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

FRIDAY, JUNE 3, 2016

In this May 25, 1965, file photo, heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali is held back by referee Joe Walcott, left, after Ali knocked out challenger Sonny Liston in the first round of their title fight in Lewiston, Maine. Ali, the magnificent heavyweight champion whose fast fists and irrepressible personality transcended sports and captivated the world, has died according to a statement released by his family Friday, June 3, 2016. He was 74.

Boxing champ Muhammad Ali, 74, RIP 13 

Muhammad Ali, the legendary boxer who proclaimed himself "The Greatest" and was among the most famous and beloved athletes on the planet, died Friday in Phoenix, a family spokesman said. Ali had been at a hospital since Thursday with what spokesman Bob Gunnell had described as a respiratory issue.

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Parting Shot -- 6.3.16 

This kind of shot always gets to me -- one of our soldiers about to depart for a mission that will take him or her from their families for a year or more. Here, U.S. Army Staff Sgt Matthew Hawke, of Lincoln, Neb., enjoys a moment with his daughter Brooklyn during a sending off ceremony for the Nebraska Army National Guard's Company G.

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TGIF Wild Card -- 6.3.16 31 

There's a small part of me that wouldn't mind seeing state Rep. Kathy Sims win the chairmanship of the Idaho GOP -- the blogger part that's always looking for fodder to feed the insatiable mall of this blog beast. Sims would provide much fodder, as, I expect Brent Regan will do from his new perch atop the Kootenai County GOTPCC.

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Cutline Contest -- Time2Vote 

The Cutline Contest today features musicians playing during the opening of the German Evangelical Trombone Day in German. The event attracts the world's largest get-together of trombone choirs. Thursday Winner (tie): Phaedrus & Stitch.

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National Donut Day offers free treats 

I didn't know that today was National Donut Day. But that wouldn't matter much. I love doughnuts. But my aging body doesn't. I eat them sparingly. I hardly can resist a Krispy Kreme. Ditto for blueberry old-fashion. Some places are giving away doughnuts today. You may still have time to snag one. What's your favorite?

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In this photo provided by Silas Bleakley, a train towing cars full of oil sends up a plume of smoke after derailing Friday, June 3, 2016, near Mosier, Ore. The accident happened just after noon about 70 miles east of Portland. It involved eight cars filled with oil, and one was burning. Highway 84 was closed for a 23-mile stretch between The Dalles and Mosier and the radius for evacuations was a half-mile. (Silas Bleakley)

Oil train derails near Hood River 10 

A train towing cars full of oil derailed Friday in Oregon’s scenic Columbia River Gorge, sparking a fire that sent a plume of black smoke high into the sky. The accident happened just after noon near the town of Mosier, about 70 miles east of Portland. It involved eight cars filled with oil, and one was burning.

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Analysis: Idaho has sold 1/3 of land, not 41% 

Idaho has sold only a third of its state endowment lands since statehood, not 41 percent, the Idaho Department of Lands reported in an analysis done after a Wilderness Society report. The Wilderness Society reported the state of Idaho sold 1,760,783 acres to private interests of 4,254,448 acres it got at statehood.

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Aryan Nations founder Richard G. Butler holds a sign outside his home in Hayden, Idaho, Oct. 1, 2003, as he was campaigning for mayor of Hayden. Butler has died at the age of 86, authorities said. Deputies responding to a call at Butler's home found him dead in his bed about 11:20 a.m., Wednesday, Sept. 8, 2004. He appeared to have died peacefully in his sleep, Kootenai County Sheriff's Capt. Ben Wolfinger said. (AP Photo/Jeff T. Green/File)

Butler for Mayor 

In October 2003, Aryan Nations leader Richard Butler was running for mayor in Hayden Lake. Two weeks before the election, Tom Wobker (The Bard of Sherman Avenue) weighed in with a short rhyme re: what Butler's candidacy might mean to the city of Hayden. BTW, Butler fell far short of achieving his goal of running Hayden.

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The first general session of the convention opened at the Idaho Center this PM, starting with the recitation of the National Anthem, reports Betsy Russell/Eye on Boise. The delegates assembled on the floor, where they will vote this afternoon on two committee reports: The credentials committee, which has to do with challenges to delegates; and the nominating committee, which concerns the naming of delegates to the national GOP convention.

Delegates to vote on 6 resolutions 

10 proposed resolutions were submitted to the state GOP convention this year, and 6 passed the resolutions committee, on everything from opposing the Obama Administration’s guidance on bathroom arrangements for transgender students in public schools to calling for amending the Constitution to “expressly permit” the use of the Bible in the schools.

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Poll: Clinton over Trump by 11% 31 

Hillary Clinton is leading Donald Trump by double digits in a hypothetical general election match-up, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos poll released Friday. Forty-six percent of voters say they'll back Clinton, a Democrat, while 35 percent say they'll vote for Trump, the presumptive GOP presidential nominee.

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Idaho GOP Chairman Steve Yates addresses the state party convention on Friday (Betsy Z. Russell)

Yates: Foe is Dems, not one another 

Idaho GOP Chairman Steve Yates, in his state party report to the floor session of the state convention today, said, “From this time forward, we are beyond our primary, we are in the general election, and our opponents are Democrats. It’s very, very important that we unify, in that simple purpose at the very least."

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Guv: 'Trump will tower over Hillary' 

Gov. Butch Otter is addressing the luncheon session of the Idaho GOP state convention today, and he said Idaho is faring better than other states that have taken big economic hits due to changing oil prices. The governor also said that it's time for the GOP to unite behind Donald Trump because "Trump will tower over Hillary."

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GOPanel: Toss transgender directive 

Some Idaho Republican Party convention delegates say the state's top elected officials should reject the Obama administration's directive on bathroom access for transgender students in public schools. The directive tells public schools nationwide to let transgender students use the bathrooms and locker rooms that match the student's gender identity

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Staff Sgt. Andrew Waddell, top, and Master Sgt. Tyler Bates, bottom, both of the Washington Air National Guard based at Fairchild Air Force Base in Spokane, Wash., work to assemble temporary living structures at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington state that will be used by troops taking part in a massive earthquake and tsunami readiness drill overseen by the Federal Emergency Management Agency on June 7-10, 2016. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

Is NIdaho ready for quake evacuees? 

About 500 people will take part in emergency planning exercises next week to test whether North Idaho would be prepared to receive people fleeing a major earthquake on the West Coast. The Tuesday through Friday exercises are part of the multi-state Cascadia Rising event, meant to simulate the catastrophic effects of a magnitude 9.0 quake & tsunami.

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Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton speaks at a rally, Thursday, June 2, 2016, in El Centro, Calif. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Trump adviser: Can't torture truth from Hillary 

A top adviser to Donald Trump believes there's nothing anyone can do to get Hillary Clinton to tell the truth about her emails. Not even torture. Barry Bennett, a senior adviser to Trump's campaign, alleged Friday on CNN that Clinton has repeatedly lied about her email use during her time as secretary of state.

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Ada County Sheriff's Deputies and the Boise Fire Department dive team stand by the wreckage of an SUV driven by a 40-year-old Boise woman that plunged off a cliff into the Lucky Peak Reservoir Thursday, June 2, 2016, in Boise, Idaho. Divers with the Boise Fire Department recovered the bodies of two girls, ages 12 and 6, and the body of a 10-year-old boy from the vehicle, which was about 40 feet below the surface Thursday morning, according to the Ada County Sheriff's Office. A witness saw the SUV accelerate from the side of the road to go over the cliff, the sheriff's office said. (Patrick Orr/Ada County Sheriff's Office via AP)

AM Headlines -- 6.3.16 

The daily roundup of AM Headlines includes photo of car that plunged off cliff at Lucky Peak Reservoir, killing a 40YO woman and three children. Also: Public records/Press, Odom bail reduction denied/Press, 14 dogs poisoned in SW Idaho/KREM, Burglars hit Post Falls businesses/Press, Capitol rally set against violence, bias/EOBoise = more ...

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Poll: Idaho GOP to remain fractured

In the Thursday poll, Hucks Nation doesn't think the various wings of the Idaho GOP will mend their differences at the state convention in Nampa this week. 125 of 145 respondents (86.21%) say the state GOP will emerge from the convention as fractured as it has been in recent years. Today's Poll: Who will be the next chairman of the Idaho GOP?

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Crapo: Teachers make a difference

In a comment today, U.S, Sen. Mike Crapo writes: "Most of us can remember a teacher who made a difference in our lives. For me, that teacher was also my mother. As an English teacher, she recognized the importance of good grammar and punctuation for clear communication. The lessons she taught me have stuck with me throughout my life."

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Here's the proposed anti-bigotry resolution that was overwhelmingly rejected by the platform committee of the Idaho GOP. Melissa Davlin of "Idaho Reports" tweets that one delegate commented that the language in the resolution was the type that the other side uses.

GOP rejects anti-bigotry resolution 17 

At the Idaho GOP convention, Melissa Davlin of "Idaho Reports" (@davlinnews) is live-tweeting the discussion on resolutions in the platform committee. Among proposed resolutions: Two against transgender bathroom requirements; one against bigotry. Melissa reports the anti-bigotry resolution received only one yes vote.

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Gannon: Dump closed primary, caucus

In the Idaho Statesman, state Rep John Gannon, D-Boise, comments that Idaho's closed primary and caucuses must go. He urges R's & D's: "Open your doors and implement policies at your conventions that allow all Idahoans to vote and participate in selecting the most important political leader of our country, the president of the United States."

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Letter opposes $750,000 fountain 

A letter writer in Hayden criticizes plans to raise $750,000 for a fountain in downtown Coeur d'Alene. She doesn't mention that the project is in memory of the late CdA police Sgt Greg Moore, who was killed in the line of duty May 5, 2015. She says the fountain is an extravagance when 33% of the households are at or below the poverty level.

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Huckleberries Online

D.F. Oliveria started Huckleberries Online on Feb. 16, 2004. Oliveria's Sunday print Huckleberries is a past winner of the national Herb Caen Memorial Column contest.