Becky Kramer

WORLEY, Idaho – Five days before he was fired as chief executive officer of the Coeur d'Alene Casino, David Matheson suggested using casino profits to make $1,000 monthly payments to each member of the Coeur d'Alene Tribe. A May 24 letter, sent by Matheson to the tribe's 1,900 members, reads in part: "We will share our good fortune of the operation and take the necessary steps and procedures to allow a payment of $1,000.00 per month …"

Cedar scents and a rushing waterfall are part of the ambience at the Coeur d'Alene Resort's new $10 million spa, where the specialty treatments come with names like "Forest Mineral Scrub," "Invigorating Waters Bath" and "Natural Elements Experience." But rustic illusions here are only skin deep.

SANDPOINT – Maureen Lange couldn't resist trying the double doors of Coldwater Creek's new Sandpoint store Thursday. When they swung open, she walked in on a pep talk the district manager was giving to the sales staff in advance of Saturday's grand opening. Lange smiled and shrugged, promising to come back later. She often wears Sandpoint's homegrown label, known for its colorful, casual women's apparel, and she's been curious about the new store.

Great Floors is expanding into the granite business with the purchase of a stone fabrication company. Great Floors bought Harrison Granite & Tile in Coeur d'Alene and plans to open a larger production facility somewhere along the Interstate 90 corridor between Spokane and Coeur d'Alene. The acquisition will allow Great Floors to meet growing customer demand for stone surfaces, said Doug Chadderdon, Great Floors' president and chief executive officer.

Every January, Geoff Parker hands his wife the training schedule for his mine rescue team. The training sessions get penciled into the family calendar, taking precedence over everything else. Parker's proficiency with a 28-pound breathing apparatus, designed to keep him alive for four hours in a bad air situation, could someday save his life, or the lives of co-workers at the Lucky Friday Mine in Mullan, Idaho. "He's doing a great service for the community," says Parker's wife, Kristin. "I never begrudge Geoff spending his Sundays doing mine rescue."

LEWISTON – The Summer of Peace commemorates cross-cultural relations on the Lewis and Clark Trail. On their return to St. Louis in 1806, the expedition spent about a month among the Nez Perce, waiting for the weather to warm up so that they could cross the Bitterroot Mountains. While Capt. William Clark set up a clinic to doctor the Indians, Capt. Meriwether Lewis recorded detailed accounts of local culture in his journals.

"Own your own boat slip on CDA Lake!" reads the real estate ad. "Privately owned marina. Showers, bathrooms & security." For sale: Two slips in the 11th Street Marina in Coeur d'Alene.

ATHOL, Idaho – Silverwood Theme Park's latest attraction has nothing to do with speed or adrenaline-laced thrills. Unlike the Panic Plunge, a 50-mph ride that opened last weekend, the park's new herd of bison moves at an ambling gait. Three are expectant mothers with bulging midsections, due to deliver any day. Another gave birth on Sunday, and her leisurely stroll accommodates a nursing calf.

BAYVIEW, Idaho – Bob Holland is embarking on his own version of Extreme Makeover – taking on a town as his project. Two years ago, the Hayden developer bought a marina in Bayview, a time warp of affordable trailer parks, unpretentious bars and float homes clustered around an inlet of Lake Pend Oreille. Bit by bit, Holland's portfolio grew, until he owned three of Bayview's six marinas, and a good portion of town.

Marshall Mend is a ubiquitous presence in North Idaho. The 66-year-old Realtor's receding hairline and broad nose are familiar to thousands of Kootenai County residents. They've seen his picture on "For Sale" and "Sold" signs, or perhaps their kids even wore it. Mend sponsors at least four youth sports teams each year, providing T-shirts printed with his mug shot and the logo, "Marshall Mend is my Realtor."

Anya Kamenetz interviewed more than 100 young adults for her book, "Generation Debt: Why Now is a Terrible Time to Be Young." Each offered tales of financial distress. Thirty-year-olds described moving back in with their parents because they couldn't afford apartments on "crap job" wages. Some had declared bankruptcy on credit card debt. Others had achieved their dreams of graduating from college, but faced payments on $20,000 to $40,000 worth of student loans. They felt "screwed by the economics of daily life," according to Kamenetz, a 25-year-old writer who lives in Manhattan.

Rann Haight spent five days sketching interiors for Thomas Kinkade's English cottages, absorbed in the fantasy of creating architectural plans from Hallmark-style paintings. "It was almost like being … Lewis Carroll and wondering what would happen if I walked through the mirror," said Haight, a Coeur d'Alene architect. "You have these beautiful, quaint homes that everyone who is a Kinkade fan has fallen in love with. You want the inside to match the outside."

Vanessa Mathews was optimistic Wednesday as she filled out a stack of job applications. "I'm feeling pretty good…I think I'm going to get one," said Mathews, 18, who was applying at Coldwater Creek, the Coeur d'Alene Resort and Silverwood Theme Park.

Gaye Sutter made a 70-mile round trip from Mead to Coeur d'Alene Monday to pick up an Idaho State income tax form. She wasn't a tax procrastinator. "I'm doing 'Good Mom' duty," Sutter explained.