Pierce Brosnan’s Word Is His Bond

Imagine Tom Torgerson’s surprise when Hollyweird invited him to the Los Angeles premiere of “Dante’s Peak.” Torgerson, an agent for Beutler & Associates, helped actor Pierce Brosnan find a rental during filming in Wallace. Well, maybe “rental” isn’t the right word. The Spokane River place cost 10,000 clams per month. Anyway, before Brosnan left, he asked Tom if there was anything he could do for him. So, Tom mentioned he’d like to go to the premiere - not thinking anything would come of it. Now, he and girlfriend Marcia Smith are off to Hollywood for Wednesday’s show. Ask and ye shall receive.

Going postal

At the ZipStop catty-corner from the Coeur d’Alene post office, a customer was eyeing the last of the chicken fingers when the clerk spoke up. She informed him that postal employees would be disappointed if there were no chicken fingers left for lunch. The man decided not to risk it. Said he: “God knows I don’t want to make someone that works at the post office mad. They know where I live.”

Quick on his feet

At the Mr. CHS competition Wednesday, senior Bill Heaton gave the best response to an impromptu question. When asked what flavor of ice cream summed up his years at Coeur d’Alene High, Bill brought the house down with (drum roll, please) “Rocky Road” - it has some hard spots, some sticky spots, too, but, all and all, it tastes pretty good. … Then, there was the poor Mr. CHS contestant, who under the glare of the lights, the judges and Principal Steve Casey - blurted out his fondest memory at Coeur d’Alene High: “Toilet-papering Lake City.” This, after Principal Casey apologized solemnly for the incident to Lake City High fans before a recent basketball game.

This spud’s for you

An Oldtown woman reported to sheriff’s deputies Jan. 23 that two youngsters were shooting at passing vehicles - with a spud gun. Good thing you can’t get your hands on those giant Idaho russets up here. … By the way, a line in “GoldenEye,” the latest James Bond movie starring Brosnan, made me think of the actor’s driving habits. He was stopped for speeding four times in North Idaho. In “GoldenEye,” 007 is informed by a friend: “You have a license to kill, not to break the traffic laws.” … The Huckleberry Hound is investigating the mysterious disappearance of The Coeur d’Alene Resort’s red maples. Some say they’d grown too big for their own branches and obscured the view of the resort. Mayor Al Hassell says they suffered so much ice storm damage they had to be cut down. Stay tuned.

Huckleberries

Was it a coincidence recently when at 11 a.m. a llama was spotted running loose in the Settlement area of Bonner County? Or perfect harmony? … When asked why she was moving to Boise to handle Congressman Helen Chenoweth’s P.R., spokeswoman Khris Bershers said: “You’d have to have a hole in your head to want to live in Washington, D.C., when you could live in Idaho.” She stole the quote from Coeur d’Alene tribal official Dave Matheson, an ex-Bureau of Indian Affairs muckety-muck. … Banker Jon Hippler learned his manners well. On Thursday, while unveiling a proposal for a new library and botanical gardens at McEuen Field, Hippler accidentally bumped a Jewett House floor lamp. Without missing a beat, he said, “Excuse me,” and continued. … The burglar who stole two chain saws, a CD player and a video cassette recorder from a Lower Twin Lake cabin must have mush for brains. That, or he’s confident he’ll never have to appear before the cabin’s owner: Judge Gary Haman.

Parting shot

Bonner County penny pinching claimed another victim - the U.S. Pacific Northwest Dog Sled Races at Priest Lake. Seems, for the first time in decades, the county wouldn’t plow out the staging area for the races. Organizers didn’t have the money to do the work themselves. So, they canceled last weekend’s event. Who’s next?

, DataTimes MEMO: Got a Huckleberry? Call the Huckleberry Hound Hotline: (800) 344-6718 or (208) 765-7125; daveo@spokesman.com.

The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = D.F. Oliveria The Spokesman-Review