Moonstruck, Commissioner Crashes His Rig

Bonner County Commissioner Bud Mueller crashed the rig he nabbed from the late, great county Building Department, according to a bloodhound. Seems Bubbly Bud smooshed his rear bumper and tailgate by backing into a stump or telephone pole at Round Lake State Park. After a meeting at the Westmond Grange, Bud had decided to stop at the park to look at the moon and collect his thoughts. Hey, at least he was alone, so he can’t be accused again of holding an illegal meeting.

Moon shot

The moon out that night had to be better than the one spotted along Division on Wednesday afternoon and reported to Sandpoint police. … Bud II: Mueller should have collected his thoughts last week before attending a builders meeting. Seems he stomped out when contractors noted that more than 200 building permits at $10 apiece have been issued since commissioners fired the Building Department. But only 57 septic permits. Don’t drink the water downstream.

Fan mail

Richard Seward offers a raspberry or “Bronx cheer” for the Huck that noted Commissioner Ron Rankin was parking in a Kootenai County Courthouse handicapped parking space. Writes Seward: “Checking it out, I found three parking spots reserved for handicapped, four for seniors, one for maintenance and a sometimes-used driveway (where Vox Pop is parked, with the keys left in the carpenter shop should the vehicle need to be moved). Granted, the spot is close to the courthouse door - and for good reason. Maybe on the 14th of next month, Oliveria should send a get-well card to the commissioner after his knee replacement surgery.” (The handicapped-parking sign was removed from Rankin’s spot when courthouse expansion work began.)

Bon voyage

Here’s hoping Spokesman-Review business writer Eric Torbenson gets his King Cobra wood back before he leaves for the St. Petersburg (Fla.) Times and a new job. Eric was practicing at The Coeur d’Alene Resort golf course one recent rainy Saturday when the club slipped out of his hand and into Lake Coeur d’Alene. Two other golfers lost their clubs the same way earlier that day. Maybe the resort is waiting for a foursome before sending a diver in. … Fan Mail II: A cyberspace reader responded to another Huckleberry Last about the cremated remains found at the bottom of Lake Pend Oreille: “Please let the dead float in peace.” … OOPS: Alas, Huckleberries Last did have one error. The Huckleberry Hound packed the wrong woman off to California. Donna Aylwood, chairwoman of the Coeur d’Alene School District’s Gifted and Talented Committee, is headed south - not Hayden Lake Principal Kathleen Kuntz. Mea culpa.

Huckleberries

So, this region’s racist, huh? Well, those who attended the chorus competition of the recent Sweet Adelines convention at the Spokane Opera House wouldn’t have known it. The excited female emcee updated the audience repeatedly on Tiger Woods’ march to the Masters championship. So says Sandpoint’s Barry McConnell. … Here’s hoping the thief who stole a wallet, gold necklace, musical keyboard and a diaper bag from Tiffany Heyden’s car on Tuesday got a full load. … Gotcha: A reference to “a bit of rye humor” in a recent genealogy column in the paper caught Jan Patrick’s attention. She sends e-mail: “You can’t always depend on spell-check, can you?” … A local news report about mother/daughter self-esteem (when NOT model-perfect) offered this quote: “As a woman, I believe in the bill of rights - the food bill of rights, the right to bear hips and thighs.”

Parting shot

Inputter Amber Yohe has had some interesting conversations since the newspaper began requiring a middle initial for letter writers. The middle initial of one woman writer was “S.” “‘S,’ like in ‘snake’?” asked Amber. “No,” responded the subscriber flatly. “‘S’ as in ‘sue.”’ After a pause, she laughed, and Amber - that’s A-M-B-E and R as in “relieved” - exhaled.

, DataTimes MEMO: Got a Huckleberry? Call the Huckleberry Hound Hotline at (800) 344-6718 or (208) 765-7125 or send e-mail to daveo@spokesman.com.

The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = D.F. Oliveria The Spokesman-Review