Rep. Dennis Lake, R-Blackfoot, chairman of the House Revenue & Taxation Committee, won't run for re-election, reports Clark Corbin, reporter for the Idaho Falls Post-Register. Corbin tweeted, “He will not seek re-election. Formal announcement coming today.” Lake, 74, is in his 8th term in the House; he's an agribusinessman and former school board member who holds an accounting degree from Brigham Young University/Betsy Russell, Eye On Boise.

Question: Which member of the North Idaho delegation would you like to see retire?

But while the newspaper coverage of (Spokane Police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick's) resignation was thorough, there was one item that did not receive the attention it merits. Her age. The lady is 52. She decided it was time to retire at the ripe old age of 52. There was another telling report in the same newspaper a couple of weeks earlier that is also worth a mention. In this case it was a sports report about a very successful high school volleyball coach. The woman …  has coached for many years. Given that, the reporter asked how much longer she planned to coach. While she deflected the question, she did mention that she is eligible to retire anytime she chose. She is all of 53 years old. So the question begs. How many folks working outside of the government could even consider retirement at that age?/Dan Hammes, St. Maries Gazette-Record. More here.

Question: At what age can you afford to retire?

Some years back, I was talking to my retired college professor father-in-law about a book he was writing. A historian, Ken described its prospective contents in great deal. “Sounds like a lot of work,” I said. “Do you have a deadline?”  “Hell, no,” he replied. “I’m retired. Same here. After 36 years in the workplace, I’m now retired — and contemplating all the excellent reasons for doing nothing. Not that there’s nothing to do: My wife has a 5-gallon job-jar that formerly held pickles from Costco. It’s nearly full — and getting fuller. Victoria is still working for a living, so when she comes home each night she asks if I’ve accomplished anything that day. “Accomplished anything?” I say. “Hell no. I’m retired”/Steve Crump, Twin Falls Times News. More here.

Question: Some retirees tell me that they're busier than ever, since they stopped punching the clock. I don't think that's the norm. Do you plan to remain busy when you retired? Or kick back?

Tony La Russa retired as manager of the St. Louis Cardinals today, three days after winning a dramatic, seven-game World Series against the Texas Rangers. The 67-year-old La Russa announced his retirement at a news conference at Busch Stadium. The World Series win over Texas was the third of La Russa’s 33-year career. The manager guided the Cardinals to the championship despite being 10 1/2 games behind Atlanta on Aug. 25 for the final playoff spot in the National League. La Russa retires third on the all-time wins list, 35 behind John McGraw. In addition to this season, he won championships in Oakland in 1989 and St. Louis in 2006/Associated Press. More here. (AP file photo)

Question: Do you know someone else who quit while s/he was on top of her/his game?

A writer who chronicled the Magic Valley’s triumphs, foibles and transformations for almost three decades will retire Aug. 31. Times-News Opinion Editor Steve Crump, 59, started at the newspaper as sports editor in 1983, later serving as city editor, features editor and features writer. He has penned most of the newspaper’s editorials and edited its Opinion pages since 2007. His “Don’t Ask Me” column has appeared in the Times-News since 1990, and its “You Don’t Say” counterpart since 2008. Why call it quits now? Crump was married six years ago to a woman whose joint-custody arrangement ties her to Boise, and the couple has commuted between Twin Falls and Boise since then. “We decided the time is right to actually move in together,” Crump said/Virginia Hutchins, Twin Falls Times-News. More here.

• DFO: I'm a huge fan of Steve Crump's columns. He is a fountain of info re: the history and historical people of the Magic Valley and Idaho. His retirement creates a huge hole in the institutional knowledge of Idaho newspapers.

Question: How many newspaper columnists have you followed for decades, if any?

After 42 years in the service of the Cowles Publishing Company, long-time Editorial Page Editor Doug Floyd is memorialized by a Milt Priggee cartoon at his retirement celebration last Thursday. Milt Priggee, of course, was the long-time political cartoonist for The Spokesman-Review. You can see more of Milt Priggee's cartoons here.

North Idaho College President Priscilla Bell announced Wednesday she will retire in June 2012 at the end of her current contract. Bell was hired in February 2007 as an interim president after then-president Michael Burke stepped down, according to an NIC news release. Bell was selected in July 2007 to permanently fill the position. Bell led the college during a time of unprecedented enrollment growth and declining state revenue support, the news release said. She also led the college during the purchase of the former DeArmond Mill site and land on the Rathdrum Prairie for professional-technical expansion/Chelsea Bannach, SR. More here. (And: Official North Idaho College press release/Stacy Hudson, Press Room.

Question: What will be President Priscilla Bell's legacy at North Idaho College?

Cheers … to Tim Woodward. It's hard to imagine, but after nearly 40 years as a columnist for the Idaho Statesman, Woodward is retiring June 1. If you want to sample one of Woodward's best pieces, read the column he wrote in March describing the devastation mental illness had caused his family and how Medicaid programs have helped. It was a gutsy thing to do, but Woodward wanted Idahoans to recognize who gets hurt when the Legislature batters health care programs for the poor. Medicaid, he wrote, is “what an enlightened society does for those who weren't born as lucky as the rest of us. It doesn't just apply to 'other people.' It helps us all”/Marty Trillhaase, Lewiston Tribune. More here.

Question: Did you follow Tim Woodward's columns in the Idaho Statesman?

Sen. Joseph Lieberman, I-Conn., introduced by his wife, Hadassah, right, acknowledges a gathering before he announced that he has decided to retire and not seek a fifth term in 2012 in Stamford, Conn., Wednesday. At center is Maddy Wisse, Lieberman's granddaughter, and Rebecca Liberman-Wisse, one of his daughters. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle)

Question: How will Lieberman be remembered for his years of service in the U.S. Senate?

Facebook Friend Darrell Kerby of Bonners Ferry notes that he will turn 60 this year and his older brother turned 65 last year. Darrell figures he has about 20 years left of life more or less, adding: “It is time to savor, relax, & enjoy. What should we savor, how should we relax and what should we enjoy? We now have the “freedom” to savor everything. These last few morsels of life will be best consumed by savoring, we no longer need to wait or work for it, it's here!” Darrell goes on to ask:

Question: What should we enjoy? What is not to enjoy?

Everyone knows him as Nick Nickerson, and he was born in Spokane in 1929. That makes him 81 years old, and for 61 of those years he’s been a barber. At the end of this year, Nickerson is putting away his scissors for the last time when he retires from his job at Heads Up Barber Shop in north Spokane. “I never really wanted to do anything other than cut hair,” said Nickerson. A trim man with an engaging smile and a knack for telling a story, Nickerson is not really sure what he’s going to do after he retires. “I’m going to have all this time, I don’t know,” said Nickerson, trailing off a bit/Pia Hallenberg, SR. More here.

Question: Who cuts your hair — a barber, a beautician, someone in your family, or you yourself?

Signe Wilkinson/Philadelphia Inquirer

Lou Piniella is retiring as manager of the Chicago Cubs effective at the end of the season, the Daily News has learned. The 67-year-old Piniella, who led the Cubs to NL Central division titles in 2007 and 2008, is in the last year of his contract and has endured a particularly stressful last two seasons in which so many of his high-paid players, including outfielder Alfonso Soriano, third baseman Aramis Ramirez and pitcher Carlos Zambrano have underperformed to their salaries. This year, the Cubs are mired in fourth place, 10 1/2 games back and Piniella, who is in the last year of his contract, wanted to end to the speculation about his future for the good of the organization/New York Daily News. More here. (AP file photo of Lou Piniella and Mark McLamore arguing w/ump during Mariner years, in 2002)

Question: Which baseball manager is your all-time favorite?

Chicago Cubs manager Lou  Piniella is shown during a spring training baseball game, in Mesa, Ariz., this spring.  Piniella is going to retire at the end of the season.  Piniella announced his decision today before a game against the Astros. The 66-year-old manager says he is looking forward to spending more time with his family. See story below. (AP Photo/Morry Gash, File)

• Report: Piniella to retire at end of season/Seattle P-I Blog
  
• Montana favored to win Big Sky football title/Associated Press
  
• Kempthorne: No one anticipated large oil spill/Associated Press
• Computer tech in child porn case to appear in CdA court/Meghann Cuniff, SR
• Spokane Valley ‘popcorn’ lung lawsuit thrown out/John Langelier, KREM
• Suspect accused in damaging books w/condiments competent/Idaho Statesman
• Scientific petition seeks to spread wolves cross country/Associated Press
• Male grizzly moved from Whitefish range to Cabinets/Jim Mann, Daily Inter Lake
• Hiker killed by waking grizzly knew risk he was taking/Mead Gruver, Helena I-R
• Orbusmax Special: Kennewick couple sues to open church in home here
  

Seattle Mariners’ Ken Griffey Jr., left, and Milton Bradley share a laugh in the dugout as the team takes a lead against the Minnesota Twins in the fourth inning during a baseball game Tuesday in Seattle. Manager Don Wakamatsu told reporters at 4 p.m. that he had been informed that Griffey would be calling it quits. He was not at Safeco Field and was not expected to attend Wednesday’s game. Story here. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)

Question: Which memory do you have of Ken Griffey Jr. is your favorite?