Huckleberries Best of the Northwest — 7/7/05

Kootenai County Sheriff’s Captain Ben Wolfinger (above) announced Wednesday that convicted molester Joseph Edward Duncan III is the only suspect in the slaying/kidnappings of Shasta Groene’s family here . and that Shasta has been released from the hospital.

Plus: Steve Groene wants sex predators off the street here , Jailed Groene sibling sez family’s death “turned on the light” here , and North Idaho reacts to Joseph Duncan’s arrest here .

1. Seems political cartoonist David Horsey /PI naively believes only Repubs wrap themselves in the flag at party fund-raisers here .

2. Despite his bisexuality, Spokane Mayor Jim West adamantly opposed the formation of a gay business district in his town, according to new e-mails released by City Hall, here . Plus, The Spokesman-Review ran a fact check and found several recent public statements made by West aren’t true here .

3. Jimi Lott , a longtime photojournalist for the Seattle Times and a Pulitzer Prize finalist as a Spokesman-Review staffer in the early ‘80s, was found dead by his own hand in a Wenatchee motel room here .

4. Foes of Washington’s new 9.5-cent gas tax turned in 232,000 signatures yesterday and are planning to turn in 50,000 more in the next two days to ensure a spot on the November ballot here .

5. Gen. John Shalikashvili , former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, is undergoing a far tougher boot camp than he experienced as a young military man has he recovers from a major stroke at Seattle’s Harborview Medical Center here .

6. IMHO-NW: Doug Clark /Spokesman-Review ( We can handle the truth ), D.F. Oliveria /Spokesman-Review ( Prosecutor should release e-mails ), Jamie Kelly /Missoulian ( The plusses of libertarianism ), Bill Virgin /PI ( Legends are tough acts to follow ), and John Levesque /PI ( Losing Nate McMillan ).

*Alas, University of Idaho scientists say, the wild huckleberry is almost tamed here .

*A woman who lost three fingers in a high school fund-raiser can sue the Chewelah (Wash.) School District, as a result of a court reversal, here .

*Wildfires in Oregon are speeding the demise of the controversial spotted owl here .

*A Columbia Falls (Mont.) man was fined for dumping 400 gallons of apples near Glacier Park here .

Orbusmax provides the rest of the Northwest here .