Best of the INorthwest — 7/3/06

Dean Dinnison, a 36-year scoutmaster of Troop 325 in Spokane, speaks about his years as a scoutmaster. Johnson will have a full-size bronze statue commissioned by his admirers and sculpted by his daughter, Deborah Copenhaver-Fellows, placed in Riverfront Park next year here .

Palousitics: Most Americans are wild about Wal*Mart here .

1. David Horsey /Seattle PI offers a thought-provoking ‘toon for smokers who may be endangering others here .

2. Shades of the Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations, Batman — a human-rights coalition celebrated Unity in the Community Sunday in Olympia, Wash., in anticipation of today’s planned neo-Nazi march in the Washington state capitol here . More on proposed march here .

3. Montana broadcasters are hoping to head off campaign season conflicts by creating a state board to protect them from lawsuits over political advertisements here .

4. A disheveled liberal activist with a frenzied laugh and his Citizens for More Important Things organization are all that stands between the Supersonics and a $220 million tax-subsidized overhaul of KeyArena here .

5. A piece of Northwest history crumbled Sunday morning when demolition crews toppled a 500-foot smokestack at Blair Waterway here .

6. IMHO-NW: Cheryl-Anne Milsap /Spokesman-Review ( Drama can’t spoil love in this nest ), Spokesman-Review ( Pander-monium ), Coeur d’Alene Press ( Together we stand ), Jamie-Marie Waelchli /WSU Daily Evergreen ( Easy way to beat bad dates ), and Columbian ( Rampant charity ).

Online Poll: 61.4% of 176 respondents to a Great Falls Tribune poll say the U.S. should keep the penny.

*Earthquakes are common in southeastern Idaho here .

*Oregon State U tests junipers’ thirst here .

*Wyoming begins use of ignition locks for DUIers here .

Orbusmax provides the rest of the Northwest here