Linda Ball

Sadie Brooten and Ada May Foster are inviting all mothers in North Idaho and Eastern Washington to become involved in the Washington and Idaho Association of American Mothers Inc. at the first combined state convention June 11 at the Red Lion Templin's Hotel in Post Falls. The precept of AMI is a simple one: "To strengthen the moral and spiritual foundations of the family and the home." The organization's first Mother of the Year Award was presented in 1933 by Sara Delano Roosevelt, the mother of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and also the organization's first honorary chairwoman. Since then, a National Mother of the Year has been named annually from among the state Mothers of the Year.

Home-schooled sophomore Alisha Harrold, 16, was inspired by the prima ballerinas she saw move gracefully across the stage as a young girl. Dancing since the age of 10, Alisha has a chance to show her poise and grace to more than 100 talent scouts this August at the World Championship of the Performing Arts in Hollywood. This is the ninth year of the championships. Alisha has been training for the past three years at Expressions School of Dance, and prior to that at Suzie's Tap, Jazz, Etc. in Rathdrum. Her mother, Nalini Harrold said that her daughter has been dancing around the house constantly since she was little. Alisha prefers ballet and lyrical dance, a mix between ballet and jazz dance, but she is also working on hip-hop dance and jazz. She spends eight hours a week at the dance studio.

District 4B state Rep. George Sayler, a teacher at Coeur d'Alene High School since 1974, said that he'll miss the interaction with his students the most. After teaching at the high school for one-third of the school's history, Sayler is hanging up his teaching hat to devote more time to his legislative duties. Sayler has taught 11th- and 12th-grade history, government and economics at CHS. This school year he has devoted his time to teaching senior government. He said he enjoys getting the students to think about things, to stretch their minds.

It started in 1993 with a group of concerned property owners on the east side of Lake Coeur d'Alene recognizing the need for fire protection. Basil Mercer, 78, was there from the beginning as a charter member and original commissioner of the East Side Fire District. Mercer is retiring from his unpaid volunteer position after 12 years. The firefighters, commissioners and all those who appreciate what he has done will honor Mercer Sunday with a farewell banquet.

Victor Larsen has every reason to be proud of his daughter Jessica Bane-Larsen. Bane-Larsen, 25, will graduate May 1 from Lewis-Clark State College's Coeur d'Alene campus with her bachelor of science degree in business administration.

Josephine Randle was the only mother Joan Best knew. Abandoned by her biological mother at age 2, it wasn't until Joan was 11 that she finally got a real mom when her father wed the diminutive 23-year-old "Little Jo." Despite the closeness in their ages, Randle was by all accounts a wonderful mother to Best, and a wonderful wife to her father. She died April 3 at Pinewood Care Center at the age of 84.

Coeur d'Alene High School junior Haley Cohen learned last month that she has been selected to attend the 2005 session of the Junior Statesman Summer School at Princeton University, in Princeton, N.J. The only thing stopping this bright young lady is that, after receiving a $600 scholarship from the program, she still needs another $3,000 for tuition plus money for travel expenses and food. The program will be held June 26 through July 21. Only 250 students from the entire country are selected to participate in this school, where they study government, politics and political communication. The students will also participate in nightly debates of controversial public policy and meet with high-level members of government, business and the media.

Max Tuggle describes himself as a spiritual man who believes that nature is a part of everything. Searching for answers to the whys of life and death, Tuggle, 57, has written his first book, "Time of the End." "We're a part of nature, and nature's a part of us," Tuggle said. "The Earth is going through major changes right now – politically, economically, geographically, spiritually – everything, and we're part of it. It's very subtle, and because it's so subtle, we don't recognize it."

The ninth annual Spring Ring on April 17 at Christ the King Lutheran Church will feature 10 handbell choirs in a performance to raise money for victims of the south Asia tsunami. The collection of free-will offerings will benefit the victims by way of Northwest Medical Team, a Christian, nonprofit, nonpolitical humanitarian organization based in Portland.

Scott Hague touched the lives of many people in his 40-year life. More than 1,000 people attended his funeral service on March 5 at St. Pius Catholic Church. There are more than 100 postings expressing warm thoughts and memories of Scott on the Yates Funeral Home Web site. Scott died March 1 after an 11-month battle with melanoma. He leaves behind his wife Brandi, and three children, Mathew, 17, Breanna, 14, and Mikinzie, 7. By all accounts he was a wonderful father to his children.

Although the bond issue to add $3 million in public funding toward a new Coeur d'Alene Public Library passed on Feb. 1, the Coeur d'Alene Library Foundation is still raising money toward fulfilling the goal of a state-of-the-art public library. Local artist Terry Lee is doing his part to help with his creation of a bronze bear sculpture called "Bear Tales." Only 100 of the sculptures will be made, selling at $2,000 each, with all proceeds benefiting the library foundation.

Director Noel Barbuto took on a daunting task when he decided to bring the 35-year-old rock opera "Jesus Christ Superstar" to the Lake City Playhouse. The musical, with lyrics by Tim Rice and music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, tells the story of the final days of Jesus' life, as told through Judas' eyes. The production, which debuted in the late 1960s, can be performed with great spectacle, but the Playhouse doesn't have the luxury of a huge stage with all the bells and whistles of a larger theater. At a nearly-square 27-feet-by-26-feet, the Playhouse's stage is atypical, so Barbuto had to get creative.

"Seussical the Musical," performed by The Lake City High School theater group, Troupe de Wolf, opens next weekend at the high school. The production is based on 14 stories by Dr. Seuss, and was written for Broadway by Linda Aherns and Steven Flaherty. For the fifth year in a row, New York actor/director Blair Bybee is directing and choreographing the LCHS show. "Blair inspires the kids to be the best they can be," said Sandy Seaton, LCHS theater instructor. "He's worth every penny. The kids come to an understanding of what it means to work in a professional company because he demands that of them." Proceeds from the ticket sales pay for Bybee's expenses.

Third-, fourth- and fifth-grade students at Winton Elementary gave their time, their hearts and their imagination in order to help the victims of the Dec. 26 tsunami in South Asia. The students raised more than $1,200, with part of the money going to the Red Cross and the balance to UNICEF. On Monday, Mary Jo Welch's fifth-grade class presented a check for $843.65 to Debbie Lohrey, the director of the Coeur d'Alene Red Cross. The class raised the money by having a coin drive. Lohrey told the students that 90 percent of the money will go to a relief fund for food, clothing and shelter for the victims.

The Imagination Express, a program designed to integrate art, music and physical education, came rolling into the Borah Elementary School gymnasium on Wednesday. This creative program started at Borah in 1997 with the help of an EXCEL Foundation grant. Former Borah music teacher Jean TerHark, physical education teacher Marla Nixon and art teacher Jane Morgan started the program. Liz Larson, the new music teacher, took over for TerHark.