"The whole world will be watching Idaho" • Somebody get that man a bandage - and a gun safety course • What would you do if a wolf were attacking your dog? • An end to 30 great years of police impersonation • More floodwaters expected • Dude, where's my car?

"The whole world will be watching Idaho"

Remember Republican presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee? The bible- and bass-thumpin' former Arkansas governor appeared to become a footnote in the presidential race a few months back.

But yesterday, a syndicated columnist in The Wenatchee World reported that Huckabee declared in front of the National Press Club that the outcome of the Republican nomination battle remained "very much in doubt."

Huckabee pointed to upcoming Republican primaries in Idaho (May 27) and New Mexico (June 3) as breakthrough opportunities.

Said Huckabee: "Idaho is going to be the turning point. The whole world will be watching Idaho."

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Somebody get that man a bandage - and a gun safety course

A Rexburg man working on a home west of Jackson, Wyoming, took a break from his duties Tuesday to clean his Glock semiautomatic pistol.

He removed the magazine and was going to eject the remaining round from the chamber when his hand slipped and he shot himself through the left hand.

According to the Jackson Hole News & Guide, John Virgin was eventually transported to Madison Memorial Hospital in Rexburg, where he was listed in good condition Wednesday afternoon.

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What would you do if a wolf were attacking your dog?

Barry Sadler sounded like he felt sort of guilty after shooting and killing a wolf that was attacking his dog in Shoshone County.

"I've never shot an animal," Sadler told TV station KXLY. "Never."

The Mullan, Idaho, resident said up to five gray wolves had been circling his home, coming within yards of his front door, before they started attacking one of his dogs.

Josh Stanley with Fish and Game said the gray wolf population in North Idaho is up roughly 30 percent since last year. And this time of year, they can be particularly aggressive, as the females are about to deliver their pups.

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An end to 30 great years of police impersonation

A Washington man was finally arrested last week after impersonating a police officer to obtain $400 worth of OxyContin in Arlington, Washington, in October.

Ronald R. Johnson hit up a pharmacy cashier wearing a navy-blue nylon jacket with what appeared to be a State Patrol patch on the chest. That and the German shepherd at his side wearing a harness and a vest with a star-shaped badge were enough for the cashier to fork over the drugs.

Johnson was first investigated for allegedly impersonating a police officer in 1977, and police in rural north Idaho say they've known about his penchant for impersonation for years, according to the Seattle Times.

Johnson once owned a cafe in Wallace, Idaho, and carried a badge because he served as an escort for funeral processions.

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More floodwaters expected

The Lewiston Tribune reports that people living along the Lochsa, Selway and Clearwater rivers are being warned to prepare for possible flooding this weekend.

The National Weather Service announced those rivers from the eastern border of Idaho to Orofino will be at or above flood stage, beginning as soon as late Saturday.

"I'm not saying it's going to flood, but we want residents to pay attention and to plan accordingly," Jerry Zumalt, Idaho County disaster coordinator, told the Tribune Wednesday.

Read more at www.lmtribune.com. (Subscription required)

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Dude, where's my car?

Two Twin Falls teens came out of TJ Maxx yesterday to find their car had rolled across a parking lot and come to rest against a boulder a few feet away from the Snake River Canyon rim.

The Times-News reports that one of the teens said the two were "picking up girls."

At TJ Maxx?

There's nothing that says smooth more than forgetting to put your car in park.