Best of the Northwest
I began bloggin' in February as a means to tell you about the rest of the story -- the stuff that the national media ignores. But I've seen a far greater purpose to this activity, including introducing you to quality fellow journalists and cartoonists in the region and nation. I introduced you to Sandpoint columnist Maryanne Love yesterday. And I've already blogged columns and editorials by Publisher Dan Hammes and News Editor Ralph Bartholdt, the quality duo at the St. Maries Gazette-Record. You'll appreciate these journalistic comrades in arms as much as I do when you read their good work.
1. Eric Devericks of the Seattle Times and Milt Priggee (pictured) doodle about Moqtada al-Sadr and Slick Willie here and here.
2. The St. Maries Gazette-Record provides one last reminder that this is the final day to visit the Vietnam Traveling Wall exhibit at the Coeur d'Alene Bingo Casino near Worley. If you're wavering about going, I'd encourage you to do so. I did earlier this week -- to see the names of two classmates. And I'm glad I did. You can find the Gazette-Record report here.
3. I told you about Ralph Bartholdt, the news editor of the St. Maries Gazette-Record who took a month leave to report on the Iraq war first hand. Now, the Gazette-Record features all his columns on his experience here, including the latest ones on "Top Brass" here and "Tear sheets, tires and toilet paper" here.
4. Ray McConville, manager of the Torch Lounge in Boise (a bikini bar which also has a lounge in Coeur d'Alene), was killed early Wednesday by a hit-and-run driver while standing outside the bikini bar here.
5. The small town of Wapato, Wash., grieves for Yadir Reynoso, 27, a Marine sergeant who fell during the intense fighting at Najaf, Iraq, the 23rd Washington troop to die in the war. Read the Seattle Times report here.
6. You can find another great photo from Karen Nichols of The Daily Interlake (Kalispell, Mont.) here.
7. You serious mountain climbers should know about The Wedge in the Humbug Spires Primitive Area, 26 miles south of Butte, Mont., here.
8. The Eagle (Idaho) all-stars came up one game short of Williamsport, Pa., as they fell 6-3 in San Bernardino, Calif., to a team from Washington here.
*Publisher Dan Hammes of the St. Maries Gazette-Record opines on those discriminating, reintroduced wolves who are wiping out sheep herds here.
*Last week, S-R columnist Doug Clark wrote about dare-devil Evel Knievel; now, Jim Moore of the P-I pens a like-father-like-son column about Kaptain Robbie Knievel here.
*Art Thiel of the P-I columnizes on that new Olympic sport, women's wrestling, here.
*Columnist Larry Stone looks at catcher Dan Wilson, the last link to the Mariners early glory days, here.
