Best of the Northwest (3/29/04):

Religion is front and center in the Best of the Northwest roundup today:

1. Not only is Steve Massey a personal friend and former Spokesman-Review assistant city editor, but he's the pastor of my church, Hayden Bible. In his bi-weekly column in The Spokesman-Review religion page, he tells it like it is and gets a lot of guff for it. For those of you who don't subscribe to the S-R, you're in for a treat today. Say hello to Steve here.

2. Pastor Jason Martin of Arlington (Snohomish County, Wash.) apparently took the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-6) seriously. When two teen racists burned a cross on his lawn, he didn't rant about discrimination and hate crimes. He forgave them. Click here.

3. The Oregonian Editorial Page supports U.S. Sen Ron Wyden's efforts to extend wilderness protection to Mount Hood and areas in the Columbia Gorge here.

4. Columnist Dan Popkey of The Idaho Statesman looks at the history of a controversial Ten Commandments monument that's scheduled to be moved from a public site today in Boise here.

5. The Statesman takes a look at the winners and the losers from the Idaho Legislature's charter school fight. Hint: the supporters of charter schools were the winners. Click here.