Post Falls Pd Turns Down Baby-Sitting Job

Things got exciting at the Post Falls Police Department on Oct. 17. A woman in labor burst through the door and said she was about to deliver her baby. And, to prove her point, she got down on the floor and prepared to have it. That got things rolling. A dispatcher exclaimed, “Oh no you’re not,” and called for an ambulance. Mother arrived at Kootenai Medical Center about 10 minutes before her baby. Momma, baby and PFPD Blue are doing fine.

Rumor control

Rumor has it that Post Falls Chamber of Commerce manager Kerri Thoreson is about to announce her write-in candidacy for mayor. Not. Kerri believes someone should run against Mayor Gus Johnson - to ensure the issues are debated. But she’s not the one. … Then, there’s the rumor that Gov. Phil Batt, with the help of House Speaker Mike Simpson, will boost the governor’s salary next year from $85,000 to $105,000 for his successor (a k a U.S. Sen. Dirk Kempthorne). In exchange, Gov. Kempthorne will back Simpson’s U.S. House candidacy. Kempthorne aide Brian Whitlock would say only that a study committee has looked at the salary question. Hmmm. … Finally, there’s a dreadful rumor that a Coeur d’Alene City Council candidate tried to influence me by bringing garden roses and a chocolate eclair to an endorsement interview. Well, let me say this about that. I don’t like chocolate. But I was impressed when she crawled into my office on her knees.

The natural

Council wannabe Stan Smith saw an opportunity to work a crowd at the recent practice burn at Eighth and Lakeside. He should have brought wieners and marshmallows instead of leaflets, though. … Pssst. The firefighters bummed a match off an onlooker to start the house inferno. … Pat Whitcomb, the new North Idaho College wrestling coach, sums up his accomplishments in the Cardinal media guide thusly: “Has not done a damn thing.” Maybe not lately, but his two national championships during his wrestling days at NIC are nothing to sneeze at. … AKA II: Coeur d’Alene’s Pete Hoorelbeke (Peter Rivera of Rare Earth) and his golden-oldie buddies will be rocking Wazzu’s Beasley Auditorium Nov. 8. This time, Pete & Co. are raising money for WSU sports. Pete’s son, Jesse, has moved on from CHS baseball stardom to become a Coug. If you heard these geezers at North Idaho College two years ago, you know it’s worth a 10-spot. … Mayor Al Hassell dusted off some oldies, too - his yard signs from his 1993 campaign against Hizzoner, Ray Stone. Somehow, the slogan doesn’t make as much sense now: “It’s About Time.”

Huckleberries

Helen, a 70-something New Yorker whose husband fought in the South Pacific, doesn’t appreciate Jacklin Seed Co. flying the Japanese flag at its headquarters as high as the American one. The Jacklins do that while entertaining Japanese guests. … Julie, a Sandpoint subscriber, hopes her grumpy landlord gets his deer soon. Her water system needs repair. (And he’s not the only deer slayer this dismal hunting season who’s been, in Julie’s words, “such a jerk.”) … Strangely, the Kootenai County Substance Abuse Council met to discuss the “medical use of marijuana” at (drum roll, please) Party Time Pizza. Do you suppose they served munchies? … The Show-No News-Press has a curious slogan attached to its newspaper machines: “You don’t live in Coeur d’Alene. Why read a Coeur d’Alene paper?” Either Duane Hagadone’s Silver Valley paper is admitting we’re a Coeur d’Alene paper, or it’s dissing his Coeur d’Alene Press. Either way, I wouldn’t want to be the brain trust behind this one.

Parting shot

Recently, Idaho Fish & Game Director Steve Mealey paused while steelhead fishing on the Clearwater and said: “It’s a beautiful river. There should be more fish in it, damn it.” And there’s the rub. Eco-twinkies say there’d be more steelhead if it hadn’t been dammed.

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

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