Tracking the vote tracker
You really don’t have to tell a private eye how you voted, no matter how persuasive he may sound on the phone or in person at your doorstep. As you know from reading this column, Confidential Investigations sleuth Erin Jenkins is checking out some Mike Kennedy supporters who voted absentee on behalf of losing candidate Jim Brannon. Huckleberries has already told you about Jenkins calling Monica Paquin, who’s living near Montreal while she works for a Palouse company. Afterward, Jenkins called one of my blog denizens, pseudonymed CoeurGenX. When asked for whom he voted, CoeurGenX blurted out: “Mike K, of course.” Then, CoeurGenX said he asked Jenkins if his company had picked up a permit to do business in Coeur d’Alene, as his company has twice been warned to do by City Clerk Susan Weathers (as reported on Huckleberries Online). Bottom line? You don’t have to tell anyone how you voted, even a private eye. But I’d love to hear from you if Confidential Investigations calls and asks.
But for God’s grace
The 10th anniversary of the crash of Alaska Flight 261 didn’t go unnoticed by Tom Torgerson of Century 21. But for the grace of God, he and four of his buddies (Michael Smith, Randy Huber, Jae Enos and Rick Blizzard) would have been on the plane that plunged into the Pacific Ocean, killing all on board. Tom sent me a reminder last week: “We had a three room attached suite for a week (in Mexico) but had only wanted to take a five-day trip…while down there…we all agreed to extend our flights one day. One day that saved our lives.” Tom still considers that decision a miracle that showed “it wasn’t our day.” And adds: “God bless the souls that we had played pool volleyball with that day they left to catch their flight…and all the others that died that fateful day ten years ago. And we all thank God for our fortune.”
Huckleberries
Poet’s Corner: “He fished upon the frozen lake;/he knew the ice was strong;/they pulled him out on June the eighth/— it turned out he was wrong.” – The Bard of Sherman Avenue (“A Cautionary Tale for Sportsmen”) … HBO Grub Club: My Huckleberries Online readers gave The Porch restaurant in Hayden Lake almost perfect scores – 5 huckleberries – across the board when they conducted their first en masse review of an area resident. Food, service, restroom cleanliness were all dubbed to be top notch. The Porch was judged down only for being too noisy. Overall score: 4.5 out of 5 huckleberries … Bumpersnicker (spotted on a black Jetta in downtown Coeur d’Alene): “Who needs boys when you can have a vampire?”… McEuen Field Polls: In three polls conducted at Huckleberries Online last week re: features on McEuen Field, 67 percent of my Berry Pickers said the lower 3rd Street parking lot should be moved; 60 percent that the tennis courts shouldn’t be rebuilt at the play area; and 72 percent said they wanted the American Legion Baseball field to stay …
Parting shot
Christie Wood, the spokeswoman for Coeur d’Alene police and a member of the Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations, gave Benewah County Sheriff Robert Kirts a tongue lashing at Huckleberries Online last week. Seems Kirts is a major obstacle in giving tribal police the authority to arrest non-tribal members on their reservation. Said Sgt. Wood: “It is inexcusable to put citizens and (law enforcement) officers at risk for personal injury due to what appears to be prejudice. Street officers have an inherent instinct to provide back-up to an officer calling for help. They do not see white, black, Hispanic, Indian, etc. they see a brother officer in need.” Hey, if Benewah County doesn’t want the Coeur d’Alenes, we’ll claim them in a heartbeat in Kootenai County.