Win Ambushes Levy Skeptics

Post Falls educators have suffered so many disappointments from bond votes in the past few years that they didn’t see last week’s wave of support coming. All who entered the administrative office pool figured the $1 million levy would win with less than 60 percent of the vote. It needed a simple majority to pass. Clerk Susan Smith was the least optimistic, betting 53 percent would support the levy. Final tally: 73 percent said yes. Which brings to mind the immortal words uttered by curriculum director Becky Ford while waiting for the returns: “Haven’t you heard about educators? We’re optimists.”

Women’s ad lib

Athletic Director Jim Headley couldn’t figure out why local girls wanted to see football added to the North Idaho College women’s sports program. Several girls polled at Panhandle high schools by NIC said football was their sport of choice. Headley surmised that some guys got ahold of the forms. Challenged Trustee Barbara Chamberlain: “Don’t make any assumptions.” … The North Idaho College Sentinel was planning a 50th anniversary celebration - until adviser Nils Rosdahl learned the paper was at least 52 years old. Initially, Nils and his staffers thought The Lagome (an Indian term for “message”), published in 1947, was the first college paper. But then they found a student paper from 1950, labled “Vol. 5.” That pushed the original date back to 1945 - unless, as Nils notes, “they screwed up, too.”

Banquet bon mots

Bob Curtis, voice of the University of Idaho Vandals, offered this gem as Idaho Sports Banquet emcee: “I grew up in a family that was so big that I didn’t sleep alone until the first time I was married.” … He followed that up with: “My Dad and I were really close. In fact, he walked me to school every day. That might have been because we were both in the fourth grade.” … In other banquet news, UI basketball player Alli Nieman won three raffle prizes in a row, causing some to wonder if a fix was in. It didn’t help that UI basketball coach Julie Holt was one of the award presenters. Nieman, Big West Conference freshman player of the year and a former Sandpoint Bulldog, defused a possible scandal by politely declining the third prize. Attagirl.

John Stockton, R.I.P.

At 1 p.m. today in Bethel Baptist Church, friends and family will celebrate John Stockton’s life. It’s appropriate to celebrate rather than mourn the death of this fine man. Born and raised here, Johnny, 72, represented all that was good about Coeur d’Alene. He was an honest, hard-working businessman who cared for his neighbors and served God. Now, on to your reward, good friend.

Huckleberries

So, what was playing at theaters in downtown Lima, Peru, recently when Pat Raffee visited? “Dante’s Peak,” of course. And Pat still wasn’t curious enough to see it. … KVNI’s Dick Haugen fired off a couple of good one-liners recently. First, he asked if anyone had seen “The English-Only Patient” starring Ron Rankin. Then, he mentioned how the downtown merchants finally found a way to attract people - just log Tubbs Hill with a helicopter. Ba-da-bum. Onward. … A Post Falls subscriber believes TV left out a crucial ratings category: PS. Plain Stupid. … The license plate on a 4X4 dually GMC probably summed up the financial status of the monster’s owner: “0 MPG.” … What’s this? A U.S. Bank notice to a Post Falls subscriber warns: “Some customers may incur fees for calls to 1-800-US Banks (1-800-872-2657).” The money changers are now charging for 800 calls?

Parting shot

Rankin’s Kootenai County Board of Commissioners has signed a contract for booth space at the North Idaho Fair. Seems the idea here is to have an information booth for “better communication with the public.” Senor Rankin thought up the idea, and his sidekicks, of course, went along with it. Hmmm. Wouldn’t open government accomplish the same thing for less money?

, DataTimes MEMO: Gotta Huckleberry? Call Huckleberries Hotline: (800) 344-6718 or (208) 765-7125; e-mail: daveo@spokesman.com.

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