Huckleberries: School trustee skips regular meeting for family Zags event

Trustee Christa Hazel didn’t apologize for her decision to skip her monthly Coeur d’Alene School Board meeting Monday night. She married into Zag Nation years ago. And she wasn’t going to miss Gonzaga playing North Carolina in the NCAA Tournament finals for anything.

In an open Facebook letter after Gonzaga beat South Carolina in the semifinals Saturday, Christa told her Coeur d’Alene Zone 1 constituents:

“My father in law, Dr. Bud Hazel, was the in-game announcer during the Stockton years. …. My older brother-in-law is a professor in GU graduate studies. My younger brother-in-law was named after Father Tony Lehman, the revered priest that has his own bronze chair statue honoring him in the GU Kennel.”

And it goes on.

Christa’s husband, Joel, proposed to her before a game during the Gonzaga Cinderella year of 1999, in Tucson, Arizona. Three years later, Christa made it her personal mission to deliver son Cooper before the Gonzaga-Wyoming game. (She succeeded, but Gonzaga lost. Shrugs Christa, “I did my part.”)

Christa concludes her letter to constituents: “I am an Idaho girl. I graduated (Coeur d’Alene High), North Idaho College, U of I, and U of I Law school. But I married into Zag Nation. I hope you understand that I must miss this regularly scheduled meeting. It’s not just an athletic event. It’s a family celebration that I simply cannot miss.”

Huckleberries double dog dares anyone to make an issue of Christa’s missed meeting.

Huckleberries redux

Has it been 29 years since Kathy Eachon joined hubby, Vic, in retirement from the David Taylor Research Center at Bayview? The Rathdrum area couple are still going strong. In an item on this day in 1988, Huckleberries told how the Eachons had ridden together to work for 26 years. Vic was a civilian supervisor. Kathy was the secretary to the officer in charge. Vic retired a year earlier than Kathy.

Prayer, said Vic back then, mitigated any potential bad effects from commuting and working in close proximity. When Kathy retired, Vic told Huckleberries, tongue firmly cheeked, that it was about time. “I want her to catch up on the housework.”

To her credit, Kathy didn’t brain Vic for saying that for print.

Fishy humor

Ready for an Idaho-based groaner from “The Bathroom Funny Stuff Book” (The Bathroom Library)? Here goes: “Two fish are swimming along a river in Idaho when all of a sudden, one bangs his head on a concrete wall. ‘Dam!’ he said.” Onward.

Huckleberries

Dick Haugen wasn’t impressed with news that Wal-Mart will add a gas station to the Post Falls east store. Dead-pans Dick: “Anyone know if Wal-Mart offers discounts on grocery shopping?” … Bob Stout of Elk City, Idaho, asks a question that has caused Huckleberries to wonder: “(I) watched several people ‘ducking’ while running through the rain. Does that really help?” Anyone? … Public Service Announcement: If you’re still legally running studded tires in Idaho, you should avoid Washington, where it is now illegal. Your Idaho license plates won’t save you from a Washington citation with a hefty fine … Colleague Pia Hallenberg Facebooks that journalists train for Bloomsday by rushing to crime scenes. … Pia also admitted that she recently wrote “NAACP finals” instead of “NCAA finals” recently. Zags mania has distracted us all.

Parting Shot

Please join Huckleberries in wishing Coeur d’Alene Councilwoman Kiki Miller and hubby, Craig, a happy 20th anniversary Tuesday. And, if you can keep a secret, Huckleberries has a bit more to tell you. During the City Council public comment period Tuesday night, Kiki will wish a happy anniversary to her husband. Also, she will let him know she plans to seek re-election to another four-year term.