Idaho Voices

For 11-08-2009

This most recent election season in Coeur d’Alene seemed to bring out a lot of passion in supporters of both the incumbents and challengers in the race for mayor and City Council. While I admire those who choose get involved in such a crazy kind of circus, I find it somewhat odd that a restaurant would choose to forgo neutrality and boldly display signs in support of their preferred candidates.

I was visiting my mother-in-law for lunch in the Coeur d’Alene Place development last Sunday when the door bell rang. I heard a familiar voice when my mother-in-law answered the door, saying: “I’m Mike Kennedy, and I’m running for City Council.” Not only was Mike at the door, but Mike Kralicek and his daughter, Alexis, accompanied him. I’d never met Kralicek, the ex-Coeur d’Alene cop who was critically wounded in the line of duty a few years ago. So I introduced myself while Kennedy worked my mother-in-law for a vote. Kralicek, who was in a wheelchair, told me how his wife’s insurance company wouldn’t insure him for anything not directly related to his disabling injuries. As you recall, the Idaho Legislature passed a law that provides financial help for officers injured in the line of duty. But it’s not retroactive. Councilman Mike said he has arranged a meeting between Kralicek and Congressman Walt Minnick’s office Monday re: the situation. Meanwhile, I didn’t have the heart to tell Councilman Mike that he was wasting his breath on my mother-in-law who quit voting when she moved to Coeur d’Alene. Full moon

I have been seeing a rainbow of colors in the sky lately, but they haven’t been the result of a passing rain shower. Late in the afternoon, when the sun is low in the sky and cirrus clouds are present, one can often make out this colorful display right through the cirrus clouds themselves. The phenomenon is called a “sun dog,” and occurs when sunlight is refracted, or bent, by ice crystals. Cirrus clouds are those clouds that are often wisplike in appearance, and reside high in the atmosphere beginning around 16,000 feet. They are made up entirely of ice crystals. When light passes through these ice crystals, many different optical effects can occur, depending on the angle of the sun, and the shape and orientation of the ice crystals.

Ghouls, goblins, witches and pirates dominated the scene Halloween eve in the north end of Kootenai County. Starting early in Athol, the Baptist Church held a tailgate party that was all about treats and not about tricks. Concerned about children walking the unlit streets after dark, the church started this event last year. It was a great success so they did it again. Ten or so SUVs were parked at the Athol Community Center for the candy fest. Children showed up from all over the area and appeared to have a great time.

POST FALLS – The Post Falls Parks and Recreation Department is registering boys and girls in grades 1 through 9 for Recreational Youth Basketball. Registration ends Dec. 4 or when teams are full. Practices will begin in early January and games have a tentative start date on Jan. 23.

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

Dine in or take-out are options at Santorini’s Authentic Greek Cuisine, which opened last week in Fairgrounds Center at 4055 Government Way. The restaurant offers lunch, dinner and pastries made from scratch with family Greek recipes. Owners Dino and Fotini Tsakarestos came to the United States from Greece in the 1970s and had previous restaurants in Missoula and Coeur d’Alene. They also have a Santorini’s in downtown Spokane. They tried to retire in 2007, but “We had to be doing something,” Fotini explained.

Students in the Coeur d’Alene School District will remember and honor veterans in a number of assemblies on Tuesday. Veterans Day is Wednesday. Woodland Middle School will hold a special morning assembly at 8 a.m. and Dalton Elementary School has planned a flag presentation, taps and other special songs for its 9:15 a.m. assembly.

I’ve been a runner, on and off, since I was 12 years old – my favorite distance is 5K and I don’t run anything farther than Bloomsday. I’m at best a recreational runner, and I haven’t run a mile in a year. I figured if I was writing about barefoot running, I had to try it, so on Friday I met up with Hank Greer, a dedicated barefoot runner.

BOISE – The Idaho League of Women Voters has endorsed an initiative petition to let Idahoans request permanent absentee ballot status, rather than have to request an absentee ballot every time there’s an election, a change that’s been supported in the past by the state’s county clerks but rejected by state lawmakers. “The league has a long history of supporting voter registration and ballot access,” said Kathryn Bonzo, co-president of the Idaho League of Women Voters. “Permanent absentee balloting is a positive step forward for voters in Idaho.”

For a city that sits on one of the largest lakes in North America, no one would ever suspect there is a problem with adequate water supply. But looks are deceiving. The reality is that there is a problem in the city of Sandpoint – and it has the potential to be a 5-million-gallon-a-day problem. Last Tuesday, Sandpoint residents approved the issuance of a bond to expand the Lake Pend Oreille Water Treatment Facility, which currently has a capacity of 3.5 million gallons per day.

Chapter 7 Janet E. and Ronald D. Speidel, Coeur d’Alene, debts unspecified.

In March, the CEO of Intermountain Community Bank, Curt Hecker, held town hall meetings informing the community of the corporation’s new program, Powered by Community. The goal of the program is to create a relationship among businesses, nonprofit organizations, residents and area resources in an effort to bring economic growth to the communities where ICB conducts business. Months later, ICB has made good on its promise and provided many resources to help stimulate the local economy.

Coeur d’Alene City of Coeur d’Alene Wastewater Utility, 1080 W. Hubbard Ave., commercial, low P demonstration pilot facility, valued at $309,000.

For 11-01-2009

BOISE – Immigration as a political issue has sparked plenty of rhetoric in Idaho in recent years, but a new University of Idaho study shines new light on how heavy immigration can really impact rural Idaho communities. UI’s two-year study found that south-central Idaho’s Hispanic population has grown by 85 percent since 2000, paralleling the dramatic growth in the dairy industry in the region, which employs a large Hispanic work force. That’s brought big economic and social changes to communities in the area, the study found – and they’re mostly positive.