In an online article Saturday headlined “Embezzling suspect pleads guilty,” the Coeur d’Alene Press skewspaper reported that former City employee Sheryl Lynn Carroll has pleaded guilty to six counts of wire fraud involving her electronic diversion of funds from the City’s account to her own accounts rather than to the intended recipients.  (I believe the skewspaper’s report is technically incorrect.  The former employee has offered a guilty plea which has been tentatively accepted by the US Attorney’s Office,  but it is my understanding that the plea hearing in front of a Federal District Court judge has not yet occurred.)

Assume that the guilty pleas will be accepted by the Federal District Court as offered in documents filed Friday with the Federal District Court.  Clearly Carroll has primary responsibility for her actions, but there are other City officials who need to be held accountable for creating an environment in which she was able to allegedly divert about $365,000 to her own accounts without detection for about ten years.   Simply put, they failed to exercise proper supervision as the duties of their employment or office require. (more…)

This morning’s Coeur d’Alene Press skewspaper had an article reporting that Kootenai County had donated $40,000 in seized drug money to the Idaho Meth Project.

Here’s an October 11, 2012, Associated Press article headlined Mexican cartels fill demand for meth in USA.  One of the urban and suburban areas mentioned in the article?  Salt Lake City.   Somehow I doubt that all that product is staying in Salt Lake City.

The AP article gives us a pretty clear picture of the economics of Mexican meth coming into the US.

The upcoming election on November 6, 2012, may result in a new President being inaugurated in January 2013.   If a new President is elected, the period between election day and inauguration day is the election and transition period.

To help Congress better understand the national security considerations that naturally occur during the election and transition period,  the Congressional Research Service has published a report titled “2012-2013 Presidential Election Period:  National Security Considerations and Options“.

The 39-page report is interesting and focuses on national security decision-making and actions during the election and transition period.

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The City of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, has decided it needs to create a super-duper whiz-bang high-cost ($65,000/year)  “communications position to help City Hall share up-to-date, accurate information with the public.”

Embedded in the Coeur d’Alene Press skewspaper article linked above, however, were several indicators that this is just another effort by the Mayor to put high-priced lipstick on the City’s propaganda pig.  (more…)

The Los Angeles Times is running an op-ed photo essay entitled 7 terrible politicians who may be elected anyway.   The Times list includes many L.A. area politicians, though some national ones are listed as well.

If you were doing a photo essay of “terrible politicians who may be elected anyway” in our area, who would you include?

I laughed out loud when I read this article in the Coeur d’Alene Press skewspaper today.  The laughter was provoked by these lines:  “Coeur d’Alene defense attorney Michael Palmer said the way the Constitution currently reads is problematic.  Palmer said, “Our clients are being supervised by people who don’t have the (constitutional) authority to do it.”

So apparently Idaho’s defense attorneys and judges have been ignoring the “problematic” wording of the Idaho Constitution and worked out a deal to let the attorneys’ clients be supervised by people who don’t have the (constitutional) authority to do it.

Don’t like the Idaho Constitution?  Doesn’t work for you?  No problem.  Just ignore it.  The lawyers don’t care, and apparently the judges don’t care.  It’s the Idaho way.

This morning’s local skewspaper, the Coeur d’Alene Press, carried an announcement that on October 8 the City Council will have an open meeting to discuss accepting a white elephant that the Idaho Transportation Department desperately wants to unload on some sucker dumb enough to take it.  (more…)

There’s a strong odor emanating from Ada County, and it’s beginning to smell a lot more like public corruption and less like a landfill.

Read these posts by the Boise Guardian to get an idea of what’s going on there in the Dynamis-Ada County trash-to-energy project.  (more…)

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I’ve just finished reading “No Easy Day.”   The cover and flyleaf and the pre-pub hyperbole will sell a lot of books to those who are armchair aficionados of military special operations.  Those who believe the fictional images portrayed by Arnold and Sylvester will be both enlightened and disappointed by the book.

My impression of the book’s theme is that it is first and foremost about mental discipline and focus.   It was more an unintended self-help book about striving to achieve excellence in personal performance while at the same time recognizing that achieving personal excellence depends heavily on others having the same objective and translating it into team performance.  (more…)

16th Annual Coeur d’Alene Powersports
Chili Cookoff & Children’s Village Benefit

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For those of you who missed it, here are a few photos from the 16h Annual Coeur d’Alene Powersports Chili Cookoff & Children’s Village Benefit.

Nice people.  Great chili.  Great cause! (more…)