Regardless of how you feel about the political positions he took, you have to feel for former District 10 Sen. John McGee (pictured) and his family. His once-promising political career is apparently over, his job could be at risk and his family has had to deal with a very public array of embarrassing allegations and convictions in the last nine months. Politics is a rough-and-tumble affair, but at the end of the day, we’re still just human beings. That said, credit must be given to McGee’s colleagues in the Idaho Senate, who responded quickly, definitively and properly last week when McGee was charged with sexual harassment of an adult legislative employee/Idaho Press-Tribune Editorial Board. More here.

Question: Do you think Idaho Senate leaders would have responded “quickly, definitively and properly” to the sexual allegation against John McGee, if he hadn't slipped up before?

Boise State University football coach Chris Petersen led the Broncos to a 56-24 thumping of Arizona State on Dec. 23 in the MAACO Bowl played in Las Vegas — the gambling capital of the U.S. But it wasn’t until he returned to Idaho that he really hit the jackpot. The coach, who finished his sixth season, signed a five-year contract that will pay him $2 million next year and increase to $2.8 million in 2016. He received $500,000 in his first year, and his pay for the 2012 season will be higher than that of 30 other BCS-conference coaches and make him 33rd-highest in the nation. Yes, that’s a lot of money to pay a man coaching a sport at a school the size of Boise State. And he’s worth every penny/Idaho Press Tribune Editorial Board. More here. (AP file photo: Chris Petersen gets drenched after 2010 Fiesta Bowl win)

Question: Do you agree with the Idaho Press Tribune that Boise State football coach Chris Petersen is worth every penny of his $2 million salary?

In the cheers & jeers column of the Idaho Press Tribune, someone posted this comment: “Jeers for those people or developers who insist on painting their houses in drab camouflage colors. Enough already! And they are now spreading beyond the subdivisions onto the streets of our old towne, where we’ve begun to see Victorian and pioneer-style houses and stores in sickly olive green, rather than their former charming yellow, pink or blue. This must stop! New houses also look great in bright or pastel colors. Anyone who has been to Europe should remember that one of the reasons we love it is for the colorful houses and shops. Boise’s cool North End is another neighborhood full of color. Camouflage colors are for cowards! More Cheers & Jeers here.

Question: Anyone notice this happening here — residents painting their homes in camouflage colors? And/or: Which color to you prefer to paint a house?

Idaho First Congressional District Rep. Raul Labrador has been in office a little more than 100 days, and up to this point he has been every bit the congressman he promised he would be. The former member of the Idaho Legislature has held true to the bedrock conservative principles he promised. And so far, he has done so firmly, while at the same time being thoughtful, deliberate and respectful. He has given credit to the opposition when it’s due. He has maintained the strong fiscally conservative approach he campaigned on without all the bombast and spectacle of the last Republican to hold the office, Bill Sali/Idaho Press-Tribune Editorial Board. More here.

Question: Who would you rather have sitting in the 1st Congressional District seat now — Raul Labrador or Bill Sali?

In a year dominated by the budget, it’s hard to see why the Legislature would deny Democrats the chance to at least tout their reasons to support an increase in the cigarette tax. Several minority party members in the Statehouse want to increase the cigarette tax by $1.25 to provide more funding for Medicaid and public schools. Minority Leader John Rusche (pictured) said the tobacco tax hike would raise about $50 million to soften the blow of cuts to important programs. As it stands, health groups report Idaho ranks in 42nd for its tax on tobacco products, so it’s reasonable to give backers of an increase an opportunity to make their case/Idaho Press-Tribune Editorial Board. More here.

Question: Did GOP legislators abuse power by denying a hearing on the Dems' cigarette tax proposal?

Raul Labrador is an easy choice for Idaho’s 1st District congressman. He’s smart, straightforward and says what he means. He’s a strict conservative who doesn’t compromise his beliefs to get votes. In interviews, debates and discussions with this editorial board, he did not hesitate or “talk around” the answer to a question. He just gives you his take, for good or for bad. In the upcoming Congress, Idaho needs a strong conservative voice. It can’t be someone who is trying to straddle the fence and decide when to vote to the left and when to vote to the right to save his place in the Capitol/Idaho Press Tribune. More here.

Question: Do you agree/disagree with Idaho Press-Tribune editorial endorsing Raul Labrador?

It has come to my attention, in these times of partisan warfare, that we need to make a small change to the ballots used for casting votes for those who seek political office. We need to add “none of the above” to the ballot for each office. When “none of the above” wins, then there is an empty office until we receive an opportunity to vote for someone in whom we have confidence. Those who lose to “none of the above” shall never again be allowed to run for that office. While this may seem extreme, we are in extreme times/Cliff Weisgerber, Idaho Press-Tribune letter to the editor. More here.

Question: How often do you think you’d vote “none-of-the-above” if you had that choice for each race on your ballot?

On Facebook, Editor Vickie Holbrook/Idaho Press-Tribune offers a handy tip for those of you who circulate press releases to newspapers and other media: “A bit of advice for folks in the public relations business. If you want your press release read, please put a headline that says something in the subject line. If you put “press release” in the subject line, it gets mixed with the other 100 or so “press releases” an editor gets in a day. Just sayin’ …”

Question: Do you have any helpful tips re: getting your press release into local newspapers and other media?

Item: Everyone’s a winner in press partnership: The paper you’re holding was printed on Nampa’s state-of-the-art press/Idaho Statesman

More Info: The expanded printing press at the Idaho Press-Tribune is one of a kind, said Production Director Roger Stowell, who ran the Statesman’s press for years and is now in charge of printing both papers at the press in Nampa. “There isn’t anybody doing what we’re doing,” Stowell said. DGM, a printing technology company, specially manufactured parts that allow the Pennsylvania-made press to print three pages side by side, he said. Other equipment allows for color on up to 30 pages in one daily edition, Stowell said.

Question: Newspapers are doing everything they can to survive the perfect storm of a decline in readership and advertising, and a poor economy. How confident are you that the Coeur d’Alene Press and Spokesman-Review can survive?