Idaho's Carole King - Top of the charts- again!

Earlier this month Carole King released an album of music recorded during live concerts on her "Living Room Tour" last year. As a lifelong fan I was ecstatic to hear her music, but I also had the wonderful opportunity to get to know and travel with Carole last year while she packed auditoriums, halls, and living rooms all around Idaho.

Carole is pictured here during an appearance at the Bonner County Fair in Sandpoint in August of 2004. As a result of our travels together I'm proud to call her a friend.

Carole's passion and love for Idaho and America are complete and total, and her new album is a special gift that I'm glad she's given all of us. It's also a musical history lesson as she dives into a medley of outright classics that she's written over the years - every one of which all of us know.

No surprise, but Carole is once again on the Billboard charts with this album, hitting the Top 20 this last week after only two weeks of release!

Thanks, Carole, for making Idaho proud with another terrific album!

Click here to buy Carole's new album: Living Room Tour CD

Carole King's Website

Max Mows the Lawn

Not really, but he did contemplate the engine as it sat idle in the yard.

Brief blurb in story about Councilwoman Deanna Goodlander's announcement

Deanna Goodlander is a two-term council member and shouldn't have any trouble getting reelected.

Coeur d'Alene Press: "...Local software businessman Mike Kennedy said he is strongly considering running for Wolfinger's position, but will probably have to rent an apartment in city limits until construction on his new home is finished. His present home is just outside city limits. "

Madeleine Sheils - Golfer Extraordinaire

Mark my word - you'll be reading about Kathleen's cousin Madeleine on the LPGA tour one day!

Golf Plus - The Idaho Statesman - Always Idaho: "Meridian's Marc Arima survived a second-day charge from Jake Harr of Buhl to win the boys title, while Madeleine Sheils of Boise captured the girls crown Wednesday at the Big I Junior Golf Classic qualifier at Shadow Valley Golf Course."

Cd'A Library Location

This is responding to a question on the Huckleberries Online blog about the location of the new library.

The land where the library will be built was partially donated (courtesy of the Jameson family), partially purchased with LCDC involvement, and adjacent to the City Hall, which was a strategic placement. Again, I'm not sure of all the exact reasons for the initial location there, but during the campaign we talked about a few key reasons why the location was a good one:

(1) 15,000 residents of the city (nearly half) live within a mile of the site;

(2) the demographics of the area and the schools nearby indicate that many of the city's most economically disadvantaged kids live in or near downtown, thus it would serve those people who need it the most (surprisingly, CdA has nearly half of it's children in SD271 on free or reduced lunch, an anti-poverty program);

(3) putting a library there could preserve public space for the entire community as opposed to the alternative, selling to the highest bidder and getting another high-rise to ring McEuen Field - I felt this to be a worthy goal philosophically;

(4) the land had already been secured, and with the sale of the current library building on Harrison and passage of the bond, the citizens would be bonding for less than half of the cost and value of the new library - with real estate costs the way they are finding new property would be tricky, and if the location were outside the LCDC zone the LCDC couldn't be involved and the advantageous funding structure there could make the entire cost of the project much higher;

(5) while growth is occurring in the North for sure (that's where I live) some visionary planners have told me that long term growth in this city - which is coming whether we like it or not - will likely be to the south and east, thus making the location perhaps more centrally located looking into the future; and

(6) lastly, there will be tons of new parking spaces in the new library (and theoretically the City Hall complex area next door) and downtown always needs more parking!

I discovered that arguing the location was like arguing religion - it was a matter of personal opinion and thus no one could ever truly be "right" (and the best assessment of the decision-making wouldn't occur until well into the future after the project is completed).

There are still efforts ongoing to raise the final amount of money for completing the project, fixtures, etc, and the city has a good team together working on it, led by Renata McLeod. There are great naming opportunities and ways to put your family's permanent stamp on the new library through tax-deductible contributions.

For more information, or to make a contribution, go to the link above or here: www.NewCDALibrary.com

National Group says Idaho best-prepared for disasters

Look at that - great national recognition for Idaho! Let's hope we don't have to test this.

KTVB.COM | Idaho News Weather & Sports | Local News: "COEUR D'ALENE -- A national group says if bioterrorism, infectious disease or any other disaster strikes, the best place to be is Idaho.

The National Association of County and City Health Officials has recognized Idaho as the best-prepared state in the nation to respond to health emergencies. "

Southwest second-quarter profit rose 41% despite higher fuel costs

Southwest Airlines is one of the best companies in America. I've been a fan since I started flying them in Texas, and their service and on-time reliability continue to be stellar. There are lots of folks who don't like the "cattle" feel of a Southwest flight, but I think they are efficient as can be and I'd trade lots of perks for low cost and on-time service. Face it - there are no perks on any airlines anymore, so Southwest just does what everyone else does way better and with more fun. Herb Kelleher has always been a business hero of mine.

USATODAY.com - Southwest second-quarter profit rose 41% despite higher fuel costs: "DALLAS (AP) - Low-cost carrier Southwest Airlines (LUV) said Thursday that second-quarter profit rose 41% from a year ago, as fare increases helped offset a 25% rise in fuel costs per gallon. Its shares climbed more than 5%. "

Girl Critical After Riding Disney's Tower of Terror

This is sort of disturbing, as we rode this exact ride with our 9 year old and 7 year old last December. It was a scary ride, but something tells me there had to be something else going on with this young girl health-wise.



local6.com - News - Girl Critical After Riding Disney's 'Tower Of Terror' Ride: "A 16-year-old girl is in critical condition after riding the 'Twilight Zone Tower Of Terror' ride at Disney-MGM Studios at Walt Disney World, according to Local 6 News. Officials said a girl from Britain exited the ride Tuesday at about 9:50 a.m. and complained that she was not feeling well, Local 6 News reported."

Father's Day 2005

I'm blessed beyond words.


Father's Day 2005

Laird Maxwell claims responsibility for Winder smear campaign

This shouldn't be a surprise, but the rank smear of this bad act should be punished. Maxwell has long been known as a bomb-thrower, but this was over the top even for him. Chuck Winder didn't deserve this, and though I think the right guy ultimately won the election (Mayor Dave Bieter, whom Maxwell also opposed), this was unseemly. Look next for Chuck Winder to file a civil suit against Maxwell - I think it would have some traction. Perhaps we're hearing the last dying days of Maxwell's organization?


KTVB.COM | Idaho News Weather & Sports | Top Stories: "We now know who was responsible for the Boise mayoral smear campaign in 2003.
Laird Maxwell, a conservative activist and lobby, filed an affidavit in a Boise court Thursday claiming he acted alone. "

Quinn smiling in a new spring outfit. June 2005.,

Nora shows off her catch of the day from a school field trip. June 2005

Happy Birthday John!

So I'm sitting in a board meeting this afternoon in Boise, praying it will end on time (it didn't). And I missed personally calling big brother John on his birthday, though I know the kids called their beloved UNCLE JOHN! to wish him a big birthday this morning while I was traveling.

At the end of my business meeting of the Board of Directors of Catholic Charities of Idaho, the Bishop led us in the "June 24th prayer for St. John the Baptist". At the prayer's closing, I mentioned that today is my brother's birthday, and while I never had a clue that it was also the Feast of St. John the Baptist, I said "Bishop, I'm 100% sure that my mother knows whose Saint day it is!"

Regardless of his level of sainthood, I hope the old boy knows how much he means to his little brother - much more then his little brother can say. I'll spend lots of time with other mentor figures in my life - and I have.

But no one can conjure up a much needed simple reflection on my part or speak to my moral compass more quickly and completely than brother John. And no one's approval or acceptance quite measures up to that of brother John.

We haven't lived in the same city approaching 15 years now, and life doesn't have us talking as frequently as we should. But when life hits the fan, there isn't a person alive that I'd be more comfortable calling to give me a nudge to where I need to be, whether its with a sardonic question or a knowing wisecrack, than my brother John.

Our kids are growing up in a home that is one block short of chaos at any time. But first-born Will shows more ability to carry the torch of leadership - with all that entails - each day. We don't want to put a major burden on him to be responsible for his younger siblings, but if he has any interest in learning what it means to be a world class big brother, he could do much worse than spend some time with Uncle John.

He couldn't have a better mentor.

Happy Birthday Bro!

Thoughts on Nixon's Library

So last week I spent a few hours at Nixon's library in Yorba Linda, California. I'm a history and presidential buff, so the fact that the library was just a few minutes from where I was staying was a perk.

The library was fascinating, really. I went through rather fast, so I didn't read every plaque, every entry, every comment. But the overall effect was obviously very favorable to America's 37th President.

I have to admit, try as I might to be objective, some of the Watergate section seemed designed, bound, and determined to rewrite history on Nixon's knowledge, participation, and actions. Oddly I happened to be there on the 33rd anniversary of the actual initial break-in at the Watergate Hotel (DNC headquarters), something I didn't realize until later. The narrator of several of the components of the Watergate exhibits intoned deeply about how little the President knew, and how poorly served he was by his staffers. I can agree with the latter, not the former.

In following a few older ladies around the museum, I was struck by how defensive they were in talking with one another of Nixon. I don't know if they were locals or from elsewhere, but as I walked along in silence next to them they continued to talk about what the Democrats did that tripped Nixon up. I would have been more concerned if they hadn't been so completely wrong in their history of the events as I listened to them talk to one another about it. Listening to them made me aware of the Red/Blue state divide, even when it comes to history. It is perhaps fitting that when we arrived at the section on the First Lady's gowns, they lingered for a long time while I took a quick glance and moved on to the rest of the museum.

All in all the museum was well done. The preservation of Nixon's birthplace and the history of his family was very interesting. Despite the fact that it really is in the middle of a bustling town setting, at the cross-section of several state highways, it had a calm and placid feel to it. The gravestones where the President and Mrs. Nixon are buried are well-kept.

At the library now, and for the rest of this year, is a traveling exhibit of a brilliantly detailed scale replica of the White House down to the paintings on the walls. This exhibit has been around the country, and won't be at the Nixon Library permanently, but it was worth the price of admission.

Coming on the heels of the Mark Felt/Deep Throat admissions, I wasn't surprised to see no mention of that episode, but I was a little disappointed. I haven't been to Little Rock yet to see the Clinton library, but I'd be intrigued to see how it handles the impeachment. I would expect the same sort of defensiveness, but history is better served if these museums would report the facts as they are known, and update them accordingly.

Nixon, I was reminded, had a tremendous domestic and international record of success and progress. By today's standards he would be considered a political moderate and a rather effective president. But his personal demons, never slayed, proved to be his undoing. The story of Watergate has fascinated me since I was young (no explanations for that) so to finally see my first presidential library, and the fact that it was Nixon's was very unique.

Beautiful Maggie MacMoo is on hand to cheer her brother during his baseball game, June 2005.

Nora and Max stroll along a park pathway in Coeur d'Alene, June 2005.

Will playing a strong second base, June 2005.

Will prepares for a pitch in the fourth inning of Saturday's last spring Little League game.

Kathleen and the kids make another terrific Father's Day cake - Kathleen's creativity in cake-making knows no bounds.