Huckleberries Best of the Northwest — 9/22/05

On Wednesday, Shannon Sullivan and attorney Brant Stevens carry some of the 17,121 signatures that they believe will help qualify a recall election against Spokane Mayor Jim West for a late-November ballot here /Brian Plonka, Spokesman-Review.

Related: City investigator asks for West’s “highly offensive” computer files here .

1. A permitting snafu involving the Washington Parks & Rec commission, has closed down Spokane’s new $1.8M gondola, which provides a spectacular ride of the Spokane Falls, here .

2. Eric Devericks /Seattle Times doodles re: Washingtonians who plan to vote to repeal the state’s increased gas tax here .

3. Two people were arrested after police chasing a runaway black bear stumbled into a backyard pot-growing operation in Clarkston, Wash., here .

4. Moses Lake, Wash., is one of three possible landing sites being considered for a new moon mission planned by 2018. Whether the craft actually bumps down in the Inland Northwest depends on the atmospheric conditions on the day of re-entry, according to Shawn Vestal /Spokesman-Review here .

5. Walter Breuning of Great Falls, Mont., celebrated his 109th birthday with his usual morning walk, an interview with national talk show personality Paul Harvey and a basket of cigars here .

IMHO-NW: Tim Woodward /Idaho Statesman ( Idaho coin design finalists ), John Levesque /PI ( NASCAR in Kitsap County? ), Richard Stallings /Idaho Demo chairman ( US Rep. Otter’s vote against disaster aid ), Ed Symkus /The Inlander ( Tim Burton’s “The Corpse Bride” ), and Art Thiel /PI ( Arenas can be havens in crisis ).

The Olympian provided a photo gallery for the chemistry demonstration that injured 10 St. Martin’s University students here .

*A trained rescue dog saved the Pleasant Ridge Cemetery Association a lot of time by finding 170 graves in the old cemetery near Caldwell, Idaho, here .

*A native of Middleton, Idaho, will be one of the contestants on the seasonal premiere of “The Apprentice” tonight here .

*Study shows WSU students drink less alcohol than the average student does nationwide here .

Orbusmax provides the rest of the Northwest here .