Idaho Voices

‘Interesting” and “attractively displayed” are apt words for describing what’s for sale at Harmony Thrift, a new store in an old house at 205 Indiana Ave., Coeur d’Alene. The 100-year-old former brothel is just east of the courthouse. Debi Emery and Ken Orr use several rooms to display different categories of stuff. The front rooms primarily have antique furniture and collectibles. The back rooms include a “men’s room” with tools, outdoor and sporting equipment, one with kitchen items and one with old books (mostly nonfiction and religious) and old sheet music (that’s partially removable wallpaper). They also sell gifts and gift baskets.

COEUR D’ALENE – Julie Whitesel Weston, author of “The Good Times Are All Gone Now,” will be at the Coeur d’Alene Public Library, 702 E. Front Ave., on Wednesday at 7 p.m. Weston, who grew up in Kellogg, will share stories of the Kellogg community, told to her over several years, along with her own story. The people, mining history and her adolescence weave together against a background of the Cold War, post-McCarthyism and labor strife.

Today DJ Tripp Rogers (Top-40/Hip-Hop) – 4 p.m., Torch Lounge, 216 E. Coeur d’Alene Ave., Coeur d’Alene, (208) 667-3132.

If you don’t know who Milt Priggee is, you probably haven’t lived in the Inland Northwest for long. For years, Milt was the free-spirit cartoonist for The Spokesman-Review who was always in hot water – and loved being there. Once, he ticked off Coeur d’Alene and Post Falls chamber members with a ’toon that showed North Idaho kids participating in a Junior Bloomsday. In racist bedsheets. Milt has moved to Western Washington. But he hasn’t lost his ability to anger readers. Recently, he gained national attention with a ’toon portraying Tea Partiers as redneck bigots. The ’toon showed them with signs for various causes around a tree, with a noose hanging from it, marked “health care reform.” The head of the lynch mob wonders where President Obama is. Only a racial epithet is used for Obama to add to the incendiary nature of the cartoon. Which 57 percent of my Huckleberries Online readers thought was “highly offensive.” This time, however, someone else has to field the angry phone calls from readers. Not Sarah’s friend

New listings John R. Rogers High School Class of 1963 Reunion – Aug. 21, 10 a.m.-9 p.m., in Loon Lake. For more information, call Arnie Merrick at (509) 993-6268; Steve Coon at (509) 233-2703; or Nancy Chevigny-Dahlke at (509) 233-2703 or visit www.jrr63reunion.com.

BOISE – As Idaho lawmakers closed their session this past week, there was a final “informational” hearing on HB 707, a measure to cut the state’s corporate and individual income tax rates by more than a third over the next 10 years. Rep. Marv Hagedorn, R-Meridian, told the House Revenue and Taxation Committee that Idaho’s taxes are too high and said that’s why the state currently has such high unemployment. Hagedorn sponsored the tax-cutting bill with House Majority Leader Mike Moyle, R-Star; they also have a list of 29 co-sponsors, all Republican lawmakers, including three from the Senate and 26 from the House.

One of the joys of early spring is the appearance of Washington-grown asparagus in the markets. Lightly steamed with a little butter or lemon juice, it is a meal in itself. Sorry, I like mine simple, without goopy Hollandaise sauce. Washington, California and Michigan produce most of the asparagus in the U.S. The dry climate and fast-draining soils of the lower Columbia Basin around Tri-Cities are perfect for growing the crop. We should see it hitting the markets in the next couple of weeks. That’s pretty close to home but still has to be trucked to us.

Filings from March 5-9. Chapter 7 (liquidation petitions)

I do believe I’ve discovered possibly the last restaurant in the entire USA with an 8-track tape player still happily in use. A wall-mounted rack full of the chunky tapes immediately jumped out at my eyeballs when I entered Famous Willies BBQ in Post Falls one recent afternoon, and I was a bit perplexed. I haven’t even seen those things floating around the thrift stores in at least 10 years. An odd form of décor, I thought, but after settling in at my table, I heard Johnny Cash fade away midsong, only to return a few seconds later.

Coeur d’Alene Viking Construction Inc., 3689 W. Furcula Drive, residence and garage, valued at $135,144.

For 03-28-2010

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.

Specializing in gourmet pizzas while offering the traditional flavors, Pepe Caldo Pizzeria celebrated its grand opening Saturday at 1606 N. Fourth St. The store offers dine-in, take-out and delivery. Translated from Italian to “hot pepper pizza,” Pepe (pronounced pay-pay) Caldo’s products primarily are mild, although a few are spicy, said manager Mike Wixom. The dough and some sauces are made fresh daily while other sauces are purposefully aged to infuse and combine their ingredients, Wixom said. The store’s signature pies include Chipotle Southwestern (with a creamy sauce, chicken breast and cactus shoots) and Northwest Smoked Salmon.

Elementary school teachers in the Coeur d’Alene School District, along with the staff at Fernan Elementary School, will host the “Julie Johnson Jamboree” on April 8 at Lake City High School at 7 p.m. According to a press release from the Coeur d’Alene School District, the jamboree is a combination of the annual Spring Chorus Festival and a celebration of Johnson’s life.

BLANCHARD – The Blanchard Community Center, 685 Rusho Lane, will have its annual Doll and Teddy Bear Tea on April 10 at 11 a.m. The tea will feature a display of modern dolls and teddy bears and include finger foods, lunch, salads, dessert and, of course, tea. An auction for a new and used doll, along with a teddy bear, and tea items will be part of the event.

HAYDEN – Baby T-Rex will stomp its way into Raptor Reef at Triple Play Family Fun Park, 175 W. Orchard Ave. in Hayden, on Monday at 3 p.m. The not-so-little, 8-foot-tall and 16-foot-long dino from “Walking with Dinosaurs” will join the velociraptors from Raptor Reef for an afternoon performance.

When Sandpoint-based Panhandle State Bank announced last week that it was laying off 32 people statewide, the reaction in this town was mixed. Some questioned what happened with the stimulus money the bank received from the government, stating that it could have been used to preserve the jobs of its own employees. But others were quick to defend the local bank, stating it portrays the very essence of community. So what did Panhandle State Bank do with the stimulus money received from the federal government? The bank received $27 million in stimulus money, which it must spend on its general liquidity and on loans and other assistance it couldn’t otherwise provide.