Huckleberries Best of the INorthwest — 9/7/06

Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer looks out the window of an airplane while flying over the eastern front lines of the Derby Mountain fire near Big Timber, Mont., Wednesday afternoon. Schweitzer was briefed by fire officials about the fire at the incident command post located about 10 miles east of Big Timber. Story here . (AP Photo/The Livingston Enterprise)

Bubblehead: “Bill Sali And The Underpants Gnomes” here .

1. David Horsey /Seattle PI puts his feelings about the Bush administration and the war to music in “Iraq, Iraq” (sung to the tune of “New York, New York”) here .

2. In a case of a good deed gone bad, Bonner County officials have removed more than 400 cats from a makeshift shelter of six trailers in the Blanchard area here .

3. Remaining calm when a burly grizzly bear charges has been good advice for Tim Rubbert as he’s roamed Glacier and Yellowstone national parks the past 21 years here .

4. For reasons that remain unclear, Pierce County has had the highest abortion rate among women of childbearing age in Washington state since 2001, according to statistics compiled by the state Health Department here . (Complete report on pdf file here .)

5. A national report gives Idaho C’s and D’s on its preparation for kids going to college, higher education affordability and students completing degrees here .

6. IMHO-NW: Doug Clark /Spokesman-Review ( Riding into the wild blue yonder ), Bert Caldwell /Spokesman-Review ( Washington clears air on workplace smoking ), Missoulian ( Immigration reform worth wait ), Ed Symkus /Inlander ( Review: Man of Unreel ), and Bud Withers /Seattle Times ( Montana State coach enjoys victor’s spoils ).

Online Poll: Only 9.1% of 714 respondents to a Seattle PI poll said they feel safer today than they did a year ago.

*Miss Teen USA makes Montana swing to enjoy friends, family before beginning reign here .

*Boise pitcher Jeremy Paplebon has a famous brother on the Boston Red Sox, but he’s making a name for himself, too, here .

* Michelle Kwan to miss 2007 U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Spokane to attend school here .

*A petition has recently been filed to grant federal Endangered Species Act protections for the giant Palouse earthworm here .

Orbusmax Special: Astoria, Ore., mayor undaunted by third DUI here .