Keri Alexander wondered what she would do if she saw someone litter. Now she knows. She called the cops, which in this case was her husband, Shoshone County Sheriff Mitch Alexander. Keri is passionate against littering. As publisher of the Shoshone News Press, she believes things are turning around for the economically hard-hit Silver Valley. So she wants to keep her slice of paradise as clean as possible. In fact, a few years ago, she began a grass-roots movement with Facebook friends to pick up litter along the freeway. Now, fast forward.

On Tuesday, Keri was returning to her newspaper office when she saw a ponytailed woman in a green sedan toss litter out her window at the Osburn exit. Kerri studied the car, memorized the license plate, and pulled even with the driver to identify her. Also, she returned to the scene of the crime and took a photo of the trash – a plate, two pieces of tinfoil and a plastic fork. Keri filed a complaint. So the matter will go to court. What Ms. Litterbug did was “completely unacceptable,” Keri told Huckleberries. Keri would like to see the litterbug assigned by the court to pick up garbage along the freeway. Said Keri: “She might think twice before throwing out another piece of trash.” Everyone should think twice.

4th of July? Meh …

David Townsend, the Coeur d’Alene Library spokesman, considers himself as patriotic as the next person. But he doesn’t mind that he’ll miss the Fourth of July celebration Monday in Coeur d’Alene. David will be out of town. He told his Facebook friends that he won’t miss the two-week period surrounding Independence Day when Coeur d’Alene sounds like a war zone. Nor will he miss the sirens day and night as emergency crews “respond to bubbas who blew off their fingers or set the woods on fire.” Nor will he miss the traffic, highway carnage, crowds, noise and notion that “we can best celebrate our liberty by being obnoxious as possible in public and private.” In other words, a good time isn’t had by all.

Huckleberries

Poet’s Corner (from Sept. 3, 2003): The scenes on Sherman rearrange/As one-by-one the seasons change./In winter, it’s an empty tomb/In summer, it’s a dining room – Tom Wobker, The Bard of Sherman Avenue (“Sherman Sidewalk”) … Poet’s Corner II: “Don’t ever take a selfie with a moose/the very notion seems a bit obtuse/His antlers are humongous/His mood is worse than Congress’s/And he might die from bumper abuse!” – Huckleberries blog commenter Prancing Unicorn re: the moose that was fatally injured in Spokane traffic Tuesday after being spooked by curious bystanders, including selfie takers … The old F.W. Woolworth’s building, near Fourth Street and Sherman Avenue in Coeur d’Alene, burned on Saturday, April 26, 1980, destroying $300,000 worth of merchandise. Commenters wondered when the fire occurred after seeing a photo of it on the Old School North Idaho Facebook page. Guesses ranged as far back as the mid-1950s. The site now features a green space, Sherman Square Park … Poll: 62 percent of Huckleberries blog readers want the city of Coeur d’Alene to reconsider its decision not to hire lifeguards for City Beach this summer.

Parting shot

The Wallethub website used 12 metrics to decide which states were the most patriotic – and ruby-red, don’t-tread-on-us-either Idaho didn’t make the Top 10. In the Northwest, Alaska (No. 2), Wyoming (No. 7) and Washington (No. 9) were deemed more patriotic than Idaho (No. 13). Most patriotic? Virginia. Least patriotic? New Jersey. And, to think, George Washington risked crossing the icy Delaware River to get to New Joisey.

---

---