Police respond to football emergency
Late in the NFC playoff game between Seattle and San Francisco on Sunday everyone except Direct TV customers experienced a lost signal that lasted about 15 minutes. Black screens annoyed thousands of riveted viewers of a very close game that determined who would be Super Bowl-bound.
Post Falls Police Chief Scot Haug said dispatcher Laura Claffey received a 9-1-1 hang-up call. As is routine, she called the number back. The older woman who answered wanted to know if the Seahawks were ahead. Laura, who didn't know the television signal was out, happened to have the game broadcast on the radio in the communication center. She was able to happily share the news that Seattle had just scored a touchdown and was up by three points. An amused Chief Haug observed that the PFPD is a full service agency.
Not sure why but the Habitat ReStore in Hayden (76 W. Wyoming) has received a couple of truckloads of dolls at their store. Baby dolls, Barbies, every kind of doll you can imagine, as well as stuffed animals. Proceeds from the ReStore go to the Habitat for Humanity program here.
We've had a pretty nice winter, all things considered so there are probably a few of us who've been thinking of softball. The members of North Idaho Xtreme are not just thinking softball, they've been playing and winning. The girls took all five games in Las Vegas earlier this month, making a name for themselves and breaking all records for playing year-round softball. They are already scheduled to return to Colorado and California this year and will be hosting a USA Preps tournament with over 50 teams here in August.
North Idaho Xtreme players from Coeur d'Alene High School are Analisa Raynor, Abby Howard, Bryce Catt, Kylie Rasmussen, Jadyn Behm, Kylie Smith and Breana Burke. Coaches are Travis Smith and Sharyl Rasmussen. The boys of summer have nothing on the girls of all four seasons!
The Post Falls Food Bank is promoting the Peanut Butter Project and wants us to help spread the word that they are short on one of their staples ... peanut butter. I'm sure the pun was intended and they definitely get bonus points for promotional creativity and can now consider the word spread.
On Saturday I had a full day ... judged the high school oratorical competition (congratulations Luke Paul!), picked up my mother at the airport, made numerous stops in Coeur d'Alene and Post Falls. At some point late in the afternoon I realized that I was wearing two different shoes. Same color but definitely different shoes. Judging from the responses from a couple hundred Facebook friends, I'm evidently not the first person to have done this.
Last week Christina Petit traveled to Boise on Coeur d'Alene Inn business. When she attempted to rent a car at the airport she discovered her license expired in December. No go on the rental so she cabbed it to the Boise DMV. She was grateful and surprised that she was in and out and renewed in less than 5 minutes. A world-record DMV experience almost makes up for the unexpected cab fare.
Nice try to Ryan Davis for flying under the radar with his birthday yesterday. So here's a happy belated 40th to Ryan, definitely one of the good guys. Happy Birthday today to Eric English, Analisa Raynor, Peggy Brothers, Larry Spencer, Glen Abbott, Nora Horn (60!) and tomorrow to Chelsea Dickinson, Daryl Gankema, Joy Lynch, Paul Lash and Jamie Crawford. Friday Marion Richardson shares the date with Tina Nowoj, Josh Adams, Sue Myers, May Lynn Hammon, Ed Santos and Danelle Reagan. On Saturday Rod Heitstuman, Shauna Moore, Jerrilou Shofner (60!), Shauna Moore, Rick Demmig, Marlene Waddell, Pearl Robertson, Michaelle Sande, Lizzie Nowoj, Mike Earin, Sherry Farmer, Jonathan Madrid and Jadrian Hammon celebrate birthdays. On Jan. 26 Austin Chadderdon, Candice Smith, Julie Kirking, Jeff Hall, Rosemary Goodlander, Christa Hazel, David Townsend, Linda Hall and Russell Larson blow out the candles. Mike Hendricks and Khloe Peacock share a Monday birthday and Tuesday Jenni Grimmett and Chad Oakland make another trip around the sun.
Kerri Rankin Thoreson is a member of the National Society of Newspaper Columnists and the former publisher of the Post Falls Tribune. She was voted Best Local Writer for 2013 by the readers of the North Idaho Business Journal. Main Street appears every Wednesday in The Press and Kerri can be contacted on Facebook or via email [email protected].