Huckleberries Blog

Pope Francis salutes bishops as performers in traditional Mexican costumes dance on the parvis in front of St. Peter's Basilica during his weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican today. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

The Central Kitsap School District Board of Trustees are meeting as I type this, to possibly decide who will be the district's next superintendent. Superintendent Hazel Bauman of the Coeur d'Alene School District is one of the finalists on the list. The Central Kitsap trustees also have scheduled a public meeting at 6 o'clock, possibly to make an announcement re: their new superintendent.

My name is Dave Paul. I am an 18 year resident of Post Falls and am running for School Board Trustee in Zone 1. Writing the Editor is not something I would normally do, but after reading a column and an article written by my opponent’s husband I was compelled to do so. Mr. Jeff Ward and the Kootenai County Reagan Republicans (KCRR) are doing everything they can to infuse partisan politics into school board elections. Partisan politics and the tactics of KCRR have no place in school board elections. Mr. Ward nor any member of the KCRR has ever met me nor have they tried to contact me. They try to label every non-KCRR as a member of the national Democrat coalition. They label every non-KCRR as representing the union and not the citizens and the taxpayers. They label every non-KCRR candidate as a rubber stamp for the union/Dave Paul, Post Falls School Board trustee. More here.

Question: Are either of the Reagan Republican endorsess for Post Falls School Board qualified for the position?

Coca-Cola products sit on a table between CEO Muhtar Kent, right, and Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal, left, at an event where the company announced it will work to make lower-calorie drinks and clear nutrition information more widely available around the world Wednesday in Atlanta. You write the cutline. (AP photo)

Tuesday Winner -- Dennis: "Trust me sweetie! If it works with the fish, we'll try the frog next week." Click here for Tuesday photo & 7 contest entries.

DFO: Time for you to vote for the winner (likes/dislikes) who will be announced Thursday.

• 5:28 p.m. Someone is traveling to CPD HQ to speak to officer re: possible child abuse.
• 5:18 p.m. Female w/bad allergic reaction to bees has been stunt @ Wyoming/Idaho, Prairie.
• 5:08 p.m. Injury accident reported @ Seltice Way/Frederick, Post Falls.
• 4:58 p.m. Coeur d'Alene Police Department activities report for May 7-8 here.
• 4:48 p.m. CPD officer wanted for warrant service @ 203 E. Anton Ave/CdA.
• 4:45 p.m. Goodwill Industries, 4th/Locust, CdA, reports unconscious person on premises.
• 4:41 p.m. Lake City Community Church on Ramsey Road/CdA  is trying to turn off false alarm.
• 4:38 p.m. EMTs are asking ex-fiancee re: what type of pills male took in overdose.
• 18 more items + AM Scanner Traffic

"This clever yard art is made from garden tools." posts Kerri Thoeson, on her Facebook page. "It also has the Becker family name and address in wrought iron. 307 W. 13 St. in Post Falls."

• Counting bikes/Fort Boise
• I'll fly away some day/Slight Detour
• Letter: Too stupid to publish/Arch Druid
• Bon mots about writing/Writing North Idaho
• Meet Gato/JeanC's Cat House & Shooting Gallery
• An appreciation of teachers/Rants, Raves & Random Thoughts
• College readiness: A long view from Boise/Kevin Richert, The EDge

Huckleberries numbers (for Tuesday, May 7): 8302 page-views/4743 unique views

Newspaper wars aside, there's no shortage of respect between journalists at The Press and the Spokesman-Review. Today that respect has grown a little more. One of our veteran advertising employees, Keri Alexander, was out for a jog on another gorgeous North Idaho day. Here's her brief description of what happened:

I was on my usual lunchtime run today and was stopped by two gentlemen near the LCSC building just before the Hwy 95 overpass.  They alerted me that there was a very odd man hiding in the bushes along the trail and that I should probably turn around and change my course.  With a grateful heart I thanked both of them for the warning and thanked the good Lord above for these two angels. I then returned to the office and  reported what happened to the CDA City Police. Keri also posted something similar on her Facebook page, to which an ever-watchful friend told Keri who those two angels were: Dave Oliveria and Greg Lee, two outstanding, longtime S-R journalists. Thanks, guys. Well done. Forgive me, though, if I don't quite consider you angels -- Editor Mike Patrick, Coeur d'Alene Press.   DFO: I've been called a lot of things in this job, but never a guardian angel. Some of my detractors believe I work for the other side. But Greg & I were thrilled to find out who the jogger was -- and to munch on the tasty cookies she brought to the office later. The stretch of the Centennial Trail will worry me until they thin it out.

Jeff Sayer, Idaho Department of Commerce director, outlines the strategy behind Gov. Butch Otter's attempt to woo gun and ammunition manufacturers to Idaho. Sayer told Idaho Reporter:

"There are shifting political winds that we’re taking advantage of because other states are shifting towards anti-gun policies. We just feel like that Second Amendment is in our fiber, and it’s something that we’re going to protect, and we’re offering a safe haven for those companies and not only to be in a great business environment, but be in a politically safe environment. There are moments in life when common sense just clicks and this is one of those moments. This just makes sense for Idaho to support firearms’ manufacturers, so we’re going after it. One of the things I like about this is that one of our challenges in Idaho is helping companies to come to our smaller, rural communities, and these companies, many of them, like to be in rural areas, and many of them already operate in rural areas. More here.

Question: Are guns and ammunition part of your DNA?

Balance North Idaho sent the following press release to HucksOnline moments ago:

Balance North Idaho purchased certain keywords months ago to use as hyperlinks during the current election. Words were chosen to provide the most exposure for the money and of course, candidate names were first on our list. At the time of reservation and the months that followed, the Coeur d’Alene Press never showed any resistance to the keyword choices. The use of hyperlinks on the CdA Press website started during the recall last year when Recall CdA started using the hyperlinks to promote their cause. At the time, they used many different words to link to their website. We felt this was a clever use of campaign funds and chose to ‘mimick’ their strategy. Hyperlinks were also used frequently during the May 2012 primaries, so the use of hyperlinks is not new in the political world or on the CdA Press website. “We understand that Mr. Regan is not happy about the use of his name, and we apologize for any distress this has caused him,” said Eden Irgens, President.

Question: Apology accepted?

This image, released today, shows the spear that was accidentally shot through the mouth of Elisangela Borborema Rosa, in the coastal city of Arrial do Cabo, Brazil. Brazilian health officials say the 28-year-old woman "miraculously"survived after a harpoon entered her mouth and struck her cervical spine. Officials said that the woman's husband was cleaning his spear gun when it accidentally went off, firing the harpoon that injured his wife. (AP Photo/Rio de Janeiro State Health Department)

The Pentagon moved Wednesday to quash reports that the Defense Department was pursuing new regulations limiting religious freedom among service members. “Service members may exercise their rights under the First Amendment regarding the free exercise of religion unless doing so adversely affects good order, discipline, or some other aspect of the military mission,” Lt. Cmdr. Nathan Christensen told The Hill Wednesday. “Even then, the Department seeks a reasonable religious accommodation for the service member.” The controversy began after reports that the military might begin courts-martial for Christian soldiers began cropping up on conservative websites/Ben Goad, The Hill. More here.

Question: Are you breathing easier?

Spokesman Stu Miller of the Kootenai County Sheriff's Department told Huckleberries Online moments ago that Coeur d'Alene High freshman Destiny Maine still hasn't been located: "We've had some possible sightings," he said, "but nothing has panned out yet." Stu told Huckleberries last night that Destiny ran away from home on Friday morning after a fight with her stepmother. She had been suspended from school the day before. You can find out more information about Destiny here.

How much do you know about charter schools, Spokane-made movies and other current topics? Take our weekly news quiz and find out. Simply by entering, you're eligible to win movie tickets, and our overall champ will win a $50 gift card to the Davenport Hotel. Good luck! Click here for quiz. 

• Leaderboard: Cathyanne is the only HucksOnline reader in the Top 20 qualifiers so far.

This undated combination photo released by the Cleveland Police Department shows from left, Onil Castro, Ariel Castro, and Pedro Casto.The three brothers were arrested Tuesday, after three women who disappeared in Cleveland a decade ago were found safe Monday. The brothers are accused of holding the victims against their will. (AP Photo/Cleveland Police Department)

From the Coeur d'Alene Police Department Facebook page:

The springtime is upon us and one of the calls for service your Code Enforcement division gets is weed abatement issues. 8.08.020. There are some organizations that will help the elderly and those that cannot care for their lawns themselves. If you know of an organization that would help, can you post here? Our code enforcement officer loves to get help out to those that need them.

Question: Do you know of an elderly person in town who could use help keeping the weeds down?

... SR sports scribe Greg Lee and I saw a strange sight during our walk along the Lake Coeur d'Alene/Spokane River waterfront -- a guy w/short, black hair in a short-sleeved white, button-up shirt seemingly hiding in the pines, north of the LCSC/UI facility. Both Greg and I looked when we heard a noise. The guy appeared to be trying to crouch out of sight. We made eye contact. Moments later, we warned a female jogger who was approaching the area, listening to head phones, about the guy. She thanked us and immediately turned around. I'm talking about the area running along both sides of the Highway 95 overpass. The trees east of the bike path provide many concealment points. I warn female friends not to run, walk or bike through this stretch alone. Now, I'm warning you. Be careful out there.

Question: Do you walk, run or bike alone along sketching areas of North Idaho trails?

A Berry Picker has provided Huckleberries with a link to a survey circulated to Kootenai County employees by their officials, asking them to rate work environmental, department heads and elected officials. A cover letter sez: "You are invited to participate in this employee opinion survey sponsored by Kootenai County. In an effort to better understand and meet the needs of its employees, The County Commissioners have engaged LMM Leadership Group to conduct this employee survey. The following survey includes several questions related to the organization, your department, and your employment with The County. Please answer the questions honestly and accurately as it will provide us with the best information possible. ... Your responses will be held confidential and anonymous." You can see the survey here.

Question: The survey asks enough personal question (sex, age, years working for the county, etc.) that could give an employee away. Would you take a survey like this and honestly answer questions about your boss or the elected officials, if you were dissatisfied with them?

A goose and a gosling look out from an osprey nest just beyond center field at Ogren-Allegiance Park, field of the Missoula Osprey, in Missoula, Mont. (AP Photo/The Missoulian, Kurt Wilson)

• 12:06 p.m. Post Falls female relates domestic problems w/male who just got out of jail.
• 11:47 a.m. Borah Elementary student out of control & hitting everyone in sight.
• 11:39 a.m. Motorcyclist reports large F350 pickup tried to run him off road @ Prairie/Atlas, Hayden.
• 11:35 a.m. Contained shoplifter being cooperative in Post Falls Super 1 office.
• 11:21 a.m. Traffic lights @ H41/Poleline, Post Falls, changing too quickly.
• 10:32 a.m. 60YO female clammy, suffering anxiety attack on Idahline/Post Falls.
• 10:19 a.m. Silverwood worker inadvertently makes 911 emergency call.
• 10:12 a.m. CPD officer checking undisclosed theft from Two Lakes Motel, 320 CdA Lake Drive.
• 10:09 a.m. PFPD officer reports apartment dweller left car lights on overnight & they're getting dim.
• 10:06 a.m. Bike rider on Mullan/CdA who wasn't wearing helmet when he suffered recent fall having vision, speaking problems.
• 9:47 a.m. Sedan blocking intersection of 2nd/Lakeside, CdA, with motorcycle.
• 9:42 a.m. Caller reports fence posts are about to fall out of semi @ n/b H41/H53, Garwood.
• 9:01 a.m. CPD officer en route to Project CdA to deal with tobacco problem.
• 8:55 a.m. Deputy asking dispatch for directions to 6500 block of S. Sleepy Mountain Trail.
• 8:46 a.m. Officer stopping to help motorist push disabled brown Toyota from Govt Way/Neider, CdA.

I'm surprised how much I still miss our beagle, Snoopy, whom we had to put down more than a month ago. I don't miss stepping in the "land minds" in the back yard. Or the occasional peeing in the house, as he got older. Also, I don't miss worrying about the increasing ailments he picked up as he got older. But I do miss the affection that he had for my wife and me. I miss him greeting me at the door -- and how excited he'd get when I took him to the mailbox in the evening. He was so astute about those mailbox walks that we couldn't even mention the word "mail" without him running to the door and jumping against it two or three times. So my wife began to spell "M-A-I-L" which he also deciphered. All I had to do was rattle the mailbox key to get him to come running at any time. At this time, my wife and I are split re: another dog. I'm against. She's for. I enjoy the freedom of being able to take a vacation without worrying re: finding someone to watch the dog. Ditto for long weekends visiting the kids in Portland. I suggested to my wife that we wait for six months before deciding what to do on the dog front. How about you?/DFO.

Question: After losing a dog, when did you decide whether or not to get another one?