The strange and embarrassing of 2003 in Washington

SPOKANE — With war, unemployment and economic woes darkening the moods of many Washingtonians this holiday season, it’s time to recall some of the unusual stories of 2003.

After all, history is far more than conflict among the rich and powerful. It also involves the embarrassing and the just plain strange.

Following is a random, and by no means authoritative, list of 10 such stories from the past year.

Seattle WNBA star Sue Bird made a bet with a radio announcer that she would have a good assist-to-turnover ratio this season, or be spanked during his radio show. Had she lost, Bird would have had to cry, "Harder, Daddy, harder" during the spanking. After a public outcry, Bird backed out of the bet.

The Jones Soda Co. of Seattle produced about 6,000 bottles of a turkey-and-gravy-flavored Thanksgiving soft drink, and sold out in less than two hours online. The Turkey &Gravy sodas were selling on eBay.com for up to $63 for a two-bottle set.

In Elma, high school officials banned the short skirts of cheerleaders from classrooms, saying the outfits violated the school dress code and were a distraction. "Boys are going to be horn-toads anyway, whether (the girls) are wearing a short skirt or not," complained parent Cathie Spalding in opposing the ban.

In May, doctors at Washington State University’s veterinary hospital performed a $30,000 operation to give Honus the dog a heart defibrillator similar to the one that regulates the heart of Vice President Dick Cheney. "Now Honus is our most expensive piece of technology," said owner Bryan MacDonald. "He’s worth more than our computer."

In October, U.S. Senate candidate George Nethercutt went to Iraq and later told a University of Washington forum that reconstruction of Iraq is "a bigger and better and more important story than losing a couple of soldiers every day which, which heaven forbid is awful." The comment brought a storm of criticism, and New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd wrote, "The congressman puts the casual back in casualty."

In May, The Bon Marche changed its name to The Bon-Macy’s to link with its better-known corporate sibling, Macy’s. "I’ve never shopped at Macy’s, but in my mind, it says the costs will go up," remarked Tammy Moore of SeaTac.

In early December the Seattle City Council approved a change in the taxi driver dress code, allowing drivers to dress in costumes. "Uh, a-thank you verrah much," cabbie Dave Groh, an Elvis Presley impersonator, said after the vote.

In March, state lawmakers proposed boycotting French wine because of the French government’s opposition to war in Iraq. Jack Cowan, director of the French-American Chamber of Commerce in Seattle, was disappointed. "French people appreciate Washington wines," he said.

In Tacoma, the school district was sued after a teacher used duct tape to cover the mouths of talkative third-graders. A Tacoma School District spokesman contended a student suggested using duct tape in the first place, and that it was entirely voluntary and no student was forced to wear it.

In May, Spokane County sheriff’s deputies went to investigate a rape report and saw what they thought was a woman through a window. When the person came outside, it turned out to be a man dressed in women’s clothing. They also found the frozen carcasses of 53 dogs and cats in three freezers on the front porch. "We don’t know the whole story," sheriff’s spokesman Cpl. Dave Reagan said.