Friday, April 29, 2016

Shopping Center Update

There are several challenges to be overcome before the Athol Shopping Center is a reality. First, there is no water to the property, nor a sewer system. Access to Hwy 54 is dependent on ITD deeding an access permit to the property.

Also, Athol must annex the land, plus change the zoning.

As to a Super One anchoring the project, Ron McIntyre told me yesterday that if the hurdles are jumped and the project becomes real, then Super One would be interested in taking a look at it.

Updates will be provided as more information becomes available.

Tuesday, April 26, 2016

Athol Shopping Center

After many years commuting to either Hayden or Spirit Lake for Groceries and banking, Athol is about to get a shopping center.

This long awaited development is going to change our lives as no other local improvement has. I don't have a lot of details except I did verify the news with Athol's Mayor, Bob Wachter.


The proposed location is between Howard Road and Highway 95 with access off of Hwy 54.

Rumored is that Super One will be a tenant, which will suit me as I shop at the one in Hayden. As I develop more information, I will pass it on.

Monday, April 25, 2016

Contested Conventions

I have some personal knowledge of contested Conventions, the last being the Democratic Convention in the 1952 election year. This has to go down as the only advantage to my age. I grew up in a liberal democratic family. My parents were poor dirt farmers on a subsistence farm. When they referred to farm equipment horsepower, it was in reference to real horses. To them, the depression years were not kind, and President Franklin Delano Roosevelt was a God.

Naturally, we sat transfixed in front of our first TV set, a black and white picture. You could cut the drama with a dull knife as the favorite, Estes Kefauver went down to defeat, losing to Adlai Stevenson.

*From Wikipedia:

The 1952 Democratic presidential primaries were the selection process by which voters of the Democratic Party chose its nominee for President of the United States in the 1952 U.S. presidential election. These proved inconclusive and the 1952 Democratic National Convention held from July 21 to July 26, 1952, in Chicago, Illinois, was forced to go multiballot.[1]

The expected candidate for the Democratic nomination was incumbent President Harry S. Truman. But Truman entered 1952 with his popularity plummeting, according to polls. The bloody and indecisive Korean War was dragging into its third year, Senator Joseph McCarthy's anti-Communist crusade was stirring public fears of an encroaching “Red Menace”, and the disclosure of widespread corruption among federal employees (including some high-level members of Truman's administration) left Truman at a low political ebb.

Truman's main opponent was populist Tennessee Senator Estes Kefauver, who had chaired a nationally televised investigation of organized crime in 1951 and was known as a crusader against crime and corruption. The Gallup poll of February 15 showed Truman's weakness: nationally Truman was the choice of only 36% of Democrats, compared with 21% for Kefauver. Among independent voters, however, Truman had only 18% while Kefauver led with 36%. In the New Hampshire primary Kefauver upset Truman, winning 19,800 votes to Truman's 15,927 and capturing all eight delegates. Kefauver graciously said that he did not consider his victory "a repudiation of Administration policies, but a desire...for new ideas and personalities." Stung by this setback, Truman soon announced that he would not seek re-election (however, Truman insisted in his memoirs that he had decided not to run for re-election well before his defeat by Kefauver).

 When President Harry S. Truman declined the Democratic renomination in 1952, the party had its first open convention since 1932. Negotiations over the various nominees, debates over delegate credentials, and fights over the party loyalty oath resulted in a six-day convention, the longest in post-World War II history. Although ten Democrats were nominated, convention delegates drafted a favorite son--Adlai E. Stevenson of Illinois. President Truman not only endorsed Stevenson but flew to Chicago to ensure his nomination. Backroom negotiations at the Congress Hotel neutralized a "Stop Stevenson" movement, and his supporters clinched his nomination on the third ballot.

*End Wikipedia

Well, the Democrats of 1952 went down to defeat, since war hero, Dwight Eisenhower was elected president and werved 2 terms. But the Democrats survived, and so will the Republican Party. I survived my brain washing and became a Goldwater advocate followed by my involvement with Ronald Reagan in 1965.
 

Saturday, April 23, 2016

No, this isn't a picture of Appalachia during the Great Depression. It is the Evans family, pioneers in Bayview, way back. I'm posting this because I'm sick and tired of politics and decided to change the subject.

A few years ago, I wrote a four part history of Bayview and surrounding areas, assisted by our very own historian, Linda Hackbarth. Although I didn't use this picture in the series I probably should have.

I had a lot of fun researching the history and gained immeasurably knowledge of our area that I otherwise wouldn't have learned.

That history is available in the Spokesman-Review archives under my name, Herb Huseland. Maybe some day I'll drag it out from my hard drive and publish it on this blog.

My next post will probably be about contested nominations which as a kid I watched on black and white TV during the 1950's when they were a regular occurrence.

Thursday, April 21, 2016

PC Run Amok

In the 240 years of our nation, no more egregious politically correct act has happened than the announcement of a new picture on our twenty dollar bill. First it was determined that it had to be a woman. Then if that wasn't enough, how about a black woman abolitionist?

My objection isn't that she is not deserving of being honored, it is the degree. Today's announcement that former slave, Harriet Tubman would replace Jackson on the $20 bill. As a famous black neurosurgeon said in his remarks, why replace a famous former president? Why not re activate the $2 bill. Discarding Jackson was unnecessary and a rejection of our past history.

Every time I use a cash machine, I'll be reminded of the severity of how far the Obama administration will go to revise our past. His legacy will definitely linger, but not for good reasons.


Saturday, April 16, 2016

Comments

In the 11 years I have been posting on this blog I have only blocked free comments once. I am doing so again. Either a sociopath or mentally ill person has been stalking my blog recently. Of course always anonymously. For the near future, you will only be able to comment through my e-mail, which is bayviewherb@gmail.com. Naturally when you use e-mail it discloses your identity.

My page counter shows that I have had over 418,000 page views since I started keeping records. I thank all of you for your patronage. I have many unsolicited opinions to share yet, so stay tuned and wish for an abbreviated election year.

Wednesday, April 13, 2016

Cooks Needed

Our little village of Bayview, nestled on the south end of Lake Pend Oreille needs some help. Two and perhaps three cooks are needed. Call me at 208-9107 if you are interested. I'll see what you are looking for and try to steer you to the best place. Hurry before the word gets out and you miss the chance to work and play here.

College Costs

While the special credit classes in high Schools are a good start in the right direction, it isn't enough. Most students that aspire to higher education are not blessed with rich parents. I have a plan.

I graduated from high school in Renton, Washington in 1956. Probably no more than 20 per cent of my class went on to obtain a college degree. We had a large Boeing plant and other industry for those not wishing to go further in school.

Today, sixty years later, we in this country are importing most of our intellect from India and the orient. These countries are sponsoring their brighter kids to universities in our country. To keep many of these professions for out own brightest kids, I propose a 13th and 14th grade, with college credits and funded in the same way high school is. We would limit these 2 years to students with a 3.0 or better gpa.

Our brain drain has to stop. 14 years ago I traveled to Seattle where the VA imported an associate professor of Radiology to perform a Brake therapy procedure for my prostate cancer. Assisting him were five students, either interns or residents, all from India. In most cases, I take a conservative position. Education isn't one of them.

Tuesday, April 05, 2016

Play Ball

Thankfully, for us couch slouches, we have another season of every night sports. Baseball.as always,  tends to start awkwardly.

Yesterday, The Mariners got in there own way to make the record books as the first team to limit the other team to one hit and still lose. The uncharacteristic meltdown of the King cost the Seattle team their first win.

Tonight was way different. The Rangers and Mariners faced an inept plate umpire that couldn't seem to find home plate with a seeing eye dog. and when he did, the locations tended to change from pitch to pitch. Since the advent of radar recording  pitch locations, losers should not last very long as plate umpires. This one won't either unless he changes his view.

However, the Mariners changed their direction as dingers and doubles flooded the scoreboard. Scoring 10-2 they destroyed the Texans. The only entertainment was after giving up two home runs and two doubles, former pitcher for the Mariners,  Tom Wilhelmsen. He finished with a deliberate pitch that was the only one that hit the intended target. The Mariners catcher. Ruled intentional, Wilhelmsen was chased, which was a merciful act.

Tomorrow Seattle faces The Rangers again, 6:00 pm our time.