Huckleberries Blog

• Memorial Field: 101 of 143 respondents (70.63%) said they don't want to see historic Memorial Field leveled or moved as part of Four Corners revitalization 37 of 143 respondents (25.87%) support doing away with Memorial Field at its present location. 5 (3.5%) were undecided.
• Thursday Poll: 27 of 53 respondents (50.94%) would like to see a federal shield law. 23 of 53 respondents (43.4%) wouldn't. 3 (5.66%) were undecided.
• Today's Poll (pick three): Who will win the Coeur d'Alene School Board elections Tuesday?

Holly Lahti has had several people impersonate her on Facebook. FedEx made multiple stops at her home and her family's homes each day, delivering real estate and business invites, including one from the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling. She has received many letters from inmates and, of course, there has been a barrage of marriage proposals from strangers. That's what happens when you split a $380 million Mega Millions lottery jackpot. It was the second-largest lottery jackpot in U.S. history at the time and now ranks as the fifth-highest. Soon after she hit that jackpot in January 2011, Lahti (pronounced Lot-ee), now 31, fled to California from her hometown of Rathdrum and all the hype that came with the win. But, in her first interview since striking it rich, Lahti told The Press this week she's finally starting to settle into her life's next chapter/Brian Walker, Coeur d'Alene Press. More here.

Question: Would you leave North Idaho if you had $80M burning a hole in your pocket from splitting the Mega Millions lottery jackpot?

The Kootenai County Reagan Republicans are trying to establish a beach head on the Post Falls School Board, too, supporting Glorie Ward and Carol Goodman. Meanwhile, Balance North Idaho has endorsed incumbents Dave Paul and Julie Hunt. You can read about the two races below:

• Dave Paul vs. Glorie Ward here.
• Julie Hunt vs. Carol Goodman here

Question: Will two more dominos topple to the growing shadow of the Reagan Republicans?

Authorities search a Boise apartment linked with an accused terrorist Thursday. Read report by Betsy Russell/Eye on Boise here. (AP photo)

• Idaho Records/Sherry Adkins, SR
• Serial killer Yates appealing death sentence/AP
• St. Vinny's launches $1M drive/Maureen Dolan, Press
• Vestal: 'Citizen' and 'illegal' are nuanced concepts/SR
• Crapo throws himself at mercy of FCC/Dan Popkey, IS
• Kootenai County unemployment rate drops to 7.2%/Press
• North Idaho dual enrollment suits them/George Kingson, Press
• Nonprofit group appeals halfway house decision/David Cole, Press
• Washington pot draft rules put product out of sight/Jim Camden, SR
• The Slice: If only everything about the past were so clear cut/Paul Turner, SR
• Continued decline in workforce helps keep Idaho's jobless rate stable/Statesman

... At Coeur d'Alene Library Thursday, with a group of home-schoolers that meets once a month in the children's department. The Zone 5 stealth candidate was telling others that he has culled the RecallCDA lists looking for support for his candidacy for the Coeur d'Alene School Board. Have you seen Bjorn?

One of my Berry Pickers just dropped off a direct-mail letter, signed by 4 locally elected officials in support of appointed Trustee Ann Seddon. Councilman Dan Gookin, NIC Trustee Todd Banducci, and Reps. Kathy Sims and Ron Mendive warn residents in Zone 1: "Do not be fooled by liberal special interest PACs like "Balance North Idaho" who merely want to remove all present and future conservative Trustees from the board." The quartet, plus Vera O. Weniger, also state: "Education has been dominated by Progressives for years and we have all seen the unacceptable results. With a conservative Coeur d'Alene school board we have a chance to turn that around."

• You can read a copy of the endorsement letter here

Question: Would you vote for Seddon, based on the endorsement of these 4 elected officials?

It's as you may have feared about public swimming pools: Those hoards of children, carefree and a bit saggy in the trunks, may be making that water a little poopy. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's most recent Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report includes research of the microbes found in pool filters. During the summer 2012 swimming season, researchers collected 161 filter samples from metro-Atlanta public pools. In 93 of the samples, researchers detected fecal indicator, E. coli, which they believe came from swimmers when it was either washed off their bodies, or via solid bowel movements and diarrhea. E. coli in pools is not only gross, but a little dangerous, too/Laura McMullen, US News & World Report. More here.

Question: Do you fear public pools?

The city of Coeur d’Alene is asking Time Warner Cable subscribers for feedback on CdA-TV Channel 19, the City’s government and public education channel. What the City wants to know is who’s tuning in and what specifically are they watching. Channel 19 airs Coeur d’Alene City Council meetings, SD-271 Board meetings, North Idaho College Board meetings, City of Hayden City Council meetings, “Coffee with the Mayor” and other city- and education-related programming. Viewers can share their feedback in a survey posted on the City’s website at cdaid.org. “We are urging people to take the survey,” said Chris Copstead, who chairs the CDA-TV committee. “Our goal is to provide the best programming we can, and to do that we need to hear from viewers”/Coeur d'Alene Press. More here.

Question: Which programs do you watch on Channel 19?

In his weekly Cheers & Jeers column, opinionator Marty Trillhaase of the Lewiston Tribune offers Jeers ...

... to state Sen. Bob Nonini, R-Coeur d'Alene. Earlier this year, he was in serious trouble. He had backed right-wing insurgents against moderate Senate incumbents. After he became a showcase of contrition, Senate leaders withheld sanctions and gave him a coveted Education Committee assignment.Now the Great Nonini's bombast is back. Nonini told the Coeur d'Alene Press: "If we could have gotten within a couple of votes on these issues, we could have had effective legislation."By the way, Nonini handed his hometown newspaper an exclusive. He won't talk to anyone else.

Question: What do you make of Nonini's current practice to not talk to any media but the Coeur d'Alene Press?

On his Facebook page, Robin Loznak of Kellogg, Ore., offers this photo of a hummingbird this morning, titled: "Bugging Out." Robin posts: "A female rufous hummingbird watches a small insect as she rests on a barbed wire fence this evening near our house." You can see more of Robin's outdoor photography here.

Question: Do you have many hummingbirds in your yard?

Re: Play, that's not Shakespeare (previous Coeur d'Alene Press letter:

As a student, I felt that the Coeur d’Alene High School Theatre Department did an excellent job at displaying the true, passionate expression of Shakespeare. Simply the act of portraying such characters and emotions to any audience and have them leaving with a better understanding of the play is phenomenal. Plays are not parallel to viewing a PBS Kids show, and the audience has come to see a truthful look at the workings of “Romeo and Juliet.” Believing that any production, especially William Shakespeare’s, is bound to be censored and childproof in all its aspects is juvenile. It would mean taking “Les Miserables” and making it into a story of a man who stole some candy and was confined to the infamous time out corner/Cody Heinig, of Coeur d'Alene, letter to the editor. Coeur d'Alene Press. More here.

Question: Which of Shakespeare's plays did you last watch?

Education should be the agenda of the people on our school district boards. Sadly, ideological partisanship has become a larger agenda. Interestingly, every candidate agrees that partisanship has no place, yet some candidates loudly proclaim their party affiliation on campaign materials and accept funding from and are active with a highly partisan organization: the Reagan Republicans. Those candidates – Ann Seddon, Brent Regan and Bjorn Handeen – say one thing, but their actions speak the opposite. This raises questions of ethics and integrity. The Reagan Republicans’ influence has been felt in board decision-making. For example, discarding the International Baccalaureate program. These candidates say our children should be “job-ready,” knowing our children will enter a global economy. Nevertheless, a program preparing them for that was cut on ideological grounds, making our children less job-readyJoe Jacoby, of Coeur d'Alene, SR letter to the editor. More here.

Question: How is a candidate compromised by running for a nonpartisan election under the banner of a political party?

Michael Ramirez/Investor's Business Daily

In the last week or so, I've seen 2 or 3 uber-cons quote that William F. Buckley statement: "I'd rather entrust the government of the United States to the first 400 people listed in the Boston telephone directory than to the faculty of Harvard University." I'd like to use that statement for this premise (w/the exclusion of hospital board candidate Jim Pierce): I'd rather entrust nonpartisan local government to random picking of names from a phone book than to endorsees of either the Reagan Republicans or United Conservatives of North Idaho. With that happy thought, I'll post today's Wild Card ...

A Texas state record 800-pound alligator was caught during a public hunt on the James E. Daughtrey Wildlife Management Area. Wildlife officials say the 14-foot-3-inch gator could be 30 to 50 years old. (AP Photo/Texas Parks and Wildlife Department)

Question: Have you seen an alligator in its natural habitat?

American television sitcoms, at least the good ones, are great in their dependability. You know what you’ll get. You’ll know why you want it and when you want it. They become like a favorite piece of furniture in our living rooms — the armchair you can curl up in when you know nothing else will feel quite right. The Office has been my armchair for the last eight years. It’s not always been perfect — in fact it’s been quite imperfect over the last two seasons — but it’s the television show I’ve watched more than anything else. I’ve seen all 200-plus episodes more than once. I’ve had more than one dream that featured a character from The Office. Is this the clinical definition of obsession? Quite possibly/Mike Bookey, Inlander. More here. (AP/NBC file photo of some staff members of "The Office")

Question: Will you miss "The Office" after it closes its doors tonight?

• 5:15 p.m. Coeur d'Alene Police Department activities report for May 15-16 here.
• 5:08 p.m. ISPer stopping to help female in disabled car @ w/b I-90/MP 20 (Blue Creek Bridge).
• 4:59 p.m. Deputy en route to theft in 11700 block of Hauser Lake Road.
• 4:56 p.m. Male bicyclist verbal but cooperative after running into pickup @ KMC. Bicyclist is 70ish  male w/mental problems who's known to wave gun around.
• 4:46 p.m. CdA Resort security reports unconscious 40ish male drunk @ 115 S2nd/CdA.
• 4:43 p.m. Male reports ex-galpal stealing plywood fence posts in 1200 block of E. Garden/CdA.
• 4:36 p.m. CPD news release: Officers rescue suicidal female on I-90/H95 bridge here.
• 14 more items + AM Scanner Traffic link below

A logo that will be used for labeling legal marijuana produced in Washington state is shown. Officials released a preliminary draft of regulations for growing and selling legalized marijuana today. Voters last November made Washington and Colorado the first states to legalize the sale of taxed marijuana to adults over 21 at state-licensed stores. Related story below. (AP Photo/Washington State Liquor Control Board)

• Monkey killer gets up to 7 years/Eye on Boise
• Bonner County D's seek clerk candidates/Bee
• Idaho warden whose staff filed false reports quits/KTVB
• Child sex author on lam shoots himself/Nicole Hensley, SR
• Boise man arrested on terrorism charges/Betsy Russell, SR
• Hope tax-cheating businessman gets 3 1/2 years in prison/Bee
• Legal Washington pot growing will be done indoors/Jim Camden, SR

A Boise man from Uzbekistan has been arrested on terrorism charges; he's been indicted in both Idaho and Utah on federal charges including possessing an unregistered destructive device, providing material support to terrorists, and distributing information relating to weapons of mass destruction. Click below for the full new release from the U.S. Attorney's office. Fazliddin Kurbanov, 30, was arrested this morning in Boise and will make his initial appearance in court tomorrow in Boise/Betsy Russell, Eye on Boise.

Question: Getting a bit close to home?

On Tuesday, photographer Don Sausser Facebooked: "What a morning greeting it is when going to your car to find vandals had thrashed the windshield & caused a few dents on the roof."

• Food for thought/Fort Boise
• Have your cake & eat it, too/Slight Detour
• Friday/JeanC's Cat House & Shooting Society
• Partisan media personified/Dogwalk Musings
• Big surplus could await 2014 Legislature/The EDge
• 'The Office' closes its doors tonight/Dennis Mansfield
• My memory is like a match on fire/From A Simple Mind

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