Arrow-right Camera
The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

MONDAY, DEC. 19, 2011


Monday Wildcard 12.19 18 

Must be nice to take the week before Christmas off and have your daughter do your Christmas shopping for you. DFO's a lucky man. Meanwhile, I'll do the best I can here. Did I mention I do the Christmas shopping for our family? And all…

Continue reading this post »


Lil' Kim or Kim Jong Il? 

Gotta love Twitter. Apprarently, the death of North Korea's Kim Jong Il caused a bit of confusion in the Twitterverse when some folks thought someone IMPORTANT like rapper Lil' Kim had died. Read it and weep.

Continue reading this post »



FILE - In this May 31, 2011 file photo, former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin walks to the door of Trump Tower for a scheduled meeting with Donald Trump in New York. Thousands of Palin's emails from her first two years as governor are being released by the state of Alaska, a disclosure that has taken on national prominence as she flirts with a run for the presidency. (Craig Ruttle / Fr61802 Ap)

Dole endorses Romney; Palin not ready 

In a pair of related stories, Bob Dole officially endorsed Mitt Romney to be the Republican presidential nominee, but Palin said that she would not endorse anyone "with the field as it stands." How valuable do you think political endorsements are? Do you take them…

Continue reading this post »



Huckleberries Hears... 12 

Local R's are encouraging everyone to attend the County Commissioners meeting tomorrow at 2 PM. The meeting will be held in the Board of County Commissioners Boardroom on the 3rd floor. At issue: the proposed reduction in precincts from 71 to 44. Many want the…

Continue reading this post »


In this Thursday, April 1, 2010 photo, Honey the reindeer, left, keeps a close eye on her newly born calf  at the University of Alaska Fairbanks Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station in Fairbanks, Alaska. The 17-pound male, whose name will be determined by submitted suggestions, is the first reindeer birth of the year. (John Wagner / Fairbanks Daily News-miner)

Mmm...Reindeer... 

Outcries over canned reindeer meat have actually led to a surge in its popularity. Despite its status as perhaps the least seasonal Christmas dining fare imaginable, canned reindeer meat is a hit. In fact, it seems that a protest over the expensive pâté had the…

Continue reading this post »


Hucks Poll: Spencer Named Top 'RINO' 

Weekend Poll: In a weekend poll that attracted 252 votes, conservative activist Larry Spencer was selected as the top RINO (Republican In Name Only) among Kootenai County partisans who identify themselves as Republicans. Earlier this year, Spencer quit the Reagan Republicans because he thought they…

Continue reading this post »


Tasteful wastewater treatment art? 

COEUR d'ALENE - Won't even go there. You won't hear those jokes here. Art, of course, is subjective, but Coeur d'Alene's newest piece, Frolicking Creatures, is exactly that, art. What kind of creatures will the 6- to 10-feet-tall statues depict? Microorganisms. The kind that treat…

Continue reading this post »


The University of Idaho's new logo urges fans to “Throw the V,” a hand signal like a peace sign, to declare their support for Vandal athletics. (University of Idaho)

UI ends subsidies  

MOSCOW, Idaho – University of Idaho officials say they are ending a nearly free tuition program for employees and spouses of other state schools due to a sharp reduction in state funding. “We’ve got fee-paying and tuition-paying students subsidizing the education of spouses and faculty…

Continue reading this post »


High Noon: Whatever 16 

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Do you want to kill a conversation? Try saying "whatever." Words like "you know" and "like" might be irritating to hear, but for the third year in a row, it's "whatever" that holds the most power to annoy, according to an…

Continue reading this post »


House: No tax cut deal 

WASHINGTON – The fate of the two-month Social Security tax break extension suddenly became uncertain Sunday as House Speaker John Boehner said he and most Republicans were opposed to the plan. “It’s pretty clear that I and our members oppose the Senate bill,” Boehner, R-Ohio,…

Continue reading this post »


"Cold Cackle," an image by wildlife photographer Tim Christie of Coeur d'Alene, captures a rooster pheasant as it crows in the chill of early morning. (Copyright Tim Christie)

A.M. Roundup

"Cold Cackle," an image by wildlife photographer Tim Christie of Coeur d'Alene, captures a rooster pheasant as it crows in the chill of early morning Huckleberries: The Big One got away from birthday tracker Lewiston: Elk foundation reverses land swap in North Idaho Powell, Idaho:…

Continue reading this post »


WSU Creamery worker and cheese supervisor Johnny Parkins stirs 1,500 pounds of Cougar Gold cheese on the finishing table last week. This batch will produce about 800 cans of the popular cheese. (Christopher Anderson)

Say Cheese 

WSU Creamery worker and cheese supervisor Johnny Parkins stirs 1,500 pounds of Cougar Gold cheese on the finishing table last week. The packages in a Washington State University warehouse are addressed to distant cities in Texas, Florida, Pennsylvania and Missouri. They’re consumer testimonials to the…

Continue reading this post »


Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich gestures during a debate in Manchester, N.H., last week. (Associated Press)

Gingrich blasts judicial supremacy 16 

Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich gestures during a debate in Manchester, N.H., last week. WASHINGTON – Newt Gingrich says as president he would ignore Supreme Court decisions that conflict with his powers as commander in chief, and he would press for impeaching judges or even…

Continue reading this post »


CdA cabbies crabby about unlicensed drivers 11 

COEUR d'ALENE - The city is considering tighter licensing requirements for taxi drivers to better police unlicensed cabs from stealing customers from companies who play by the rules. "We've had a lot of abuses," said Kathy Lewis, deputy city clerk, on the taxi war problem…

Continue reading this post »


Robin Tuttle, center, of the Hollyrock Bar and Grill, is seen here with Jason Johnson, left, also known as drag queen Nova Kaine, and Freedom Rights, right. (J. Bart Rayniak)

All welcome at Hollyrock Bar and Grill 

Robin Tuttle, center, of the Hollyrock Bar and Grill, is seen here with Jason Johnson, left, also known as drag queen Nova Kaine, and Freedom Rights, right. J. Bart Rayniak photo A new bar in Spokane Valley is open, both literally and figuratively. Hollyrock Bar…

Continue reading this post »


Ex-Portland Cop: Stress led to sex crimes 

KENNEWICK — A former Portland, Ore., police officer says stress from an on-duty shooting prompted him to start committing sex crimes. Ryan Graichen served as a Portland Officer from 1998 to 2006. In 2000, a 71-year-old lawyer suffering from dementia pointed a shotgun at him,…

Continue reading this post »


Betty Squires, of Moscow, tries her luck at the Coeur d’Alene Casino on Wednesday. The Coeur d’Alene Tribe has donated $16.8 million to schools and other educational causes since 1994, under its pledge to donate 5 percent of its net profits to education. (Kathy Plonka)

Tribe opens books for S-R 11 

Betty Squires, of Moscow, tries her luck at the Coeur d’Alene Casino on Wednesday, Kathy Plonka SR When the Coeur d’Alene Tribe first signed a gaming compact with the state of Idaho in 1992, tribal leaders insisted on donating 5 percent of net casino gaming…

Continue reading this post »


Seahawks linebacker K.J. Wright brings down Bears running back Kahlil Bell during the first half. (Associated Press)

Seahawks win again

Seahawks linebacker K.J. Wright brings down Bears running back Kahlil Bell during the first half. CHICAGO – Red Bryant ran away from the Bears after his third-quarter interception. The same could be said for the rest of the Seahawks, who scored 31 consecutive points in…

Continue reading this post »


Aug. 24, 2011: Kim listens to Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, right, during a summit meeting at a military garrison in eastern Siberia. (Associated Press)

Kim Jong Il Dead 

Aug. 24, 2011: Kim listens to Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, right, during a summit meeting at a military garrison in eastern Siberia. PYONGYANG, North Korea – Even as the world changed around him, North Korean leader Kim Jong Il remained firmly in control, ruling absolutely…

Continue reading this post »

Huckleberries Online

D.F. Oliveria started Huckleberries Online on Feb. 16, 2004. Oliveria's Sunday print Huckleberries is a past winner of the national Herb Caen Memorial Column contest.