Item: Judge dismisses flag desecration charge/AP

More Info: One student said he had his Mexican flag taken away and put in the garbage by gym instructor Clint Straatman, who later also resigned. Luker said he was responding to Straatman's action and to what he said was the school administration's indifference to general mistreatment of Hispanic students.

Question: Was this a good conclusion to this controversial case?

I've decided not to post any new questions today re: the HBO Book Club discussion of William Young's "The Shack." With the horrific testimony and video today re: Joseph Duncan's torture of Dylan Groene, I thought it best to wait until tomorrow to continue the discussion. Or Monday, depending on what happens in the Boise court tomorrow. I'm hoping against hope that this goes to jury early tomorrow and jurors deliberate only minutes before deciding on execution. Now, for your Wild Card ...

Kerri Thoreson/OnLocation North Idaho
"The Budweiser Clysdale team will parade daily at the North Idaho Fair (check the info booth when you get there for the times of their parades and outings)," posts Kerri Thoreson/OnLocation North Idaho. "You don't have to be a beer drinker to appreciate the massive majesty of these incredible creatures."

Trey Morgan and his wife recently celebrated their 20th anniversary. His post got me to thinking about our 20th coming up in two years. Specifically, I've been pondering some kind of celebratory anniversary trip. I mean, that's a special event. How many marriages make it to twenty years these days? My wife and I deserve to sit on a beach or by a pool for making it this far together! I have two years to save my spare change in the plastic five-gallon animal cracker jar underneath my desk/Family Phil/A Family Runs Through It. More here.

HBO Numbers (for Wednesday, Aug. 20): 9486 page-views/4986 unique views.

*What's the buzz?/Get Out! North Idaho
*Biting the hand that feeds you/Kellogg Bloggin'
*'The Shack'/Simple Mind
*End of era at SR?/Bay Views
*How much worse can Mariners season get?/Atmospheric Ruminations
*The veep as spouse/Dogwalk Musings
*A day to vent/Live, Love, Laugh, Hope
*Confessions of a mommy blogger/Notes on a Napkin

Question: Where would you suggest Family Phil take Mrs. Family Phil for a 20th wedding anniversary get-away?

I couldn't resist nabbing one of those yellow head bands that Congressman Bill Sali hands out at fairs. I didn't steal it, fuhcryinoutloud. While I was visiting DuaneR, Rep. Phil Hart, Jim Hollingsworth and Fred Ostermayer in the R booth last night, I saw a stack of them back in the corner. I wanted one for my office memorabilia collection. (Yeah, I have one of those Hillary Nutcracker figures, too.)

Question: I know the head bands are clever advertising devises because kids like to wear them around (although I didn't see anyone doing so last night). But aren't they a bit tacky?

Question:

Joseph Duncan took the witness stand, but had nothing to say. “I have no statement prepared, I was just intending to sit and answer whatever questions the government might have,” Duncan said. The judge called for a short recess, and the jury was led out. “Mr. Duncan, are you going to call any other witnesses?” Judge Lodge asked Duncan. “No,” Duncan responded. “We need to rest in the presence of the jury, so we’ll bring the jury back in,” the judge said/Betsy Russell, Eye On Boise. More here.

Video played for jurors (warning: graphic)

Thursday Roundup:
*Today's Twitter coverage/Meghann Cuniff
*Didn't need 90 witnesses, after all
*Jury gets instructions
*Judge denies motion for reconsideration
*Jury sees beam, wire noose
*'Not by jury of peers but by victims'
*Groene files motion on video
*Looming: The cabin video

4:13 p.m. Utility line down on Fernan Lake Road, approximately 1 mile from Fernan Village.
4:03 p.m. Man in two-tone pickup driving north on 4th Street, holding a 6-month-old child on lap.
2:27 p.m. A female has suffered neck and face injuries after being hit by something in a boating accident. She's in a pontoon boat at Cave Bay Update: Woman with neck abrasion and having trouble breathing transported to hospital.
1:20 p.m. T-bone accident blocking west-bound traffic at Atlas Road and Seltice Way. Toyota Avalon T-boned Honda Civic. Extrication equipment being used. Update: Driver of T-boned car is conscious and complaining of shoulder injury. He's being taken by ambulance to KMC.
12:10 p.m. Just heard from colleague Amy Cannata that hail is coming down so hard in the Spokane Valley that I-90 traffic is at a stand still.
11:47 a.m. A vehicle in the Worley area is traveling northbound in the southbound lane of Highway 95.
11:39 a.m. Injury accident on Prairie Avenue and Highway 95. A female motorist suffered minor injuries.
10:16 a.m. A truck, possibly a dump truck, is on its top in a ditch, north of CamRose Lane on Atlas. No injuries.
8:31 a.m. A customer in the Twin Lakes Trading Post was spotted a short while ago possibly smoking pot in a maroon SUV in the parking with someone in a dark Honda Accord. The Accord has left the parking lot.

Those concerns are hard enough on editors. But all of us know that we are probably the least secure people in any newsroom. We serve at the pleasure of publishers whose vision of the future may well conflict with our own. Most of us know we’re one heated argument away from the “resignation to pursue other interests.” Many editors have drawn their own line in the sand, “this far and no more.” Increasingly those editors have had to face that line and decide if they really mean it. Many did mean it and are gone/Steve Smith, Still A Newspaperman. More here.

Question: As a boss, have you ever had to lay off someone?

Twitter: Duncan said he has no statement. "I was just going to sit and answer any questions that the government might have," he said. 14 minutes ago from web
/Meghann Cuniff, SR. More here.

Court adjourns for day

While the video was shown, the jurors showed extreme distress. Some of them were crying, sobbing and shaking. The men on the jury appeared to be filled with rage, and the veins in their temples were bulging/KTVB. More here (caution: graphic).

Christopher Anderson/SR
A fast moving thunderstorm dumps rain and hail over Spokane Washington Thursday August 21, 2008. The storm left almost an inch of hail in the Spokane Valley, causing a rash of traffic accidents. The photo was taken looking east from the Palisades Park area atop the Sunset Hill.

*UI, WSU won't sign drinking-age initiative/Moscow-Pullman Daily News
*Montana parents sue over high school son's death at football practice/Missoulian
*Search for CDA man takes to the skies/KXLY
*Sunnier skies on way after lunch hour storm/SR
*Boise soldier to plead guilty to desertion charge/Idaho Statesman
*Huge landslide spills into Columbia River/Tri-City Herald
*Idaho city mulls ban on pit bulls/KTVB
*Classified trouble cause revenue plunge for Statesman owner/KTVB
*Moscow roofer survives lightning storm/Moscow-Pullman Daily News

Orbusmax Special: National publisher kills Spokane journalist's book for fear of Muslim retaliation here.

Editor and Publisher (the newspaper industry’s trade publication) reports that the Idaho Falls Post-Register has given notice to the AP that it will drop the service in two years, in August 2010. Anyone familiar with how the mews media actually work will know this to be a shocker, and maybe an indicator of one of the places where newspapers are going in years to come. The Post-Register is independently and locally owned, which on one hand mean its financial pressures (still quite real) probably are less than at many chain newspapers. But it also means the paper is more flexible, and may be looking at options still burbling through some chain bureaucracies/Randy Stapilus, Ridenbaugh Press. More here.

*Action Alert: Hallmark unveils same-sex card/IVA
*Spud State blog rundown/43rd State Blues
*Demo think tanks promote reforestation/Rocky Barker
*Yard sales for Sali/Bill Sali Blog
*McCain's houses/Clayton Cramer
*Obama & Biden? Say it ain't so/Dennis Mansfield
*Partially dissecting Sali's mailing/MountainGoat Report

We didn't ask that the video be shown. The decision to show the video in court was made by Judge Lodge. If the tape had not been placed in evidence, we certainly wouldn't have sought it out. I know emotion clouds the larger issues. But our view is that courts are open to citizens. That is our system of justice. Holding back evidence shown in court isn't censorship. It violates constitutional protections in place to ensure the justice system works and defendants receive a fair trial. If we were simply interested in sensationalism. You would be seeing a lot more detail in our reporting.

A few minutes ago, Cabbage Boy asked why the SR demanded that the Duncan's twisted video be shown. You can hear the answer straight from the horse's mouth. Eye On Boise blogger Betsy Russell and Smith will be on Rebecca Mack's On The Record at 11:05 on KJRB-790 AM. Or click on the SRadio bug at the right sometime after the show when it's posted.

Walt Minnick and his family do not live in the Second Congressional District. They live in the First. Moreover, they have owned property (and paid property taxes) in the First Congressional District, near their current home, for 25 years. Their plans have been to build a new home on that property, but like many people they have been unable to sell an old home, which is in the Second District. When it sells, they will begin construction on the new home, just down the road from their current residence outside Boise in the First District.

Paul Sancya/AP Photo File
NFL Players Association executive director Gene Upshaw talks with reporters in Detroit, in this Thursday, Feb. 2, 2006 file photo. The Hall of Fame football player and longtime NFL Players Association executive director Upshaw died Wednesday, according to the NFL players' union. The former offensive lineman had been fighting pancreatic cancer. He was 63. Upshaw played with the Oakland and Los Angeles Raiders from 1967 until 1981. He was a seven-time Pro Bowl selection and an 11-time All-Pro.

Question: Who is your favorite retired NFL player?

Item: Tri-City Herald reporter finds out just how many rides she could go on after gorging on fair food/Laura Kate Zaichkin, Tri-City Herald

More Info: I thought my personal trainer was going to have a heart attack when I told her my story assignment for Wednesday. "I'm eating as much fair food as I possibly can," I said as she turned several shades of furious red. "And then after I'm done stuffing myself, I'm going to ride the carnival rides and try not to puke."

Question (choose): What's your favorite fair food? Or ... have you ever puked after going on a carnival/Silverwood ride?

Keith Johnson/Deseret News, AP
Davis County Commissioner Alan Hansen kisses "Reno", a quarter horse owned by Scott Bass who works for the county, in Farmington, Ut., Tuesday. I'll tell you why later. You write the cutline.

The Idaho Republican Party has learned Democrat Walter Minnick, a candidate for Idaho’s 1st Congressional District, paid his 2008 property taxes earlier this year and claimed a property tax exemption for his primary residence, located in Idaho’s 2nd Congressional District. Norm Semanko, Chairman of the Idaho Republican Party, commented, “It reminds me of ‘Where’s Waldo?’ Where is Walter Minnick’s primary place of residence? Does he live at the location where he’s registered to vote? Or does he live at the location where he’s claiming a property tax exemption of $100,000? Where’s Walter’s house?”/Sid Smith, Idaho GOP executive director. More here.

Question: Does it matter whether Demo Walt Minnick lives in the 2nd District or whether Repub Bill Sali has an office in the 2nd District?

Hat Tip: Adam's Blog

Authorities are worried a tainted batch of illegal drugs has found its way to Spokane. The clue: Several reports of disoriented individuals stripping naked and defecating in public without any recollection of what they'd just done/Jody Lawrence-Turner. More here.

The deadline for filing a declaration of candidacy for the two open positions on the North Idaho College Board of Trustees is 5 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 2. NIC is governed by a five-member board of trustees elected from within Kootenai County for staggered terms. Seat A and Seat B, currently held by Judy Meyer and Mic Armon respectively, will appear on this year’s general election ballot during Idaho’s general election. Both positions are four-year terms/NIC Press Release. More here.

Question: Who do you think community conservatives will run against Mic and Judy?

Taryn Hecker/SR Prairie Voice
Satchwell Farms Manager Wade McLean shows how tall the peppermint has grown in his field off Hayden Avenue. "Peppermint grows up, falls down and grows up again," the 58-year-old farmer said. "About the second or third time it grows is when you cut it." Harvest begins next week. Prairie Voice story by Taryn Hecker/SR here.

*Idaho Records/Sherry Adkins, SR
*Showers, cool temperatures in forecast/Jody Lawrence-Turner, SR
*Wind, rain don't dampen spirits on fair's opening day/Alecia Warren, CDA Press
*Prairie Voice columns: Huckleberries: Common ground found in water/DFO; Spirit Lake ready for centennial celebration/Mary Jane Honegger; and Program helps people through grieving process/Cindy Hval
*Hearing for Kyra Wine's alleged abuser Sept 12/Tim Trainor, St. Maries Gazette-Record
*LCDC looks to September meetings/Tom Hasslinger, CDA Press
*Schwan's delivery driver killed in crash w/dump truck/SR
*Harrison councilman encourages development/Tom Greene, CDA Press

DFO: Remember to pick up you Prairie Voice today at local businesses throughout Kootenai County

Shawn Gust/Coeur d'Alene Press, AP
Silas Bryant, 2, gets close to Jack, a great horned owl, held by Ryan Jordan Wednesday at the Idaho Fish and Game exhibit at the Kootenai County Fairgrounds in Coeur d'Alene.

Question: If you went to the fair on opening day, what did you enjoy most about it?

Who should Barack Obama choose as his running mate?/Idaho Statesman.

*Sen. Hillary Clinton
*Sen. Joe Biden
*Gov. Tim Kaine
*Michael Phelps
*Other

Using Twitter, she covered the opening arguments in short 140-word bursts. For those following, it was addictive, enormously compelling. On day one 60-some people were “following,” in Twitter parlance. But we nearly tripled that by Friday. Now that isn’t much. But I’ve heard from many, including an FBI agent involved in the initial investigations, that the Twitter reporting was more than interesting, it was insightful, contextual. We pulled Meghann from Boise last night. Leaving her there for three or four weeks is impossibly expensive, especially in service to only 180 people. But we’ll likely send her back for the closing arguments and verdict/Steve Smith, Still A Newspaperman. More here.

DFO: Meghann Cuniff will be back in the courtroom at 11 a.m. today to continue Twittering the Duncan hearing.

Question: Do you think Twitter has a future in the news biz?

Throughout the testimony thus far in the Joseph Duncan sentencing trial, there’s been a specter looming over the courtroom: The cabin video, which everyone knows will be shown to jurors at some point. It may happen today. The contents of the video, made by Duncan of his sexual abuse of a 9-year-old boy at an old cabin near the remote campsite where he held two children captive, are so graphic and disturbing that 325 prospective jurors were quizzed about it in their jury questionnaire and it was an issue in jury selection/Betsy Russell, Eye On Boise. More here.

Related: Groene files motion re: video

Signe Wilkinson/Philadelphia Inquirer

In Groene’s motion, filed today, he asked that the video, which shows Duncan abusing 9-year-old Dylan before the child’s murder, be shown only on individual monitors rather than on the court’s projection screen; that only one designated reporter be allowed to view the video, and no members of the public; and that “descriptions in the press that discuss what the videotape depicts be limited to the subject matter necessary for the public, through the press, to understand the death penalty process, comprehend what evidence has been presented to the jury for its consideration, and observe the impact that the playing of the video has on the trial participants including the jury, counsel and the defendant”/Betsy Russell, Eye On Boise. More here.

It's time to break this thing down for the day and head to the fair. I hope to see some of you out there. I'm taking Mrs. O and my 83-year-old mother. So you have to say nice things about me, if you see me in one of the barns or eating huckleberry ice cream (the only treat that I allow myself at the fair). I'll leave this Wild Card behind for those of you who are hanging near home tonight ...

David Zalubowski/AP Photo
Scott Kwasny, front, joins Duke Austin and Christian Wright in wearing American flag bandanas across their mouths as they join other members of the Alliance for Real Democracy, a coalition of protest groups, to outline their plans for protests at the Democratic National Convention during a news conference outside the Pepsi Center in Denver on Wednesday. The arena will play host to the Democratic National Convention starting on Monday. One of the issues is that protesters are being kept too far away from the convention venue.

I ran into a well-known local elected official the other day wearing suspenders and a belt. I'm not sure I'm OK with that. Oh, I know that 80 percent of middle-aged men in Idaho need suspenders, but mixing means of support is a little like topping a ribeye steak with two scoops of homemade peach ice cream. See, there are two distinct styles of wearing trousers in this country: Texas-style, which means the belt rides underneath the belly, and Florida-style, which is hiked up under the armpits/Steve Crump, Twin Falls Times-News. More here.

Question: 'Fess up. Have you ever -- or would you ever -- wear suspenders in public?

To wear both suspenders and a belt smacks of no self-confidence, as if you can't trust the end to justify the jeans.

In some reviews, "The Shack" by William P. Young is likened to Paul Bunyan's "Pilgrim's Progress." The Young fiction focuses on a grieving Oregonian's return to the site of his daughter's murder, after she is abducted from his camp site in the Northwest. You'll recognize such geographic places as Multnomah Falls. Where an old legend harkens back to the Christian understanding of Calvary. At "The Shack," where the daughter is murdered, Mack has a close encounter with the Godhead in three unusual personas. JeanieSpokane has provided a list of questions, which I'll sprinkle into today's discussion. You can get straight to this post at any time by clicking on the HBO Book Club bug on the left rail.

Previous discussion threads

Question No. 9: What were some of the things The Shack teaches about God, faith and life that you disagreed with?

Jesse Tinsley/SR
Sydney Graczyk, 7, tries to hang on while the mechanical bull spins and bucks Wednesday at the North Idaho Fair. The annual event kicked off with livestock competitions, a carnival and motocross racings.

*Woman sues CDA in crash w/patrol car/SR
*Thirtymile commander sentenced to work release/SR
*Walker no-heights in pole vault/SR
*Idaho charter schools get $3.4M/KTVB
*Review: Tax Commission didn't break laws with tax breaks/Idaho Statesman
*Kempthorne: Western Gulf drilling might lead to more domestic oil/Idaho Statesman
*Ex-McCall councilman gets probation for theft, burglary/KTVB
*Police concerned tainted drugs on streets/SR

Kathryn Grim/Medill News Services, AP
Ron Paul supporters march down Constitution Avenue to Capitol Hill in Washington July 12 to hold an all-day rally. Paul supporters will hold a second march on Sept. 2 at the Target Center in Minneapolis. You write the cutline.

Top Cutlines

1. When I first started seeing his signs, I thought Ron Paul was a realtor with a penchant for dilapidated buildings -- Sisyphus.
2. HBO takes a break from the Olympics to celebrate Ron Paul’s 73rd birthday- happy birthday Ron Paul - you old geezer – now go away -- Poolman.
3. At least they're crossing with the light -- Shoestring.

HM: Pecky

Joseph Duncan has formally and vehemently objected to his first piece of prosecution evidence – and it’s the most grisly evidence presented in the case so far, a fair-sized piece of his victim’s skull, with 9-year-old Dylan’s lush, strawberry blond hair. “Objection overruled,” U.S. District Judge Edward Lodge responded, and the evidence was admitted. Jurors had just seen a photo of the piece of the child’s remains, described by FBI Special Agent Mike Sotka as a skullcap/Betsy Russell, Eye On Boise. More here.

Joseph Duncan trial roundup:
*Tiny fragments all that was left
*Steep, rugged, heavy forest
*Duncan questions forensics expert
*Expert: Dylan's stomach wound wasn't fatal

Schwann's truck driver Steven Aune, 48, was killed in a two-vehicle crash this morning on state Highway 3 at Lane Road (M/P 109.5) when he failed to yield from a stop sign at Lane Road onto State Highway 3 at milepost 109.5. He entered the highway and was struck by a northbound dump truck driven by Donald Hanks, 71 of St. Maries. Aune was pronounced deceased at the scene. Hanks was taken to Kootenai Medical Center with injuries. Investigation continues by the Idaho State Police. ISP report here.

Courtesy: Bret & Lori Skinner
A Naples, Idaho, couple has listed on eBay a 1951 Chevrolet pickup they say belonged to Randy Weaver just before his August 1992 stand off with federal authorities on Ruby Ridge, 16 years ago Thursday. Bret and Lori Skinner say they’ll include with the six-cylinder manual-transmission truck a registration certificate showing that Weaver owned it from September 1990 to May 1992. Story by SReporter Alison Boggs here.

Question: Would you want to own memorabilia from Ruby Ridge?

10:28 a.m. T-bone accident at M/P 110 on Highway 3 (near Killarney Lake road) involving a dump truck and a Schwanns truck. St. Maries Fire has been called to scene for extrication. Med*Star has launched. One driver is unconcious in vehicle. Update: One driver declared dead.

2:17 p.m. R/P says a neighbor's two pitbulls as harassing his horses @ McGuire Road & Echo Drive, Post Falls.
2 p.m. CDA woodcutter Daniel Varner, 54, remains missing. KCSD news release.
1:43 p.m. R/P says someone is shooting off fireworks from the back of a car at St. Anthony's & 16th, Post Falls area.

I love Jim Risch. Ok, ok...I like Jim Risch. But he's reminding me a lot of Carmen Sandiego these days. ... Hmmm ... maybe I should say, I love Jim Risch's politics. 'Cause saying that "I HEART Jim Risch" is a little like saying "I HUG porcupines". It's just a little bit difficult to embrace or be embraced by him, at times. Even campaign babies can tend to flinch ... It just ain't his style. And it works ... sort of. Look, Jim's always been there for conservative causes and he's Idaho's pro-life champion ... few compare with him. Very few. What he does do, really well, is to show up and debate. He's the MAJOR GENERAL of issues.
And right now,he is AWOL on debates/Dennis Mansfield. More here.

*Graham: At least you know where Sali stands/Bill Sali Blog
*Idaho Falls today, home of hate speech yesterday/Political Game
*Idaho's last glacier disappears/Rocky Barker
*Washington Top 2 changes/Randy Stapilus
*McCain has to be led by the base/IVA
*The strange matter of John McCain/Idaho Chooses Life

Question: Is it significant that diehard conservatives like Dennis Mansfield and former state representative Gary Ingram are urging Repub Lt. Gov. Jim Risch to participate in more debates?

SReporter Meghann Cuniff told me just now that she's headed back to Boise Thursday morning to Twitter the Duncan trial again. She guaranteed me that she'll be back posting blow-by-blow accounts of the sentencing hearing by 11 o'clock PDT. Also, she sez that some expect the hearing phase of the trial to wind up shortly.

Notwithstanding the above, most newspaper editors are fighting desperately to retain local staff. If I can save $400,000 by dropping AP, I may avoid additional staff reductions in the coming year. Why wouldn’t I trade wire dispatches from Bangladesh for local news reporters? The current economic climate gives me no choice, irrespective of my concerns for rates and content. A rate reduction of $30,000 dollars, give or take, won’t save a single job/Steve Smith, Still A Newspaperman. More here.

DFO: As you can see, SR Editor Steve Smith has returned to the blogosphere with a new blog, Still A Newspaperman. Recently, he retired his SR News Is A Conversation blog. This is his personal blog. As you can see, he continues to pull the curtain back on important decision he must make that will affect the SR. I've posted a link to Still A Newspaperman in main blog roll in the right rail. You can read an E&P post about the pending decision here (H/T, Sam).

Question: Should the SR drop its SR wire in favor of newspaper exchanges which will provide more news and photos of the Northwest in the paper?

Item: Gregoire, Rossi advance in Washington for rematch of controversial 2004 contest/Rich Roesler & Jim Camden, SR

More Info: Gregoire, the incumbent Democrat, took an early lead over Rossi as counties around the state reported their ballots. But she was polling just under 50 percentage points, and Rossi was trailing her by 3 percentage points or less throughout the night, as eight other would-be governors battled for electoral scraps.

Spokane County results and: SR coverage

Question: Who do you want to win the rematch between Demo Gov. Chris Gregoire and Repub Dino Rossi?

It matters little, therefore, that Sali's downtown campaign office is on the District 2 side of that line. What matters more is signaled by the defense that Sali's spokesman Wayne Hoffman offers for it. "It's a convenient location," Hoffman says, "and it's a centralized location where people can interact easier with the congressional office." It isn't easy, though, to see why having the campaign office close to Sali's taxpayer-financed congressional office would prove convenient for many people - other than Hoffman himself. That's because Sali has taken the unusual step of using his congressional spokesman also as his campaign spokesman/Jim Fisher, Lewiston Tribune. More here.

Question: Do you see a problem with Congressman Bill Sali using his office spokesman, Wayne Hoffman, for his campaign, too?

Young Kwak/AP Photo
Ellreese Daniels, left, his attorney Tina Hunt, center, and an unidentified man arrive at federal court for sentencing in Spokane earlier today. A firefighting crew boss at the time, Daniels was charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter and seven felony counts for making false statements with relation to the deaths of four firefighters during a wildfire in 2001. Daniels made a plea agreement with prosecutors pleading guilty to two misdemeanor counts of making false statements to investigators.

**Body of former UMontana dean found in lake, and: Kriley's death 'huge loss'/Missoulian.
*Deaconess sale OK'd/SR
*Court: Independents' lawyers may intervene in GOP primary lawsuit/Idaho Statesman
*Vietnam War hero dies in Boise/Idaho Statesman
*Obama opens campaign office in Boise/KTVB
*State extends UI lease on valuable land/Twin Falls Times-News
*Wyoming voter turnout below average/Billings Gazette
*Mountain lions killed in small Montana towns/Missoulian

I can't help but feel sorry for Chris, Laura and the other North Idaho Fair officials who have worked so hard to put on another great show -- only to run head on into inclement weather today. So goes the best laid plans to mice and fair officials. On Sunday, I encountered the other extreme when I helped out at a wedding at 4 o'clock when the temperature was above 100 degrees on a shadeless part of the Gonzaga campus. Fortunately, the bride and the groom didn't seem to notice.

Question: When did a weather swing, one way or another, ruin an event that you'd been looking forward to?

Chuck Burton/AP, IOPP Pool
Natalie du Toit, of South Africa, center, removes her prosthetic leg before the start of the women's marathon swimming during the Beijing 2008 Olympics in Beijing earlier today. Portugal's Daniela Inacio, left, and Italy's Martina Grimaldi, right, look on.

Seems the Wall Street Journal quietly corrected it's story re: the list of millionaires in each state. Remember? For a short time, WSJ had Idaho ranked No. 5 in a Monday story. In fact, the respected newspaper made an issue of it in this line: "In fifth place was Idaho. That’s right Idaho." Seems WSJ meant Illinois, not Idaho. Those East Coast types are always getting us mixed up with another "I" state. Usually, it's Iowa, however. WSJ changed the story after a coupla commenters from Illinois questioned Idaho's rank. Idawa and others at HBO were all over the miscue. Frankly, I can't tell for sure from the tables or the thread discussion where Idaho ranks. Idawa has us pegged at 47th with 5000 millionaires. All I know for sure is that I'm not one of them.

At 18, posts Unequivocal Notion:

*You can wear the uniform of your country and fight in its wars -- you should be able to imbibe a beer if you so choose.
*You are legally obligated to any contract you sign -- you should be able to order a rum & coke at the bar.
*You are granted the ability to vote, one of the most sacred rights of our country -- you should be able to enjoy a bottle of wine with your family.
*You commit a crime, our law system considers you an adult, fully aware and responsible for the repercussions of your actions -- you should be able to order a frothy brew with your burger & fries. More here.

Question: Agree? Disagree?

Item: Chiefs, Shock, Indians bolster Spokane claims of being top Minor League venue/Rod Harwood, Coeur d'Alene Press

More Info: The Spokane Chiefs won the franchise's second Memorial Cup (2008, 1991), the first time an American team has won the Memorial Cup in 10 years. ... THE NO. 1 seeded Spokane Shock are one game away from winning their second ArenaCup, the best of the best in arenafootball2. ... Then, there's the Northwest League Eastern-Division leading Spokane Indians. The Texas Rangers affiliate is seven games out front of Boise.

Question: How often do you attend sporting events in Spokane -- for the Chiefs, Shock, or Indians?

Item: University of Idaho College of Law touts gains in women, minorities/AP

More Info: The University of Idaho College of Law is a lot more diverse than it used to be. Administrators at the college in Moscow report that women made up more than 49 percent of the 2007 class, a total that exceeds the average for all law schools accredited by the American Bar Association.

Question: Some would like to see a second Idaho law school established in Boise. Would you support that idea?

Jesse Tinsley/SR
Miles Moore guides his R33 catamaran, which he uses for sailing lessons and cruises, across Lake Coeur d'Alene by himself Tuesday. The weather turned from miserably hot Monday to cool and breezy Tuesday, chasing many away from the lakeshore and signaling the coming change of seasons.

*Idaho Records/Sherry Adkins, SR
*North Idaho Fair kicks off today/Thomas Clouse, SR
*Gregoire, Rossi advance in Washington/Rich Roesler & Jim Camden, SR
*Duncan alternately kind, cruel, Shasta says/Betsy Russell, SR
*Scientists harvest samples together to reduce human error/Alecia Warren, CDA Press
*North Idaho housing starts follow national trend/Amanda Winters, CDA Press