Week in Review

Ron Rankin once told another Ronald – Reagan – that he was too liberal. That was back when Rankin was deeply involved in California state politics, before he and his family moved to Coeur d’Alene for the quiet life in 1965. It wasn’t long before Rankin, who died Tuesday, was just as busy pushing conservative causes in Idaho. He earned a statewide reputation in the 1990s as an anti-tax activist who twice promoted a failed initiative to limit property taxes. He convinced his two colleagues to declare English the official language of Kootenai County after being elected county commissioner in 1996. It was the only election Rankin would win, although he ran 10 times in 30 years, for offices that included governor, legislator and a seat on a local highway district. In the process, he often frustrated and angered opponents, including a former state senator who punched Rankin in the nose and former Gov. Cecil Andrus, who once called him a snake-oil salesman. “It always seemed like he had a chuckle and a grin on his face, even if he was laying into you,” said former Gov. Phil Batt.

MONDAY

About 4,000 members of Inland Northwest churches gathered inside the Spokane arena for a “Mayday for Marriage Rally.” Outside, meanwhile, about 100 protesters chanted in support of gay marriage.

“ A member of a Chinese dance troupe was given a new smile by a Spokane dentist, three years after he lost 12 teeth in an Eastern Washington van accident. Tao Yong was 17 at the time of the accident that killed two of his friends.

TUESDAY

Americans spend more than $1.7 trillion each year on health care, and it’s growing faster than the rest of the economy. The number of people who are uninsured grew in Idaho and Washington in the 10 years ending 2003, while remaining relatively stable nationwide. It is a key issue in the upcoming election.

“ A father and his terminally ill son, who were given VIP treatment at Sunday’s Seahawks game, returned to Spokane late that night to find the teen’s home heavily damaged by fire. The teen, who is 17 and a senior at Lewis and Clark High School, lives in the home with his mother.

WEDNESDAY

Magma that has been rising inside Mount St. Helens pushed its way to the surface, forming a new lava dome just behind the existing one in the volcano’s crater, the Associated Press reported. The new dome is much smaller than its 1,000-foot neighbor, but still growing.

“ Idaho’s welfare program received a $1.6 million federal bonus for helping former recipients move into jobs. The state supports 1,960 families, down from 9,211 when welfare reform efforts started in 1996. Its welfare program is among the nation’s leanest, with a two-year lifetime limit and a maximum benefit of $309 a month.

“ The former chief financial officer for community hospitals in Kellogg and St. Maries was sentenced to 10 years in prison and ordered to repay more than $38,000. Richard Lee Mikkelson originally was charged with 12 counts of grand theft, but pleaded guilty to two counts.

THURSDAY

Authorities say there was nothing suspicious about the second fire in three days at the same Pullman nursing home. The first fire, which they believe was arson, led to an 11-hour police standoff with an armed nurse outside Avalon Care Center on Monday.

“ Police and firefighters from Idaho and other states are getting lessons on SWAT-team tactics and hostage situations, drills on hazardous materials emergencies and fires at a Sandpoint motel that is scheduled for demolition. The training is part of Operation Road Trip, a program designed to help public safety agencies prepare for terrorist attacks.

“ Idaho fish and game commissioners propose a 14 percent increase in the cost of sportsmen’s fees to keep the state agency solvent. The cost of a basic hunting-fishing license would go from $29 to $33, for instance, and a deer tag would increase from $16.50 to $18.75.

FRIDAY

Americans must do more to keep girls interested in science through high school and college, says Sally Ride, the nation’s first woman in space. Ride, speaking in Spokane, said only 11 percent of engineers and 20 percent of scientists are women, even though pre-teen girls often are strongly interested in math and science.

“ The man who murdered 13-year-old Rebecca Hedman in 1993 won’t be transferred to a prison in his native Canada. The U.S. Department of Justice says it won’t go against the wishes of Gov. Gary Locke, who had protested the move, which could have resulted in John Medlock‘s release in May 2005. As a Washington inmate, he can be released no sooner than 2017.

“ Time and water are running out for fish in a concrete canal near Grand Coulee Dam. The canal is being drawn down for maintenance, and will soon be dry. When that’s happened in the past, volunteer bucket brigades have carried stranded trout, bass and other fish from the canal into nearby Banks Lake. That won’t be allowed this year.

“ Six Post Falls High School seniors admitted that it was they – not students from rival Timberlake High School – who vandalized the Post Falls football field. The vandals used blue and gold paint, which are Timberlake’s colors. The incident led to an investigation at Timberlake, with embarrassed school officials trying to find the culprits from among their own students.

COMING UP

An after-school program in the Plummer-Worley School District is making a difference in test scores. Read about it Monday, in The Idaho Spokesman-Review.