According to a Marquet International report and an article in today’s Idaho Statesman news/views/skewspaper, Idaho ranks seventh for embezzlement.   The report and newspaper put the nicest spin possible on the underlying reason, but what it comes down to is that victims in Idaho are too trusting.

The most interesting portion of the Marquet report begins on page 13 with Motivating Factors.  This is what makes the embezzlers embezzle.

Then on page 15 there is a tabulation of the greatest losses by industry.  The top three victim industries are financial services, healthcare, and non-profits.

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At Tuesday’s Coeur d’Alene City Council meeting, Councilman Deanna Goodlander interrupted Councilman Mike Kennedy during his motion to accept the Consent Calendar.   Goodlander wanted an item pulled from the Consent Calendar supposedly to get some questions answered about delivery charges on a truck being purchased by the City’s Water Department.

There may be much more to this story, though.  (more…)

Second District Court Judge MIchael J. Griffin

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Second Judicial District Court Judge Michael J. Griffin has ruled that the Board of Trustees of Coeur d’Alene School District 271 violated Idaho law when it appointed Wanda Quinn to succeed Edie McLachlan.

Judge Griffin’s decision took three pages.  It was elegant in its simplicity,  and Judge Griffin applied a concept that would likely be considered unique and innovative (maybe even “anarchy”) by our First District Court judges:  He read and followed Idaho law.

Here is a link to Judge Griffin’s findings of fact and conclusions of law. (more…)

Kootenai County Sheriff Rocky Watson will not seek reelection.  Here are some questions for discussion:

1.  What is your understanding of the job of the Kootenai County Sheriff (the Sheriff personally, not the entire office)?  What do you believe the Sheriff’s duties and responsibilities are?

2.  What are your expectations for the person who will be elected to that position?

3.  What do you consider to be the most and least important personal and professional qualifications for the next Kootenai County Sheriff?

4.  Over the next four years, what do you believe the most significant challenges for the Kootenai County Sheriff and the Office will be?

5.  If you could give the next Sheriff one piece of advice, what would it be?

(Click to enlarge image.)

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“We’re With Nobody” was just published and is available on loan from the Hayden Library and for purchase at major booksellers.   It’s authors, Alan Huffman and Michael Rejebian, are former journalists who are now opposition political researchers, people who dig up dirt on candidates for public office.  In Alan’s own words from page 2, that means

“…we’re hired by campaigns to compile potentially damning profiles of candidates.  Our lives during the campaign season are a coast-to-coast series of of behind-the-scenes interviews and paper chase sorties — clandestine missions that revolve around facts, truths, lies, surprises and dead ends, all bundled together with strands of strange situations, odd confrontations and the unique social scenery of the American landscape.”

The 190-page soft-cover book is easy to read and entertaining.