It isn’t every day that a Dem congressional candidate in blood-red Idaho asks for support from a man who spoke at the 2008 GOP national convention on behalf of presidential candidate John McCain. And gets it. But Jimmy Farris is special to former Washington Redskins coach Joe Gibbs. Farris, who lasted eight years with five teams in the tough NFL after playing high school football at Lewiston, contacted his old coach when he decided to run for Republican congressman Raul Labrador’s 1st District seat. Farris told Huckleberries Thursday that he talked with Gibbs’ secretary, Cindy Mangum, when he couldn’t reach his old mentor. Later, Gibbs left a phone message in which he asked Farris whether he was running as a Republican or a Democrat. Chuckling, Gibbs said that Farris would get his vote if he ran as a Republican, and he’d get secretary Cindy’s vote if he ran as a Democrat. Then, turning serious, Farris said, the coach assured him that he would support his former player/DFO, Sunday SR Huckleberries. Full column here.

Question: Can a Democrat win the 1st Congressional District seat?

Meet the official mascot of HucksOnline: “Huck.” Digger provides this intro to the dog that he & Spazz own in Moscow: “This is Huck. He was named Huck because (a) Hucks Online is my favorite blog; (b) Spazz and I both thought it'd be fun in case we got a black lab we could name Jim and (c) he was a rescue dog found in a huckleberry patch. Notice that reason (A) has to do with you.”

National Libertarian blogger Lew Rockwell tells of the plight of an unnamed supporter of Ron Paul who attended the maligned Kootenai County Republican presidential caucus – the one at the Coeur d’Alene Resort. Seems the Ron Pauler became distressed as evening stretched into morning during the seven-hour marathon. He watched with excitement as Paul won caucus vote after caucus vote at the resort, only to trail and finally lose to Rick Santorum countywide. Mitt Romney, of course, won Idaho’s 32 delegates as a result of all those votes from Mormon Southern Idaho. The Ron Pauler smelled a conspiracy. He told Rockwell: “To say I’ve lost some faith in the system isn’t accurate, since I never had much to begin with. But I am tired and discouraged, and am more convinced than ever that we the people have no real voice in this process.” What now? The Ron Pauler told Rockwell he plans to write in Paul’s name for president “or vote straight Constitution Party”/DFO, Huckleberries, SR. More here.

• Slice: As long as beer is frosty, mug gets equal opportunity/Paul Turner
• Eye on Boise: Cigarette tax hike quickly stubbed out/Betsy Russell
• For some, it's heritage; for others, horoscope/Doug Clark
• Bed rest for the weary/Shawn Vestal
• Smart Bombs: Dumping reform ill-advised/Gary Crooks
• Outdoors: Wildlife managers work to avoid grizzly encounters/Rich Landers

Question: Have you been disillusioned by the political process?

You know your 3-year-old daughter is as cute as you think she is when she’s photographed by two members of different media at the recent Ron Paul confab. Nicole Hensley of KXLY snapped Lajla Handeen near glad-handing Ron Paul. Jesse Tinsley of The Spokesman-Review photographed her peeking through a curtain. She was in Spokane with her father, Bjorn Handeen, Precinct 52 committeeman for the Kootenai County GOP Committee. Bjorn tells of Lajla’s close encounter with Paul: “When Ron Paul shook her hand, he asked if she knew his name. She smiled, nodded, and said ‘Ron Paul!’ He got a big kick out of that. She was beaming that whole weekend. She’s not even 4, but I have the feeling that she’ll remember that exchange for a long time.” Bjorn packs Lajla to political events. She behaves well, he told Huckleberries: “If she can sit through a (Kootenai County Republican Central Committee) meeting, a Ron Paul speech is easy”/DFO, HucksOnline. More here. (Anthony Terrell of NBC News shot a third photo of Lajla Handeen at the Ron Paul Rally)

• The Slice: Guilty of rushing to judgment/Paul Turner
• Boise: Aging state equipment enters 'duct-tape' phase/Betsy Russell
• Click heels and repeat: There's no disgrace like Thomas/Doug Clark
• Mothers, children hurt the most from painful budget cuts/Shawn Vestal
• Smart Bombs: You booze, you still loose/Gary Crooks
• Not the version of 'Moneyball' we would pick/John Blanchette
• Rethinking wilderness: Panhandle proposals would reshape boundaries/Rich Landers

Question: Do/did you take your children to political events?

You may think the Property Rights Council birthed by Chairman Cornel Rasor and fellow commissioners is simply a strange extension of Bonner County government. But Right Side News online considers the council to be a “major new weapon in the fight against the UN.” Yeah, U.N., as in United Nations. (Remember that line from “For What It’s Worth” by Buffalo Springfield? “Paranoia strikes deep, into your life it will creep.”) Right Side News explains the purpose of the council: “The mission of the PRC is to review county government activities and inter-governmental activities to determine whether the activities may cause adverse impact to private property rights. The PRC then is charged with supplying to county officials an opinion on that impact.” With tea party queenpin Pam Stout on the county payroll to oversee the council, you can bet those opinions come from the extreme right precincts of North Idaho’s political rabbit hole/DFO, SR Sunday Huckleberries. More here.

• The Slice: Behind wall probably where it belongs/Paul Turner
• Boise: Bill would eliminate regulation of farm products sales/Betsy Russell
• Take a stand and support local talent/Doug Clark
• System worked, 'start to finish', to nab MLK bomber/Shawn Vestal
• Smart Bombs: Social issues enjoy revival/Gary Crooks
• Crews, 23 others vying for Olympic boxing berth/John Blanchette
• Outdoors: Ski patrol candidates make steep commitments/Rich Landers
• Front Porch: Learning to run away from fears/Jill Barville

Question: Does Kootenai County need a Property Rights Council?

Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations members weren’t happy with Huckleberries’ description of the venerable group last Sunday – as one that “prefers to accentuate the positive and focus on education.” Tony Stewart and Coeur d’Alene police Sgt. Christie Wood emailed my HucksOnline blog that the highlighted activities are but a “partial description of who we are.” Huckleberries had spotlighted how Rachel Dolezal, formerly of the Human Rights Education Institute, faced down KKKers during their protest of the task force-backed MLK Day event for fifth-graders at North Idaho College Jan. 13. In their email, Stewart and Wood listed hate-crime victims the task force has helped, dating back to attacks against Hayden restaurant owner Sid Rosen and Coeur d’Alene mother Connie Fort in the early 1980s. The group, they said, was instrumental in the 1998 case of Victoria and Jason Keenan that ultimately bankrupted the Aryan Nations. The 1986 bombing of the late Bill Wassmuth’s home is an example of serious threats task force members have endured, they said, adding: “We are not just a feel good organization”/DFO, SR Sunday Huckleberries. More here.

• 'Family feel' marked Stewart's hardware store/Doug Clark
• The Slice: When all else fails, blame Steve/Paul Turner
• How about WSU sharing NCAA wealth?/Shawn Vestal
• Smart Bombs? Why handcuff worker tools/Gary Crooks
• Provodnikov KOs Torres in 'Friday Night Fights/John Blanchette
• Deadline too tight for health insurance exchange/Betsy Russell

Question: Have you ever been involved with the Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations?

Re: Rachel Dolezal's protest/DFO, Sunday Huckleberries (2nd item)

In the “Spokesman Review” Huckleberries column on Sunday, January 22, 2012, it was suggested that the Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations prefers to accentuate the positive and focus on education with regard to confronting bigotry, prejudice and hate. This is only a partial description of who we are. For 31 years, the work and activities of the KCTFHR have included supporting the victims of hate crimes going back as far as the Sid Rosen and Connie Fort cases in the early 1980’s, the Victoria and Jason Keenan case in 1998 and the more recent 2011 Marlon Baker case. Let us not forget that members of our board have experienced serious threats on their lives such as the bombing of the late Father Bill Wassmuth’s home. We are not just a feel good organization/Christie Wood & Tony Stewart, Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations. More here. (2009 SR file photo: Tony Stewart, right, and Sgt. Christie Wood speaks to media about racist literature)

Question: Have you ever participated in an event staged by the Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations?

Duane Rasmussen: This blog does not represent the general thought in North Idaho. The blog is predominantly influenced by Liberals. Before they are shouted down, a few conservatives are allowed to speak, primarily for the purpose of giving the Liberals something off of which to bounce their diatribes. Sort of like keeping a few mice alive so they can be fed to the snakes. Another analogy might be the feeding of Christians to lions. Many people in North Idaho are appalled by what goes on in this blog. It is difficult to get Conservatives to even look at this blog once they have seen it the first time. It has become a safe place for the counter culture to present its views.

Question: Does HucksOnline reflect North Idaho?

It ain’t easy jettisoning public art devoted to tolerance. But the Bonner County commissioners are trying. Artist David Kraisler’s “Tolerance” – a 10-foot steel-and-wood piece – has “graced” the courthouse lawn in Sandpoint for 11 years, since its creation in response to a planned 2001 Aryan Nations parade that didn’t happen. The city of Sandpoint got first shot at hosting “Tolerance,” but passed on it, claiming at the time that lack of a policy for public art was the problem. Trouble is, the sculpture resembles two giant stick figures coupling. “Tolerance” has many detractors. An arsonist once tried to burn it down. The Bonner County Daily Bee reports on the balancing act performed by commissioners. They support the idea behind “Tolerance,” but not necessarily the offbeat sculpture. Besides, the wood is rotting. And courthouse expansion plans could crowd “Tolerance” off the lawn. Maybe it’s time to check back with Sandpoint city leaders to see if they have finally adopted a public arts policy/DFO, SR Huckleberries. Complete Sunday column here.

Other SR weekend columns:

• Daugherty's Cougars approach next hurdle/John Blanchette
• No better time to imagine a warm day on lake/Paul Turner
• Idaho grocers seek to ease food stamp rush/Betsy Russell
• Mary, Mary, you've become quite contrary/Doug Clark
• Smart Bombs: Not by soot alone/Gary Crooks
• Little Spokane River watershed preserved/Rich Landers

Question: What do you do when public art is too weird or ugly?

Huckleberries knows how to settle the fight over the radical online education plan forced on Idaho’s schoolchildren by Superintendent of Schools Tom Luna and legislative accomplices last year – and subject to a November referendum. Stage a winner-take-all cage match between Luna and Post Falls instructor Ann Rosenbaum. In one corner, we’d have Luna, a former school board member who got his college degree online. In the other corner, Rosenbaum, a former Marine military police officer who escaped a car bomb in Iraq. New York Times reporter Matt Richtel featured Rosenbaum and two other teachers in an article about the controversy Tuesday. Rosenbaum told the Times: “This technology is being thrown on us. It’s being thrown on parents and thrown on kids”/D.F. Oliveria, Huckleberries, SR. Rest of column here.

Other SR weekend columns:

• The Slice: She'll take PF&J but hold J/Paul Turner
• Hart lawyer says state law trumps feds' lawsuit/Betsy Russell
• Smart Bombs: Marriage isn't working out/Gary Crooks
• Mark Elvis' 77th with rockin' show, King-size sandwich/Doug Clark
• Outdoors: Guide makes case for electronic decoys/Rich Landers

Question: Who would win a cage match featuring Post Falls instructor Ann Rosenbaum and Superintendent of Schools Tom Luna?

Let’s play a game. Huckleberries will tell you where candidate John Green stands on issues. And you guess which office he’s seeking. Ready? On his Facebook wall, Green lists his stands on several issues, including the Second Amendment: “The Federal Government has no authority to regulate firearms within the State of Idaho.” And states’ rights: The 17th Amendment (removing the Legislature’s power to appoint U.S. senators) “should be repealed.” And taxation: “The ‘Internal Revenue Code’ is an abomination and an absurdity.” Which office does Green want? Kootenai County sheriff, of course. Or maybe not. Under the topic of “Sound Money,” Green says, “As an Idaho senator, I will work to ensure that the State of Idaho protects its citizens from the fraud of ‘fiat’ money.” Green might consider updating his position stands and tailoring them more to the current office he targets/DFO, SR Huckleberries. More here.

• Smart Bombs: Docs weigh in on obesity/Gary Crooks
• Pint-size Bengals play hard for historic win/Doug Clark
• Sports: Zags fail in another change to impress/John Blanchette
• Slice: Follow unspoken rule, don't touch merchandise/Paul Turner
• Boise: 230 attend North Idaho open records/meeting forums/Betsy Russell
• Outdoors: Washington getting elk-friendly land near Grand Ronde/Rich Landers

Question: Will you vote for John Green for Kootenai County sheriff?

Five of the 13 incorporated towns in Kootenai County fell below the electoral “Mendoza Line” on Election Day, Nov. 8 – with voter turnouts of less than 20 percent. The Mendoza Line, for those of you who don’t follow Major League Baseball, represents a dismal batting average of .200 – or about the career average of former Seattle Mariner Mario Mendoza. A .200 Mendoza Line average translates to 20 percent in terms of voter turnout. Tiny Huetter, squeezed between Garagetown and the upscale Mill River subdivision on the Spokane River, fell well below the Mendoza Line, with only four registered voters of 40 (10 percent) voting, including only two in the uncontested mayor’s race. Three towns fell below the “Huetter Line” – Spirit Lake, at 9.8 percent; Athol, at 9.4 percent; and Hauser at a woeful 6.9 percent/DFO, SR's Huckleberries. More here.

SR weekend columns:

• Slice: Excess padding didn't find his wallet/Paul Turner
• Boise: 4 counties in lawsuit offer own maps/Betsy Russell
• Ancient artifact strikes geeky, unfamiliary chord/Doug Clark
• No capital gains tax? We're at a loss to explain that/Shawn Vestal
• Sports: Only a snow bowl for Cougars/John Blanchette

As you may know, seven of seven candidates endorsed by Kootenai County Reagan Republicans in four towns in Kootenai County won last Tuesday, including two of two in Coeur d’Alene. Reagan Republican-endorsed Dan Gookin told Huckleberries that Coeur d’Alene residents were interested in chiefly three things: Where do you stand on a public vote on McEuen Field changes? Are you an incumbent? Are you a Republican? You had to score three-for-three to get the surly “throw-the-bums-out” vote – yes on a public vote on McEuen Field, no on incumbency, and yes on Republican pedigree in nonpartisan City Council race. All other issues were window dressing. Yet progressive Mayor Sandi Bloem and three council members who face re-election in 2013 are moving ahead with the McEuen Field changes sans public advisory vote. In 2013, Bloem & Co. may learn how the British cavalry felt in Alfred, Lord Tennyson’s poem, “Charge of the Light Brigade”/DFO, SR Huckleberries. More here.

SR weekend columns:

• Happiness is yours if the price is right/Jim Kershner
• State revenues fall just shy of predictions/Betsy Russell
• Condon, put your pull where you rhetoric is/Doug Clark
• Basketball organizer is taking a novel approach/Shawn Vestal
• Sensational game makes QB talk of the town/John Blanchette
• Angler nets $66K from Pikeminnow Reward Program/Rich Landers

What do Jess Walter, Richard Miller and Dan Kolbet have in common? Hint: They are ex-Spokesman-Review staffers. And? They’ve all written books. Walter, of course, parlayed his reporting of the August 1992 Ruby Ridge siege into a book (“Every Knee Shall Bow”) and a TV miniseries. He’s now penned seven books, with the last one, “The Financial Lives of the Poets,” receiving national acclaim. Kolbet, an Avista spokesman, worked in the sports department. Now, he’s written “Off the Grid,” a futuristic thriller about a man who fights a power monopoly that decides which cities are blacked out and which aren’t. Miller, a former editor now handling Washington State University public relations, has just published an anti-vampire-genre novel about a 150-year-old vampire living in downtown Spokane, “All You Can Eat.” No Team Edward versus Team Jacob going on here/DFO, Huckleberries. More here.

Other SR weekend columns:

• Citizens ready to salute/Gary Crooks
• This tale has a familial feel to it/John Blanchette
• Idaho's dimmer economic outlook mirrors US/Betsy Russell
• A culinary odyssey to hot side of hell/Jim Kershner
• Teacher's compassion tempers girl's chaos/Shawn Vestal
• To those who disgraced law they swore to uphold/Doug Clark
• Why are ruffed grouse taking shine to North Idaho men/Rich Landers

Question: Have you read any of Jess Walter's books? Thoughts?

Bogus. That’s the word Jeff Selle, of Post Falls, uses for that $175 citation issued by a Spokane County health inspector to Riverside High mom Mary Beth Conklin for a fundraising tailgater. Selle? He’s a top regional barbecuer, handling the tongs for Bent BBQ at several North Idaho events, including the third annual St. Vincent de Paul Steak Fry this summer. Specifically, Jeff tells Huckleberries: “In Idaho you can cook a charity fundraiser without having to purchase a permit, at all. And, if you are vending or catering for profit, you only pay $80 for a yearlong permit.” Spokane charges $480 for a permit, whether charitable or not. Again, Jeff: “The fee is supposed to cover the cost of inspection. You can’t tell me it costs $480 to inspect one of these events. It takes all of 15 minutes to check the wash stations, hot-holding and cold-holding system. I know because I have been inspected several times”/DFO, SR Huckleberries. More here.

SR weekend columns:

• Parent-teacher group seeks input on reform/Betsy Russell
• Something eeerie about Siri, my new friend App/Doug Clark
• It's time to think outside the bank/Shawn Vestal
• Smart Bombs: Peons of prosperity/Gary Crooks
• Well, the score was very black-and-white/John Blanchette
• Mount Spokane transitions to winter/Rich Landers

Often, readers move on quickly after a horrific accident or crime, while victims are left to deal with injuries and shattered lives. Take Yvonne Wallis, for example. She was one of the four victims of that hammer attack by a deranged Bayview neighbor pre-Christmas 2010. Daughter-in-law Patty Heath died in the attack. Suspect Larry Cragun is in jail awaiting trial. Yvonne wears a blue football helmet to protect her fragile skull. She has undergone two serious surgeries and faces another at University of Washington, to have a permanent plate installed in her skull. Herb Huseland, a good friend who transported her to Seattle this summer, reports: “Nothing is guaranteed. She is still in a life-threatening condition, and without great care could fail to survive”/DFO, SR Huckleberries. More here.

SR weekend columns:

• Beware the new parking meters, no cheating/Doug Clark
• I prefer my wildlife on the mild side, thank you/Jim Kershner
• Slice: Pick your poison — wildlife or creatures/Paul Turner
• Boise: Zions office would complete Boise corps/Betsy Russell
• Gold-plated tuition a challenge for state's college-savings program/Shawn Vestal
• Smart Bombs: Let's clear the air about jobs/Gary Crooks
• For Eagles, whatever can go wrong will/John Blanchette

Question: Do you know someone who was severely injured in a violent attack?

Blogger Ohmidog was surprised when Dog Fancy named Coeur d’Alene America’s most dog-friendly town recently. So was your Huckleberry Hound. After all, the dog park at Lake City isn’t that old, and there doesn’t seem to be much else that distinguishes it from other Dog Towns – other than leash laws being ignored on Tubbs Hill. Previously, Ohmidog had criticized another organization, Petside.com, for dubbing Dallas second most dog-friendly after it had bestowed the key to the city on Michael Vick, the NFL QB who went to prison for dog abuse. In this instance, Ohmidog notes that Santa Cruz, Calif., which is in the Dog Fancy Top 5, lifted a 33-year ban on dogs downtown only recently. Also, Ohmidog questioned why Dog Fancy Editor Ernie Stone quoted Barbara Walters in his announcement that Coeur d’Alene is “a little slice of heaven/DFO, SR Huckleberries. More here.

• Monument to Garry small part of our debt/Jim Kershner
• 'Restaurant-quality' firehouse cook a prize-winner, too/Shawn Vestal
• Ex-Chief Grabner proves how quickly luck changes/John Blanchette
• New research technique puts channel catfish in spotlight/Rich Landers

Question: Do you think Coeur d'Alene deserves to be honored as the nation's most dog friendly town?

A whole lotta peein’s goin’ on in downtown Coeur d’Alene after hours. And, judging from the latest Downtown Bar Report, not all of that urine is finding its way into proper receptacles. In a recent 12-day period, CPD Blues arrested eight drunks for public urination, including a 26-year-old man we’ll call I.P. Freely. Seems I.P. suffers from a small bladder or a fundamental lack of modesty. Case in point: I.P. was caught watering the sidewalk after exiting the Rendezvous bar en route to Las Palmitas. When the cops asked I.P. why he didn’t pee at the Rendezvous, the drunk said the restrooms were full. Then he admitted he’d gotten a citation in June for public peeing. He’d just paid off the $190 for that fine two days earlier. One of many stories in our Urine-Part-Of-Town/DFO, Huckleberries, SR. More here.

Other SR columns:

• America's got questions for poor performer Jones/Doug Clark
• Smart Bombs: Dog days of journalism/Gary Crooks
• Scouts smiling about Spokane Indians catcher/John Blanchette
• Expedition Idaho will push competitors to edge/Rich Landers

Question: Have you ever accidentally witnessed someone urinating in public? Want to share your reaction?

Somewhere between “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” in 1986 and Priest Lake in 2011, actor Ben Stein (boring economics teacher in “Bueller”) got sexy. At least, that’s the opinion of a coed Stein encountered during a recent North Idaho vacay with “pals” Ray and Jeannie Lucia and Jo and Susan Lucia. After touring Upper Priest Lake, Stein and the Lucias returned to Hill’s Resort, where Stein keeps his boat. Hundreds of college students greeted Stein, chanting: “Clear Eyes” and “Bueller, Bueller.” Then, Stein explains in an American Spectator column, “A pretty girl with an amazing tan and tattoos on her side just below her bikini top came up to me and whispered urgently, ‘I think you are sooo sexy. Can we hang out later tonight?’ ” She hugged Stein and was photographed with him, as the actor declined her invite, protesting weakly that he was “a fat old man”/DFO, Hucks Online. More here.

Question: Ben Stein will be forever remember as the boring Economics Instructor in “Forest Bueller's Day Off.” Looking back at your life … what will you best be remembered for?

If you look from the sky, as Google Earth does, at Jerry Jaeger’s 10,000-square-foot mansion, you might think it’s shaped like a gray handgun. The house belonging to Duane Hagadone’s partner in hospitality is near the Jewett House on Sanders Beach. Asks the Berry Picker who provided the Google Earth photo: “How is it that Jerry Jaeger flies so effectively under the radar while his partner doesn’t?  I bet most people in the area couldn’t even tell you who Jerry is.  I suppose the lack of a 180-foot-long yacht might have something to do with it.” Jaeger’s father, of course, provided the “J” to Bob Templin’s “T” in the old TJ’s Pantry in Post Falls. Younger Jaeger became Templin’s partner when his father was killed in a plane crash and later sided with Hagadone in the hostile 1983 takeover of Templin’s Western Frontier hospitality company/DFO, Huckleberries, SR. More here.

Other SR columns:

• Boise: New tax official breaking old ties/Betsy Russell
• For students, news is life & death/Shawn Vestal
• Readers will notice some changes/Gary Graham
• Smart Bombs/Money shapes some news/Gary Crooks
• Sports: Venue changes Shock fan base/John Blanchette
• Outdoors: 8YO tops field at Ilwaco salmon derby/Rich Landers
• Olympia: Ready, set, draw; it's redistricting time/Jim Camden