Blogroll

Aug. 8 – An irate reader called this morning to ask what we were smoking last night at The Spokesman-Review that led us to report that Democrat Jay Inslee was ahead of Republican Rob McKenna in the governor’s primary.

This is a smoke-free office, so the answer is “nothing.” The caller insisted he’d heard on the radio, and the television early this morning, that the results are actually reversed, and that McKenna was ahead of Inslee.Nope, we assured him. Right now, Inslee is ahead of McKenna. No, he insisted, the nice couple on the radio, whom he listens to every morning, must’ve got it right. Not sure whether he’d misheard or the station misspoke.

But here’s one possibility:

If you click on the Spokane County election website, you can see how the candidates fared in Spokane County. McKenna has a sizable lead when only the ballots cast by Spokane County voters are considered. Perhaps that’s what the folks on the radio and television were looking at.

We still aren’t smoking anything. Can’t vouch for the folks on the radio or television.

Aug. 8 – There are people who believe that there must be something deeply wrong with you if you do not love, love, love the same awful TV shows, movies and books they do.

Some of these individuals might be at your family reunion.

There’s no way to win with these folks. So don’t try.

Just think about how the loved ones will silently thank you for showing restraint and kindness above and beyond the call. 

Aug. 7 – North Cascades National Park is the second-least visited of the 58 major national parks in the United States, according to Ranger Charles Beall, acting superintendent for the park. Only Isle Royale, an island in Lake Superior, draws fewer visitors per year, he said.

In 2011, North Cascades National Park had 19,208 visitors, according to National Park statistics. The Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia, one of the most visited parks, had more than 15 million. Olympic National Park had nearly 3 million.

Supporters of the American Alps Legacy project want to enlarge North Cascades Park to add more protection and stature to the park on both sides of U.S. Highway 2.

But many people are skeptical.