A Foolish look at Micron • Priest River down but not out • Co-star from Idaho reflects on Paul Newman • Galena cell tower still could happen • Fire south of Twin didn't get the memo that fire season's over • Protecting the majestic and iconic ... wolverine !?

A Foolish look at Micron

Investment Web site the Motley Fool takes a look at Micron prior to the company reporting fourth-quarter and full-year 2008 earnings tonight.

"Profitable memory makers are few and far between, and Micron ain't one of them. You know you're in trouble when 19% of your revenue goes to covering operating costs but the gross margin is only 3%."

But it's not all bad. Here's what else the Fool has to say about Micron's future.

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Priest River down but not out

JD Lumber in Priest River shut its doors for what is expected to be the last time at quittin' time on Friday.

Though the loss of about 200 jobs in a town of less than 1,800 people is a serious blow, Priest River officials say there is hope for the future.

"I have lived in Priest River for all of my nearly 40 years," Mayor Jim Martin told the Hagadone News Network. "Long enough to see mills close due to the poor lumber market, buyouts, and others due to fire.

"In every case, someone from outside of the area would come to town and claim that the town was finished, going to dry up, become a ghost town. And in each case, the town survived with its resilient attitude, hard work and determination."

Martin says a scout for an unnamed business capable of employing 50-75 people recently came through, looking for a new place to locate a business.

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Co-star from Idaho reflects on Paul Newman

Following up on the death of actor Paul Newman, Entertainment Weekly interviews former Newman co-star and Idaho resident George Kennedy.

Kennedy won a best supporting actor Oscar for his role as Dragline, a prison mate of Newman's "Cool Hand Luke."

Kennedy says he "very seldom ran into one (an actor) who was so much a master of what he did than Paul. He was everything you could ask for and more."

EW says Kennedy "now lives a quieter existence (read: no reps, and no listed phone number) on the outskirts of Boise."

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Galena cell tower still could happen

Representatives with the Ketchum-based Idaho Tower Co. earlier this week appealed a decision made in July to deny the proposed "stealth" cell tower on Galena Summit, northwest of Ketchum.

Citing "substantial impairment" the project would cause on the picturesque Idaho pass, Sawtooth National Forest Supervisor Jane Kollmeyer denied the tower in July.

But those in favor of the tower continue to plead their case that the tower is a key safety net for travelers in the backcountry area around Galena.

The appeal claims that the judge had made up her mind before the environmental analysis of the project had begun.

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Fire south of Twin didn’t get the memo that fire season’s over

The Shoshone Basin Fire, which began Monday afternoon, has scorched 6,800 acres three miles east of Rogerson.

Officials were hoping to have the fire contained by Tuesday night, and there were no mandatory evacuations because of the blaze.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

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Protecting the majestic and iconic ... wolverine !?!?

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service denied the wolverine Endangered Species Act protection in March by saying that even if the species disappeared from the Lower 48, the species it survive because there are larger populations in Canada.

Now, however, environmental groups are suing the federal government to get protection for the wolverine.

The Associated Press reports that not counting Alaska, the U.S. wolverine population consists of about 500 animals, the Fish and Wildlife Service estimates, a figure the plaintiffs say may be high by 20 percent or more. Wolverines inhabit Montana, Idaho, Wyoming and Washington.