Huckleberries Best of the Northwest — 6/13/06

Montana Grizzly Encounter trainer Casey Anderson uses a piece of orange flavored candy while coaxing a snarl from Brutus, a 700-pound, 4-year-old grizzly bear while filming a movie near White Sulphur Springs, Mont., Monday, June 12, 2006. The film, “Iron Ridge”, is being shot by first-time-director Stu Brumbaugh/Robin Loznak, AP Photo/Great Falls Tribune.

Stapilus: Blaine, Teton counties head list of heavy construction areas emerging in Northwest — Ada and Kootenai second tier here .

1. David Horsey /Seattle PI presents his version of “compassionate conservatism) here .

2. An overwhelming majority of Seattle residents would rather watch the Sonics leave the city than use tax money to renovate KeyArena, according to a telephone survey of registered voters here .

3. A federal judge has dismissed part of a criminal charge against W.R. Grace & Co. and some former top officials that alleged they knowingly endangered miners and area residents in the town of Libby, site of the company’s former vermiculite mine here .

4. State officials say a laptop computer stolen in an apparently random theft from a federal employee in Maryland on May 3 held personal information of 575,000 veterans living in Washington here .

5. Dane Spencer has defied overwhelming odds to still be alive today. The 28-year-old Boise native and member of the U.S. Ski Team will be the first to say he probably should have died after a horrific crash in a race last February at Big Mountain, Mont, here .

6. IMHO-NW: Claudio Beagarie /Idaho Statesman ( Uncontrollable factors drive Mexicans north ), Missoulian ( Estate tax flies wide of target ), Doug Clark /Spokesman-Review ( Still swinging a sax ), D. Parvaz /Seattle PI ( Mass murderer answers some questions ), and John Blanchette /Spokesman-Review ( Spokane’s NCAA champion ).

Online Poll: 67.4% of 1555 respondents to an Idaho Statesman poll say that desecration of the U.S. flag should be prohibited.

*Watermelon smashes rear window of car in Post Falls here .

*One of two Idaho prisoners is still at large after escaping from a private Texas prison here .

*Wyoming woman finds strange man in her bed here .

*National Parks Service clarifies stand about releasing names of accident victims here .

Orbusmax Special: Facing sexual abuse charges, UOregon recruit pleads guilty to lesser ones, keeps spot on football team here .