Long-Distance Parking Tickets Mystify Owners

Now, Ticketgate is upon us. No, Bill and Hillary haven’t come up with a new scandal to entertain us. The parking police have. As you recall, the city of Long Beach (Calif.) slapped D.L. Martin of Hayden with a ticket for parking his 1925 Star too long Feb. 28. Only D.L. and his venerable Star never visited there. Now, Mary Ellen Roberts of Colburn reports Ticket Track mailed her a $23 fine last month for overparking her old Datsun pickup in Spokane Oct. 2. But Mary Ellen says the old beater wasn’t in Spokane last fall. It wouldn’t have survived the trip. Her kid coaxes it to work and back at the Crown Pacific sawmill - about 1.5 miles round trip. The conspiracy is spreading.

Old watering hole

Sometime soon, Rathdrum will replace its water tank on Rathdrum Mountain with a spiffy, million-gallon reservoir. A few old-timers will shed a tear when the old concrete tank goes. As younguns a half century ago they often climbed into the open tank on hot summer days and swam until dusk. (No telling what they left in the water.) City leaders finally capped the tank after chasing kids out of it once too often. Thanks for the memories.

Impromptu nose job

Stacy Monk is getting reacquainted with his nose after it was bitten off and reattached June 9, the day before his first wedding anniversary. Seems the Lakeside Middle School P.E. teacher was petting a family mutt while visiting Salmon relatives when it spooked and bit him. So says the St. Maries Gazette-Record. Fortunately, the dog didn’t swallow. Thirty-three stitches later, the missing proboscis was back in place. Afterward, Stacy said: “It was probably my fault.” No sniveling there. … What’s this? Betsy Roberts of Hope reports being harassed June 19 on state Highway 200 by an “overzealous flagger.” Apparently, the flagger had his nose out of joint. … Take a note to the guy driving the Good Samaritan Center van from Silverton Wednesday: Lake City has a downtown parking problem. Next time you stop at ZipStop Convenience Store, don’t hog two spots. Good Samaritan? Maybe. But bad manners, too.

Up and running

Idaho Forest Industries chief Tom Richards was surprised to read this in our paper recently: “For a community like Priest River, which has lost its lumber industry …” blah, blah, blah. Said Tom: “I called our mill up there and got ahold of a guy in the boiler room. He says we’re still operating. What gives?” Sometimes facts get in the way of a good story. … Another sign that Kootenai County no longer is part of the Wild West: As expected, backers of the anti-bear baiting initiative collected more signatures in Ada County than any other county, 18,771. Next? Kootenai County with 6,738 - more than double the second runner-up. … The record for consecutive rides on “The Grizzly” (Silverwood’s new monster roller coaster) without throwing up? Eleven. So says park general manager Dan Aylward. He should know. His daughter holds it.

Huckleberries

Hmmm. The tea leaves portend bad times at the box office for “Dante’s Peak.” Not only is the movie being filmed in Wallace (backdrop for megaflop “Heaven’s Gate”), but also its executive producer, Ilona Herzberg, produced another big-screen dud (“Waterworld”). … The “structure fire” that sent Mica-Kidd Island volunteers scrambling last Monday night was set by a sheepish fireman - and contained in his smoky barbecue. … Seems the Idaho Division of Environmental Quality doesn’t know who’s in charge. Its sign announcing a pollution control project at Kathleen & Honeysuckle lists the Idaho governor as (drum roll, please) “Phil E. Ball.”

Parting shot

Now, I’m not one to kick someone when she’s down (shaddup!), but Karen Weldon referred to herself as “treasure” in her one-line resignation note to Bonner County commissioners. The ex-treasurer is suspected of embezzling $18,000. If she did it, she won’t be the first to get in trouble for trying to lay up treasure on earth.

, DataTimes MEMO: Gotta Huckleberry? Call the Huckleberry Hound Hotline: (800) 344-6718 or (208) 765-7125; E-mail: daveo@spokesman.com.

The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = D.F. Oliveria The Spokesman-Review