SR Morning Headlines (5/9/05)

* Mayor says sex act happened at home; Living ‘this double life has been hell’ / Bill Morlin , SR — Last week, Mayor Jim West isn’t gay; now, he is. I agree with Mike Kennedy. This is all about damage control.

* Spokane look like loser after allegations: Troubled Mayor West once had much to offer city / Doug Clark , SR — Clark pulled his punches here. I think he liked Jim West and realized how much good he’d done for Spokane already despite his obsessive behavior.

* Sandpoint voters get say on bank: New height ordinance would allow for 4-story financial center / Susan Drumheller , SR — As a downtown Sandpoint boost, this sounds good; then, I live in Coeur d’Alene where 18 stories soon will become the norm. Anyone from Bonner County have thoughts about a 5-story “high-rise”?

* Phone, road a less likely combo here: Drivers on other side of state use their cell phones more / Amy Cannata , SR — I’m with the eastsiders: Make talking on cell phone while driving illegal.

* Court victory on burning doesn’t solve public problem: Grass growers need new answers / D.F. Oliveria , SR — I remain conflicted about grass-growing — thanks largely to the fact that the farmers don’t burn their fields until the wind is blowing north toward Sandpoint. If I lived in Sandpoint, Bayview/Athol, Clark Fork, etc., and had a respiratory problem, I’d be incensed by the recent court decisions.