I shoveled the sidewalk for the first time last night, which means winter officially has arrived in the Great Inland Northwest here. Cars were cuh-rashing all over the place, particularly in Spokane, where some folks eschew studded tires. I put my studs on the car last week. And particularly enjoyed hearing them whir on Washington's pavement en route to the airport to pick up Amy Dearest for Thanksgiving. Eatcher heart out, Washington breath.

APhoto (above): Duane Hagadone charming a City Council member in private? Nah, The WB is promoting the showing of "How The Grinch Stole Christmas" at 8 p.m. (EST) Friday, Dec. 10. Also, if you like all things Seuss, check out the Inlander reviewer in the IMHO-NW feature below.

1. Somehow, I missed this great Thanksgiving cartoon by David Horsey/P-I here.

2. Boy-C State (11-0) has accepted a long-anticipated bid to face Louisville (10-1) in the Liberty Bowl Dec. 31 here.

3. U-Dub will be out to prove it's the best college basketball team in the state when the Huskies take on Gonzaga tonight in Spokane here.

4. Mike Weland of the Kootenai Valley Press News recognizes the 12 brave National Guardsmen from Boundary County who are now headed to Iraq here.

5. Don't look now, but Mount St. Helens is the biggest source of pollution in Washington here.

6. IMHO-NW: Rebecca Nappi/S-R (Reality Barbie), John Blanchette/S-R (Gonzaga vs. UW), Coeur d'Alene Press (A closed-door meeting that worked), Michael Bowen/Inlander (A Seuss on the loose), and Robert Herold/Inlander (Cathy McMorris' win).

7. The Bush administration plans to reduce by more than 80 percent the miles of rivers and streams it designates as critical to the recovery of troubled Northwest runs of salmon and steelhead, according to ex-S-R staffer Craig Welch who's now writing for the Seattle Times, here.

8. The UI foundation will ask for one year's extension on a $5 million note it owes in connection with University Place, according to Bill Roberts/Idaho Statesman, here.

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