City Councilman Conlin has feline follower
Seattle City Councilman Richard Conlin was lionized — stalked by a cougar — while on vacation last month. It happened while Conlin was hiking the 57-mile loop in the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness in Idaho with his son Dave Conlin, his son's friend Jessy Baker and Layla, a corgi-and-yellow-Lab mix.
As Conlin tells it: "We were getting ready to leave camp on the fifth day (when) we heard Jessy calling us. A cougar had come out of the bushes and was stalking towards her. Jessy had backed into the stream, throwing stones at the cougar.
"Layla got there first, and the cougar took a swipe at her. Dave and I arrived, grabbed big sticks and started throwing stones. The cougar turned towards us. It was about 10 feet from me, and I hit it with two stones, yelling and brandishing a stick. The cougar then retreated into the bushes."
The backpackers quickly hit the trail. Conlin concludes: "While I think we did what we had to do in defending ourselves, I felt compassion for the cougar. I think it was in bad shape — relatively small and emaciated — and we may have injured it and impaired its chances of survival."
Conlin joked it's the kind of event that readies him for difficult decisions on the council.
Monkey business: A white-faced capuchin monkey, fixture in the dental offices of Dr. Patrick Fleege for 25 years, died early Monday. At one time, animal-rights activists turned the monkey into a cause célèbre, objecting to her confinement in Fleege's Medical-Dental Building offices, away from other monkeys.
Office manager Sarah Marvin says: "Dr. Fleege looked into sanctuaries, but P.J. — that stands for 'porcelain jacket' — wasn't a good candidate. Too many years with humans."
Fleege originally adopted the monkey, then 3, from an Oregon man's estate. At first, Fleege would take P.J. home at night, but the monkey was jealous of his wife. So Fleege enlarged the monkey's cage and installed a VCR and other creature comforts.
The monkey was a special favorite of the dentist's young patients, but there's no plan to replace her. Marvin says, "We'll probably get a saltwater fish tank."
First scholar: Today represents a milestone for Gov. Gary Locke and first lady Mona Lee Locke. Their eldest, 5-year-old Emily, starts kindergarten today at a public school in Olympia. The Lockes plan to take Emily to school in a minivan.
The Gov reports: "I get misty-eyed when I think about it. Emily's growing up." Three-year-old Dylan still has a couple of years at home.
Fire sale: One of the hottest tickets in town — pun intended — is Friday night's 2003 Firefighter Calendar Unveiling Gala at Benaroya Hall. Not only will those attending get first peek at the calendar and the firefighters, but the ticket price ($35 in advance, $45 at the door) includes appetizers, autographs and a chance to bid on items ranging from an African safari to T-shirts ripped from firefighters' backs. (For information, call 800-847-6572.)
Spam I am: Only on the Internet would one receive unsolicited e-mail addressed to: "Dear Internal Cleansing Inquirer."
Jean Godden: 206-464-8300 or jgodden@seattletimes.com.