News aggregator

APhoto Of The Day -- 8.30.10

Huckleberries Online Blog - Mon, 08/30/2010 - 16:55

A supporter of Gustavo Rojas wears a pin depicting Rojas in Caracas,  Venezuela. Rojas, a candidate for for  Venezuela's National Assembly Sept. 26 elections, is using an unusual campaign fundraising technique: raffling off a  breast enlargement surgery. You write the cutline. (AP Photo/Cecilia Serrano)

Top Cutlines:

• 1. As a show of support from the dairy industry, A Rojas fan quells rumors that he's “Lactose Intolerant” -- Soaf.
• 2. With his motto “If you've seen one, you've seen them both”, Rojas keeps constituents largely abreast of his campaign donations -- JohnA.
• 3. A supporter of Gustavo Rojas, does a little amateur pole dancing in the streets of Caracas, while keeping the crowd abreast on the issues and milking the routine for all it was worth -- Kage Mann.
• HM: Charlie & Herb
  

The Hill: R's Conceding Minnick Win?

Huckleberries Online Blog - Mon, 08/30/2010 - 16:47

In a story in The Hill evaluating the growing strength of the Republican Party in this fall's elections, reporters Shane D'Aprile and Sean J. Miller write that the race between Rep. Walt Minnick, D-Idaho, and Republican Raul Labrador has moved from "toss-up" to "lean Democratic." The report continues: "Minnick has taken to Twitter to highlight the National Republican Congressional Committee’s reluctance to buy TV ad time in his once-targeted district. After party-favorite Vaughn Ward lost the primary to Raul Labrador, Republicans seem to have abandoned their ambition of unseating the conservative Democrat." The rest of the story here.

DFO: A person in the know in Kootenai County Republican politics tells me that s/he's thinking about voting for Minnick -- as are a number of his/her Republican friends -- thinking they'd rather have the incumbent for 2 more years than risk having a Bill Sali-like representative for the foreseeable future. Dunno if this person has ever voted Republican in a 1st Congressional District race. But it doesn't bode well for Labrador.

NIdaho Blogs: Pumpkins Herald Fall

Huckleberries Online Blog - Mon, 08/30/2010 - 16:13

"We still have a fair amount of summer left but you know Fall is approaching in North Idaho when the pumpkins are maturing and the corn crop is ready to harvest," posts Sunny/Bent's Beer Garden. More here.

• Dream a little dream (of school's first day)/A Butterfly Moment
• Book review: Republican noise machine/Arch Druid
• 1st Priest Lake triathlon successful/As The Lake Churns
• Cyberspace show and tell/Atmospheric Ruminations
• New Orleans 5 years later/Community Comment
• Thank you Walt Whitman/Gathering Around The Table
• Welcome to hotels.com/ilovecda.com
• Serious yummage/JeanC's Cat House & Shooting Gallery
• Getting a point across/Live, Love, Laugh, Hope
• Idaho cultural experience/Slight Detour
• Empty/Tumblewords

HucksOnline numbers (for week of Aug. 22-28): 50,923/31,020

EOB: Court Expedites Big Rig Appeal

Huckleberries Online Blog - Mon, 08/30/2010 - 15:44

The Idaho Transportation Department has joined ConocoPhillips in appealing to the Idaho Supreme Court a local judge’s decision to revoke its permits for four huge truckloads of oil refinery equipment to travel winding U.S. Highway 12 from Lewiston to Montana, saying the decision could “end up restricting commerce and limiting business opportunities.”    Meanwhile, the high court granted a motion from ConocoPhillips to expedite the court appeal, rather than take the usual time - averaging 450 days - to hear a civil appeal. However, it set oral arguments for Oct. 1. That’s expedited for a Supreme Court appeal, but it’s not quick enough to allow Conoco to move the four giant shipments before paving starts on the second lane of the Arrow Bridge on Highway 12/Betsy Russell, Eye On Boise. More here.

• ITD joins ConocoPhillips in appealing Bradbury's decision/Betsy Russell, EOB
• Lack of political experience doesn't bode well for Allred/Dustin Hurst, IReporter
• Otter meets with officials battling fires/Brad Iverson-Long, Idaho Reporter
• Wildlife advocates working toward resolution on wolves/Brad Iverson-Long, IR
• Study: high-tech jobs decline, but still pay well/Brad Iverson-Long, IReporter
  

Question: Are you pleased that the Idaho Department of Transportation has joined ConocoPhillips in appealing judge's decision banning its rigs on scenic Highway 12?

Idaho Scenics: 'A Little Pink Sky'

Huckleberries Online Blog - Mon, 08/30/2010 - 15:39

I've wanted to post this terrific photo by Linda Lantzy/Idaho Scenic Images since I first saw it last week. Post Linda: "It felt good to get out tonight. It seems like it's been awhile. Just a little pink sky over the lake."

Tonight as of Aug. 30 3:29 PM PDT

Coeur d'Alene Weather Forecast - Mon, 08/30/2010 - 15:29

Tonight - Mostly cloudy. Lows in the 40s. South wind 5 to 10 mph.

Tuesday as of Aug. 30 3:29 PM PDT

Coeur d'Alene Weather Forecast - Mon, 08/30/2010 - 15:29

Tuesday - Mostly cloudy. A 50 percent chance of light rain in the afternoon. Highs in the lower to mid 60s. South wind 5 to 15 mph. Gusts up to 25 mph in the afternoon. Rainfall amounts around a tenth of an inch.

Tuesday Night as of Aug. 30 3:29 PM PDT

Coeur d'Alene Weather Forecast - Mon, 08/30/2010 - 15:29

Tuesday Night - Light rain likely. Lows in the mid to upper 40s. South wind 5 to 15 mph. Chance of precipitation 70 percent. Rainfall amounts around a tenth of an inch.

Quotable Quote -- 'Rapiscan'

Huckleberries Online Blog - Mon, 08/30/2010 - 14:45

Idaho state Sen. Shawn Keough, R-Sandpoint via Twitter: "Decided that the name of the airport's new full body scanner 'Rapiscan' is Freudian given what it shows!"

Question: Have you endured the new full body 'Rapiscan' at an airport?

Johnson Files Against NIC Trustee Wood

Huckleberries Online Blog - Mon, 08/30/2010 - 14:34

Ronald G. Johnson of Rathdrum, who calls himself "The Dragon Slayer," has filed to run against incumbent Christie Wood in the North Idaho College trustee election for Position B, according to County Clerk Dan English. Wood has already filed for re-election. Also, Coeur d'Alene attorney Ken Howard has filed for the vacant trustee seat being vacated by Trustee Rolly Williams. Filing deadline is 5 p.m. Wednesday.

Ex-KCSDeputy Hirzel Shot SV Pastor

Huckleberries Online Blog - Mon, 08/30/2010 - 14:27

The Spokane Valley Police officer who fatally shot a pastor and greenhouse owner last week was identified Monday as Deputy Brian Hirzel. Spokane Police spokeswoman Jennifer DeRuwe said Hirzel has been with the Spokane Valley Department for two years. The Spokane County Sheriff’s Office contracts with the city of Spokane Valley to provide deputies to serve as police officers. Previously, Hirzel had worked at the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office in Idaho and as an officer in Cathedral City, Calif., which is near Palm Springs. DeRuwe – who is handling news releases because of a critical incident protocol between departments – offered no new information about why Hirzel shot Pastor Wayne “Scott” Creach outside his business, the Plan Farm at 14208 E. Fourth Ave/Thomas Clouse, SR. More here.

Toad @ 7: An Inland Northwesterner?

Huckleberries Online Blog - Mon, 08/30/2010 - 14:00

Toadman: This is why we generally come to hike Stickman's hill in the fall. It's quiet. Also, though we're from Spokane, and have only lived in the area for seven years this September, we don't feel like outsiders anymore. We feel we've become locals. What do you think? Seven years = Inland Northwest local, or no?

Question: Do you become a native Inland Northwesterner in 7 years?

Crews gain footing on central Idaho wildfires

The Spokesman Review - Mon, 08/30/2010 - 14:00

Crews gain footing on central Idaho wildfires

Road Kill, Mink Style

Huckleberries Online Blog - Mon, 08/30/2010 - 13:47

A mink runs past dead animals on a road in Hiliodendro, near the northern Greek city of Kastoria earlier today. More than 50,000 minks were set loose in the area on Friday and Saturday, after raids by suspected animal rights activists on two fur farms. Greece's The National Fur Breeders' Association said most of the released animals are likely to die, adding that the cost to the farm owners could pass Euros 1 million ($1.27 million) despite an effort to recover the animals. (AP Photo/Nikolas Giakoumidis)

Idaho roads agency appeals wide-loads ruling

The Spokesman Review - Mon, 08/30/2010 - 13:44

Idaho roads agency appeals wide-loads ruling

JohnA: Out, Out Damn Tourist

Huckleberries Online Blog - Mon, 08/30/2010 - 13:40

JohnA: I'm a Chamber of Commerce guy when it comes to tourists, as I know the economic impact they provide to the area. It's just that by the end of August we're ready for a break from the hordes. We don't mind sharing paradise but it's great when we finally get our peace and quiet back. That's our September reward, and like many locals, we look forward to it.

DFO: I'll confess that I'm tired to death of having tourists all over our waterfront and downtown. Mrs. O & I drove thru downtown Cda en route to our customary walk along the north shore. I'd thought that the deluge of tourists had subsided because we were turning the corner to fall. But downtown was packed. The waterfront less so. We'll have to wait for Labor Day.

Question: Are you tired of tourists and visitors overrunning the waterfront?

Hedberg: 1 Plump Human = 2 Skinny 1s

Huckleberries Online Blog - Mon, 08/30/2010 - 13:27

Scientists report that a favorite food of many bears, nuts from whitebark pine cones, is scarce. So as grizzlies look to put on some major pounds in preparation for the long winter ahead, they will be looking for another source of protein - meat - and running into trouble along the way. Wildlife managers already report bears coming down off the mountains and into areas frequented by hunters, berry pickers and hikers. "Pack your bear spray," said grizzly researcher Chuck Schwartz with the U.S. Geological Survey. "There's going to be run-ins." The reason to lose weight? If bears are looking to make a meal of a human it stands to reason the fatter you are, the more bear cubs you would be able to feed. Any intelligent grizzly would know that one plump human is worth at least two skinny ones/Kathy Hedberg, Lewiston Tribune. More here.

Question: Have you ever carried bear spray while camping, hunting, or hiking in bear country? Or do you prefer a handgun?

Hall: Don't Be Put Off By Accents

Huckleberries Online Blog - Mon, 08/30/2010 - 13:19

We socially twitchy human beings tend to judge other people not only by the color of their skins but by the weird accents of their voices. For instance, I know a man who speaks upper crust English in the same accent as former English Prime Minister Tony Blair. But that's misleading. My friend is a man of ordinary interests no smarter than most of us. But when you hear him speak, the accent tends to make a person think the speaker has some giant brain. We don't often experience that accent around here. But when we hear it on television, it is often some brainy British politician, philosopher or scientist. So we tend to equate that accent with smart people, whether they are or not. On the other hand, President Lyndon Johnson and President George W. Bush - two men with down-home Texas accents - sound like uneducated hicks to my bigoted ear/Bill Hall, Lewiston Tribune. More here.

DFO: My father-in-law was a sharp man who taught math and science in high school. However, he had an accent that made him sound as though he came from the streets of Brooklyn. Which he did -- and an orphanage, to boot.

Question: Do you form opinions of others as a result of their accents?

INW: WTC Beams Arrive In Silverdale

Huckleberries Online Blog - Mon, 08/30/2010 - 12:39

Bulls riders leave the arena as steel  beams from the World Trade Center from Sept. 11, 2001, lie on a trailer behind during the  Kitsap County Fair & Stampede in Silverdale, Wash., Sunday. The beams, which were put on display in two or three Kootenai County locations earlier this month (see Kerri Thoreson's photos here), will become part of a Kitsap County, Wash., memorial. (AP Photo/ Kitsap Sun, Larry Steagall)

• Cartoon: Haunted housing market/David Horsey, Seattle P-I
  
• Suspicious briefcase near Spokane bridge held camcorder/Spokesman-Review
• Charge dismissed against woman who told judge to 'slow down'/Daily Inter Lake
  
• Wyoming won't change stance on wolves/Ben Neary, Associated Press
• WAC demands $5M from Fresno State, Nevada/Brian Murphy, Statesman
• Barker: Maybe it's time to rethink 'don't feed the bears' rule/Idaho Statesman
  
• New Sterling Financial chairman paid $1.5M/Bert Caldwell, Office Hours
• Robb Akey: Vandals as healthy as ever/Josh Wright, SportsLink
• UMontana player faces DUI charge/Kim Briggeman, Missoulian
  
• Accused wife killer says she set him off w/'green card' comment/Associated Press
• Orbusmax Special: Mayor's plan for new Portland gun laws could face opposition here
  

High Noon: Idahoan Paul Wins Emmy

Huckleberries Online Blog - Mon, 08/30/2010 - 12:11

Aaron  Paul, left, a graduate of Boise's Centennial High School and native of Emmett, holds his award for outstanding supporting actor in a drama series and Bryan Cranston holds his for outstanding lead actor in a drama series, both for their work on "Breaking Bad," during the 62nd Primetime  Emmy Awards Sunday in Los Angeles. Story here. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Question: Did your favorite actor or show win an Emmy last night?