Becky Kramer

Each year after Thanksgiving, an instant grove of evergreens sprouts from the asphalt parking lot at Runge Furniture Store. For 15 years, Mike Tuel has staked out this corner in Coeur d'Alene's midtown. The U.S. Forest Service technician will spend the next four weeks camped out in a trailer in the middle of his tree lot, hawking Christmas trees and extolling the virtues of fresh-cut evergreens.

COEUR d'ALENE – For nearly 90 years, log delivery to local mills has been North Idaho Maritime's signature business. Now, its future is tied to residential real estate development. Two weeks ago, the firm's green-and-white tugs pushed their last load of logs up the Spokane River to the Atlas Mill. The mill's owner – Stimson Lumber Co. of Portland – plans to shut down operations in December, taking about 35 percent of the tug company's business with it.

COEUR d'ALENE – Going-out-of-business signs at The Penny Candy Store elicited a succinct response Friday from Dottie Smith. "Bummer," she said. For 10 years, the Moses Lake, Wash., woman and her husband, Dave Smith, have patronized the nostalgic store at 325 E. Sherman Ave. The 400 varieties of licorice and bins of hard candy, including old-time favorites Necco Wafers and Sen-Sen breath mints, reminded Dottie Smith of her Minnesota childhood.

ST. MARIES, Idaho – Peet's Shoe Dryers has pulled the picture of a hunter from its packaging. Through the magic of Photoshop, the rugged-looking man now carries global positioning equipment instead of a rifle. The color of his coat has also changed, from hunter orange to verdant green.

Snow was falling at 49 Degrees North on Friday morning, a hopeful sign for season pass sales at the ski resort near Chewelah, Wash. A nip in the air, and a touch of white on the hills, typically turn skiers' thoughts to bargains. Forking over $200 to $500 for a season pass can translate into hundreds of dollars of savings for avid skiers and snowboarders. But buyers know it's always a gamble. During mild winters – like last year's – they can get stuck with a hefty investment during a period of brown slopes, closed runs and inferior conditions. That's why skiers and resort owners watch the skies so anxiously this time of year.

In May 1855, Allen Pinkham's ancestors arrived in Walla Walla for treaty negotiations with territorial Gov. Isaacs Stevens. A sketch by frontier artist Gustavus Sohon captured the scene: In a display of might, hundreds of Nez Perce Indians on horseback circled the small band of government officials. In the tense two weeks that followed, the Nez Perce would cede hundreds of thousands of acres to the U.S. government in return for a reservation that covered a fraction of their original homelands. Through shrewd negotiations, they retained rights to fish, hunt and dig for roots over a much larger area.

Richard G. Myers specialized in scams with a literary bent. Charismatic and debonair, the published author and former prison inmate talked women out of disability checks and inheritances, and parted men from their retirement savings, according to lawsuits filed against the former Sandpoint resident. The heart of his schemes was a forged letter from Oprah Winfrey, purportedly expressing interest in featuring one of his novels on her show. Myers promised a fast financial return to people who invested in "Little Jack," a family-values thriller about a Christian Air Force pilot on a secret mission in the Libyan desert. He told investors he needed cash to print 400,000 copies of the book before he appeared on the show. Oprah's Book Club had brought instant fame to many obscure authors, so many people believed that their original investments would multiply several times over.

The Atlas Mill, a fixture on Coeur d'Alene's waterfront, will close at the end of the year, putting 120 people out of work. Growing consumer preferences for vinyl siding and composite decking were a key factor in the decision to mothball the mill, said Andrew Miller, Stimson Lumber Co.'s chief executive officer.

COEUR d'ALENE – Medicine Man Pharmacies are promoting low-cost, generic drugs in an effort to attract new customers. Last month, the eight local pharmacies began offering 90 doses of 100 common medications for $19. The drugs include prescription medications for high blood pressure, cholesterol, arthritis, diabetes, depression and Parkinson's disease. All are generics, and many are what pharmacist Barry Feely refers to as "older generation" drugs, whose costs have come down over the years.

Don and Marie Burns were dismayed Tuesday night by the empty chairs at a public meeting on Avista Utilities' proposal to raise natural gas prices by 24 percent. "I thought they'd have a real house full," said Don Burns, a retired log scaler from Sandpoint. "I don't like to drive in the dark, but my wife and I figured this was important enough that we'd chance it."

SANDPOINT – Maryanne Joy fits Coldwater Creek Inc.'s mantra of current, but not trendy. A short, sleek hairdo complements the 52-year-old's black-framed glasses, and a crocheted sweater softens the austere lines of her tailored slacks. Joy stands out in a crowd of younger Coldwater Creek managers. She oversees the company's retail store in Rochester, N.Y., and she personifies the company's target audience — women 45 and older who are frustrated by the midriff-baring fashions in malls, and who yearn for the bygone days of deferential service once provided by department stores. Coldwater Creek captures both the style and service women of a certain age are looking for, Joy told cohorts last month during an impromptu testimonial to company Chairman Dennis Pence. "It's his company," she said. "He's trusting all of us to carry out that romance he's created."

At Coeur d'Alene Cellars, the crush passes in a rush. In a six-week sprint, the small winery will crush and press 60 tons of grapes for next year's vintages. Rosy, pale and purple-opalescent, the grapes move down conveyor belts, sorted by a volunteer crew made up of friends of the winery's five owners.

WORLEY, Idaho -- A troupe of Scottish golfers headed home Saturday after a weeklong tournament at the Coeur d'Alene Tribe's Circling Raven Golf Course. The ceremonies of bagpipes and tribal drumming are over. The friendship gifts of peace pipes and medicine sticks have been exchanged. And now, the tribe hopes, the publicity will begin. Scotland's Glasgow Herald has already featured stories on matches between the clansmen and the tribesmen. Golf Connoisseur has an article in the works. And, "the word of mouth will be tremendous," predicted Bob Bostwick, director of public relations for the tribe's casino-hotel-golf course complex near Worley.