http://www.newwest.net/topic/main/C564/L/ New West Network: The Voice of the Rocky Mountains en info@newwest.net Copyright 2009 Sun, 22 Nov 2009 22:06:22 MST Sun, 22 Nov 2009 22:06:22 MST http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/mr_coffee_meet_mr_fist/C564/564/ http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/mr_coffee_meet_mr_fist/C564/564/ Sun, 22 Nov 2009 18:32:01 MST For most of us functioning adults, we just can’t start the day without that steaming mug of joe. It’s not just the caffeine, but it’s also the ritual, the comfort of the warm cup between the hands, the jolt of heat and aromatic bitterness with every sip. There’s also the communal aspect, taking a little time between work crises to slurp a little mud with your coworkers and talk about who got beat up and/or lucky over the weekend. So when there’s no coffee, there’s no life. There’s no light. There’s no liftoff. I’ve run out of coffee before, but there’s always been some backup plan, some forgotten stash, some workable alternative. Run out of filters? Use a paper towel. Sugar’s gone? Honey will do in a pinch. Last time I ran out of coffee beans, I rooted through the camping box until I found a packet of instant. The kids were asking their mother why daddy was swearing at the camping box. http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/more_praise_for_priest_rivers_beardmore_block/C564/564/ http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/more_praise_for_priest_rivers_beardmore_block/C564/564/ Sun, 22 Nov 2009 15:05:46 MST The Beardmore Block in Priest River continues its phoenix-like rise from metaphorical ashes in garnering another award—this time the Grow Smart Award from Idaho Smart Growth. The award language says the Beardmore “incorporates historic preservation, downtown revitalization, and sustainable green building practices in an existing town center” and “illustrates that communities can adapt to new demands and preserve their historic treasures while providing sustainable economic revitalization.” The building also received the Grand Award for Adaptive Re-Use at the Pacific Coast Builders Conference last summer. The Beardmore Block was commissioned in 1922 by Charles Beardmore, Bonner County’s largest employer at the time and owner of the St. Elmo Hotel, the local lumber mill, and the stage line.  http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/surprise_the_cma_got_the_awards_right_this_year_for_the_most_part/C564/564/ http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/surprise_the_cma_got_the_awards_right_this_year_for_the_most_part/C564/564/ Sun, 22 Nov 2009 13:06:13 MST Before they are too far into the past, I had a few comments on this year’s Country Music Association awards, which were presented earlier this month in Nashville. Entertainer of the Year went to Taylor Swift.  While this young phenom might be just a bit too young and bubbly for my taste, I have to admit that I like her music.  A lot.  If even half of the official press material on her is true, Swift is a talent the likes of which only comes around once in a while, and she has earned her meteoric success. http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/bighorn_national_forest_resorts_to_user_fees_at_popular_trailhead/C564/564/ http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/bighorn_national_forest_resorts_to_user_fees_at_popular_trailhead/C564/564/ Sun, 22 Nov 2009 09:35:25 MST The West Tensleep Trailhead in the Bighorn National Forest ­-- the most popular access to the Cloud Peak Wilderness ­­-- will have a $10 parking fee next summer. I can’t fault forest managers for searching for an additional revenue stream after years of funding shortfalls, but this user fee unfairly targets certain user groups to pay the costs of a larger problem. http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/oregon_cat_dies_from_swine_flu/C564/564/ http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/oregon_cat_dies_from_swine_flu/C564/564/ Thu, 19 Nov 2009 12:21:46 MST Oregon is home to the country’s first reported fatal case of swine flu in a cat. The cat, a 10-year-old male, died Nov. 7 near Portland. The Oregon State University Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory examined the dead cat and discovered he carried the H1N1 virus. While this is the third confirmed case of a cat with H1N1, it is the first fatality in a feline reported nationwide http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/saving_public_access_the_pend_oreille_bay_trail/C564/564/ http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/saving_public_access_the_pend_oreille_bay_trail/C564/564/ Thu, 19 Nov 2009 10:05:13 MST For years, panhandle residents have been trespassing on a narrow strip of private land along the northwest shore of Lake Pend Oreille, using an old road along the shoreline to bike, run, ski, walk their dogs, and occasionally take a dip in the lake. Although their trips rarely traverse more than a mile or two, the land they cross has a multitude of owners—including several private citizens, the cities of Sandpoint and Ponderay, the Army Corps of Engineers, and the Bonner County Historical Society, and the Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroad has a right-of-way across it as well. Nearby is the site of the historic town of Sandpoint, which—along with its related de facto public waterfront-- was lost a few years ago to a high-end development. It may be this loss that has spurred the community on to try to formalize and save their access to the strip along the shore. http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/buying_music_i_love_at_the_store_i_hate/C564/564/ http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/buying_music_i_love_at_the_store_i_hate/C564/564/ Tue, 17 Nov 2009 10:20:12 MST A friend of mine gave me the new KISS album, “Sonic Boom,” for my birthday this weekend. We’re both fans, and it was a thoughtful gesture of rock ‘n roll solidarity as well as friendship. But when I unwrapped the package, my first thought was not, “Wow, the cover looks a lot like Rock and Roll Over,” but “I wonder if he bought this at Wal-Mart.” KISS made the shrewd business decision to sell its first studio album in 11 years exclusively at the world’s biggest retailer of music CD’s, Wal-Mart. From a purely business standpoint (read: Gene $immons), it seems like a no-brainer—the band sells the CD’s directly to Wally World, thereby cutting out the record label middleman, and pockets $4-$5 per unit rather than the typical $1-$2 under a traditional distribution deal. Of course, the fire-breathing hard rockers aren’t the only well-known act to unleash their latest album this way. The Eagles, Journey, AC/DC and Foreigner all signed exclusive deals in the last couple of years with the giant cheap-smack retailer to sell their “comeback” CD’s at cut-rate prices, thus ensuring huge sales numbers and tasty profit margins. http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/republicans_way_forward_is_in_the_west/C564/564/ http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/republicans_way_forward_is_in_the_west/C564/564/ Mon, 16 Nov 2009 09:00:18 MST Politicos have been trying to figure out just where the Republican Party plans to get the surge for its resurgence. The Republicans have done their damndest to shed independent and Libertarian voters since 2001, ‘and what do they aim to replace them with?’ I ask you. Do the Neoconservatives represent a large enough voting bloc to give them control of the White House and Congress? http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/timber_falls_but_manufacturing_rises_in_the_panhandle/C564/564/ http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/timber_falls_but_manufacturing_rises_in_the_panhandle/C564/564/ Sat, 14 Nov 2009 07:26:43 MST What stands out from the “first annual” Economic Outlook Forum that was held in Sandpoint Thursday is the extent to which the panhandle continues to grow away from its roots in the timber industry. This process has been going on for decades, but the current recession and concomitant implosion of the real estate market have hastened the transition. While logging and milling employed over 1100 local people in January of 2006, that number had fallen to less than 500 by January of 2009. For a while, mills laid off workers, cut shifts, or shut down for a few weeks at a time. But in October 2008, JD Lumber permanently closed its mill in Priest River, and Idaho Forest Group ceased production at its mill in Laclede two months later. http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/people_need_each_other_not_just_the_system/C564/564/ http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/people_need_each_other_not_just_the_system/C564/564/ Fri, 13 Nov 2009 13:38:13 MST You can’t rely on the system. Before you mentally check out because of my use of the cliché “the system,” hear me out. I’m talking about any structure we put in place to organize and improve our lives, and that includes government, churches, the medical system and, in this instance, the law enforcement system. So let me start again: You can’t rely on the system. No one knows this better than a victim of domestic violence, and a month ago I had an opportunity to hear from a woman who understands this reality better than most.