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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Huckleberries Online

Press: Idaho Needs To Be More Open

When Coeur d'Alene's airport manager was mysteriously fired, citizens demanded to know why. When a Coeur d'Alene police officer who shot a dog inside a van was not fired, citizens demanded to know why not. The subsequent silence in both cases was deafening. While these two recent events were frequent headline-makers, many other public personnel matters remain painfully private. Those doing the firing or disciplining - or opting not to do anything at all - routinely follow the safe path as outlined by their legal counsel: Don't say a word, because it could come back to haunt you. Not long after the dog shooting, The Press editorialized that the city of Coeur d'Alene was hiding behind such legal advice; that it  had a higher responsibility to its citizens to share the disposition of the offending officer/Coeur d'Alene Press Editorial Board. More here.



D.F. Oliveria
D.F. (Dave) Oliveria joined The Spokesman-Review in 1984. He currently is a columnist and compiles the Huckleberries Online blog and writes about North Idaho in his Huckleberries column.

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