events April 15 - 22, 2021
THURSDAY, april 15
Live Music w/ Benny Baker Incredibly Wild Online Auction (Apr. 14-28) 6-8pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall @ scotchmanpeaks.org Friends of Scotchman Peaks Wilderness hosts an online Longshot Trivia auction featuring local art, weekend getaways and more 6-9pm @ The Longshot Connecting With Your Children Through Nature — Kaniksu Folk School 9am-3pm @ Pine Street Woods Kaniksu Land Trust’s new adult nature education initiative. A class for parents and teachers to deepend their own connection to nature and provide them with tools to help connect your kids to nature. Entire day spent outside. $40. 208-263-9471
FriDAY, april 16
Live Music w/ Doug Bond & Marty Perron Live Music w/ Devon Wade 5-8pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery 6:30-9:30pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall Acoustic guitar and mandolin duo Friday Night Wine Flight 4-11pm @ The Longshot Flight of 3 wines for $15
SATURDAY, april 17 Live Music w/ Kevin Dorin Live Music w/ Ben Vogel 6:30-9:30pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall 5-8pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery Smart pop music that surges with rock energy Live Music w/ Jacob Maxwell Festival at Sandpoint Virtual Auction and Show 7-9pm @ The Longshot 6-7pm @ festivalatsandpoint.com From CDA. Appeared on season A virtual auction benfiting the Festival at Sandpoint, 16 of The Voice featuring musical performances from local artists and Festival updates on 2021. To attend, visit the Festival’s website and follow the instructions
SunDAY, april 18
Sandpoint Chess Club 9am @ Evans Brothers Coffee Meets every Sunday at 9am
Piano Sunday w/ Peter Lucht 3-5pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery Bingo at the Winery 6-7:30pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery
monDAY, april 19
Outdoor Experience Monday Night Group Run – All levels welcome 6pm @ Outdoor Experience Lifetree Cafe • 2pm @ Jalapeño’s Restaurant “They Hijacked My Life!”
Monday Night Blues Jam w/ Truck Mills 7pm @ Eichardt’s Pub
tuesDAY, april 20 wednesDAY, april 21 ThursDAY, april 22 Live Music w/ Brian Jacobs 6-8pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall
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/ April 15, 2021
COMMUNITY Bonner Community Housing Agency seeks new executive director By Ben Olson Reader Staff Finding affordable housing in North Idaho has become a quest for many who are moderate-income earners. With homes selling for hundreds of thousands of dollars more than they were just a few years ago, the housing crunch in Sandpoint is an immediate reality. The Bonner Community Housing Agency announced April 14 that it is seeking a new executive director after news that the current ED, Chris Bassett, plans to step down after 11 years in the position. Nate Rench, who serves as president of the board, said BCHA is actively seeking applicants to fill Bassett’s shoes. “It’s a tricky role to fill because, besides being in the nonprofit realm, you kind of have to have a diverse skill set,” Rench told the Reader. “You need to have a background in the lending and mortgage industry, you need to be construction-oriented, you need to know about real estate transactions and banking. It’s a tough job to fill.” Rench said the BCHA is encouraging anyone interested to apply via the online job portal: idahoworks.gov/ jobs/1407593, where a full job description is available. The executive director needs to promote the mission of BCHA publicly; run operations, programs and staff; oversee the development of housing projects through HUD and IHFA and work with the board of directors on community outreach and funding. According to Rench, the BCHA helps to develop local housing for low- to moderate-income earners. “The idea behind it is to help people like teachers and firefighters,” Rench said. “You don’t have to be a millionaire to live in Sandpoint. You should have the opportunity to own a home or live in Sandpoint without being independently wealthy — which is becoming harder and harder.
… We need to figure out how to make housing available for moderate-earning families.” Rench said while there are some local entities aiming to create apartment complexes for low-income families, the BCHA is most interested in helping families buy or build their first home. “We’re not looking at 4,500-square-foot mansions on the water or anything,” Rench said. “We’re looking at nice, affordable homes they can call their own. We have an influx of people moving in that are driving prices high. The cost of construction right now is through the roof.” In an ideal world, Rench said the BCHA is seeking a charitable donor who is willing to give their land to a good cause. “Helping local families buy their first home is, I think, the most noble gift you can give,” Rench said. “These are Sandpoint families trying to make ends meet and have a little bit of ownership in this community.” The BCHA is accepting applications now. For more information contact Nate Rench at NRench@watrust.com or Chris Basset at chris@bonnerhousing.org.