Huckleberries: Smile when you say ‘Socialist-Review,’ partner

Ryan Collingwood, now a Spokesman-Review colleague, started it with a simple Facebook post about the nicknames for newspapers that have employed him: Jokester-Review. Coeur d’Alene Mess. Lewiston Trombone. Helena Incorrect-Record.

During my five years as editor in Kalispell, Mont. (1977-82), The Daily Inter Lake was known as “The Daily Mistake.” And “The Daily Intercourse” (don’t ask). I’ve also worked at the aforementioned “Trombone” and, of course, the “Socialist-Review.”

I asked my social media Peanut Gallery to provide nicknames of their hometown papers.

Marlene Attaway of Hayden Lake remembers the “Somewhat” Daily Bee of Sandpoint. Former SR colleague David Bond of Wallace, volunteers “Shoshone Pressed for News” (Shoshone News-Press of Kellogg). Another former SR colleague Kevin Taylor comments: “My first newspaper job was at the Methow Valley Nuisance.” Thom George, a former Kootenai County Democratic chairman (yes, Virginia, there are Democrats in North Idaho) offers: “The Failing New York Times.” He probably read that on the fake news.

Finally, Trish Gannon, of Clark Fork, owner of the monthly River Journal weighs in: “We were told a long time ago that the (Bonner County) Daily Bee called us “the River Urinal.” I kind of liked that. We were definitely a keep-in-the-bathroom kind of publication. But in return, we called them the “Daily Pee.”

It’s hard to get a big head as a newsman when the readers show this kind of tough love.

Poet’s Corner

“You can grill them or fry them or stuff them or bake;/you can put them in soup or in bread or in cake;/you can use by the bushel, the quart, or the cup,/but try like the devil, you can’t use them up” – Tom Wobker, The Bard of Sherman Avenue (“Those Zucchini from your Garden”).

Huckleberries

Kris Helstrom of Coeur d’Alene is searching for a “K27” window sticker for her vehicle. The one she has honoring Greg Moore, the Coeur d’Alene police sergeant who was gunned down in the line of duty (Badge No. K27), is peeling off. Anyone know where she can get one? … Quotable Quote: “I like our dumb cats. I don’t like anyone else’s dumb cats” – Derek Hval, husband of author/blogger/columnist Cindy Hval … Michelle Rafferty of Hayden has a word for the jerk who stole gas from both pickups Monday night: “I hope you also siphoned from the Suzuki I was towing. That gas is over a year old. Enjoy that” … Coeur d’Alene Press headline: “Pattern of extremes continues.” Huckleberries’ll let you guess whether the story was about the weather – or North Idaho Republican politics … Poll: A supermajority of my Huckleberries blog readers view visitors and tourists to North Idaho in a positive light. Only 14.24 percent consider them to be a “nuisance” or “necessary evil” … David Keyes of Sandpoint says “it gets no better than this” – this being: “a can of Coldsmoke Scottish Ale, great salad, putting clothes away after a trip to Costco.” Sometimes the finer things in life are the simpler things.

Parting Shot

After flying standby from Phoenix to Spokane, Kelli Bruce-Aiken of Coeur d’Alene had two shoutouts to extend – one to the flight attendant who gave up her seat for a jump seat in Portland, so Kelli could claim the last spot on the last flight home. And the other to Alaska Airlines for finding the iPad she’d left in the seat pouch on her Phoenix-to-Portland flight. You can think of these good deeds the next time you hear that a customer has been dragged off a plane.