NEWS
Changes at the Panida Theater Director Lauren Sanders tenders resignation, Century Fund update and more new business By Ben Olson Reader Staff
Changes are afoot at the historic Panida Theater, with Managing Director Lauren Sanders announcing July 27 that she is stepping down from running the historic theater after six months on the job. Sanders participated in her last board meeting Wednesday, Aug. 2 and discussed succession plans with the board. Her last official day as managing director is Thursday, Aug. 3. “My decision to resign is not easy for me,” Sanders wrote in a news release. “I love stewarding the Panida into greater success, and I envisioned leading it through the centennial in 2027, especially with our new board, which is eager to optimize the internal operations and bolster the health of our organization. However, due to personal reasons, the timing isn’t there right now. I am having our second baby in November, and I have a 2-yearold. My priorities and energy have concurrently realigned.” Sanders’ resignation marks the fourth managing director to helm the Panida since longtime director Karen Bowers’ tenure ended in 2013. Bowers’ stewardship of the Panida began in 1987 — only two years after the historic theater was saved from the wrecking ball. “The Panida progressed under Lauren’s guidance and aspirational leadership and the benefits of her positive impact will continue to accrue for years to come,” said Panida Board Member Jeremiah Greenfield. “She was a foundational force in the recent evolution of the Panida.” Also leaving the Panida staff is Technical and Maintenance Coordinator Josh Meagher, who announced his last day will be Aug. 20. “I am not leaving on undesirable terms but, instead, have accepted a booking manager position with Spokane Public Facilities District to further advance my professional career,” he said. Meagher added that he greatly appreciates “the opportunity for professional development and experience the Panida has provided me for the last two years,” and that he is “proud to have been a part of a supportive team and the historic theater.” 6 / R / August 3, 2023
With an energized board numbering 11 members and the COVID-19 pandemic in the past, the Panida again began to thrive. Under Sanders’ leadership, the Panida sold out multiple shows with musical icons like Graham Nash and Jim Messina, and she helped curate events like No Man’s Land, which raised more than $7,000 for Kaniksu Land Trust and Pend Oreille Pedalers. In other news, the Panida hired Mindy Thacker as the grant and fundraising coordinator to help usher in the second stage of the Century Fund, a five-year fundraising effort begun in 2022, which aims to raise a total of $1.9 million to coincide with the Panida’s 100th birthday in 2027. “We kicked it off last October with the goal to raise $273,000 in the first year,” said Chris Bessler, chair of the Panida Century Fund campaign. “As of July 15 and our most recent financial report, the total of funds raised in the first year adds up to almost $280,000.” The first phase of fundraising was given a big boost by Ting Internet, which has pledged up to $200,000 to match individual donations and has already contributed almost $70,000. Bessler also confirmed the Panida has secured an Idaho Gem grant, as well as grants from the Idaho Heritage Trust and the Equinox Foundation, through the Innovia Foundation, totalling another $106,000. “And we’re actively writing more grants now,” he said. The first year of fundraising will be devoted mainly to new roofs for both the main Panida and Little Panida theaters. The Panida Board has begun its search for a new managing director, with Community Outreach Chair Jimmy Matlosz stating anyone interested in learning more about the position should contact the Panida through its contact form on panida.org. “I hope I can continue to support the Panida and fill in with my skill sets where needed,” Sanders said. “I will miss working with the amazing team of staff, board members and our incredible volunteers. … I wholeheartedly wish the Panida nothing but the best. It is truly a special place.”
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: Under a new president in Brazil, rainforest deforestation dropped 35% in six months, according to The Lever. The Amazon rainforest — 60% of which is in Brazil — is one of the world’s largest carbon sinks; deforestation there is linked to drought, reduced rainfall and changes in global ocean currents. It cost $22 million to craft the Project 2025 plan, which the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Will Bunch calls “a blueprint for destroying the planet,” since the rightwing plan includes stopping the transition to clean energy and electric vehicles, and letting the fossil fuel industry proceed with business-as-usual. Climate change has fed exorbitant heat in many areas of the U.S. — the highest temps in recorded history — and that’s affected business, The New York Times reported. High heat impairs work performance and can reduce hours worked. A study in 2021 found more than 2.5 billion hours of labor were lost due to high temps that year. Similar conditions in 2020 cost the economy $100 billion. According to The Times, when the mercury hits 90 degrees Fahrenheit, productivity drops 25%, then 70% at 100 degrees F. Climate change costs include dying crops, insurance rates hikes and mistakes people make under heat duress. Air conditioning doesn’t always help: Some commercial kitchens with AC show 100 F temps. There are no national extreme heat regulations at this time. Some states have set their own standards. In Texas — a standout for heat-related loss of productivity — the governor recently eliminated municipally-established standards that included water breaks for construction workers. Some businesses are objecting to national heat standards, saying they are too expensive, according to The Times. The Times also reported that residents in Phoenix, with the most 115-degree days in a calendar year, are experiencing heat stroke, burns from falling onto asphalt (which can be as hot as 180 F), heat-induced fatigue, heat cramps and death. Saguaro cactuses have collapsed and desert plants have turned yellow. Phoenix faces another two months of summer. Europe is also experiencing life-threatening heat waves. Dogs being transported from Chicago to Indiana to a police dog training facility recently met a horrifying fate when their air conditioning failed. Some died in their crates, some convulsed and some were
By Lorraine H. Marie Reader Columnist
euthanized after transport to veterinary care, according to The Times. Smoke, from an unprecedented number of Canadian wildfires, is also triggering air quality alerts for a third of the U.S. population. The Atlantic Ocean’s Meridional Overturning Current could collapse as early as 2025, the journal Nature reported. That could profoundly affect the way the Gulf Stream influences weather events. There were 18 climate-related disasters in 2022 at a cost of more than $1 billion each, the National Centers for Environmental Information reported. Those costs affect individuals, insurance companies and taxpayers. So far, no big oil company has been held accountable; but, in that year, oil and gas industry lobbyists spent $124.4 million blocking U.S. government climate action, according to OpenSecrets.org. New charges against former-President Donald Trump relating to accusations regarding retention of classified documents have been brought by special counsel Jack Smith. They allege that after the Department of Justice subpoenaed Mar-a-Lago security camera footage, Trump plotted to delete video from the cameras. According to Reuters, Trump’s $475 million defamation lawsuit against CNN has been dismissed. The second quarter gross domestic product report shows annual growth higher than projected, at 2.4%. Inflation rose at a slower rate of 2.6%. The economy is now 6% larger than before the COVID-19 pandemic, according to analyst Steven Rattner. He notes that at the same time in the recovery from the 2011 Great Recession the economy was just 0.7% larger than it had been in 2007. Meanwhile, U.S. corporate profits are up by 49%, according to Securities and Exchange Commission filings. The Biden administration announced a $100 million grant program for subsidizing carbon recycling purchases by state and local governments, and by public utilities, according to NBC News. Carbon recycling can embrace the production of car parts, sustainable aviation fuel and plastic products like sunglasses. The deal requires submission of technology to the Energy Department to verify that it will reduce carbon output. Blast from the past: “The one who plants trees, knowing they will never sit in their shade, has at least started to understand the meaning of life.” — Rabindranath Tagore, Indian poet and philosopher (18611941). He received the Nobel Prize for literature in 1913.