 social media friends and fans working hard for many months to share my accomplishments and plans for Spokane. David Condon’s race for a non-partisan local office was woven into a larger partisan domination strategy with out-of-town consultants, push polls, and shrewd positioning of issues in collaboration with media mouthpieces.” 
trek into the wilderness for the perfect tree. Some gave up years ago and take up the task of dragging the fake tree from the basement. To each their own. A few neighbors shared their Christmas tree traditions — heading into the wilderness a la Griswold familia. They recall the cold and wet weather, as well as the fathers wielding chain saws. Matthew Gardner, Coeur d’Alene resident, remembers his parents bickering of what tree was best. The Gardner family had a big decision to make. Was the tree full enough and could it fit in their Post Falls home?/Nicole Hensley, KXLY. 
information to deliberations from media reports, as alleged by defense attorneys seeking a new trial. Diane Riley, 57, of Ellensburg, granted an interview with The Spokesman-Review after first contacting the newspaper in an e-mail Monday to voice her concerns about allegations made by defense attorney Carl Oreskovich that jurors may have been exposed to television reports that indicated Otto Zehm was mentally ill – something U.S. District Court Judge Fred Van Sickle barred from the trial. Riley said no juror mentioned anything about gleaning information from media accounts and that the jury decided the case based only on the information presented at trial/Thomas Clouse, SR. 
which is border-line dreadful. Several North Idaho communities fell well below 20% (.200) re: voter turnout last Tuesday, including Huetter's dreadful 10% in which 4 of 40 registered voters bothered to cast ballots to decide who would run the small town for the next two to four years. So let's see who fell below the “Huetter line.” Spirit Lake did at 9.8% turnout. Athol did at 9.4% turnout. And Hauser did at 6.9% turnout. Voters in those towns could say there were no contested races to drive them to the polls. Which makes Post Falls, with a 14.8% turnout look even worse. Post Falls had three contested races. If Post Falls was the exact same size as Huetter, a 14.8% turnout would mean that 6 people voted. F'shame.
any parents of her pupils would freak out about this. Alluding to Tuesday’s Slice, she began, “What kind of hippie are you? Two last names in your family?” She continued. “I have three girls with hyphenated names in my class this year. What happens when they marry a boy with a hyphenated name? Do they keep their own name or tack on two more names?/Paul Turner, The Slice.
not vote in person absentee at our city hall and had to drive to the county election office in Coeur d’Alene to cast an in person absentee ballot. We had about a 20% voter turnout four years ago and a 14% last week. From what I heard from citizens that issue is one that will be revisited with the county clerk.
newsmagazine show, Rock Center this evening, and he did as good a job one could have done under such bizarre circumstances. He also, it should be noted, managed to include the phrase “slap-slap-slapping” on national television. The interview is as uncomfortable and surreal as we could have imagined, especially since Sandusky's lawyer, Joe Amendola not only agreed to the arrangement, but also sat down with Costas for the talk. Sandusky, when asked if he was a pedophile, told Costas “no”/Emma Carmichael, Dead Spin. 
wonders if Far Right ideology drove Stegner out: “Perhaps Sen. Stegner’s stand against the so-called “loyalty oath” supported by the right wing of the Republican Party is what led to his decision to leave the Senate. Only a few months ago he spoke out against the oath: “It seems to be directed at purifying the party. It smacks of some rather heavy-handed party membership requirements that I think in the last century have certainly been abused in any number of nations, and I don’t think that’s the direction America should be going”/Idaho Press Tribune. 
Poverty Law Center's anti-bias education project. The law center issued a statement Monday saying Sonia Galviz of Nampa and four other educators will be the first to receive its Teaching Tolerance Award for Excellence in Culturally Responsive Teaching. A ceremony is planned Dec. 9 in Washington, D.C. The Alabama-based organization says the award recognizes educators who have demonstrated excellence in teaching students from diverse racial, ethnic and cultural backgrounds. Galviz and the other winners will each receive $1,000. Galviz teaches in the Nampa School District/Idaho Statesman. 
gut these subsidies? Is this self-avowed fiscal conservative looking for deficit reductions? Um, no. Labrador has co-sponsored a bill that would eliminate $90 billion in energy subsidies over a decade. But the savings would be plowed back into across-the-board reductions in the corporate tax — leaving the country no closer to erasing its debt. Is Labrador playing a little pre-election politics, by seeking to embarrass the White House over Solyndra, the solar energy company that went bankrupt after receiving $535 million in federal loan guarantees? Not exactly/Idaho Statesman. 
driving drunk a choice any person should make. Although it’s a message most of us have heard since kindergarten, we tend to belittle its importance. As college students we have the mentality that we are forever young and indestructible, and something as horrible as dying in a drunk driving accident could never happen. It’s unfortunate that it takes the death of one or two of our peers for the reality of drunk driving sink in. 
by just how painstaking the journey is during recovery from a traumatic brain injury. From my 
thinking the same thing. We think that CdA and Kootenai County need a moderate group. This group would include Republicans, Democrats and Independents, basically anyone who cares more about the issues than the party. We’re still working on the details but we’ll keep you posted.
Verner announced Monday she will ask the U.S. Justice Department to launch a “pattern and practice” investigation of the department, which federal prosecutors described earlier this month as participating in an “an extensive cover-up” of the fatal 2006 police confrontation with unarmed janitor Otto Zehm. A jury on Nov. 2 convicted Officer Karl F. Thompson Jr. of using excessive force on Zehm and lying to cover up his actions. “The public must trust its law enforcement institutions,” Verner said in prepared remarks. “This outside view can help identify our faults and rebuild trust.” Verner declined further comment Monday at City Hall/Thomas Clouse, SR.
Costars said she was easy on the eyes when she 
hear arguments on Obamacare is another step in the right direction to finally repeal this disastrous law once and for all. This unconstitutional takeover of the world’s best health care system compromises affordability, accessibility, quality, innovation and, most importantly, the sacred doctor-patient relationship. As a public servant, I have authored two pieces of legislation to oppose Obamacare. First, as a legislator in Idaho, I co-sponsored the bill that laid the framework for Idaho to join the lawsuit against Obamacare. As a freshman Congressman, my first act was to co-sponsor legislation to fully repeal Obamacare.” 
Some mean-looking men are featuring at the top of sheriff's Major Ben Wolfinger's felony warrants list this week. They include four local men and a fifth one from Otis Orchards, Wash. They are: Daniel Scott Akins, 24, of Athol, who is charged with probation violation in a case originally involving grand theft. Bail is set for Akins at $50,000. Donald James Belden, 45, of Rathdrum, is 
wanted for failure to appear on 2 counts of burglary ($50,000 bail). Martin Anthony Fix, 27, of Coeur d'Alene, is wanted for probation violation for possession of controlled substance & grand theft ($75,000 bond). Jason Max Kingsley, 30, of Otis Orchards, Wash., for probation violation for grand theft (no bond set). And Ronald Joe Scoggin Jr., 53, of Coeur d'Alene, for probation violation for possession of controlled substance & petit theft ($75,000 bail). 
On her Facebook wall
On his Facebook wall, Russell Heistuman reports suffering a Rick Perry moment twice today: “Not doing good on the social scene today. First, I didn't recognize one of my clients at Kroc Center until he had passed, and it was awkward. And then later got introduced to local state (well-known) representative in a chance meeting at Thomas Hammer and had to ask who he was because I didn't recognize him in person. I knew he looked familiar. D'oh! Having a Rick Perry moment.
It's not getting shoved through. In fact, before the Coeur d'Alene City Council takes up McEuen Field again, it should wait until new members take their seats, City Councilman Mike Kennedy said. It would be prudent to wait for Dan Gookin and Steve Adams to become council members in January before the body tackles anything to do with McEuen Field again, he said late last week. “People spoke this week and we have two new council members, so we'll see where it goes,” Kennedy said Friday/Tom Hasslinger, CdA Press. 
all together. More than 200 people indulged in the Norwegian treat of lye-cured cod on Sunday afternoon. “I was raised on it. We had it every holiday,” said Dennis Huck, president of the Sons of Norway Hovedstad Lodge #4-528. “It’s one of the foods I love,” he said. A Norwegian-American saying is that about half the Norwegians who immigrated to America came in order to escape the hated lutefisk, and the other half came to spread the gospel of lutefisk’s wonderfulness/Angela Brandt, Helena Independent Record. 
Universalist Church in Twin Falls. Marsh is the church’s pastor but lives in Pocatello, where she also leads another church. Ministry is a second career for the 51-year-old former certified public accountant from Pennsylvania. “I was surely making better money,” she said, “but I wasn’t meeting my spiritual needs.” Marsh was appointed by the denomination’s headquarters in Boston to lead the two churches … Marsh’s beliefs are different than more traditional religious leaders’ in Magic Valley. Marsh calls herself agnostic, someone who doesn’t believe — or disbelieve — in the existence of God/Andrew Weeks, Twin Falls Times-News. 
The field goal was a reoccurring nightmare to many people. But not to me. In fact, the team's exemplary playing at home for YEARS has been something about which I am extremely proud. A streak was broken, for sure. A new streak starts next week. And just HOW the Bronco players handled the razor-thin loss shows more deeply how the Boise State Broncos REALLY are America's team. From Kellen Moore to Coach Pete, the post-game words were gracious and specific. The FG was “just a play, like so many others during the game”/Dennis Mansfield. 
be credible as part of the 99% while sipping a double macchiato from Starbucks and resist the autumn breeze in your Patagonia fleece. On the other hand, it’s hard to warm to a Treasury Secretary in a Democratic administration who hasn’t always paid his taxes and seems intent on insulating Wall Street from real scrutiny and real reform. Beyond sullying parks from New York to Portland, we must credit the 99% with raising the issue of income disparity to the national conversation. But what to make of a “movement” with no goals and no leader?/Marc Johnson, The Johnson Report. 
permitting marijuana use, but doubts the Legislature will ever send him a bill. If they did, he hinted he would veto the measure, calling pot a “gateway drug.” Among Otter's major initiatives have been the Idaho Meth Project, a favorite cause of his wife, Lori. As a young lawmaker in the 1970s, Otter supported decriminalization, but his views have shifted. Rep. Tom Trail, R-Moscow, has pushed for years to legalize industrial hemp, but gotten no traction in the Legislature/Dan Popkey, Idaho Statesman. 
endorsed Dan Gookin told Huckleberries that Coeur d’Alene residents were interested in chiefly three things: Where do you stand on a public vote on McEuen Field changes? Are you an incumbent? Are you a Republican? You had to score three-for-three to get the surly “throw-the-bums-out” vote – yes on a public vote on McEuen Field, no on incumbency, and yes on Republican pedigree in nonpartisan City Council race. All other issues were window dressing. Yet progressive Mayor Sandi Bloem and three council members who face re-election in 2013 are moving ahead with the McEuen Field changes sans public advisory vote. In 2013, Bloem & Co. may learn how the British cavalry felt in Alfred, Lord Tennyson’s poem, “Charge of the Light Brigade”/DFO, SR Huckleberries. 
voices on city council now. I know their votes may not carry the issues but they can speak out in public, televised meetings and ask questions. They can make a motion on a topic and get a second, so the whole council is forced to discuss the issue in public. Wow, that's big. Even if the final vote does not go the way many of us want, at least the council members have to give some sort of rationale for their decision. It’s a great step in the right direction.” Mary sez the three biggest issues in the election were: 1. Public vote on McEuen, 2. High salaries & raises at the city, and 3. Arrogance & disrespect from mayor & council. Funny, 
election's outcome. Both Steve Adams, who won seat 5, and Gookin are KCRR board members and were supported by the political group during the campaign. Both won easily. But how much influence the political group deserves is split. Even the group's president, Jeff Ward, who also worked with KCRR member Ron Lahr on Strategery, thinks it's getting too much credit. “It's nice to get those kind of kudos from the mayor, but she actually over-emphasizes our importance in the elections,” he said. “It was a series of things; it was McEuen Field, it was pay increases - and Republicans turned out to vote.” With the help of KCRR/Tom Hasslinger, CdA Press. 
start gardening). I love snow, I love the four seasons we get in this part of the country, and I am always disappointed when we don’t get snow in the winter. I like to ski (nordic and alpine), I like to sled with my kids, build snowmen and snowforts with them, and surprise my wife with a snowball to the rear end every now and again. I don’t even mind shoveling it, most of the time. I even like driving in it, although I don’t like the other people who drive in it, especially people who think their studded snow tires means they can haul ass and not drive appropriately for the conditions. (Kathy Plonka SR file photo, of snowboarder on chairlift at Schweitzer)
holiday season. There’s some truth to that. It happens. But it does not have to happen to you. I say that because I know from personal experience. It’s actually possible to lose weight at this time of year. That’s what I did once. On Thanksgiving Day of 2000, I declared on this page an intention to lose a bunch of weight. Then, after a year of monthly published updates, we unfurled the “Mission accomplished” banner in the autumn of 2001. I had lost 70 pounds. And I was pretty smug about it/Paul Turner, SR. 
the “You & Me Interactive Triplet Dolls” from Toys R Us earlier this week as a Christmas present for her triplet granddaughters, she was excited. The infant dolls looked cute and harmless. Dressed in different color onesies, each equipped with a milk bottle, they looked like a lot of fun for a trio of 2 1/2 year old girls. But the girls won’t be getting those dolls for Christmas. Schable says one of the dolls — the one in the pink onesie — says “ bitch” in the midst of a stream of gobbledygook. Other customers on the Internet have also said the doll appears to say “crazy bitch”/Patrick Orr, Idaho Statesman. 
he’s a Beltway talk-show darling — I figured it fair to ask whether he sees himself as president. His new communications director, after all, helped steer Herman Cain’s rocket, and jumped ship just before the smoking ad and sexual smoking guns. “No!” Labrador replied. “Don’t do it to me!” cracked his new mouthpiece, Ellen Carmichael (pictured). “Please!” But Carmichael, who spent 13 months with Cain, quickly added that she can picture the freshman GOP congressman as commander in chief. “Sure,” she said. “Not now, but sure. His principles are rooted in a great American Dream story about the industriousness and ingenuity of our people and the opportunities in this country. That was something about Herman Cain that I see in Congressman Labrador”/Dan Popkey, Idaho Statesman. 
some improvements need to be made, I personally think the parking garage is one of these improvements that needs to be made. Downtown space is limited and if more spots can be created on a smaller footprint than go for it. With all the complaints I hear about the boat launch being moved there are never really any good reasons to keep it at its current location, so moving it and do something productive with the space would seem like a good idea.
Department chief sent off a letter to the Idaho congressional delegation, urging the federal government to cut off extended unemployment benefits. He had the misfortune of weighing in all of one day before the J.R. Simplot Co. announced plans to phase out 800 potato processing jobs — which, when rippled through the economy, could trigger the indirect loss of an additional 800 jobs. But in his letter, Madsen (pictured) managed to add insult to injury. He didn’t merely argue that the benefits add to the federal deficit since they aren’t fully funded — a reasonable point about which reasonable people can disagree. He insinuated that some of Idaho’s unemployed are unmotivated sponges who have stopped looking for work because they have grown dependent on benefits/Kevin Richert, Idaho Statesman. 
took her shot Friday night. And like all of those who tried before, she failed, as the No. 1-ranked and unbeaten Vikings weathered cold temperatures, strong winds and a persistent, driving rain to roll past visiting Capital 37-7 in the semifinals of the State 5A football playoffs. The lopsided win moved the defending state champion Vikings (11-0) into Friday’s 6 p.m. final at Bronco Stadium in Boise, where they will defend their title against Eagle, a 42-21 winner over Highland in Friday’s other semifinal. “It bothered everybody,” CdA coach Shawn Amos said of the nasty weather conditions, “but our kids found a way to succeed. We have good football players, and they were excited to play in the rain and mud/Steve Bergum, SR.
thought my vote would change on McEuen Field. I don’t vote on an item based on wether I will get re-elected or not. I vote based on the information that I have, to make what I believe to be the best decision for my City. I intend to continue my support for McEuen and while I don’t like all of the plan, I understand the need to plan for the future parking and park needs for the Citizens of Coeur d’Alene. I have no intention to vote for a advisory vote on McEuen Field.
The time was 1:00 PM. There was a guy playing frisbee with his dog. There was a dad and two boys playing catch. There were several parents and grandparents and about a dozen little kids at the play area. There was a city worker blowing leaves. Oh, and Steve Adams and I were there getting our picture taken for the Inlander.
On her Facebook wall, CindyH posts today: “At 11:11 on 11/11/11 I was stuck in traffic on Sullivan and wishing I hadn't set the ambitious goal of finishing a chapter of War Bonds every Friday. Do I get another wish, or is one the limit?” I was interviewing Jeff Ward of the Kootenai County Reagan Republicans at 11:11 on 11/11/11.
last summer and McEuen was a ghost town and City Park was packed. Why not allow more of our regular citizens like us to utilize the wonderful green space we have so close to downtown on a year round basis by re-programming the park with more activiites and reasons to come downtown. Sure, the Haga-world restaurants will benefit, but so will the independent retailers and other food service merchants and employ lots of people downtown. I’m not sure why there is so much opposition to opening up the park to more users than the baseball players and those wealthy enough to own a boat?
Lloyd said. “And you could see his personality back then.” In other words, all the things GU followers have witnessed from the 7-foot Canadian in his first four seasons – he redshirted in 2009 with a broken foot after playing in five games – with the Bulldogs. Roughly a year later, Lloyd was in a Vancouver, B.C., gym, again watching Sacre. “He scored a basket and he ran up court and put his fingers together and made a letter ‘Z’ on his chest as he ran by where I was sitting,” Lloyd recalled. “Afterward, I said, ‘What was that?’ He said, ‘The sign of the Zags.’ It was all him. I knew we were in pretty good shape”/Jim Meehan, SR. 
society expects of them. They have had to cope with an often confused generation of men. And they can be counted on to know what a good song sounds like. But there's another reason they have my respect. When they were girls, these women played jacks. And the game pieces they used were not made of safe rubber or plastic. No, they played with cold, skin-piercing pointed metal. This was an angry toy. A girl who fell on those babies came up adorned with imbedded jacks. It happened/Paul Turner, The Slice blog. 
October by two GOP legislators to reduce the number of unemployment weeks. Madsen, in a letter made public by the department, advises lawmakers to reject federal funds for extended unemployment benefits. His view echoes comments made to IdahoReporter.com by Reps. Steve Thayn and Lynn Luker, who said reducing the amount of unemployment benefits is a must for the Gem State. Idaho is one of a handful of states allowing up to 99 weeks of unemployment benefits/Mitch Coffman, Idaho Reporter. 
negligent parents, residents mostly ignore whatever their government is getting up to until they just can’t ignore it anymore, at which time they tend to come down hard on the miscreants. That may—or may not—be what’s happening now, as a suggestion to remove tax funding for some popular programs has served to spotlight other actions that are also causing some dismay, as residents are asking “What is this Property Rights Council, and why does the local tea party seem to be running it?”/Trish Gannon, River Journal. 
and student groups. If he were to do that I think he would get additional feedback that is contrary to his proposal. The majority of teenagers today are not offended or frightened of gays or lesbians. In fact, they support human rights for all. It is important to have clubs that allow a child to feel comfortable with their peers and improve their self esteem. These clubs promote tolerance and anti-bullying initiatives. They do not spend time teaching children to cruise the internet like my friend Duane demonstrated with his posts. The current district policy gives parents the right to block their child’s participation if that is what they want for their child. Parents should focus on the needs of their child and not try to parent for everyone else. There is no need for further restrictions (State law!) that are intended to put a spot light on one particular club. This will only make children who belong to it feel once again that they are to be loathed rather than cared for.
former assistant football coach at Penn State University, as a depraved sexual predator. He is accused of violating young boys from troubled backgrounds, abusing his position with a charity and committing some of his crimes at school facilities. According to the report, the university kept it all quiet. Officials failed to contact police — even in 2002, when a young assistant coach said he witnessed one attack. When they should have tried to protect Sandusky’s purported victims, university officials closed ranks to protect their institution and its reputation/Idaho Statesman Editorial Board. 
given today’s regulatory climate. Often times, and I’m sure in the Mayor’s case, it has nothing to do with the financial state of the borrower and is simply a matter of timing. With all due respect to Adam, if the note has a demand feature, the bank generally has no other choice with protocol, as “looking good on reports” is generally required to appease regulators, stay in compliance and keep the FDIC off their backs to protect depository accounts (all the customers).
behind a plan to yank tax credits and grants from renewable energy. They argue the government should not be picking winners and losers; let the marketplace decide the country's energy future. Among their targets: plug-in electric and fuel-cell cars, alternative fuel, cellulosic biofuel, wind, biomass and hydropower, advanced nuclear power and clean coal credits. Of course, that freezes the U.S. into permanent also-ran status while Germany and China assume preeminence in solar and alternative energy. Besides, your tax dollars already subsidize energy, just the wrong kind - oil and gas/Marty Trillhaase, Lewiston Tribune. 
Steve Adams garnered around 3,400 votes each. That’s about 8 percent of city residents. Isn’t it amazing that 8 percent have spoken for the other 92 percent? And, they call it democracy? I don’t mean this to lessen the achievement of either candidate but isn’t is surprising how few votes it takes, as a percentage of the total population, to win a seat on the Council? It is rather sad, actually.
do good planning through a public vote.” No one on the other side is suggesting that we set up a pure democracy and have a referendum on every expenditure. We would like a vote on this one project: again, the most expensive project Coeur d’Alene has ever undertaken. And after the 4th St. debacle, the two ugly downtown towers, and Riverstone, I don’t trust our city council (or LCDC) to spend our money wisely.
important to some of you. But I have to say, every time we go to Tubbs Hill or the floating boardwalk, I am struck by what a waste it is to have that boat launch and parking lot between the resort and McEuen Field. I think you might have more people using McEuen Field if you didn’t have to walk through a boat dock traffic jam to get to it.
naysayers tend to get all the attention.” Cindy, from Spokane, has an excellent point for Coeur d'Alene Mayor Sandi Bloem's administration. I've never seen a Coeur d'Alene administration do such a poor job of telling residents what a good job its doing. All around this town, you see evidence of impressive progress — library, Kroc Center, McEuen Tower, Education Corridor, revitalized Northwest Boulevard, Education Corridor, etc. Yet the naysayers made hay with proposed changes to McEuen Field. Amazing.
places in the country (120 locations in five states). I can't stand the sweet crust of Dominos Pizza, and their chintziness with toppings. I like Pizza Hut, but the sauce and general greasiness inevitably gives me death heartburn that lasts into the wee hours of the middle of the night. Little Caesars pizza is weak in too many ways for me to get into. But Pizza Factory does it just right. The crust is just the right thickness and baked to a crisp delicious golden brown. The sauce is bright and tasty and doesn't overwhelm the flavor of the plentiful cheese and toppings/OrangeTV, Get Out! North Idaho.
Year, the Idaho State Department of Education announced Thursday. Lenz has been a teacher for 10 years. She will receive an award of $1,000, $16,000 in technology from the SMARTer Kids Foundation, and a trip to Washington D.C., to represent Idaho in the national competition. “By focusing on every student, analyzing assessment data, and getting parents more involved, Lenz has consistently raised student achievement in her classroom and school,” Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Luna said in a news release/Katy Moeller, Idaho Statesman. 
“Some people spend their entire lives inside of a shell of fear. There are many things they desire but don't seek simply because the idea of failure looms so heavily that the reward of success seems impossible. While this may be safe and predictable it sure doesn't help anybody acheive their goals. Reaching for things may end with burnt fingertips but not reaching for them always ends with nothing. Even when you don't win whatever prize you are after you must remember that it is our wounds that teach us how to be better fighters, how to build stronger armour, how to swim faster and jump higher. Those failures aren't actually failures at all.” 
elected, but insisted the debate blunder wouldn’t force him out of the Republican presidential field. “Oh, shoot, no,” Perry told The Associated Press this morning, the day after making the error during a GOP debate. Asked whether his campaign, which is struggling to regain traction, could survive, Perry replied: “This ain’t a day for quitting nothing.” Perry says others have made similar mistakes and that the screw-up will humanize him. “The president of the United States said there were 57 states one time. Everybody makes mistakes,” Perry said/Associated Press. 
mentioned his intention to do so during the weekly luncheon meeting of the Kootenai County Reagan Republicans. In the 2006 Legislature, Nonini pushed a school-club bill in response to the formation of a Gay-Straight Alliance at Lake City High. The bill squeaked through the House before dying in Goedde’s Senate Education Committee. In summer 2006, the Coeur d'Alene School District changed its school-club policy to address Nonini's concern. Now, district parents can keep their children from participating in school-sponsored activities by denying them written permission. The policy does not mean parents must grant permission before a student can participate in an activity – it simply means parents can prohibit their children from participating in specific activities if they so desire.
running shoes at the Bloomsday starting line. Carrie Olsen (pictured with spouse Cory Munson) wore a black evening gown with a sequined bodice which complemented her groom’s stunning spiky mohawk. And Sheryl Redding wore a traditional gown and elbow-length evening gloves, but chose to be married on a deck overlooking the greens at the Spokane Country Club. These brides have one thing in common: their choice of officiant. They were all married by the Rev. Ralph Fishburn of Ralph’s Regal Weddings. Fishburn is a safety officer for Garco Construction by day, but on many evenings and weekends, he’s Reverend Ralph/Cindy Hval, SR. 
incumbent? Was he a Republican? That might explain the mood of Coeur d'Alene voters Tuesday. Meanwhile, Mayor Sandi Bloem & the three council members who'll face re-election in 2013 are determined to move ahead with changes to McEuen Field. That would mean a 4-3 vote is in place, opposing a public vote. That would also mean that the 4 incumbents are gambling with their political careers that the improvements will be so impressive that many residents will take a second look at their opposition to moving the boat launch, American Legion Baseball diamond, and 3rd Street parking lot. On the other hand, with the effectiveness of the Reagan Republican machine, Sandi Bloem, Mike Kennedy, Woody McEvers, & Deanna Goodlander may figure that they're toast in two years any way. So why not proceed? I hate to see the CAVErs (Citizens Against Virtually Everything) be given a stick to beat the Bloem administration for another 2 years. I'd also like to see changes to the under-utilized green space. If nothing else, I want to see the lower boat-trailer lot & the 3rd Street lot moved, to expand green space. I suspect most residents want to see some change. I'd also like to see some sort of compromise at this point that would bring an end to the war on McEuen Field. It's past time for this community to come together — DFO.
(especially when they're more for my older sister's g-g-g-generation than mine). I'm listening to many more hours worth of programming now than I did before. “Joe in the Morning” Paisley explained the new format: “I do the Morning Show from 6-8 every weekday. Then it goes back to ESPN radio (national programming). Then at 3-6 pm, its the POW show (Patchin, Osso, Wingman). Then back to ESPN for the rest of the night; Unless of course, there is some sort of local sports programming. Vandals, HS sports, Mariners, etc.”
when the three-term incumbent and jewelry store owner defaulted on a loan. Attorneys for Panhandle State Bank filed the breach of guaranty claim in 1st District Court on Monday, seeking $80,375.04 plus attorneys' fees and costs from Bloem, owner of Johannes Jewelers, Inc., in downtown Coeur d'Alene. The complaint states Bloem entered into the $75,000 loan on June 30, 2005, with all remaining principal, accrued and unpaid interest, coming due July 30, 2011/Tom Hasslinger, Coeur d'Alene Press. 
the first time would be a big deal for this reader and his friend. But where to send them? I had a moose in my yard near Hangman Creek a few weeks ago, but I haven't seen hide nor hair of the bull since. Mike Miller of Spokane snapped a photo of this bull moose on Wednesday while dayhiking along the Little Spokane River. Just last year, moose were chasing dogs accompanying hikers in the Dishman Hills.
be involved in the community and served a year on the Park and Rec Commission before successfully running for a council seat in 2007. This week it was quite different to be running as an incumbant for re-election. A different level of stress when you’re running on a record. For anyone who’s not had their name on a ballot, it would be hard to understand that contrary to the opinion that it’s all about ego, it’s an exercise in humility to ask for contributions, support to place signs, walk the neighborhoods and then that all important vote on election day. When the dust settles and you’ve received the nod to serve, it is not only gratifying there’s a profound sense of responsibility to serve well. (SR file photo of Kerri Thoreson & her father, Ron Rankin, & mom, woman with back to camera, on Ron's last day in office, Jan. 10, 2003)
dumping the ashes in a Virginia landfill, a practice that officials have since abandoned in favor of burial at sea. The mortuary in Delaware, the main point of entry for the nation’s war dead and 
for City Council. 750 bucks a month for the beating they take? No thanks. Al told me once that serving on the Council cost him tens of thousands of dollars because the time requirements took him away from his business. Of course, in Dan’s case, I imagine he could always write ‘City Council for Dummies’ during the meetings when the boring stuff is considered. In the meantime, congrats Dan. The third time was truly the charm. :)
dollar plan to remake a downtown park does not sway their support for the plan. “I’m really committed to the parking and to improving the field,” said Councilwoman Deanna Goodlander of the plan to remake McEuen Field. “That’s what the future holds. We don’t plan for today. We plan for 10 years down the road.” On election night, the three winners of council seats – one incumbent and two challengers – said their victories resulted from public discontent over the plan, which would remove a boat launch and baseball fields, replacing them elsewhere in the city to make room for additional green space and other features/Alison Boggs, SR. 
Cheetos and watch Dancing with the Stars.” I have voted in every election since 1962 when I was 21. But remarks and actions of people I have voted for has just made me consider voting as a waste of time. An example is a remark Mayor Bloem made today on this blog, ” I do not believe you can do good planning through a public vote. It’s not a good precedent to set.”
for-hire? Given his age of 66 this might as well be a life sentence! Karl the Klubber is walking free currently and looking at 6-8 years in the slammer for the death of schizophrenic Otto Zehm? It seems like the sentences are backwards.”
members of Congress won’t even risk losing an election? Why is it that policemen routinely go out there in the night along lonely highways and down dark alleys daring death, but members of the House and Senate tremble in their boots at the thought of defying moneyed lobbyists and ignorant voters on matters of principle? Why is it that members of the fire department dare run into a fire to save a child, but most members of Congress don’t dare tell a menacing lobbyist with a pot full of cash to put it where the sun don’t shine? Most members of Congress would rather become puppets of pressure groups than die a mere political death at the polls. What is it that they fear?/Bill Hall, Lewiston Tribune. 
mood lighting and television - along the streets of Manhattan at five times the cost of a taxi? Stunned to discover that some of these lawmakers take their spouses along on a junket to New York City? Amazed that Treasurer Ron Crane has been squiring these politicians to the Big Apple in splendor for some time? Dumbstruck that it takes nearly a dozen legislators to tell Wall Street its business? Incredulous that until The Associated Press exposed the practice, nobody seemed to notice? Then you've not been paying attention. Make certain you're registered to vote. The state's political machinery is counting on your support/Marty Trillhaase, Lewiston Tribune. 
other's sentences. Barely two years after they met at a 
conspiracy by the federal government, the Anti-Defamation league, and the Russian mafia to silence him for his political views and legal work. “I, too, am a victim. My entire family is a victim. In fact, all of American society is a victim in this case.”” said Steele, 66, and a self-described “attorney for the damned” who represented Aryan Nations founder Richard Butler. “I am not delusional. I am a well educated professional with a long track record of honesty.” Winmill said it’s “human temptation” to respond to claims about government corruption but it’s best not to/Meghann Cuniff, SR. 
motion looks like. It would depend on the debate on the council floor. I do not believe you can do good planning through a public vote. It's not a good precedent to set. Certainly there are considerations as far as moving forward.
BONNER COUNTY. On his bare feet were cheap plastic sandals. Gray scruff stood out on his chin, and his usually neat white hair was very slightly disheveled. His hands – the hands that had placed countless criminal suspects into cuffs over his career as a cop – were locked behind his back. He looked smaller, sadder, diminished. “I wasn’t prepared for that,” said one of his supporters. Neither was I. Nor was I prepared to look at Thompson and feel what I felt: sympathy. It’s a sympathy tempered by anger at what he did to Otto Zehm and the city’s long string of mistakes in the case/Shawn Vestal, SR. 
attempts to paint them as spendthrifts in troubled times. Two-term Mayor Tammy de Weerd in Meridian parried attacks from former GOP Sen. Gerry Sweet that she was more interested in building a Taj MaCityHall than boosting the local economy. Eagle Mayor Jim Reynolds, challenged by a sophisticated opponent in lobbyist and City Councilman Norm Semanko, faced allegations of misspending $990 from the coffee fund. At 72, Reynolds appeared avuncular and kind, in contrast to the raw ambition of Semanko, 44-year-old Idaho Republican Party chair and a losing candidate for Congress in 2006/Dan Popkey, Idaho Statesman. 
Dan Gookin, Tim Timmins, Skip Hissong, Kerri Rankin Thoreson, Joe Malloy, and Vic Holmes on their fantastic victories last night. And congratulations to all the Reagan Republicans who knocked on doors, made phone calls, put up signs and licked stamps and envelopes to make it possible. It has been a long time coming but the walls have come tumbling down!”
With all the loose talk about Reagan Republicans and “geezers,” I think the main issue here still was the McEuen plan. The council and mayor rubbed a lot of voters the wrong way by keeping numbers secret, refusing to hold a referendum on the city’s most expensive project ever, and insisting, ridiculously, that no tax money would go to the project. Now the city should take a hard look at scaling back their plan or scrapping it entirely.
four different towns staging mayor and city council elections. No where will the money and influence of the Reagan Republicans be felt more than in Coeur d'Alene, where challengers Steve Adams and Dan Gookin ran ahead all night to win with 56% and 54% of the vote, respectively. Council incumbent Ron Edinger, who wasn't endorsed by the Reagan Republicans, swamped his opponent with 72% of the vote. All three winners in Coeur d'Alene support a public vote on proposed changes to McEuen Field. Other Reagan Republican winners were: Kerri Thoreson, Skip Hissong, and Joe Malloy in Post Falls council races; Tim Timmins in a Hayden City Council race; and Vic Holmes in the Rathdrum mayor's race. (Kerri Thoreson photo: Victorious Post Falls council candidate Joe Malloy at City Hall Tuesday night)
dominant Republicans and 3 issues on their side (in descending order): McEuen Field, high-end city salaries, and perennial whipping boy LCDC. A long-time resident of Coeur d'Alene told me at the Viks playoff game last week that he's usually a Bloem administration supporter. But the lack of an advisory vote on McEuen Field bothers him. Another long-time resident told me he supports Sandi Bloem & her council because he's tired of seeing McEuen Field under-utilized. Gookin's attempt to tie well-known, well-respected former legislator George Sayler to unpopular President Barack Obama underscored the lengths challengers/Republicans were willing to go to win these spots. It's hard to match that passion on the other side. I hope I'm wrong. Edinger, despite his misstep w/nepotism involving his grandchildren, should survive for another term on the council. I expect Hayden Mayor Ron McIntire and Post Falls Councilman Kerri Thoreson & Skip Hissong to win re-election, too. The race between quiet-but-competent incumbent Scott Grant & Reagan Republican-backed Joe Malloy will test RR partisan clout in Post Falls — DFO.
vowed they would not force him to withdraw from the race for the 2012 Republican U.S. presidential nomination. 
months after Luna informed the federal government that Idaho would opt out of some of the provisions in the 10-year-old law. “The current No Child Left Behind law reminds me of the old Clint Eastwood movie, 'The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.' The good is that it created a standards-based system where schools are accountable for every child. The bad is it is a one-size-fits-all model that is difficult to implement in rural states like Idaho. The ugly is the federal government now sets the goal and prescribes the programs we must use to meet that goal. If those programs don’t work, we are held accountable,” Luna said/Kevin Richert, Statesman. 
new mail-order scheme to share lollipops licked by children infected with the disease as a way to create immunity in their kids is not only unsafe but illegal. “Can you imagine getting a package in the mail from this complete stranger that you know from Facebook because you joined a group, and say here, drink this purported spit from some other kid?” U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee Jerry Martin told The Associated Press/Leezel Tinglao, ABC News. 
may suffer from winter depression – Seasonal Affective Disorder, or SAD – according to the Academy of Family Practice. And as many as 25 percent feel the “winter blahs,” a condition of less severity, but with many of SAD’s symptoms. Think of a scale from one to 10. At one to four, a person may feel blue, having lost the joy he or she normally experiences. From five to eight, the person is likely in full-blown SAD. At nine to 10, a crisis may occur; people can become so depressed they consider suicide/Linda Higley, Special to SR. 
the couple revealed Tuesday morning on “Today.” “We are so excited,” said Michelle, who is three and a half months into her pregnancy. 
their education. Teachers provide encouragement and are the mentors students need as they strive for higher education and find their niche in the workforce. Reducing the in-person factor with online classes will ultimately hurt students, which contradicts Luna’s main reason for adding the requirement. Luna said requiring high school students to take online classes will prepare them for college. In college, however, students aren’t required to take online classes and those offered aren’t worth it. True education and learning is lost when the only means of obtaining information is from a computer screen/Elizabeth Rudd, UI Argonaut. 
share the justified anger and revulsion at the terrible crimes that have been committed,” Bishop Driscoll said in a letter written to Governor Butch Otter. “I do take seriously my obligation as bishop to share and uphold our Catholic faith and moral tradition, including teaching on the death penalty. The teaching, while comlex, is clear: Executions should not take place when other means, including life in prison without parole, can protect society from criminals seeking to do harm.” The bishop is asking Catholics throughout the state to write to the Parole Commission and ask the members to reconsider their decision/KPVI News 6. 
November Election Brackets Contest. Pick the winners of today’s races. Last year DFO won the “Number Cruncher Award” for the closest percentage guesses. All Berry Pickers are welcome 
now STA officials said the driver made a mistake in booting them. Two women in their 20s and a teenage boy were talking among themselves about a friend’s sexual orientation during a bus ride on Oct. 20. After other passengers got off the bus, the young people got into a dispute with the driver about whether they could continue their discussion. The bus driver told them the topic bothered her and she ordered them off the bus midway between stops and more than a mile from their destination, said Carla Savalli, executive director of Odyssey Youth Center. The Spokane center provides support for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning youth/Mike Prager, SR. 
government is keeping oil costs down, which hinders the development of alternative energy sources. A bill co-sponsored by U.S. Rep. Raul Labrador, R-Idaho, ignores both truths while purporting to let free markets determine the winners and losers in the energy field. The congressman and his co-sponsor, U.S. Rep. Mike Pompeo (pictured), R-Kan., fail to understand that if we cannot accelerate the development of wind, solar, biomass and other emerging technologies, we’ll all be losers, Labrador held a press conference on Thursday to tout his bill, which would eliminate all energy tax credits and then use the savings to lower taxes for corporations, which is his real agenda and the reason anti-tax zealot Grover Norquist was present/Spokesman-Review Editorial Board. 
got asked that myself) and he said he is telling people around 9:20. As I understand it they will likely not have the absentee results until at the end of the precinct counting like at the last election. I do know that the ballots from some of the local precincts can start coming even before 8:30. But then they have to be logged in, processed, counted, and partial results tallied before anything gets out to the web site.
“Election Day has come again. Time to write multiple versions of a story with multiple outcomes and choose the most relevant at 10 p.m.!” — Kelsey Saintz, Shoshone News-Press, via Twitter.
immortality with three epic battles against Muhammad Ali, died on Monday at age 67, his personal manager said. “Smokin' Joe” Frazier, who was the first boxer to beat Ali, died in Philadelphia a month after being diagnosed with liver cancer. Leslie Wolff, Frazier's personal manager, confirmed his death. Frazier won the Olympic heavyweight boxing gold medal for the United States in 1964 in Tokyo and held the world heavyweight boxing crown from 1970 to 1973/Christian Science Monitor. 
early as this morning whether to bring in jurors for questioning after a defense attorney raised allegations of juror misconduct. U.S. District Court Judge Fred Van Sickle reversed a Friday decision by U.S. Magistrate Judge James Hutton, who ordered Thompson detained until sentencing, which has been set for Jan. 27 at 9 a.m. In ruling for Thompson, Van Sickle went against a prior ruling made against officers convicted in the 1992 beating of Rodney King that they were not above the law that requires they remain in jail prior to sentencing except in “exceptional” cases/Thomas Clouse, SR.
Herman Cain of making a crude sexual advance more than a decade ago when she was seeking his help finding a job. “Come clean,” Sharon Bialek (pictured in AP photo) challenged Cain at a news conference in New York at which she described herself as “a face and a voice” to support other accusers who have so far remained anonymous. Cain's campaign swiftly denied Bialek's account. “All allegations of harassment against Mr. Cain are completely false,” it said in a written statement/Associated Press. 
printed in the specific ad in which you are inquiring. It was indeed in the original ad but upon setting up the file to format and send to the newspapers electronically, it was accidentally cut off. If you look at all the other materials we produced for Mr. Sayler, which includes ads in other newspapers, fliers, postcards, etc, you will notice that the needed disclosure of who paid for the ad was printed. If you have any other questions, please feel free to contact me. Your diligence on such matters is commendable but I assure you that this was my error and my error alone and to question the integrity of Mr. Sayler’s campaign or to insinuate any wrongdoing on his behalf would just be malicious.”
understand the whys and hows. Instead of choosing to accept their new reality, they get sucked in by the need to understand the other person's choices, thinking that maybe there is still some way of rectifying the situation. People wonder, “Why did they break up with me when things were going so well?” Well there's the short answer and the long answer and in a completely unexpected turn of events (this is sarcasm by the way) I will offer you both/Amber Dee, Endless Possibilities. 
reckless caregiver who administered a lethal dose of a powerful anesthetic that killed the pop star. The verdict against Dr. Conrad Murray (shown in AP photo listening to the jury's verdict today) marked the latest chapter in one of pop culture’s most shocking tragedies — the death of the King of Pop on the eve of the singer’s heavily promoted comeback concerts. Murray sat stone-faced and showed little reaction at the verdict. There was a shriek in the courtroom when the verdict was read, and the crowd erupted outside the courthouse. The judge polled the jury, and each juror answered “yes” when asked whether their verdict was guilty/Linda Deutsch, AP. 
Brews menu. “I’d be up for that.” “Yeah,” I replied. “You should do it.” “No,” said Ralph. “I’m up for watching you do it.” One thing about Ralph, he believes in getting outside of one’s “comfort zone,” especially when it’s my comfort zone. So this is how I found myself back at Rex’s Burger and Brews on Thursday night, ordering the $14.95 Hot Wings Challenge. The rules go like this: You have 20 minutes to eat eight hot wings covered in Rex’s super-secret hot sauce. You may not have anything to drink during those 20 minutes. Once finished, you must wait an additional 10 minutes before you can have anything to drink. If you succeed, your hot wings are free and your picture goes up in the Hall of Fame/Jim Kershner, Twin Falls Times News. 
historian, Ken described its prospective contents in great deal. “Sounds like a lot of work,” I said. “Do you have a deadline?” “Hell, no,” he replied. “I’m retired. Same here. After 36 years in the workplace, I’m now retired — and contemplating all the excellent reasons for doing nothing. Not that there’s nothing to do: My wife has a 5-gallon job-jar that formerly held pickles from Costco. It’s nearly full — and getting fuller. Victoria is still working for a living, so when she comes home each night she asks if I’ve accomplished anything that day. “Accomplished anything?” I say. “Hell no. I’m retired”/Steve Crump, Twin Falls Times News. 
powers fans. The briefing in the case also features the work of Idaho’s premier Constitutional scholar, Dr. David Adler, the 
On her Facebook wall
his annual meetings with Wall Street ratings agencies — his most visible job obligation — Crane routinely hires limos to squire Idaho delegations around New York City. The cost, from 2009 through 2011, approached $10,000, the Associated Press reported last week. It’s hard to tell which is worse: the timing, or the appearance. That’s an academic question, because the two are virtually interchangeable. During three of the most trying budget years in the state’s history — when legislators had to take a cleaver to public education, Medicaid, universities and nearly every other state agency — Idaho was doing its small part to support New York City’s limo services. And some of the same legislators who cut state budgets were riding alongside Crane/Idaho Statesman.
manufacturer with its initiative on Tuesday's ballot to ban disposable plastic grocery bags in Hailey, Idaho. The 
Adam Graves: “Does anyone else read the support ads by candidates that list names of supporters? Edinger’s Sunday ad listed Ozzy Osborn. Anyone know if there’s someone in cda with the same name as the bat biting rocker??”
thing is: “Everybody else does it.” So it goes with freshman Congressman Raul Labrador, R-Idaho, who waited all of five months in office before putting his wife Becca on the payroll. As the Spokesman-Review's Betsy Russell reported, Labrador hired his wife as his campaign accountant. Hired in May, she's paid $2,050 a month and is the campaign's sole employee. Nepotism laws apply only to federal offices. Becca Labrador can't draw a salary from her husband's congressional staff - where he earns $174,000. And Labrador can't spend campaign contributions on himself. Even after he retires from office, the law prohibits him converting whatever cash remains in that account to personal use. But hiring his wife for the campaign accomplishes the same result/Marty Trillhaase, Lewiston Tribune. 
through Coeur d’Alene for 100 years. On Wednesday, heavy equipment operators from C&C Track Works pulled up the steel rails and crews followed with long crowbars wrenching up the spikes. When they’re done, said worker Jose Lopez, the rail line will be left a gravel trail. “It’s a lot of work,” said Lopez, who said crews can remove about a mile of rail in a day. Recently, they’ve removed rail lines in Minnesota and South Dakota. BNSF received federal approval about a year ago to abandon six miles of rail line between downtown Coeur d’Alene and Post Falls/Alison Boggs, SR. 
Ridge siege into a book (“Every Knee Shall Bow”) and a TV miniseries. He’s now penned seven books, with the last one, “The Financial Lives of the Poets,” receiving national acclaim. Kolbet, an Avista spokesman, worked in the sports department. Now, he’s written “Off the Grid,” a futuristic thriller about a man who fights a power monopoly that decides which cities are blacked out and which aren’t. Miller, a former editor now handling Washington State University public relations, has just published an anti-vampire-genre novel about a 150-year-old vampire living in downtown Spokane, “All You Can Eat.” No Team Edward versus Team Jacob going on here/DFO, Huckleberries. 
law enforcer in Spokane, to be specific. I’m talking to you – the 50 or so cops – who disgraced yourselves Friday morning in a downtown federal courtroom. “Present arms!” one of them barked. The defiant herd snapped into a unison salute as their fallen felonious colleague Karl Thompson was led from the courtroom and into custody, right where he belongs. One observer suggested that the salute reminded him of a gang sign being flashed to a fellow banger. It fits/Doug Clark, SR. 
the shuffle of college football’s backstabbers and soul-sellers from conference to conference, it’s not a matter of getting our arms around it but of applying palm to forehead. To the genre of one-word disaster/doom movies – “Twister,” “Outbreak,” and “Armageddon” – let us add a new entry: “Realignment.” Not all precincts have reported, but the latest count reveals that 24 college football programs have divorced and remarried in the last, oh, 20 months, or will within the next week if you believe the drumbeat. Two of them – TCU and Boise State – will have done so twice, a Kardashian pace/John Blanchette, SR. 
life for “60 Minutes,” died Friday night, CBS said. He was 92. Just a month ago, Rooney delivered his last regular essay on the CBS newsmagazine. CBS said he died Friday night in New York from complications from a recent surgery. Rooney, also a syndicated newspaper columnist, talked about what was in the news. But he was just as likely to use his weekly television essay to discuss the old clothes in his closet, why banks need to have important-sounding names or whether there was a real Mrs. Smith who made Mrs. Smith’s Pies/Associated Press. 
university chose Starbucks instead of a local coffee shop. Everyone hates the best. Starbucks claimed revenues of $10.7 Billion last year and has 16,850 shops in 40 countries. Starbucks is a comfy, cozy Internet café, and its goal, just like any other business, is to become a third major gathering place beside work and home. I am one to support local anything, I am. But I’m not complaining about the vandalstore’s new addition. Why? Because no one is making me go there or anyone else It’s understandable people are tired of corporations diminishing cultural values for profit. If you think Starbucks is too expensive, go get your 99-cent mocha at the Vanda/Christi Atkinson, UI Argonaut. 
line, sampling a couple of grapes in the produce section, opening a bottle of milk to appease a crying child. The highly-publicized story of a pregnant Honolulu mom who was arrested last week with her husband after she ate a sandwich in a Safeway store and forgot to pay, leading to the couple's 2-year-old daughter being taken away by Child Welfare Services, has sparked a national debate on the issue. It also raised the question: Is it OK to consume food and beverages in the store before paying?/Jennifer Sinco Kelleher, AP.
that mean? I think back to my younger days and how many guys I dated, or didn't, at whom I could aim such accusations by today's standards. I guess because none of them ever came into the public eye I didn't bother. I just avoided them. The thing that is bothersome is not knowing exactly what we're supposed to be so angry about. Everything is skewed. Plus it's his word against those who have lawyered themselves up. I remember when the harassment movement first began. A woman would walk past a construction site and if she were attractive she'd elicit wolf whistles and catcalls. That became politically incorrect so the guys would stand by silently, undressing her with their eyes. They couldn't be sued for that. If one is harassment isn't the other?/Dogwalk Musings. 
with a belt, a police chief said a day after authorities said too much time had passed to consider state charges. Rockport Police Chief Tim Jayroe said he discussed the 2004 video of Aransas County Court-at-Law Judge William Adams beating his then 16-year-old daughter with a prosecutor from the U.S. attorney's Corpus Christi office. … Hillary Adams (pictured), now 23, posted the 8-minute clip on YouTube last week that shows her father viciously lashing her with a belt and trying to force her to bend over her bed to be beaten despite her pleas to stop. The clip had received more than 4 million views by Friday/Associated Press. 
season in Friday night’s quarterfinals of the Idaho 5A state playoffs. Visiting Mountain View throttled CdA’s high-octane offense for most of the first half and forced the Vikings to reach a little deeper than they had previously in racing past nine straight opponents and claiming another Inland Empire League title. But in the end, courtesy of a 98-yard scoring drive in the final 1 minute, 12 seconds of the first half and a pair of touchdowns that came within a 90-second span in the third quarter, the Vikings were able to turn back the Mavericks 27-14. The victory earned CdA (10-0) the opportunity to host next Friday’s semifinal against Capital, which posted a 58-26 quarterfinal win over Skyline/Steve Bergum, SR. 
to their children. 
Canada-bound megaloads of oil equipment along freeway routes, rather than along scenic U.S. Highway 12, the Associated Press reports. The application covers about 300 reduced-size loads headed to Alberta via interstates 90 and 15; Exxon's original proposal to send more than 200 giant loads across the twisting scenic route's Idaho portion prompted protests and legal challenges. The firm then began reducing the height of the loads and sending them on freeway routes, including up Highway 95 from Lewiston to I-90 at Coeur d'Alene/Betsy Russell, Eye On Boise.
OrangeTV: Just received a letter from Paul E. Berger of Nighthawk Radiology Services wanting me to vote for Adams, Edinger, and Gookin. Not that it’s something I hope to have a need for anytime soon, but now at least I know where I’m NOT going for radiology services.
pairs, lounging on jutting outcroppings of rock across a dizzying ravine. The goats — hulking, horned and shaggy, with sad-looking old-man faces — are a major attraction at Scotchman’s Peak. They even serve as its unofficial mascot. At 7,009 feet, the peak is the highest point in North Idaho’s Bonner County and gives its name to the rugged 88,000 acres surrounding it. Vegetation is sparse, and the clammy October clouds run ragged across the summit. The goats, though seemingly fearless in their surefootedness, live a precarious existence amid the shattered high mountain rocks. … “Their mortality rate is 50 to 70 percent in early childhood — from falling,” Hough says. The future of the Scotchman Peaks area is similarly precarious. A proposal to designate it as federally protected wilderness has been stymied for years by opposing interests, ideologies and jurisdictions/Zach Hagadone, Inlander. More here. (Zach Hagadone Inlander photo: Scotchman's Peak is the highest point in Bonner County)
congressional candidate 
dozen Spokane Police officers and other supporters stood when someone yeled “Present Arms” and saluted Thompson as he was led away, without being handcuffed, after being convicted of using excessive force on Otto Zehm and later lying to cover up his actions. As the crowd saluted in unison, Jeffry Finer turned and apologized to Zehm’s family, whom Finer is representing in a companion civil suit. “The salute was meant to be respectful,” Finer said. “But it seemed to be given with no thought of the victim’s family seated inches away”/Thomas Clouse, SR. 
On her Facebook page, KXLY weathercaster Kris Crocker writes: “Just in time for the cold weather, the seat heater in my car burned a hole all the way through the leather of my seat. I wasn't expecting that. I'm all for warm buns, but GEEZ.”
DewDrop Sprinklers and Landscaping. In addition, construction crews are continuing work on a segment of the Centennial Trail. Tree planting will continue on the site throughout next week as well as cleanup and finish work. Hubbard is accessible to students, employees, and visitors to the Harbor Center, but is still closed to through traffic. Hubbard is expected to be open the week of Nov. 14. There is an issue with the lighting system on the new signal at Northwest Boulevard and Hubbard and it will remain flashing red until the issue is resolved. Drivers should treat the intersection as a four-way stop until the light is operating normally again/Stacy Hudson, NIC Press Room.
“If you’d like to help me change the direction here in Coeur d’Alene, and you live outside the city, then you can follow two simple steps: 1. Contact two people you know who live in the City. 2. Get them to vote. Don’t tell them to wait and vote on election day, but get them to vote now. Today. Have them go down to the County Election’s office on North 3rd Street and have them vote in person. If you want to help even more, repeat these steps over and over. 
down time. I'd just cracked open my post-acopalypse thriller involving “virals” (read: vampires) when the phone rang. I'd no sooner said hello than the guy was asking me what I thought of the McEuen Field deal — you know, the dastardly plot by the city of Coeur d'Alene to take an underutilized green space and transform it into a super-sized park that I might use again some day. Before he got too much further, I asked the phone solicitor to identify the group he's with. He immediately said, “Reagan Republicans.” I give him credit for that. He tried to tell me that “constitutional conservative” Steve Adams was “a nice guy.” I responded by saying that he'd make a lousy councilman. He read that as a stop sign and never did bring up Gookin. Now back to the vampires.
his door. Last week, federal prosecutors sought $550,000 in back taxes and moved to foreclose on Hart's Athol home - which, by the way, was built partially with timber he stole from the state of Idaho endowment lands. Hart contends taxes are unconstitutional - at both the federal and state level. Here's another reminder of a tax scofflaw GOP House leadership not only tolerates, but safeguards. If Hart insists on being an anarchist, why is he still in the Idaho Legislature? If his own GOP leadership won't boot him out, why are the voters of Kootenai County not ousting him?/Marty Trillhaase, Lewiston Tribune. 
ironically — I've almost got the case and its mine.” Steele made a name for himself ten years ago, representing those on the fringe. He represented the McGuckins, a North Idaho family whose children held government agents at bay with guns and guard dogs for days on end. He also represented the Aryan Nations in a civil case that bankrupt the movement. You can't talk to Steele without hearing his views on race.”People live in North Idaho and they're here for the weather, they're here for the lack of population, they're here for the good shopping, they're here for the transportation,” he explained. “Those are acronyms, code words, for living apart from other races. I don't use those code words. I just say I prefer to have my family live somewhere that is not riddled with the crime that comes with Mexicans and blacks living all around you”/Melissa Luck, KXLY. 
Idaho fans to gnash their teeth over any of this. Let’s set out some reasonable goals and enjoy what makes the UI great. I would rather have the enthusiastic alumni and fan support of Montana or Montana State than the shallow fandom of “Bronco Nation.” (When I lived in Boise, I noticed a big difference between Vandal fans and Bronco fans: Vandal fans graduated from the University of Idaho. Bronco fans didn’t graduate from BSU. I have two first-cousins who are the biggest BSU football fans in the world — they both dropped out of BSU after their freshman year. If I seem a bit defensive about the Vandals at times, it’s because I have to put up with so much crap from my drop-out cousins).
to share. I’m sure he is finding out that the old saying is true, we always work for the perfect election but in such a complex process you rarely achieve perfection. I believe I was just as interactive with the media, I just choose to do it in person whenever I could for the most part rather than with prepared statements. That’s just a difference in style I guess but I was always responsive to reporters even when they called at home or whatever. And I was very interactive on-line on this and other news sites. And actually, even on the very difficult news concerning my former chief deputy, that was done by me. In person and at the earliest time the process allowed. I especially felt a responsibility to do that.
multiple charges of perjury, felony injury to a child and conspiracy to conceal evidence.The Kootenai County Jail confirms that Amber and Jeremy Clark, Karina Moore's foster parents, were arrested Thursday morning.Both were booked into the jail on charges of Conspiracy to Conceal Evidence, two counts of Felony Injury to a Child and Perjury. Karina Moore died in January of 2009, 10 days after she was airlifted to Sacred Heart Medical Center in a coma with life-threatening injuries. At the time, her foster family claimed the injuries came as a result of a “tragic accident” in which the child fell down a short flight of carpeted stairs in their Post Falls home/Rob Kauder, KXLY. 
employees, lawmakers and their families during trips to New York City, though he could have hired cheaper taxis. Since 2009, Crane's office's limousine bills during trips to meet with financial industry representatives totaled some $10,000, including for cars carrying luggage. For instance, one stretch limo for four people hired in 2009 cost $244, compared to a $50 trip by taxi. Sen. Dean Cameron says he was surprised to be met by a stretch limousine at the airport. But Crane's office says taxis couldn't efficiently accommodate Idaho's big entourage. Larger limousines whisked everyone safely and punctually to hotels and meetings/AP. 
OpenCdA.com followers — all three of them — that she, indeed, is no longer a Reagan Republican board member, as first mentioned on HucksOnline days ago. Mary explains why she joined Larry Spencer at the RR exit: “I resigned my seat, voluntarily, because my time constraints kept me from attending many of the board meetings. That’s not my style. If I commit to an obligation, I want to fulfill my responsibilities.” Mary sez she plans to continue as a member of the RRs. Later in the comments section, she throws red meat to Gary Ingram, Kage Mann, et al, by launching into another connect-the-dots assault against Mike Kennedy. Fun stuff (although I fear Ingram might get his mouth washed out with soap by mentioning the forbidden word, “Huckleberries”). 
hundred years later, General Motors is celebrating the brand's history while gearing up for its electric future. “Everything we do is not to build the company for the next month or the next year,” GM CEO Dan Akerson said this morning on WJR-AM 760, “it's for the next 100 years. “When you look ahead, one of the things that we came out of bankruptcy with was a very strong balance sheet. And it couldn't have come at a better time for the company, because right now we need to invest for the future — research and development, engineering — because advance propulsion is going to be the key”/Jonathan Oosten, mLive.com. 
made by Jeff Ward of the Kootenai County Reagan Republicans. Among the issues she addresses is the easily misunderstood campaign finance report submitted by the group to cover candidates backed by the Reagan Republicans in Coeur d'Alene. In closing, Weathers writes: “Finally, you have wrongly accused Mr. Kennedy of actions that were not his and accused me 'as a highly-paid employee of the City Council' and of 'acting under his direction' and that I am using my office 'to benefit preferred candidates and organizations and maliciously harassing opposing candidate and organizations' is also not true and, I consider it to be a slander upon my reputation. I believe, at the very least, you owe Mr. Kennedy and myself an apology.” 
luxurious downtown Spokane condominium. He likes to read, watch the Nature channel and drink red wine. He meets the women he dates through the Internet. He contemplates Nietzsche's personal life and whether Velcro is better than buttons. He also is a 150-year-old vampire. Miller will be signing his novel, “All You Can Eat” from 5-7 Friday at Hastings in Moscow. The author's first novel was released in October by Gray Dog Press of Spokane. Miller began with writing short stories. “Then I found out there wasn't much money in that, so I decided to write a novel. I gave myself permission to write something bad,” said Miller (a former editor with The Spokesman-Review)/Caitlin Cole, Moscow-Pullman Daily News. 
idea of turning in my carnivore card and embracing vegetarianism. Crunchy carrots, tasty tomatoes and succulent squash please my palate. After gorging on garden goodness, I have no room for meatloaf or chicken cacciatore. My sons, though, tremble at the thought of a vegetarian mother. They tolerate meatless Mondays, but the thought of living without Sunday pot roast, Thanksgiving turkey and birthday beef stroganoff makes them woozy – and whiny.It’s probably my fault. I frightened them a few times by telling them their enchiladas were stuffed with tofu/Cindy Hval, SR Front Porch.
that the Reagan Republicans combined their reports for the money spent for the elections in both Post Falls and Coeur d'Alene into one report, filed with both City Halls. If I'm reading this correctly, this means that the Reagan Republicans actually raised $5000 total and spent $3800 total to support 6 candidates in the two cities. Which would mean that the money spent with Reagan Republican board member Ron Lahr's Strategery Group (including money directly spent by candidates) fell under the $1000 limit per candidate imposed by Idaho election law. Also, Weathers said she's been told that the contribution is in-kind (which wasn't noted on the financial disclosure statements). Weathers told Huckleberries that she will give the Reagan Republicans “the benefit of the doubt” as long as the in-kind contributes are reported on their December reports.
activist Grover Norquist, to announce that he's co-sponsoring legislation to do away with “all energy subsidies,” including tax incentives for plug-in electric and fuel cell vehicles, the production tax credit for renewable energy and the investment tax credit for equipment powered by solar, fuel cells or geothermal. “Instead of America's hardworking taxpayers footing the bill for billions of dollars in government subsidies, our legislation would empower the free market to determine which forms of energy our families and businesses use each and every day,” Labrador declared/Betsy Russell, Eye On Boise.
Labrador — had 100 percent voting records this year, according to Family Research Council Action and CitizenLink. The trio won “True Blue” status for their perfect voting records. There were eight senators and 44 House members with 100 percent scores. Idaho's fourth national lawmaker, Rep. Mike Simpson, scored 80 percent. He differed with Labrador on two votes. … FRCA is the political action committee affiliate of the 
of practice. But I’ll admit it. I choked up Wednesday afternoon when my Mom called to relay the bombshell she’d just heard on TV. The jurors I had watched so intently the other day during my visit to a Yakima federal courtroom had delivered a courageous verdict. They convicted Karl Thompson, the Spokane thug cop who beat Otto Zehm like a dog five years ago in a North Division convenience store. They found Thompson guilty for all those cruel, unwarranted baton strikes and Taser shocks that robbed the mentally ill man of his dignity and ultimately his life. And guilty for all the lies Thompson told afterward to cover his sorry ass/Doug Clark, SR. 
great job I have done on the council. Then he turned to me and said that he kept hoping I would bring up my great work with North Idaho Housing Coalition, as it has been such a positive contribution to the city. While I respected his comment, I was baffled by it. I …asked him why, if he is so supportive of me now, that he didn't tell me he was going to run for re-election as he had promised he would do prior to the filing period. His response is truly amazing: 'It was a last minute thing. I don't know what I would do if I actually retired. My family doesn't want me to run, but I am still having fun.' It is hard not to like this grandfather and grocer. However, 'still having fun' really isn't a good reason to run for re-election.”
relationship with the reality TV family despite some shuffling this week, E!'s chief said on Wednesday. E! moved up, and then moved back, a rerun of Kardashian's lavish wedding to pro basketball player Kris Humphries after Kardashian announced this week that the marriage was kaput. The network, feeling its reputation sullied, put out a statement calling rumors that it had orchestrated the wedding for TV to be “completely false.” “I don't even know if Kim has had a chance to emotionally process this the way that she needs to,” said Suzanne Kolb, president of the E! Entertainment. “I don't have any indication that this is going to change her career path”/CBS News. 
Oct. 1-23, according to the latest Coeur d'Alene Police Department Bar Report. But the favorite of HucksOnline was this one, from 1:37 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 23: “Female customer was upset and confronting and hitting an employee at the counter of the San Francisco Sourdough. Other activities included opening bags of chips and dumping them on the floor, hitting a manager, licking an employee’s hand and entering a storage closet thinking it was the bathroom. Eventually she escaped out the back door (leaving her name information from her credit card) and entered the Moose.” 
but the instruction said vote for two,” Hayes said. “We apologize for our error, and thank Harrison’s City Clerk for bringing it to our attention.” Hayes noted that County Elections’ staff immediately ordered corrected ballots, and arranged for their printing & delivery in time for next Tuesday’s election. “Seven voters requested absentee ballots by mail; only three ballots have been returned to us. We are now in the process of contacting these three voters plus one voter who voted in-person absentee on an incorrect ballot”, Hayes said/Kootenai County Clerk's Office news release. 
the people who’ve cared for her and loved her over the past couple of years as her mind has left her and her kids are too far away. I’d make sure my brothers and sisters were set-up for comfortable retirements. I’d make sure my kid’s futures would be secured (but I wouldn’t tell them just yet) so they could pursue their dreams without financial worries. I’d give Jeff Conroy at St. Vincent’s a boatload of $$ because he does a lot of good for those in our community that are most in need and he does it joyfully and frugally. I’d make our public schools whole again, after years of being decimated by Tom Luna, Butch Otter, Bob Nonini and John Goedde: fund the arts, fund athletics, take kids on field trips, build and remodel old, rundown schools (Winton, I’m talking about you. Bryan, you too.)” 
over what she considered unwanted and aggressive behavior, the Associated Press 
public health issue that needs to be addressed more seriously by the administrators and Panhandle Health.
immunize your children. But if they get sick with these preventable diseases, they can give them to those of us who are immunized. Like me. And if the last week and a half of my life is any indication, you DO NOT want your child, or anyone else, to get whooping cough. If you would spend just one day, or night, with me and hear the intense and body wracking coughing I go through, you would not wish it on your worst enemy, no less your precious children. You protect them in every other way. Why not protect them, and everyone else, from these illnesses? At least think about it/kindergarten teacherJen, A Butterfly Moment. 
your office investigating organizations and companies before informing those entities that are being investigated, I have become aware of you asking the Secretary of State’s office to investigate the Reagan Republicans Victory Fund – Municipal and The Strategery Group. I am curious why a single vendor and a single organization has been singled out for investigation by your office. Savvy Marketing for years have provided products and services for candidates as well as advocacy for organizations and your office has not investigated. I wonder if Savvy’s working for sitting City Council Members and preferred candidates and The Strategery Group’s working for the opposition to your bosses has motivated an uneven enforcement of the law. You and the City’s selective investigations of various organizations demonstrates that the city is again using it power to silence any opposition.” 
political blog, Coeur d'Alene's own liberal Democrat “Yosemite Sam”, City Councilman Mike Kennedy, launched this election's attack on the Reagan Republicans, Ron Lahr and myself. Like elections past, Kennedy could not argue with the Reagan Republican-endorsed candidates Dan Gookin and Steve Adams because they are on the right side of the issues and Kennedy is on the wrong side, denying the citizens of Coeur d'Alene the right to vote on McEuen Field, supporting ridiculous pay increases for over-paid bureaucrats and refusing oversight on the LCDC. No Mr. Kennedy was true to form and attacked the messengers not the message”/Jeff Ward, Kootenai County Reagan Republicans. 
with and for Governor Cecil D. Andrus, I often encountered the question “where are today’s Cecil Andruses?” Or “why can’t we produce leaders like Cecil Andrus, or Dan Evans or Mark Hatfield any more?” In other words, “where have all the leaders gone?” Cecil Andrus reflects leadership to the core of his being. While there are many definitions of leadership, and Andrus would fulfill most, it is one of those things you just know when you see it. As long as people have known Andrus they will tell you he has always possessed the quality that says “I’m leading; I know where I’m going. Follow or get out of the way!”/Chris Carlson, The Carlson Chronicles. 
above the fireplace by award-winning local artist Richard Warrington. The second was the hostess, who offered a tour of the spacious restaurant, previous home to the Coeur d’Alene Brewing Company. It’s really three or four spaces in one, so you can choose the ambience to suit your mood. The full menu is available in the high-energy bar, with its chic blue neon and red drop-down lights and roll-up doors, as well as in the adjacent piano lounge with overstuffed leather chairs. There’s an outdoor patio and the Gallery Room for private events/Kirsten Harrington, SR. 
Moscow police that associate professor Ernesto Bustamante had pointed a gun three times at eventual victim Katy Benoit: “Would this have made any difference? Would this have prevented this abusive relationship from ending in murder-suicide? That is unknown. And unknowable. This much is evident: U of I officials did a disservice to police, and to Benoit, by withholding evidence of a series of violent crimes”/Kevin Richert, Idaho Statesman. 
he said. I thought he looked like one of the young people I’d seen around. He said he needed to pick someone up – his mother? his wife? – and they had his wallet and he’d bring the money right back … and somehow, even as I recognized the unmistakable template of the con, I found myself believing him. Hadn’t I, in fact, seen him in the neighborhood? Didn’t he live in the house three doors down? Plus this: What is wrong with me, if my only response to a person in need is to size up their criminal potential? I didn’t have any change. So I gave him 20 bucks. And, as you no doubt have ascertained, that was the last time I saw Brandon/Shawn Vestal, SR. 
his mojo. Based on things you’ve written here over the years, I think we’d enjoy listening to music together. My tastes run the gamut, but as I said a week or so ago, I still think from about 1964-1973 was a real golden age in rock and roll music, and I was lucky enough to hear it with fairly fresh ears despite not living through it. (I was born in the mid1970s, but my folks baptized and soaked me in the music of their era, and it’s always stuck in my consciousness). Quicksilver was some good stuff. Great music coming out of the Bay Area in those days. I still think Jorma Kaukonen is one of the most under-appreciated guitarists of the 1960s. Listen to the Airplane’s “Volunteers” or the first few “Hot Tuna” albums and tell me that man wasn’t on another level.
floating around. Someone should start tracking how many campaigns spend money with the “Strategery Group” and who actually runs the “Strategery Group”. They’ve been receiving money from school board election candidates, city council candidates, and legislative candidates. What I wonder is - who’s benefitting from all this money? It gets raised and then seems to all go back into the pockets of the “Strategery Group”. Curious.
School of Engineering and Science at UI-CDA in the name of my parents, who were long-time educators in north Idaho. I respect him alot, but I’ve always wondered when Duane would begin to build his heritage locally; I understand he is charitable in his own way but I’d think he’d want to endow a School of Business or something in the Ed Corridor, since he went to the U of I. I’m hoping once the infrastructure is in place we’ll see endowments to get the campuses fully built out. With the current state of funding for higher education, that may be the only way it will happen fast.
Nov. 9 at 9 a.m. in U.S. District Court in Coeur d'Alene. A j
11,015 to date and spent $4840 and still has $6175 on hand in the final week of the campaign. Gookin has raised $7470 and spent $3029 and still has $4441 on hand. Major contributions to Sayler include: Washington State Council of County & City Employees PAC, $1000; Kenneth Howard, $500; and Northern Lakes Firefighters $250. Sayler spent $4078 with Savvy Marketing of Coeur d'Alene. 
idea that Kootenai County would even consider hitching our strong lawsuit with a weak lawsuit like the one proposed by Twin Falls County is a recipe for disaster for the 5,155 residents of southeastern Kootenai County, and to a lesser degree, the 40,785 residents of northern Kootenai County, all of whom would be joined to a district outside their county. In the past, some legislation has been enacted that affected only Kootenai County. A representative living more than 200 miles away (but in the same district) might see things differently than if he was a Kootenai County resident/Larry Spencer, letter to Coeur d'Alene Press editor. 
candidacies of Dan Gookin and Steve Adams, according to the 7-day, pre-election financial disclosure statement that's due by 5 o'clock this afternoon. The Reagan Republicans have budgeted $5000 from their Victory Fund to push the candidacies of their two board members. All of the money so far has been spent with The Strategery (cq) Inc. of Post Falls. 
Graves in his attempt to win re-election again. According to the 7-day, pre-election, campaign finance statements, Edinger has raised $5461 to date and spent $2430. Graves has raised $2988 to date and spent $1893. Adams has raised $1893Major contributors in the latest reporting period are Washington State Council of County & City Employees PAC, $1000; Gary Schneidmiller, $250; and Tom Robb, $200. 
broken into your Facebook account and is reading your posts as his dirty, cracked fingernails paw at the keyboard. Rage (jealousy? hate?) builds as he flips through your photos and scrolls through your list of friends. He rocks back and forth, growing more agitated as the pages flash past. Then he consults a map of your city and heads to his car … So why … oh, why … did you include so much personal information — and your address — in your profile? If that all sounds like the stuff of a digital-era horror movie, you're not far off/CNN. 
City Councilman John Bruning, according to his 7-day, pre-election financial disclosure statement. Bruning has raised $4822 and spent $69 to date. Significant contributions for Adams during the last disclosure period include $500 from Kathleen Sims and James Doty — and $500 from Starr Kelso. Sims' $500 apparently doesn't include the $908 donated by her company, Coeur d'Alene Honda. 
City Council campaigns of Dan Gookin and Steve Adams. Sims, an outspoken critic of Mayor Sandi Bloem's administration, made the contributions Oct. 3. Of note, Sims filed the 7-day, pre-election campaign financial disclosure statement on time and to the appropriate entity, the city clerk's office. Four years ago, Sims & Tom Macy of Post Falls violated city statutes by filing an incomplete disclosure statement with the state rather than the city. Sims & Macy then fought the city for more than a year re: the matter before reaching a settlement. The controversial disclosure statement covered the cost of an attack flyer Sims & Macy circulated on the final weekend of the campaign against City Council incumbents.
talking about his unlikely last season in the dugout and his retirement as manager of the Cardinals. As I listened to the interview, I couldn’t help but reflect on the importance of having the self awareness to know when to hang it up. There is a lot to be said for going out on top. LaRussa has. Not everyone liked the PETA-defending, pitcher yanking, bibliophile. David Lengel 
Obama in 2008. Which means Farris, an ex-NFL wide receiver and college football standout, skipped at least six national elections. Some of them were close and consequential. Such as the Bush-Gore 2000 nail-biter. Or the Bush-Kerry election four years later. There were the 2006 mid-terms, where congressional Democrats prevailed, and the 2010 elections, when the Republicans revived. Not to mention myriad primary elections, city council campaigns and school issues. Farris missed them all. Hardly unusual behavior for someone of Farris' generation/Marty Trillhaase, Lewiston Tribune. 
went and made a martyr out of Rep. Phil Hart. This poor principled tax protester. In jeopardy of losing his Kootenai County home — all because he’s standing up for what he believes to be right. What a tragic storyline. Of course, it is fictional. The only reason Hart now faces foreclosure is because he owes $549,703.48 in unpaid federal income taxes and penalties — dating back to 1996. The federal government filed a tax lien on Hart’s property in November 2010/Idaho Statesman Editorial Board. 
has joined his Capitol Hill staff as communications director. … “I would like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to Congressman Labrador and his staff for granting me the opportunity to join their Washington, D.C. team,” Carmichael said. “I am honored to serve such an unwavering conservative whose work to renew the American Dream has only just begun.” Carmichael most recently served as the chief spokeswoman and communications director for Herman Cain’s presidential campaign for more than a year/Raul Labrador news release.
big waste of campaign dollars — which is too bad because thats about the only medium where real issues can be addressed with at least a little depth. Like Digger states - name recognition (by repitition. Because 75% of the votes cast are for someone that the voter has very little inkling as to who they’re voting for anyway). The best bet for campaigning is to go BIG — especially billboards. At the very least go for 8 footers ‘cause you only have a second to catch someone’s eye and attention.
money. Those that don’t decide on their own are automatically tied in to using test scores. I salute districts for finding other ways to do so. I’ve lost track of what our district is doing, but I know in the spring our school was trying to figure out ways to bolster P.E. and the arts. Teachers that had kids improving on a physical fitness test would be able to access the money, or some such. The important thing to realize is that this is not new money. The merit pay like the computers, is coming at the expense of having fewer teachers in the classrooms.
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