Letters

Rathdrum deserves apology for article

On Thursday, April 17, I read most of the comments included in this letter to the membership of the Rathdrum Area Chamber of Commerce at our monthly luncheon. I have added some more thoughts. Most of the members of the Rathdrum Area Chamber of Commerce are owners or employees of a business in our city or a business that serves our city. Many of us are members who have retired from a business or belong to the Chamber because we are very committed to Rathdrum and its future. I think that most of us have a good sense of humor and can laugh at ourselves from time to time.

That being said, to have a marginal food critic come to our city and trash it in the manner that Mr. (Patrick) Jacobs has done in the Handle Extra article that ran on April 12, is just not acceptable. Perhaps he had a bad experience or disagreement with someone from our city at one time. Perhaps he got up on the “wrong side of the bed” the day that he came to Rathdrum. Whatever the reasons were, to have him come into our city and focus on one small area (Main Street) that happens to be going through many positive changes, by the way, and stereotype us as second-class citizens of the county is obnoxious and hurtful.

Eventually Mr. Jacobs got around to critiquing the hamburgers at Burger Heaven and I wholeheartedly agree with only that section of his article.

The owner of the bar that was referred to in a denigrating manner, One Eye’s Tavern, participates in many community events none of which involve outrunning or unmasking “undercover agents.”

Do we all have sagging roofs (see original version of the article on the blog), massive Dodge trucks and mullets leftover from the ‘80s? No. But so what if some of us do? Does that make our city off limits and scary? No. Our day-care centers are not “junk-cluttered.” They contain jungle gyms and toys and are fenced in to protect our children.

To even suggest that their parents dispose of their children and walk across the street for some shots is mean-spirited. The fact that stereotyping is wrong and that you need to check your facts should’ve been taught in Journalism 101.

In America we are all entitled to the right to free speech; however, the editors should have kept Mr. Jacobs on task. Is he a food critic or is he attempting to nurture a new career at vitriolic stand-up comedy? Certain editors attended our Chamber luncheon and explained to us that their writers are pretty much given “free reign.” That’s all well and good, however, look at what a writer is “saying” and evaluate if it really is news or an editorial opinion, and if it is an editorial opinion than it should be clearly stated.

We are a growing city in our rapidly growing county. We have a varied socio-economic base and a good mix of people. We do not have a chip on our shoulders. We do, however, take issue with being categorically dismissed as a place not worth visiting. Those of us that live here do so for many reasons, among which are a small-town feel in a city where friendly neighbors care about each other, where we have a superior school district, and where we can live in beautiful surroundings.

Last year, an editor from The Spokesman-Review came to one of our Chamber of Commerce luncheons promoting a new section, called the “Voice,” that would run each Thursday and would feature Rathdrum and Post Falls. You also called many of our members and businesses asking us to advertise in this section. If you want to promote Rathdrum and have us advertise in your newspaper, why would you allow an employee of your paper poetic license to make us appear like a bunch of rubes? I still think we are owed an apology.

Debbie Holmes

Citizen of Rathdrum