School Board Shenanigans Threatens Trust, Support
The Coeur d’Alene School Board began the new year as badly as it ended the old one. An emergency meeting was called Wednesday night by Trustees Vern Newby and Tim Olson to discuss board reorganization (read, overthrow of competent Chairman Ken Burchell). Apparently, Newby and Olson still are miffed that Burchell allowed a parents’ group to make a lengthy phonics presentation. By the time you read this, the coup may have happened. Until I find out the particulars, I’ll limit comment to the zany process. First, no emergency existed to warrant a special meeting before Monday’s regularly scheduled one. (Sorry, bruised egos don’t qualify in this corner as a crisis.) Secondly, Newby and Olson denied their colleague a chance to answer any complaints against him by setting their “emergency” meeting at a time when Burchell couldn’t attend. And, finally, they’re jeopardizing a levy election this spring by continuing this nonsense. Who will support a school board that overthrew a chairman for allowing parents to speak?
Indeed, it’s better to be safe than sorry
Why does it take a tragedy to make us fix traffic hazards? Commendably, Post Falls officials have reacted swiftly to the Dec. 29 accident at the Post Falls Factory Outlet mall that killed Shannon Wilhelm, 19. Mayor Jim Hammond has promised to do something. Similarly, the city of Coeur d’Alene finally fixed a dangerous intersection near The Spokesman-Review building after Jennifer Stokes, a North Idaho College student, was fatally injured there last year. A few years ago, then Gov. Cecil Andrus ordered a traffic light installed near Winton School after a student was seriously injured trying to cross busy Lincoln Way. Wouldn’t it be better to survey dangerous spots throughout our communities and fix them ahead of time?
Coldwater Creek saga has happy ending
Unfinished Business: During Yuletide, Coldwater Creek incurred the wrath of Hot Potatoes by ordering the Sandpoint Christmas tree removed from its property. I compared the company to Dr. Seuss’s Grinch. But Coldwater Creek redeemed itself before Christmas by donating $75,000 to the Festival at Sandpoint. The festival should be able to meet the two strings attached to claim the money: Match it and have conductor Gunther Schuller on stage next year. The generous gift will enable the festival to crawl out of a $90,000 hole and begin lining up 1996 talent. Gosh, what a happy ending. Then, the Grinch eventually changed his thinking about Christmas and carved Who-ville’s roast beast.
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