Millions of listeners tune in weekly for a dose of his fervent, frequently lighthearted and always enlightening National Public Radio’s Weekend Edition Saturday broadcasts. In a pleasing, midrange voice – warm and unforgettable – he sounds like a kind, well-traveled friend or relative who just popped in for coffee. But please, don’t label him a radio host, politely requests Scott Simon, the creative energy behind program.
Five suspects in a North Idaho double homicide in August were arraigned Tuesday in First Judicial District Court in Wallace. Four entered not guilty pleas, and the fifth asked for a continuance to give a new public defender more time to review his case, said Shoshone County Prosecutor Michael Peacock.
Money, thrill kills, trophy mounts and extra meat are driving wildlife poachers and illegal traders into the Inland Northwest’s forests and fields, say Washington state Fish and Wildlife officials. The trend is underscored by the felony arrest Wednesday of Jason Yon, owner of Jax Foods in Spokane. Undercover state fish and game officers charged Yon with buying four black bear gallbladders to resell them. “Galls” are prized in Asia for their medicinal properties.
Money, thrill kills, trophy mounts and extra meat are driving wildlife poachers and illegal traders into the Inland Northwest’s forests and fields, say Washington state Fish and Wildlife officials. The trend is underscored by the felony arrest Wednesday of Jason Yon, owner of Jax Foods in Spokane. Undercover state fish and game officers charged Yon with buying four black bear gallbladders to resell them. “Galls” are prized in Asia for their medicinal properties.
When the economy tanks, people start pawing through jewelry boxes, coin collections and storage sheds in search of stuff to sell. Lately, they’re looking to convert even their trash to cash. “All recyclable materials are commodities, just like gold or silver or wheat,” said Suzanne Tresko, recycling coordinator for the Spokane Regional Solid Waste System. “We’ve heard from private recyclers in the area they’re seeing an increase in the number of people bringing in recyclables.”
The butterfly sculpture that greets visitors at the north entrance of Spokane’s Riverfront Park will get colorful new wings next year thanks to the Lupus Support Group. The sculpture is one of two left from a flock of butterflies that decorated the park during Expo ’74, said Nancy Goodspeed, a Spokane Parks and Recreation spokeswoman. The other is in storage.
Homebuilder Collin Beggs of Sandpoint sharpened his woodworking skills restoring Early American buildings in the historic Northeast before hanging his shingle out in North Idaho. His repertoire includes rebuilding the Palmira, N.Y., farmstead from which Joseph Smith set out to form the Mormon Church and bringing back an original, mid-19th century barn in the Farmer’s Museum of Cooperstown, N.Y.
Cheney resident Denny Reed, 33, is only half joking when he says he’s “just another guy who hates his full-time job.” A former design engineer at Seattle-based Bayliner boat manufacturing, he now supports himself making construction loans. But you should see his escape hatch.
Ali Vincent’s days of anonymity may be gone for good. And she’s OK with that. “I feel like the luckiest woman alive,” smiled 33-year-old Vincent, who in April broke the gender barrier by becoming the first woman ever to win on “The Biggest Loser,” a reality TV show on weight loss and fitness. Men, who have biological advantages when it comes to shedding extra pounds, had won four seasons running.
