Cheers ... to Tim Woodward. It's hard to imagine, but after nearly 40 years as a columnist for the Idaho Statesman, Woodward is retiring June 1. If you want to sample one of Woodward's best pieces, read the column he wrote in March describing the devastation mental illness had caused his family and how Medicaid programs have helped. It was a gutsy thing to do, but Woodward wanted Idahoans to recognize who gets hurt when the Legislature batters health care programs for the poor. Medicaid, he wrote, is "what an enlightened society does for those who weren't born as lucky as the rest of us. It doesn't just apply to 'other people.' It helps us all"/Marty Trillhaase, Lewiston Tribune. More here.

Question: Did you follow Tim Woodward's columns in the Idaho Statesman?