Nic Athletics Don’t Deserve ‘Junior Varsity’ Funding

It’s nothing new that a loose cannon who propagandizes weekly (or is that weakly?) in the Coeur d’Alene Press wants North Idaho College sports to be cut. The Brand X columnist has ridden this hobbyhorse for years. Maybe he doesn’t like the crowds that basketball rivals NIC and College of Southern Idaho attract to his Fort Grounds neighborhood. Or maybe he doesn’t want his boss’s tourism empire to share its glory with the nationally recognized NIC wrestling team. Unfortunately, the scribe’s braying has struck a note in this belt-tightening era, and his buddies are clamoring to transform the top-notch NIC athletic program into a glorified high school one - to save a pittance. NIC trustees have scheduled a public workshop Saturday to discuss the issue. They must be careful not to be stampeded by one man’s crusade. Many of us would rather see NIC’s sports shows on cold winter nights than another vo-ed class churning out low-wage jobs.

Coeur d’Alene school officials up to old tricks

Coeur d’Alene school officials have a nasty habit of stacking committees when it serves their purpose. The recent “search” for two elementary principals is a perfect case in point. The selection committee for the Dalton Elementary School principal consisted of an outside principal, three teachers, three parents and (for some reason) a school secretary. At Borah, the inmates had a bigger edge: a principal, three teachers, a school secretary, a counselor - and three parents. It must be nice being able to choose your own boss. But the public isn’t well-served by the process. The two recommendations forwarded to district trustees for approval should be sent back to the drawing board, and legitimate committees should be named to review them.

Kootenai County shirking teen-crisis duty

Strangely, Kootenai County officials squawk about Post Falls maintaining its own 911 emergency system. But they never say a thing about Post Falls taxpayers footing the bill for the county’s Teen Help Line. That’s right. A troubled kid dials the hotline and gets the Post Falls Police Department. PFPD Blue generally dispatches calls to on-call counselors, but dispatchers have the ability to listen in on the conversations. Teens rarely want to deal with cops when they’re facing a personal crisis. The countywide 911 center, for all the money we pump into it, should provide this service. Or the juvenile detention center. Meanwhile, kudos go to Post Falls for handling the sensitive calls for the past three years without complaint.

, DataTimes MEMO: “Hot Potatoes” is a feature of the Tuesday and Thursday Opinion pages.