Reader_August31_2023

Arts. entertainment. bluster and some news

August 31. 2023 I

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Imm I Vol. 20 Issue 35

West Bonner County School District voters successfully recall Rutledge, Brown • KLT raises enough money to purchase Pine Street Sled Hill What Montana's landmarlc climate case could mean for Idaho· Schweitzer Fallfest celebrates 30 years· SHS XC coaches retire after 18 years

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DEAR READERS,

The week in random review

By Soncirey Mitchell Reader Staff

absolutely batty

What does it mean to be a “white woman”? Many have speculated. Though I’ve been white — and a woman — my whole life, I never felt that I’d earned the moniker until a recent weekend when I was out on the town with a friend. There, clinging to a wall in broad daylight, was a little bat. Bats don’t usually take a morning stroll down Main Street unless something is terribly wrong; so, by all accounts, I received fair warning to walk away. Despite this, I turned to my friend and said, “I’m about to be such a white woman,” then proceeded to get very close to the animal to take a picture. The bat flew at my face. I walked away unscathed but not unchanged; getting stupidly close to a wild animal was the rite of passage I needed to become an official “white woman.” Now I’m off to drink a LaCroix and make a potato salad with raisins.

I hate that; write it down

When considering my dog’s delightful smiling face, my mother had the audacity to emotionally scar me by referring to his tongue as an “indoor/outdoor muscle.” This disturbing description follows a pattern of observations forced on me by those I hold most dear. In the same vein, my best friend once described her skin as a “Morphsuit without a zipper.” Someone save me from these lunatics.

i owe the arachnoid aliens an apology

In classic sci-fi like The Twilight Zone, when humans are confronted with an alien race for the first time, there’s always one idiot who has to ruin it for everyone by shooting at the spaceship.

Recently, I was shocked to discover that maybe I’m that idiot. While cleaning out some discarded fencing around my garden, I discovered a spider the size of a silver dollar — with fangs to match. In that instant I was filled with so much ungodly rage I was willing to burn down my house to ensure that I’d never see the creature again. Unlike the ’60s sci-fi characters, I came to my senses before the murder took place. I’d like to apologize to any arachnoid aliens that may be reading — I promise not to chuck a shoe at you if you visit.

There’s nothing like rain after a couple of weeks of heat. I hope you’re all enjoying this preview of fall weather. The six or seven weeks after Labor Day remain one of my favorite times in North Idaho.

But the big news this week is how voters in the West Bonner County School District successfully recalled Trustees Keith Rutledge and Susan Brown after a monthslong effort following the board’s decision to hire Branden Durst as superintendent.

I hope Durst hasn’t unloaded the moving van, because something tells me his time working in North Idaho is coming to a close.

With the recall passing by a wide margin, this should hopefully serve as a lesson to extremists that our communities are fed up with the ideological B.S. they keep shoving at us.

Schools are not a place for politics, they are a place for learning. They are a place to help educate the next generation so they can hopefully live in a better world than the one we have now. The goal should always be to provide our children with the best education we can muster. Period.

Republicans and Democrats don’t often agree on much, but in this case they have banded together against the fringe elements, proving that an engaged community can do anything if its members stand together.

– Ben Olson, publisher

READER 111 Cedar Street, Suite 9 Sandpoint, ID 83864 208-946-4368

sandpointreader.com Publisher: Ben Olson ben@sandpointreader.com Editorial: Zach Hagadone (Editor) zach@sandpointreader.com Soncirey Mitchell (Staff Writer) soncirey@sandpointreader.com Lyndsie Kiebert-Carey (emeritus) Cameron Rasmusson (emeritus) John Reuter (emeritus) Advertising: Kelsey Kizer kelsey@sandpointreader.com Contributing Artists: Ben Olson, Woods Wheatcroft, Soncirey Mitchell, Bill Borders Contributing Writers: Zach Hagadone, Ben Olson, Soncirey Mitchell, Lorraine H. Marie, Brenden Bobby, Rep. Mark Sauter, Briana Whitehead, Mike Wagoner, Katie Botkin, Clark Corbin, Sandy Compton Submit stories to: stories@sandpointreader.com Printed weekly at: Tribune Publishing Co. Lewiston, ID Subscription Price: $165 per year 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.

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Requirements: –No more than 300 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 Check us out on the web at: sandpointreader.com About the Cover

This week’s cover art is generative AI artwork created when typing in “climate change post apocalyptic world.”

August 31, 2023 / R / 3

NEWS

Big turnout fuels successful recall effort in W. Bonner School District Voters overturn seats held by Trustees Keith Rutledge, Susan Brown

By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff Voters in the West Bonner County School District made headlines around the state Aug. 29, turning out in large numbers to successfully recall two trustee members.

The results of the special election, which will remain unofficial until canvassed on Thursday, Sept. 7, showed 65.9% voted in favor of recalling WBCSD Vice-Chair Susan Brown and 62.6% voted to recall Chair Keith Rutledge — what Bonner County Clerk Michael Rosedale called “decisive” margins.

According to state law, a successful recall requires that more voters cast ballots in favor of the measure than elected the given official in the first place, and that the “yes” votes then outnumber the “no” votes by a simple majority.

Residents in Zone 2 elected Brown with 176 votes, and Zone 4 residents cast 244 ballots for Rutledge for their seats in the last election, with terms ending in January 2026. Petitioners this summer gathered 337 valid signatures to put Rutledge on the recall ballot, and 243 valid signatures to put Brown on the ballot.

On Aug. 29, 624 voters agreed that Brown should be recalled, and 762 voted to recall Rutledge. Total turnout came to 2,166 voters, and reached no lower than 53% in any of the six precincts.

Only voters in Zones 2 and 4 were eligible to vote.

“That’s totally a presidential election,” Rosedale told the Reader, referring to the level of participation at the polls.

According to a statement provided Aug. 30 to the Reader from Dana Douglas and Candy Turner, who started the WBCSD “Recall, Replace, Rebuild” effort, “We are grateful and thankful for the voter turnout. We are also grateful and thankful that the community saw 4 / R / August 31, 2023

WBCSD Vice-Chair Susan Brown, left, and WBCSD Chair Keith Rutledge right. File photo. through the misinformation that has been blanketed through the community. ...

“We know that our battles are not over, but we are staying here and working hard to get our district back on track. Our community came together when we weren’t being heard,” they added. “The two board members had their own agenda and chose not to work with the other board members or listen to the community for the good of the district.”

According to statute, the WBCSD board has 90 days from the date of the canvass to appoint replacements from the zones that are now vacant or, failing that, make appointments from anywhere in the district. If they can’t resolve that after 120 days, the board of Bonner County commissioners may make the appointments.

Trustees appointed to the vacant seats would serve out the remaining terms, in this case until January 2026. The seats currently held by Trustees Margaret Hall, Carlyn Barton and Troy Reinbold will all be on the ballot in the November general election.

Barton, who represents Zone 5, told the Reader in an email that, following the recall, “we need to unify by focusing on the health of our district.”

“We have come a long way but we still have a lot of growth that needs to be done to rebuild our

Right: (Left to right): Holly Jepson, class of culture,” she wrote, later adding, 2003; Connor Nelson, “We need to continue to work on first grade; and Melissa change within the district and I Nelson, class of 2004, will focus on following my heart, show their support for the Aug. 29 recall elecwhich reflects orange and black. tion. Courtesy photo.

We are PR Strong!” the staunchest antagonists toward Of the members of the board of trustees, only Barton responded to a public education in the state.

Still others in support of request for comment by press time. the recall have pointed to wide ranging turnover among district Reasons for the recall personnel since Durst came to the The high turnout Aug. 29 district office in July, as well as a reflects the vigorous community number of administrative issues debate and organizing in the disincluding funding for extracurtrict since mid-summer, with the ricular activities and areas where recall effort spurred by opposition the district is out of compliance to the board’s appointment on a regarding school finance, trans3-2 margin of Branden Durst as portation, special education and superintendent, with Barton and federal programs.

Hall dissenting.

When asked for a statement on As has been previously reportthe unofficial results of the Aug. ed, Durst lacks a critical certi29 election, Durst responded, “No fication required to serve in the comment.” position. The Idaho State Board In their submitted ballot lanof Education informed WBCSD guage, recall supporters accused in a recent letter that the “codes Rutledge and Brown of pursuing strongly suggest your board’s “a hidden agenda,” while failing decision to allow an uncertified to respect constituents’ rights and individual to serve as superinten“the opinion and ideas” of their dent violates Idaho law.” fellow trustees.

Durst has been directed by the Other arguments in favor of board to apply for an emergency the recall cited the votes made by provisional certificate “no later Rutledge and Brown to rescind than Aug. 31.”

Others opposed to Durst’s hiring the purchase of a language arts curriculum, costing the district have highlighted his work as an money; the trustees’ alleged faileducation policy analyst for the ultra-conservative free market organi- ure to “recognize that a majority vote makes the decisions and the zation Idaho Freedom Foundation, outcome needs to be supported by which has for years been among

all members”; and called on both to be “open, fair and honest.”

According to the pro-recall ballot language, Rutledge and Brown have “shown that [they] do not have the first and greatest concerns for the educational welfare of West Bonner County School District students attending public schools.”

For their part, the rebuttal statements framed the recall as an attempt to break up the “conservative majority” on the board, as Rutledge put it, and open a “backdoor through Idaho law to promote CRT [so-called Critical Race Theory] and LGBTQ+/agendas,” in Brown’s words.

What comes next for WBCSD Passions on both sides ran high surrounding the recall, with signs, banners and booths readily apparent throughout the West Bonner area, which includes Priest River.

Rosedale said the Elections Office received “a couple” of communications on Election Day related to alleged inappropriate signage and electioneering activities, “but they were minor or there was a lawful reason for it.”

In one instance, some ban-

< see RECALL, Page 5 >

NEWS

‘This is your sled hill’

Kaniksu Land Trust raises $2.1 million to purchase Pine Street Sled Hill

By Reader Staff Shortly before the final band took the stage at the inaugural SledFest fundraiser on Aug. 26, Kaniksu Land Trust Executive Director Katie Egland Cox made an important announcement to the community members gathered around the stage.

“We have saved the sled hill together,” Cox said. “This is your sled hill!”

The culmination of efforts included $50,000 raised at SledFest and a recently awarded $600,000 grant from the U.S. Forest Service through its Community Forest and Open Space Conservation Program. Combined with funds already raised, the award propelled KLT across the finish line, reaching the $2.1 million goal to purchase the historic Pine Street Sled Hill for the community.

The effort drew more than 500 individual donations, support from local businesses and the successful acquisition of multiple grants to safeguard the 48-acre parcel of land with forests, meadows, a pond and historic homestead structures. Among the features of the property is the iconic sled hill, where multiple generations of North Idahoans have recreated for more than 80 years.

< RECALL, con’t from Page 4 > ners failed to include a printed disclosure of who paid for them or name the treasurer, but that was remedied with the addition of some stickers. Others reported receiving pushback at the polls for wearing T-shirts bearing the slogan “WBCSD Strong,” but Rosedale also characterized that as “a relatively minor thing.”

“The bigger thing was that we had East and West Priest River [precincts] vote at the Priest River Events Center. The owner there said, ‘I just don’t want any signs on my property,” Rosedale said.

He told the Reader that the

“The Forest Service would like to congratulate Kaniksu Land Trust on their successful grant application for the Pine Street Sled Hill Community Forest project,” said Region 1 Regional Forester Leanne Marten. “This project will provide many benefits for the community of Sandpoint and we look forward to working together on this partnership.”

Schweitzer’s donation of 50 chairlifts from its decommissioned Musical Chairs lift was also key to meeting a matching challenge and engaging the community in the final hours of the campaign.

The coming months will open a new chapter for the community, as plans unfold for the property’s future.

“Our $2.1 million campaign goal includes not only the purchase price of the land, but also establishment costs such as planning, infrastructure development and making the property safe for public use,” said KLT Conservation Director Regan Plumb. “We look forward to opening the sled hill to the public as soon as we are able.”

The story of the Save the Sled Hill effort extends beyond financial triumphs, according to KLT organizers, intertwining with the history that shapes the community’s identity. Once a thriving

ski hill in the 1940s, the Pine Street Sled Hill later embraced generations of sled enthusiasts.

As soon as the land became available, friends of KLT acted quickly to purchase the parcel, giving the community time to fundraise.

The road ahead calls for ongoing stewardship and financial support, KLT stated.

“This land holds wonderful memories for so many people. The

Local children participate in the inaugural SledFest fundraiser. Courtesy photo.

Edgemere Grange also barred any election-related materials from its property while polling took place.

Election law stipulates that campaign materials of any type cannot be located closer than 100 feet from a polling place.

“Some people weren’t happy about that, but the owner had every legal right to do that,” Rosedale said.

The successful recall in West Bonner is a historical outlier.

According to records compiled by ballotpedia.org, there were recall efforts in the county in 2013 and 2015 — the first in the Lake Pend

Oreille School District and the second in the West Bonner County School District, both directed at overturning trustee seats.

Neither effort made it to the ballot, the former due to a paperwork filing error and the latter because supporters did not acquire enough signatures.

A third attempted recall not listed by ballotpedia.org took place in 2019, when petitioners tried and failed to unseat two members of the Bayview Water and Sewer District board.

With the recall now in the past, Barton said her short-term

goals are to fill the vacancies left

by Rutledge and Brown, as well as continue with Phase 1 of the district’s audit. In addition, Barton said she will work to “rectify WBCSD operational deficiencies and comply with [the] Idaho State Board of Education,” as well as solidify teacher negotiations, get an ELA curriculum adopted for the 2024-’25 school year and “support our community by listening to their concerns, advocate for our students and finally support our staff.”

Meanwhile, recall supporters look at the results of the Aug. 29

State returns to Stage I fire restrictions Campfires allowed in North Idaho parks for Labor Day Weekend

By Reader Staff

stories that were shared with KLT staff over the past two years have been so meaningful to hear,” Cox said. “They worked to elevate the importance of the success of this effort.”

For further information and updates, visit kaniksu.org, subscribe to the KLT eNews or contact KLT at 208-263-9471.

As a spate of regional wildfires and numerous smoke-filled days have given way to cooler, wetter weather, the Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation announced Aug. 30 that the state would shift to Stage I fire restrictions. That means campfires will be allowed in designated facilities at all Idaho state parks, including those within the state’s five northernmost counties, where Stage II restrictions had been in effect since early August.

Just in time for the Labor Day weekend, Saturday, Sept. 2-Monday, Sept. 4, fires will now be allowed in park-provided facilities, such as metal campfire rings, at Farragut, Heyburn, Priest Lake, McCroskey and Round Lake state parks. Also allowed are enclosed gas, propane or butane camp stoves with an on/off switch.

Portable charcoal grills and wood-burning stoves remain off limits at parks during Stage I. Smoking is allowed in vehicles or buildings, where otherwise allowed, and outdoors in areas that are three feet in diameter, free of flammable material.

For more information and the latest updates on fire restrictions, visit idl.idaho.gov/fire-management/fire-restrictions-finder.

election as an accomplishment, writing: “[W]e are a group of individuals from all ends of the political spectrum that have come together in pursuit of a common goal. We came together to support our kids and fight off these extremists.

Never underestimate us! We are PR! We are Spartans!”

For more information about elections, and to view the results of the Aug. 29 special election, visit bonnercountyid.gov/departments/elections.

August 31, 2023 / R / 5

NEWS

Candidates filing for city, school district positions

By Reader Staff The candidate filing period for city and special district elections remains open until Friday, Sept. 8 at 5 p.m., with the offices of mayor and three Sandpoint City Council seats up for election on Tuesday, Nov. 7.

The declaration period is for candidates wishing to be on the ballot, as well as write-ins.

Voters will be asked to cast ballots for the mayor’s office, currently held by Shelby Rognstad, and the three council seats currently held by Andy Groat, Kate McAlister and Deb Ruehle.

The mayor and council seats are all fouryear terms.

Forms required to run for office — including the filing packet, write-in declaration of intent and others — are available at voteidaho.gov/city-resources.

Upon completion of their petition, candidates for city offices are required to visit the Bonner County Elections Office (1500 U.S. Highway 2), to be certified prior to filing with the Sandpoint city clerk. Likewise, those intending to run for office must visit Bonner County Elections to establish that they have taken the proper steps to appoint a campaign treasurer, which must be done

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before a candidate is allowed to accept or spend any campaign funds.

Campaign finance matters should be directed to the Bonner County Clerk’s Office.

More information is also available at sos. idaho.gov/elections-division/campaign-finance-filing.

As of press time Aug. 30, McAlister had declared she would run for mayor and Amelia Boyd — who currently serves on the Sandpoint Planning and Zoning Commission — had declared her candidacy for the City Council.

Meanwhile, two seats on the Lake Pend Oreille School District Board of Trustees will be up for election in November. The terms for Trustees Purley Decker and Geraldine Lewis both expire in 2023. Lewis, who serves as board chair and represents Zone 4 — south of Highway 200 including Sagle to East Dufort Road, east of Highway 95 — has already publicly declared she will seek reelection.

The forms required to run for special district office, including the LPOSD board, are also available at voteidaho.gov/city-resources, as well as by visiting bonnercountyid.gov/departments/elections.

Other election information is available at voteidaho.gov.

Bits ’n’ Pieces From east, west and beyond

East, west or beyond, sooner or later events elsewhere may have a local impact. A recent sampling: Bloomberg recently polled 1,000 people with incomes in the nation’s top 10%.

A quarter of them stated they were “very poor,” “poor” or “getting by but things are tight.” Their concerns included affording education, housing costs and security.

Adding to their woes? With Inflation Reduction Act funds, the IRS has, so far, collected $38 million in back taxes from 175 wealthy tax dodgers, according to the Associated Press.

The SAVE plan recently opened for enrollment and aims to provide millions of student loan borrowers with a more affordable way to pay their bills. The loans come due in October after a three-year pause.

According to U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona, SAVE enrollees will dodge “a mountain of interest, and you won’t be saddled with a lifetime of debt.” Applications are expected to take four weeks to process, according to The New York Times.

Based on photo analysis, the AP reported that the Maui fires were significantly boosted by uninsulated electrical wires, many attached to “obsolete” leaning utility poles that came into contact with foliage during a storm with 105-mph winds. There had been complaints that the old poles posed a “serious public hazard.” Hawaiian Electric now faces numerous lawsuits after the deadliest U.S. fire in recent history. That includes a suit by Maui County faulting the company for not shutting off power even as poles began to fall.

The Lever reported that HE had delayed putting lines underground, and safety measures would have cost less than what the company spent last year on executive compensation and shareholder dividends.

Russian investigators said they’ve confirmed that of the 10 people who died when a jet crashed near Moscow, one was Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin. U.S. officials told ABC an explosion by a “wellplaced bomb” could be at fault. Exactly two months prior to the fatal crash, Prigozhin led a mutiny effort that challenged Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The U.S. Justice Department is suing over alleged fraud involving $8.6 billion linked to 2020 COVID-19 relief efforts — part of an overall $5 trillion meant to support hospitals, doctors, small businesses and Americans suddenly without jobs during the pandemic.

According to The Washington Post, the push for prosecution follows President Joe

By Lorraine H. Marie Reader Columnist

Biden’s promise to penalize those stealing coronavirus funds. Biden has also urged new powers to prevent abuses of aid programs.

Prior “false testimony” about Trump’s alleged hoarding of classified documents has been retracted, ABC reported. The witness, a Trump employee, switched lawyers.

Afterward, he provided new information that went beyond his previous statement of saying he “could not recall” conversations about security footage at Mar-a-Lago — where a vast trove of classified documents were unearthed by federal agents. Prosecutors said the retraction avoids criminal charges of perjury.

Close to 60% of voters in Ecuador recently approved a halt to new oil drilling in Yasuni National Park, numerous media reported. The park has two isolated tribes and an abundance of wildlife. The nation’s voters also blocked gold mining in another sensitive forest region.

In a historic first, former-President Trump recently had his mug shot taken after his arrest in Georgia, where a citizens’ grand jury indicted him and 18 others for conspiring to overturn the 2020 election results. The case includes 13 RICO crimes.

Georgia state law permits a group working criminally to be charged as a criminal organization.

Trump turned his arrest into a fundraising venture and sold mugs featuring his mug shot, and told aides the answer to his legal problems lies in winning the next election.

A recent Politico-Ipsos poll showed 61% of Americans think Trump should go to trial for election tampering before Republican primaries, and 59% think the Justice Department’s indictment of Trump came after an appropriate evaluation of law and evidence.

While Trump has told judges he needs lots of time to review mountains of evidence — and his trials should be delayed — one of his lawyers recently told Fox News that Trump will not require prep time because he’s “incredibly intelligent.”

Blast from the past: Participants in the March On Washington on Aug. 28, 1963 — including Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech at the gathering — sought to focus on civil rights, jobs and economic discrimination.

Since then, poverty rates for Blacks have fallen to half what they were in 1966. But inequality in the job market is obvious: a white household typically has $189,000 in savings, home equity, etc., while a Black family has $24,000.

NEWS

Idaho legislators circulating petitions to call special session to address primary Some Idaho legislators want to reinstate the presidential primary election that legislators eliminated

By Clark Corbin Idaho Capital Sun Sen. Scott Herndon, R-Sagle, has begun circulating what he said is the first of two petitions to call the Idaho Legislature back into special session to consider legislation related to the presidential primary election that legislators eliminated earlier this year.

The Idaho Legislature adjourned for the year April 6 but has the new power to call itself back into session upon a written petition signed by at least 60% of the members of the Idaho House of Representatives and Idaho Senate, thanks to Idaho voters passing Senate Joint Resolution 102 in November.

In an interview Aug. 29, Herndon said he is not sure if he will be able to reach the 60% threshold.

Herndon said he began circulating a petition Aug. 26 to call the Idaho Legislature back in for a special session “for the purpose of considering legislation that pertains to Idaho’s presidential primary election.”

A day later, Senate President Pro Tem Chuck Winder, R-Boise, began circulating a different petition to call the Idaho Legislature back in session to consider a single draft bill that would create a presidential primary election in May, Herndon said.

If one of the petitions receives support from at least 60% of both of the Idaho Legislature’s two chambers, a special session would begin no later than 15 days after House Speaker Mike Moyle, R-Star, and Winder receive the petition.

“I would come to a session and bring a bill reinstating the March presidential primary election we just got rid of in House Bill 138, which is what the Republican Party wants,” Herndon said in a telephone interview. “[Winder] would put in place a May primary, which won’t fix the problem for Idaho voters in 2024.”

Efforts to reach Winder and Moyle on Aug. 29 were unsuccessful.

House Minority Leader Ilana Rubel, D-Boise, said she supports a special session to restore a primary election.

“I encourage Idahoans to put pressure on their local officials to ensure this gets resolved and we get a primary back,” Rubel said in a telephone interview. “This is unacceptable. The people of Idaho have been stripped of easy access to voting in a primary election that only happens once every four years.”

Rubel called the elimination of the presidential primary a grave, unforced error by the Idaho Legislature.

What happened to Idaho’s presidential primary election?

The Idaho Legislature seemingly unintentionally eliminated the presidential primary election altogether with House Bill 138, which Gov. Brad Little signed into law March 30.

The bill’s sponsors said the bill was intended to save the state $2.7 million every four years by moving the presidential primary election back from March to the May election date, when the rest of the state’s primary elections take place. But the bill actually just eliminated the presidential primary election and didn’t move it to May. State officials and legislators identified the problem after the Idaho House passed House Bill 138, and they introduced a socalled trailer bill in Senate Bill 1186, which was designed to fix the problem by moving the presidential primary election to May. But the trailer bill died in the House State Affairs Committee March 30 after Idaho Republican Party Chairwoman Dorothy Moon came out in opposition to it, and the bill didn’t get out of committee. The Idaho Legislature then adjourned for the year April 6 without addressing the presidential primary election issue.

The Idaho Republican Party responded to the lack of a presidential primary election by voting in June to create a presidential nominating caucus that will be held on the first Saturday in March — unless the Idaho Legislature reconvenes in special session before Oct. 1 to restore the March primary election.

Some members of the Republican Party worry a caucus will divide the party and result in significantly lower voter turnout because of the caucus’s requirements to attend in-person at a set date and time for a caucus that could last several hours.

But Republicans don’t all agree on the solution. Herndon and Moon support the March date for a presidential primary election, like the state has held since 2012. They say that earlier date gives Idaho more influence in the GOP presidential nominating process. They worry moving the primary election back to May will give Idaho voters less influence and may result in the primary being moved back so late that a Republican has already clinched the nomination before Idaho Republicans can vote.

On the other hand, most of the Idaho Legislature voted to pass House Bill 138, which legislators thought was moving the primary back to May and saving the state money by consolidating elections.

That has been a major goal of Republican legislators including Moyle and House

State Affairs Committee Chairman Brent Crane, R-Nampa. Crane told the Sun last month he doesn’t like the caucus personally and supports a May primary and opposes a March primary.

Herndon, the Republican senator who is circulating one of the petitions for a special session, voted against House Bill 138.

What is the difference between the two special session proposals?

Herndon’s petition is written more generally to call for “considering legislation that pertains to Idaho’s presidential primary election.” Herndon said that allows Idaho legislators to consider and debate more than one bill or solution.

Winder’s petition would limit the session to considering a single draft bill to create a May presidential primary election, according to copies of the petition the State Freedom Caucus Network shared Aug. 29 along with other documents and a press release announcing Herndon’s petition.

In a statement issued Aug. 29, Moon said she opposes a May presidential primary election. Moon said the Idaho Republican Party would still conduct a caucus in March if the Idaho Legislature passes a May primary election, which she said would make the later primary election duplicative and a waste of money.

Moon does support restoring the earlier March primary election, which would supersede the GOP caucus.

“The Idaho GOP’s position remains resolute: The only conceivable scenario in which a presidential primary could take place is through the repeal of House Bill 138, thereby reinstating the presidential primary to March of 2024,” Moon said in the statement. “This perspective is firmly embedded in the will of our party members as expressed through the [Idaho Republican Party’s State Central Committee’s] decision-making process. Any other outcome will result in an unnecessary expenditure of taxpayer resources.”

Will the Idaho Legislature call a special session before Oct. 1?

Herndon said he has received some support for his petition over the past two days but is unsure if he will be able to reach the 60% threshold for each legislative chamber.

“I’d say it is too early to tell, but I am a little doubtful,” Herndon said.

Herndon, who is also a member of the Idaho Republican Party State Central Committee, said he would not sign Winder’s petition and is reluctant overall to return

for a special session. Herdon noted that as a general estimate it costs $30,000 a day to conduct a special session, and he said legislators could have fixed the problem before adjourning for the year in April.

“I don’t see a strong desire in the Legislature at this moment to come back for a special session for this,” Herndon said. “It’s possible, but maybe not probable.”

Herndon said he is pursuing the special session and has a draft bill to restore the March primary election because it will allow more Republican voters to participate and retain Idaho’s influence by voting early in March.

“The thing that I believe is the Idaho Republican Party has a strong desire to see that Idaho’s Republican voters matter when it comes to choosing a nominee for president and I want to see that happen,” Herndon said.

Rubel said the issue of whether a primary election is held in May or March is secondary to the overall importance of restoring a primary election in some form or fashion. However, Rubel does support limiting the special session to a single draft bill.

“I think it would be pandemonium if we go back in without a concrete idea of what it is we’re voting on in,” Rubel said.

“I don’t think it would be productive if we just went in with a general notion of arguing about primaries.”

The Idaho Legislature meets every year in a regular session that begins on the second Monday in January. Regular legislative sessions generally run for about 80 days, although there is no time limit.

Before Idaho voters approved Senate Joint Resolution 102, which amended the Idaho Constitution, only Idaho’s governor had the authority to call a special session of the Idaho Legislature.

Efforts to reach Little on Aug. 29 were unsuccessful. In April, Little said he did not anticipate calling a special session on the presidential primary issue. At the time, the governor encouraged legislators to put forward one bill and have general agreement on it prior to a special session beginning.

Since 2000, there have been five special sessions of the Idaho Legislature — in 2000, 2006, 2015, 2020 and 2022.

Special sessions of the Idaho Legislature are officially called extraordinary sessions.

This story was produced by Boise-based nonprofit news outlet the Idaho Capital Sun, which is part of the States Newsroom nationwide reporting project. For more information, visit idahocapitalsun.com.

August 31, 2023 / R / 7

Broadcasting thanks…

Bouquets: • Here’s a big Bouquet to all the staff at Kaniksu Land Trust, as well as all the community members and organizations who donated toward KLT purchasing the Pine Street Sled Hill. In a time when it seems everyone in Sandpoint is trying to build luxury condos and capture as much money as possible, KLT is out there setting aside land for the public to use forever. KLT Executive Director Katie Egland Cox announced at the inaugural SledFest on Aug. 26 that KLT had reached their goal to purchase the property outright, saving it from developers forever. The Pine Street Sled Hill is now ours as a community. It takes a lot to warm my chilly heart, but this certainly did it. Congratulations KLT and, even more so, congratulations to the greater Sandpoint community. We won one.

Barbs: GUEST SUBMISSION: • “I wanted to send a Barb out to all the keyboard warriors of Facebook, tearing people apart (Specifically Cienna Roget and the rest of the team over at The Festival) in the name of patriotism. It makes me sad to see so many people jump to defend a piece of cloth and a tune over a person. Especially without knowledge of the music industry, concerts/festivals and how contracting performers works!

For a town of people preaching ‘One Nation Under God,’ they sure don’t know how to unify and become ‘indivisible.’”

— By Anonymous • We usually appreciate when our readers submit articles for publication, but there are some lines that we do not cross when it comes to our editorial output. We don’t accept or tolerate any submissions that attempt to deny science or reality. We’re not interested in using our pages to promote disinformation or celebrate ignorance. If your potential contribution falls in that category, you might as well just toss it in the trash, because we aren’t interested.

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Dear editor, This note is to acknowledge all the talented and generous musicians who grace our North Idaho community. We have an abundant supply of folks who work regular jobs and then play music at night in local bars, wineries, clubs and sometimes during the day at the Farmers’ Market.

They also volunteer their time to do benefit concerts for the long list of nonprofits when asked — including our community radio station, 88.5 KRFY. KRFY has been fortunate to have these musicians play during our membership events, lugging their many instruments up to our second-floor studio, where they lend their voices and music to our broadcasts.

Many have also volunteered to play for our once-a-month Little Live Radio Hour. We have been broadcasting this on-air concert live from the Little Panida Theater for the past 15 months, and want to recognize these musicians for their kindness and support for both our community radio station and our listeners throughout North Idaho.

With that, KRFY thanks these musicians for their generosity of time, energy and sharing spirit during just this year: Little Wolf, Alexa Wildish, Honeysuckle, Harold’s IGA, Beth Pederson and Bruce Bishop, Liam McCoy Trio, Mike Wagoner and Utah John, Sam Leyde Band, Tonedevil Brothers and Woody Aunan, Bridges Home, Queen Bonobo, Headwaters, Buster Brown, Patrice Webb, Doug Bond, Dave Hussey, Brian Jacobs, Bright Moments Jazz, students from the Music Conservatory of Sandpoint and Josh Hedlund.

Again, thanks to all you wonderful musicians! And to all those who haven’t yet discovered KRFY at 88.5 FM — or streaming online at KRFY.org — we invite you to tune in to our town’s nonprofit community radio station to connect with these local musicians, local happenings and much more rich, commercial-free programming.

Suzy Prez 88.5 KRFY Station Manager Sandpoint

Opinion article full of ‘bull’…

Dear editor, The article on action by conservation groups attempting to block development at the mouth of Trestle Creek, as documented in the Aug.

24 Reader [Perspectives, “The Idaho Club renews push to develop Trestle Creek, threatening imperiled fish”], has one thing right: it is bull.

As a resident at The Idaho Club since the Hidden Lakes days, I have witnessed all of the trials and tribulations of that enterprise for more than 20 years. When I purchased my property here in 2000, the Trestle Creek site now in contention was an active marina with more than 100 boat slips, and it was surrounded by a densely packed RV park. The bull trout population did just fine with the mouth of Trestle Creek in that configuration.

That marina and RV park were closed in 2006, but many of the old docks are still there. Trestle Creek splits into two channels within the area of the proposed development, with about half of the efflux flowing through the old marina and then exiting through a beaver dam that blocks access/egress by fish. Bull trout spawning in Trestle Creek are now constrained to use a channel with only half of the total flow, and that leaves them vulnerable to predator fish at the mouth of the creek.

Biologists for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers have analyzed this situation and concluded that the proposed development will in fact greatly enhance the survivability of bull trout exiting Trestle Creek. The plaintiffs in the lawsuit have conveniently ignored this study conducted by experts.

Several other statements in the Reader article are misleading or downright false, including the suggestion that the facility will be exclusive to Idaho Club residents. I conclude that the plaintiffs are not really interested in protecting bull trout, but rather they are attempting to steal a piece of lakefront property from its rightful owners.

David Reed Sandpoint

Open primaries will keep our democratic republic strong…

Dear editor, Are you tired of minority rule?

We here in Idaho — especially here in the north — are aware that whoever wins the primary election will go on to win the general election.

Most of our elections go unopposed by a diversity of parties, for a myriad of reasons. If you are registered as “unaffiliated,” you are no longer allowed to vote in the Republican primary. All of this guarantees low voter turnout and minority rule.

Your friends and neighbors, up

and down our state, are circulating a petition to change this situation. We are proposing a people’s initiative to have open primaries in Idaho. This will give everyone a say as to who will hold office. You will have the capability to rank all who are running in the general election.

How wonderful to know that your voice will be heard.

It is especially good to know that the politicians will have to appeal to all voters and not just a select few.

Along with others, Alaska and Utah have already instigated this form of voting. Please sign the petition to get it on the ballot. Keep our democratic republic strong.

Sylvia Humes Sandpoint

‘Boxed in at the ballot box’…

Dear editor, The Idahoans for Open Primaries initiative is finally out in the community for signatures, thanks to the Idaho Supreme Court taking a strong stand for clear and accurate language. I have to say, I’m excited.

Look, primaries everywhere aren’t particularly high turnout most of the time (we’re no exception).

But if you do go to the trouble of voting in the Idaho primary, you can only vote in one party’s primary.

And that’s the problem for me — I like political independence.

I’ve voted across the spectrum in my political history, depending on who I thought would best represent my needs and interests. If I find myself before a primary having to either lock myself into one party to vote for a candidate or lock myself into another party to vote against one, I start thinking that I’m not really able to fully exercise my right to choose my representation.

Having everyone on one primary ballot is cheaper and more efficient, but it also means I get to choose from the full selection of candidates, with the full set of information available to me.

I like the sound of that.

And if those candidates start having to appeal to everyone, not just the hard-core primary crowd from one part of one party? All the better.

This initiative is good for people like me, who want more decision-making freedom in our state politics.

I’ve already signed. If you’ve ever wished you weren’t boxed in at the ballot box, consider adding your own signature.

Hal Gates Sandpoint

‘Keep Sandpoint gritty’…

Dear editor, Thanks for sticking up for the rare bird, the unique “mistake” — all of us funky chickens. I loved your piece, John Reuter [Perspectives, “In praise of imperfection,” Aug. 24, 2023]. Keep Sandpoint gritty!

Jodi Rawson Sandpoint

Providence subdivision makes no sense…

Dear editor, To the Bonner County Zoning Commission, regarding the Unit 116 Providence subdivision approval: As a commission responsible for advising the planning and zoning of our country I am very curious why you approved this subdivision.

According to the reports, the project is anticipated to produce an average of 1,176 trips per day, and all trips will enter/exit to the south via Highway 200 from the intersection of Providence Road and Highway 200. Without annexation, Kootenai would refuse to allow residents to exit the development using city streets. For public safety (fires and emergencies), is it really OK to only have one egress point?

From a traffic point of view, can you imagine the mess and danger on Highway 200?

Additionally, the report questions that there does not appear to be any planning for pedestrian access: “The development will likely be home to many schoolchildren, who will walk and ride bikes to Kootenai Elementary School. No sidewalks, pathways, or child/pedestrian access plans are evident in this application …”

Also, who is going to bear the enormous impact this subdivision will impose on the surrounding community? A whole community emerging in an unincorporated area without street connections, sidewalks, parks and no building permits (what about sewer, and all the other infrastructure?). All of this with a zero revenue base.

So, why did you approve it?

Karen Lanphear Hope

An open letter to the Biden administration…

Dear editor, This note is on ancient letterhead to perhaps lend credibility.

< see LTE, Page 9 >

< LTE, con’t from Page 8 > For the decade preceding 1986, when I took early retirement, I was lead speech writer for Charles E. Brown, CEO of the original AT&T (nothing in common with the present corporation). AT&T was the parent company of the Bell Telephone System. With 1 million employees and 3 million shareowners, it was the world’s largest company. And among its most honorable. Here is why I am writing: The Biden campaign must redirect its focus from New York Times and Washington Post readers (charter members of the choir) and aim at rural and social media, which serve the millions of gullible, unsophisticated, left-behind, dictator-needy voters.

As to content, we must home in on Trump — who called WWI vets buried in France suckers and losers and said John McCain was no hero because he was captured (and tortured).

The Trump who rapes and bribes and cheats and steals and lies.

We must pursue the millions of veteran votes through concentration on those states and communities where they live. Trump fans — excepting some billionaire backers — don’t read the Times and the Post. They read the Geneseo (Illinois) Republic, the Hampton (Iowa) Chronicle and the Helena (Montana) Independent Record.

If the Democratic Party does not start counterpunching rather than pussy-footing against those who are punching, we are headed straight down the bloody path taken by 1930s Italy and Germany.

Thanks to Trump and his acolytes, we are headed pell-mell in that direction today.

T. Harriman Henney Sandpoint

Panida thanks Ting for its support…

Dear editor, In our eagerness to share the news about the Panida’s new roof, we inadvertently omitted a crucial mention of one of our key partners and supporters: Ting Internet.

Ting’s generous contribution of $200,000 in matching funds has significantly propelled the Panida’s Century Fund campaign, which encompasses both completed improvements and

ambitious plans for the future. Their support has reached every corner of our Strategic Plan, including the much-needed roof renovation that ensures the safety and comfort of our beloved theater for generations to come.

It is important for us to rectify this mistake and express our immense gratitude to Ting for their unwavering commitment to the Panida Theater. Ting, a valued supporter of the Panida Theater, has been an integral part of our journey toward realizing the Panida’s $1.9 million Century Fund goal.

In the spirit of transparency and accountability, we would like to emphasize that acknowledging the contributions of all our supporters is of paramount importance to us. We deeply appreciate the dedication of each and every individual and organization that has made the Panida Theater’s progress possible. Thank you.

Foster W. Cline Panida Theater Board, Fundraising and Grants Committee chair Sandpoint

Travers Park plan geared toward ‘the recreation of a few’…

Dear editor, I am a reluctant letter-writer, but after reading Rebecca Holland’s letter in the Aug, 24 edition of the Reader, I feel compelled to speak up. Travers Park, in my opinion, is a Sandpoint jewel. It is one of the few remaining places in town that offer natural eye candy instead of another big structure. One by one, our beautiful natural spaces have fallen to tree removal and construction. I hardly recognize my town anymore. Is this considered progress? Travers Park, over the years, has afforded beautiful outdoor recreation for children as well as for adults. I have sat many times in the sheltered pergola, enjoying the beauty of the grassy areas, the variety of trees and the mountains.

Then, with the colorful improvements in the children’s play area, there’s even more community appeal. The playground is situated close to the parking lot, which is convenient for moms who must use strollers and walk with their hands holding onto their little chil-

dren. Yes, it’s a wonderful, beautiful, convenient location for the community to enjoy.

I can understand that the pickleball players also appreciate the convenience of the location.

But when autumn colors arrive in the Travers Park trees, can the beauty of that compare to the sight of another big structure? Once those precious trees are removed, the beauty will be gone permanently. Are there no limits to such destruction? Why should so many local residents be deprived of this natural beauty to accommodate the recreation of a few?

Vivian Kirkwood Sandpoint

Patron requests are what fill the library stacks…

Dear editor, At the Aug. 14 East Bonner County Library Board of Trustees meeting, one of the public comments stood out to me. The commenter was suggesting that the library create a procurement committee and that she would volunteer to join.

Back at the May board meeting, a presentation was given about how the library decides what books and media it will acquire — a presentation this person did not attend — and what was most interesting to me was that most books are acquired because of patron requests.

That’s right, if you are a patron of EBCL, you can request the library to acquire materials for you — it’s an easy-to-fill-out form on the website or at the circulation desk. I have personally filled out this form many times.

I am happy to say, I already am a part of the procurement committee, and so is basically the whole county. So, what is this public commenter suggesting? That she doesn’t know about the request form? Or does she want to put herself between your book requests and what the library actually acquires?

The next EBCL board meeting is Monday, Sept. 11 at 4:30 p.m. at the Clark Fork Library. Our library is important — come, listen and learn more.

Audrey Gates Sandpoint

WEIRD NEWS

By Ben Olson Reader Staff

GUN FIRED AT WHITE SOX GAME SNUCK IN VIA WOMAN’S ‘BELLY FAT’ An investigation into a shooting Aug. 25 when two women were struck by gunfire during a White Sox baseball game in Chicago came to the incredible conclusion that the gun was brought into the stadium hidden in the rolls of a woman’s belly fat.

One of those “grazed” by a bullet in the incident “snuck the gun in past metal detectors hiding it in the folds of her belly fat,” according to ESPN reporter Peggy Kusinski.

One woman suffered a grazing wound to her abdomen and the other a wound to her leg. Both of those injured by gunfire are expected to recover.

Security swept the stadium after the incident but could not locate the weapon.

An attorney for the 42-year-old woman said his client did not, in fact, bring any firearm into the ballpark.

“We will continue investigating this matter further to pursue justice on behalf of our client who sustained serious personal injuries as a result of this shooting,” attorney John Malm said in a statement.

August 31, 2023 / R / 9

Mad about Science:

Brought to you by:

everyday science

By Brenden Bobby Reader Columnist There are some things in our lives that may as well be magic.

Wave a wand, say the magic word, plug it into an outlet and voila — your task is complete. Ever wonder how some of this everyday technology works? I have, and luckily some of that everyday tech makes it very easy to find out how other tech works.

Vacuum cleaners If you’re reading this paper, chances are you’ve encountered a vacuum cleaner at some point in your life. Ever wondered how it works?

The device, seemingly magic, sucks virtually anything up and away to clean your house in a few easy minutes. It achieves this by creating negative pressure in an enclosed space. That likely means a whole lot of nothing to you, so think about it like this: When you use your lips to suck liquid up through a straw, one of the things you’re doing is creating negative pressure inside of the straw.

Air functions to equalize pressure wherever it is, so when air is moved, other air — or liquid, in the case of a straw — moves to equalize the pressure within the structure and flows with the same energy that was applied to move the initial air.

To further simplify this, imagine if you’re standing in a line for your favorite breakfast burrito.

The faster the chef makes the burritos, the more quickly the line moves. In this case, the line is a straw, the chef is your lips and you are the air.

A vacuum cleaner performs this mechanically by using a bladed fan attached to an electric motor that pulls in air by creating negative pressure. As air moves to equalize the pressure, it’s pulling

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other objects like dust and debris along with it. Normally, this would cause all of that junk to simply spray out the opposite end of the vacuum cleaner — after all, the air has to go somewhere, otherwise the vacuum cleaner would just fill up and stop working.

The air and everything else it’s carrying is directed through two filters. Air molecules are very small and able to pass through the filter and shoot through the exhaust port of the vacuum, while the larger and heavier debris get trapped in the filter and dust bag of the cleaner.

This is virtually the same process that happens in the pneumatic tubes you use at the bank. At one time, mail was transported this way, particularly in large metropolitan areas and housing complexes, though the postal service now tends to favor conveyors and sorting machines, as these are easier to maintain and supervise than airtight tubes that can get jammed.

NFC I know what you’re thinking; and, no, we aren’t talking about non-fungible tokens. The internet can keep its ridiculous million-dollar screenshots.

NFC is an abbreviation for “near-field communication.” If this term is foreign to you, that’s understandable, but its function is very familiar. Chances are, you use it every time you pay for coffee or gas.

NFC technology is in most of our phones and all of our credit and debit cards. The chips in your card are equipped with a tiny transmitting and receiving antenna for sharing data with a console that also possesses a transmitter and receiver.

The transmitters send information through radio waves at very close distances, usually within less than an inch. This ensures that the act of transmission is intentional

and crafty thieves aren’t skimming your credit card information while you walk through the cafe.

An evolution of RFID, or radio frequency identification technology, the bulk of NFC tech is found in the financial sector to transmit payment securely through pointof-sales systems and vendors. It had been briefly used to transmit data between smartphones, but touching smartphones is such a bizarre and invasive concept that it understandably never caught on.

look up videos about AA batteries as electric trains.

A user will place magnets on either end of a battery and then set that battery into a copper coil that spans several feet. As the electrons travel through the completed circuit, it generates an electromagnetic field that then propels the battery through the copper coil.

This does, however, expend the energy of the battery, so that it’s not a perfect representation of

Wireless charging This may as well be magic, and the real nuts and bolts of how this works is better explained by an electrical engineer than some guy who works at a library.

Nevertheless, more than a few of us are likely curious about how this magical power transmission works and why it takes 15 attempts to perfectly position your phone, just for it to buzz right out of position when it signals to you that it’s charging.

The electricity coming from your wall is an alternating current, which means the electrons in the current will reverse direction several times per second, swapping back and forth. Talk to your friendly neighborhood electrician about why this is important.

Electrons traveling through a coil embedded in your wireless charger generate a magnetic field.

Due to the alternating current, the magnetic field will occasionally reverse. There is a magnet Inside your phone that is also wrapped in an electrical coil, which is connected to your battery. Electrons trapped within the coil are manipulated by this rapidly switching magnetic field, which pushes and pulls them through a process called magnetic induction.

If you’re lost, don’t worry — I am, too.

If you want to see a less magical version of how this works,

Random Corner

what’s going on with your phone’s wireless charger, but it sure is fun to watch.

We’re surrounded by so much cool technology that we take for granted. While it might seem like magic, all you need is a little curiosity and a few extra minutes a day to devote to learning something new.

Stay curious, 7B.

?

Don’t know much about cheese • There is no exact reference to the origin of cheese, but archaeological studies in Mesopotamia have shown cheese dates as far back as 6,000 B.C.E., indicating people made cheese from the milk of cows and goats.

• Cheese can be produced using a variety of animals’ milk, including cow, buffalo, goat, horse, sheep and even camel.

We can help!

• Global cheese production constitutes more than the combined worldwide output of coffee, tobacco, tea and cocoa beans.

• Cheese eaten in moderate quantities provides a good source of protein, calcium and phosphorus, but its saturated fat content gives cheese a bad reputation.

• There are more than 2,000 varieties of cheese available worldwide.

• Cheese is the most stolen food in the world, with 4% of all cheese produced taken by thieves, which is roughly 508 million pounds.

• Mozzarella is the most consumed cheese around the globe, followed by cheddar.

• About 10 pounds of milk is required to make one pound of cheese.

• Greeks consume the largest amount of cheese worldwide, averaging about 60 pounds a year, most of which is feta.

• The world’s most expensive sandwich is New York restaurant Serendipity 3’s “Quintessential Grilled Cheese,” made from caciocavallo Podolico cheese — an Italian variety produced from the milk of free-range cows fed a diet of fennel grasses and wild strawberries — featuring a truffle spread and bread baked with 23-karat gold.

The sandwich costs $214.

• The United States produces the most cheese in the world annually, but U.S. cheese consumption averages about 34 pounds per person, which is just over half of Greece’s per capita consumption.

PERSPECTIVES

Emily Articulated

A column by and about Millennials

Estate sale

By Emily Erickson Reader Columnist I Googled, “How to organize an estate sale,” staring at my screen as the six-step description bounced off my eyes, not quite penetrating my brain. Blinking to concentrate, I forced my finger to run over Step 1, mouthing the words as I read, “Step 1: Take an inventory of the items you want to sell.”

Like flipping a light switch, I allowed the scene around me to rush back into focus. Sounds of friends and family unearthing tubs from back corners of closets, running brooms over floorboards, dumping drawers into boxes labeled, “donate,” and water-ortime damaged items into trash bags. Mentally, I added a line item before Step 1.

“Step Zero: Enlist the help of people you trust, and prepare to be overwhelmed with gratitude for their presence.”

I continued reading, “Step 2: Prepare Your Estate Sale Inventory.”

Running my hands over the table that once was featured proudly in my grandma’s sitting room, later to be transported to my dad’s, I unveiled a handwritten label. The penned ink read, “Helen Hookstead, 1920.”

The round, tiger oak piece belonged to my grandma’s mom, and I was struck with how much I’d never know about it. Where did Helen get it? Did she circle it in a catalog before her wedding day or pick it out from a store? Did she rest her coffee on a coaster while reading the morning paper or reserve it for special occasions, only ever laid with her finest china?

I wiped it down before turning to the patterned loveseat, remembering my mom and dad’s heads bent over squares of fabric

Emily Erickson. swatches, holding them up next to the paint cans that would soon cover the walls of our new living room. The paisley they settled on is now faded in the places we used to sit, imprints from years of tucked-under, socked feet; of popcorn bowls, strewn backpacks and curled-up family dogs. I ran the vacuum over its cushions and read on.

“Step 3: Price Your Items.”

Methodically reaching for the catch-all drawer that used to keep pens and notepads and batteries and lockless keys, I remembered it was already empty. I salvaged a pen from a trash bag, grabbed the stickers unearthed from a rummage sale of old and considered the old camcorder slotted into my hand (remembering when I used to have to hold it with two hands).

How could I put a price tag on the item that produced home movies, recorded Christmases and cross-country races, and badly choreographed dance numbers for grinning parents? Are these worth anything anymore, anyway? And why does pricing these items feel so much like tainting them?

I added it to the “free” pile, next to old TVs, blank cards and caseless DVDs. Continuing, I read, “Step 4: Organize Your Sale and Non-Sale

Items.”

I pulled open a cabinet drawer filled with a family’s history worth of paperwork. A folder labeled, “Death Certificates” was nestled beside “Home & Mortgage,” “Birth Certificates,” “Social Security Cards,” “Titles,” “Credit Card Statements,” “Family Vacations,” “Divorce” and “Medical Bills” — each containing a line-item record of our lives in the house, as well as my dad’s life after we were gone.

I pieced together the story of our lives as though I hadn’t lived it — every balance statement and partially paid bill like the negative of the family photos populating our albums. Locking the drawer, and sticking a “Not For Sale” note to its face, I read on to Step 5: “Advertise Your Sale.”

Pulling out my phone, I scrolled through the images of sale items I’d snapped as I cleaned them. Family heirlooms mixed with the tools of my dad’s profession, the sweaters and jackets he used to stay warm, the home goods he and my mom handpicked, and the toys my siblings and I played with when we were kids. I selected “Create Listing” on Marketplace and Craigslist, anxiety and dread rising with every image that finished its upload. I imagined the strangers that would walk through my dad’s house, evaluating the prices stuck to priceless items, seeing bargains or rip-offs in goods packed with memories. I anticipated the messages, the brokering, the haggling and the exchange of money like awaiting an impending sickness, and clicked, “Post Sale.”

Finally, I read on, “Step 6: Make a Plan for All The Items That Won’t Sell.”

I stacked the empty boxes that will need filling before closing the doors on the house that helped

raise me. I let my eyelids fall shut and, amid a room full of people and things, imagined it empty and quiet. Maybe then I’ll have time to say goodbye. Maybe then I’ll have space to let it all go.

Emily Erickson is a writer and business owner with an affinity for black coffee and playing in the mountains. Connect with her online at www.bigbluehat.studio.

Retroactive

By BO

August 31, 2023 / R / 11

PERSPECTIVES

Summertime update for Legislative District 1A

By Rep. Mark Sauter, R-Sandpoint Reader Contributor Greetings. I sincerely hope everyone is enjoying our summer.

With several weeks to go before the summer temps and water levels begin to drop, it’s time for a short update.

It’s been a few months since the legislative session ended. As you may recall, shortly after legislators returned home, the state GOP “no-confidence” and “censure” votes began. Since sending my responses and rebuttal answers to the local newspapers, I’ve spent the summer visiting with our residents and doing some volunteering from early June at the Chafe150 to the recent SledFest, trying to stay informed and involved. I appreciate the time people have given me, sharing their thoughts and concerns about our community and how we can improve our district.

Conversations with community members have prompted me to make some requests from the

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Rep. Mark Sauter. File photo.

State Legislative Services Office for research on possible changes to state statutes. Some of the topics I’m currently following up on are women’s health care, public works contracts, public access through corporate-held land, the distribution of Narcan, a library bill, electioneering and filters for digital devices. And I’m not alone with these interests — other legislators are working on these issues as well.

Since returning in the spring, I have attended and volunteered at numerous public events and activities. From FFA in Bonners Ferry to both county fairs to the Farmers’ Market, it’s easy to see how important agriculture is to our area. I walked away from the herding and sorting event at the Bonner County Fair arena amazed at the abilities of the participants and the dedication to ranching and equestrian work that goes on here every day.

It also started me down the path of wondering what our multigenerational ranch and farming families think when they reflect on how our community has changed in the past 50 years. Oh, to sit and listen to their stories and comparatives.

I’ve also spent time meeting with school officials from Boundary, Lake Pend Oreille and West Bonner school districts, city and county elected officials, and the Bonner County judges. I’m listening and learning from our dedicat-

ed professionals. What’s working and what needs to be improved are always part of the conversations.

Establishing genuine contacts is also critical for the future, when legislation comes forward and I need to get the insight of our local professionals.

I’ve followed up on a few local issues like the HVAC system needs at Bonner General Health and the failed culvert on Dufort Road. Honestly, I don’t think my calls sped things along on these projects, but they did let state officials know we are engaged in our North Idaho communities and are being responsible.

A few road projects are underway — or finished — that should yield better traffic safety and flow.

The Highway 95/Lakeshore turnaround project is wrapped up. The McArthur Lake curve project and the lowering of the roadway near the Sand Creek railroad overpass will both be welcome improvements. I do my best to attend the monthly road meetings for Bonner

and Boundary counties.

With Labor Day coming in a few days (as of this writing), I applaud those who work so hard on our roads and highways. And “cheers” to the police, firefighters, EMS, teachers and health care workers who ensure our safety and support our communities. Please make sure you give them a nod and a thank you. Let’s be thankful we live in a place with a foundation of sustainable business and agriculture. Celebrate it not just on Labor Day, but throughout the year.

If you have questions or comments for me, please direct them to msauter@house.idaho.gov. Or talk to me at a public event — like Bulldog football games. I’ll be there flipping burgers.

Rep. Mark Sauter is a Republican legislator representing District 1A. Contact him at msauter@ house.idaho.gov.

PERSPECTIVES

The children just want to breathe

What Montana’s landmark climate case could mean for Idaho

By Soncirey Mitchell Reader Staff As fires rage in Idaho’s forests, the smoke hangs so thick sometimes in Sandpoint that its famous views take on a muted, ghostly pallor. Summer vacation, every kid’s dream, has been overshadowed year after year by smoke thick enough to blot out the sun.

When I was in elementary school, we never had to tape our windows shut to keep the air in our house breathable. That all started in high school when the particles of ash falling from hazy August skies brought to mind winter more than the dog days of summer. Now there are children in first grade who have never known anything different.

Kids don’t get to be kids anymore.

Now, they’re forced to be protestors and environmental activists, desperately fighting for the right to breathe. The kids have stopped waiting for adults to save them; our government’s inaction has proven what little value it places on their lives.

Montana’s youth — some only 5 years of age — recently won the groundbreaking climate case Held v. Montana, argued before the state’s First Judicial District Court.

Young people in other states have tried similar lawsuits, though this is the first to rule in favor of environmental stewardship.

The plaintiffs testified that extreme weather, warming water temperatures and wildfire smoke were threatening their and their families’ livelihoods and mental health.

Children, who should have been playing

in the summer sun, had to plead for their futures and then wait for a ruling as the world quite literally burned down around them.

The ironically named Emily Flower, a spokeswoman for the state’s attorney general, released a statement calling the case a “taxpayer-funded publicity stunt.”

Despite opposing opinions, the court found that neglecting the children’s mental and physical health would be illegal because Article IX Part IX of Montana’s constitution dictates, “The state and each person shall maintain and improve a clean and healthful environment in Montana for present and future generations.”

The ruling will force Montana’s government to take climate change into consideration when making decisions about fossil fuel projects.

It is a monumental victory for Montana’s future generations, but why should it matter in Idaho? The nation isn’t just choking on smoke; a pervasive mentality has spread throughout the country, poisoning people with pseudoscience and antiquated ideologies. Climate change is real. Held v. Montana simply restated what should already be accepted: to deny the ecological damage we’re perpetrating against our planet is to deny our children and grandchildren their futures.

Now that there is precedent for cases seeking to preserve our nation’s natural resources, Idaho has the opportunity to protect our children and way of life. Especially in North Idaho, our communities are inextricably tied to the land. You don’t live in a rural setting for the fast internet or the job opportunities — frankly, we

A generative AI rendering resulting from the prompt after typing in “smoky skies climate change.” have neither — yet the reason we thrive is because of our natural resources.

While it’s true that the Idaho Constitution does not have the same environmental safeguards as Montana’s, Article I Section XXIII does state that, “The rights to hunt, fish and trap … shall forever be preserved for the people and managed through the laws, rules and proclamations that preserve the future of hunting, fishing and trapping.”

It’s difficult to hunt or trap when the forest is on fire, and fishing in a dead lake won’t feed anyone. There are ways for the case to be argued, should Idahoans take up the cause.

Whether hiking, biking, hunting, fishing or skiing, life is lived outside. The climate is changing rapidly due to human carelessness, and the days when Idahoans could walk out their front doors and into a free and healthy wilderness are coming to an end. There is no Bonner County without our lakes, rivers, mountains or forests.

Idaho kids shouldn’t have to sacrifice their childhood for the right to grow up in a safe, healthy environment. It is the duty of the parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and next-door neighbors to keep the world safe for the next generation, and in the process, make it better for ourselves. Next time we’re choked by the fires burning around us, step outside and feel the smoke dry your throat; there are consequences to inaction, but there’s no downside to protecting our shared home.

August 31, 2023 / R / 13

PERSPECTIVES

Voices in the Wilderness Three abandoned trekking poles

By Briana Whitehead Reader Contributor

It was a perfect July in Montana. We had just gotten married at Legacy Bike Park near Kalispell, Mont., and we were ready to start our mini-honeymoon in the Wind River Range of western Wyoming.

We felt refreshed and ready for adventure.

Starting at Elkhart Trailhead, we stamped out a quick 17 miles into Titcomb Basin. We made camp and stared up at the 30%+ Bonney Pass, where we’d be climbing at 3:30 a.m. the next morning. The basin was windy, causing small whitecaps to rush across the lake in the opposite direction of flow. Between the waves and the waterfall, we fell asleep to the sounds of a soft ocean.

I awoke to Drew rocking my shoulder back and forth, asking me where my phone was. I sat straight up and fumbled around in the bottom of my bag. It had been going off for 10 minutes — the clock read 3:10 a.m.

We made instant coffee, chugged and grabbed the drawstring packs that we had put together six hours prior, each strapped with an ice ax. Although the Milky Way was bright, we slapped headlamps to our foreheads in order to avoid the meandering glacial melt and mosaic wetlands ahead of us before the landscape transitioned into firm snow.

Bonney Pass was a steep boot pack in the dark. We stopped at the first roll and cramponed up before it transitioned to a 30%+ slope. This is where we found our

14 / R / August 31, 2023

first little lonely abandoned trekking pole melting out of the snow.

The sunrise was cresting the horizon as we hit the saddle at 5:20 a.m., illuminating the vast Dinwoody Glacier, which we planned to traverse. While the sun rose, we glissaded 1,000 feet down onto Dinwoody. Scampering across the glacier, I looked up at Gannett Peak and felt my familiar butterflies of excitement, adventure and the need for speed.

A peanut butter and jelly sandwich Drew had made a few days before served as breakfast before we tackled the next climb up Gooseneck Pinnacle. To our surprise, we located another and then yet another abandoned trekking pole, putting us at plus-three trekking poles so far for the day.

The only obstacle I was worried about on this summit attempt was a seasonal bergschrund (“snow bridge”). Fortunately, there was still enough snow that the structure had yet to form, and we easily moved past it. The sun was still low, casting a warm glow on the spire and allowing us to finish the climb in T-shirts by 7:20 a.m.

We took our sweet time on the summit (13,810 feet), taking in the views, eating snacks and even taking a fully nude photo of the two of us embracing. You know — newlywed stuff.

The snow continued to warm, turning to corn, which meant it was time to glissade back down. We traveled 2,000 feet down, passing a father and his two chil-

Briana Whitehead trekking across a glacial landscape. Courtesy photo. dren. Each of the kids adopted one of our found trekking poles, putting us back to a single homeless trekking pole. Once across Dinwoody Glacier, the hot, steep bootpack back up to Bonney Pass began. Once on top, it was time for another happy glissade back down to Titcomb Basin, where we washed off in the lake and crawled into our tent for a well-deserved nap.

Over the next few days, we slowly made our way out of the Wind River Range and eventually found a backpacker without a trekking pole. I untied the last pole from my pack and handed it over to its new mom to continue on to another adventure.

Briana K. Whitehead has a bachelor of science in environmental studies and biology, a certificate in outdoor education, an agricultural Returned Peace Corps Volunteer certificate, a master of science in land resources and environmental science, and is starting her Ph.D. in earth science in January 2024. She currently serves in the USDA-NRCS as a GIS specialist and soil conservationist.

She volunteers with Pend Oreille Pedalers and Southwest Montana Mountain Bike Association, and is married to her favorite recreational buddy. They have two dogs who go everywhere with them.

COMMUNITY

By Mike Wagoner Reader Contributor

Reality

I got the call on a Sunday afternoon…

It was a neighbor of my folks back in Walla Walla, where I grew up. I was in Nashville where I was teaching high school and playing at an open mic from time to time.

The gist of the message was that my mom and dad were not doin’ so well. It was news to me, since my weekly phone visits never indicated that things weren’t good… well, it turned out, they weren’t being honest with me. A couple members of the last Greatest Generation, I guess they didn’t want to be a burden. I’d had a sister who lived closer to them, but who died a year or so previously… Now it was just me.

After thanking the neighbor, I hung up and sat silently for a time. It didn’t take long before my little voice told me what I needed to do. As it happened, the school year was close to being over. I met with the principal, told him my situation and gave my notice…

I wouldn’t be returning.

The old home town looked the same to me, but things were different. I pulled in the drive and noticed the lawn right away… it wasn’t like it had always been. My dad opened the door. His face also was different.

We hugged… probably for the first time ever… and I felt how thin he had become.

Mom was sittin’ in the living room with a walker by her chair… another first.

I remember thinking…“Is that really for her?” I settled in and began experiencing what so many Boomers have been and are continuing to be faced with: reality.

At night from my old room downstairs, I could hear the thump when my mom would fall trying to get into her bathroom — something my dad’s old ears just couldn’t detect anymore.

So many surreal things, like interviewing a woman who would be helping my mom in the shower and bringing that lawn back to life as my old hero watched, smiling, from the window. My basic goal was to keep them out of a nursing home as long as I could. Mom, with limited speech, tutored me in the kitchen — the place where she had served as councilor to both me and my

sister during those formative years.

Mom left us first. And it was then when my dad and I sort of just became roommates that our roles really began to change… especially when he started to ask me things like, “What do those numbers mean on my night stand?” Or when he’d get up at two in the morning and begin making coffee.

Yup, he was starting to fade, but he could remember every little thing that had occurred years ago. He filled me in about his childhood on the little farm a few miles from town. His favorite fishin’ holes… his adventures as a high-school kid… drinkin’ a lot of homemade apple wine one Sunday with a couple buddies and shootin’ the tail off a cow on a dare.

He said that next day, at first, he was afraid he might die and a little later he was afraid he wouldn’t.

I knew he had fought in WWll as a Marine, but the details about that time of his life had always been sketchy at best. Well, that began to change in a big way. There were times when I sat spellbound across from him in the little sitting room as he told me things he had kept to himself for so many years.

The graphic details of landing on Saipan with his platoon… the women and children that they tried to round up after the dust had settled, many of them jumping to their deaths with babies in their arms off the north end of the island, where the cliffs were high above the rocky surf below, rather than to submit to the Americans.

He told me of the necklaces some men would make, adorned with teeth taken from the mouths of the enemy… something he wouldn’t allow his men to do.

There’s more, but I’ll cut it off here. I’ll just say that as the days went by I began to feel a kind of love and appreciation for him that I had never really felt before.

It was a sunny summer afternoon when he left. The ring of the front door bell found me staring at him with enlightened and grateful eyes. He, along with my mom, had shown me how to live, and how to die…

August 31, 2023 / R / 15

COMMUNITY

Mind, body and running shoes

SHS cross-country, track coaches retire after 18 years

By Ben Olson Reader Staff For Matt and Angie Brass, it all comes down to teamwork. Longtime coaches for cross-country and track at Sandpoint High School, the husband-and-wife duo have decided to hang up their running shoes, leaving nearly two decades of success in their wake.

The pair met while attending SHS, where both ran on the cross-country team under then-coach Cheryl Klein.

“A lot of what got me into running was Cheryl Klein at the high school,” Angie told the Reader. “It was inspiring to have a female coach as a runner.”

Both continued running as a way to get in shape for basketball, but found the sport checked off a lot of other boxes: it was physically challenging, mentally stimulating and gave them a chance to get outside as often as possible with their teammates.

“Being outside and moving on your own two feet is simplistic and wonderful,” Angie said.

“It’s not always fun, but it’s really rewarding to finish a workout or a race and have that feeling of satisfaction doing a sport that I haven’t found elsewhere,” Matt told the Reader.

After graduating in 1994, the pair attended college at University of Idaho Moscow, where Matt earned a degree in education and computer programming technology, and Angie received her degree in child development and family relations.

The pair moved around a bit after college, working in Portland, Ore., for a few years before ultimately returning to their hometown of Sandpoint in 2005.

“I felt like we were ready,” Matt said.

“Our girls were starting school and we wanted them to have that small town community we grew up with.”

Neither had any intention of coaching, but when their old running coach Cheryl Klein called Angie and asked her to volunteer with the team, it planted a seed that began to grow. The next year, when a coaching job came up to replace the departing Klein, Matt and Angie jumped at the opportunity.

“Angie focused on the girls’ side, I would run and coach the boys,” Matt said.

“It was all one program, though.”

The Brasses coached both track and cross-country, instilling the ethos that running wasn’t just a physical activity; but,

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rather, a joint effort between body and mind operating as one.

“Cross-country is really where the magic is,” Angie said. “It’s something you can’t reproduce in another sport. There are no timeouts. You’re out there and everyone is experiencing the same course. There are so many cool, weird things about it that I love.”

At the center of their ethos as coaches is the idea that running was first and foremost a team sport.

“We built the team with that in mind,” Matt said. “Run for your team, challenge each other. Iron sharpens iron.”

“When you have a mindset as a team, everyone loves and cares about one another,” Angie said. “It brings so much more value and reward to it all. … The beauty of endurance sports at the high school level is watching kids that work hard and are goal-oriented. That transfers to the classroom, too.”

Looking back over the history of the SHS cross-country team, the data backs up that statement.

Over the course of 36 seasons, 18 valedictorians and 12 salutatorians have been cross-country runners, while 25 went on to become runners at the collegiate level.

“You can’t be garbage in one area and clean in another,” Matt said. “The team would set goals, like team G.P.A. goals and the girls were hugely successful on that side. They were second in the state for G.P.A.” SHS cross-country teams have racked up plenty of achievements in the past three decades, with the girls responsible for three state championship teams, 11 state trophies, three individual state champions, 36 individual state medalists, 16 regional team championships, 19 individual regional champions and 28 state qualifying teams.

The SHS XC boys hold four state trophies, 23 individual state medals, 16 regional team championships, 15 regional individual champions and 27 state qualifying teams.

Looking back over 18 years, the coaching duo said they’ll miss all the traditions and connections they made at SHS. “I’m so glad we were able to pay it forward,” Angie said. “Cheryl is certainly one of the top five people in my life as a mentor.

Being able to be that for other young women is really important to me. To be able to run with them and have time with them, knowing and seeing how things are going in their lives. It’s huge and we’ll miss it.”

Coaching team Matt and Angie Brass have retired from SHS cross-country and track after 18 years. Courtesy photo.

“Both of us are approaching 30,000 miles running since we started coaching 18 years ago,” Matt said. “Thousands of miles, hundreds of hours and I don’t think anything quite connects you with someone like being at your most raw, uncomfortable, pushing it, driving them and asking ourselves to do the things that are hard. … You learn so much about someone’s personality while you’re running. That’s what we’ll miss the most. Those real training moments with kids, being able to be there with them.

There’s no substitute.”

After overseeing the transition to new coaches this summer, the Brasses looked back fondly on the 500 runners they coached over the years.

“It was never our program, we were just stewards of it,” Matt said. “We tried to do something great with it and leave it better than we found it.”

“We had the privilege to be involved with hundreds of kids’ lives,” Angie said.

“The connections we made are forever, and it’s been a joy.”

COMMUNITY

Celebrate local creators with POAC’s Artists’ Studio Tour

By Reader Staff The Artists’ Studio Tour returns for another year, showcasing the work of local talent and the spaces from which they’ve drawn inspiration. Sponsored by the Pend Oreille Arts Council, these self-guided tours will run Friday, Sept. 1-Sunday, Sept. 3, and span more than 20 participating studios.

A variety of artforms — including painting, weaving, jewelry making and much more — will be on display, and many pieces will be available for purchase. The artists will also be available to answer questions

and welcome visitors to these intimate, artistic spaces.

“We’ve put together one of the best ever Artists’ Studio Tours this year,” POAC President Carol Deaner stated in a news release. “Getting to see so many artists’ at work, and being able to talk to and learn about what inspires them is priceless.”

The tour is FREE and runs Friday, Sept.

1-Sunday, Sept. 3 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day. For more information and a complete list of locations, visit artinsandpoint. org/artist-studio-tour.

Sand Creek Regatta returns for fourth year of aquatic fun

By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff For the fourth year, handmade watercraft will ply the waters of Sand Creek in a madcap race from Bridge Street to the Cedar Street Bridge and back, competing for bragging rights, trophies and to see whose “boats” stay afloat the longest.

Organized by husbandand-wife duo Jon and Amanda Knepper since 2020, this year’s Sand Creek Regatta is set to take place Saturday, Sept. 9, with participants mustering at the parking lot on the east side of Sand Creek off Bridge street at 9 a.m., with a start time of 10:30 a.m. — depending on when all the boats are ready and in the water.

“I assume the weather will not cooperate, but that’s what makes it fun and a local’s only race,” Jon Knepper told the Reader.

Cost to participate is $50 per watercraft, with proceeds going toward the cost of the event and cash to pay for after-party drinks at Idaho Pour Authority.

According to Knepper, about seven crews have so far indicated they’ll enter the race — that includes the Reader, which has taken first place for the past two years.

“I encourage people to come out and beat the Reader,” Knepper said.

The event is a scaled down homage to the Businessman’s Raft Race, which took place in Sandpoint during the 1980s as part of Waterfest, which included canoe races, arm wrestling and other sports contests, pie eating and water skiing competitions and more.

For the Sand Creek Regatta, boats — if

The Sandpoint Reader’s boat, christened U.S.S. Hatemail, is undefeated in two outings.

Photo by Woods Wheatcroft they can be called that — must be made by hand, which excludes preexisting watercraft (that is, no repurposed rafts, inflatables bigger than 12 inches, canoes, kayaks, paddleboards, surfboards, waterskis, jet skis, skidoos or anything of the kind) and completely human powered.

The emphasis is on creativity as much as speed.

There are no age or crew size restrictions, as long as a responsible adult 18 or older is on board, and life jackets or personal flotation devices must be worn by participants at all times. Participation is at your own risk. No trace is to be left behind, either on water or land.

Trophies in the categories of overall winner, most creative and most epic fail will be presented at the after-party.

To enter or get more info, visit facebook. com/sandcreekregatta.

August 31, 2023 / R / 17

events THURSDAY, August 31

Live Music w/ Chris Paradis 6-8pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall Game Night 6:30pm @ Tervan Tavern

Free Family Show: The Croods: A New Age 10am @ Sandpoint Cinemas Sandpointcinemas.com

August 31 - Sept. 7, 2023

Better Together Animal Alliance fundraiser 4:30-6:30pm @ Idaho Pour Authority Proceeds benefit BTAA. Snacks and prizes

FriDAY, september 1 30th annual FallFest at Schweitzer Hope MCC Date Night Various @ Schweitzer (Sept. 1-4) Dance Workshops Enjoy four days of beer tasting, live 7-8:30pm @ Hope Memorial music and fun on Schweitzer’s last Community Center (Hope) weekend of summer operations.

Beginning east coast swing See Page 21 for a full listing of live Sept. 1, 8, 15. Beginning music and more information Rumba Sept. 22, 29 and Oct. 6 Live Music w/ Brian Jacobs Live Music w/ Mobius Riff 7-9pm@ Idaho Pour Authority 7-10pm @ Eichardt’s Pub

Live Music w/ Mike Wagoner Trio POAC Artists’ Studio Tour 5-8pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery 10am-4pm @ Various locations Folk, classic rock, country, blues The annual self-guided driving tour of working art studios Live Music w/ Miah Kohal 6:30-9:30pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall throughout North Idaho. Free to attend. Info: artinsandpoint.org Outlaw country, classic rock Live Music w/ Bright Moments Tater Tot Cup 5:30-8:30pm @ Arlo’s Ristorante 10am @ Lake off City Beach A junior sailing regatta taking Live Music w/ Karen Atkins place off Sandpoint City Beach 5:30-8:30pm @ Barrel 33 prior to Spud Cup. Ages 10-18

SATURDAY, september 2 Live Music w/ Larson Gardens 5-8pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery Singer-songwriter with an unforgettable voice and lyrical charm

Friends of Library Book Sale Sandpoint Farmers’ Market Live Music w/ 10am-2pm @ Sandpoint Library 9am-1pm @ Farmin Park Luke Yates & Christy Lee An abundance of books available Produce, crafts, food and more.

6-9pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall in all genres, for great prices!

Live music with Mobius Riff Country Sandpoint Farmers’ Market Spud Cup Regatta Live Music w/ Fiddlin’ Red 9am-1pm @ Farmin Park 8:30am-6pm @ Lake Pend Oreille 5:30-8:30pm @ Barrel 33 Produce, crafts, food and more. Annual sailing competition with Sandpoint Sailing Association.

Live Music w/ Jason Perry Band Live music with Mobius Riff Spectate from Sandpoint City Beach. Skippers’ meeting at 8:30am.

9pm-midnight @ 219 Lounge Connie’s Cafe will host registration from 3-7pm on Friday and a Groovy rock and reggae welcome party from 4-8pm. Post race party at Connie’s at 5pm Sandpoint Chess Club 9am @ Evans Brothers Coffee Meets every Sunday at 9am

SunDAY, september 3

Magic with Star Alexander 5-8pm @ Jalepeño’s Up close magic shows at the table

monDAY, september 4

Monday Night Blues Jam w/ John Firshi Outdoor Experience Group Run 7pm @ Eichardt’s Pub 6pm @ Outdoor Experience 3-5 miles, all levels welcome Weekly Trivia Night 6-8pm @ Idaho Pour Authority Hosted by Zach Hagadone and other rotating hosts

tuesDAY, september 5

MCC Art Classes • 1-3pm @ Hope Memorial Community Center Classes in drawing, acrylics, watercolors, origami, collage and more. 208-264-0415 or veegee2@gmail for more info

Health Hikes 8:30am @ Pine Street Woods Light morning cardio hiking with medical professionals, including a group discussion on a current health topic.

Tuesday Bingo Night (free to play) 5-8pm @ Paddler’s Alehouse

wednesDAY, september 6

Live Piano w/ Dwayne Parsons 5-7pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery Sandpoint Farmers’ Market 3-5:30pm @ Farmin Park Produce, crafts, food and more

Public Hearing on Trestle Creek development • 5-10pm @ Sandpoint High School auditorium Residents are encouraged to show up and share their views about the proposed luxury housing development and private marina at the mouth of Trestle Creek on Lake Pend Oreille on bull trout habitat

Live Piano w/ Rachel Cole 5-8pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery Nashville singer-songwriter playing guitar and banjo in a bluesy, groovy fashion

Live Music w/ Jacob Robin 6-8pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall Alternative chill

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ThursDAY, september 7

Live Music w/ Rachel Cole 5-8pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery Nashville singer-songwriter

Artist Reception for Teascarlet 5-7pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery Meet the artist and take a moment to appreciate the artwork

STAGE & SCREEN Disney+ series Ahsoka makes old Star Wars fans feel even older — and that’s good

By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff It’s telling that The Washington Post felt compelled to publish a piece Aug. 22 titled, “What you need to watch before Ahsoka series releases.” First, that viewers would “need” to be primed to watch the Disney+ series in the first place. Second, the reality that even the headline would leave more than a few prospective streamers scratching their heads.

Who or what is “Ahsoka,” and what do you need to know before you even know what you don’t know?

Short answer: We’re in Star Wars territory, with Ahsoka Tano being the name of the former-padawan — a.k.a. Jedi-in-training — of Anakin Skywalker — a.k.a. Darth Vader — who parted with her master during the Clone Wars and before his tragic turn to the Dark Side amid the events of Revenge of the Sith (that is, the interregnum between Episodes II and III).

If you’re confused that you’ve never heard of or seen Ahsoka in any of the primary films of the Star Wars franchise, you should be.

She’s not part of any of them; rather, Ahsoka entered the canon as a character in the Clone Wars and later Rebels animated series. She came to live action — and much fan acclaim — portrayed by Rosario Dawson in an episode of The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett.

Ahsoka is a bit of a cipher, neither following the paths of Jedi or Sith, but retaining all the Force powers gleaned from her training under the elder, fallen Skywalker.

She means business, and is on the side of good, but has been so disillusioned by the binary nature of galactic politics and religion that she pretty much operates on her own.

I’d submit that she’s more of a libertarian than the vaguely theocratic do-gooders of the Jedi and parsecs removed from the space-fascists of the Sith and the Empire. In the cartoons, her erstwhile mentor Anakin called her “Snips,” owing to her snippy quips and rebellious nature.

That’s pretty much what you need to know about Ahsoka: she’s a badass with a chip on her shoulder and the skills to back it up.

Now Ahsoka is older, the Empire has fallen, she’s on the hunt

for a missing villain in order to stop the return of the bad old days and she has her own show. And a lot of us (especially Star Wars fans of more advanced years) are confused. We’re experiencing the discomfort of our middle ages through the prism of a cinematic universe in which two full generations have spent their entire lives, because we don’t know who this character is or why we should care about her and her compatriots.

The kids these days — that is, those who grew up watching the Clone Wars and Rebels cartoons — are well familiar with Ahsoka Tano, but us oldsters whose memories go back to A New Hope on grainy VHS, feel a little bit befuddled.

That’s the gist of most of the reviews following the two-part premiere that aired Aug. 22: The amount of backstory necessary to even approach the show evades a lot of longer-in-the-tooth Star Wars fans, many of whom were in their 30s when Ahsoka entered the narrative and weren’t watching cartoons (but require a WaPo explainer).

Does that make it worth watching? Sure. We’ve been trained

to suspend so much disbelief in the consumption of Star Wars media that it’s not a big stretch to accept that Ahsoka is necessary to the sweep of the story about the conflict between good and evil in a galaxy far, far away. Does that make her miniseries necessary?

Not really. I mean, this is the fourth Disney+ show focused on the events between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens. This part of the mythos is starting to feel more than a little cluttered.

Lest this be interpreted as a negative review, it isn’t. The digital cinematography of Ahsoka is gorgeous. So far, it has a good balance between exposition and action. In her role as the titular character, Dawson is steely while hinting at an essential vulnerability. We feel that there are emotional as well as political stakes to what goes on, making this entry in the constellation of Star Wars shows feel a little more somber than others (though not nearly so much as Andor and Rogue One, which remain the best of

Shimmying to North Idaho

By Katie Botkin Reader Contributor For years, I traveled to Portland, Ore., to take fusion bellydance classes at Rachel Brice’s Datura studio, then the center of the universe for tribal fusion — a fluid, muscular style that takes inspiration from anything and everything, and melds it with the shimmies of more traditional belly dance.

Traveling to Portland seemed a relatively short distance, since I met women there who had flown from South America and Europe for classes. Later, after almost dying in childbirth and taking a forced break from dancing, I discovered that Datura teacher Ashley Lopez had moved from Portland to Sandpoint, and was teaching a class half a block from my house.

Lopez specializes in contortion, flexibility and, amazingly enough for my postpartum body,

rehab. I had no real way of explaining how fortuitous this seemed, since the whole thing was so niche — a lightning strike invisible to most of the world.

Lopez performs both regionally and internationally, and has toured 26 countries performing solo and with well-known bands such as Beats Antique, an electronic festival-scene ensemble best known for featuring dancer-musician Zoe Jakes.

Lopez is now heading up the North Idaho Bellydance Fest on Saturday, Sept. 9, with fellow teacher Nafabit, the winner of last year’s national Bellydancer USA competition. I’m performing at the 7 p.m. show featuring various professional dancers, in the building where I used to attend church as a homeschooled teenager.

And this is the thing about North Idaho: It’s a land of contrasts. I’ve taken skills learned for home-making, and made jingly silk costumes to promenade across

the stage where I once listened to a pastor sermonize against the evils of women looking too enticing.

Lopez moved here precisely because Sandpoint offers such contrasts. Or as she puts it, “a combination of country living, kind people, a thriving arts community, incredible nature and all four seasons.”

Lopez got her start in bellydance decades ago while she was studying to be an opera singer. She fell into tribal fusion by accident and quickly became obsessed.

“I went to every class, every festival, every workshop, every performance opportunity, then I took every teaching opportunity,” Lopez said. “The community was so supportive. I got hooked up with my two main dance teachers, Zoe Jakes and Rachel Brice. Both offered me incredible support, took me on tour and had me teach at their studios, where I got great exposure.”

Since moving to North Ida-

the Disney-era spinoffs. This is a controversial opinion, by the way, according to a friend of mine who works pretty high up at Disney — especially with regards to Rogue One, some in the company despise it, others love it and the division is stark).

That said, watching Ahsoka as a 42-year-old often feels like sitting at a cafeteria table with people a few grades younger than you and trying to keep up with who they’re talking about. As such, if there are bad reviews out there focused on the inscrutability of Ahsoka, I reckon that has more to do with more aged fans feeling resentful that the kids have their own Star Wars heroes.

But they’re forgetting that that’s always been central to the franchise’s ethos: The young replace the old and write a different story.

New episodes stream Tuesdays on Disney+.

World-class bellydancers to headline festival at The Pearl

“Bellydance traditionally can ho, Lopez has been equally as be done with just a drum, so it generous with her support. A few months after I met her — with my seems like a natural pairing,” he said. “Drumming and dancing.” abdominal muscles re-stabilized The people Lopez has met here and hips realigned from her classplay a large role in es — she invited how she performs me to perform at North Idaho and teaches. her home studio in Bellydance Fest “Against all Selle Valley.

Saturday, Sept. 9; classes at While the snow 1 p.m. and 2:30 p.m.; show at odds, moving to fell on the farm Sandpoint was 7 p.m.; $20 per class session, $20 for the show. Pearl Theater; yet another great outside, I talked 7160 Ash St., Bonners Ferry; with Nafabit, a career move,” 208-610-2846; get more info Spokane-based she said. “I’ve and register at ashleylopez. bellydancer who been offered just com/bellydance-fest. specializes in as much oppormore traditional tunity for artistic forms and competes internationgrowth and business as I did when ally in them. When I met her I moved to the Bay Area and then in 2021, she had just won the to Portland. Sandpoint is a special Bellydancer of the Universe’s gold place, and the Pearl Theater in medal.

Bonners has also offered generous I also met Charles Bommarito, support. I am grateful to be here.” an accomplished drummer whom I immediately asked to accompany Katie Botkin is an intername on live drums sometime. He tional writer and regional dancer said yes, and now is joining me based in Sandpoint. onstage at the Pearl.

August 31, 2023 / R / 19

FOOD

North Idaho with a European flair

Meet Sandpoint’s newest European hotspot, The Bernklau on Pine Street

By Soncirey Mitchell Reader Staff

The Bernklaus are originally from a city in Bavaria, Germany, but sold everything to move to the U.S. Their dream has always been The Bernklau, described as to run a cafe, so they jumped at a cafe, bar and bistro, has met the opportunity to introduce Euwith much success since its grand ropean coffee culture to Idaho. In opening more than two months Europe, cafes are integral commuago. Wednesday through Sunday, nity spaces that offer a place for locals and tourists alike fill up the front patio under the shade of Pine people to gather in the evenings, other than in bars.

Street’s mature trees. As word has “It was hard here because spread about the new spot, there’s everything closes so early,” Lea also been some confusion regardsaid, citing The Bernklau’s unusuing what exactly The Bernklau is. al hours. The cafe is open from “A lot of people call it a ‘German bakery,’ and then they’re 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., long after most confused when they come in,” said American cafes have shut down.

“We were very hesitant in a co-founder Garret Bernklau. “It’s small town, bringing something just a European cafe and bar.” out of the norm,” added Garret.

The cafe does offer baked “They could either hate us or goods including tarts and croisappreciate the Eusants, as well ropean culture.” as sandwiches, The Bernklau Given The crepes, wine and 316 Pine St. Bernklau’s popugourmet coffee.

208-946-5255 larity, it’s clear the “We do have some German instagram.com/the_bernklau community has welcomed the new things,” added for more info. style with open co-founder Lea arms.

Bernklau, “but The cafe’s packed tables are a then we also have other [cultures] testament to the crew and Bernlike Italian and some French.” klau family’s hard work and dedThe Italian and French offerings include two of the Bernklaus’ ication — Garret’s mother even came to Sandpoint to help out. favorites: the caprese sandwich “My mom, who lives in and the strawberry chocolate Germany, has the same passion. crepe, respectively.

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This was always her dream,” he said. “She actually moved in with us in May. She did all the baking, she had all the recipes — except some that Lea brought — and she trained everyone.”

The cafe opens its doors every Wednesday, so Tuesday is a full day of baking to prepare for the week’s hungry clientele. Both Lea and Garret emphasized how grateful they are for their dedicated

workers, who prepare everything from fruit tarts to fresh bread inhouse. Many of the team members are young enough for Lea to dub them “little tiny bakers.”

Judging by the full tables on the patio, The Bernklau has brought new life to Pine Street.

“We want it to be a place where people can hang out, play cards, and have tea or coffee,” Lea said.

The fireplace in the dining

By Reader Staff

emergency rent and utility assistance, and support for the Bonner County Homeless Task Force and the Priest River Ministries domestic abuse shelter. The Angels also distribute close to 1,000 backpacks full of school supplies to Bonner County students each year.

To apply for an Angels Over Sandpoint grant, visit angelsoversandpoint.org under the “need help/grants” tab. Instructions and a complete description of the grant are under “Community Grants.”

The following criteria must be met in order to have a grant request considered:

The Bernklaus and their staff at the cafe.

Photo by Soncirey Mitchell. room will roar to life in the colder months to come, and everyone will continue to enjoy the cafe’s hot drinks and warm, welcoming environment.

In the meantime, the Bernklaus hope the new business — and new building — will quickly become a favorite of area locals for years to come.

Angels Over Sandpoint accepting applications for community grants Twice a year, the Angels Over Sandpoint distributes funds through its community grants program to various groups requesting funds for specific needs. The fall cycle of grants applications are now being accepted, with requests due by Friday, Sept. 15.

Grants are funded by attendance at the Angels’ events and direct donations, enabling the organization to provide support for a broad spectrum of community needs — among them, money for softball and wrestling equipment for girls sports, gas vouchers, newborn sleep sacks, to-go containers for Wheels on Meals, emergency cash, storage equipment, a groomer for cross-country trails and more.

In addition, the Angels’ ongoing programs include providing

• An organization holding a current tax-exempt status under Section 501(c)(3), (4), (6) or (19) of the Internal Revenue Code; • A recognized government entity: state, county or city agency — including law enforcement

or fire departments — that are requesting funds exclusively for charitable purposes; • A pre-kindergarten to Grade 12 public or private school, charter school, community/junior college, state/private college or university; • A church or other faith-based organization with a proposed project that benefits the community at large; • A children and/or youth program.

“The Angels know they can’t do it all, and would like to help nonprofits in Bonner County that are doing work that fills our vision,” the organization stated. “The Angels Over Sandpoint looks forward to each group’s ideas on how to enhance the life of the children, seniors, veterans and all Bonner County citizens. Each request will get careful consideration.”

MUSIC

Schweitzer FallFest celebrates 30 years Live music, beer, souvenir glassware and all the fun you can fit on top of a mountain

By Ben Olson Reader Staff A lot has changed on Schweitzer Mountain since 1993, but one can always count on the annual end of the summer season soiree known as FallFest. One part beer festival, one part live music concert series, FallFest has been a Labor Day weekend tradition for 30 years, giving attendees a chance to sample more than 80 beers, ciders and seltzers from regional breweries, as well as access all the mountain activities and amenities Friday, Sept. 1 to Monday, Sept. 4.

With the weekend marking the final weekend of summer operations, the Great Escape Quad will be open 11 a.m.-5 p.m. to ferry people to the summit of the mountain where they can hike, mountain bike and see the sights.

Attentive hikers might even spot some late-season huckleberry patches the local bears (and humans) have missed.

Down in the village, aside from the usual summer activities, souvenir glassware will be on sale, but don’t delay because supplies are limited. Each glass comes with three drink tickets good for one full beer pour. There are also soda-only “Sili Pints” available for non-alcoholic drink pours. The beer tent will be open 4-8 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 1; noon-7 p.m., Saturday-Sunday, Sept. 2-3; and noon-5 p.m., Monday, Sept. 4.

Kids of all ages will have the opportunity to experience what the mountain has to offer with a zip line, trampoline jumper, sluice box, disc golf, arts and crafts, and more.

Food vendors will also be on hand to keep bellies and smiles full.

Providing the backdrop to this annual tradition is a lineup of regional and touring bands playing all four days at FallFest. See the sidebar for a full schedule of bands and times.

The SPOT Bus will run every half hour from the Red Barn

to Schweitzer Village, making mountain access easy. Check schweitzer.com for a full bus schedule.

Schweitzer Village comes alive during FallFest over Labor Day Weekend. Courtesy photo.

FallFest live music schedule Friday, Sept. 1 4-6 p.m.: Madeline Hawthorne — Montana singer-songwriter 6:30-8:30 p.m.: Mo Lowda & The Humble — Philadelphia-based alternative rock trio

Saturday, Sept. 2 Noon-2 p.m.: Kaitlyn Wiens — jazz/soul influenced Spokane artist 2:30-4:30 p.m.: Aaron Golay — Boise-based singer-songwriter 5-7 p.m.: Snacks at Midnight — Spokane-based five-piece playing indie rock, pop, funk

Sunday, Sept. 3 Noon-2 p.m.: Katie Mintle — singer-songwriter from Boulder, Colo.

2:30-4:30 p.m.: Sam Weber Trio — Canadian-born singer-songwriter 5-7 p.m.: Brittany’s House — quartet from Coeur d’Alene

Monday, Sept. 4 Noon-2 p.m.: Runaway Symphony — rock/indie band from Moscow 2:30-5 p.m.: Sam Leyde Band — North Idaho-based high energy country and rock

A snapshot of notable live music coming up in Sandpoint Jason Perry Band, 219 Lounge, Sept. 2

Fiddlin’ Red, Barrel 33, Sept. 2

Celebrate the long Labor Day weekend with a Saturday, Sept. 2 session featuring the Jason Perry Band.

The Spokane-based outfit specializes in groovy rock and reggae with soul and funk influences, well known for its transitions between uptempo, dancey bangers and mellow grooves — all perfect for a summer night at the Niner.

For a sampler of the Jason Perry sound, check out his 2021

Fiddlin’ Red would fit in perfectly at the O.K. Corral, serenading Doc Holliday on the banjo, fiddle, guitar, harmonica, mandolin, spoons, jaw harp or button accordion — all of which he plays in the style of the Old West. Adhering to tradition isn’t a gimmick; Red lets the past influence every aspect of his life.

Evidence: “Red uses a flintlock rifle or black-powder cartridge rifle to hunt and loads his own ammunition,” according to his website.

album Picnic Before the Apocalypse, which he described to the Spokesman-Review as “joyous and exuberant.” That could just as well be said of a Jason Perry Band set.

— Zach Hagadone 9 p.m.-midnight, FREE, 21+.

219 Lounge, 219 N. First Ave., 208-263-5673, 219.bar. Listen at jasonperrytrio.bandcamp.com.

With more than 50 years spent repairing and selling instruments, meanwhile performing in the old-time musical vein from here to Newport Beach, Calif. (and even making guitars for Dobro and Rickenbacker), there can be no doubt that Fiddlin’ Red knows his stuff.

— Soncirey Mitchell 5:30-8:30 p.m., FREE. Barrel 33, 100 Main St., 208-920-6258, barrel33sandpoint.com.

This week’s RLW by Soncirey Mitchell

READ

If the gorgeously written, heartbreaking narrative isn’t enough to make you read Beloved,

by Toni Morrison, let spite be your motivation.

As overreaching powers attempt to erase the scars of slavery from our history books, Beloved has been the subject of countless bans for its depiction of racism and sexuality.

The novel is a testament to Morrison’s skill and solidifies her position as one of the greatest American authors of all time. The harrowing supernatural elements and complex characters will stay with you long after the story is over.

LISTEN

Though Noah Kahan’s album Stick Season is inspired by his life in New England, his nostalgic — if sardonic — storytelling is sure to hit home for Sandpoint locals. Kahan captures what it means to grow up in a small town, all the while tackling topics like addiction, mental health and young love. These catchy folkpop tunes will have you singing along in no time.

WATCH

Fans of the genre know that British crime dramas can’t be beat, and Endeavour is no exception.

The show follows the eponymous Detective Morse — a Sherlockian sleuth working for the Oxford City Police CID — as he navigates the gruesome murders and political corruption of ’60s and ’70s England. The twisting investigations and endearing, well-rounded characters make this show thoroughly bingeable. It’s the perfect choice for history buffs, classical music enthusiasts and fans of wellcut suits. All nine seasons (plus the TV movie that serves as the pilot) are now available to stream in the U.S. on Amazon Prime.

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BACK OF THE BOOK On Pythagoras’ ‘music of the spheres’ From Daily Panidan, May 24, 1929

HAMMER SLAYER PRONOUNCED INSANE; MUST GO TO ASYLUM James Rau, 22, who Wednesday killed his father, Herman Rau, 70-year-old Sandpoint rancher, by beating him with a hammer, and then nearly decapitating him with a butcher knife, today was committed to the north Idaho sanitarium at Orofino by District Judge Bert A. Reed.

The committment followed a court hearing on a criminal insantiy charge filed by Prosecutor Robert E. McFarland.

Rau sat apparently unmoved throughout the hearing of testimony.

When questioned by examining physicians, he answered all questions easily and naturally and only when describing the actual murder did he evince any emotion. His voice broke and he cried softly and he told of beating his aged father on the head, but he regained his composure instantly when the physicians changed their line of questioning.

Dr. C.P. Stackhouse, the first witness called, testified that he examined Rau on April 23 and again in company with Dr. F.G. Wendle, on the day after the murder.

He described in detail Rau’s hallucinations that he was a “wonderful mathematician” and was devoting intensive study to the Einstein theory of relativity in an effort to show the relationships of men, animals and books, the doctor said. He further had the belief that a great war was in progress and believed he had the secret to either a powerful destructive machine or chemical which would practically annihilate the earth’s population, Dr. Stackhouse said.

“Rau’s insanity appeared to be of the paranoia type,” the physician testified. He said he believed Rau insane at present and that it would be dangerous if he were allowed to go free.

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By Sandy Compton Reader Columnist Once upon a time, long, long ago — at least a decade, maybe more — I was enlisted by a couple of teachers from a local school to help lead a group of seventh-graders into the wilderness. Their idea was to bring them back as well, not just leave them there, tempting as it might be.

These were good kids, most on the cusp of puberty, some having passed that tipping point and some still maneuvering toward it. For the most part, they were divided into two basic groups: a giggle of girls and a boggle of boys.

These classifications may not be completely scientific, but the designations are appropriate.

At the time, neither group had discovered the other’s mutually mysterious attractions, so chaperoning was not so much about keeping them apart as keeping them together; which, with the help of the other grown-ups, we managed. There were no losses.

Some were fast hikers and others were half-fast hikers, and it didn’t take many steps to figure out who was who. It’s eternally interesting to sort out who is comfortable in a situation in which effort is required, and who really isn’t. I understand.

Regardless of numerous glorious moments I’ve spent in the backcountry, I admit there are some inglorious ones, when I would rather be sitting in my favorite seat in my favorite pub having a favorite beverage with some favorite friends than walking around with 40 pounds on my back. In the rain. Still, rewards offered by that latter effort are enough to keep me putting one foot in front of the other. So, I do.

Some of the children in attendance — and I suspect at least one teacher — were not yet well-acquainted with such rewards, and were somewhat balky, whiny and obstinate.

With no whip to crack, I could only promise them some magical moment ahead that

would make all the work worth it. Those who took me at my word had enough energy to suck the rest along in their wake, and up the trail we went.

After an inordinately long time — at least an hour — we came to the place where we were to camp. The crew gratefully dropped their packs and suffered the indignity of making the place relatively bear safe. (Some were somewhat surprised — and dismayed — that bears were even a remote possibility.)

Having hung the food, we began pack-free toward the ultimate destination, a rock-bottomed, crystalline lake tucked into a high cirque so remote that only a few thousand people had been there. OK. It isn’t all that secret, but it is still beautiful and foreign enough to the children that they found it, at least, “pretty.” And for the time being, no one else was there. Bonus.

As someone who often hikes alone (or “saunters,” as John Muir puts it), I found the chatter of the children — they never shut up — at first amusing; then mildly annoying; and, finally, like, “Just shut the #@@& up!,” which I did not say aloud, for fear of freaking out my fellow chaperones. What I did say aloud — Ok, growl — was, “Alright, you guys! Enough talk! Find a spot and be still for the next few minutes. Just sit and listen.”

“Listen to what? ” someone asked.

“You’ll see,” I said. Maybe, I thought.

Growling at children doesn’t always work.

But we saw.

I figured the kids might go five minutes without breaking out in babble, but I underestimated the power of the music of the spheres — that perfect harmony ancient old Pythagoras imagined to play eternally in the universal background; inaudible but pervasive; produced by the movements of stars and planets.

We sat mute, and the music grew and grew and grew, filling the rocky amphitheater with such a symphony of silence that

STR8TS Solution

Sudoku Solution

children and adults sat enchanted for five, then 10, then 15 minutes. None dared speak, for it was in each of us not to be the first to break the spell. We found our magic moment. Or it found us.

Finally, as if by mutual acquiescence, we began to leave our seats on rocks and logs and move about, speaking in quiet voices.

Shortly after, I was blessed to hear the greatest affirmation a 13-year-old can give: “That was really cool.” It was.

We live in a noisy world. It’s getting harder to find places and moments where and when we can listen for Pythagoras’ “music of the spheres.” It might be that this symphony is mythical; nonexistent. It might be, but Pythagoras was smart enough to work out how to figure the length of a hypotenuse, so maybe he was on to something. How do we know that the universe isn’t singing madly, and the way to hear the music is to just sit, be still and listen?

Sandy Compton is blessed to be able to listen for the music of the spheres often. His latest book, Her Name Is Lillian, will be out in time for National Book Month.

Crossword Solution

If a kid ever asks you how Santa Claus can live forever, I think a good answer is that he drinks blood.

Solution on page 22

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By Bill Borders

luddite /LUHD-ahyt/

Woorf tdhe Week

[noun] 1. someone who is opposed or resistant to new technologies or technological change.

“Despite living in the digital age, my grandfather proudly wears the title of a luddite, as he prefers reading books in their physical form rather than using e-readers or tablets.”

Corrections: Speaking of imperfections, we’ve learned that the name of the stone mason responsible for the “chicken” painted on the interior wall of the Panida Theater — referred to as “Tirrell’s chicken” in the Aug. 24 opinion piece “In praise of imperfection” — was actually Heber J. Trunnell. We appreciate the clarification and apologize for the error. Also, while our editor is quite diligent proofing the newspaper each week, some spelling mistakes tend to squeak through. Last week, ironically, we misspelled the word “diligent.” *Backs up slowly and disappears into a hedge.* —BO

Copyright www.mirroreyes.com

Laughing Matter

CROSSWORD ACROSS 1. Discomfit 6. Clutter 10. Rotating disks 14. Itinerary 15. Ammunition 16. Curved molding 17. Genus of heath 18. Junk E-mail 19. Companion 20. Hard coal 22. Multicolored 23. Brainy 24. Territories 25. Cast aside (archaic) 29. Stud farm operator 31. Disinclination to motion 33. Amended 37. Grow older 38. Next to 39. Primary chemical 41. Unit of food energy 42. Nationalist 44. Trawling equipment 45. Fanatical 48. Not outer 50. Nile bird 51. Absentminded 56. Golly 57. Silence 58. Long-necked migratory bird 59. False god 60. 1 1 1 1

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34. Your majesty 8. Dabble 35. Rewrite 9. Several 36. D D D 10. Likening 40. Champion of 11. Another time 12. Doled the people 13. Sows 41. Dispute 21. Of the 43. Foot part surrounding area 45. Unbending DOWN 24. Stage 46. House 1. Fertilizer component 25. 10 cent coin 47. Buffalo 2. Erotica 26. Nitpicky to 49. Goes ballistic 3. A set of garments a fault 51. Crazily 4. Carve in stone 27. Celebration 52. Soft drink 5. Rips 28. Dowdily 53. Sound a horn 6. Eye makeup 30. Verbal combatant 54. Glimpse 7. Like a kingdom 32. Step 55. Elk or caribou

61. Run off to wed 62. Declare untrue 63. Retained 64. Nymph chaser

August 31, 2023 / R / 23

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