Idaho Voices

Weekly Events Falls Christian Assembly – Sunday school for all ages, 9:30 a.m.; Sunday morning worship service at 10:45 a.m. Wednesday adult Bible study, Ignite Youth Group and Royal Rangers and Mpact all meet at 7 p.m. at the church at 1687 E. Horsehaven Ave., Post Falls. (208) 773-4722

The summer of 2008 ushered in a new era as the Idaho State Parks Department decided to move ahead with sewage systems in the most sensitive areas. Farragut (Lake Pend Oreille) and Heyburn (Chatcolet, Benewah, and Hidden Lakes) state parks were slated for this upgrade. Since Farragut State Park opened, septic tanks and drain fields have been used for the camping areas and ranger housing. Construction for the new system began August 2008 with the majority finished by April 2009. The state-of-the-art plant was up and running by summer 2009.

I might not ever get accused of being exactly trendy, but openness to all things new and exciting is just built into my Aries nature. I’ve learned to control my impulses a bit over the years, but I always used to make sure I was the first kid on the block with the latest electro-polka records, the first to buy the latest copy of Mad magazine, the first in line to try the experimental new menu items served up by the lunch ladies of Harding Elementary.

BOISE – If the Idaho Transportation Board’s much-scaled-back bonding proposal for the coming year wins legislative support, bonds would pay for $14 million worth of additional work on the Garwood-to-Sagle project on Highway 95 in North Idaho. The money – the biggest single item in the bonding plan – would go for reconstruction and widening of four miles of U.S. Highway 95 in the Chilco area and construction of frontage roads.

COEUR D’ALENE – Fans of the 1960s tunes, such as “Leader of the Pack,” “Chapel of Love,” “Do Wah Diddy,” “Hanky Panky” and “Be My Baby,” will enjoy the jukebox musical, “Leader of the Pack,” written by Ellie Greenwich. The show is running at Lake City Playhouse, Thursdays through Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m., through Jan. 31.

Students from Lake City High School are eligible for the state Business Professionals of America competition after placing in the regional competition held recently at North Idaho College. The state competition will be in March in Boise. First-place team winners include: Alyssa Allen, Marie Burns and Taran Loper for computer animation; Lloyd Castleberry, Keifer Hofacker and Dylan Kritz for software engineering; Ryan Rhode and Corbin Staaben for Web application; Ryan Hamilton, Jared Dibble and Chelsea Sampson for Web design; and Ashley Raveena and Ronique Brooke for presentation management.

Sunday Charley Packard (original) – 6 p.m., Spuds Grill, 102 N. First, Sandpoint; (208) 265-4311.

What had been Paddy’s II tavern at 900 Highway 41 (at its intersection with Mullan Road in Post Falls) is now Club 41. The 3,000-square-foot sports pub is remodeled with seating for 30-plus customers. Amenities include several flat-screen TVs and a stereo system, pool tables, dart boards and video games. Coming soon are a ping pong table and Wii station. Food comes from the neighboring Nate’s New York Pizza. Hours are 11 a.m. to midnight daily.

One of the tools meteorologists use on a daily basis to forecast the weather are computers. Using equations based on the laws of physics, powerful computers perform millions of calculations that result in an output of variables such as temperature, pressure, humidity, and wind speed that can be plotted on a map and analyzed.

I remember it vividly. It was two and a half years ago when newscasts around the country flashed pictures of five young women, ages 17 and 18, who were killed in a car accident in New York. Their vehicle swerved into oncoming traffic and cell phone records indicated that in all likelihood the driver was sending text messages while driving. The nationwide reaction was one of horror. Texting was a new way of communication then, especially among teens. How could people even think of engaging in such a distracting activity while behind the wheel?

Coeur d’Alene police finally caught up with that desperado who has bedeviled lakeshore owners trying to construct buildings or docks in the wrong places for years. Attorney Scott Reed, 81, who walks with a cane, was nabbed by five CPD Blues, two with guns drawn, when he exited a second-floor restroom of the Bank of America building Wednesday, Dec. 23, where he has had an office for decades. Seems Scott had arrived before others in the building per usual and inadvertently set off a burglar alarm as he puttered around the office. In a letter written later to police spokeswoman Christie Wood, Scott explained he “was wearing cutoff jeans and a sloppy shirt and certainly didn’t look professional.” Scott was also wearing handcuffs by the time the CPD Blues figured out he wasn’t a threat to the well-being of our republic. Scott wasn’t perturbed by his brush with the law. In his letter, he said: “I am at an age where nothing very exciting ever happens and this certainly was memorable.” Also, he felt complimented that “someone in my condition walking only with a cane was thought physically capable of robbing a bank.” Finally, graciously, he applauded the caution of the cops, noting that the recent murders of Washington officers and the increase in crime locally has proven that “advanced age is no assurance that (an) elder is not carrying a gun.” Book ’em

Filings from Dec. 10-18. Chapter 7 (liquidation petitions)

Coeur d’Alene

New listing Rathdrum Knitalong – Group to help each other improve knitting skills. Meets the first and third Tuesdays of each month, 1-3 p.m. at Rathdrum Library, 16780 W. Highway 41, Rathdrum, Idaho. Call (208) 687-1029, e-mail Rathdrum@cin.kcl.org or visit www.ksalibraries.org/Rathdrum for more information.

The gifts were sent about 10 days prior to Christmas. When opened, tears of remembrance flowed and the phones around Sandpoint began to ring with friends calling one another to see if they received a similar package with the same mysterious return address. One thing the recipients had in common was their close-knit friendship with the late Hazel Hall who died in August at 96.