Idaho Voices

As Coeur d’Alene spreads north and Hayden spreads west, new businesses are needed to serve that expanding population. To help with this, a convenience store called C&C Grocery is under construction in the minimall on the southwest corner of Prairie Avenue and Atlas Road. Constructed for, well, convenience, the 1,500-square-foot store will include a drive-up window for customers not wanting to leave their car (because, say, they have children inside) and buying simple things such as milk, bread or coffee. It will also be completely handicapped-accessible friendly and offer the normal convenience store items, including beer and wine.

That cross-the-border press conference staged to oppose local racists circulating hate literature was felt all the way down in Mississippi. Seems Jackie Bland and her family from Hattiesburg, Miss., visited the area shortly after the Aryan Nations wannabes conducted their literature drop. About that time, Mayor Sandi Bloem, Police Chief Wayne Longo, human- rights activist Tony Stewart and others met with mayors, police chiefs and other dignitaries from Spokane and Kootenai counties at the state line to denounce the material. In a recent letter to the editor of the Hattiesburg American, Bland wrote: “I thought that this reaction by local leadership was astonishing as I was from the South and had never witnessed leadership calling out such acts. I also thought how wonderful it is for leadership to set the tone to what is and is not acceptable behavior.” And you thought no one noticed? Insert foot

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

It was double the pleasure for the Sandpoint High School boys and girls soccer teams at the State 4A tournaments last weekend. The Sandpoint boys captured their seventh state title this decade, and second straight, while the Sandpoint girls, after two years in the 5A classification, returned to their state championship ways, collecting their fifth this decade.

Due to the vaccine shortage, Panhandle Health District has postponed the H1N1 vaccination clinics at Sorensen, Skyway, and Winton elementaries and the Kinder Center until November. Vaccination clinics scheduled for the middle schools and the high schools have been moved to December.

Last Wednesday, with temperatures in the lower 40s and partly cloudy skies, a passing shower dropped what looked like about a dozen or so tiny snow grains. A quick check of the radar display didn’t show much, a few spotty pixels of green scattered across Eastern Washington and North Idaho. I called a report in to KREM’s Tom Sherry to let him know that the precipitation falling across the lower elevations was in the form of snow.

It was uncanny how much this paper Chinese zodiac placemat knew about my personality. The tiny red print below an illustration of a rat, my animal sign, read “You are ambitious yet honest. Prone to spend freely. Seldom make lasting friendships.” I have a few longtime pals who might disagree with the latter notion, but maybe it’s true at least with horses, who according to the zodiac are supposed to be my arch-enemies. However, my ambitions are many and honesty is my only policy, frequently to the point of being savagely blunt. Likewise, when it comes to dining out, I frequently go through dollars faster than the People’s Republic of China goes through oolong tea.

It’s too easy to overlook or not know about our local sights and destinations. Outsiders drive or fly long distances to vacation to spots we may never even have considered as a day trip or overnight excursion. The Selkirk Loop has many of those unfamiliar and unknown locations. The entire loop is a 280-mile international experience. Roughly half of the drive is in the United States and the other half explores into Canada. The loop is promoted as a “truly spectacular drive in Idaho, Washington and British Columbia” and “North America’s only multicountry scenic loop.” Anyone who has driven it will agree with the hype. The loop makes a complete circle around the Selkirk Mountain Range, which gives the road its name. Almost the entire drive is in sight of the mountains covered with trees, following rivers and winding along the banks of lakes. There is a cave to explore, free ferry rides, a developed hot spring, wildlife refuges, scenic train ride, glass house, museums and interesting, eclectic small towns on the loop. The best way to get acquainted with what can be found is to obtain the pamphlet “Selkirk Loop.” It contains a map and listings of attractions, accommodations, events and activities. Included are six side trips, three designated scenic byways and a historic route, all of which branch off from the main loop. Simply put, there is a whole lot to see. A number of days could be taken to see many various options, or they can be seen individually in day trips from our area. Part of the fun of planning a trip is to break up the loop, research the area and decide which section seems the most interesting.

The holiday season is approaching and soon the calendar will be filling up with parties and events to celebrate the season. But in Sandpoint the holidays mean much more than office parties. It is a time when the community comes together to answer the appeal of several area nonprofit groups who desperately need financial help – whether it is to help the homeless through a cold and snowy winter, keep the shelves stocked at the local food banks, or assist the group home for abused and neglected children fund its ever increasing needs.

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

Filings from Oct. 6-15 Chapter 7 (liquidation petitions)

For 10-25-2009

Goths everywhere may still argue whether Bela Lugosi is indeed dead, or possibly undead, but certainly the man who originally brought Count Dracula to theater audiences way back when will be there in spirit when the Lake City Playhouse stages “Dracula” starting Thursday. Director Rebecca McNeil opens the new season at the much-beloved Coeur d’Alene institution with a “dark, somewhat depressive, and certainly unsettling” adaptation of Bram Stoker’s classic novel just in time for Halloween.

For the second year in a row, students from Sandpoint High School will travel to New York City in March to participate in a Model United Nations conference. The trip is the culmination of a yearlong course that focuses on international issues including trade, terrorism, poverty and the control of nuclear weapons. Sandpoint High School teacher Debbie Smith said the 27 students who attended last year came away with not only awareness of international issues but also a significant improvement in public speaking skills.

The following is a list of upcoming North Idaho Halloween events. Thursday

COEUR D’ALENE – Historian Robert Singletary will present a history of the development of the communities around Lake Coeur d’Alene, its tributaries and its only outlet, the Spokane River. The presentation will be 7 p.m. Tuesday at Lake City Senior Center, 1916 N. Lakewood Drive. It is the first in a series of free history programs offered by North Idaho College’s Molstead Library and the Museum of North Idaho.