July 12, 2018

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Arts, entertainment, bluster and some news

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Vol. 15 Issue 28 I FREE I July 12, 2018

BNSF barges skip check station, nonviable mussels found Arrest made in Priest River cold case homicide Festival interviews: Sublime with Rome's Rome Ramirez The rise of cryptocurrency lakeside dining spots - part 2 Four things to know about Idaho's new trespassing law Banding of Sandpoint osprey to be livestreamed


Why use Sandpoint Property Management to manage and lease your property?

Sandpoint Property Management provides:

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(wo)MAN compiled by

Susan Drinkard

READER

on the street

111 Cedar Street, Suite 9 Sandpoint, ID 83864 (208)265-9724

Do you like your name? If you had to be called a different name, what name would you select?

www.sandpointreader.com Publisher: Ben Olson ben@sandpointreader.com

“I do like my name, but as a male I could go more places in life and ‘be more.’ I could even be president! So my name would be Joe.”

Editor: Cameron Rasmusson cameron@sandpointreader.com Zach Hagadone (emeritus) John Reuter (emeritus)

Jodi Rawson Mother, artist, and writer Sandpoint

Advertising: Jodi Taylor Jodi@sandpointreader.com Contributing Artists: Whitney Palmer (cover), Ben Olson, Bill Borders, Andreas Ramirez, Lyndsie Kiebert.

“I like my name. It is not too common around here, but it is recognizable. If I had to choose another name, I would maybe be called David because it is the name of my favorite soccer player of all time, David Villa, and it was the name of one of my best friends growing up who recently passed away.”

Contributing Writers: Cameron Rasmusson, Ben Olson, Lyndsie Kiebert, McCalee Cain, Nick Gier, Scarlette Quille, Jim Mitsui, Brenden Bobby, L.S. Jones, Beth Weber, Alissa Colegrove, Laurie Brown. Submit stories to: stories@sandpointreader.com

Brandon Eddy Dairy manager - Super 1 Foods Sandpoint

Printed weekly at: Griffin Publishing Spokane, Wash. Subscription Price: $95 per year

“I like my name. I was named after my dad’s favorite song by the Allman Brothers. My mom wanted to call me Michelle, and I like that name too.” Jessica Sierant Age 19 Sandpoint

“I like my name, and I’d like to not be called late for dinner.” Chris Townsend Delivery person Sandpoint

Over 50 beer and cider options

KEVIN DORIN 6-9pm Brewery Bash w/

MaKiley Nelson Visiting cousins in Sandpoint Silver Lake, Washington

Sandwiches

pizza and more!

TENNIS!

8pm-12am • $5

JOSH HEDLUND “I do like my name. My mom liked McKenzie or Kylie, so she put them together— MaKiley. If I had to choose another name, I think I would choose Mercedes.”

fresh salads

Open Mic Night w/

Web Content: Keokee The Sandpoint Reader is a weekly publication owned and operated by Ben Olson and Keokee. It is devoted to the arts, entertainment, politics and lifestyle in and around Sandpoint, Idaho. We hope to provide a quality alternative by offering honest, in-depth reporting that reflects the intelligence and interests of our diverse and growing community. The Reader is printed on recycled pa paper using soy-based ink. Leftover copies are collected and recycled weekly, or burned in massive bonfires to appease the gods of journalism. Free to all, limit two copies per person.

Sandpoint Reader letter policy: The Sandpoint Reader welcomes letters to the editor on all topics. Requirements: –No more than 400 words –Letters may not contain excessive profanity or libelous material. Please elevate the discussion. Letters will be edited to comply with the above requirements. Opinions expressed in these pages are those of the writers, not necessarily the publishers. Email letters to: letters@sandpointreader.com

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Check us out on the web at: www.sandpointreader.com Like us on Facebook.

(208) 263-0966 Corner of First Ave. and Bridge Street Downtown Sandpoint

About the Cover

This week’s cover is a painting by Whitney Palmer that hangs above my desk, in fact. I thought it would be appropriate for this week’s Reader, since BeerFest is coming up soon. See more of Whitney’s work here: https://fineartamerica.com/profiles/ whitney-palmer.html July 12, 2018 /

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NEWS

BNSF barges skip boat check station, mussels found By Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Staff Two out of five trucks transporting BNSF barges failed to stop at a boat check station early last week to be searched for invasive species before reaching Lake Pend Oreille, and dead mussels were found on one inspected barge. Ten barges were brought to North Idaho by truckers hired under Wisconsin company E80 Plus Constructors, LLC. BNSF was having them transported for a maintenance project on the existing rail bridge across the lake. Of three trucks transporting barges through Clark Fork, only the third passing through stopped at the Idaho State Department of Agriculture-designated boat check station located there. Boat inspector Doug Sterley said once he found out two trucks had passed the station, he headed for Kramer’s Marina only to find those barges had already been placed in the water without inspection. Four barges on two trucks had yet to reach the marina traveling from the opposite direction via the Sandpoint route, so the truckers told Sterley they’d notify him when the last barges reached Hope so he could come inspect them. On July 3, Sterley said he inspected the last four barges and found dead zebra mussels on one. Nic Zurfluh with ISDA’s Invasive Species program confirmed that Sterley reported the mussels upon finding them, and that those mussels were found nonviable, meaning there was no threat that they would spread. An official ISDA statement said “the mussels were crumbling and floated in water during viability field tests. The barges were released due to no viable mussels being present.” The statement also said ISDA first heard about the barges from the Idaho Department of Transportation, and then initiated contact with E80 Plus on July 2 to inform them of Idaho’s invasive species requirements. The company provided documentation the barges had been previously decontaminated and out of water for many months. “ISDA has been in contact with the company which shipped 4 /

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the barges to Idaho to ensure understanding of the invasive species requirements for future loads of equipment including barges, work boats, buoys and gear,” the statement said. George Thornton, who works at the Clark Fork boat check station with Sterley, said the barges did not have the apparent look of watercraft, but instead looked like “big boxes.” “If that one truck hadn’t stopped, we wouldn’t have known (the barges) were even here,” Thornton said. ISDA contacted all Lake Pend Oreille stakeholders following the incident, including the Lakes Commission. “It’s crazy that this happened because (invasive species are) such a national issue,” said Lakes Commission Coordinator Molly McCahon. She said she didn’t believe vessels that fail to be inspected at Idaho boat check stations face fines, but deferred the Reader to the Bonner County Sheriff’s Office. Lt. Ed Jochum with the BCSO Marine Division said he’s not aware of any actions being taken against the involved companies at this time. The barges last saw water in the Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri — a known mussel-infested body, according to Sterley. BNSF spokesperson Courtney Wallace said “each barge was cleaned, dried and certified decontaminated at origin.” E80 Plus told the Reader that

the 10 barges were dry docked for a minimum of 90 days prior to delivery, and that independent trucking firms were utilized via contract haul agreements to transport barges to Sandpoint from where they were docked in southern Illinois. “The dry dock fact provides secondary assurance of no contamination risk to Lake Pend Oreille,” they said. “Both BNSF and E80 Plus Constructors, LLC, adhere to the rules governing our businesses. We respect the rules and are taking this issue with the independent trucking companies seriously as we, too, value the beauty and quality of Lake Pend Oreille and want to protect it.” E80 Plus said they are investigating the two trucks — four barges — that were not inspected before being unloaded into the lake, and noted that one of those barges was “brand new and never in the water.” Wallace said BNSF requires all contractors to “follow applicable local laws and regulations.” She said following this incident that BNSF has made plans with ISDA to “provide advance notification” of any equipment that is transported for use in Idaho waterways. “This requirement will be put in place for this contractor and any others to ensure that every transported watercraft is inspected by Idaho authorities,” Wallace said. “We want to make sure there is an advanced coordinated effort moving forward.”

Amanda Abajian with the Bonner Soil & Conservation District, which oversees the local boat check station, said the lack of communication between the truckers, the involved companies and the state agencies led to the mishap. “The fact is that there are dif-

The nonviable mussels found on the BNSF barge at the Clark Fork checkpoint. Courtesy image. ferent laws in different states, and you need to know the laws in your destination state,” she said.

City adopts strategic plan By Cameron Rasmusson Reader Staff The Sandpoint City Council passed a strategic plan Wednesday identifying priorities to work toward between 2018 and 2020. Under the plan, the city identifies five broad strategic priorities: a responsive government, resilient economy, sustainable environment, vibrant culture and livable community. The plan has been in the works for almost two years and serves as a guide

for all resource allocation and council decisions in the years to come “This really spanned over two councils,” said Mayor Shelby Rognstad. “It began in early 2017, and many new staff are here as well. I feel like this has been well-vetted and is a quality product.” The plan documentation also identifies several specific projects that satisfy one or more of the five strategic priorities. For instance, optimized storm

water management is considered a goal that advances a responsive government, a resilient economy, a sustainable environment and a livable community. Other projects on the list include refined city codes, optimized fire and police services, diversified housing mixes, the acquisition of the University of Idaho Boyer property and more. Development of the plan kicked off in early 2017 with a series of workshops conducted by Roger Woodworth of Mind-

set Matters. The plan developed in more detail with additional workshops in 2018. “Informed discussions, thoughtful deliberations, and consensus-driven decisions have been hallmarks of this process,” the strategic plan concludes. “With a clear framework for the future and specific near-term priorities, the city continues to strengthen the alignment of its actions and aspirations.”


NEWS

Signatures for Medicaid expansion reach the Capitol By Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Staff Friday brought Medicaid expansion one step closer to Idaho’s November ballot, as volunteers gathered from across the state at the Capitol in Boise to submit more than 70,000 verified voter signatures in favor of closing the “health coverage gap.” “The ballot measure would provide a healthcare solution for thousands of single parents, near retirees, rural residents and all hard-working Idahoans who earn too much to qualify for Medicaid and too little to afford coverage on the state’s health insurance exchange,” said Idahoans for Healthcare in a statement Friday. The group is a coalition of healthcare providers, business leaders, community organizations and grassroots activists looking to expand Medicaid in Idaho. Idahoans for Healthcare also revealed its chairs at Friday’s gathering: Republican State Representative Christy Perry and Reclaim Idaho leader Emily Strizich. The group said that combination of leadership highlights the bipartisan effort behind the ballot initiative. “This isn’t a political issue. It’s a human issue,” Perry said.

By Ben Olson Reader Staff

Strizich and her husband, Garrett, as well as Luke Mayville, are the leading voices behind Reclaim Idaho, the grassroots campaign that led the charge for signatures over the last year. Garrett and Mayville hail from Sandpoint. Reclaim Idaho joins a number of other state organizations under the Idahoans for Healthcare banner, including Idaho Medical Association, Idaho Primary Care

Association, Idaho American Cancer Society, American Academy of Emergency Physicians, Idaho Academy of Family Physicians, Idaho Voices for Children, the Consortium of Idahoans with Disabilities, the Idaho chapter of the American Academy of Emergency Physicians, the Idaho chapter of the American Heart Association and the Idaho chapter of the American Lung Association.

Sandpoint residents sign the Reclaim Idaho RV before it left for Boise on Thursday morning. Photo by Ben Olson. “We’ve got a lot of work to do to earn Idahoans’ votes, but there’s a lot of excitement around this very popular initiative,” Strizich said, noting the months ahead will be all about voter outreach. “This is one of those common-sense solutions that people across the political spectrum can get behind.”

Arrest made in cold case Priest River homicide By Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Staff The Bonner County Sheriff’s Office has made an arrest in the 2004 cold case murder of a 34-year-old Priest River mother of three. Christine Lott was reported missing in March 2004 by her husband, Stephen M. Lott. BCSO detectives started investigating it as a suspicious disappearance, and during that investigation Stephen became the primary person of interest. BCSO continued interviews and searched for the Priest River woman’s remains throughout Bonner County, until remains — determined to be Christine’s —

Animal Shelter to launch ‘Operation Donation Station’

were discovered by a shed hunter off Forest Service Road 499 in Kootenai County in February 2016. More interviewing and reanalyzing the evidence continued to point to Stephen, BCSO said. BCSO said in a statement Thursday that a letter penned by Stephen in recent months held information contradictory to what he told detectives in early interviews. The letter, obtained from a “cooperating family member” according to Undersheriff Ror Lakewold, said Christine had died in Bonner County from a suicide. Previously, Stephen said he’d last seen his wife using the phone booth at what is now Mitchell’s Harvest Foods in Priest River when she then jumped into a red

vehicle. Lakewold said Stephen stuck to that narrative for years until BCSO’s discovery of the letter this June. Detectives secured an arrest warrant for Stephen thanks to the new information, BSCO said. He was arrested on June 19 in Murfreesboro, Tenn., and brought back to Bonner County on July 3. During his first appearance in court he was charged with first degree murder. Lakewold said BCSO is actively working on a small handful of cold cases like the Lott murder. He added that the April 2017 murder of Shirley Ramey in Hope and December 2017 murder of George Andres in Clark Fork are not considered “even remotely cold” and

Stephen Lott. Photo courtesy Bonner County Sheriff’s Office. that BCSO detectives are doing work “weekly, if not daily” on those two cases.

Panhandle Animal Shelter has announced they are building a new donation and sorting facility just west of their current thrift store location. The 4,500-square-foot facility will feature a parking lot and streamlined drop-off donation area with an overhang to protect donors and donations from finicky North Idaho weather. The donation station will be placed alongside a new dog park slated for later this year. PAS has secured a construction loan, permits and a builder, and has raised $150,000 of the total $270,000 needed to complete the project. In order to fund the remaining $120,000, PAS launched a Donation Station Fund Drive on Wednesday, July 11. “Opening the Donation Station 100-percent debt-free would be an amazing gift to our community animals,” said Mandy Evans, executive director of PAS. Evans said it takes a significant amount of money just to keep the doors at PAS open. “Most people do not know that the majority of our funding comes from our exceptional Thrift Store, a staggering 84 percent of our operating revenue is directly attributed to sales at the store,” Evans said. “The money saved on rent alone could vaccinate almost 10,000 animals, alter over 2,000, or provide 1,200 40-pound bags of high-quality food annually,” Evans said. “The impact would be tremendous.” Persons wanting to donate to Operation Donation Station can visit the Panhandle Animal Shelter or the PAS Thrift Store during business hours. They have also set up a fund at www. mightycause.com/organization/ Friends-Of-The-Shelter-9.

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TECH

Random Digital Madness

Regional technology news and commentary

The Money Problem and the Rise of Cryptocurrency Part 1

By Bill Harp Reader Columnist Money: It has its problems, and I’m not talking about never having enough of it. First off, paper money has no actual value like gold does. Governments create their national currency by fiat (decree) and hope the rest of the world takes them seriously. For example, the U.S. says the dollar is backed by the “full faith and credit of the U.S. Government.” But the one-dollar bill is printed on the same paper as a 100-dollar bill. Based on confidence in the U.S. economy and government, the world accepts the difference and trusts in their value. Not so, for example, with the Venezuelan bolivar. In addition, money requires a huge network of banks and financial institutions to make a money system work. As history has painfully shown, thieves can access computerized financial enterprises and create havoc. Fiat money National fiat currencies have several downsides: •The value of fiat money can change due to bad decisions of governments and financial institutions. The economic meltdown of 2008 showed how easy it is to cause a global crisis. National governments can also manipulate money and destroy its value. For example, a government that prints too much paper money can trigger inflation that makes its currency worthless. This has been the fate of almost ever fiat currency system in history. Venezuela is a modern example of how a government destroyed a healthy national economy through hyperinflation. Venezuela has renamed its currency twice in the last decade (the “strong bolivar” and “sovereign bolivar”) as it tries to control extreme devaluations. •The fiat financial system can be computer hacked in a variety of ingenious ways. 6 /

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We are all vulnerable to identity theft and its twin, bank account and credit card theft. •Electronic money transactions can be tracked: governments, financial institutions or even Google can potentially keep track of every single transaction you make. Cash used to be relatively anonymous, but large cash transactions now attract attention and suspicion. Many organizations will not accept cash payments, and some countries are even trying to outlaw the use of cash (for example, India and most of Europe). In the U.S., banks have to report large cash deposits or withdrawals to the government. Enter Cryptocurrency It’s surprising that our money system has survived so long, right? Well, there’s a new game in town. Enter cryptocurrency. CC is actually a software system with a new concept of money exchange that solves a litany of problems with traditional fiat money. CC has experienced a meteoric rise in global use and: •is a secure system that requires no banking or financial infrastructure •does not depend on governments to assign its value; the global market decides its value •can be sent anywhere in the world where there is an internet network connection •enables peer-to-peer transactions that are secure, permanent, relatively anonymous and cannot be intercepted •cannot be counterfeited. CC is perhaps the most revolutionary financial innovation of the decade. One of the first- and best-known portfolios of global CC is “bitcoin.” Enter bitcoin Bitcoin is really a secure software system that just happens to have money as its objective and product. Reliability of the bitcoin is based on ironclad, secure and encrypted software that distributes and tracks bitcoin transactions. The amount of bitcoin to be made available is finite (21 million) and the total number of bitcoin in circulation is slowly increasing towards this target circulation. Estimates say more than 16 million bitcoin have been issued so far. Bitcoin origins and the role of open source projects In early 2009 the bitcoin ecosystem was introduced as open source software by

A historical chart of the recent rise of Bitcoin. Courtesy image. Satoshi Nakamoto, a name thought to be a pseudonym for the inventor(s). “Open source” refers to something people can modify and share because its design is publicly accessible. Open source software cannot be copyrighted or patented. As a result, anyone can download the bitcoin software and review it, creating complete transparency as to how it works. The bitcoin ecosystem, then, is run by independent collaborators, and any skilled programmer can participate in the system’s modifications. No corporate entity or government controls the system or its use. The genius of open-source projects is they are designed to solve specific user problems, and not designed to meet the revenues objectives of a company. This leads to innovation in designing optimal solutions. Usefulness and global popularity are the measurement of success. Some of the greatest inventions in technology were built with an open-source model. That includes Android phones and Chrome OS, both derived from Linux, one of the most famous open-source software projects. The bitcoin software ecosystem No one entity is responsible for the bitcoin tracking and security system. Instead, an army of volunteers maintains a protective web that keeps the bitcoin system working. Volunteers are motivated by a reward system that pays them in bitcoin. As a result, bitcoin value has increased since its introduction in early 2009 despite huge swings in value that make it quite volatile. For example, in June, value of one bitcoin was $6,544 – down from an all-time

high near $20,000 just six months earlier. Some early adopters who paid just a few dollars for one bitcoin became “bitcoin millionaires” when their hundreds-of-dollars investments increased to millions in less than a decade. How to use bitcoin On the surface, bitcoin use is quite simple. The user doesn’t have to think about the complex operations going on behind the scenes. First, download the bitcoin-wallet software for your computer’s operating system at the bitcoin.org website. You will create a personal wallet that gives you a unique bitcoin address. Then go to one of the many bitcoin exchanges, such as Coinbase, and buy bitcoin using a credit card or any other standard means of sending money such as a bank wire. The exchange will credit your bitcoin to your bitcoin address. You can now spend your bitcoin with merchants who accept bitcoin, and that number is growing every day. Conclusion In Part 2, next week, we will examine some of the core technology behind the CC movement and how CC is creating a revolution in both technology and the economy. Stay tuned. Bill Harp is a technologist, geospatial analyst and cultural anthropologist. He was director of technology (emeritus) of Bonner County and has a long career in defense and intelligence.


OPINION

Judge rules family separations “brutal and offensive” Asylum seekers have a legal right to cross the border Attorney General Jeff Sessions has quoted the Bible in support of his No Tolerance and Family Separation policies, but this passage undermines his case entirely: “When a stranger sojourns in your land, you shall do him no wrong. The stranger shall be to you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself” (Leviticus 19:33-34). The Declaration of Independence promises inalienable rights to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” I would remind Mr. Sessions that these are universal rights, and they apply to those who live here as well as those just coming to our shores. I would also invite Sessions to consider the Fifth and 14th Amendments to our Constitution, which state that “no person shall be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law.” The word “person” includes non-citizens as well as citizens. Finally, I would point the attorney general to the U.N. Declara-

tion of Human Rights, Article 14: “Everyone has the right to seek and to enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution.” The U.S. is a signatory to the 1951 U.N. Convention on Refugees, and its provisions were incorporated into U.S. law in the Refugee Act of 1980. I submit that the Trump administration is violating the Constitution, U.S. and international law in its attempts to deny immigrants their right to asylum and their right to due process. Seeking asylum is not a crime and those attempting it announce their fully legal intentions at the border. U.S. District Judge James Boasberg recently ruled that the Trump administration must “provide baseline procedures to those entering our country — individuals who have often fled violence and persecution to seek safety on our shores.” The judge ordered a case-by-case review of whether each asylum seeker should be released on humanitarian parole. The Trump administration is claiming that Obama also separated families, but this was done only

where there was evidence that the adults were not the parents of the children, or further evidence that the children were being trafficked or being used in running drugs. During the Obama years, families not in this category were kept together in residential institutions or released into the community under the supervision of case managers. Under Obama’s Family Case Management Program, immigrant families made their court dates 99 percent of the time. This program was abolished by the Trump administration. Obama’s humane program cost $36 per day per family, ten times less than the cost of holding families in criminal detention, which is what Trump wants to do. The problem with this solution is that there is a 20-day limit for children held in jail, and the Trump administration just failed to get a waiver from this law. Los Angeles U.S. District Court Judge Dolly Gee found the government’s argument “dubious” and “unconvincing.” The most humane option is

for the Justice Department to drop criminal charges of illegal entry (or legal entry in the case of asylum seekers) and release the parents and their children. They then would stay together for legal proceedings in civil court, where they should have been in the first place. Dana M. Sabraw, the San Diego judge who has ruled that government must reunify families by July 26 (July 10 for those under 5), described its actions as “brutal, offensive, and fails to comport with traditional notions of fair play and decency.” As of Monday, Secretary Azar announced that he can only reunite 54 of the 104 children in the under-5 category. A recent political cartoon depicted Pilgrims landing at Plymouth Rock crying out “We are just looking for freedom and safety,” but two Native Americans have grabbed their children, saying: “What kind of monsters would endanger their kids by sailing across an entire ocean!” But of course this is not what happened. The Wampanoag Indians welcomed the Pilgrims with open

arms and helped them plant their first crops. They were much better Christians than Jeff Sessions will ever be. In accord with scripture, the Wampanoag treated the Pilgrims as “native” among them and they did them “no wrong.” The dire effects of the Trump administration’s Zero Tolerance program will go down in history, and they are as infamous and egregious as the separation of Indian, Irish and black children from their parents a century ago. A start at making amends for this tragedy has been made by 600 members of the United Methodist Church, where Jeff Sessions is a Sunday School teacher: They are charging him with immorality and child abuse under church rules.

Republican or a Democrat...?

Who Chooses The Bullies...?

I’m a regular Reader reader and I notice that most of your criticism is of Republicans and those in the Republican party. There are a lot of bullies, bigots and racists out there, some of them are Democrats. I hope I have elevated the conversation.

honestly reporting the facts when our president calls it “fake news” whenever they accurately report an egregious act perpetrated by himself or a cohort, and then labels the reporters as “enemies of the people.” Rasmusson accurately describes that “the vast majority of journalism jobs offer little pay for long hours.” And journalists are exposed to criticism, threats and harassment for doing their jobs –- which are essential in preserving our democracy (i.e. the Watergate investigation). But journalists realize that if they don’t respect and expose the truth, no one will. Newspapers across the country paused last Thursday to observe a moment of silence honoring the five employees of the Annapolis Capital Gazette’s staff who were killed. “I can tell you this. We are putting out a damn paper tomorrow,” the Maryland newspaper staff reporter had said.

As we all know, it’s impossible for you to be happy. There is no one who Trump realistically could pick that likely a majority of the nation would like because their gang is not in power. Right-wingers: If Crooked Hillary were picking, you’d be in the exact same spot, and you know it. Just because Cheeto boy gets to pick this time doesn’t excuse anyone who buys into the false dichotomy from this principle: If you are happy no matter what your party does and angry no matter what the opposing party does, this necessarily implies the position has too much power. We must realize the brutal charade the state dances before our eyes if we want to solve the problems of society. Remember, it’s not right versus left, it’s liberty versus tyranny, and you don’t have to look very hard to see the government is tyrannizing us. We just celebrated Fourth of July where the founding fathers left England over a three-percent tea tax. Now our income is 40 percent and no one cares.

By Nick Gier Reader Columnist

Dear Editor, Growing up in North Central Montana in the ‘50s, I spent a great deal of time with my maternal grandparents. They were homesteaders who became small business owners. Family was most important. Religion, education, literature, arts, and sports were part of family life. So was working hard, taking responsibility for one’s life, being independent, treating all people with respect, and reaching out to people less fortunate. Politically theirs was a divided household. My grandmother was a Democrat, my grandfather a Republican. They took their voting responsibility very seriously. Voting is in my genes. When I cast my ballot, I hear my grandfather’s voice about taking responsibility for one’s life and being independent in one ear. In the other I hear my grandmother talking about treating all people with respect and reaching out to those less fortunate. When I enter the voting booth, party affiliation becomes secondary to candidate qualifications and basic principles. I am a registered Democrat but I have voted for Republicans in county, state, and national elections. The candidate who best shares the values passed to me by both grandparents is the one who receives my vote. I hope that in November the best candidate for the job gets your vote. Ken Meyers Sandpoint

Dear Editor, The Reader and Ben have made a pledge to identify and brand a bully when they see one. Just after the 2016 elections Ben called out President elect Trump as a bully and explained why. I agree with Ben regarding President Trump, he uses the bully pulpit to the extreme and should chill out a bit. It isn’t befitting of the office, those elected by the people should be held to a higher standard and keep a civil tongue. Sadly that isn’t happening. With that being said, should representative Maxine Waters be labeled a bully because of what she spews from her lips these days? Encouraging people to get in the face of anyone who supports Trump or that supports someone that Maxine doesn’t like. Using her bully pulpit to denigrate those that disagree with her? I’ve seen Maxine Waters operate like this since the ‘70s. She makes most right wing people look like choirboys. She is the most racist public official that I’ve ever known. She is nothing but an ABW (angry black woman) that has done little or nothing for those she represents. She spews hatred toward white people where ever she goes and has since she was a member of the California Assembly in the 1970s. This is a lifetime mission for her.

Bill Litsinger Sandpoint talkradio@billlitsinger.com

Today’s Journalists Face a Daunting Task... Dear Editor, Cameron Rasmusson’s eloquent opinion piece in the Reader — chronicling the bravery of the Annapolis, Md., newspaper staff’s vow to publish a newspaper after five of their members were killed by a gunman — resonates with anyone who ever worked at or dreamed of being a journalist in this country. As a former journalist (Idaho Statesman, Albuquerque Journal, United Press International) I realized the difficulties of learning the trade and then walking the fine line of determining the truth (the facts) among the myriad distortions and misinformation disseminated by our elected officials and others with axes to grind. As Cameron points out, today’s journalists face a daunting task in

Jim Ramsey Sandpoint

Dear Leftists... Dear leftists who read the Reader, I’m writing this before Agent Orange announces the Supreme Court nominee, so I ask: How many of you will ask yourselves, “Maybe the court is too powerful?” Instead of getting triggered at whoever he picks.

Nick Gier of Moscow taught religion and philosophy at the University of Idaho for 31 years. Read all his columns on refugees at www. nickgier.com/refugees.pdf. He can be contacted at ngier006@gmail.com.

Tony Capricio Sandpoint

Got something to say? Write a letter to the editor. Please keep them under 400 words and please elevate the conversation. July 12, 2018 /

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COMMUNITY

Sandpoint Teen Center Youth match play week searches for a new home By Reader Staff

Bouquets: • The Sandpoint Teen Center is searching for a new location after their current location sold. It’s great for teenagers in Sandpoint to have a safe, comfortable place to socialize after school. Check out the article to the right for information on how you can help them find a permanent home. • Also, the Panhandle Animal Shelter is currently raising funds to pay off its new covered donation station. You can learn more about the project at www. pasidaho.org. • Good job, city of Sandpoint, for correcting that yield sign cluster at the Bridge and First intersection. Before, it was always confusing who had the right of way, but now that they’ve eliminated the yield signs on First and given that route the right of way, traffic is moving much smoother. Barbs • I’ve never been a huge fan of social media. I don’t even have a personal Facebook account that I maintain – only one in which I can keep tabs on the Reader Facebook. I’ve noticed the caliber of comments has taken a nose dive over the last year or so. People are quick to voice their outrage, while often neglecting to understand what the issue is really about. I really want to foster a community discussion place, and the potential for this on Facebook is great, but in reality, it usually comes down to trolls doing what they do best: trolling. Personally, I’m tired of it. Do me and everyone a favor: If you want to post on our Facebook page, leave out at least half the snark and try, just once, to further the discussion with facts, anecdotes and points that land further than just calling someone an idiot. Let’s be better, Sandpoint. Please? 8 /

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By Reader Staff After working hard to secure funding to purchase their current home, the Sandpoint Teen Center has been informed that this building has been sold before they’ve been able to achieve the goal of purchasing the building themselves. “It was tough news for us without a doubt. But, even though we won’t be able to be in the same spot, the needs of the teens in this community aren’t going away, and so neither are we,” said Teen Center board member Dig Chrismer. “We are hoping that by reaching out to everyone in our town, we will be able to find a new place to call home,” she said. “Ideally, we are looking to find a house or building within walking distance of the high school and middle school so that we can continue to be the after-school ‘home-away-from-home’ for the teens in our community. We have been so blessed by the support and financial contributions we have and we know that our mission isn’t finished. These kids need us and we aren’t going to let them down.” The Sandpoint Teen Center provides a central gathering spot for youngsters between the ages

of 14 and 18 to enjoy a meal, supervised activities and other programs. The center typically sees anywhere from 15 to 25 students on any given day. “We see kids from all walks of life at the Teen Center, and that’s what makes this place so amazing,” said Joan Avery, Teen Center program director. “We see kids who are stopping by before they head to sports practice or before they head to work, kids who are just hungry and know they can get a meal after school, and kids who are just looking for connection. We are here for them and they count on us.” “The board is committed to finding a new home, and we are hoping that someone out there might have a building or space that would be a great fit for us,” Chrismer said. “Worst case scenario, we will be based out of a min-van, but we are dedicated to our mission and the Teen Center will be here, wherever here is, next year.” For more information about the Sandpoint Teen Center or to help in the search for a new home, please contact either Jim Payne, Teen Center board president, jimpayne@nctv.com or Joan Avery at jbavery8@yahoo.com.

Youth Match Play Week, for ages 8-12, will be held at Travers Park Courts July 16-20. The class fee is $34 ($3 city discount). Registration deadline is July 13. This program provides an ideal opportunity for budding young tennis players to put their skills into match play and boost their enthusiasm for the game. This week long league will focus on match play and take players through the fundamentals of playing in match formats. Skills taught will include the basics of scoring, singles, and doubles matches. Participants will be split

by skill level and age and have four days of lessons with a Friday tournament to close the week. Beginners will play 9:30 -10:30 a.m., and intermediates will play 10:30-12 p.m. A tournament will take place Friday June 20, for all levels, will play from 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Lessons are not required, but recommended prior to participating in this program. To register, or for other activities offered by Parks and Rec., visit their web catalog at www. sandpointidaho.gov/parksrecreation or visit the office located at 1123 Lake Street.

Junior sailing for beginners By Reader Staff Avast, ye landlubbers! Sandpoint Parks and Recreation and the Sandpoint Sailing Association will be offering junior sailing for beginners ages 10-18, Monday-Thursday, July 16-19, from 9-11 a.m. The registration deadline is July 11, with a class fee of $39 per person ($4 city discount) and class fees are all-inclusive. Students will learn sailing and safety basics, and then head out on the water for lots of

hands-on experience. Personal flotation devices (PFDs) are required for this class, but students should also be comfortable in deep water. Participants are to meet at the Windbag Marina. A swim test will be administered at 2:30 p.m. on Friday, July 13. Meet at the City Beach Lifeguard headquarters. To register, or for other activities offered by Parks and Rec., visit their web catalog at www. sandpointidaho.gov/parksrecreation or visit the office located at 1123 Lake Street.

Bastille Day fundraiser for SASi Intro to woodworking classes By Reader Staff

The Sandpoint Area Seniors, Inc. (SASi) is hosting an ice cream social fundraiser to celebrate Bastille Day on Saturday, July 14. from 3-5 p.m. The fundraiser will take place in the enlarged courtyard at the Sandpoint Senior Center. SASi is joining forces with the Bonner County Food Bank to host this “empty bowl” fundraiser to help replace the Food Bank pickup/delivery van and to fund the many programs at SASi. To commemorate the French Independence Day, SASi will be serving edible bowls with French vanilla ice cream and Ghiradelli

chocolate brownies. Along with the delicious bowls, there will be a “Make it Like Monet” art activity and French “Escargot Hopscotch” for the adventurous. Just $10 buys an edible bowl with the ice cream treat, while a $20 donation grants the bowl as well as participation in the activities. This is a family-friendly event open to the public. Come early for SASi’s Saturday Dance with live band Country Plus, playing in the main building from 1-4 p.m. The dance is free and open to the public. Call (208) 263-6860 for more information.

By Reader Staff

Love gorgeous, high-end handmade kitchen accessories? Want to experience the joy of a pro-grade woodshop? If your answer is yes, then this is the perfect class for you! In a fun one-session class you’ll design and build your own hardwood cutting board set. Learn how we use the jointer, planer and table saw to surface and prep raw lumber. Design your own boards with as much simplicity or complexity as you like. Lastly, enjoy the art of finishing your boards hands-on with planers, sanders and other tools. This class gives you a truly

pro-grade experience, and you leave with your own cutting board set! One day monthly sessions are offered in June, July, August, and September. The class fee is $71 ($2 city discount) per session, and includes a selection of hardwood for an approximately 18” by 12” cutting board. Each session will be held at MakerPoint Studios (C106-14 1424 N. Boyer Ave.) on Tuesdays from 6-9 p.m. Register for the upcoming July 17 session by July 15. Pre-register online at www. sandpointidaho.gov/parksrecreation or call (208) 263-3613.


LITERATURE

Book Review: ‘Educated’ by Tara Westover By Mindy Cameron Reader Contributor “Educated” by Tara Westover is enjoying its ninth week on the New York Times bestseller list, right up there with James Comey and other authors of current political intrigue. There’s good reason for Westover’s success with memoir out a remote corner of Idaho: It reads like a well-written novel, but it’s all true. Her story unfolds in the aftermath of the infamous Ruby Ridge episode in the North Idaho Panhandle in August 1992, where Randy Weaver and his family withstood an 11-day siege after a shootout with federal agents attempting to charge him with firearms violations. Weaver’s wife, his 14-year-old son and a deputy U.S. Marshall were killed. The Westover family lived in faraway southeastern Idaho and Tara was only five years old when her father told the Weaver story. The a story framed her childhood as her father, deeply religious and already detached from society, began to prepare for the day federal agents would come to his compound, possibly on grounds his seven children did not attend public schools. They didn’t even have birth certificates and had never seen a doctor. This is a riveting story of a hard a hardscrabble life. Tara, youngest of seven children, was put to work with the others in the family junkyard business. When she was 10, she saw her brother, Tyler, leave home, and describes a tender scene of a private goodbye embrace. Then, in the adult narrator perspective, she looks back, recalling his departure “across enemy lines,” and, foreshadowing her own future, writes, “Tyler stepped into a void. He can’t explain where the conviction came from, or how it burned brightly enough to shine through the black uncertainty.” This is one of many examples of Westover moving deftly through time, describing the horrifying accidents and injuries in the scrap yard, and stopping to reveal how something was changing inside her. “Sometimes, when I

was stripping copper from a radiator, or throwing the five hundredth chunk of steel into the bin, I’d find myself imagining classrooms where Tyler was spending his days.” When we later see Tara Westover in classes at Cambridge and Harvard, her childhood spent sorting copper and steel in the scrapyard seems a world apart. “Educated” is full of deeply drawn, interesting characters, conflict with parents and siblings, and — more interesting — within herself. A repeated image is of Tara staring at her face in the mirror, trying to discern who she really is. The story is also firmly grounded in time and place. The geography of home is as strong a connection for Tara, as she later moves away, as is family. That this is a true story of a determined young woman breaking bonds of home and place to make a new life for herself — and succeeding — makes it all the more appealing. I do have one quibble with this book because I know Idaho geography better than many readers across the country. Westover leaves the reader believing the Randy Weaver event was nearby. In fact, that siege, as readers of this review already know, happened more than 600 miles away, about as far from the Westover home as it is possible to be and still remain in Idaho. Certainly, Tara’s father shared a state of mind with

Weaver, but not physical proximity within the state. That’s a minor quibble. The book is a wonderful true tale about a woman who loved her family and the land she grew up on, but nonetheless had to leave it behind to find an education and ultimately herself and her place in the wider world.

Top left: Tara Westover. Top Right: The book jacket for “Educated: A Memoir.” Courtesy images.

Laughing Matter By Bill Borders

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Mad about Science: By Brenden Bobby Reader Columnist And the rock it rode in on! Chicxulub Crater is the remnant of the impact event that led to the extinction of the dinosaurs. Everyone knows a big rock hit the Earth and killed all of the dinosaurs, but this is a gross oversimplification, kind of like saying Henry Ford popularized the automated assembly line and now people drive cars. A lot of bad things happened between an apocalyptic rock and 75 percent of all life of Earth getting wiped out, but we’ll go over that over the next few hundred words. Chicxulub Crater was discovered in the 1970s while geophysicists were probing about the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico for oil. Keep in mind, it’s a 66 million-yearold crater, and the Earth has moved around a lot since it was formed. It wasn’t just a big bowl on the surface — it’s been covered by tens of millions of years of erosion and moved around by plate tectonics. Scientists pulled samples from the crater that include shocked quartz (quartz that has undergone extreme heat and pressure changes achieved by sudden impacts) as well as tektites, which are bits of natural glass that used to be silicates before getting walloped with something hot moving very fast. How do we know that this is really a crater if we can’t see it, and how do we even know it was some kind of meteorite and not aliens nuking or abducting dinosaurs? The cool thing about rock is 10 /

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chicxulub Crater that it doesn’t lie, and that stuff that happens to fall on rock creates handy layers we can use to date geological events like major volcanic eruptions and, you guessed it: meteorite impacts. In samples all over the world, there is a stark layer marking the K-Pg extinction event with a thin little strip of iridium, an element that’s rare on Earth, but abundant in asteroids. The fact that this stuff was found all over the world shows something big happened, and there was enough ejecta to be flung to the far corners of the globe. The crater itself is believed to have a diameter of 93 to 112 miles. The energy released by this impact was at least a billion times stronger than the atomic bombs dropped on Japan in World War 2. The meteorite itself was at least nine miles wide; had it been laid gently upon the Earth, it would cover everything between Ponderay and Trestle Creek and look really cool from Schweitzer Mountain. At the time of impact, anything within hundreds of miles was instantly killed by a mix of infrared radiation and the shockwave of the impact. What followed was years, perhaps decades of what we consider nuclear winter. After the impact, molten ejecta rained back down. This caused innumerable forests to catch fire, pushing immense amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere to create false clouds that would choke out sunlight. Carbon in the atmosphere usually causes the atmosphere of a planet to heat dramatically with a greenhouse

effect. The heat enters, it gets trapped and takes a long time to filter out just like with a greenhouse, or the inside of your car this time of year. In the case of the impact, however, all of the dust and debris in the atmosphere blocked sunlight and caused surface temperatures to plummet. It also inhibited plants from generating energy through photosynthesis, which caused a massive chain reaction in the food chain. Plants died, then the giant herbivores that sustained themselves from them, then the carnivores that ate the herbivores until only small, scrappy animals survived. Certain types of volcanic eruptions cause a similar global winter effect. Plinian eruptions like Mt. St. Helens or Mt. Vesuvius can cause global cooling by choking out sunlight with ash, but it’s ultra-plinian eruptions like the 1815 eruption of Mt. Tambora or the Yellowstone eruption 630,000 years ago that can cause the entire planet to drop several degrees in temperature for decades or even usher in ice ages. It seems to be a built-in way for the planet to cool itself off to sustain life over a long period of time, at the cost of … well … killing everything. The impact happened in a shallow sea, which caused a 330-foot megatsunami. Had it occurred in the deep ocean, however, it would’ve created a wall of water 2.9 miles high. That would be like stacking Burj Khalifa atop itself five times. Cowabunga, dude! The impact was a terrible time for life on Earth, at least

right away, but it opened the door for new life to flourish. Had the giant terrestrial lizards not been wiped out, our oldest ancestors would not have flourished enough to give us a chance to dominate the planet as a species. The last common ancestor of all placental mammals from squirrels to horses to dogs to humans emerged about

400,000 years after the impact, once all of the dinosaurs were long gone. It’s weird to think about, but because of a rock that fell out of the sky, you exist to read this paper. It’s even weirder to think that you and your dog both share a great, great, great (This goes on several hundred million times.) grandmother.

Random Corner sert?

Don’t know much about the de

We can help!

• One-third of Earth’s land surface is partially or totally desert. • Antarctica is the largest desert in the world. • It snowed in the Sahara Desert in 1979. By the way, “Sahara” means “desert” in Arabic so the “Sahara Desert” is the “Desert Desert.” • Sand from the Sahara is blown by the wind all the way to the Amazon, recharging its minerals. The desert literally fertilizes the rainforest. • Rain has never been recorded in parts of Chile’s Atacama Desert, the driest place on Earth. • There were once camels roaming in the deserts of Arizona. • The Sahara desert stretches farther than the distance from New York to Los Angeles. • Google hired a camel to create the Street View of a desert. • The Lut Desert in Iran is the hottest place on earth with the highest measured temperature of 159.3°F in 2005. • About 46,000 square miles of arable land turn to desert every year due to climate change and practices such as forest clear-cutting. • There is a secret swimming pool in the Mojave Desert that anyone who finds it can use. • In six hours, the world’s deserts receive more energy from the sun than humans consume in a year. • The Tree of Tenere was considered the most isolated tree on Earth, being the only one for 250 miles in the Sahara Desert, until a drunk driver hit it in 1973. *facepalm


FOOD & DRINK

BeerFest: There’s no better time to be a beer lover By Cameron Rasmusson Reader Staff If variety is the spice of life, then there’s no better time to be a beer lover. With microbreweries springing up all over the country — including several right here in Sandpoint — beer fans have more options than ever in finding new and delicious brews. Problem is, all those options can be overwhelming, and it’s hard to find favorites without taking a chance on a whole pack. That’s why beer festivals are a great opportunity for lovers of the brewing craft. They let attendees experience a variety of beers in small servings at a low base cost. And it’s hard to imagine a better combination than top-notch beer and the beautiful vistas of City Beach, which is exactly what the Greater Sandpoint Chamber of Commerce’s BeerFest does. Last year’s Sandpoint BeerFest drew a crowd of almost 1,000, and with a great forecast set for this Saturday, it’s likely a similar crowd will turn out for the 2018 event. It doesn’t hurt that the list of participating breweries is as impressive as ever, including 12 String Brewing Co, Hunga Dunga Brewing Company, Laughing Dog Brewing, MickDuff’s Brewing Co., Waddell’s Brewpub and Grille, Rants and Raves, Payette Brewing Co.,Trickster Brewing, Post Falls Brewing Company, Wallace Brewing and more. In addition, hard cider from Summit Cider and Whiskey Barrel Cider and non-alcoholic drinks

like MickDuff’s root beer will be available. The system is simple. General admission is $25 and can be purchased in advance online or at the event. That gets attendees a commemorative glass plus six tokens, each of which is good for one beer sample. Two samples are equivalent to a full glass of beer. Find a beer you love? Then go ahead and spring for a full glass. Otherwise, spread your tokens around for a full tour of Pacific and Inland Northwest breweries. Thirstier beer lovers may want to shell out for a VIP pass, which are $60 and exclusively available online until midnight Friday, July 13. The VIP pass includes a Sandpoint Beerfest glass, eight tokens, an exclusive Brew Crew BeerFest T-shirt, one meal, a basic pretzel necklace, a brewery tour at a local brewery, an easy-access VIP line and a 15-minute-early entry. Whichever option attendees choose, they’ll be treated to live music by Tennis, one of the most energetic and beloved Sandpoint party bands around. Food catered by Trinity at City Beach will also be available, providing some delicious grub to go along with that drink. Sandpoint BeerFest takes place Satur-

A happy BeerFest of the past. Photo courtesy Greater Sandpoint Chamber of Commerce. day, July 14, from 12-5 p.m. Children are allowed to attend under the guidance of their parent or guardian, but no dogs are allowed at City Beach. The event is sponsored by Sweet Lou’s, Hendricks Architecture and Ting Sandpoint. As the event is limited to a maximum 1,000 attendees, buy tickets early at https://tickets.beerfests. com/event/sandpoint-beerfest to ensure entry.

Bodacious BBQ keeps Hope’s community center going By Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Staff

Bluegrass music. Catered barbecue dinner. An evening on the lake for a good cause. What else could you possibly ask for? The Memorial Community Center, located in Hope, is hosting their annual Bodacious Barbecue next Saturday, July 21, at the Litehouse Beach House starting at 4:30 p.m., and all of the above will combine for an event that screams “North Idaho summer.” There will be raffles, a silent auction, music from local bluegrass band The Riff Hangers and a no-host bar. Dinner will be tri-tip steak, baked beans, potato salad, Asian cabbage salad, rolls, and chocolate

or carrot cake for dessert. The Bodacious BBQ is the nonprofit’s main fundraiser each year. Funds help continue the community center’s preschool and provide scholarships for preschool families as well as local high schoolers headed to college. MCC also hosts an area-wide Christmas Giving program and free Idaho Humanities Council events. People can also rent the center for private events at an affordable rate, thanks to fundraisers like the BBQ. Tickets to the Bodacious BBQ are $60 per person, or purchase a table of eight for $560, which includes eight meals and two bottles of wine. Purchase tickets at www.memorialcommunitycenter.com, by phone at 208-264-5481 or in person at MCC (located at the intersection of High-

way 200 and Centennial Road) Tuesday through Thursday 9 a.m.- 5 p.m. The Litehouse Beach House is located at 46242 Highway 200, next to the Pringle Park boat launch. To learn more about the event, find “Bodacious BBQ and Bluegrass” on Facebook or visit www.memorialcommunitycenter.com.

Summertime in 7B! Come see us for fresh made gelato daily!

Located on the Historic Cedar St. Bridge Sunday - Monday 7am - 5pm Tuesday - Saturday 7am - 9pm 208-265-4396 • www.cedarstbistro.com July 12, 2018 /

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Live Music w/ Brian Stai 9pm @ 219 Lounge Americana folksinger from Spokane with authentic storytelling

Dollar Beers! 8pm @ Eichardt’s Pub Good until the keg’s dry

Walk with a Doc 5:15pm @ Sand Creek Trai Held every Thursday evenin led by Jane Hoover, NP. ww org for more information

Live Music w/ Tennis Live Music w/ 8pm-12am @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall Marty Perron and Doug Bond Tennis is back for a brewery bash! 5:30-7:30pm @ Idaho Pour Authority Live Music w/ Jake Robin Live Music w/ Miah Kohal Band 6-8pm @ Cedar St. Bridge Wine Bar 9pm-12am @ 219 Lounge Local singer songwriter Sandpoint’s rock outlaw country band Live Music w/ David Walsh Live Music w/ Ron Kieper Jazz 7:45-10pm @ Back Door Bar 7:30pm @ Eichardt’s Pub

Live Music w 5-8pm @ Pen Singer-songw Live Music w 8pm @ The Ea Port Angeles joined by Wi Free hard rock

Live Music w/ Bright Moments Jazz Sandpoint Farmers’ Market B 6-9pm @ Trinity at City Beach 3 9am-1pm @ Farmin Park Live Music w/ John Firshi Shop for locally grown produce, shop artisan F 5-7pm @ Idaho Pour Authority wares, eat some good food and enjoy live music c Live Music w/ Josh Hedlund by Muffy and the Riff Hangers and live magic! S 7-9pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall 1 Second Saturday Artist feature A gifted Sandpoint singer-songwriter C 5-7pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery Live Music w/ Bum Jungle A reception for Sandpoint artist Skeleton Key L 9pm-12am @ 219 Lounge Art Glass, with DJ Mercury spinning tunes in Classic rock n’ roll R from 5-7 p.m. Free and open to the public Live Music w/ Kerry Leigh 9a Live Music w/ Kevin Dorin and Steve Rush 8:30-10:30pm @ Back Door Bar B 4-6pm @ Laughing Dog Brewery Acoustic blues and folk Yo Experimental blues with a touch of jazz. 11 Sandpoint SummerFest Food provided by Edelwagen food truck @ Eureka Center (Sagle) O Live Music w/ Tennis Sandpoint Chess Club 9am @ Evans Brothers Coffee 8-11pm @ 219 Lounge Your last chance to catch Tennis, Sandpoint’s #1 dance Meets every Sunday at 9am band until next year. Music and dancing on the patio Monday Night Blues Jam w/ Truck Mills 7:30pm @ Eichardt’s Pub

JJ Grey & Mofro in concert 8pm @ The Hive If you missed last year’s show, come see JJ Grey as you never have before, in the intimate setting of The Hive which became one of JJ’s favorite venues in the nation last year. Tickets are $33 in advance; $40 at the door. LiveFromTheHive.com Wind Down Wednesday 5-8pm @ 219 Lounge With live music by blues man Truck Mills and guest musician Pat Cole

Wednesdays w/ Bennie 5-7:30pm @ Connie’s Lounge Weekly music on Connie’s deck with Bennie Baker. This week’s special guest: Sinister Midget recording artist Kyle Swafford

Dollar Beers! 8pm @ Eichardt’s Pub Good until the keg’s dry Live Music w/ Bright Moments Jazz 6-9pm @ Trinity at City Beach Jazz on the Trinity lawn

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Sandpoint Farmer 3-5:30pm @ Farmi Buy produce, shop l and listen to live John Firshi

Thursday Night Solo Series w/ Kyle Swaf 6-8pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall As seen with The Other White Meat, d’Alene’s Kyle Swaffard is heading to th Hall for a special Thursday Night Solo Serie Food by Twisted Kilt Black Iron Grill food


ful

July 12 - 19, 2018

Creek Trail (by bear statue) day evening. This week’s walk er, NP. www.WalkWithADoc. mation

A weekly entertainment guide to keep you on your toes. To list your event free, please send an email to calendar@sandpointreader.com. Reader recommended

Live Music w/ Tennis 7-10pm @ The Fat Pig Opening salvo in Tennis’ weeklong music tour in Sandpoint

Open Mic Night w/ Kevin Dorin 6-9pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall Come on down for a night of open mic with Kevin Dorin. All levels of performers welcome. Food by Twisted Kilt Bladk Iron Grill food truck

Music w/ Son of Brad Sandpoint SummerFest m @ Pend d’Oreille Winery @ Eureka Center (Sagle) er-songwriter / indie rock The annual music festival is back again from July 13-15! Music w/ The Bangers Great food and beverages (pro@ The Eagles Club Angeles band The Bangers will be vided by Eichardt’s), tons of ed by Withheld Judgement and P-A. great bands, camping, yoga, kids crafts and more. (208) 265-4000 hard rock show, $5 sugg. donation

Bastille Day Ice Cream fundraiser 3-5pm @ Sandpoint Senior Center artisan For $10, get an empty bowl with French vanilla ice e music cream and Ghiradelli brownies. Proceeds go to SASi magic! Sandpoint BeerFest 12-5pm @ Trinity at City Beach Craft beer and ciders from 16 regional breweries. on Key Live music by Tennis from 1-4 p.m. $25 admission tunes includes glass and 6 tokens. Tons of games and fun Rails to Resort Hill Climb ic 9am @ Red Barn Parking Lot (base of Schweitzer) Rush Bike race to the top of Schweitzer. 208-263-3613 Yoga on Tap jazz. 11am @ Laughing Dog Brewery One hour class - $12 includes your first beer

Sandpoint Contra Dance 7-10:30pm @ Spt. Community Hall Contra dancing is community dancing for all ages, in the New England tradition, featuring live music with great local and regional bands and lively callers. $5 donation at door

Happiness Sprinkling Project 10pm @ Jeff Jones Town Square Dress in your cheeriest yellow and join Kinderhaven as we partner with the Happiness Sprinkling Project to spread a bit of joy to the community Shangri-La at the Lake Fundraiser 5:30-9:30pm @ Shangri La (Sagle) Underground Kindness presents its 6th annual fundraiser with live music by Tennis, food by Skeyes the Limit, silent and live auctions & more Junior Ranger Program: Brilliant Beavers 3pm @ Round Lake State Park (for kids 6-12) Learn about adaptations that help beavers do amazing things. Meets at amphitheater. Free!

BCGA Garden Tour 10am-5pm @ Various locations #1 dance See six outstanding local gardens. BCGardeners.org. atio

he am

Sandpoint SummerFest @ Eureka Center (Sagle)

Lifetree Cafe • 2pm @ Jalepeño’s Mexican Restaurant An hour of conversation and stories. This week’s topic: “Simplify Your Life” Night-Out Karaoke 9pm @ 219 Lounge Join DJ Pat for a night of singing, or just come to drink and listen

t Farmers’ Market @ Farmin Park uce, shop local wares to live music by i

Kyle Swafford

te Meat, Coeur ding to the Beer Solo Series show. Grill food truck

Sandpoint Has Talent 6-8:30pm @ Improve Cafe (Food Court) Open mic night - bring your self expression, theatrical comedy, impersonation, instrument, costume, written word, poetry, dance song. Food specials under $7

Live Music w/ Justin Landis 8-11pm @ 219 Lounge Multi-instrumentalist Justin Landis has played with Tennis, Cedar and Boyer and Marshall McLean Band. He combines the best parts of technology and soul with effected guitar tones combined with thoughtful lyrics

Polly O'Keary and the Rhythm Method Saturday, July 28 @ 7:30 p.m.

July 20-22 Northwest YogaFeast @ Eureka Center

207 Cedar St.

dilunas.com

July 20 “Princess Bride” movie in the park @ Museum

Polly O’Keary is today’s blues woman, rooted in tradition, but informed by the 21st Century. Pulling in influences from zydeco, country, funk, jazz, rockabilly, surf and rock and roll, she and her trio, Polly O’Keary and the Rhythm Method, bring a searing and joyful performance of today’s blues to audiences across the U.S. and Canada. Tickets $15 in advance and $18 day of show Call Di Luna’s at 263-0846 for reservations.

July 21-22 Northwest Wine Fest @ Schweitzer Mountain Resort

HOURS: 3pm to close Mon. through Sat.

FRIDAY, July 13 @ 7:45-10pm

David Walsh Eccentric guitarist SATURDAY, July 14 @ 8:30-10:30pm

Kerry Leigh Acoustic blues and folk

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EATS & DRINKS

in North Idaho

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Part 2

By McCalee Cain Reader Intern

Sandpoint summer could never be complete without a meal or two overlooking Lake Pend Oreille. Fortunately, the lake boasts a diverse selection of dining options for all palates and preferences, each with its own unique view of the water. Get started soon, and you’ll be able to check them all off of your summer bucket list! This week’s second part features

Chop Waterfront Bar & Grill (208) 264-0443 Hours: Mon. — Fri. 4-9 p.m. Sat. — Sun. 11-9 p.m. 46624 ID-200 Chop is one of those restaurants that has something to please everyone. From their seafood to their burgers to their pastas, Chop is likely to serve you your next favorite meal. One Dish: Chop hopes you’ll join them one of these Friday and Saturday nights for their slow-cooked prime rib, with your choice of clam chowder or house salad with smashed potatoes and fresh seasonal veggies.

Loaf & Ladle at Bottle Bay Resort (208) 265-0951 Hours: Mon. — Sun. 9-9pm 115 Resort Rd For a change of lake scenery, be sure to check out Loaf & Ladle at Bottle Bay Resort New to the location, the Loaf & Ladle team is excited to bring their honest food philosophy to the waterfront. With homemade, pub-style fare, Loaf & Ladle pairs beautifully with a day of boating with the family. One Dish: Loaf & Ladle puts a signature twist on the classic refreshing Mojito for the perfect summer drink. 14 /

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Spud’s Waterfront Grill (208) 265-4311 Hours: Mon. — Sunday 11-4 p.m. 102 N First Ave Spud’s selection of delicious soups and sandwiches has earned it a cult following in Sandpoint, and its outdoor seating overlooking the Sandpoint marina makes it an absolute must-try during the summer months. One Dish: The Feisty Vegan salad, featuring a combination of flowering kale and arugula, shredded carrots, beets, purple and green cabbage, quinoa, sunflower seeds, toasted nuts, tossed in Spud’s house-made curry vinaigrette and topped with grape tomatoes, dried apricots, fresh herbs and lemon zest.

Dish at Dover Bay (208) 265-6467 Hours: Mon. — Saturday 11-9 p.m. Sunday 10-9 p.m. 651 Lakeshore Avenue Dish is your go-to for a satisfying meal after a day of play in Dover. With adventurous, international flavors and classic specials such as Taco Tuesdays and Sunday Brunch make it easy to savor the delightful flavors of Dish at every occasion. One Dish: Grilled sushi grade Hawaiian ahi tuna topped with mango salsa drizzled in chimichurri with jasmine rice and seasonal veg. And it’s gluten free!

Shoga (208) 265-2001 Hours: Wed. — Thurs. 4:30-9 p.m. Fri.— Sat. 4:30-10 p.m. / Sun. 4:30-9 p.m. 41 Lakeshore Dr. Shoga combines a cozy dining atmosphere, spectacular lake views and authentic, fresh sushi. The result? A Pend Oreille dining staple. One Dish: Owner Cassandra Cayson recommends going for a platter of Shoga’s signature rolls. “Sushi is great for sharing with friends, so you can try a variety of rolls,” she said. Pictured here from left to right are the Bushido Roll, Dragonfly Roll, Red Dragon Roll, and Tuck ‘n Roll.


LITERATURE

This open Window

Vol. 3 No.8

poetry and prose by local writers edited by Jim mitsui

after a line by theodore roethke - the shape of fire What’s this? A dish for fat lips-or burning hearts? The sorcerer of sauces, stands at the stove, stirring his simmering concoction. The tantalizing scent weaves a spell of aromatic seduction. Hypnotized and hungry, I am drawn to the table. I sit and slowly lift fork to mouth. It is a symphony of savory sensations--garlic greets me first, followed by onion, sauteed and sweet. So far, so good. Flavors co-mingle and choreograph a delicious dance-Wine waltzing past tomatoes and peppers, an epicurean conga line coalescing meat and spice. Mesmerized by my meal and unaware of the rising heat, I look up and meet his questioning gaze. I smile with tears in my eyes as Tabasco and cayenne tango across my tongue and samba down my esophagus. His edible effort the way to my heart. L.S. Jones - 10/4/15 Ms. Jones is a resident of Sagle whose husband has taken over preparing their evening meal. She appreciates this very much even when it is a bit spicy for her. Jim’s comments: Cooking is a great thing to write about; most of us love to eat, try new dishes. This poem captures the wonderful smells and tastes involved in trying something new — whether we are, or are not, fans of spicy food. Can you imagine pizza without the red pepper sprinkled on top?

Send poems to: jim3wells@aol.com

Vol. 3, No. 7’s This Open Window included a poem by Amy Craven called “Through A Glass Darkly.” It is a Sestina, an old traditional form based on choosing six key words featuring identical rhyme instead of the regular rhyme scheme. These six words are used at the end of each line in a series of six stanzas. The same word must be used at the end of the last line of a stanza and repeated at the end of the first line of the next stanza. All six words take turns doing this in each of the first six stanzas. Then in the last stanza which consists of three lines, the words must be paired up in each of the three lines. Most writing programs at the university level require students to write sonnets, sestinas, villanelles, pantoums and other traditional forms. Many of my mentors contended that it was easier to write a traditional rhyming poem like a sonnet because of the required structure and scheme, rather than contemporary free verse which is “unstructured” and needs to work based on its rhythm, sound, flow, format and having something important to say. Try a sestina of your own. —Jim Mitsui

me, discovering a poem

student poem Jim’s comments: In March and April I had the opportunity to teach some poetry at Forrest Bird Charter School. It was a refreshing experience and reminded me why I was pulled toward teaching Creative Writing as a young English teacher in Renton. I recently received a signed thank you card from students & teachers whose classes I visited, and this poem was show-cased, rightly so. It helped resurrect my feelings about today’s Me-Too generation in this day of I-Phones, texting each other across a restaurant table, and becoming immersed in electronics. There’s hope out there; this refreshing poem by Alisa Colegrove shows me that. Thank you, Alissa!

It’s much like the delighted Yosemite bear cub sucking and sucking sour-sweet Skittle Juice, dissolved candy oozing into his mouth through the zipped -up front pouch of a child’s pink wind parka left rumpled

color spectrum

on a picnic table overnight. Or like a feral mare on Waipi’o

1950s lipstick red Tiger-lily orange Ripe lemon yellow Irish clover green Hawaiian lagoon blue and lavender field violet With all these colors and more, thank you, because, with your words and your teaching I am able to paint a picture, with just my words.

Beach, who’s figured out how to unbuckle a strap with her teeth to open a backpack, lumpy with apples and nutty snacks and left untended beneath a nioi tree while the unknowing tourist frolics the black sand with his little sister throwing a frisbee. And too, like when I’m a quiet woman bent at the window sill, rearranging

Alissa Colegrove

agates and crystals, feathers and weathered wood, lichen,

FBCS Middle School Student of Wendy Thompson

barnacles and seed pods, beach glass and bleached bones I’ve dragged home with my memories over the years in an old handwoven red osier dogwood basket. Beth Weber Jim’s comments: Beth is now a Sandpoint resident, busy with moving in, her various music talents and writing poetry. I have been teaching poetry workshops for 50 years at various levels from Poetry-in-the-Schools at the grade school level to graduate classes at ASU — and I don’t think I’ve had a student pick up the skill of writing contemporary poetry, or being so prolific. This poem captures her ability to come up with a good idea to write about so instinctively, just like William Carlos Williams did. July 12, 2018 /

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COMMUNITY

BCEDC announces plans to build a commercial kitchen By Reader Staff After 18 months of planning, development and fundraising, the Bonner County Economic Development Corporation now has all the ingredients to begin construction of Kitchen Ponderay, a commercial kitchen space. The 1540 sq. ft. kitchen will be located at the Bonner Mall in the site of the old Hideaway Lounge. Construction will begin next week. No target date has been set for a grand opening yet. With the kitchen equipment from the original Sandpoint Incubator kitchen to be used as a starting point, the BCEDC has been working to raise the funds necessary to complete the design, engineering, construction and installation of what will be an efficient and modern commercial kitchen. When the BCEDC received the lead grant from the Northwest Business Development Association, the organization’s executive director, Paul Kusche, knew it was time to make the all-out effort to complete the project. “Perseverance pays off,” Kusche said. With six grants completed and received plus the support from the Bonner County commissioners, the city of Ponderay and the Panhandle Area Council, funding fell into place this week. The facility will be open and available for rent 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Kitchen Ponderay will be accessible to all interested food companies, caterers, farm-tomarket preparers and education programs including UI food services and extension programs and high school culinary programs. With no geographic restrictions on its use, Kitchen Ponderay expects to attract businesses from Bonner, Kootenai and Boundary counties as well as western Montana and eastern Washington, Kusche said. Kitchen Ponderay, while it 16 /

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is an Economic Development Project of the BCEDC, will be operated and managed by Kitchen Spokane. Kitchen Spokane is the perfect partner, said Kusche. With experience in operating Kitchen Spokane and Kitchen Coeur d’Alene as 501(c)3 not-for-profit organizations, it is logical to have the same model throughout the region. “Nonprofit commercial kitchens allow food entrepreneurs to start up their businesses at a fraction of the cost and helps them maximize profits when they need it the most,” said Jayme Cozzetto, executive director of Kitchen Spokane and Kitchen Coeur d’Alene. Kitchen Ponderay will be a natural extension of our affordable model, he said. Kitchen Ponderay, like our other facilities, will be a certified facility where new food companies and others can operate under their personal licenses. “With the support of the skilled chefs, we hope they will create food products that may one day result in them being one of the top chefs in the region,” he said. Kitchen Ponderay will also be community-minded. “We believe in supporting our local community and have an established FeedThe-Needy program,” he said. “Once we are established, we work with other volunteer organizations in the region, to provide food and facilities necessary to prepare and distribute meals.” Construction will also be a Bonner County job creator. The Bonner County EDC, with its focus on creating jobs for the county, will be using local contractors (as much as possible) to complete the project including: Pend Oreille Mechanical, Sandpoint

Electric, Wills Plumbing, In and Out Painting, Reader Concrete and Laduca Construction. The BCEDC wishes to express its appreciation for all the support in this project including: • Mall space lease NAI Black Thomas Hix and Bonner Mall ownership – Magnusen Family • Design Layout Sayler, Owens, Kerr – Architects – Matt Kerr • Equipment & Maintenance Bonner County Board of Commissioners – Equipment and $7,500 • GEM Grant for planning, design and engineering Idaho Department of Commerce - $15,000 • Equipment, construction and installation: Northwest Business Development Association - $30,000 City of Ponderay - $3,000 GEM Match Burlington Northern Sante Fe Railroad - $10,000 Inland Northwest Community Foundation - $15,000 USDA - Rural - $25,000 Litehouse, Inc. - $500 Avista Foundation - $2,500 Panhandle Area Council – Interim Financing Equinox Foundation - Request is still pending

The mission of the BCEDC is to support and attract medium to small businesses who are responsible to our community and to support and retain businesses that are the core of the Bonner County Economic System. For

The space at Kitchen Spokane. Courtesy photo.

more information, log onto www.bonnercountyedc.com.


Four things to know about Idaho’s new trespassing law

By Cameron Rasmusson Reader Staff It’s time to take extra care in making sure outdoor expeditions remain on public land. Due to Idaho’s new trespassing rules, which went into effect July 1, the consequences of setting foot on private property without permission could be more severe. Passed in March, the new trespass laws bolster private property rights and increase penalties for violators. Critics of the new law, however, point to vague language and other muddled elements that may make the law difficult to enforce. With that in mind, here are four things to know about the new trespassing law. It increases penalties for trespassers Under the new law, a first offense is punishable by $500 to $1,000 in fines and up to six months in jail. That increases to a $1,500 to $3,000 fine on a second offense and a $5,000 to $10,000 fine and up to a year in jail for a third offense. Trespassing that results in property damaging brings more severe punishments, with a third violation being a felony offense carrying $15,000 to $50,000 in fines and one to five years in jail. Finally, criminal trespassing connecting to hunting, fishing or trapping brings a one-year suspension of Idaho Fish and Game licenses. It broadens landowner rights and limits obligations The law also removes a requirement that landowners place “no trespassing” signs

or orange paint every 660 feet. Instead, according to the Idaho Statesman, the land must be marked at the corners of fencelines and “ at boundaries that intersect navigable streams, roads, gates and rights of way.” Finally, the law allows landowners to bring civil suits against individuals who they believe have trespassed on their property, recovering a minimum of $500 in damages plus legal expenses if they prevail. On the other hand, the defendant can recover court fees and attorney costs if the court determines the lawsuit is frivolous.

On top of that, some of the language — like the definition of trespassing as entering or remaining on private property — creates more confusion. “Well which is it? Is it the mere act of entering a violation or is remaining a violation. It seems like it’s both,” Vaughn

Kileen, executive director of the Idaho Sheriff’s Association, told the Idaho Statesman. According to the Idaho Attorney General’s Office, it’s up to local law enforcement agencies to determine how to enforce the new law. But that’s easier said than done. Ac-

cording to the Bonner County Sheriff’s Office, it is awaiting direction from the Bonner County Prosecutor’s Office about how precisely to proceed with enforcement, and some of those issues may need to be hashed out in court.

Its intersection with “stand your ground” laws could spell trouble While the law grants exceptions for people like missionaries, door-to-door salespeople, Girl Scouts, utility workers, and customers entering stores, that hasn’t allayed fears about its overlap with Idaho’s “stand your ground” laws. Also passed this year by the Idaho Legislature, the law permits individuals to use deadly force while defending their property or place of work. Concern that the combination of bolstered trespassing laws and stand your ground laws could lead to violent confrontations was great enough that the Idaho Attorney General’s Office issued a cautionary statement: “The overlap between the proposed (bills) would likely increase the risk of serious injury or death to otherwise innocent trespassers.” It’s creating headaches for local law enforcement The trespassing bill was intended to clarify Idaho’s existing laws, but so far, it’s done the opposite. Law enforcement officials worry that the law could end up creating trouble for people who didn’t intend to trespass in the first place.

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OUTDOORS

Gardening with Laurie:

Beauty of blue

By Laurie Brown Reader Columnist

Darwin Hurst

Certified Family Nurse Practitioner •Accepting New Patients •All Ages Welcome •Wellness Visits •Chronic Disease Care •Sports Physicals •Same Day Sick Appointments Available

A great escape from the crowds to enjoy a beautiful sunset dinner

Open for dinner Wednesday – Sunday

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Blue flowers are scarcer than most other colors. You see a lot of them advertised in plant catalogs, but mostly they are actually purple. “Johnson’s Blue” geranium? Blue flag iris? Both purple. Blue flowers are coveted, and calling them blue increases sales. Photos are tuned up to look bluer. And some people truly cannot see the difference – I’ve stood before plants that looked purple to me, and had the owner proudly say “Blue!” So, which plants can really claim to be blue? First, despite the names, there are no blue roses. They are all either lavender or purple. Beautiful, but not blue. There are no blue petunias, either. One of the best sources of blue is the delphinium family. From the palest ice blue “Magic Fountains Sky Blue” to the medium blue “Pacific Giants Blue Bird” to the brilliant deep blue of “Blue Jay,” delphiniums provide a range of true blue. Blooming in early summer, they will repeat again in late summer if you cut them back right after blooming. Place these tall beauties against a wall or fence, tie or stake well, and feed heavily. Some veronicas are true blue. “Royal Blue” is true blue, and reblooms. It’s a rather floppy plant, which makes it perfect for a design trick I like – blue flowers as water – let it hang over rocks and it’ll give the illusion of falling water. Veronica peduncularis “Georgia Blue” is a shorter, smaller plant that is also true blue and has the same sprawling habit. Annual lobelia is another good plant for this watery look if the area is shady. “Crystal Palace” is variable, with some seed lots being true deep blue and some with a touch of purple, so look carefully. “Cambridge Blue” is a true sky blue. Lesser known is Anchusa azurea (Bugloss). While the leaves are painfully hairy and coarse, the flowers are intense blue stars. Listed as an early spring bloomer, I’ve known it to bloom for two full months and repeat in fall. This plant needs excellent drainage or the rosettes will rot. Don’t expect blooms the first year and in fall cut back and clean up the leaves before they turn brown. They are pricklier when dried up! Anagallis monellii is a perennial, but not hardy here. It grows fast and blooms the first year, though. It’s a crawler with dark lapis flowers that open and close according to the weather. A ground hugger, it works well in a basket. For a carpet of pale blue, sow some forget-me-nots. Myosotis will not usually bloom in its first year but after that, you

Delphinium “Blue Jay.” Courtesy photo

will have it forever. Blooming early for a long period, it makes a solid ground cover. When bloom becomes sparse, pull it out before it can develop mildew. By this time it will have dropped enough seed for next year’s plants – actually, enough seed to cover the entire world if not kept in check. Another super easy blue annual is Bachelor’s Buttons. Available in dark, medium or light blue, they will also perpetuate given a chance, but not to the extent of being a problem. Nigella comes in blue; they are wonderful plants with odd, almost skeletal stems, starry flowers, and weird, bulbous seed pods. Most blue pansies have a purple cast to them, but “Morpho” is a blend of pure mid-blue and yellow; “Lake of Thun” is a clear, dark blue. Other self-sowers: borage, a cucumber-flavored herb, has star shaped blue flowers. Occasionally the flowers are pink or even half pink/half blue, all on the same plant! Chicory has medium blue flowers that open in the morning and close at noon. The leaves look like dandelions, and risk being weeded out unless it’s in bloom. And, of course, Heavenly Blue morning glories, those brilliant trumpets. Plant them on the east side of the house, and they’ll stay open longer than on the south. Some foliage is called “blue” — blue hostas, blue spruce, blue junipers, blue Atlas cedars. They are really more gray than blue, but are good for echoing the blue theme. A garden of all blue sounds soothing, but remember that a blue that is slightly “off” will look even further off if put next to a truer blue. To make blue stand out, add other colors. Blue and white has a very light feel while still being “cool” — even more effective with gray foliage. Yellow punches up blue and gives a Monet’s garden effect. Blue as an accent can be electrifying; picture a tall blue delphinium in a bed of creamy “Moonbeam” coreopsis, “Windrush” roses and yellow marigolds.


STAGE & SCREEN

Magic and comedy collide at upcoming David DaVinci shows By Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Staff

David DaVinci is known as a world-champion magician who thrills his audiences with daring illusions, but locals have a chance to experience the comedic side of his expertise in a handful of intimate shows in Sandpoint in the coming weeks. These Sandpoint performances — titled “Tricked OUT! Comedy Magic Show” — will happen in the Cedar Street Bridge on the main level near Creations. The first show is this Saturday, July 14, at 7 p.m. Doors open 30 minutes prior to showtime. Two more upcoming shows are on July 28 and August 10. There are only 30 seats available at each show. DaVinci describes his Sandpoint performances in this location as being in “an intimate theater setting with two volunteers on stage — not a bad seat in

the house!” The shows are rated PG, and promise to provide plenty of thrills and laughs. Get more information and buy tickets at www.sandpointmagic.com. Get discount codes at Mr. Sub, Creations and Kyoto Sushi to save 20 percent on tickets. Learn more about DaVinci on Facebook or at his website, www.daviddavinci.com.

David DaVinci performs magic at a previous show. Courtesy photo.

thursday, july 12 @ 6pm

festival at sandpoint’s “youth concert” saturday, july 14 @ 7:30pm

“10” starring bo derek sunday, july 15 @ 3:30pm

“arthur”

saturday, july 21 @ 7:30pm

“empire of the sun”

sunday, july 22 @ 3:30pm

“A river runs through it” Little Theater

thursday, july 26 @ 7pm

Fox & Bones in Concert - Reel Lounge saturday, july 28 @ TBD

Crazy Days Music & Movie Sales Friday, August 10 @ 3:30pm

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This week’s RLW by Ed Ohlweiler

MUSIC

h t i w w e i v r e An int

READ

A good book makes you lament its completion—a great book makes you think “Wow” while struggling to relive all you’ve just read, to treasure it before the memory fades. “The Red Convertible” by Louise Erdrich was a “wow” book for me. The book represents 30 years of short stories from a Native American poet and Pulitzer-finalist, is both real and mystical, and portrays with equal ease the natural world (a tasty passage on ravens comes to mind) and complex human emotions.

LISTEN May I recommend my favorite Celtic album ever—so far anyway? It’s Silly Wizard’s 1993 release “Live Wizardry”. Not only are the musicians firing on all cylinders, but there’s an unmistakable chemistry amongst the band members captured on the album (two of whom have since passed on). It just plain seems like a flawless recording, with slow songs that tug heartstrings and fast songs that make you dance a jig.

WATCH

When was the last time you watched a Laotian movie? “The Rocket” is an Australian/Laos collaboration that is wonderfully shot and directed in Laos and is a captivating tale of, well, let’s just say... a curse... with interesting travels and side ventures. Need I say more?

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Carolos Verduga, left, Rome Ramirez, center and Eric Wilson, right. Together they are Sublime with Rome. Photo by Andreas Ramirez By Ben Olson Reader Staff If you were alive in the ‘90s, or if you are currently living and breathing, you’ve probably heard of a little band called Sublime. The punk-ska-reggae-rock band blazed their way into the American soundscape with three studio albums, but in 1996, when frontman Bradly Nowell died of a heroin overdose, they disbanded. In 2009, the surviving members of Sublime – Floyd “Bud” Gaugh and Eric Wilson – reformed the band into its next life cycle, Sublime with Rome, featuring Rome Ramirez, a young guitarist and self-proclaimed Sublime fan. The trio carried on the Sublime tradition, releasing two studio albums and touring worldwide. After Bud stepped away in 2011, former Tribal Seeds drummer Carlos Verdudo rounded out the trio to its current lineup.

Ramiriz set aside some time to chat with the Reader to talk about their upcoming appearance at the Festival at Sandpoint on August 10, 2018.

about to drop this new album that we got, really just keep playing as much as possible, overseas, trying to expand our market, bringing new fans to music.

BEN OLSON: Hey Rome, how about we start by telling us a little about yourself and where you’re from?

BO: What was it like, growing up to have this inspirational band you follow, then all of a sudden you’re stepping into a very key role. Was this a little surreal to you?

ROME RAMIREZ: I’m from northern California, born and raised, and very much, growing up, my favorite band in the world was Sublime. I got to meet Eric when I was 18, started kicking it and jamming and shit, then after doing that for a while, one thing led to another, he said, ‘Would you be interested in playing in Sublime with me?’ I thought he was joking at first, but he said, ‘No, I’m serious,’ and the rest is history. We just started hitting the road slowly, started promoting. It all came together. That’s kind of where we’re at now. We’re

RR: Yeah, it was. I kind of knew where the next couple years of my life were going to go from that point on. I was like yeah, I’m finally going to be able to get inside a tour bus and go show to show, like I’ve always dreamed of. You know, I just knew my life was going to change completely, and that’s a really insane feeling. It usually happens for people slowly along the way, and you don’t really know that, but in my case, it was just like, one meeting and they

said, ‘We have all the shows lined up for you guys,” and I remember thinking, ‘Whoa, this is going to be my life.’ It’s so cool. BO: That is cool. I’m really happy for you, Rome. Tell me about the new album. RR: We’re probably going to drop it early next year. We have a new single coming out July 27, and we’re f***ing excited about that, man. It’s been a while since we put out any new music. We’ve just been sitting back, playing live a bunch, letting the radio do its thing. And we’ve been taking a bunch of inspiration in. We’ve been working on this album about a year and a half, so we finally got a pack of songs we’re really stoked on. We went to Texas at this studio we play out there. It was beautiful, it’s in the middle of nowhere and there’s a hundred thousand palm trees – crazy. But they had all

< see SUBLIME, page 21 >


< SUBLIME, con’t from page 20 >

tion and songwriting, coming from within the band. Now we live in a time that provides such great lyrical content, so it’s a very perfect time for us to be able to write an album, which is a pinnacle in our lives.

this crazy vintage gear from all these legends and stuff. We went out there and recorded all the songs we’d previously written. It was rad. We did the whole thing with Rob Cavallo, who’s this master producer, and it was a great time working with somebody of his stature, so it was really cool, a different direction for us.

BO: You mentioned playing with Eric Miller before. Being an original member of Sublime, does he bring a lot of expertise and experience from the early days?

BO: How does the songwriting work? Do you write together, or is there one person who takes the lead on that? RR: I pretty much write the majority of the lyrics and chord structure, then when I bring them over to (bassist) Eric (Miller), he has a way of dissecting it all and chiseling out the best parts and turning the arrangement into something with more order to it. His approach has always really captured that sound. BO: When you have a band like Sublime with such an established sound, it must be comforting in one sense, but also nerve-wracking because it must be hard to honor that core sound, that punk-ska-reggae that Sublime helped put on the map. RR: Well, I feel like it’s easy for us to find that sound. There are a lot of people who took onto the elements of Sublime that I feel were the most obvious, whereas, we always try to stay true more to the roots. Instead of asking ‘What would Sublime do?’ it’s more asking ‘What would Bad Brains (an early influential punk reggae band) do?’ cuz that’s our barometer for how far to take it. Sometimes you’ll throw a foot in one water a little too far, or whatever. We’ve got

Rome Ramirez. really hard songs and really soft songs, but I think this is such a good balance of both of that, it doesn’t sound like a concoction of a bunch of songs trying to hit the f***ing radio. But at the same time it doesn’t sound like some regurgitated f***ing reggae rock band. We really have this type of balance between produc-

RR: Of course he does, but he’s not the kind of person who would ever sit you down and say, ‘I want to speak knowledge to you.’ He’s just like your traditional epic person, epic character. You watch how they live their lives and watch the decisions they make and say, ‘OK, I can see why you’re at where you’re at today.’ Just being around somebody who’s so great and legendary and watching them go

through their day and watching them say yes to certain things, I’ve learned some big life lessons from Eric. BO: What’s it like for you to step into such big shoes? A lot of people say Bradley Nowell was an integral part of Sublime, and after he died, the band wasn’t the same. How do you deal with honoring his sound and stepping into that role? RR: Honestly man, for me, it’s kind of like marching to the beat of my own drum, but I’ve kind of dealt with that even before I was with Sublime. I quit college, I wanted to do this, play music, and its kind of like that has always been there, starting a band and rolling with Eric and Bud, and as long as they’re cool, I’m cool. BO: What should we expect from your upcoming Festival show? Old stuff? New stuff?

Any hints? RR: We always play a mix, you know. The rule of thirds. We try to keep it a third hits, a third legacy and a third of Sublime with Rome. There’s so much that’s happened with Sublime, we like to kind of space it out. BO: Well, having grown up listening to Sublime, I’m super excited to see you guys next month. Thanks for taking the time to chat with us. RR: Hell yeah, brother, take care. Sublime with Rome will play the Festival at Sandpoint on Friday, August 10, 2018. They will drop the single “Wicked Heart” on July 27 in support of their forthcoming album on Five Music Inc. distributed by Song Red/The Orchard. For tickets to the Festival, go to festivalatsandpoint.com.

Dance band Tennis to play a bevy of shows this week By Ben Olson Reader Staff If you haven’t heard Tennis play live, you just haven’t experienced the music scene in Sandpoint to the fullest. Known for their spot-on covers, quirky originals and indefatigable energy on stage, the three-piece rock band has a hardy following still, 13 years after they formed in Sandpoint. The trio is embarking on their “Teen Angst Tour” this week to commemorate 13 years of making it happen. Though frontman Brian Hibbard currently lives on the east coast, he manages to return to Sandpoint every year, where it all began, for a series of shows. They kick it off at The Fat Pig restaurant on Thursday July 12 for a

free show from 7-10 p.m. The next day, they’ll play Friday the 13th at MickDuff’s Beer Hall for a brewery bash from 8 p.m.-12 a.m. There will be a $5 cover charge for this show, which always packs the brewery. Tennis plays two sets Saturday, July 14; Sandpoint BeerFest at Trinity at City Beach from 1-4 p.m. and later that night at Shangri La @ The Lake, a fundraiser for Underground Kindness from 5:30-9:30 p.m. They’ll wrap up the tour Sunday, July 15 with a special 219 Lounge show on the back patio from 8-11 p.m. Come out this week and watch Tennis do what they do best: bring the rock. Wear your sweatbands and get ready to shake it. Long live Tennis!

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Banding of Sandpoint osprey to be livestreamed By Reader Staff

From Sandpoint News Bulletin, Jan. 27, 1948

SAILOR CHARGED WITH HAVING TWO WIVES Deputy Sheriff George O’Donnell has gone to Seattle to bring back Robert F. Spencer, carpenter’s mate in the U.S. Navy held there on a warrant telegraphed by Sheriff Bob Ellersick the last of the week charging Spencer with polygamy on the complaint of 17-year-old Marion R. Spencer, whom he married here July 13, 1948. The records here show that consent to her marriage to Spencer, then stationed at Farragut, was given by Marion’s mother. Mrs. Alta Young Spencer gave his age, on application for license to wed, as 28. It appears that claim by the local Mrs. Spencer, who has been making her home with her parents here since her sailor husband was transferred to Seattle, for her allotment led to the discovery that the man had a wife and two children at his former home in Texas. Spencer, on arrest, told Seattle officials that he knew nothing about the charge and waived extradition.

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An incredible opportunity to view a biologist in action at the Memorial Field osprey nest is just days away with the Project Osprey Banding event – and it’s being streamed live on Sandpoint Online’s osprey webcam for all to watch. Viewers can log on to www.SandpointOspreys.com next Friday, July 13, at approximately 10 a.m. for this rare, up-close glimpse as professional biologist Wayne Melquist hops aboard a Bestway Tree Service bucket along with Dennis McIntire to the Memorial Field osprey nest in Sandpoint, where they will band the three new chicks. For viewers who can’t tune in right at 10 a.m., Sandpoint Online will have a recorded clip of the banding available later in the day. Either live or recorded, the action won’t last long: Melquist should be not more than five minutes at the nest, to disturb the osprey family as little as possible. Bird banding does not hurt or injure the ospreys; it is a non-invasive, longterm method of observing and studying birds without interfering with their natural behavior. This practice provides conservationists and ornithologists with vital information to protect critical bird habitats and pass other conservation measures so birding will always be available to enjoy. To help fund the project, Lake Pend Oreille Cruises hosts a special fundraising cruise from 9 a.m. to noon Friday, July 13, with all proceeds benefiting Project Osprey Banding. The project was kicked off by Linda Mitchell, co-owner and operator of Lake Pend Oreille Cruises; the special cruise will go by the action from the lake. “All ticket proceeds will go to pay for the lift to get Wayne 100 feet in the air to

band the chicks, and in the fall to clean the nest,” Mitchell said. “Any funds left over will go to Birds of Prey Northwest,” Mitchell said. “We encourage passengers to bring their iPads and phones, and other devices along to watch the banding online,” she said, referring those interested in learning more about the venture to visit their Facebook page at www.facebook. com/LakePendOreilleCruises. Also onboard, osprey webcam consulting biologist Janie Veltkamp of Birds of Prey Northwest and her husband Don will be giving a presentation and also bringing smaller birds of prey along on the cruise. And after Melquist bands the birds, he’s planning to join the cruise at Memorial Field and share his extensive knowledge with passengers. It’s a trip you won’t want to miss! Cruise price is $40 per person and 100 percent of ticket sales will pay for the project. RSVP at 208255-5253 or e-mail info@lakependoreillecruises.com. The web cam was placed on the Memorial Field nest in fall 2011 by Keokee Co., which produces Sandpoint Online,

A still frame from the osprey camera. Image courtesy SandpointOnline.com in collaboration with the city of Sandpoint. The city has been supportive of the project since inception but no taxpayer money is used for the cam equipment or operations, which are provided by Sandpoint Online with support from Avista, Northland Communications and individual osprey fans who contribute through a donor button on the page.

Crossword Solution

I don’t say the bird is “good” or the bat is “bad.” But I will say this: at least the bird is less nude.


Sandpoint Lavender Farm joins Chamber

By Reader Staff

From left to right: Vicky Jacobson, Betty Faletto, Bob Witte, Kris McPeek, Kate McAlister This artisan method of distillation has been used for centuries. Their products include a variety of essential oils, florals, health and beauty products, and gift sets. While the farm is not open to the public, they are hoping to offer tours in the future. For now, you can find them at the Downtown Sandpoint Farmers Market, Fosters Crossing and online at www.sandpointlavenderfarm.com. They also offer wholesale and bulk pricing and love to donate items to local charities and nonprofit organizations. Please join the Greater Sandpoint Chamber of Commerce in welcoming Sandpoint Lavender Farm.

thanks for making us the #1 Country station

Woorf tdhe Week

palpebral

/PAL-puh-bruhl/

[adjective] 1. of or relating to the eyelids.

“These palpebral twitches are driving me crazy!” Corrections: Last week, we ran a photograph of the wrong dish under the Floating Restaurant’s ‘Lake Dining’ listing. Here’s the real dish to the right. Mmmm. Also, the Festival at Sandpoint Summer Youth Music Camp was listed twice on our events page, one of which was the wrong date. Apologies! -BO

CROSSWORD

Copyright www.mirroreyes.com

The Greater Sandpoint Chamber of Commerce welcomed Sandpoint Lavender Farm to the Chamber with a ribbon cutting ceremony on Monday, July 3. Located just north of Sandpoint, Kris McPeek and her husband had big dreams for their 20-acre property. “Our family has always had a love of growing and using herbs, especially Lavender. With lots of acreage at hand we investigated the idea of a working Lavender Farm and found it to be the perfect fit,” McPeek said. Despite the challenges, they now have two acres of four types of lavender plants, and a half acre of mint. They are dedicated to natural and sustainable farming practices. They do not use herbicides or pesticides of any kind. Their pure essential Lavender oils are distilled right on the farm, including the 2017 International Lavender Sommelier Gold Medal Award of Excellence “Grosso” oil winner. Sandpoint Lavender Farm uses a 40-gallon custom made copper still that creates 100 percent pure essential Lavender oils and hydrosols using ancient glacial well water.

ACROSS 1. Abyss 6. Gestures of assent 10. Weightlifters pump this 14. Reddish brown 15. Death notice 16. Microwave (slang) 17. Apart 18. Eye layer 19. Imperfection 20. Copyright infringement 22. Past tense of Leap 23. Diva’s solo 24. Vomiting 26. Be dressed in 30. Eastern Standard Time 31. Veto 32. Pinnacle 33. Throat-clearing sound 35. Vernacular 39. Scorn 41. One sank the Titanic 43. Foreword 44. Rational 46. Den 47. And so forth 49. Clunker 50. Sea eagle 51. A dwarfed ornamental tree 54. Bit of gossip 56. God of love 57. Typographer 63. Medium-sized tubular pasta 64. Space

Solution on page 22 65. Got up 66. River of Spain 67. Constellation bear 68. 1000 kilograms 69. Mortgage 70. Observed 71. Horse

DOWN 1. Fellow 2. Satan’s territory 3. Dwarf buffalo 4. Kiss 5. A crime syndicate 6. Feeds 7. Render unnecessary

8. Perishes 9. Flower part 10. Rigid 11. Governs 12. Relative of a giraffe 13. Salamanders 21. Districts 25. 5280 feet 26. Dry riverbed 27. Not closed 28. A musical pause 29. Grimace 34. An American militiaman 36. Close 37. Smile 38. Monster

40. Greek letter 42. Yields 45. Fat 48. Anagram of “Rustic” 51. Edge on a cutting tool 52. Small African antelope 53. French for “Our” 55. Butchers’ offerings 58. Bygone era 59. Gait faster than a walk 60. Anagram of “Note” 61. Feudal worker 62. Marsh plant

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