Just Call All Non-Teacher Committee Members Patsy
In letters Sunday, H.A. Wells of Coeur d’Alene and Monica Wilson of Hayden claimed the Coeur d’Alene School District stacked the deck of a math curriculum committee. Said Wells: “The district carefully selects committee members so that any opposition to its opinion will always be in a minority.” So, what else is new? During the infamous Impressions reading series battle of the late 1980s, I saw firsthand how school officials loaded committees to limit input from suspect parents. In some cases, committees didn’t have the minimum number of parents required. In others, parent reps were rubber stamps for the teachers on the committee. Yet, administrator Hazel Bauman had the nerve to say recently, “We’d be tickled to have more community representatives.” If you believe that nonsense, you probably are qualified to serve on a School District 271 committee.
Priest Lake Mona Lisa worth preserving
Realtor Arlen Olsen referred to it as “the Mona Lisa.” The late Ken Kohli said: “Anybody with two eyes, over the age of 6, would have to realize this is an ecologically unique place. … Most people in the industry would say that’s the kind of place that should be set aside.” Both appreciated an ancient grove of cedars covering 520 acres near Upper Priest Lake. The grove includes some 1,500-year-old trees, rare plants and a wetland. It’s owned by Riley Creek Lumber Co. Now, if no goofball appeals, the U.S. Forest Service has agreed to swap 2,305 acres of less valuable land for the grove. Kohli, a timber industry spokesman, was working on this exchange last summer, when he was killed in a plane crash. For his memory’s sake, let’s complete this swap.
St. Maries perv gets another wrist slap
It shouldn’t take 600 signatures from angry St. Maries residents to imprison the town pervert. But it did. Edward J. Adams Jr., 36, who molested a 4-year-old girl, showed how worthless his six-month cakewalk through a sex offender program was by repeatedly violating probation afterward. He even ignored a court-ordered ban against getting involved with a woman who has a minor child. Sure, he was thrown in jail every time he violated probation. But he bailed out. Finally, Pat Wernecke began collecting signatures on a petition demanding that Adams be jailed again. That got 1st District Judge Craig Kosonen’s attention. Sort of. Kosonen ordered Adams to serve his 15-year sentence. With credit for time served, however, Adams will be eligible for parole in six months. Come fall, St. Maries may have to hide its kids again.
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