One Hospital Has Got To Go

Do you suppose I should tell the residents of Wallace and Kellogg that the mines closed 16 years ago? They no longer have the population or money to support two hospitals. Yet, the Silver Valley Medical Center in Silverton, near Wallace, and the Shoshone Medical Center in Kellogg limp along financially, with officials of each hoping the other hospital will go away. Never mind that past staffing practices in the Silverton emergency room put 10 people at risk, according to a state probe. Jerry Cobb, Shoshone Medical Center board chairman, pegged this dangerous rivalry right: “Around here,” he said, “we spend so much time and so much effort protecting turf, sleeping in our letterman’s jackets and we’re not hurting anybody but ourselves.” Maybe they should settle this dispute the old-fashioned way on the gridiron. Each hospital should suit up directors, administrators, staff and patients. Winner takes all. It makes more sense than what’s going on now.

Welcome, Shawn; protect your backside

Speaking of football, Kellogg High School’s loss of coach Shawn Amos is Coeur d’Alene High School’s gain. “Hot Potatoes” once criticized Amos for making a running back pack a football to class because he had fumbled too much. The kid went on to become a star and teams under 30-year-old Amos went from winless to 7-2 in two years. He knows how to motivate teens. At Coeur d’Alene High, however, motivating assistant coaches may be more important. In the last two years, a team loaded with talented seniors, who had won all but one ballgame as freshmen and sophomores, finished a combined 6-12. Some of the blame can be laid at ex-coach Bill Anderson’s doorstep. He was no ball of fire. But he also was undercut by an assistant or two who wanted him to fail. Athletic Director Larry Schwenke needs to help Amos prune deadwood if Viking football is to become “The Pride of the North” again.

Land Board secures Priest Lake beachhead

The Idaho Land Board earns Sweet Potatoes for negotiating a deal that provides more public access to Priest Lake’s Huckleberry Bay. Usually, these things go the other way. In the horse trade, the Land Board won beach access by allowing seven private docks and three community ones to be built. The Huckleberry Bay Co. sweetened the deal by agreeing that nearby property owners will maintain beaches and signs and provide trash pickup. Said state Controller J.D. Williams: “I think the public is coming out ahead.” Hey, if we working stiffs break even, we’ve come out ahead. , DataTimes MEMO: D.F. Oliveria’s “Hot Potatoes” runs Tuesdays and Thursdays. You can comment on the items by calling (800) 344-6718 or (208) 765-7125 or by sending e-mail to daveo@spokesman.com.