In November 2011 the Special Investigations Task force of Board of Trustees of Pennsylvania State University retained the law firm of Freeh Sporkin & Sullivan, LLP, to conduct a complete and  independent investigation of:

— The alleged failure of Pennsylvania State University personnel to respond to, and report to the appropriate authorities, the sexual abuse of children by former University football coach Gerald A. Sandusky, and

— The circumstances under which such abuse could occur in University facilities or under the auspices of University programs for youth.

The final report titled Report of the Special Investigative Counsel Regarding the Actions of The Pennsylvania State University Related to the Child Sexual Abuse Committed by Gerald A. Sandusky, was released today. (more…)

For the past year several law enforcement agencies in the Spokane area have been cooperating in an undercover investigation of organized prostitution in their area.   Spokane television station KXLY initially reported the story on July 10, then posted this update on July 11.

That there have been and continue to be prostitutes working in the Spokane area is not exactly breaking news.  One needs only to recall many of the victims of serial killer Robert Yates were prostitutes.

So what about Kootenai County, just over the border from Spokane Valley and Spokane?  Oddly enough, an examination of the Idaho State Police’s Crime in Idaho report for 2011 reveals something quite amazing.  In all of Kootenai County in 2011, there were a total of zero arrests for prostitution.  Zero.  Nada.  Zilch.  Null.  Zip.

I guess that means there is no prostitution in Kootenai County.  More likely,  it means that the law enforcement agencies and the prosecutors have agreed to book and charge for other crimes rather than list “prostitution”.  After all, their bosses wouldn’t want the public (translation:  tourists with money) to get the idea that the crimes associated with prostitution exist in Kootenai County, too.

Tina Jacobson, a former official of the Kootenai County Republican Central Committee, has filed a defamation lawsuit against John and/or Jane Doe for comments allegedly posted by the defendant using the pseudonym “almostinnocentbystander” on The Spokesman-Review newspaper’s blog, Huckleberries Online (HBO).  Believing that HBO’s administrator knows John and/or Jane Doe’s true identity, Jacobson’s attorney issued a subpoena to compel the HBO administrator to identify that person’s true identity plus the identities of two pseudonymous witnesses. The Spokesman-Review sought to quash the subpoena, and yesterday First District Court Judge John P. Luster issued his memorandum decision on the motion to quash.

Addendum 07-12-12:  This article ran in today’s Los Angeles Times.  What the Times writer failed to make clear is that Judge Luster’s opinion did not represent that HBO is a news blog.  Rather, Judge Luster clearly stated it was an opinion blog and that its administrator was not functioning as a news reporter in administering it.  Thus, any persons commenting on the blog are not entitled to be characterized as confidential news sources in the same manner as, say, “Deep Throat” was during the Washington Post’s reporting of the Watergate scandal. (more…)

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This last group of my favorite entries in the 2012 Independence Day Parade in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, has a decided heavy equipment bent.

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Flyover At Parade’s Beginning

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As I said in yesterday’s post, I’m going to put up pictures of my favorite entries in the 2012 Independence Day Parade in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.  Here is the second of three sets of photos.

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Fossil Rock – Lead Rockette?

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Over the next few days I’m going to post some photos from the 2012 Independence Day Parade in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.

In past years I’ve tried to put up photos that represent the range of parade entrants, but this year it’s going to be photos of the entries I enjoyed most.

Leading off my favorites this year was Fossil Rock.   Synchronized energy to get everyone laughing and clapping!

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Remember the Coeur d’Alene Press editorial on Sunday, April 15, 2012?  It was titled “All eyes on recall“, and it contained this pledge:  “Our purpose today is not to pick sides in this fight but to define some Opinion page rules as the recall effort proceeds. And No. 1 is, facts rule – yes, even when it comes to opinions.”

Take a look at this letter to the editor in today’s Press.  The letter’s inflammatory headline says it all:  RECALL:  Clear example of fraud.  Except the headline as well as the information in the letter are both factually inaccurate. (more…)