SR.com Blogs: Huckleberries Online

APhoto of the Day -- 7/25/08 (DFO)

Megan Gomez, 7, and others get hosed down after she and her fellow members of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Carbon County got covered in shaving cream after a group activity got messy, Wednesday. You write the cutline. ( Full post )

KREM2: Cutting Back On Little Things? (DFO)

Has the poor economy forced you to cut back on the little things, like lattes and manicures?/KREM2

*Yes ( Full post )

Avista Defends Rate Hike Requests (DFO)

Item: Avista defends request for 15.8%, 5.8% increases/Alecia Warren, Coeur d'Alene Press

More Info: Avista requested in early April for the commission to increase electricity rates by an average 15.8 percent, and gas rates by 5.8 percent. If the commission grants Avista's full increase request, the monthly bill for an average electric customer who uses 977 kilowatt-hours a month would increase to $78.08 from $67.58. An average gas customer who uses 65 therms per month would see an increase to $80.05 from $75.14 per month. ( Full post )

Gozzer Exec: Man Was Threatening Crowd (DFO)

The attorney for the Gozzer Ranch executive accused of punching his 61-year-old neighbor in the throat says his neighbor was threatening children. Ron Van Wert, who represents Gozzer Ranch vice president of development Andy Holloran, said any incident that night had nothing to do with letters to the editor of The Press written by Pat Stroud. "I'll tell you right now, Mr. Holloran absolutely denies that," Van Wert said. "In fact, the story Mr. Stroud has provided is false and that is why we contacted the paper"/Tom Greene, Coeur d'Alene Press. More here. ( Full post )

Signe: Tour de France 2008 (DFO)

( Full post )

Wild Card/Thursday -- 7/24/08 (DFO)

I boldly went last night where few men dared do go -- to see "MamaMia" with my wife. Of the 90 or so theater goers at Riverstone, I and Nils Rosdahl were two of only seven men. The estrogen level was running high. I thought I'd inadvertently walked into a showing of the "Vagina Monologues" -- and hoped that no one would begin a chant that involved unmentionable female parts. I tried to get Nils to sneak into an adjoining theater showing "The Dark Knight" but he hunkered down with his wife, Mary. Afterward, he said he liked the show. I was OK with it, until Pierce Brosnan began to sing. 007 singing? C'mon. I hardly have enough strength left today to post this Wild Card ... ( Full post )

Parting Shot -- 7/24/08 (DFO)

( Full post )

Dennis' SOS: Getting Off Sali Phone List (DFO)

Anyone know if there's a way to get off Bill Sali's phone list? Over the past week I've received three pre-recorded messages inviting me to participate in a live town hall meeting. All three times he called during dinner. Grr. And I assume I'm paying for this, too/Dennis. ( Full post )

CDA To Straighten Kathleen Ave Curves (DFO)

Construction begins Monday to straighten the curves on Kathleen Avenue from Player Drive to St. Michelle. Safety concerns prompted the straightening of the roadway, as more and more bicyclists and outdoor enthusiasts began using Prairie Trail. A pedestrian-activated crossing light will be installed where Prairie Trail crosses Kathleen Avenue/Kootenai MPO staff. More here.
( Full post )

Tap 'Er Light (DFO)

It was at Gravely Creek where the guy from Montana with the French name dug in the bed of the crew cab lifting jacks and hubs and boom chain for that Hamms he knew was there. Eighty-five degrees and when he dug the beer from the junk it was covered in grease. There�s more, he said, anybody want one? The beer was bathwater warm, or worse. We all knew it/Ralph Bartholdt, The Skinny On North Idaho. More here.

( Full post )

Headlines @ Closin' Time -- 7/24/08 (DFO)

Lido Vizzutti/Flathead Beacon, AP
A Glacier Raft Company boat navigates Bone Crusher rapids on the Middle Fork of the Flathead River near West Glacier, Mont., earlier this month. Darwon Stoneman and Onno Wieringa started the business in 1976. ( Full post )

APhoto of the Day w/Top Cutlines -- 7/24/08 (DFO)

Ahn Young-joon/AP
South Korean elementary school students shout the word "mother" as they lay in the water during an exercise at a marine boot camp for students on Daebu Island, in Ansan,South Korea, Thursday, July 24, 2008. Some 70 students took part in the three-day camp as a way to mentally and physically strengthen themselves. You write the cutline. ( Full post )

Scanner Traffic -- 7/24/08 (DFO)

6:32 p.m. Ambulance is on the way to Mile Post 94 on Highway 97 where 2Y0 is in a car, suffering a rash over 90% of his body after swimming nearby.
6:22 p.m. Shoplifter caught at Shopko.
5:59 p.m. Four males wearing backpacks attack a lone male near the bandshell at City Park.
3:53 p.m. Juvenile problem at Children's Village.
3:42 p.m. A 50YO man was knocked unconscious temporarily when he fell from a standing position at Idaho Veneer in Post Falls.
3:12 p.m. A resident in the 1900 block of Front Avenue reports that a motorist regularly parks his car in front of his property and passes out after being at Chillers all day.
2:21 p.m. ISP: 2 hurt in Bonners Ferry accident here.
1:18 p.m. Animal reported abandoned in car at the Coeur d'Alene Resort.
1:09 p.m. ISP: 71YO Clark Fork biker hurt in Sandpoint crash here.
11:10 a.m. A 91YO man is showing symptoms of a stroke at the American Legion post on Highway 41.
( Full post )

Commish Reject Rathdrum Batch Plant (DFO)

On a 2-1 vote, Kootenai County commissioners have rejected Coeur d'Alene Pavings' request for an asphalt batch plant. Last Thursday the commissioners, legal and the Planning Director took a road trip up to the site. Several interested parties followed the county van including Steve Wetzel (attorney for the neighbors against the proposal). Today the Board held a limited public hearing for info related to the site visit. During delibs, Commissioner Rich Piazza voted for the request, Commissioners Todd Tondee & Chairman Rick Currie voted to deny the request. All this, according to a courthouse Berry Picker.
( Full post )

Local Blogs -- 7/24/08 (DFO)

From A Simple Mind Photo
"What is it about construction equipment sounds, that bring out men, like boys to an ice cream truck?" posts Cis/From A Simple Mind under this photo. "Here is a few sidewalk superintendent�s watching and I am sure adding comments. There is actually 3 work men. and 2
sidewalk supers ... You bring down any street, a cat, bulldozer, backhoe, or any other such equipment and the men start coming out of the yards from everywhere." ( Full post )

The Coach UIdaho Fans Love To Hate (DFO)

Ric Francis/AP
Arizona State head coach Dennis Erickson, left, and quarterback Rudy Carpenter attend a news conference for Pac-10 football media day Thursday in Los Angeles. ( Full post )

EOB: Duncan Competent To Face Death Penalty (DFO)

U.S. District Judge Edward Lodge has issued an order declaring Joseph Duncan competent to proceed in his death penalty sentencing hearings, rejecting a motion from defense attorneys to declare the convicted killer mentally incompetent/Betsy Russell, Eye On Boise. More here.
( Full post )

Progress Claims Tribe's Grandfather Tree (DFO)

After surviving centuries of winter cold, summer heat and lightning strikes, the tree could not stave off the two yellow track-hoes of the Idaho Transportation Department that arrived on a drizzly May 13 to widen the highway. The new four-lane divided highway cuts a wide swath across the land and the tree was in the way. The buckets and hydraulic arms of the heavy equipment pushed the tree to the ground a day after tribal members gathered to honor it in a private ceremony. But in a deal struck between ITD and the tribe, the remains of the tree now lie in a highway maintenance yard on the reservation/Kevin Taylor, Inlander. More here.
( Full post )

SR Blogs: How Loud Is Too Loud? -- Vox Box (DFO)

Surely some teens, myself included, have the habit to turn the ipod or mp3 player up high. But experts are worried it poses big risks to teens later on. When turning up ipods and personal stereos is becoming more common to block out the noise of daily commutes, hearing-loss experts worry about the dose of noise from say, a bus engine, plus the noise from a personal playlist/Adrianna, Vox Box. More here.

( Full post )

Huckleberries Best of the INorthwest -- 7/24/08 (DFO)

Kathy Plonka/SR
In this September 2007 file photo, Salt Lake City Bees second baseman Matt Brown receives the ball from teammate Casey Smith in a rundown involving a Sacramento player. Next month, Brown, a former Coeur d'Alene High Viking will be playing in the Olympics. Column by Mark Nelke/Coeur d'Alene Press here. ( Full post )