Huckleberries Best of the INorthwest — 11/14/06

Author Harvey Manning poses in a park near Issaquah, Wash., in this Oct. 31, 2000 file photo. Manning, a conservationist and author of numerous Pacific Northwest mountaineering and hiking guides, including the popular “100 Hikes” series, is dead at 81 here . (AP File Photo)

New West/Boise: Pocatello to recount ballots here .

1. Sen. Patty Murray , D-Wash., won the fourth-highest leadership post Tuesday as Senate Democrats organized their new majority following last week’s elections. Murray, who is in her third term, was named secretary of the Democratic caucus here . Related: U.S. Rep. Dave Reichert retains his House seat here .

2. Deer Park businessman Clifford Lee Helm stood in Spokane County Superior Court Monday and denied five times that he is guilty of vehicular homicide in deaths of five children last November here .

3. A 16-year-old who allegedly made harassing comments on the social networking Web site MySpace.com has been charged by the Asotin County Prosecutor’s office here .

4. A recently elected Republican legislator from Luther, Mont., has pleaded not guilty to a misdemeanor hunting charge of killing two elk while having only one tag here .

5. More Bad News for R’s: It took only one strange day, but Montana Democrats now have carved out tenuous majorities in both houses of the 2007 Legislature, thanks to a party-switching senator and four more votes that erased a Republican winner in a Laurel House district here .

6. IMHO-NW: Doug Clark /Spokesman-Review ( Forecast: Meterological drivel ahead ), Bert Caldwell /Spokesman-Review ( Boeing should streamline ), Helena Independent-Record ( Cow explosions anyone? ), Travis Galloway /UI Argonaut ( Demo control won’t change anything ), and Brian Murphy /Idaho Statesman ( To play Johnson or not to play him ).

Online Poll: 73.3% of 273 respondents to a Great Falls Tribune poll don’t expect Democrats to “significantly reform ethics rules.”

*Washington wants pilot project for scanning driver’s licenses at Canadian border here .

*Spokane County to consider paying $325,000 to two men who say they were molested by deputy in the late 1970s and early 1980s here .

*Photographer Mark Maher provides a YouTube pictorial of U.S. Senator-elect Jon Tester’s successful campaign via YouTube (and New West/Flathead Valley) here .

Orbusmax Special: Car thief-cop killer had 20 previous convictions here .