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The Big News of the Past Week
Q&A Idaho’s Mike Crapo S
en. Mike Crapo has a dream: thick, creamy Idaho-made Greek yogurt on every school lunch tray in America. The U.S. Department of Agriculture is considering adding strained yogurt to school cafeteria menus nationwide — this after fresh fruit and veggies; see p. 37 — and Crapo is hoping Idaho, home to Chobani’s Twin Falls plant, the largest Greek yogurt production facility in the world, will be one of four states selected for a USDA pilot program as early as next fall. We caught up with the Republican senator for a few minutes last Friday, and while he sampled (and posed with) a cup of blueberry Chobani, we asked him about a yogurt-fueled economy, the perils of acid whey and his favorite flavors.
Idaho’s senior senator weighs in on a new plan to serve Greek yogurt in schools. stephen schlange photo
INLANDER: If Idaho is selected for the pilot program, what kind of economic impact do you think it will have on the state? CRAPO: The first impact will be that Greek yogurt would be made available for utilization in the school nutrition programs, and that would increase the consumption, I’m sure. It’s a very high protein product and a very nutritious product for our kids. There’s carbohydrates, there’s
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Copies of a form letter opposing an antidiscrimination ordinance the Coeur d’Alene City Clerk’s office had received as of noon on Monday. The ordinance would protect LGBT people from housing or employment discrimination.
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What, if any, pushback have you encountered regarding this plan? (Modern Farmer, for example, recently wrote about acid whey, an environmentally toxic byproduct of the Greek yogurt production process.) I have not seen any pushback. In fact the only issue I’ve heard was the one you raised with me, which was with regard to the whey and when I checked back — and you would probably have to confirm this with the Chobani people — but they utilize the whey as I understand it in agriculture for consumption or application on the ground. Are you a Greek yogurt gourmand yourself? What’s your favorite flavor? I do eat Greek yogurt. In fact, I am learning to test each of the Chobani flavors and I think that they do a great job. — INTERVIEW BY DEANNA PAN
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fats and there’s protein. So that will increase the consumption of it, which will then necessarily increase the productions needs for our dairymen, and that ripples through the economy. So I believe it would have a financial impact, but I think the even bigger impact is the health impact for our kids and schools.
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Increase in Kootenai County property values this year, the first time they’ve gone up in six years.
1.
The Spokane County prosecutor charged Gail Gerlach with firstdegree manslaughter. Gerlach, 57, shot and killed a man he said was stealing his SUV in March.
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In a short-lived publicity stunt, managers of the Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena temporarily renamed it the Bon Jovi Veterans Memorial Arena to honor the rock band’s visit to Spokane in October. After complaints from veterans, they backtracked.
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Spokane Valley deputies shot and killed a man over the weekend. Police say the man called to turn himself in on an outstanding warrant, but when they arrived, he refused to drop a large knife.
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Federal investigators say the Spokane man charged with mailing a ricin-laced letter to a federal judge may be connected to three other threatening letters sent to the president, the CIA and Fairchild Air Force Base.
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In a 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court ruled this week that police may take DNA samples from people arrested in connection with serious crimes. Supporting justices compared the collection to fingerprints or mugshots.
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