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

TUESDAY, JUNE 7, 2016

Parting Shot -- 6.7.16 

Coeur d'Alene tribe member Kodamen Matheson, front was one of the escorts paddling a Sturgeon nose canoe during the first leg of the tribes journey as they launched their dug-out canoe made from an old-growth cedar log from Benewah Lake near Heyburn State Park on Tuesday. They plan to meet up with Upper Columbia Tribe's in Kettle Falls on June 17.

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Wild Card/Tuesday -- 6.7.16 

Super Sub Taryn will be filling in for me for the next week and a half. Yeah, yeah, I know. I'm always on vacation. I'd try to persuade you otherwise but I'm already locking into a vacation mode. I told Taryn to put up with no guff. I doubt that an Athol girl would any way. So, be good. Be well. And I'll see you back here Monday, June 20 ...

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Idaho purity test: Conservative enough? 13 

In his online column today, Shawn Vestal/SR pooh-poohs the Far Right extremism of "self-appointed right-wing police," including the Idaho Freedom Foundation and the Idaho Second Amendment Alliance. These groups are trying to push elected officials further to the right and contend that many of them aren't conservative enough.

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Hispanics 18% of Idaho K-12 population 

Hispanics make up 18 percent of Idaho’s K-12 school population, but accounted for 42 percent of enrollment growth in the last five years. That’s according to a University of Idaho study released Thursday. The Hispanic population is not increasing because of recent immigration, however.

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Blogos: Writer Vestal stays home, too

In his 7 Blog post today, Dan Webster adds SR columnist Shawn Vestal to the list of successful writers who have stayed in Spokane rather than migrated to a bigger city. Also: Slice wonders how many "S" cities have you visited. Grip on Sports is urging you not to lose your call re: the M's. On Tap provides the weekly brew pub planner + more ...

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In this AP file photo from last Thursday, Brock Turner, right, makes his way into the Santa Clara Superior Courthouse in Palo Alto, Calif. A letter written by Turner's father was made public over the weekend by a Stanford law professor who wants the judge in the case removed from office because Brock Turner's sentencing. (Dan Honda/Bay Area News Group via AP, File)

Sex assault sentence sparks outrage 42 

The father of Brock Turner, who was sentenced last week of sexually assaulting an unconscious woman at Stanford University, reportedly says his son is being punished for "20 minutes of action." But others, including the Santa Clara District Attorney Jeff Rosen, say Turner, who was a top swimmer at Stanford, got off easy.

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Regan didn't ♥ assessment letter either 12 

Brent Regan, the new chairman of the Kootenai County GOP Central Committee, didn't like the wording of the assessment letter sent out by Assessor Mike McDowell either. Regan admonished McDowell in an email: "As an elected official you are well aware of the need for carefully considered official statements."

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North Idaho representative Jeff Alltus waves a copy of the U.S. constitution during a 1998 debate on the floor of the Idaho House of Representatives. (Jesse Tinsley/SR file photo)

Former Rep Jeff Alltus, 61, RIP 

Huckleberries has confirmed with a family member that former three-term Idaho state legislator Jeff Alltus, 61, has died after a five-month bout with colon and liver cancer. Alltus, who represented the old House District 3 B from Hayden, died Saturday at the Hospice House on Prairie Avenue/Hayden.

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Q'emiln launch, beach to open Friday

The Q’emiln boat launch and swimming beach at Post Falls are scheduled to open at 9 a.m. Friday. Avista announced that river flows at the Post Falls Dam have dropped sufficiently to allow all the spill-gates at the hydroelectric facility to be closed.

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Edit: Lands poll asked wrong question 

In an editorial, the Idaho Falls Post Register takes issue with a recent poll that claims 73 percent of Idaho wants federal public lands managed by the state: "Perplexed by the findings — that 73 percent of Idahoans want federal public lands to be managed by the state — we called the market research firm that conducted the poll."

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Republican quits Latah County race 

A Republican legislative candidate in northern Idaho says he is no longer running for a Senate seat after facing pressure from other GOP officials to pull out of the race. John Freeland announced Tuesday he would no longer pursue challenging incumbent Sen. Dan Schmidt, a Democrat from Moscow, in the upcoming November election.

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A screen shot of the portion of Assessor Mike McDowell's letter to property tax payers that their taxes may be going up as a result of action by the 2016 Legislature to cap the homeowners exemption.

Huckleberries hears ... 17 

Huckleberries hears ... that Assessor Mike McDowell ruffled some feathers among the local GOP when he sent out assessment notices recently. In part, the notice mentioned the financial impact caused by legislators who voted in favor of capping the homeowners exemption at $100,000 in the...

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Poll: Trump will beat Clinton in Idaho 19 

According to a poll conducted by Dan Jones & Associates for Idaho Politics Weekly, businessman and presumptive Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is now the most popular White House contender in Idaho. (Doesn't appear to be any surprises here.)

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Letter: How to behave in Idaho 16 

In the Idaho Statesman, letter writer Sandy Spurgeon McDaniel, a relative newcomer to the Boise area, tells recent transplants how to behave in Idaho, including how to act behind the wheel of your car and how to greet strangers on the street. Do you agree/disagree with her tips.

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Don Sausser provides this superb photo from our waterfront, commenting: "Boat & goose families integrate on another 90+ day." It's hot again today. But the weather folks are predicting a cool down for the rest of the week.

AM Headlines -- 6.7.16 

AM Headlines today include a wonderful photo by Don Sausser of families -- human and waterfowl -- enjoying the Lake Coeur d'Alene waterfront together. Also: Anthony's celebrates opening/Press, Canoe landing ceremony set Wednesday/Press, Driver OK after crashing into Pizza Factory/KXLY & Fam recalls crop duster killed in crash ...

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Survey: Clinton captures nomination 16 

Hillary Clinton became the first woman to capture the presidential nomination of one of the country’s major political parties on Monday night, according to an Associated Press survey of Democratic superdelegates, securing enough of them to overcome a bruising challenge from Senator Bernie Sanders.

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We can welcome refugees w/o fear 

In an op-ed column for the SR, Coeur d'Alene native David Warnick of Coeur d'Alene writes of his experience in providing shelter for a refugee Syrian couple and their 6YO special-needs son. He wasn't sure what the neighbors would think when he walked the family to a nearby park. Nor did he mention the situation to his fellow workers. At first.

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Crapo calls on Trump to retract comments 30 

Idaho GOP Sen. Mike Crapo is calling on presumptive GOP nominee Donald Trump to retract his comments about a federal judge presiding over a fraud case involving Trump University. Trump said Judge Gonzalo Curiel can't be fair because of his Mexican heritage. Crapo was attacked Monday by Dem challenger Jerry Sturgill for backing Trump.

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June sizzles under El Nino warming 

Two days of record-setting June heat and another hot day in store for Tuesday appear to be the work of the El Nino phenomenon in the tropical Pacific. The current El Nino, which started last year, is now considered one of the two strongest on record since climate scientists started keeping track in 1950.

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Public wants change after coach firing 

The meeting room of the Coeur d'Alene School District Board of Trustees was filled Monday with a sea of Viking blue as more than 50 people showed their support for a proposed change to how contracts are handled for district personnel such as coaches. Many were upset by the decision not to renew the contract of the CHS baseball coach.

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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.