Steve Imlay had a big smile on his face Tuesday morning.

He was in the entrance to Starbucks (one of soon-to-be three here) in Sandpoint, when I congratulated him on his son’s internship.

Sebastian Imlay is a spring 2010 intern with NASA’s Undergraduate Student Research Program. He is spending 15 weeks at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.

Of course, Dad had to go check out Washington, D.C., with his son recently.

Not only did they get a red carpet White House tour — they stuck their noses in the Oval Office and were near the Rose Garden and the South Lawn — they also watched as President Obama’s helicopter took off and landed.

Steve is a political junkie and a patriot through and through and relayed how touched he was when he saw the long lines of people in line at the Vietnam War memorial and the World War II memorial.

“People care about their country,” he said.

In case you are wondering what Sebastion is doing for an internship, he is conducting research on the applicability of multi-cored processors to satellite algorithms, that is the process used to measure the height of a satellite away for the ground of the orbited planet.

Specifically he is working with laser altimetry, which uses laser pulses to measure the distance. These can then be used to help develop topographical maps.

I’m still wondering what he is doing …

Imlay is currently a junior at Western Washington University. He plans to graduate in June 2012 with a major in computer science.

Want pizza? Call Bab’s at 265-7992 or stop by today and all proceeds go the Relay for Life to fight cancer. B.J. has thrown her heart at Relay for Life. The Relay will be held at the Bonner County Fairgrounds at June 4 beginning at 6 p.m.

The Daily Bee troops will be out Friday as part of a fundraiser to the Bee’s Relay for Life commitment.

Ryanne Pilgeram and Casey Pilgeram, daughters of Marcia Pilgeram, Sandpoint, will each graduate on June 13.

Ryanne, 1999 SHS valedictorian and Monticola co-editor will graduate with a doctorate in sociology and a certificate in women and gender studies from the University of Oregon. She received her undergraduate degree from Pacific University, Forest Grove, Ore., and her master’s degree from University of Oregon.

Ryanne will be returning to Idaho from Rochester, N.Y., where her partner, Russ, was the director of film studies at SUNY Brockport. She recently accepted a tenure track position as an assistant professor of sociology at the University of Idaho.

Russ and Ryanne are the proud parents of a nearly-three year old son, Alden, and are expecting another child in the fall.

Casey, 2006 SHS graduate and nationally acclaimed Cedar Post editor, will graduate summa cum laude from DePaul University in Chicago with a bachelor’s degree in liberal arts and sciences.

 She has a double major; political science and women in gender studies and a minor in LGBTQ studies, Casey’s focus is social justice and she plans to work and intern in the coming year before pursuing her graduate degree.

I have two tickets to the Smucker’s Stars on Ice show at the Spokane Arena on May 28. I will give them away to the first person who subscribes to the Bee that calls the Daily Bee after 8 a.m. today — 263-9534. See, it pays to read all of the way to the end of this column …

David Keyes is publisher of the Daily Bee. His column runs weekly and his daily comments can be found on Facebook.