A whopping 92 people attended the open government seminar in Coeur d'Alene last night, sponsored by IDOG, Idahoans for Openness in Government, and co-sponsored by the Spokesman-Review and the Coeur d'Alene Press. Press Managing Editor Mike Patrick told the crowd it was the first time he could remember the two competing newspapers co-sponsoring an event. Among those attending were numerous local government officials and staffers, reporters for a variety of news media, political activists, several former state legislators and lots of interested citizens. Idaho Attorney General Lawrence Wasden singled out an audience member, former state Rep. Gary Ingram (left in photo, huddling with Wasden), for special recognition: Ingram is the author of much of the Idaho Open Meeting Law/Betsy Russell, Eye On Boise. More here.

Question: What other types of events would you like to see the Coeur d'Alene Press and Spokesman-Review jointly involved in?

If they're making a decision, make yourself at home. If they're holding deliberations, pull up a chair.  But if a government entity is discussing personnel issues, say, hiring an employee or disciplining an officer, the door will be shut to civilians. No use complaining. It's the law. The open meetings law, specifically. And it's there for a reason, explained Idaho Attorney General Lawrence Wasden on Tuesday night/Alecia Warren, Coeur d'Alene Press. More here.

DFO: A standing-room-crowd of about 90 attended the three-hour forum in Coeur d'Alene last night, sponsored by the Coeur d'Alene Press and The Spokesman-Review.

After lecturing readers that it isn’t nice for little people to relish the financial calamities of the big people, like Marshall Chesrown (who recently turned over his Black Road interests to the bank, Editor Mike Patrick of the Coeur d’Alene Press goes on to opine: “If you were one of those who cheered at the front-page news, publicly or privately, we beg you to reconsider. Had the operation closed, about 150 jobs would instantly have been lost. Ask Steve Griffitts, the region’s economic development boss, what he’d give for 150 jobs today and you’d probably see Steve looking wistfully at his right arm. The Club at Black Rock isn’t just a slice of paradise for wealthy golf aficionados. It’s an important piece in North Idaho’s overall employment puzzle.” More here. (SR photo: Jesse Tinsley, Black Rock development)

Question: Did you enjoy hearing the news that Marshall Chesrown was struggling financially so much that he had to turn his Black Rock holdings over to the bank?

… that Coeur d’Alene Press Editor Mike Patrick yanked the weekly column by North Idaho College President Priscilla Bell, as a result of that dustup with the college over her pay. Seems Patrick was miffed when college spokesman John Martin complained mildly re: the accuracy of the figures used in a Press story re: Bell’s compensation. Such was Patrick’s outrage that he included this questionable sentence in his editorial today: “At the top of the list is the fact that at precisely the same time so many in the education field are having their financial tulips trimmed, Priscilla Bell’s garden is getting extra fertilizer. It’s not our fault or the public’s that fertilizer smells like, well, you know. It is what it is.” Big boys have big feelings/DFO.

Question: Did you ever read President Bell’s column?

At OpenCDA.com, the usual suspects are in full meltdown mode over Jim Brannon’s challenge to Councilman Mike Kennedy for a do-over election during the May primaries. In their usual fit of paranoia, one of the three regular commenters on the site believe the posts yesterday was my way of distancing myself from Kennedy, a regular commenter at Huckleberries Online since almost the beginning. I don’t have time to explain to the inmates at that cyber institution what constitutes news and what doesn’t online. The thread was suppose to address the reason for Brannon writing the challenge letter to Kennedy. But quickly degenerated into a critique of the current “Coffee with the Mayor” program, featuring Press Editor Mike Patrick and myself. Ah, I came out a bit on the short end of the critiques, as you might imagine. ‘Tis nice to know that I still live large in the alleged minds of the OpenCDA.com denizens. OpenCDA.com link here.

DFO: BTW, you’ll notice that Gookin hopped onto the thread above by saying he doesn’t expect to have “Coffee with the Mayor” until “we get a Mayor who represents the entire town, not just her own personality cult.”

Question: Have you seen this months’ “Coffee with the Mayor” program, featuring Mike Patrick and me? What did you think? 

Editor Mike Patrick, CDA Press: When we had coffee at Java awhile back, you asked me if I had any problem with your linking to our stories. The online landscape has changed since then and we’re going to be doing some new things. Please stop linking to Press stories and photos, effective tomorrow.

DFO: bad form on 2 levels, mike. first, you can’t block a site from linking to you. secondly, you have no idea how much traffic huckleberries sends to your site via the links. however, i will stop using your photos. which is a loss for your photographers who get solid exposure from my site. effective tomorrow, i’ll stop posting your photos and would suggest that you put a note on them for ap purposes that the sr isn’t to use them — dfo

Patrick: Ever the gentleman, Dave. I should have expected as much.

Question: What do you think of this development?