Now comes this KTVB story that says Rammell, independent candidate Pro-Life and Libertarian Kent Marmon have been asked to bow out of the Senate race. At least a couple of the calls came from Republican U.S. Rep. Bill Sali, says KTVB. The logic behind all of this is that Rammell, Pro-Life and Marmon are apt to draw most of their votes from GOP Lt. Gov. Jim Risch, bolstering Democratic candidate Larry LaRocco's chances of pulling an upset. The GOP is certainly sending mixed messages. Risch, who says he knew nothing about the anti-Rammell lawsuit, continues to cite his double-digit lead in the polls (including a LaRocco poll from May). Risch's optimistic read of the race doesn't square with Republicans' efforts to clear the field/Kevin Richert, Idaho Statesman. More here.
Question: By fighting to limit primary access, by trying to block Rex Rammell's name from appearing on the ballot, and now by trying to talk minor foes out of the U.S. Senate race, the Idaho GOP appears to be running scare? Is it? Or is it simply being cautious?
Eastern Washington will be hooked up against a Big 12 Conference power for the second week in a row on Saturday when he takes on Colorado in Boulder.
You can read an unedited version of the game advance that will appear in Saturday's S-R -- along with some additional comments from head coach Beau Baldwin and some of his players -- below.
There has been a lot of talk of euphemisms lately. It all started when I referred to the woman who my brother is "seeing" or "talking to" or "romantically interested in" as his euphemism, and the person I was talking to didn't understand what I meant.
High court weighs yanking I-1029 from the ballot...
It's not what I said, it's what I meant.
That, in essence, was the case made Thursday in the state's highest court by proponents of a ballot measure that would require more paid training for home health-care workers.
In what could turn out to be a very expensive glitch, a Service Employees Intentional Union local and its allies spent months and more than $450,000 to put Initiative 1029 on the fall ballot, only to discover at the last minute that some wrong wording in the text could derail the entire effort.
The petitions signed by hundreds of thousands of voters wrongly say that it's a proposal for state lawmakers, rather than straight to voters.
“You've got to admit, your folks made a bit of a mistake here,” Chief Justice Gerry Alexander told a lawyer for the initiative's backers.
“And that's all it was,” responded attorney Mike Subit.
"Oops, that EULA was old: You know how you felt like you were signing your life away when you were signing all those mortgage documents? Well, the original user agreement for Google's new browser, Chrome, basically gave some of us that same squeamish feeling, what with the language about the company having rights to any content you created, posted, displayed through Chrome."
A Google rep says it was simply an oversight, because the company re-uses EULAs for its offerings, and that the one for Chrome has now been amended, and of course you have the right to your own stuff.
In doing a bit of research on the history of Auntie’s Bookstore, which will celebrate its 30th anniversary in a couple of weeks, I stumbled upon the photograph below. It shows the late author Douglas Adams, the British guy who wrote the “Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” series, at the book reading he gave in the store on Dec. 27, 1993.
The photo, which was taken by my colleague Chris Anderson, was taken at the store’s forthcoming location at the former Liberty Furniture Store. There was nothing on the building’s ground floor save some 200 folding chairs (the store wouldn’t make the final move for another couple of months), but that didn’t stop the crowds.
It was a historic occasion, one that proved how willing Spokane-area book fans would be to attend a reading if an author showed up whom they wanted to see. Other authors in that vein have included Sherman Alexie, Ivan Doig and Portland’s “Fight Club” guy Chuck Palahniuk.
Of course, readers have shown up to hear Get Lit! authors such as David Sedaris, Salman Rushdie and the great Kurt Vonnegut. But Get Lit! has a built-in audience. Individual readings are a hit/miss type event.
That night of Adams was monumental. The fact that he would die just eight years later at the relatively young age of 49 made his appearance all that more poignant.
I’ll close with one of my favorite “Hitchhiker” quotes: “There is a theory which states that if ever anybody discovers exactly what the Universe is for and why it is here, it will instantly disappear and be replaced by something even more bizarre and inexplicable. There is another theory which states that this has already happened.”
Below: Douglas Adams thrills his fans on a cool December evening in 1993.
Came across a new gastronomical gem recently at the corner of Augusta Avenue and Hamilton Street in the Gonzaga University District:
Tom Bowers/The Spokesman-Review
I'm not sure if El Mariachi taco truck keeps a guitar case full of guns behind the counter, but I'll tell you what it does have: Darn good street tacos (a major staple of every thrifty, self-respecting epicurean's diet).
After ordering a Carne Asada taco and - not on the menu - a deliciously spicy Chorizo taco, I noticed that the truck also serves El Salvadorian food, such as Pupusas.
I was bummed I didn't notice the Pupusas until I had a bellyful of chorizo, but I'm sure I'll get the chance. Considering the tasty tacos, low prices and convenient location, I plan on dropping in on El Mariachi again.
Below: If you haven't seen the film that put Robert Rodriguez ("Grindhouse," "Sin City") on the map, go rent it and snag some tacos on the way home. Here's a taste (warning: clip features violent imagery some may find disturbing):
Vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin spent part of the 1980s in college in North Idaho, after starting her college career in Hawaii.
Here's the information on her academic stops, courtesy of the University of Idaho and The Associated Press.
Fall 1982: Hawaii Pacific University, Honolulu. Spring & Fall 1983: North Idaho College, Coeur d'Alene. Fall 1984-Spring 1985: University of Idaho, Moscow. Fall 1985: Matanuska-Susitna College, Palmer, Alaska. Spring 1986-Spring 1987: UI, graduating with a Bachelor Science in Journalism.
Paintball has thousands of devotees across our region, so it's not news that more than a hundred showed up at Nitehawk Paintball near Ford, Wash., Saturday, Aug. 23, 2008 for "Mortar Wars". But the players have such a good time, it's hard not to feel their enthusiasm.
It’s been a warehouse, a Chevy dealership and one of the first Costcos.
But for about seven years, the 130,000-square-foot former Costco Wholesale building, 800 E. Third Ave., has been closed to the public while the warehouse membership club rode out its 25-year lease.
Now owner Cip Paulsen wants to sell it for $5.38 million. He said the city made him a $4.75 million offer this spring to put its property and evidence storage facility there, and he has received an offer from another, undisclosed party.
With the city facing tight budgets and a bond issue proposed by Mayor Mary Verner off the table, however, there’s no “immediate funding source” for that deal, said city spokeswoman Marlene Feist. The facility remains a funding priority, she said. Also, Police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick has proposed building a new facility on city land elsewhere in Spokane.
Sarah Palin’s convention speech prompted big play in Thursday newspapers across the country. The ‘hockey mom’ phrase or references seemed to be pretty popular.
The Detroit News and the Free Press faced competing interests for front page consideration because their embattled mayor, who resigned Thursday morning, was hauled before a special hearing conducted by the governor on Wednesday. The News played the mayor big while the Free Press went with Palin.
Last week, the Spokesman-Review’s front-page gave big play to Barack Obama’s acceptance speech. We’ll be doing likewise for John McCain’s speech in Friday’s newspaper.
BAYVIEW – A dispute over a Bayview sewer connection recently devolved into a diver disconnecting a restaurant's underwater sewer and water connections, an on-dock confrontation and a visit by police. Ultimately it may have to be resolved in court.
CRYING IN COURT: Tearful prosecutor prompts mistrial: Judge says opening arguments in domestic violence case 'crossed the line' when the prosecutor asked for a tissue. About that gooey detail about what the man did or did not have running down this face, (Two thirds down the story) managing editor Gary Graham winced, laughed and said, "Ooh--Too much detail!"
CHENEY – Because of meter-reading errors, 25 percent of Cheney's water has gone unbilled over the past three years, and the city appears to be out about $14,400.
Q. Why don't you publish the voting records of those we are being asked to vote for, from state to national? You publish things of limited interest - why not something of interest to most citizens?
Shirley Jensen
A. We do publish voting records on major issues. But we seldom go beyond major legislation, for various reasons.
From a practical standpoint, it would be impossible to publish every vote taken, largely because lawmakers cast thousands of votes each year. And, most of those are for non-controversial "housekeeping" issues such as reauthorizing existing programs, routine budget adjustments, and minor technical corrections in state laws covering everything from use of barley straw in pond water to establishing commute-trip reduction goals for state agencies.
Additionally, most of the committee and subcommittee votes are taken audibly (yeas vs. nays), so no roll call breakouts even exist -- just notations on whether bills (or proposed amendments) were passed out of committee or killed.
When we do include a how-they-voted box, it generally is published alongside the story. We will continue to do that as major issues arise.
My understanding is that the SR used to subscribe to a service that compiled controversial and semi-conroversial congressional legislation each week, along with a breakout on how the Northwest delegation voted. But we no longer subscribe to that service, and with our newspaper getting smaller I'm unconvinced it's the best use of ever-more limited space.
But several resources are available to voters who want more information about any legislation, including any roll call votes that may have been taken.
In Washington, the Legislature's website is http://www.leg.wa.gov/legislature, the legislative hotline is 800-562-6000.
In Idaho, the Legislature's website is http://www.legislature.idaho.gov/, the legislative hotline is 800-626-0471.
Nationally, legislation and voting records for the U.S. House and U.S. Senate can be found on the Library of Congress' web site at http://thomas.loc.gov/.
Laurie Rogers, one of our regular contributors to this blog, recently wrote an article for the Inlander about the way math is taught in the public schools.
Laurie, a former journalist who has written a book about public education, asked a lot of questions and explored why her daughter’s fourth-grade class “wasn’t working.” One of her conclusions focuses on “reform mathematics.”
“Sadly, students whose teachers depend on reform curricula are less likely to know how to multiply vertically, do long division, manage fractions and exponents, or handle much algebra beyond the basics,” she wrote. “They're likely to add on their fingers, become dependent on calculators and be confounded by the simplest arithmetic. They're likely to estimate and ‘think outside of the box,’ but less likely to know whether their estimations are in the right galaxy.”
How did you learn math when you were young? What’s your opinion on the way math is taught in schools?
By the way, if you want to give Laurie some feedback on her article, please e-mail her at wlroge@comcast.net
After spending a pleasant night’s rest in this lovely camp, Sally Bennett felt quite well again and was ready to travel. John’s leg also had fared better by laying over here, and he announced he was “rearin’ to hit the trail again.” In the early morning light before the rest of us had risen, Lewis had hiked ahead a few miles to scout the trail. He returned to tell us that the Jayhawkers or some other party had tramped through here some time ago. In doing so, they had done us the favor of breaking a trail through the vines and brambles that had so perplexed John and him the first time they’d come through.
Hey there readers and fellow bloggers. As we are making tough decisions about where to spend our money that doesn't stretch as far these days, so too are businesses. I got word last night that freelance budgets are tightening at The S-R and this blog is one of the features that has to go.
It's been a good run, over a year's worth of interaction with all those who hang out in the blogosphere. Our conversations can certainly continue in other Spokesman-Review blogs, or perhaps I will spend some time exploring options and start a blog of my own.
Happily, the Out on the Town column is not in jeopardy. Features editor Ken Paulman reiterated his commitment to it last night. Feel free to use my email address, outonthetown7@yahoo.com, to log opinions, ask questions or give feedback on my weekly installments in 7.
I'll look forward to seeing you all around, whether in email or while out enjoying our beautiful community.
It’s time for me to take a week off; I’ll return to work on Sept. 8th. I plan to do some windsurfing and mountain biking, spend time with family, clean my house and get some rest. I still hope to speak with jurors, perhaps after they’ve had some time to recover, to fill in the final puzzle piece of the very usual court case that’s just concluded. I’ll continue to follow developments in the case after I return, but I’ll also be shifting gears and turning back to what now seem much more tame subjects: Idaho politics and the fall election campaigns.
There are many aspects of this case that continue to nag. Did Duncan commit other crimes that have not yet come to light? Are there clues in the evidence that was presented in court that would lead to those? What about all the evidence that was sealed, including the extensive evaluations that ruled Duncan mentally competent? James Cohen, Fordham University law professor, told me this morning, “I think we have missed an opportunity to get a glimpse into who this guy is or was, and that may have some lessons for the criminal justice system.”
As I drove my son and his friend to the fair last weekend, the Doors song “Riders on the Storm” came on the radio, and the line about the killer on the road seemed chillingly apropos. Perhaps the most haunting aspect of this case is that Duncan’s crimes lashed out against innocent children he didn’t even know, strangers just living their lives in peace until his murderous rampage, without warning, randomly struck them and their families. It could have been any of us.
Kootenai County Sheriff's Detective Brad Maskell was celebrating his birthday with his wife when he was summonsed to the Wolf Lodge Bay home May 16, 2005, the day Slade Groene, Brenda Groene and Mark McKenzie were found bludgeoned to death.
Today, more than three years later, Maskell witnessed a jury of nine men and three women sentence Joseph Edward Duncan III to death for his kidnapping, sexual abuse and murder of 9-year-old Dylan Groene in the Lolo National Forest, where he held the boy and his sister for weeks.
"I just had to be here," he said after the verdict. "I was the guy standing out in the rain that very first night."
Duncan's crime spree deeply affected some authorities charged with investigating it, as heard in court testimony.
In the first day of testimony, former Kootenai County Sheriff's Deputy Dale Moyer, who patrolled the Wolf Lodge Bay are and knew the family well, told the jury the case "pushed me to the end."
"I went into the civilian world for four months to kind of get my head back in the game," said Moyer, now a Spokane County Sheriff's deputy.
In July 2005, Coeur d'Alene Police Chief Wayne Longo, then a sergeant with the Idaho State Police, told The Spokesman-Review: "A lot of us have shed a lot of tears over the eight weeks we've been working this. It's been a roller coaster of emotions. You feel so vulnerable."
If you ask my husband, he just might say that I love potatoes more than I love him. It’s not true.
But I’m not alone. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture we put away some 140 pounds of potatoes each year, per capita.
There are hundreds of varieties of spuds – from the smaller waxy tubers (sometimes called creamers or baby potatoes) to fingerlings (heirlooms varieties that are elongated and sometimes shaped like fingers). There are potatoes with skin (and sometimes flesh) that is tan, red, gold, purple and blue. Don’t forget the favored Russets and Yukon Golds.
Here are a few recipes for one of my favorite foods:
Red, White and Blue Potato Salad From “Melissa’s Great Book of Produce,” by Cathy Thomas.
Substitute fingerling varieties, adjusting cooking time, if preferred. For a flakier version, use russet or Yukon Gold potatoes, peeling them when cool enough to handle; cut into bite sized chunks before tossing with dressing.
4 sprigs fresh thyme 1 sprig fresh rosemary 1 cup dry white wine 2 medium cloves garlic 1/2 pound red creamer (baby) potatoes 1/2 pound purple creamer (baby) potatoes 1/2 pound white creamer (baby) potatoes 1 tablespoon salt, kosher, plus more for dressing 1/4 cup white vinegar 1 tablespoon whole grain mustard 2 teaspoons salt, kosher Freshly ground black pepper, to taste 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil 2 stalks celery 2 tablespoons minced Italian parsley 2 green onions, thinly sliced, include dark green stalks
Place thyme, rosemary, white wine and garlic in a large saucepan or Dutch oven. Cut potatoes into 1-inch cubes leaving skin intact. Add to pan. Add cold water to cover by 1 inch. Add salt. Bring to a boil on high heat. Reduce heat to medium and boil gently until potatoes are tender, about 10 to 12 minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare dressing: in a large bowl, combine vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper. Whisk in olive oil in thin stream.
Drain potatoes and discard herbs. Gently toss warm potatoes with enough dressing to coat. Add celery and toss. Cool. Add parsley and green onions; gently toss. Taste and correct seasonings if needed. Serve at room temperature.
1 pound mixed root vegetables (yams, parsnips, salsify, carrots, Jerusalem artichokes, rutabaga), peeled 1 pound fingerling potatoes, scrubbed 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary Salt and freshly ground black pepper 2 tablespoons Italian parsley leaves 1 large garlic clove Zest of 1 lemon 2 tablespoons butter, room temperature
Place a heavy rimmed baking sheet in the oven and preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cut the root vegetables and potatoes into equal-size sticks 1/4-inch thick and 3 inches long. In a large bowl, toss them with the oil, rosemary and generous sprinkles of salt and pepper.
Pull out the oven rack that holds the preheated baking sheet and tip the mixture onto the hot pan, which sears the mixture and reduces the likelihood of sticking. Roast the vegetables, stirring once halfway through cooking, until the pieces are tender, 25 to 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, place the parsley, garlic and lemon zest on a cutting board with a generous pinch of salt and finely mince. Stir the mixture with the butter. Toss the vegetables with the butter mixture and serve.
Yield: 4 servings
Nutrition per serving: Unable to calculate due to recipe variables.
Yukon Gold Baked Potato Pancake
From “The Farm Market Cookbook,” by Judith Onley
6 medium Yukon Gold (or Yellow Finn) potatoes 2 eggs 2 tablespoons flour 1 large garlic clove, pressed 1 tablespoon grated onion 2 teaspoons salt Lots of freshly ground pepper 1 1/4 cups milk 3 tablespoons butter, melted Sour cream and minced fresh parsley for garnish Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 11-inch quiche pan or other baking dish.
Peel and grate the potatoes with a medium-holed grater. Add the remaining ingredients except the melted butter, sour cream and parsley and mix well – your hands are most effective here. Put potatoes into the prepared baking dish and press the surface down flat.
Drizzle the melted butter over the top and bake for 1 hour.
Serve immediately with a bowl of sour cream and another of minced parsley on the side.
Like many of you following the Joseph Duncan trial, I feel appalled by what we've heard in testimony and from Duncan himself.
Three years ago when Shasta and Dylan first went missing, I interviewed the children's grandmother. She was a very soft spoken woman, who was in shock over what happened. And quite honestly, during the interview, I didn't know what to ask her...or how to ask it. What do you say in a situation like that?
We spent most of our time talking about the differences between the two children, who liked school, and who didn't. What they wanted to do when they were older...and if the family was holding up under all this pressure.
Of course, I was caught up in the whole media storm over the story...covering it for radio in Spokane, appearing on CNN, "Nancy Grace," and filing radio reports. I didn't really have time to think about how or what I felt. I was too busy trying to cover the story...and everyone from all over the country seemed to be fascinated and disgusted by what had happened in this tiny area of North Idaho.
Fast forward to August of 2008, and after reading SR reporter Betsy Russell's account of what those two children went through...I feel like I've been kicked in the stomach. Everything I didn't feel three years ago...I'm feeling now. And I know I'm not alone.
Now that the first phase of the trial is over, I'm starting to really get the chance to look at how we covered this story in recent weeks...on radio, in print and on line.
I honestly don't think we sensationalized the coverage (and believe me, if I thought we had, I would tell you right here)...after listening to what's come out of the courtroom, that just isn't possible. Many people think when a story like this breaks it's a way for newspapers to gain readers. Editor Steve Smith says it's just the opposite... we'll probably lose subscribers.
Since my background isn't print, I've been able to compare and contrast the two reporting styles. It's been horrific reading about what jurors heard or saw on any given day in the courtroom. But to me, it's been more difficult having to turn the written word into the spoken word...and report what's happened on the radio. I'm actually hearing it, in my own voice. And that, to me, makes it even more real.
When reporter Betsy Russell talks with us on the radio, I hear the story in a different way than I do when I read her articles. In fact, on several occasions, I've told her not to worry about coming on...covering something like this day after day gets to you...I don't care who you are, or how long you've been in the business.
There's been a lot of talk about how the media...and the Spokesman Review, has covered this story. Some feel we might have gone too far. Others say the insight from our reporters was needed. To tell you the truth....I don't know. I'm an employee of this paper, so I know my (our) job is to report the story, and I think Betsy Russell and Meghann Cuniff have done a damn fine job.
But I'm also a subscriber (yes, I buy the paper just like you),and I'm looking forward to the day when Duncan doesn't have to be front page news anymore. And judging from the jury's decision last week, that day may be in the not too distant future.
By Amy Imagine a shopping mall contributing a portion of every sale to a charitable cause. When it comes to shopping online, it’s not as far-fetched as you might think.
Charitable shopping-mall sites are cropping up all over the Internet, bringing nonprofit organizations and philanthropic supporters together through Web consumerism.
Charity shopping malls encourage buyers to purchase items from selected retailers through their sites, reserving a percentage of the item’s cost for the mall site while passing on a portion of that percentage to a charity of the shopper’s choice.
Penmanship, letter writing – talk about old school. Does anybody still practice these ancient art forms?
Besides those folks in the county jail or the convalescent center, I have only been able to come up with one small sliver of society that persists in this archaic form of communication: kids at summer camp.
"Blog" is an all-purpose term that describes a format for publishing on the web. A blog generally consists of short entries displayed in reverse chronological order, which often include links to other sites. If you have any questions about our blogs or blogging in general, email us.
Looking for bloggers from the Inland Northwest? We're keeping a list, as well as some featured bios. If you live in the Inland Northwest and are a regular blogger, email us and tell us about yourself.
Senate race. At least a couple of the calls came from Republican U.S. Rep. Bill Sali, says KTVB. The logic behind all of this is that Rammell, Pro-Life and Marmon are apt to draw most of their votes from GOP Lt. Gov. Jim Risch, bolstering Democratic candidate Larry LaRocco's chances of pulling an upset. The GOP is certainly sending mixed messages. Risch, who says he knew nothing about the anti-Rammell lawsuit, continues to cite his double-digit lead in the polls (including a LaRocco poll from May). Risch's optimistic read of the race doesn't square with Republicans' efforts to clear the field/Kevin Richert, Idaho Statesman. More here.
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