I want to thank all of you who extended well wishes through the blog, in phone calls, and e-mails Friday as I celebrated my 60th birthday. The good vibes from you and my colleagues at work, as well as the outpouring of love that I received from my extended family [...]
Bruce Springsteen surfs the crowd while performing with the E Street Band Friday in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Rob Carr)
Question: Which live concert is the best you've seen?
' [...]
JEERS ... to Sen. Jim Risch, R-Idaho. Doesn't he have anything better to do than grandstand on the Fort Hood massacre? Last week, Risch tried to get his name in the newspapers by announcing he will ask a U.S. Army prosecutor to add a 14th murder charge against Major Nidal' [...]
A man crossing the busy intersection at Ceder and Fifth in downtown Sandpoint was killed late Thursday afternoon when a man driving a truck didn't see him in the crosswalk.“The gentleman that hit him was stabilizing his head and kept telling him 'You're going to be okay, you're going to be okay,'” witness Sherri' [...]
In this film publicity image released by The Weinstein Company, Viggo Mortensen, right, and Kodi Smit-McPhee are shown in a scene from, "The Road." Review here. (AP Photo/The Weinstein Company, Macall Polay)
Question: Did you read Cormac McCarthy's book, "The Road"? What did you think? Do you plan to see [...]
HMOffsuite (re: JeanieS's layoff): Jeanie. When these types of events happen to us, one needs to figure out how to make lemonade out of lemons. Set up an office, of sorts, at home, and sell your skills on a part time basis or something like that. Work on a selective [...]
Idawa: It is a sad that so many firm are cutting the very legal secretary's and paralegals that make a firm tick - we loose so much institutional memory, speed, and customer satisfaction. Not too mention that the attorney's now pick up the slack and not as well. I know a' [...]
MamaJD: Because of politics and a family member, I discovered I could “see less of this person” on Facebook by changing a setting. I felt guilty about it at the time but his liberal status rants were creating that deep rift that could have led to total alienation. Now I wish [...]
Gonzaga's Grant Gibbs, from left, Andy Poling and Chris Pontarolo-Maag battle for the ball against Indiana-Purdue Fort Wayne's Antwone Sead in the first half of their NCAA college basketball game at McCarthey Athletic Center in Spokane Friday. ESPN game story & boxscore here. (AP Photo/Rajah Bose)
Jim Meehan's Sportslink' [...]The Sandpoint football team chose an inopportune time to misfire on both sides of the ball. Blackfoot built a 29-9 lead before the Broncos held off a late Sandpoint rally 29-23 in the State 4A championship game before an estimated crowd of 2,500 at the Kibbie Dome. Sandpoint (9-3) took over at its 16-yard line [...]
OK - went to my 30th class reunion in August in Hamilton Montana. I had the BEST possible High School experience that I think anyone could. It was a small school. Not too clique-ee. By the time we were Seniors everyone pretty much got along and could hang [...]
Wearing Pilgrim hats, Springmyer Elementary school Kindergarten students Cameron McWilliam, left, and Antonio Buccino sing a song as they and the rest of the Kindergarten class take part in the schools annual Thanksgiving program at the Green Township, Ohio School on Friday. (AP Photo/The Cincinnati Enquirer, Ernest Coleman)
Question: Will any of [...]
have two people in my life that I have made them cynical, angry at times. Not at me...but at life. At the government. Both of these people could have cared less about politics 4 years ago. Both did not pay that much attention to the news. One of [...]
Mayor Sandi Bloem, City Council members, city staff, St. Vincent de Paul Board and staff, and officials from Contractors Northwest participated in a ribbon cutting ceremony for a 15-unit apartment house completed at the corner of Fruitland and Neider built with $2 million in grant funding from the Department of [...]
Larry Spencer (Coeur d'Alene Press comments section): " I went to talk to Dan English about the military voter I had questions about, and the election office seems to have followed the directions from the Secretary of State, and correctly registered the former Post Falls resident using Dan'" [...]
Well, isn't this just ducky. After 11 years, I got laid off yesterday. On a stress scale, I think I'm off the charts. First there was the thyroid biopsy (which turned out fine). Then there was the anemia problem. Then the failing kidneys. Then 3-days-a-week, 3.5 hour dialysis [...]
With less than a week before Thanksgiving, a family of wild turkeys parades through a Fernan Lake neighborhood, posts KerriT/OnLocation North Idaho.
Lynching of Sarah Palin/Bay Views10 places that make me thankful/Gathering Around the TableThe 70s!/It's Just MeI have ruined 2 people's lives/Simple MindTo [...]Santa Claus, also known as Patrick Farmer, at Santa Claus House in North Pole, Alaska, holds letters from children sent this year that the U.S. Postal Service says they will no longer deliver. Citing privacy concerns, postal officials say that generically addressed letters to "Santa Claus, North Pole" will no [...]
It can be easy for children to get their hands on cigarettes. Our cameras were rolling as 15-year-old volunteer girls try to buy cigarettes at a dozen different places in Spokane and Spokane Valley. The health district goes undercover more than 100 times a year to make sure stores are [...]
When the Statesman's Erika Bolstad broke a rock-solid story about bonuses awarded by outgoing and embattled Sen. Larry Craig, the detractors were quick to chime in. Their message, loosely translated: "Hey Statesman, let the Craig story die already." When Cynthia Sewell found some startling news about [...]
So now we know who’s responsible for Lou Dobbs. It’s the American Legion. Before announcing his resignation from CNN last week, the Rupert-bred commentator told the Legion that his experience with itsnationwide oratorical contest at Minico High School shaped both his world view and choice of career. Dobbs, [...]
The Milky Way spreads across the night sky over Mormon Row, an historic settlement, in Grand Teton National Park near Jackson, Wyo., Thursday night. The light in the distance is the city of Driggs, Idaho, on the west side of the Teton Mountain Range. (AP Photo/Jackson Hole News&Guide, Bradly J. Boner) [...]
In this film publicity image released by Summit Entertainment, Robert Pattinson, background left, Kristen Stewart, and Taylor Lautner, right, are shown in a scene from "The Twilight Saga: New Moon." Movie review here. (AP Photo/Summit Entertainment, Kimberley French)
Question: Should Bella have picked Jacob over Edward?
[...]
For those keeping score at home, Mike Kralicek, the former Coeur d'Alene police officer who was critically wounded in the line of duty a few years back, supports Councilman Mike Kennedy 100 percent. I just got off the phone with Kralicek. He told me that he called Mike Kennedy,' [...]
As you know, I'm deeply indebted for the terrific job that CindyH does filling in for me while I'm on vacation. But saying thanks doesn't seem to be enough. So I figured I'd post this photo (monster hat tip to Sue) of a fundraiser planned by the Festival at Sandpoint. [...]
Don Gillispie and his quest to build a nuclear power somewhere in Idaho or the West got a couple of boosts this week.
More than 250 people showed up for the second time in two years in Payette to speak about a nuclear power plant in their county. Both Gillispie and [...]
He's still looking good,
he's still looking fine,
but a little bit worse
than at age fifty-nine.
The Bard of Sherman Avenue
[...]I hit the Big 6-0 at about 1:30 this morning -- and the sky didn't seem to fall. I've received a number of condolences from friends, family, and co-workers. Betsy Russell tells me that 60 is the new 40. But I can't remember as many nicks in the chassis when' [...]
Despite its rocky start, the Burlington Northern Santa Fe refueling depot in Huetter received a nod of approval from the Kootenai County commissioners on Thursday. Continuing the conditional five-year compliance hearing that was tabled last week, the commissioners voted unanimously that the massive depot is in compliance with the conditions [...]
Being a Vandal, I like to reduce the difference between the University of Idaho and Boise State University to a glib one-liner: they win football games, and we won the National Medal of Arts. But again, that’s glib, and does a disservice — we win football games too, [...]
When the Statesman's Erika Bolstad broke a rock-solid story about bonuses awarded by outgoing and embattled Sen. Larry Craig, the detractors were quick to chime in. Their message, loosely translated: "Hey Statesman, let the Craig story die already."
Oprah Winfrey knows how to keep viewers on the edge of their seats. In the last 10 minutes of her show, Winfrey confirmed that she will be ending her syndicated "Oprah Winfrey Show" in September 2011. "After much prayer and months of careful thought, I thought that next" [...]
"It takes about a month to finish" said Coeur d'Alene Resort landscaper Chris Winter as he worked to string lights on a tree in front of the Coeur d'Alene Resort recently. The much anticipated Coeur d’Alene Holiday Light Show Opening Ceremony will be on Nov. 27, starting at 5:30 p.m., [...]
A crane removing an oak tree from the yard of Michelle and Kevin McCarthy is seen after it toppled into the house Monday afternoon in Santa Rosa, Calif. You write the cutline. (AP Photo/Mark Aronoff, The Press Democrat)
Top Cutlines:
1. When asked who was to blame, several area residents had different explanations [...]Item: Group recommends fewer Pap screenings: Report unconnected to recent mammogram advice/Shari Roan, L.A. Times
More Info: Only days after a federal panel scaled back on breast cancer screening recommendations for many women, another organization – the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists – has done the same for a screening credited [...]
Item: BNSF depot in compliance: Commissioners agree to propose additional conditions for facility/Alecia Warren, Coeur d'Alene Press
More Info: Despite its rocky start, the Burlington Northern Santa Fe refueling depot in Huetter received a nod of approval from the Kootenai County commissioners on Thursday. Continuing the conditional five-year compliance hearing' [...]
Joe Heller/Hellertoons
[...]
Have we really come to this? Both the President and the Attorney General have stated, unequivocally, that Khalid Shaikh Mohammad and his co-defendants will be found guilty and executed. What an appalling statement. It's not just the fear a lot of Americans have about these terrorists being brought [...]
Soaf tells Huckleberries Online that "I was on my way down to La Barge WY yesterday. As I was headed through the Hoback River Canyon South of Jackson WY, I came around a corner on the highway and was greeted with the critters in the attached pics standing in the" [...]
CindyH: So. I got the dreaded “note from teacher.” Or in this case e-mail. It seems my 10-year-old was sent to the principal's office for “blurting out,” and “talking out of turn several times despite repeated warnings.” He's been sentenced to morning and lunch recess detention. (Keeping an [...]
Matt Phillips ( center) gets a skating tip from Disney On Ice professionals Mark Stanford (right ) and Allison Best during an open skating session today at the Riverfront Park Ice Palace. Local Special Olympic Skaters got the opportunity to meet and skate with professionals who are in town for [...]
To keep living forever
is but a chimera,
nonetheless he's quite close now:
D.F. Oliveria.
The Bard of Sherman Avenue
[...]
A federal judge ruled Wednesday that the Army Corps of Engineers' failure to properly maintain a navigation channel led to massive flooding in Hurricane Katrina, a decision that could make the federal government vulnerable to billions of dollars in claims. U.S. District Judge Stanwood Duval sided with' [...]
For those playgoers who have not yet experienced the slapstick charms of Tuna, the “third smallest town in Texas,” here’s a hint: Imagine “King of the Hill” meets “Benny Hill.” In other words, “A Tuna Christmas,” consists of redneck humor delivered by two male actors who each dress up [...]
Undated 2009 photo from the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo shows an Aldabra tortoise that had been named "Mary," in water at the zoo. The zoo recently discovered that the tortoise, thought to be female for more than 50 years, was in fact male. (AP Photo/Cleveland Metroparks Zoo)
OrangeTV: People come [...]
A woman looks at a human body during the "Bodies" exhibition in Medellin, Colombia, Thursday. The exhibition shows the result of US physician Roy Glover's investigations at the University of Michigan, where he and his team have developed a preservation technique called Plastination to provide polymer-preserved bodies for medical instruction. [...]
Fact: In the dozens of pharmacy robberies that have hit the region in the last 18 months or so, the only people injured have been the robbers -- Meghann M. Cuniff, Sirens & Gavels.
[...]... that the latest cuh-razy notion circulating through the troops suffering Mike Kennedy Derangement Syndrome goes like this: Mike Kralicek was forced to campaign for Kennedy against his will because the police union made him do it. I'm serious. Kralicek, the valiant CPD Blue who was critically wounded in the' [...]
Here’s another interesting list, this one that claims to be “The 25 Best Movie Performances of the Decade.” And of course there are many worthy selections on it. But as the comments show, there are many others that, for one reason or another, got left off. In fact, [...]
Employees of the Human Rights Education Institute in Coeur d’Alene arrived at work Thursday morning to discover a swastika sticker on the front door. Director of Operations Donna Cork took a photo of the six-inch-square decal then called the Coeur d’Alene Police Department, which is investigating the matter [...]
Pfc. George Stratton, 18, is seen in a photograph with President Barack Obama after the shooting at Fort Hood on Nov. 5. The shootings killed 13 people and wounded 30, including Stratton, who was completing medical processing in preparation for a January deployment to Afghanistan. Meanwhile, Staff Sgt. Shawn Manning, [...]
The tale of how a singer from Canada fell in love with a trombonist from Montana reads like a storyline from a movie musical. Treena Luety grew up in Toronto and has always loved to sing. “I sang into my hairbrush for my mom and dad,” she said, laughing. [...]
Hayden resident Rami Amaro was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis a few years ago. She is one of only a few people in the country who will receive a stem cell transplant as treatment for the disease. She talked about the procedure at her home Monday while her son, Ethan Amaro, [...]
Pumpkin farmer John Ackerman walks through a neighbor's waterlogged pumpkin field Tuesday, while discussing the difficulties of this year's harvest. Nestle _ which sells nearly all the canned pumpkin in the U.S. _ says poor weather hurt its harvest, creating a potential shortage of its Libby's pumpkin pie products through [...]
A Coeur d’Alene pharmacy employee tackled a masked armed robber and held him for police Wednesday night. Jason Anthony Wahl, 28, will appear in Kootenai County District Court this afternoon after police arrested him at the Shopko pharmacy, 217 W. Ironwood Drive. Wahl is accused of trying to rob the [...]
I think I have emotional standing to assert that exceptions aren't what we should base standard practices around, so I don't want to hear about your grandmother who caught her breast cancer early with a mammogram before the age of 50. It is pretty nice when people luck [...]
Newsweek chose the Runners World of Palin in running shorts for its cover, which is clearly a cheesecake type of photo. Oprah Winfrey asked Palin about the choice to use that picture, and Palin said she's thinks it's kind of cheesy. I was thinking about that. Using a [...]
It's rarely a dull day here at HBO Central -- and today is no different. It appears the remnant of the neo-Nutsies were sneaking around in the darkness last night to try to intimidate Rachel Dolezal and other Human Rights Institute reps and fans. Here's hoping those security cameras caught [...]
In response to Larry Spencer's letter in Wednesday's Coeur d'Alene Press ("Election: Right to question results"), former City Council candidate Dan Gookin said that the military ballots went out early. Quoth: "I remember it because my campaign was informed that the ballots were ready about a week early." There's been' [...]
Photog Kathy Plonka (who took the photo above) reports to Huckleberries Online that a small sticker with a swastika has been pasted on the Human Rights Institute front door, by the hours of operation information. The sticker is about 5 inches square. Human Rights officials are checking a security camera to see [...]
U.S. District Judge James Redden has choreographed his Portland hearing Monday on the Obama administration’s salmon and dam plan right down to the introductions.
You might remember that Redden changed the date of the hearing so Jane Lubchenco, administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration could be there. Hearings like [...]
An overwhelming number of American voters say they like President Obama as a person but disapprove of most of his policies, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released Thursday. ... "Most Americans like President Barack Obama and might like to have a beer with him," Peter Brown, assistant director of [...]
Oprah Winfrey’s interview with former vp candidate Sarah Palin scored the talk show host her highest rating in two years. Monday's episode of "The Oprah Winfrey Show" drew a 8.7 household rating and 13 share -- the best since Winfrey had the entire Osmond family on the show [...]
Item: LCDC eyes affordable housing: Agency agrees to buy property beneath Paris Flea Market/Tom Hasslinger, Coeur d'Alene Press
More Info: Conceptual plans detail 25-35 unit condo buildings atop a ground floor boasting retail stores and shops. Developers said they hope to offer various sizes of one, two and three-bedroom floor' [...]
"It's definitely time," said Jason Younker of Coeur d'Alene as he prepared to take his boat out of the water at the Boardwalk Marina at The Coeur d'Alene Resort recently. (Kathy Plonka/SR)
Idaho Records/Sherry Adkins, SRITD picks Michigan man as new director/Betsy Russell, Eye On BoiseEx-Bronco QB Plummer [...]Stacie Hunt poses for a portrait at Midwestern Meats in Mesa, Ariz.Hunt has the improbable title of fitness trainer for Midwestern Meats in Mesa. You write the cutline. (AP Photo/ The Arizona Republic, Michael McNamara)
Top Cutlines:
1. Asked if she ever gets hit on by the male employees, Stacie replies, “These [...]
At 8:57 last night, Coeur d’Alene Police responded to the report of a robbery in progress at the Shopko Pharmacy located at 217 W. Ironwood Drive. The store was open for business with employees and customers inside. Officers were advised an armed male suspect was inside the front [...]
CdAMomof4: A new frustration with our school district. There are crowded classrooms and class sizes OVER the state recommended teacher to student ratio - but the district is spending money on yet another administrative position (see the special ed consultant position here). How crazy is this?
Question: Do you think [...]
Illustrating the continuing political fallout from controversial new recommendations on breast cancer screening, GOP congresswomen condemned a government-funded study Wednesday and suggested it was a preview of what to expect from Democratic health care reform. Led by U.S. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., six Republican congresswomen told reporters that [...]
Joe Heller/Hellertoons
[...]A funny item from Wednesday's mailbag.
Got a letter to the editor addressed to the Statesman, "Somewhere on Curtis, Boise, Idaho."
The proper address, BTW, is 1200 N. Curtis Road.
And yes, skeptics, your government is at work. This letter still managed to arrive at our office — just two days after it [...]
CdAMomof4: A new frustration with our school district. There are crowded classrooms and class sizes OVER the state recommended teacher to student ratio - but the district is spending money on yet another administrative position (see the special ed consultant position here). How crazy is this?
Question: Do you think [...]
Michael, a bearded panhandler beside a woman carrying cardboard “God Bless!!!” signs, pulls out a slip of paper stuffed inside his glove. It’s a citation — not having the proper business license — that he says carries $257 fine. “We ain’t been up here very long,” says Michael, [...]
Eighth grader Darian McLevish waits for his turn to play during the Gathering of the Bands clinic at North Idaho College in Coeur d'Alene on Wednesday. He attends River City Middle School in Post Falls. About 300 eighth grade students from area schools participated in the clinics and performed in' [...]
Ever since we bought our own house, the kids have been lobbying for us to get them a pet. Katie wants a talking bird. Caleb wants a dog. They’ve both used every tool in their arsenal of emotional blackmail to try to bend us to their will. I’m [...]
Environmental activist Erin Brockovich mixes it up on a mat with toddlers during an appearance to promote a virtual Million Baby Crawl in New York, Wednesday. The Million Baby Crawl is a grassroots effort to raise awareness about the nation's outdated chemical laws. Advocates hope to encourage Congress to pass [...]
While strolling across downtown Boise in the crisp fall sunshine a few minutes ago, I ran into none other than former Idaho Congressman Bill Sali. Of course, I had to ask him: Is he running again for his old seat in Idaho’s 1st District? “Stay tuned,” Sali responded. [...]
I'm going on record. I am not going to buy nor read Sarah Palin's book. She is coming to the Coeur d'Alene Fred Meyer store December 10th on her signing tour. I will be no where in sight. I must admit I considered going with my handy Flip [...]
Stickman: I never wanted my sons to play football just because of that issue. They played many other sports and excelled, and they have also not had any regrets about my one decision in their sports lives. They were and still are outstanding athletes, but as young boys I [...]
A drunken driver slammed into a school bus filled with children Wednesday, but no one was injured, according to the Idaho State Patrol. Julie Witlicki, 38, was arrested after her 1995 Volkswagen Jetta crossed the center line on Highway 95 near Worley and hit a school bus driven by [...]
Idaho Dad/A Family Runs Through It has published the quiz of 50 questions that he gave his second-grade daughter this spring to complete her year of home-schooling. The list includes these questions:
1. What is the largest desert in the world?2. Rewrite this sentence correctly: The kittens were named fluffy snowball [...]Eggo waffles are seen on display at Piazza's grocery store in Palo Alto, Calif., Wednesday. Nationwide shortages of Kellogg's popular brand of frozen waffles are expected through next summer because of a double whammy at waffle plants in the South _ flooding in Atlanta and mechanical problems in Tennessee. (AP [...]
Killed on Nov. 23, 1951, Pfc. Wilbur John Robinson was one of just seven Yellowstone County residents to die in the Korean War. In 1997 the Veterans Memorial Wall was dedicated on the south lawn of the Yellowstone County Courthouse to honor local men and women who died in wars [...]
I worked out this morning for the first time in a looooong time. It was only 10 minutes, but hey, that’s not bad. Baby Henry and I spent the summer burning calories with long walks all over town, but now the rain and snow are keeping us indoors more often [...]
For those who have been skeptical of the Idaho charter school movement, the day of judgment is here. When they predicted years ago that charter schools would become a ploy to spend tax dollars on private, religious-based instruction, they were ignored if not ridiculed. Vindication has arrived. Just as soon [...]
Idaho Gov. Butch Otter speaks at the Associated Taxpayers of Idaho conference on Wednesday, warning of a tough legislative session ahead in January with looming budget cuts Wednesday. (Betsy Russell/SR)
Idaho dad gets closure after seeing daughter's killer executed/KTVBPoll: Montanans unhappy with Obama/Helena Independent-RecordIdahoans are (reasonably) healthy/Idaho StatesmanMan' [...]New Orleans Saints tight end Jeremy Shockey (88) after Shockey fumbles the ball after he was hit by St. Louis Rams linebacker David Vobora (58) during the first quarter of an NFL football game in St. Louis. "The only thing I remember is coming out of the tunnel at the" [...]
Kootenai Environmental Alliance has been tracking the Comp Plan’s public process for several years now. Our interests, of course, are in the protection of the public health, protection of the natural environment, and the promotion of sustainable development in Kootenai County. As of this week, the [...]
Todd Shaffer, 38, of East Lansing, Mich., in foreground, waits in line with hundreds of people at a Barnes and Noble bookstore Wednesday morning for a wristband that would give them a chance to have Sarah Palin sign their copies of her new book, "Going Rogue," at a book signing [...]
"Was this election stolen? I think it may have been. That is why I have encouraged Jim to pursue a challenge, rather than just a recount that others around him were pushing for"/Larry Spencer, in comments section of Coeur d'Alene Press, beneath his regular Press column, er, letter to editor.' [...]
Minnick is getting the same bad advice on taking Democrats for granted. There are many Idaho Democrats who desperately seek our next Church or Andrus to lead the party from the wilderness to the wealth of great ideas that, not only solve problems, but are politically popular. Governor [...]
Another day ... more paranoia from the local conspiracy theorists re: the results of the Coeur d'Alene City Council elections (see: Spencer letter to Coeur d'Alene Press below). I've heard that Spencer and his shock troops are only one of several layers of Repubs, local and regional, who've bombarded county [...]
