Politicians Are Preservationists About Their Jobs
A Huckleberry Past caused CdA Councilman Mike McDowell to see red. You know, the one that painted Mike as less than environmentally minded. At first, I couldn’t figure out why he was upset. No one on the CdA council would be mistaken for an Earth Firster. Then, I realized that Mike’s facing re-election. ‘Tis the season that local pols grow a green thumb to prove their environmental moderation. Some even talk about “quality of life” and attend Kootenai Environmental Alliance luncheons. Hypocrisy? Maybe. But the tactic works. Ask Kootenai County Commissioner Bob Macdonald. In this year of environmental backlash, however, I didn’t think it was necessary.
Wiener bites back: A funny thing happened to CdA’s Dave Hopkins on his way through a German sausage at Spokane’s Neighbor Days celebration. He chomped into bone chip and ruined a back molar. Ouch! Make that $550 worth of ouch. Fortunately, the vendor was neighborly and turned the claim over to her insurance. Be careful out there. … Mother Nature didn’t respect Sheriff Pierce Clegg either. That big blow July 9 toppled 13 or 14 trees at the sheriff’s rimrock ranch, including one that landed on his roof. … FYI: Clegg has told his deputies privately that he’ll run again in ‘96. … Hmmm. Apparently, Sherwin-Williams hasn’t had a paint sale for the past year. Why else would Ponderosa Motors “treat” neighbors at 5th and Locust to an unsightly back wall of gang graffiti?
A huckleberry tale: Vic Eachon, 68, the ol’ Gibbs Water Hole Gang’s junior member, says he got banged up fighting a black bear for a huckleberry bush last week. And he has the claw marks to prove it. My sources tell me, however, that Eachon tangled with the wrong huckleberry bush and got thrown. … Meanwhile, Fred Swan, 92, experienced another uneventful huckleberry season and is worried that Vic might be slowing down. … The number listed in the Hagadone directory for the Post Falls Planning and Zoning Department rings at Templin’s Resort. That could mean one of three things: 1. Resort owner Bob Templin has Post Falls planners in his back pocket; 2. Businessman Duane Hagadone wants to antagonize his old antagonist; or 3. The HagaDirectory made another mistake. … By day, he’s Vern Newby, CdA School Trustee, by night, he’s Vern Newby, WWP Pole Police. My bloodhounds spotted Newby tearing down yard-sale signs at 15th and Thomas Lane two Saturdays ago. Do you suppose Washington Water Power pays Newby overtime to keep those pesky signs off its poles? Or is it a labor of love?
Huckleberries: Sightem at the Silver Lake Mall, a TeeHee-shirt that provided this definition for “graduation”: “The end of a 12-year depression.” … The Huckleberry Pup saw this bumpersnicker parading around downtown: “DARE to keep cops off doughnuts.” … And Baby Makes 100: The recent birth of Baby Girl Wilder was a significant event for her parents, Sharyl and Tommy Lee Wilder, as well as their hometown, Hope, population 99. … Overheard: As two out-of-staters pushed off from the Spokane River dock, one said to the other: “A guy said we’d look like we were from Idaho if we left our bumpers out(side the boat).” … Overheard II: During a recent CdA council meeting, a developer mentioned that he was on his honeymoon. Which prompted an opponent in the audience to mutter: “He and the council have been on a honeymoon for some time.”
Parting shot: The CdA Press brain trust (pardon the oxymoron) has plagiarized our so-so slogan, “Good Paper.” Now, Brand X modestly dubs itself the “Best Local Paper” (though the Hagadone Corp. is incorporated in Nevada - for tax purposes, of course). Admittedly, Brand X improved by moving its opinion page behind the legal notices, where hardhitting editorials on water safety, parade floats and the Wooden Boat Show are easier to ignore. But best local paper? I think not. The North Idaho College Sentinel has won bigger and better awards.
Gotta Huck? Call the Huckleberry Hound Hotline: (800) 344-6718 or (208) 765-7125.
, DataTimes