Paranoid pals’ standoff ends after 911 calls

It isn’t every night that you arrive at a friend’s house, only to find his front door open and a body wrapped in a blanket in the front yard. But that was the situation recently when a frightened man made an emergency call to Kootenai County 911. The caller said he’d wait for the gendarmes in his vehicle with lights on in the driveway because he was too afraid to approach the body. That, of course, sent Deputy Dawgs racing through the moonlight to the scene with lights flashing and sirens blaring. Then, a short while later, dispatchers fielded a second call, from another frightened man, who whispered that a suspicious car had been idling in his driveway for 30 minutes. And he was afraid to leave the blanket he was wrapped in because he’d be seen.

Lost and found

When they moved to Farragut Village (next to the park) from Spokane nine years ago, Anne Gasper and her hubby celebrated with an open house. Among the invitees was Anne’s mother. The next day, mom called in a panic to say she’d lost her keepsake pansy sterling silver bracelet. That touched off a fruitless search. Now, fast forward to Anne’s recent yard sale where her mother’s items were sold as a result of her move to a local Alzheimer’s unit. A woman bought an outfit and then returned the following day – with the vintage bracelet. It’d been in the pocket for nine years. Anne: “I immediately teared up and gave her a big hug.” Alas, Anne can’t share the discovery with her mother whose Alzheimer’s is advanced. But she wanted Huckleberries readers to know “that there are still honest people in the world.” May their kind increase.

Bird Road rapist – not

You may have read about DNA evidence recently exonerating Luis Diaz after 26 years in prison for rapes in the Coral Gables, Fla., area he didn’t commit. But did you know there’s a local angle to the story? During research that refocused interest in the case in the 1990s, private investigator Virginia Snyder asked for help from an old friend, a freelance writer in Billings. Together, they uncovered evidence that undermined the case against Diaz, who was dubbed the Bird Road rapist. Snyder’s helper? Feisty Paul Friend, who later moved to the Silver Valley, where he published the Idaho Observer weekly until he began losing his eyesight. Happily, Paul’s vision was 20-20 in the Diaz case.

Rumorama

Huckleberries hears that … blogger Family Phil, a stay-at-home CdA pop, is still resisting temptation to grab the money and permit his young family to appear on ABC’s “Wife Swap.” (Phil doesn’t want to expose his youngsters to 15 minutes of reality TV shame) … Mayor Sandi Bloem’s head in the Coeur d’Alene Library fund-raising calendar was superimposed to provide a better expression than the original shot with Post Falls Mayor Clay Larkin in front of the Kootenai County Courthouse for the month of November. Mebbe the left hand, too.

Growing wiser

CdA high’s Class of ‘70 has learned something in the 35 years since it cruised Sherman Avenue. While waiting at 11th and Sherman for CHS’s centennial parade to start recently, the dozen 1970 alums phoned ahead and were greeted with appreciative cheers when their float stopped to pick up Pita Pit orders to go seven blocks away. Who was going to stop them? The principal?

Poet’s corner

“He’s an ocean of muscle/from pate down to cuticle,/a testosterone tribute/to skills pharmaceutical” The Bard of Sherman Avenue (“Home Run Slugger”) … Razzberries (or “Bumpersnickers You Could See on An Idaho Drive”): 1. “You’re In Idaho – Slow Down or Leave Fast,” 2. “If You Like Tailgating So Much, Go Back to California,” 3. “Keep Coeur d’Alene pristine: Go back where you came from,” and 4. “This Is Not Coeur d’Alene, California – Lose the Attitude” … “No matter how organized and how well you pack for a camping trip you will forget an item fundamentally important for either personal hygiene or cooking” – Bob Salsbury/Unbearable Bobness of Being.

Huckleberries

On 94.5 FM Tuesday morning, a caller told the DJ he’s spending the day moving from Coeur d’Alene to Post Falls. The DJ responded: “What? Did you lose a bet?” Ouch! … Overheard (at the Silverwood water park): “Hey, the water’s really warm. Everybody must be peeing in it” … Scanner Traffic: A guest at the Budget Saver motel asked Friday how he could deliver a package to the Kootenai County Courthouse, so he could blow it up … Mike Kennedy’s race for City Council will go easier in Republican-leaning Coeur d’Alene if he circulates future press releases on paper that hasn’t been recycled from the Idaho John Kerry for President campaign. The lettering at the bottom might remind partisans that he was the state chairman for the Massachusetts junior senator.

Parting shot

For those keeping score at home, 324 of a possible 21,173 constituents voted in the Post Falls Highway District elections Tuesday – or 1.5 percent. Huckleberries formula: highway district election plus August elections equals monster voter apathy.