From Sandpoint, A Principal Reason To Confer A Torrid Tuber
School principals give a lot of lip service to cooperation and communication. But, when push comes to shove … well, they’re the ones who want to shove. Take Sandpoint High principal A.C. Woolnough, for example. Pl-e-e-ease.
Ol’ A.C. pulled the plug on the student pop machines this year because he didn’t like pop stains in the hallways, they caused tardiness and teachers griped about eating and drinking in class. Good reasons all. But A.C. earns a Hot Potato for his modus operandi. He pulled the plug during school hours without consulting with students, particularly those from the school’s award-winning newspaper, The Cedar Post. Revenue from the machines, anywhere from $5,000 to $8,000 annually, goes to help publish the high school paper, the best I’ve seen in my 27 years as a journalist.
Responded the Cedar Post in an editorial: “If students were consulted and their interests were given greater consideration, perhaps administrative decisions would not appear so autocratic.”
Out of the mouths of babes.
EchoHawk disarms gambling supporters
Idaho gambling supporters lost their race card when ex-Attorney General Larry EchoHawk joined Help Idaho, Inc., which opposes the spread of gambling. The presence of EchoHawk, a Pawnee Indian, will make it difficult to label the group as anti-Indian. Gambling (or “gaming”), of course, is viewed as the economic savior on many reservations, including the Coeur d’Alene Indian Tribe’s. But you never see the downside of gambling in those slick Coeur d’Alene Tribal Bingo Casino ads: increased crime, bankruptcies and addiction. Said EchoHawk: “The advertisements we’ve seen say that everyone wins, but everyone eventually loses with casino gambling.” Bingo!
Nogoodniks should feel law’s sting
Idaho should throw the book at suspected murderers, no matter where they commit their dirty deeds. That’s why a proposal to create a state-local fund to help finance costly murder trials should move forward. A legislative study committee is looking at it now. The proposed legislation calls for a court fee of $5 to fund a $1 million kitty. Now, some of the smaller counties shy away from filing first-degree murder charges because of the expense they face for the trial and long appeals. In 1996, for example, Walter Schoolcraft spared Lincoln County, population 2,500, a tough choice after he killed a woman and her four children - by killing himself. Justice shouldn’t be left up to the perpetrator.
, DataTimes MEMO: D.F. Oliveria’s “Hot Potatoes” runs Tuesdays and Thursdays. You can comment on the items by calling (800) 344-6718 or (208) 765-7125, or by sending e-mail to daveo@spokesman.com.