Best of the Northwest (1/28/05)

Don’t look now, but Marshall Chesrown (shown last spring at the Clubhouse at Black Rock), our newest multimillionaire extraordinaire, is planning a $125 million estate development at Sunup Bay on Lake Coeur d’Alene, just below his Black Rock development. Thirty-three homes over 250 acres and the cost of each will be between $3 million and $5 million. My head spins. Marc Stewart /Spokane Business Journal tells you all about it here .

1. Political cartoonist Eric Devericks /Seattle Times nails the recent scandal involving columnist payoffs perfectly here .

2. Iraq “is a far cry from our homes in Idaho,” Spc. Christopher Chesak writes from Iraq. “But as soldiering goes, we live like kings.” The Idaho Statesman provides the rest of his commentary here and a terrific bunch of links to stories about Idaho’s 116th Calvary Brigade here .

3. And another one bites the dust: A profitable lumber mill in Eureka, Mont., (think Kalispell and go north to the Canadian border) is closing its doors after 25 years because it can’t get lumber here .

4. A native of Libby, Mont., will be holding his breath during the Oscar presentations because his film, “Sister Rose’s Passion,” is one of the nominees in the Best Documentary Short Film category here .

5. Sherry Boggs writes about the new crafting revolution (Stitch ‘n’ Bitch) reaching Spokane for The Inlander here .

6. IMHO-NW: Collin Levey /Seattle Times ( Liberal pique over paid pundits ), Seattle Times ( Runaway college athletic train ), Robert L. Jamieson Jr. /P-I ( Wristband craze ), John Levesque /P-I ( Seattle Mariners defense ) and Jamie Kelly /Missoulian ( Hollow U-Montana resolutions ).

*Watch your pocketbooks, O My Readers, Qwest still wants to deregulate here .

*Congressman Butch Otter will start his campaign for governor with $160,000 in his warchest here .

*Washington initiative pusher Tim Eyman is back with a new one that should get solons’ attention here .