• Last Week Poll: 107 of 259 respondents (41.31%) to a vacation poll last week said their favorite summer event in Coeur d'Alene is when the tourists leave. 74 of 259 respondents (28.57%) listed Art on the Green as their second favorite event, followed by 42 respondents (16.22%) who enjoy Fourth of July activities most; 20 respondents (7.72%) who favored Coeur d'Alene Ironman; and 16 respondents (6.18%) who enjoyed Car d'Lane most.
• Today's Poll: What should be done with state Sen. John McGee, if he's found guilty of the charges against him (DUI & grand theft auto)?

• Weekend Poll: An almost supermajority opposes the possibility of a tax hike to pay for proposed upgrades to McEuen Field. 158 of 245 respondents (64.5%) oppose any tax increase to pay for the changes. 18 respondents (7.35%) are willing to pay up to $10 more per year to improve the greenbelt. 23 (9.4%) are willing to pay $10-25 more; 31 (12.65%), $25-50 more; and 15 (6.12%), more than $50 more.
• Tebow Rule: 115 of 207 respondents (55.56%) say the NCAA went too far when it banned players from wearing eye black with messages on them, as former Florida QB Tim Tebow did (w/Scripture verses including John 3:16). 87 of 207 respondents (42.03%) agreed with the new rule. 5 were undecided.
• Today's Question: Do you consider “tourist” to be a dirty word?

JohnA: I’m a Chamber of Commerce guy when it comes to tourists, as I know the economic impact they provide to the area. It’s just that by the end of August we’re ready for a break from the hordes. We don’t mind sharing paradise but it’s great when we finally get our peace and quiet back. That’s our September reward, and like many locals, we look forward to it.

DFO: I’ll confess that I’m tired to death of having tourists all over our waterfront and downtown. Mrs. O & I drove thru downtown Cda en route to our customary walk along the north shore. I’d thought that the deluge of tourists had subsided because we were turning the corner to fall. But downtown was packed. The waterfront less so. We’ll have to wait for Labor Day.

Question: Are you tired of tourists and visitors overrunning the waterfront?

• Weekend Poll: Area residents have an ambivalent feeling re: tourists. A plurality of 73 of 187 respondents (39%) said that tourists make they realize how fortunate they are to live in North Idaho. However, 57 of 187 (30.5%) view tourists as “a necessary evil” to help our economy, and 27 of 187 (14.4%) say tourists ruin their summer. Of the other two options, only 17 of 187 (9.1%) said they enjoy tourists, and 13 of 187 (7%) said they first saw North Idaho as tourists.
• Today’s Poll: Who should KVNI hire to replace Rick & Teresa Lukens as  morning news anchor?
  

• Thursday Poll: Only 24 of 134 respondents (18%) said they were part of full Hispanics — or have members of their extended family who are. 101 of 134 respondents (75%) said there is no Hispanic blood in their family.
• Today’s Question: What do you think of tourists in North Idaho?
  

“Few things surprise me but this license plate holder did today on 4th St. in Coeur d’Alene,” writes Kerri Thoreson on her Facebook page. “In the height of tourist season in a depressed economy, it seemed particularly hostile. Add in the fact that this car boasted a couple of bumper stickers touting Vote Environment and Idaho Conservation League, was a head shaker. Hug a tree but shoot tourists? Wow.”

Question: Is this bumpersnicker something that causes you to snicker? Or something that irritates you?

In the “Kids Say The Darndest Things” department, Ryan Brodwater tells of a conversation that he had with son, Bailey, Saturday night: “Bailey asked me why tourists want to do bad things to us,” begins Ryan. ”I said they don’t, and he replied, ‘Then why did they crash into those skyscrapers?’ It’s crazy to me that he even thinks about that, considering it happened about two weeks before he was born.”

Question: What other bad things do “tourists” do?

Stickman: Money doesn’t always equal good. I hate them in a sense. I love the winter months, when no one is around. This time of year, they all come out of the woodwork and want to look good. I call them ‘fancy dancers’, it’s all for show and how much they have. This town has become a rich man’s environment and will continue to do so. I doubt many locals like this time of year. I sure don’t. Many say growth is progress, but I strongly disagree. I will take the Coeur d’ Alene of the late 80’s and early 90’s over what we have today. Of course it was a depressed town and people were struggling, but what we have today is far different from what I envisioned when I first moved here. I still love it here and always will, but I surely don’t like where it’s heading.

Question: What do you think of tourist season in North Idaho? And/or: Do you prefer 21st century Coeur d’Alene to the 1980s/1990s version?