Idaho Voices

The other night I was reading a bunch of Facebook status updates from my friends in Oklahoma, all talking about hiding in their closets or storm shelter as another round of severe weather hit the area. Soon after, the wind started to howl outside my own window, and I checked the radar to see a line of storms moving through the Inland Northwest. Some much needed rain fell across the Spokane area (Coeur d’Alene has seen about twice as much precipitation so far this year), but along with it came some damaging winds which knocked out power to several thousand people and downed several trees. Peak wind gusts the evening of May 19 included 53 mph recorded at Felts Field in Spokane Valley, 51 mph in Spokane, 45 mph at Fairchild Air Force Base, 41 mph in Deer Park, and 37 mph in Coeur d’Alene.

Memorial Day weekend will indeed be memorable with several centennial activities scheduled. Three events sponsored by the centennial committee are in the offing Saturday. First up are walking tours of the historic areas of Bayview. They will start at the confluence of Main Street and Pier Road, between the Bay Cafe and JD’s Bar. The tours begin at 11:30 a.m. and proceed every half hour through 2p.m.

Military USS America Carrier (CVA/CV-66) Veterans Association Seventh Bi-Annual Reunion – June 22-26 in Covington, Ky. Call (610) 585-2155; or visit www.ussamerica.org.

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

BOISE - Butch Otter is among Idaho’s most-elected politicians, having served 14 years as lieutenant governor and three terms in Congress before being elected governor four years ago. But the folksy, rodeo-loving cowboy politician has run into trouble as the state’s chief executive, failing to convince a Legislature dominated heavily by his own party to sign onto the centerpiece of his first-term agenda – upgrading Idaho’s roads – and then presiding over historic cuts in school funding after he ran for governor promising to “stand up” for a better education system.

The building that originally was Rosauers in the block bordered by Appleway, Highway 95 and Haycraft Avenue will have a major new tenant this summer. Priano’s Billiards & Backyards will move from 7168 Government Way to the 7,000-square-foot space between Fred’s Appliance and Mountain Comfort Furnishings. With the inventory changing with lifestyles, Priano’s offers lead and neon wall art, portable and custom spas and spa chemicals, repair work and accessories. They also carry gameroom supplies including Brunswick pool tables and accessories, foosball, poker tables, air hockey and darts.

For Sandpoint High School junior Jesse Webster Merwin, love of writing began at an early age. “I grew up having my mom and papa read to me,” said Jesse. “When I was 8 years old, I started to write stories. A friend and I wrote a 12-page mystery back then.”

New listings Rosalia High School All Class Reunion and Battle Days Celebration – June 5-6. For more information, visit www.rosaliaschools.com.

One of the most unfortunate aspects of Safeway’s recent remodel of the Midtown Coeur d’Alene store was the sudden disappearance of the old sign at the corner of Third and Miller which proudly proclaimed, “Serving Coeur d’Alene Since 1938.” Still, Judgment Day must eventually come for all things, and the sign had most likely been in use since the last time the store had a facelift, around 40 years ago. In other words, the place was in desperate need of an update, and the replacement sign’s modern, minimalist rendering of Safeway’s latest corporate logo is an accurate representation of the store’s slick interior improvements. In the late 1990s, when Safeway opened a comparably large new store on the north end of town, people speculated about how long it would be before the company would give the ax to the crusty old store in Midtown.

Students at Holy Family Catholic School had a day of fun, good deeds and a little bit of “Survivor” – without tribal council – on Friday, thanks to fourth-grader Eric Zwyer who got to play principal for a day. Zwyer achieved the principal role after his parents purchased the prize at Holy Family’s auction in March, “Believe … In Our Future.” Eric wanted to plan something fun for his special day but also do something meaningful. With the help of his parents, Eric put together a student carnival, where Holy Family students could play games like bean bag toss and bingo, knock down bottles and win penny candy prizes and small toys. But Eric required students to bring a can of nonperishable food for entry to the carnival. All of the food collected was for St. Pius Food Bank.

Filings from April 17-22.

Coeur d’Alene

For 05-16-2010

We required a place that served both Mexican food and adult refreshments, and Las Palmitas just happened to be nearby. Honestly, I’ve never been overly impressed by the food there, and I hadn’t even wandered in since a terrible, slow waitress basically ruined the place for me a few years ago. Still, I’m almost always willing to give a place a second (or third) chance if I’m hungry enough at the time. A friend and I wanted to celebrate her new job, and as the clock struck four we decided the time was nigh for blended margaritas. We sashayed our way into the lounge area and took a seat in some rickety, raw leather-enshrouded chairs that looked like they were put together by an obscure tribe of Native Americans several hundred years ago. Well, the mid-1970s at very least.

Weekly Events Our Daily Bread Soup Kitchen – Offers free lunches each Sunday, 1:30-3 p.m., at Lutheran Church of the Master, 4800 N. Ramsey Road. Sponsored by the church’s Outreach Ministry. Contact Mitch at (208) 660-4309 or mitch@agencysoftware.com.

For some reason, the apple blooms seem to be particularly abundant this year. Even the old farm trees I see along Chester Creek seem to be full of blooms. Unfortunately, between the beauty of the blossom now and a ripe apple in the fall is codling moth – the critter that makes an otherwise great apple full of holes. Codling moth adults are about half to three-quarters of an inch long, with mottled gray wings tipped with coppery brown, that will start appearing two to three weeks after the tree reaches full bloom. That means around Memorial Day the moths will appear and begin laying about 50 to 60 eggs on apple tree leaves, branches and fruit. The larvae are pinkish white with brown heads and after hatching will feed on the tree for a short period; they then move to the new fruit and burrow to its core, leaving a frass-filled hole on the outside of the fruit. The larvae feed on the protein-rich seeds for three weeks and then leave the fruit to pupate on the tree or ground for two weeks before beginning the cycle again. Here in the Northwest we can get two to three generations a year, which makes control necessary throughout the fruit season.