The Hot Seat A Weekly Look At People In The News
Say a prayer for Anne
It’s time to say goodbye to our friend and co-worker Anne Heitner Washington.A gifted artist and dedicated mother, she died Thursday of cancer. People deal with grief in different ways: bankers set up trust funds, lawyers execute wills and marketers raise money. All we can do at the newspaper is write stories to tell the world how much we appreciated our friend and how thankful we are that our paths crossed at all. It just doesn’t seem like enough. We’re going to miss you, Anne.
Will the real Zach Mayo stand up? But not too fast, you may fall over
Osburn, Idaho’s, claim to fame is fading as the details of Marine Zach Mayo’s mysterious plunge into the Arabian Sea become public. Mayo claims he fell off an aircraft carrier after being hit in the back by a swinging door. But the official Navy report says, noooo, noooo, nooooo, the door couldn’t possibly have knocked Mayo overboard. The report says Mayo may have been startled by the sneaky door, causing the battle-ready, steely nerved Marine to shreik GEEERONIMO! And leap off a platform taller than most buildings in Spokane. Rumors are that Osburn city officials are now planning an annual Zach Mayo Water Treading Festival.
What’s that smell? It’s local politics, Coeur d’Alene style
Developer Charlie Potts, with a strong-armed assist from Rep. Jeff Alltus, R-Coeur d’Alene, is trying to build a huge septic tank a quarter-mile from the Rathdrum Prairie aquifer. Technically it’s legal but Division of Environmental Quality workers resisted the idea, fearing ground-water contamination. Alltus fired off a few nastygrams and the DEQ backed off. Potts admits “it isn’t perfect for heaven’s sake but if we can’t guarantee perfection that’s no reason to stop it.” Potts is wrong. It is perfect. A perfect swimming pool for himself and his friend Alltus. , DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: 3 photos
MEMO: The Hot Seat is an irreverent look at controversial issues in the news. The views expressed are those of the writer. Today’s Hot Seat was written by Scott Sines.