Idaho Voices

Greek Street Pizza and More, a new option in ethnic fast foods for the Ironwood Square complex in Coeur d’Alene, should open next week. Located in the former 1,400-square-foot space that formerly housed Papa John’s Pizza (next to Quizno’s on the west side of the shopping center), Greek Street’s menu will include gourmet pizza, gyros, spanakopita (a spinach pie), pizzaloni (a pizza-cannelloni combination), daily specials, desserts (including baklava) and soft drinks.

Coeur d’ Alene Dharma Friends – Meets Thursdays at 5 p.m. at Life Center Therapies for Well Being, 1319 N. Government Way, Coeur d’Alene; includes meditation and study in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. (208) 665-5862. RLM Grief Share – Thursdays at 7 p.m. at Life Care Center, 500 W. Aqua Ave., Coeur d’Alene. Meet with others who understand your grief. Call George at Real Life Ministries. (208) 777-7325, ext. 108.

Some siblings look so much alike it’s hard to tell them apart. Not my four sons. While there’s a familial resemblance, they aren’t mistaken for each other. Their temperaments and talents are equally dissimilar. But during a conversation with my youngest, I discovered that when it comes to choosing friends, my children are very much alike. One afternoon, Sam slumped into the car after school, his eyes brimming with tears. “Tough day?” I asked.

Now that August has begun, it’s time to get roses ready for the fall and winter. Keep plants well watered. Check how deep the water is getting by digging a small hole in the rose bed a few hours after a watering and measure how deep the water soaked the soil. If its only three to four inches, increase your watering enough to wet the soil six to eight inches down. Add two to three inches of mulch to the bed to help keep moisture in. Untreated grass clippings, shredded pine needles or leaves or compost are all readily available for free or a nominal cost. As you mulch for moisture, stockpile more mulch nearby so it is easier to cover the tea roses in late October.

Filings from June 10-21. Chapter 7 (liquidation petitions)

Coeur d’Alene

When members of the Sandpoint Fire Department stepped forward last year to donate hours – which translated into days – of their personal time to benefit local charities, members of this community were extremely grateful. Marilyn Sabella, the founder of Holly Eve, an annual event which raises funds for several nonprofit agencies, said she was appreciative of the generosity the local fire department showed when she approached them for auction items.

With the crack of the club, Larry Kison watched as his golf ball plunged into a patch of tall grass just beyond the tee box. That was typical, the 73-year-old Moses Lake resident and avid golfer said, whenever he tees off with a driver. Watching from a few feet away, instructor Randy Henry offered a few pointers before placing another black-marked ball on the tee and telling him to try again. Kison stepped up to the tee, swung through the ball and unleashed a drive that easily soared over its predecessor and the swaying palm trees lining the grass-covered fairway, landing a few hundred yards short of the ocean that stretched into the horizon.

Deep within both my soul and my tummy, I may not ever fully get over the tragic loss of the longtime Coeur d’Alene sandwich institution the Sunshine Trader, which for decades served enormous, legendary Tolkien-themed sandwiches both in a now-demolished building near City Park and, in its final years, in the Ironwood hospital district. Since childhood, I’d been hopelessly enamored with the “Hobbit,” which was the finest turkey/cream cheese/cranberry sauce sandwich in the entire history of the universe, period. A couple of years ago, the original owners of the Sunshine Trader sold it to someone who eventually made the fatal mistake of turning it into a fine-dining Italian establishment named Vito’s.

BOISE – Idaho’s sex offender registration law may have different requirements for out-of-state offenders, but it’s constitutional, according to the Idaho Supreme Court. The Idaho Supreme Court has unanimously rejected an appeal from a man whose 1984 rape conviction in Washington required him to register as a sex offender when he moved to Idaho, even though Idahoans don’t have to register unless their sex offenses were on or after July 1, 1993.

NORDMAN – The Entree Gallery at Coolin Bay, 1755 Reeder Bay Road, will celebrate the 85th birthday of local artist Betti Jemison with a reception today, from 1 to 3 p.m. Jemison was raised in Southern Idaho. She studied art at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque and continued her art education, studying with several nationally renowned artists, as well as taking an art history course in Italy. Her work has been exhibited in major regional and national shows.

It didn’t rain at my house today. Did it rain at yours? I am sure we have all experienced this situation at one time or another, where we hear about the downpour that happened on the other side of town, while our lawn remains dry. So which forecast would be correct, the one that said rain or the one that didn’t? Welcome to the wonderful world of “PoP,” the meteorological abbreviation for “probability of precipitation.” It is seen by the public, as a percentage, meant to convey the chances that a specific location will see rain or not. Unfortunately, the PoP number is one of the most misunderstood numbers in weather – even among meteorologists. That is why you will never see them in any of my forecasts on TV. When the National Weather Service issues a forecast for the Spokane/Coeur d’Alene area, the two cities are usually part of a “forecast zone” that includes most of Spokane county, a small piece of Lincoln County in Washington, and about half of Kootenai county. A PoP is issued specifically for Spokane, another one for Coeur d’Alene, and then those numbers are averaged to produce a PoP for the entire forecast zone. According to the National Weather Service office in Peachtree City, Ga., here is the formula used to produce the “PoP”:

Nine-month-old Austin Barton recently entered the Spokane Valley YMCA pool with his mom, Amy Barton, for a swimming lesson. It wasn’t his first trip to the pool, and he had a lot of fun, splashing in the water and giggling with his mom. Barton said her mother told her about swimming lessons for babies and it seemed like a good idea for Austin.

Most people remember that magical time when they received their first bicycle. Whether it was under the tree on Christmas morning or a special birthday gift, it is a moment that sticks with us. But that is not a memory 11-year-old Haydn Humphrey of Priest River has. After all, he was only 2 at the time. And his was not an ordinary bike – it was a motorcycle with training wheels.

Today Bill Reid (Jazz) – 1 p.m., DiLuna’s, 207 Cedar St., Sandpoint, (208) 263-0846.

If all goes as planned, Kootenai Cafe will open this week at 206 N. Fourth St. in downtown Coeur d’Alene. The renovated place was formerly the Fourth Street Pantry. Manager Michael Hanes primarily will offer the same full breakfast and lunch menu as the Pantry, along with specials including the Monte Cristo and the deli-style Reuben sandwiches. The major difference is that Kootenai Cafe will not be open 24 hours; instead, opening at 5 a.m. and closing mid-afternoon.

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