Blow the trumpets! Bang the drums! The sound of joy in Coeur d’Alene over last week’s election of three new school board members should be heard ricocheting down the I-90 corridor all the way to Spokane. All three of the super-conservatives in the Coeur d’Alene School Board election battle ran as Republicans in nonpartisan races. “REPUBLICAN” blared out in large type on yard signs and all campaign material. But Christa Hazel, Dave Eubanks and Tom Hearn won anyway in a landslide of transparency and responsiveness over right-wing policies and blatantly partisan tactics. ... In this issue, you’ll read about the right-wing migration from Orange County to North Idaho, raising the question of whether conservatives here have gone too far in seeking to control every facet of local government. The answer from the voting public was clearly yes, the right-wingers have indeed gone too far/Mary Lou Reed, Inlander. More here.

Related:

• High Country News: Their own Private Idaho
• Counterpunch: Moderates in North Idaho hit back last week/Inlander

Question: Do you consider Coeur d'Alene more moderate than the rest of Kootenai County?