Public Periscope

We’re darned proud

Alert readers may have noticed a story last week about the U.S. Department of Energy’s “enemies list” of reporters whom Secretary Hazel O’Leary has reasons to dislike. Seems a high-priced consulting firm rated journalists who write about energy matters and scored them from 0 to 100. … What readers probably didn’t know was that The Spokesman-Review’s own Karen Dorn Steele was on that list, with more black marks than almost any other reporter in the country. Steele and reporter Jim Lynch co-authored a muchpraised series on financial waste at the Energy Department’s prime money pit, the Hanford Nuclear Reservation. … Hmmm. The “Wasteland” series on Hanford was published last November. The consultants were called in to rate reporters in December and newspapers in January and February. Probably just a coincidence.

Maybe he knew whereof he spoke

Casual chatter among Spokane City Council members last Monday about the next day’s election grew pointed when Councilman Joel Crosby turned on colleague Bev Numbers: “You know, Bev, if you lose the election, it will be because of the STA bus Plaza,” said Crosby, a longtime critic of the project. … The comment stopped banter, leaving silence until a woman walked in, then excused herself for interrupting the council’s chat. “It’s a welcome interruption,” said Councilwoman Phyllis Holmes. … The next day, Crosby’s words seemed prophetic as Numbers lost her re-election bid.

Snappy retort of the week

Spokane mountaineer Chris Kopczynski was finishing up a presentation to the North Rotary Club last week on a climb in New Guinea when a question was posed from the audience. Had he ever had a “real close call”? … Without a pause - and without naming climbing buddy turned county commissioner candidate John Roskelley - Kopczynski drew laughs by noting, “I haven’t fallen so far that I’ve had to go into politics.”

Taking a bough

The state Department of Natural Resources is sprucing up the public lands trust fund through increased sales of evergreen boughs. The department auctions off contracts to companies that harvest boughs from noble and silver firs for use in Christmas wreaths. … Seems the wreath business is booming and bough prices are hitting an all-time high of 18.6 cents per pound. Bough sales have netted the state $291,000 this year compared with only about $40,000 in 1993. … The harvests take place on state land held in trust to produce money for public schools, colleges, universities, prisons and charities. Harvesting boughs has the added benefit of being relatively easy on the land, said program coordinator Mark Savage.

Getting involved

Elizabeth McInturff has been named to a five-year term on the board of trustees of the Community Colleges of Spokane by Gov. Mike Lowry. A consultant on transportation systems who helped develop Spokane’s public transportation system for the elderly and handicapped, McInturff replaces Dorothy Knechtel, who finished her term last month.

, DataTimes MEMO: “Public Periscope,” published Mondays, is compiled by Jim Camden from staff reports. If you have a question about government, growth or development, we’d like to help find an answer. Write us c/o The Spokesman-Review, Box 2160, Spokane 99210. Or call Cityline at 458-8800 on a Touch-Tone phone, then press 9120 to leave a message, or send e-mail to jimc@spokesman.com.

This sidebar appeared with the story: Hot topic Today: Spokane County grass growers will try to increase the number of acres they can burn at a special all-day meeting of the Spokane County Air Pollution Control Authority at 9:30 a.m., Conference Room 2b, County Public Works Building, 1026 W. Broadway.

The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = Compiled by Jim Camden from staff reports