Idaho Voices

Coeur d’Alene Shugar Shack, 2384 N. Old Mill Loop, commercial, valued at $10,000.

The “Safety In Prints” Keeping Kids Safe Project will be at Findlay Hyundai on Friday, from 3 to 7 p.m., and Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. SIP Kids will provide free digital fingerprinting and photos for area children. Area organizations also have been invited to help educate families and children about how to avoid unsafe situations.

Before J. Todd Foster was editor of the Pulitzer Prize-winning Bristol (Va.) Herald Courier, he was a reporter in the Coeur d’Alene newsroom of The Spokesman-Review. A Tennessean, he was intense, especially when following a good story, such as the unethical way handlers disposed of slow dogs at the old greyhound park in Post Falls. But he still found time to play two-on-two nerf basketball with Jim Meehan, Adam Lynn and me. Earlier this month, Courier staffer Daniel Gilbert won the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service for his exposé on the murky handling of natural-gas royalties owed to thousands of landowners in Southwest Virginia. At the Memphis (Tenn.) Commercial Appeal, Editor Chris Peck columnized about hiring Foster in the ’80s for his Lake City newsroom. Peck, an ex-S-R editor, wrote: “He was a bulldog. When he bit into a story, particularly one that had a whiff of impropriety or governmental ineptitude, he wouldn’t let go. Still won’t.” Typical of Foster, Peck points out, he told a reporter who’d missed the Pulitzer celebration in the Herald Courier newsroom that a lot of small newspapers have won Pulitzers over the years. But none had won two so he “should get back out on the street and find us a story.” Salute. Pinehurst squared

I’ve been a music nerd long enough to remember head banging to my mother’s Paul Simon and Barry Manilow 8-tracks in the back seat of our 1979 Chevy Citation. These days, my computer has become the main stereo of the house and the iPod dock in my car provides the musical backdrop for all my driving adventures. It’s an amazingly convenient and easy way to do it, but as someone known for irritating friends and family while on vacation by spending entire days dragging them from record shop to record shop, I can’t get over the feeling that there’s something desperately missing from the digital music experience.

COEUR D’ALENE – Opera Coeur d’Alene’s annual “Opera Gala” will be tonight at the Coeur d’Alene Resort. Doors open at 5 p.m. with no-host beverages, followed by a gourmet dinner. The evening will feature the murder mystery, “A Taste for Wine, Murder, and Opera.” The performance may include gala attendees and the killer may be a member of the audience.

BOISE – Now that it’s all said and done, here are the numbers on this year’s Idaho legislative session: In 78 days, there were 816 pieces of legislation drafted, 620 of which were introduced, and 359 passed. Every one of those became law; there were no vetoes, though Gov. Butch Otter withheld his signature from five of them, he still allowed them to become law. Compared to past sessions, this year set records for the lowest number of bills drafted and introduced in the past decade – perhaps in part because legislative leaders warned in advance that anything that cost money likely wouldn’t be considered – but, oddly, the number that became law is actually higher than last year’s figure of 344.

It’s the first sign of summer in Sandpoint. Vendors line the perimeter of downtown’s Farmin Park and spill into neighboring Jeff Jones Town Square. The Farmers Market at Sandpoint, a nonprofit organization managed by its members, takes place Saturday mornings and Wednesday afternoons. As this 22-year-old Sandpoint tradition opens Saturday, it is making changes to adapt to the struggling economy. According to Emily Levine, vendor and market board member, this year food stamps will be accepted.

Coffee and treats in a patio setting with trees and nursery-style plants is the selling point of Terrazzo. Translating to “terrace” from Italian, Terrazzo plans to open Saturday with Van Hoff’s Garden Center at 1846 Government Way, Coeur d’Alene. The new business will feature gourmet coffees and pastries, specialty gifts and outdoor-living items. A Tuscan décor and fine customer service are the promises of owners Rebecca and Jesse Starr. A Coeur d’Alene native, she has been in the hospitality business for 10 years and helped start two cafes. A Northern California product, he worked at Starbucks while student teaching.

April is such a volatile month in terms of weather. Looking at solely Spokane numbers, the difference between the coldest high temperature (40 degrees) and the warmest high temperature (75 degrees) was 35 degrees.

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

Filings from March 18-23. Chapter 7 (liquidation petitions)

Coeur d’Alene Nick Valestrino, 414 E. Coeur d’Alene Ave., commercial, office space, valued at $20,000.

For 04-18-2010