Idaho Voices

We’ve all heard the expression, “There is no such thing as a free lunch”. I guess that’s true concerning the weather. While most folks have been enjoying this relatively snow-free winter and above-normal temperatures, there is a future price to pay. Low snowpack in the mountains of both Washington and Idaho are going to adversely affect summer water supply. In turn, summer water recreational activities, agricultural irrigation, wildfire danger, and even drinking water supply will be affected.

Stumbling upon a local pizza place that serves it up by the slice is always cause for celebration, especially when that place has nine tempting varieties of Blue Bunny ice cream to celebrate the discovery with. As someone who doesn’t mind taking a solo lunch break from time to time, I rarely get a chance to indulge in pizza simply because I don’t want or need to order an entire pie for myself. Fresh, melty pizza is one of my favorite and most guilt-inducing food fetishes, and that’s really the problem. A slice or two once in a while isn’t going to cause my weight-loss plan to crumble and croak, but an entire box of leftover deliciousness would put a definite strain on the threadbare fabric of my willpower and would end up chasing my light vanilla yogurt off the breakfast table the next morning.

Filings from Feb. 16-19 Chapter 7 (liquidation petitions)

Coeur d’Alene Coeur d’Alene Fire Department, 3850 N. Ramsey Road, commercial, storage, valued at $8,500.

For 03-14-2010

Spring must be getting close. It seems like the latest weather news stories have had more to do with tornadoes and wind damage than blizzards and wind chills. Last Monday, a downburst near the western Oregon town of Scappoose brought down trees and power lines. On that same day, an EF-2 ranked tornado (on a damage scale of EF-0 to EF-5) hit the town of Hammon, Okla., destroying several barns and homes. While damage from both the downburst and tornado was caused by strong winds, the two types of storms are very different.

You want to know how far over the top the biggest cheerleaders for unsuccessful City Council candidate Jim Brannon are? Some sincerely believe that there’s a conspiracy to steal votes and elections in Coeur d’Alene. Bill McCrory, who together with ex-Coeur d’Alene Press columnist Mary Souza operates the OpenCDA.com site, shared his thoughts in a recent post titled, “Cowardice in Coeur d’Alene,” and then commented further underneath: “Advertisers (e.g., car dealers and real estate agents who like to have a very controllable and buyable public officials) have told the newspapers not to print any information that will reveal to the people of Coeur d’Alene just how badly the November 3, 2009, election was mismanaged by City Clerk Susan Weathers with approval of the Mayor and Council and by County Clerk Dan English.” The Repub county commissioners and Repub Prosecutor Barry McHugh are in on the “coverup is a coverup is a coverup,” too, according to McCrory’s zany theory. Their role? Again, McCrory: “They are being told to obstruct Jim Brannon’s court action no matter what the cost.” Yeah, Judge Benjamin Simpson’s part of the conspiracy. And Attorney General Lawrence Wasden and Secretary of State Ben Ysursa may be, too. Otherwise, all the public officials castigated by McCrory above have sterling reputations. ‘Corrupt d’Alene’?

SPOKANE COUNTY/COEUR D’ALENE – IHOP locations in Spokane Valley, Spokane and Coeur d’Alene, owned locally by CARDAN Hospitality Inc., participated in National Pancake Day on Feb. 23, to benefit Children’s Miracle Network. The event raised more than $23,000 – all staying locally with Children’s Miracle Network of the Inland Northwest. The IHOP at Spokane Valley Mall led the entire western division (over 400 stores) in the raising of funds for CMN and the other three, including the Coeur d’Alene restaurant, finished in the top 10.

The Ironman Community Fund, a part of the World Triathlon Corp., recently awarded $15,000 in grants to organizations in North Idaho. Local organizations receiving grants include: Boy Scouts of America Camp Easton; city of Coeur d’Alene Recreation Department; Fernan Elementary; city of Hayden Recreation Department; Hayden Meadows Elementary School; Mullan Trail Elementary School; Ponderosa Elementary School; Post Falls School District 273 District Meet; Prairie View Elementary School; Kroc Center; Seltice Way Elementary School; Specialized Needs Recreation Camp Allstars; West Ridge Elementary School; School District 271 District Meet; Coeur d’Alene Youth Triathlon; and Ramsey Elementary School.

Groundbreaking is 1 p.m. Thursday, March 25, for the new digs of the North Idaho office of the Idaho Department of Labor Building. The 17,000-square-foot facility will be in Post Falls Business Park in the northwest corner of state Highway 41’s intersection with Interstate 90 (on Thornton Street off East Mullan Avenue). The 50 employees will move to the building in October from their offices of 20 years off Ironwood Parkway in Coeur d’Alene. Although about the same size as current offices, the new building is designed for the occupants, will add about 55 parking spaces over the current 90 and will be more financially viable.

BOISE – Idaho officials can soon stop being “shocked, shocked!” that gambling is going on – in the form of office pools or penny-ante poker games. Gov. Butch Otter has signed into law HB 422, which allows prosecutors and law enforcement officers to exercise discretion over whether they go after any act of gambling; current law makes it a misdemeanor crime for prosecutors or officers to fail to prosecute if they know about any gambling, no matter how small scale. The law’s been cited in reports about a recent bust of a $20 poker game at a senior center in Twin Falls.

Today A Touch of Jazz (Jazz) - 1 p.m., Di Luna’s, 207 Cedar St., Sandpoint, (208) 263-0846.