The Slice: We’re still running with blinders on

When a Montana horse named Spokane won the 1889 Kentucky Derby, both Montana and Washington were still several months away from achieving statehood.

Transportation planners of the day estimated that the North-South freeway could be completed in a couple of centuries.

Let’s move on.

•Multiple choice: Which of the following is the name of an actual Spokane radio show: A.) “Yelling About Liberals.” B.) “The King Biscuit Methhead Hour.” C.) “Bud, a Fan and the Wingman.” D.) “Big Sky Roundup.” E.) “Karen Mobley’s House of Blues.” F.) “Alienated Youth and Molly.”

Give up? OK, it’s C.

•Naming convention: “I’ve read on an occasion or two (perhaps also in The Slice at some time ago?) how people oftentimes give their cars personal names,” wrote Loon Lake’s Rod Lord, a retired Air Force officer. “I’ve never done that, precisely or purposely, but in planning to move my cars around, I realized that I have inadvertently assigned to each car a sobriquet of sorts – a wholly unimaginative and unaffectionate sobriquet to be sure.”

Here’s his list.

“The ‘41”: Restored 1941 Ford.

“The Pontiac”: Restored 1950 Pontiac Silver Streak.

“The Pinto”: Repainted 1976 Ford Pinto hatchback.

“The Station Wagon”: Versatile 1983 Ford with vinyl “wood” paneling.

So, when you think about it, we really do have names for our cars, even if we might not think of them as names.

•Petting that peeve: “Can someone – maybe you? – let the local media know that we really don’t care about yet another fire in California?” wrote Steve Bateman of Spokane Valley. “Or a house fire in Philadelphia? Or a car crash on a Texas freeway?”

He went on.

“Why do items like these lead our supposedly ‘local’ newscasts? Is it because journalism is dead or our ‘local’ reporters don’t know how to generate their own stories, or are the stations too cheap to send crews out looking for local news?

“Sorry, but I had to vent. Maybe you can poll your readers and get their opinions.”

OK. Consider it done.

I’m just glad everyone is happy with every single thing about the S-R.

•West Side Story: Geographic relativism is alive and well in the Evergreen State.

Spokane commercial insurance agent Curt Olsen was perusing the Washington Technology Industry Association’s May newsletter. A reference to the group’s upcoming “Eastside Networking Event” caught his eye.

Olsen read on and discovered that the gathering would take place in Kirkland.

•Last call: Readers wishing to submit a family photo and mini essay – “What my mother taught me about being a mom” – have until the end of business on Monday. If you don’t have a picture, you can still submit an essay. Just use the addresses at the end of this column.

•Today’s Slice question: How many charitable organizations have already asked you for money this spring?