Reader_December18_2025

2 / R / December 18, 2025

DEAR READERS, The week in random review

By Soncirey Mitchell Reader Staff

were stuck with gregory

I have accidentally written “November” instead of “December” in most of my recent articles because I cannot wrap my head around the passage of time. Is this shortcoming my own? Nay, I blame Pope Gregory XIII and his Gregorian Calendar, which seeks to measure my days against my will. I recently proposed to my coworkers that we abolish the Gregorian Calendar and let chaos reign for my own amusement, which led me down a rabbit hole about calendars. That’s how I learned of the French Republican calendar, created by Gregory-haters like moi after the French Revolution. The overly complicated yet enduring calendar had 12, 30-day months divided into 10-day weeks, or décades, with five or six unaccounted-for days at the end of every year for the same reason we have leap years. Each week began with Primidi, or “first day,” and ended with décadi, or “Tenth Day.” The reason for the new calendar was to extricate the Catholic Church and the royals from France, and therefore it set Sept. 22, 1792 — the French Republic’s first day of existence — as Day 1, Year 1. In the Catholic tradition, there’s essentially a saint or three for each day, so to replace those associations, the revolutionaries gave each day a unique name based loosely on France’s rural economies. They named every date that ended in a zero after an agricultural tool, every date ending in five after an animal and every other day after plants and rocks. For instance, our Sept. 22 — their New Year’s Day — was Raisin (Grape) and our Dec. 25 was Chien (Dog). Revolutionaries also renamed each month based on the average weather or natural phenomena in Paris at the time, meaning autumnal months had names like Brumaire (from brume, or “mist”) and Frimaire (from frimas, or “frost”), and spring months had names like Floréal (from fleur, or “flower”) and Prairial (“prairie”). If that wasn’t complicated enough, the French also tried to institute a base-10 decimal system for timekeeping, meaning a day was 10 hours, an hour was 100 minutes and a minute was 100 seconds. To put that in perspective, using our current system — which is a combination of base-12 and base-60 — one FR hour would equal 144 modern minutes. There’s a reason this system only lasted 12 years. Before you make fun of the French for their math skills, remember that while they were shrugging at the five extra days in their new calendar, they were also creating the metric system. They knew how to do math; they just chose not to, to spite Pope Gregory XIII, and for that, I applaud them.

Notable quotable:

“One always begins with the simple, then comes the complex, and by superior enlightenment one often reverts in the end to the simple. Such is the course of human intelligence.” — Voltaire, Philosophical Dictionary, 1764

This is our second and final week of free wrapping paper designs mixed in with our regular editorial content. There’s a big two page spread on Pages 14-15 and the cover, of course.

I got the idea to do free wrapping paper after hearing about it from my partner’s parents, whose Arizona newspaper prints wrapping paper designs in the weeks leading up to Christmas. I thought it was a great idea, and, even though it costs us a bit of money to give up those pages, it’s worth it, because we’re all about “free” here at the Reader.

Don’t forget to check out the final installment of our holiday gift guide on Page 20 with lastminute gift ideas.

Finally, please note that the next two editions of the Reader will come out a day early because of the holidays, so next week will be distributed on Wednesday, Dec. 24 and the following edition on Wednesday, Dec. 31.

Cheers, big ears.

– 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 (Senior Writer) soncirey@sandpointreader.com Editors Emeriti: Lyndsie Kiebert-Carey Cameron Rasmusson John Reuter Advertising: Ben Olson ben@sandpointreader.com Contributing Artists: Ben Olson (cover design), Zach Hagadone, Mike Berg (USFS), Kelly Price, Jenny Warnock, Hill Mannan, Ron Bedford, Racheal Baker, Bill Borders Contributing Writers: Zach Hagadone, Ben Olson, Soncirey Mitchell, Lorraine H. Marie, Brenden Bobby, Emily Erickson, Kelly Price, Rep. Steve Berch.

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We hope to provide a quality alternative by offering honest, in-depth reporting that reflects the intelligence and interests of our diverse and growing community.

The Reader is printed on recycled paper using soy-based ink. Leftover copies are collected and recycled weekly, or burned in bonfires to appease the gods of journalism. For back issues, contact the publisher. Free to all, limit two per person, please.

Letter to the Editor Policy: We welcome letters to the editor on all relevant topics. Please, no more than 200 words, no excessive profanity or libelous statements and no trolls. Please elevate the discussion and stay on topic.

Letters will be edited to comply with the above requirements. Opinons expressed in these pages are those of the writers, not necessarily the publisher. Send to: letters@sandpointreader.com About the Cover: This week’s cover is wrapping paper! Buy your loved one something nice and wrap it on us.

December 18, 2025 / R / 3

NEWS

BOCC declares state of emergency for flooding

By Soncirey Mitchell Reader Staff In response to recent flooding throughout the Inland Northwest, the Bonner County board of commissioners reaffirmed a countywide emergency disaster declaration and request for aid from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at the Dec. 16 regular business meeting.

The vote follows a verbal declaration by Chair Brian Domke in the early hours of Dec. 11, who, along with Bonner County Emergency Management, had to take action to facilitate repairs to several county-maintained roads.

“Due to extreme weather conditions, snowmelt and heavy rain, flooding has caused the closure of the East Spring Creek and Lightning Creek roads,” said Bonner County Emergency Management Director Bob Howard at the Dec. 16 meeting.

The county declared the flooding a “threat to life and property,” citing considerable damage already caused to private homes and roads in the vicinity of local rivers.

According to Domke, the public-maintained East Spring Creek, Lightning Creek, Johnson Creek and Trestle Creek roads all sustained damage, with flooding further undermining the main water line for Clark Fork, forcing the city to utilize a secondary feed.

Bonner County Road and Bridge, Emergency Management and the Sheriff’s Office coordinated with area emergency responders, volunteers and private contractors over several days to restabilize East Spring Creek Road near Clark Fork, and the road remains passable as of press time.

The Corps is currently monitoring regional dams to minimize flood risks. As of a Dec. 13 news release, Lake Pend Oreille’s water level is expected to rise “beyond its typical winter band” as the Albeni Falls Dam continues to release approximately 26,000 cubic feet per second. The Corps has likewise modified 4 / R / December 18, 2025

Montana’s Libby Dam output on the Kootenai River to decrease the likelihood of extensive flooding in Bonners Ferry.

“I was pleasantly amazed at how fast everything worked and how well the different government agencies and the private sector worked together,” said Commissioner Ron Korn. “East Spring Creek Road was really the only ingress and egress for hundreds of homes, and within three days, that road was opened back up. It was completely gone ... I would just like to praise everybody that was involved for working together and collaborating to make that happen.”

Emergency repairs and coordination with the Corps began following the Dec. 11 verbal declaration; however, it wasn’t until Dec. 16 that the commissioners were able to meet and reaffirm the actions in two unanimous votes.

The county continues to work with the Corps to stabilize local riverbanks to minimize the impact of excess water on adjacent infrastructure.

“All the work the Corps of Engineers is doing for us is at no cost to Bonner County,” Howard said. “They hire the contractors, provide all the materials — there’s no cost to Bonner County whatsoever.

It’s all free to us.”

In addition to the county-level Declaration of a Local Disaster Emergency signed by all three commissioners, Domke contacted the Idaho Office of Emergency Management on Dec. 15, requesting that Gov. Brad Little approve a state-level emergency declaration for Bonner County.

“If they do so, then what happens is that [it] activates a mechanism that allows the state to provide up to 50% matching funds for those emergencies that we undertake,” said Domke. “We received news through the Office of Emergency Management at the state level yesterday that the governor provided a verbal approval, and now we’re waiting to go through the paperwork process

A section of U.S. Forest Service Road No. 293 (leading to Fault Lake trailhead) washed away and slid down a steep drainage to Pack River Road below, covering the latter with debris, according to USFS Hydrologist Kevin Davis. Photo by Mike Berg, USFS. to finalize that.”

The BOCC will need to submit a letter to the state authorizing “a representative to act on our behalf, which would typically be the director of emergency management for the county,” and estimating future emergency actions and associated costs. Domke anticipates that the letter will come before the board for a vote on

or before Tuesday, Dec. 23.

“We don’t know at this time if damages have reached or exceeded this level, but [the state] also made us aware that if, at a statewide level, the total cost of emergency measures exceeds $3.5 million, then it’s possible to request and receive a federal-level emergency [declaration], which would further provide

additional funding,” said Domke. “Of course, we want to always consider what are the obligations that come with such funding.”

Domke cautioned that potential repairs funded by the state and federal governments — including the Corps — will only address “essentially temporary conditions” to “maintain safe access,” but will not return washed-out roads to their previous standards.

“There’s also the understanding, then, that the total cost of the long-term repairs is likely going to mean that there are other planned maintenance and/or improvement items that we had built into the budget for Road and Bridge this fiscal year that may no longer be feasible because of these emergency costs,” said Domke. “We’re just going to have to evaluate that and bring that information forward as we understand the impact.”

To receive regular updates on local emergencies, sign up for Bonner County Nixle alerts by texting your zip code to 888777. For more information and other resources, visit bonnercountyid.gov/departments/EmergencyManagement.

Winds leave 13k without power in Bonner, Boundary counties

By Soncirey Mitchell Reader Staff The National Weather Service issued a high winds warning Dec. 16 for the Northwest and Northern Central Rockies, anticipating gusts of 50-70 mph through the following day. Bonner and Boundary counties felt the brunt of the winds in the early hours of Dec. 17, with southwest gusts of 18-24 mph leaving 13,000 without power.

As of press time, the NWS expected winds to die down

by Friday, Dec. 19, though precipitation in the form of both rain and snow will likely persist until Tuesday, Dec. 23.

Avista Utilities reported approximately 4,000 power outages in Bonner County on Dec. 17, amounting to 22.11% of the area’s user base. Like-

wise, Northern Lights, Inc. reported 7,000 outages — 47% of users — in Bonner County and 2,100 outages — or 51% of users — in Boundary County.

In response, the West Bonner County and Lake Pend Oreille school districts canceled classes Dec. 17 for all 18 schools.

In a Dec. 16 news release, the city of Sandpoint advised that severe wind and rain “may lead to localized street flooding, ponding near storm drains and falling tree limbs.”

The city requests that residents secure outdoor items that are at risk of blowing away, use caution near trees and avoid driving through standing or flowing water.

“Public Works crews are responsible for storm drains in the roadway and are prepared

to respond,” officials stated in the news release. “Residents can also help by clearing leaves or debris from nearby drains if it is safe to do so.”

Report flooding and large downed branches on public roads to Bonner County Dispatch at 208-265-5525.

Meanwhile, the Idaho Transportation Department “strongly encourages people to limit travel,” announcing multiple road closures and traffic delays throughout the state in a Dec. 17 news release.

“Intersections where signals have been impacted should be treated as four-way stops.

Motorists should also never drive through or around road barriers for their own safety and that of crews working,” according to ITD. Find updated road closures at 511.idaho.gov.

NEWS

Sandpoint P&Z recommends approval of amended short-term rental ordinance

Rule change intended to get ahead of potential lawsuit, comes amid likely state legislation

By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff Changes to Sandpoint’s ordinance regulating short-term rentals will move forward, after members of the Planning and Zoning Commission voted Dec. 16 to recommend their approval by the City Council.

The commission first considered the changes at its Nov. 18 meeting, deferring a recommendation until city staff could craft a legally defensible definition for “neighborhood integrity,” as well as address parking requirements for STRs. Planning and Community Development Director Jason Welker and Planner Bill Dean returned Dec. 16 with three central changes to the ordinance, as it had been presented in November.

If approved by the council, “neighborhood integrity” would be defined as: “The condition in which residential areas function in a manner consistent with their intended character and density, such that short-term rental activities do not generate impacts such as noise, traffic, parking congestion, or public nuisance, beyond those normally associated with lawful longterm residential use.”

Welker said he believed that definition is “very much in line” with what the state would consider a valid description of “neighborhood integrity,” which will be critical as the 2026 Legislature gavels into session in January.

“We are in an environment in which the state legislature has for two years in a row now contemplated changes to state code that would further strip cities’ ability to regulate shortterm rentals, but the reality of the existing state law on shortterm rental regulations is that our city code is in violation

of state law, as it is currently written,” Welker said.

State law added in 2017 and amended in 2018 stipulates, in part, “Neither a county nor a city may enact or enforce any ordinance that has the express or practical effect of prohibiting short-term rentals or vacation rentals in the county or city.”

Cities can, however, regulate STRs in order to protect “neighborhood integrity” and to ensure health and safety.

However, the legal question centers on Sandpoint’s current cap of 35 non-owner occupied STRs within residential zones.

There are an estimated 170 licensed owner-occupied STRs throughout the city, which operate under no such cap.

Fears that the city of Sandpoint may face legal consequences for its cap on non-owner occupied STRs arose in August, when a representative from the Airbnb-backed Idaho Vacation Rental Alliance spoke before a state-level housing committee meeting in Sandpoint. She cited a court ruling that struck down a similar cap on STRs in Lava Hot Springs, arguing that the limitation represented a functional prohibition — an interpretation that Sandpoint City Attorney Zach Jones echoed Dec. 16 before the P&Z Commission.

“My thought on that is that the 36th applicant is prohibited from having a short-term rental, and whether you make that number 500, the 501st applicant is prohibited from having a short-term rental,” he said, later adding, “Regulations can amount to a prohibition.”

Meanwhile, Welker told P&Z commissioners that not only was the city “put on notice” that it would be sued if the STR cap remained in place, but the Airbnb lobby group has already drafted a bill

for the 2026 legislative session that would further amend state code limiting “neighborhood integrity” to include requiring smoke alarms, CO2 detectors, fire extinguishers and occupancy limits under the International Building Code.

“That’s it,” Welker said, going on to add that the draft legislation states STRs can be governed by “no greater restrictions” than any other dwelling units, nor can they be subject to any special licensing or permitting standards.

The amended ordinance, as presented on Dec. 16, lifts the cap while defining “neighborhood integrity,” but also carves out a category of “high-occupancy STRs,” which advertise for 11 or more guests. Operators of those properties would be required to undertake all the noticing and hearing requirements of a conditional use permit — though not required to obtain a CUP — including meeting specific standards related to performance and neighborhood impacts.

There are currently 13 such properties operating in Sandpoint that could be considered “high-occupancy” under the proposed ordinance changes.

Regarding parking, the amended ordinance would require one off-street space where five or fewer guests are accommodated, and two spaces for six or more guests. The high-occupancy STR parking requirements would be established by the P&Z Commission as part of the condition of approval.

“We are absolutely not deregulating short-term rentals. ... [We] would have the strongest STR ordinance in the state of Idaho and one that’s defensible under state law,” Welker said of the proposed amended ordinance.

During deliberations,

Commissioner Scott Torpey worried that if the Airbnb lobby’s bill passes through the Legislature, it would harm the city’s ability to collect the 14% lodging tax.

Welker said the city collects that revenue from short-term rental platforms like Airbnb, not individual registrations.

“There’s a lot of faith we put in Airbnb,” he said, adding that STR companies like Airbnb, Vrbo and others are also working to require that every STR operating outside of their platform has to register with the state tax commission, which would collect taxes directly from owner-operators.

“They’re trying to make more red tape to make it less appealing for STR owners to operate outside of the Airbnb platform,” Welker said, later adding, “There is no end to their greed and their desire to deregulate.

“Idaho is being used as a test case right now — this effort’s not happening in any other state,” he said. “They view the Idaho Legislature as the most conservative and private property-oriented legislature in the states, so they’re seeing if they can get complete and total annihila-

An example of some Airbnb rentals in Sandpoint. Courtesy image tion of short-term rental regulations in the state of Idaho, then they’ll move on to all the other states.”

Though commissioners were unanimous in recommending approval of the amended ordinance to City Council, some voted with a measure of trepidation.

“This feels super scary, I would argue. I have no idea what this is going to do to neighborhoods, communities — maybe nothing, maybe the ‘market will figure it out,’” said Commissioner Grant Simmons. “... [T]his could have some seriously unintended consequences, and I don’t know what to do about it, because we have to fit the ordinance inside the law.”

“I know it’s clichéd — the hands-are-tied, kind of thing — but I think this does seem pretty black-and-white in terms of what the state code says, the recent case, legal counsel, the legal recommendation,” Commissioner Reid Weber said. “I think it would be hard for me to say ‘let’s go to battle with the state of Idaho’ as a Planning and Zoning commissioner.”

December 18, 2025 / R / 5

NEWS

BoCo property owners’ wetlands appeal moves forward

By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff A Bonner County couple’s appeal of a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers decision classifying a portion of their property as wetlands is moving forward after a decision Dec. 2 that found part of their dispute had merit.

Rebecca and Caleb Linck pushed back with an administrative appeal of the wetlands finding in July, after the Corps claimed authority under the Clean Water Act over more than an acre of their 4.7-acre property in Kootenai, arguing several areas were functioning as a single wetland and had a connection to “navigable waters,” such as an unnamed tributary of Boyer Slough.

However, according to the Pacific Legal Foundation, “Army Corps staffers ignored major physical barriers — including a decades-old road — to allege that areas of the Lincks’ property could be combined with land on a separate property to qualify as a unified wetland subject to federal control.”

The appeal cited a pair of landmark U.S. Supreme Court rulings that centered on a Priest Lake area couple’s challenge that the Clean Water Act did not apply to portions of their property that had been classified as wetlands, but which they had backfilled.

In 2012, justices ruled in Sackett vs.

Environmental Protection Agency that the EPA’s application of the Clean Water Act could be appealed in federal court under the Administrative Procedure Act. In 2023, following an appeal from the Sacketts, the Supreme Court decided that the Clean Water Act applies to “only those relatively permanent, standing or continuously flowing bodies of water ‘forming geographic[al] features’ that are described in ordinary parlance as ‘streams, oceans, rivers and lakes.’”

In addition, the court ruled in 2023 that wetlands can only be defined as being “waters of the United States” under the Clean Water Act when they have “‘a continuous surface connection to bodies that are ‘waters of the United States’ in their own right, so that there is no clear demarcation between ‘waters’ and wetlands.”

Using the Sackett rulings as prec6 / R / December 18, 2025

edent, the Lincks argued that the “alleged wetlands” were unconnected both to each other and any other “navigable waters,” therefore lacking a “continuous surface connection.”

In the conclusion to the Dec. 2 appeal decision document, the Corps determined that based on the “Sackett test,” the Lincks’ appeal would be remanded to the Walla Walla District engineer for more analysis. While the Lincks’ appeal is allowed to go forward, four other claims in the challenge were found to be lacking merit.

When the appeal will be taken up again remains unspecified.

“The Supreme Court definitively ruled in Sackett that the EPA and U.S. Army Corps have limited power to regulate wetlands — not broad authority over any property in sight of a puddle,” stated Charles Yates, an attorney at Pacific Legal Foundation, which represented the Sacketts and currently represents the Lincks.

“This ruling demonstrates that U.S. Army Corps leadership recognizes the need to abide by the court’s ruling,” Yates added.

Applauded by the Pacific Legal Foundation as a rejection of the Corps’ “overreach,” others have criticized the rationale expressed by the court in the Sackett cases, which “dramatically narrowed the scope of the Clean Water Act, leaving nearly half of the country’s surface waters and wetlands without federal protection,” according to the organization Lawyers for Good Government.

The National Resource Defense Council described the 2023 Sackett ruling as a “catastrophic loss of federal protections for wetlands across the United States,” and in a March 2025 report found that “in the worst case, 70 million acres — 84% of the acreage of wetlands previously eligible for protection — could lose safeguards.”

Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Samuel Alito, Amy Coney Barrett, Neil Gorsuch and Clarence Thomas represented the majority opinion in the 2023 Sackett decision; and, though, Justices Ketanji Brown Jackson, Elena Kagan, Brett Kavanaugh and Sonia Sotomayor concurred that the Sacketts’ property was not subject to the Clean Water Act, they argued against the definitions in the ruling as

< see LINCK, Page 7 >

Bits ’n’ Pieces From east, west and beyond President Donald Trump’s recent executive order overrules state laws that limit the AI industry, various media reported, while court challenges are expected. AI problems foreseen by states include imitation of human writing and voices, creation of false but realistic videos and fooling consumers.

Also via executive order, Trump has designated street fentanyl as a weapon of mass destruction, according to NPR. Trump claimed the drug kills “two to three hundred thousand people” every year. But, according to a CDC report, fentanyl killed 48,000 people last year, which was a 27% drop from the year before. An expert on street drugs at the libertarian think tank Cato Institute stated that fentanyl deaths are from opioid addiction, not because cartels are intentionally weaponizing the drug.

In response to Trump saying that U.S. killings occurring from targeting alleged drug boats is saving lives, another expert from the nonpartisan Brookings Institution said “killing a drug mule has minimal effect on the flow of drugs.” If they are in fact smuggling, the Venezuelan boats targeted by the U.S. are more likely to be carrying less lethal cocaine, according to Cato.

Numerous media outlets reported that the Trump administration seized a Venezuelan oil tanker in international waters, indicating accelerated U.S. military aggression against Venezuela.

“They need to come to Congress and say what they’re doing,” said Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., later adding, “Nobody knows what the mission is in Venezuela. The president’s made zero case — and his team — for what they’re doing in Venezuela.”

The New York Times reported the tanker was part of the Venezuelan government’s effort to finance Cuba, and there are indications that getting Venezuela’s president to leave office would serve to cripple Cuba. Trump said the tanker was “seized for a very good reason,” but did not identify that reason. Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., said “this is really about regime change — by force.”

An atmospheric river inundating various areas of the Northwest has roots in Indonesia, the Associated Press reported. A tropical cyclone there supercharged the region’s atmospheric rivers. Since 1980, storms have increased in frequency and are wetter; studies indicate that burning coal, oil and natural gas feeds the phenomenon.

The Senate recently voted on two versions of a health care bill, various

By Lorraine H. Marie Reader Contributor

media reported. Democrats proposed a three-year extension of the existing federal subsidies, which failed 51-48, with four Republicans voting in favor. A Republican proposal — the Crapo-Cassidy Bill — would give qualifying people up to $1,500 a year for a health savings account to pay for health care. That failed, too.

The AP reported on Dec. 17 that four Republican House centrists joined a petition from Democrats to force a vote on the three-year subsidy extension, “which sets the stage for a new intraparty clash over health care in January.” However, House Republicans blocked the effort, gaveled an end to the vote prematurely while 26 representatives were still attempting to vote.

In Trump’s “Christmas speech” in Pennsylvania, he took credit for “lower prices” and “bigger paychecks,” though advised cutting back on purchases — such as foregoing “37 pencils” when one or two will do, and two or three dolls, not “37.” Trump went on to claim that in addition to lower prices, “we’re crushing” inflation and “the only thing that it’s really going up big, it’s called the stock market and your 401(k) s.” Most Americans don’t own stock, and just over a third have a 401(k) plan or something similar.

From the “easy answers” file: Sen. Jon Husted, R-Ohio, told Fox News the solution to the affordability crisis is to “earn more” — and to keep more of what you earn.

Members of Congress have introduced articles of impeachment against Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. for endangering public health with his position as head of the CDC, various media reported, including downplaying vaccinations. Due to vaccination resistance or delays, measles outbreaks are up. The CDC confirmed 47 outbreaks this year, compared to 16 in 2024. Three people have died.

According to NBC, more than a third of about 220,000 people arrested

by ICE from late January to mid October had no criminal histories.

Blast from the past: In 2008, Donald Trump Jr. said at a real estate conference that a sizable portion of the Trump family’s assets are due to “a lot of money pouring in from Russia.” Son Eric Trump said in Vanity Fair that, “We have all the funding we need out of Russia.” The Guardian has reported that a former Russian KGB agent “contends” that Trump has been a “cultivated” Russian asset for more than 30 years.

NEWS

Workshop focused on future of City Beach RV park

By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff A capacity crowd filled the community room of the James E. Russell Sports Center for a public workshop Dec. 13 looking at future uses for the two-acre RV park site at Sandpoint City Beach.

More than 60 people participated in the 90-minute gathering, which featured a presentation, small-group discussions and an exercise in which attendees worked together at tables armed with pens and paper to envision how the property could — or should — be used.

Facilitated by Sandpoint Planning and Development

Director Jason Welker, alongside members of the Sandpoint Parks and Recreation Committee, the workshop, described as “envisioning the future of our public waterfront property,” was intended to “directly inform future council decisions,” Welker said.

The workshop followed a City Council meeting Nov. 5, during which Whitefish, Mont.-based Averill Hospitality Group pressed Sandpoint to hold off on plans to renovate the RV park with a state grant of about $1 million, and instead lease or sell the property to the company, which is planning to build a 130-room luxury resort hotel across Bridge Street.

Councilors voted to reject

< LINCK, con’t from Page 6 > overly broad.

“Natural barriers such as berms and dunes do not block all water flow and are in fact evidence of a regular connection between a water and a wetland,” Kavanaugh wrote.

“The scientific evidence overwhelmingly demonstrates that wetlands separated from covered waters by those kinds of berms or barriers, for ex-

ample, still play an important role in protecting neighboring and downstream waters, including by filtering pollutants, storing water and providing flood control,” he added. “In short, those adjacent wetlands may affect downstream water quality and flood control in many of the same ways that adjoining wetlands can.”

that request and appealed to the community for more input on how it would like to see the park developed, launching a survey at sandpointidaho. gov/rvparksurvey, which remained open as of press time.

The presentation on Dec. 13 included responses to the survey, which at the time had garnered more than 400 participants. That number rose to more than 900 responses

by Dec. 15, with the option of renovating the RV park receiving the highest ranking across the board.

The renovated RV park option received more than 25,000 overall points — based on a range of rankings from 1-10 by respondents — followed by community event space, with about 15,000 points; then multi-use open lawn/green space with a playground; food truck court; and winter ice rink/summer sport area, all with between about 13,000 and 14,000 points.

Welker said the central theme of open-ended responses was to “preserve public access and community benefit,” with other common themes being caution against seeking revenue over access and character, retaining the open and

scenic nature of City Beach, and wariness of development intensity.

Other responses wanted to preserve flexibility at the site, also calling for transparency and a phased approach while avoiding pursuing irreversible changes.

Some attendees of the Dec. 13 workshop wondered if it was worth taking the state grant knowing that it comes with a 25-year commitment to “public park purposes” — and any changes to such use would require the city to pay back the money.

Welker said the city spends about $25,000 per year operating the RV park, and net revenue from the site following redevelopment is estimated at more than $100,000 annually.

However, Averill Hospitality previously stated that retaining the RV park would make its development “unviable.” At the Dec. 13 workshop, owner-operator Brian Averill told attendees that his company would contribute to offset the cost of redeveloping the site — though not as an RV park.

“We’re here to help — not try to lease, not to buy,” he

Top left and above: Residents met inside the James E. Russell Sports Center Dec. 13 to discuss the future of the RV park at Sandpoint City Beach. Photos by Zach Hagadone said.

Averill’s local company representative Ben McGrann later added that the hotel would pay about $1 million alone in occupancy tax to the city, not to mention revenues from property tax.

“Think about the public benefit, not necessarily the revenue generation,” he said.

To that, Sandpoint Parks and Recreation Commission Chair Taylor Long pointed out that Averill has owned the hotel site for three years, and asked “what have you done for the community in that time?” Long received no response, and Welker moved the discussion along.

The Parks and Rec. Commission will meet Wednesday, Jan. 14 to review the results of community feedback and receive public comment with the intent to present a formal recommendation to the council. The meeting is scheduled for 2:30 P.M. in City Council chambers (1123 Lake St.).

December 18, 2025 / R / 7

meets dumb of the week Bouquets: • A Bouquet goes out to Sally “Grambo” Lockwood for her thoughtful gift to the Reader office. Along with a generous contribution, Grambo presented me with a genuine possum hide after a “Junk Drawer” article I wrote about possums vs. opossums. Our readers have trotted in a lot of interesting items, many of which hang on our office walls, but this is the first time we have received an animal fur. It now hangs directly over Zach’s head, acting as a sort of dream catcher, but an editorial version, if you will.

Barbs: • Here’s a Barb for Rep. Russ Fulcher, a man who represents half of Idaho’s population and zero of its interests when it comes to public land.

Fulcher’s team sent out a press release recently sharing with constituents that he’s convening meetings statewide to explore transferring management and ownership of Idaho’s federal public lands to state and local governments. This encompasses roughly two-thirds of Idaho’s landmass, which is federally owned and managed.

“If this issue is left unaddressed, we will have a real problem on our hands that will likely put unsustainable pressure on local property taxes,” Fulcher wrote.

This is like someone holding a flamethrower warning the people inside the house that a fire could claim their home at any time. Fulcher, as usual, has no idea what Idahoans really care about. He’s spent too much time in D.C. with his lips planted firmly on the president’s ass. Next to nobody in Idaho wants public land transferred to state control, mainly because the state sells off their holdings and we’d be left without public lands. A Conservation Voters of Idaho poll conducted in July found that 96% of Idaho’s registered voters want public lands to remain in public hands. Pull your head out, Fulcher. You represent Idahoans, not Re8 / R / December 18, 2025

publicans or Trumpists. These are our lands and our children’s lands, not yours to give away.

• President Donald Trump took a petty swipe at his perceived political foes by adding plaques beneath portraits of past presidents in the “Walk of Fame” installed along the West Wing’s colonade in September.

Trump added his signature bile and bullshit to the plaques, with personal digs criticizing JFK’s “failed Bay of Pigs Invasion,” Truman’s “so-called Fair Deal” and wrote, “Sleepy Joe Biden was, by far, the worst President in American history,” which is situated below a photo of an autopen in place of Biden’s portrait. Obama’s plaque refers to “Barrack Hussein Obama” and calls him “one of the most divisive political figures in American History,” and that he passed the “highly ineffectual ‘Unaffordable’ Care Act.” • Here’s another Barb for Trump for his brash and frankly indefensible remarks about Rob Reiner after the film icon was allegedly murdered along with his wife Michele. I’ve grown so tired of Trump making everything about himself. I try to ignore it, to rise above the pettiness, but every once in a while our president says or does something so vile that I can’t fathom who in their right mind would ever support a monster like that.

After the news of the Reiners’ death broke, Trump took to his social media platform to spew out a take that was both asinine and disrespectful, claiming that Reiner was “a tortured and struggling ... movie director,” who died, “... reportedly due to the anger he caused others through his massive, unyielding, and incurable affliction with a mind crippling disease known as TRUMP DERANGEMENT SYNDROME ...”

Trump’s callous remarks were met with sharp backlash from Democrats and Republicans alike — rightly so, because his comments now border on complete psychopathy.

When asked about his remarks on the deaths Dec. 15,

Trump doubled down, telling reporters in the Oval Office he wasn’t a fan of Reiner’s “at all.”

“He was a deranged person as far as Trump is concerned,” Trump said, oddly referring to himself in the third person. “I thought he was very bad for our country.”

The fact that this single person has eroded so much of the decency from our country and our world is saddening.

I wish it was just a one-off example, but this seems to be a pattern with Trump and his followers. When former-Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi’s husband Paul was brutally assaulted and almost killed by an intruder in a hammer attack, Trump mocked the attempted murder as Republicans laughed and cheered him on. On the other hand, when far-right favorite and high-profile podcaster Charlie Kirk was murdered in September, Trump said his death was “the tragic consequence of demonizing those with whom you disagree.” (For those of you keeping score at home, this is exactly what Trump just did with Reiner.)

The Trump administration even sought consequences for people who were the slightest bit critical of Kirk or went so far as to celebrate his killing.

You know who didn’t celebrate Kirk’s death? Rob Reiner. When Kirk was killed, Reiner said the shooting was “an absolute horror,” adding, “That should never happen to anybody. ... I don’t care what your political beliefs are, that’s not acceptable. That’s not a solution to solving problems.”

The contributions that Reiner has made to our world have been many. The films he directed have left a lasting impact on our culture, including iconic entries like The Princess Bride, Stand by Me, When Harry Met Sally, Misery, A Few Good Men, This is Spinal Tap and so many more.

Reiner was a class act and he deserved better than this. We deserve better than this. Shame on Trump and shame on those who voted for him.

Speculating on presidential power…

Dear editor, Let’s have some fun speculating about a couple of things.

What if, in the 1935 Supreme Court case Humphrey’s Executor vs. U.S., the court had allowed President Roosevelt to fire at will the heads of independent federal agencies? Since then, he, President Truman, President Kennedy, President Johnson, President Carter, President Obama and President Biden would have each reshaped the federal government to their liberal perspectives. And who knows what president we will have next? Is that what a conservative court would have wanted or would want today?

What if President Trump succeeds in “proving” he won the 2020 election? Then, 2021-2024 was his second term, right? That would mean he cannot legally be president now, and Kamala Harris would immediately replace him as our president.

Molly O’Reilly Sandpoint

‘Keep public lands in public hands’…

Dear editor, Here we go again. In the ’70s it was called the Sagebrush Rebellion.

Today, it’s Rep. Fulcher’s call to transfer federal lands in Idaho to the state. Where would the state of Idaho get the funding to manage millions of acres of public lands — the state that is already underfunding public education and infrastructure? The state has a history of selling off public lands. It is only a matter of time before a cash-starved governor or Legislature will want to sell these lands.

These lands don’t belong to us, they belong to your grandchildren’s grandchildren. Let’s keep public lands in public hands, open and accessible to everyone.

David Heep Sandpoint

‘Idaho is being steered by outsiders’…

Dear editor, The article with Phil McGrane’s bubblechart of out- vs. in-state money influencing our Idaho laws and elections was fascinat-

ing [News, “New data visualization shows out-of-state lobbying money flowing into Idaho,” Dec. 11, 2025].

Out-of-state money is flooding in to sway elections and lawmaking.

North Idaho is left without a voice in state politics. We are out-funded by strangers with agendas.

And McGrane’s chart doesn’t expose organizations that are fully funded out-of-state but registered in Idaho. Here’s the game: • Create an Idaho-based entity; • Relocate a director to Idaho; • Pour out-of-state money in.

Example: Citizens Alliance of Idaho was registered in 2021, staffed by a relocated California director and funded from a Virginia-based PAC. CAI reported no Idaho-sourced contributions for the 2024 primary. Yet, CAI checks the “in-state” box. Does that make them in-state?

Idaho is being steered by outsiders. PACs like CAI, the Idaho Freedom Foundation network and others flood our legislative races.

North Idahoans pay through costly lawsuits, extra sessions and extra levies; lost economic opportunities; neighbors fighting culture wars instead of focusing on local priorities; and taxation without representation as the supermajority in Boise (those who signed the loyalty oath to outof-state lobbyists) focus on their donors’ bidding.

Let’s pop a few of those bubbles and see what’s inside.

Kathryn Larson Sandpoint

Send letters to the editor to letters@sandpointreader.com.

Please keep under 200 words.

Please elevate the conversation.

PERSPECTIVES

Emily Articulated

A holiday(ish) story

By Emily Erickson Reader Columnist I was 15 when my godmother, Chrissy, invited me to Black Friday. It was 2007, an in-between time when everyone had a cellphone, but none that could access the internet. Facebook existed, but your grandma wasn’t on it, leaving comments on public photos like, “Hi Emily, I hope you’re still going to church. But, judging by that hem length, I can’t imagine you are... Love, Grandma.”

The timing matters because this is a Black Friday story — back before it crept into Thursday, Wednesday or Nov. 1. This was peak Black Friday, when news vans parked outside Walmarts, camera crews salivating at the chance to film two pajama-clad grannies fistfighting over a Blu-ray player.

I accepted the invitation with hesitation (very on-brand for 15-year-old me) because my family didn’t shop recreationally, and never as an event. Money in our house was inconsistent: My mom was the reliable breadwinner, while my dad’s carpentry income arrived in unpredictable bursts, allocated to paying down credit cards or the occasional family road trip — sharing “bonding time” in the back of our minivan, forced to hold our bladders between Mount Rushmore and Wall Drug because “we were on a schedule, damnit.”

As Black Friday approached, I kept thinking about Thanksgiving at our house — hourslong meals, conversation games, my mom insisting that shared time counted as abundance.

I also thought about the window that might open by attending, witnessing the kinds of families with foreign-to-me things like name-brand clothing wrapped under their trees.

Emily Erickson.

They probably started their days with Captain Crunch cereal, too. And I wanted to see it all.

So, at 3:30 a.m. on the Friday after Thanksgiving, Chrissy pulled into my driveway in her blue Chevy Challenger, looking like an ex-cop to the rest of the world, but to me, a portal into another one. Steam curled through her headlights in the cold Wisconsin air; and, as I climbed in, the seats were already warm.

“Ready to shop?” she asked, already in reverse.

Twenty-five minutes later, we snagged one of the last parking spots in a nearly full lot. I marvelled at the line of people snaking from the doors to the edge of the building.

“There they are, in the matching purple coats,” Chrissy exclaimed, pointing to her adult nieces, Annie and Kim, waving excitedly, their faces red from the glow of the overhead Target bullseye.

As we tucked into our place in line, the two women enveloped me in a warm hug, the cloud of their breath obscuring the sidelong glances from the people around us. And I wondered if we were committing a faux pas, like the kind of abhorrent people who deplane before the row in front of them. But this was their world, and I was a temporary visitor, so I settled in.

After a few minutes of

queuing, the crowd began an audible countdown: “Five minutes to 4 a.m.!” someone shouted. Then “three minutes!”

Then, “Any second now!”

When the doors opened and the line lurched forward, a thrill shot through me. I imagined a dormant wolf uncurling in my chest, ready to hunt. As we broke into a jog, the wolf threw back her head and howled. “Awoooooo!”

Nobody — and I mean nobody — was getting between me and my $4.99 copy of Pirates of the Caribbean 3.

Inside, the light was blinding. My group scattered immediately, each chasing their own “big deal.” Shoppers yelled plans across aisles like football teams before barking, “Break!”

“I’ll be in electronics, you head to toys, and we’ll rendezvous in home goods,” someone shouted. Another person chided, “I mean it, Tammy, don’t get distracted by the scented candles!”

I drifted to the discounted DVD rack — alone, because the things people woke up early for were far outside my budget. I dropped Nacho Libre and Bring It On, Again into my cart and looked around.

A flushed woman in Uggs wiped at the sheen of sweat on her forehead as she pushed her 100-inch TV between two shopping carts. Another woman clutched the white, shiny box of a Nintendo Wii under her arm, her lips pinched as she held back a satisfied smile.

I wondered how early she’d woken up to get it; if she knew she was a good mom, console or not. Would her kids remember this holiday — the one where they got exactly what they wanted — or would expectation swallow the effort whole?

Even then, before loss sharpened perspective, I felt deeply grateful for the family and tradition I’d be returning

to when I got home. I pictured regaling my family with stories over Thanksgiving-leftover sandwiches, settling on the couch with a new copy of Shrek the Third. I resolved — briefly — to tell my mom that perhaps she was right all along.

At checkout, I reunited with Chrissy, Annie and Kim, buzzing with their wins and losses, laughing through stories of near-misses and aisle collisions.

“Now who wants to go to Walmart?” Annie asked, grinning. “Dave can handle the kids a little longer, right?”

I realized that despite all

the transactions, the trip had very little to do with shopping.

Because, as I was learning at 5 a.m., under the blinding fluorescent lights of Target, that traditions and meaning come in all forms. Although the holidays might not be about gifts under the tree, sometimes, they’re about the people with whom you’d ram carts into other people to get them.

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

December 18, 2025 / R / 9

Mad about Science:

Brought to you by:

ozempic

By Brenden Bobby Reader Columnist

You’ve probably heard the catchy jingles for Ozempic, a miracle weight loss drug that has been touted by cultural titans like Oprah Winfrey.

What is this stuff, where did it come from and does it really work?

At its core, Ozempic is primarily made of a compound called semaglutide.

This is an artificial substance that mimics a peptide — specifically, a chemical compound found in the venom of the Gila monster. Semaglutide mimics the GLP-1 hormone found in the human body, which controls blood sugar, insulin and is responsible for what makes you feel full after eating a meal.

That last point is critical to the function of Ozempic as a drug. Ozempic helps control weight gain by making you feel fuller, longer, thus reducing the amount of food you eat and helping put your body into a calorie deficit. GLP-1 slows the rate at which food leaves your stomach and enters the next stage of your digestive tract. It also controls the release of insulin from the pancreas into the bloodstream, as well as glucose from the liver. It’s a bit of an all-in-one solution for managing weight loss, but that wasn’t why it was invented.

Ozempic and drugs like it were developed to help people manage Type 2 diabetes, which causes complications with insulin production and administration in the bloodstream. This causes the body to mismanage glucose 10 / R / December 18, 2025

in the blood, causing blood sugar spikes. Over time, this causes immense strain on the kidneys and body as a whole, which shows up through symptoms like frequent urination, fatigue, increased thirst and hunger, and slow-healing sores along with increased infections.

Semaglutide manages this at every level starting from the ground up. By reducing the hunger of the person taking the drug, their food intake slows, limiting the amount of glucose entering the bloodstream. In addition, it also affects the amount of insulin released by the pancreas. This all has the added benefit of weight loss, due to the restricted caloric intake.

This added benefit of Ozempic transformed it from a drug designed to maintain Type 2 diabetes into a miracle weight loss drug — resulting in massive cultural implications, especially once it entered spheres of influence within Hollywood and the media at large. Celebrities with virtually unrestricted access to vast amounts of money have been able to readily take Ozempic and transform their bodies almost overnight.

The cost of Ozempic is projected to be roughly $1,000 per month. Utilized as a weight loss drug, health insurance will not cover any of the costs; however, the expense may be mitigated if the user has been officially diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. But cost isn’t the most prohibitive feature of Ozempic — it’s the fact that it’s so readily used by the rich and famous as a miracle weight loss drug. People within

the circles of the rich and famous also seek the body types of those with whom they surround themselves and admire, and are being driven to take the drug to match their peers.

This ultimately leads to shortages, and people who need Ozempic to manage their diabetes aren’t able to acquire the drug because wealthier clientele and the people seeking to meet their status have already procured the bulk of the stock.

Beyond cost and shortages, there’s another — more critical — concern surrounding Ozempic. Unlike acetaminophen or ibuprofen, which you can take when you need them and stop when you don’t, after halting Ozempic and other semaglutide medications, a user’s appetite will come back stronger than before. This means Ozempic users need to keep taking Ozempic indefinitely, especially if they want to retain a certain body type.

These medications also come with side effects, often related to the digestive tract.

Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, gas and bloating are the most common. Headaches, fatigue and dizziness can also occur and are related to changes in blood sugar levels. In extreme cases, users can suffer from pancreatitis, gallbladder disease, kidney failure from dehydration or allergic reactions. Ozempic hasn’t been used on humans long enough to confirm one major side effect, but lab animals were shown to develop cancerous tumors on their thyroid glands after exposure

to semaglutides.

Semaglutide medications like Ozempic and Wegovy require a doctor’s prescription. No over-the-counter alternatives exist, though there is supposedly a thriving market for unapproved versions in seedy circles on the internet — though buying injectable medications from a completely random and unlicensed stranger on the internet seems like an act of

pure insanity.

As is true with any pharmaceutical, the pros and cons of using semaglutides should be weighed before use. Anyone should consult their doctor extensively before seeking a prescription, especially if the primary goal is to lose weight for the sake of vanity. Semaglutides are a lifelong commitment, and they don’t come cheap.

Stay curious, 7B.

Random Corner er?

Don’t know much about reinde We can help!

• There are more than 40 species of deer, yet reindeer are the only species in which the females grow antlers along with the males.

Females keep their antlers over the harsh winter to help provide them with food (they use antlers to clear snow to find moss and lichen to eat). Typically, males shed their antlers in late fall, while females keep them through the winter until their calves are born.

• Reindeer and caribou are actually the same animal (Rangifer tarandus). In Europe, they are called reindeer. In North America, they are called caribou if wild and reindeer if domesticated.

• Reindeer have adapted well to survive the cold. Their legs are long and slim to help sink through deep snow, but also contain a high concentration of oleic acid to help prevent freezing. Also, reindeer hooves act like crampons. In the summer, the pads of their hooves swell to grip the softer ground, but in winter, they shrink a little, revealing the sharp edge of their hooves. This, along with hair on their hooves,

allows them to have excellent grip on slippery ice and frozen tundra.

• Reindeer hooves actually click when they walk, but it’s not from walking on rooftops. Each step they take, their tendons “snap” over the bones in their back hooves, making the clicking noise. This means they can easily locate and stay with the rest of the herd, even in the most bitter storms.

• Reindeer don’t fly, but they do swim. Their unique coat is made up of two layers of fur — a soft but dense undercoat covered by a long, coarse outer layer — not only keeps them warm, but helps make them buoyant. Also, their wide hooves act as great paddles.

• Reindeer eyes change color with the seasons. In the summer, their eyes are gold, similar to many other mammals; but, in winter, they change to deep blue, which helps them see better in low winter light.

PERSPECTIVES

The elixir of flame

By Kelly Price Reader Contributor I once struck up a conversation with a vintage woman who was hobbling along a sidewalk with her cane.

Her mind seemed sharp, her vocabulary rich and I sensed I’d happened upon a rare jewel. As we talked, I referenced something from a TV show, to which she responded with a quick, bright curveball.

“Oh, I don’t have a TV, nor do I want one,” she announced. “I have a fireplace!”

This little zinger amused me at the time; yet, many years later, the epic simplicity of her apples-to-oranges comparison still resonates. What once struck me as quaint has now become wise in ways I could never have foreseen.

With the world changing at such a rapid pace, many of us understand the necessity of staying informed on a regular basis. Way too often, however, we peer into our phone screen or tablet and get fire-hosed with an alarming number of fresh atrocities – to the degree that we feel off-kilter or even mauled by the latest happenings. Each competing platform seems to be in a race to the bottom of the brainstem where outrage lies, simmering like lava.

Even if our algorithms take us for a scroll-athon through pleasant scenes and memes, when we finally surface, we are sapped and colorless. Like the porch light is on but nobody’s home.

In this zombified era, the digital hivemind hum drowns out the sound of our own heartbeat.

I gotta say, each day of living supplies me with mounting evidence that what that sassy old lady said many years ago holds some valuable meaning today. Though the act of ditching my phone and swaddling myself like a potato bug in a quilt is tempting, it’s now clearer than ever that balance is crucial.

We all have our methods of soothing the jumble of crags that mount on our foreheads, but the one I’m recently addicted to is fire gazing – a literal balm that soothes the savage beast and opens a portal to calm introspection.

Nothing holds a candle to the sense of well-being that washes through me while gazing into a contained fire.

In our household, the primary source of heat is a wood stove, so we keep it stoked and blazing most of our waking winter hours. Like many woodstoves, ours hosts a wide glass

window through which we can rest our eyes on the ever-evolving firescape.

Winter in Upstate Idaho would feel somewhat desolate without this small but potent box of wildly undulating light. It animates the household when all else outside is swaddled in still, snowy dormancy.

Legions of poets and writers agree: Fire is mesmerizing and hypnotic. It can open the way to meditative states, allowing access to what we really think, feel or believe. It’s a focused relaxation tool that allows the flow-glow to call out the truth in one’s heart.

Fire can be a great mind emptier, with phenomenal powers to usher in a sweet void, making space for a deep, soulful rest or opening a route to new perspectives. Since it offers nothing prerecorded or rehearsed, each fire offers a threshold to pass through and plunge into the heart of each arriving moment. Here, we marvel at the majesty of beauty creating itself anew.

At the same time, we’re provided with a throughline – a connecting conduit that completes the circuit between us, our ancestors and all who came before us. Fire tells timeless stories written in a universal language. We read, turn the pages with a poker and see the narrative change as the logs resettle.

Entertainment-wise, each fire is a live improv dance, where the primary performers are ecstatic, translucent dervishes. Each show is a one-off, unrepeatable creation. The choreography and special effects are always fresh, fizzing out sprinkle-sparks, pops, cracks and sizzles when least expected.

Slender flames pipe up like staccato notes being emitted from elven calliopes. Tangerine, marigold and amber dominate the dervishes’ costumes while sapphire, indigo and violet shoot up through their roots and feet. The general dominance of warm colors can be tempered with touches of coolness as if it contains a whisper of ocean or sky twisting through their upward spiral. A badass riff of death metal flame can gradually smooth into molten waves of sensual jazz. Each sinew is supple, flexible, acrobatic or spastic, yet elegant as a corps de ballet or highly disciplined violinist. Tangible, yet transient, I see liquid Arabian sabers thrash against the dark brick backdrop of the woodstove. The whole vibe created is utterly soothing, seducing one into a profound realm of possibility – and possibility is what this is all about.

It’s becoming more vital to find an hour or so each day to receive the healing gifts Nature offers.

She shows us beauty, which makes tangible a sense of hope and possibility. It allows us to hear our own narratives and strengthens our resolve to affect change where we can in the world.

So light some candles, spark up the hibachi or firepit, and find a few extended moments to bathe in the glow. Almost inevitably, it will offer an elixir that opens the soul, mind and heart in the best possible way, wordlessly reminding us that, as poet Arthur O’Shaughnessy wrote and Roald Dahl quoted, “We are the music makers/ And we are the dreamers of the dreams.”

Left: “Phoenix Bird,” painted on silk by Kelly Price.

December 18, 2025 / R / 11

PERSPECTIVES

Political poison pills

By Rep. Steve Berch, D-Boise Reader Contributor When is a seemingly benign piece of legislation deceptive?

When it has a poison pill planted within it to facilitate an ulterior motive. This growing tactic is a harbinger of what we may expect during the 2026 legislative session.

One way to spot a bill with a poison pill is if the bill doesn’t actually change anything being done today.

These bills are easier to pass because they seem harmless. However, one must consider how a “harmless” bill could be used to pave the way for a future controversial or extreme piece of legislation that would be difficult to pass on its own.

Here are just a few examples from the 2025 legislative session: Making English Idaho’s official language (House Joint Resolution 6) This proposed change to the Idaho Constitution (which will be on the ballot in November 2026) sounds harmless on the surface. However, it is totally unnecessary. It doesn’t change anything today, since all government business in Idaho is already conducted in English. One must therefore consider how it could be used to make damaging changes later.

For example, if English becomes Idaho’s “official” language, that means all other languages become “unofficial.” A future bill could then require that all state and local government business be conducted only in English, creating an excuse not to spend tax dollars on any “unofficial” language, such as Spanish. This could then eliminate Spanish-language ballots, non-English government webpages and documents, court translators, dual-language public signage and so on.

The ulterior motive would be to disenfranchise many legal Idaho citizens and motivate them to leave Idaho if they don’t speak English — an outcome desired by some of the most extreme factions in Idaho politics.

Civics test requirements for graduating high school (House Bill 397) This new law lists 11 components that the State Department of Education must include in a civics test. This is another bill that is completely unnec12 / R / December 18, 2025

essary. The SDE already has the responsibility to set curriculum standards. By adding these requirements into statute, the Legislature can change the requirements in a future bill and bypass the SDE. For example, Rep. Steve Berch, D-Boise the Legislature could add a 12th requirement that the Bible be taught as one of the country’s founding documents. This new law now opens the door to require that the Bible be taught to all students of all religions in all public schools. In fact, there was a failed attempt to do this during the 2025 session. Amending an existing law is easier than passing a new law.

Party affiliation must appear on all campaign material for partisan elections (H.B. 359) This bill was an insult to every Idaho voter — and completely unnecessary. It assumes voters are too stupid to read the party affiliation that is already printed next to the name of every candidate on every ballot for a partisan election. It hasn’t become law (yet), but the poison pill buried within it was the word “partisan.” If this bill were to become law, then a simple amendment could just remove the word “partisan.” That would effectively turn all non-partisan elections in Idaho into partisan elections (e.g. city councils, school boards, library boards, etc.). An earlier bill attempting to do that stalled, so this bill created an easier way to eventually achieve that outcome.

Legislators risk being attacked if they vote against bills that sound benign on the surface. A legislator must see beyond a bill’s good-sounding title.

I will not vote for a bill that facilitates an ulterior motive.

It’s a pill I won’t swallow.

Steve Berch is a fourth-term legislator in the Boise area; assistant Idaho House minority leader; and serves on the Revenue and Taxation, Business, Local Government, Ways and Means, and Joint Legislative Oversight Committee, which oversees the Office of Performance Evaluations.

To submit a photo for a future edition, please send to ben@sandpointreader.com.

Top left: The Warnock family took the Reader to the Oregon Coast and posed in front of the famous home from The Goonies, located in Astoria.

Top right: Hill Mannan and Tiki Olson brought the Reader to Los Barriles, Baja California Sur. Right: The Pend Oreille River as seen from the south side of Sandpoint.

Photo by Ron Bedford.

December 18, 2025 / R / 13

COMMUNITY

Innovia Foundation accepting grant and scholarship applications

By Reader Staff

Innovia Foundation’s annual Community Grants program is accepting applications from nonprofit organizations serving eastern Washington and North Idaho. Each year, the program awards more than $1 million to support a range of impact areas, including arts and culture, economic opportunity, education and youth development, health and wellbeing, and quality of life.

This year’s funding theme, “Building Stability and Belonging,” emphasizes support for programs that increase access to basic needs such as food, housing, health care, child care and education, as well as programs that bring people together, build relationships and create inclusive spaces where everyone can participate and belong.

“Innovia’s 2026 Community Grants are about meeting neighbors where they are today while investing in the connections that will sustain our region tomorrow,” stated Innovia

16 / R / December 18, 2025

Foundation CEO Shelly O’Quinn.

“By prioritizing both access to basic needs and programs that bring people together, we aim to reduce hardship, strengthen relationships, and ensure every person in our region feels supported and connected.”

Organizations that submit an application by the early bird deadline of Jan. 9, 2026 will be automatically entered into a drawing to receive a $1,000 grant for general operating support. The final application deadline is Feb. 6, 2026.

To learn more and apply for a grant, visit innovia.org/apply-for-agrant.

Meanwhile, the Innovia Foundation is also accepting scholarship applications for the 2026-’27 academic year. Innovia manages more than 50 regional scholarships, awarding more than $400,000 to local students each year.

Scholarships are available to students within Innovia’s 20-county service area who are college-bound or pursuing vocational or technical training. Single awards range between $500 and $4,000.

“In partnership with generous donors, Innovia is honored to provide educational opportunities to local students each year,” stated Shelly O’Quinn, CEO of Innovia Foundation. “Innovia scholarships are making more possible for youth today and building a skilled workforce to support the future of our region.”

Most applications are due by March 4, 2026. To explore available scholarships, visit innovia.org/students.

COMMUNITY

Historical Society debuts new exhibit at holiday party

By Soncirey Mitchell Reader Staff The Bonner County Historical Society and Museum is combining its annual holiday party with its December History Exchange, which will mark the grand opening of a new permanent exhibit at the Sandpoint Organic Agriculture Center (10881 N. Boyer Road).

The festivities will run from 5-6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 18, and pair holiday activities with a chance to explore the new agriculture-themed exhibit.

“This exhibit has it all: art, history, culture and community,” said BCHS Curator and Collections Manager Olivia Fee. BCHS created the new installation in collaboration with the University of Idaho — which runs the agriculture center and contributed farm tools to the display — and The Pend Oreille Arts Council, under the leadership of former-Board President Carol Deaner, which helped with curation and installation.

“The exhibit is not only about farming but also about the farmers’ lifestyle,” said Fee. “We have items on display, such as various historical farming and domestic tools. We also

touch on how a lot of the farmers arrived by train — we have some great items representing this history, such as a train depot bench and a Northern Pacific baggage cart.”

This will be the first time many of the largescale artifacts have been on display. In addition to the historic objects, the exhibit also includes paintings depicting rural Bonner County by local artist Connie Scherr, whose work Fee feels connects the “past to the present.”

“Bonner County is a timbered mountain location unlike the open rolling hills of the Palouse, but farming is still an important and supportive industry of this county,” said Fee. “Farming provided food and food security, long-term land stewardship and more.”

The exhibit is on display indefinitely and visitors can drop by anytime during the agriculture center’s regular business hours. The Dec. 18 opening will include refreshments, an all-aged ornament-making station and a special selection from BCHS’s gift shop.

“I thoroughly enjoyed collaborating with POAC and U of I,” said Fee. “I am excited to see our community enjoy it and learn more about how our history developed.”

Visit bonnercountyhistory.org for more info.

Sandpoint library to host Winter Farmers’ Market

By Reader Staff While the current weather is warm enough that it could probably take place outside, the Winter Farmers’ Market continues indoors Saturday, Dec. 20 at the Sandpoint branch of the East Bonner County Library (1407 Cedar St.).

From 10 a.m.-2 p.m., the monthly market will set up in the library community rooms and lobby featuring a mix of local farmers, artisans, crafters,

Courtesy photo bakers and more — including live music. It’s an opportunity to explore handmade goods and pick up fresh local produce. Bonus: each market day also hosts a craft activity in the lab.

Admission is free, with future dates scheduled for Saturdays, Jan. 24 and Feb. 14, 2026. Go to ebonnerlibrary. org for more information.

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COMMUNITY

Chamber of Commerce celebrates Dish at Dover Bay

By Reader Staff The Greater Sandpoint Chamber of Commerce recently recognized Dish at Dover Bay for its 15th year at its current location (651 Lakeshore Ave., in Dover) and 17 years in business in the Sandpoint area.

Established by Gary Peitz in 2009, Dish has become well known not only for its food and drink offerings, but friendly and knowledgeable staff and one of the premier waterfront settings in the area. Seasonal menus are created by Chef Ben Gendro and dinner is served seven nights per week year round — and lunch daily in the summer — overseen by General Manager Suzanne Waldrup. In addition, wintertime dinner service features three outdoor heated igloos available for a “closer-to-nature snow globe dining experience,” as well as monthly wine dinners that feature a coursing menu and a variety of wines chosen from specific wineries or for their regional appeal.

Follow on Instagram @dishatdover-

bay for up-to-date specials, menu changes and seasonal events. Call 208-265-6467 for reservations and visit dishadoverbay.com for more information.

Front row (L-R): Chamber Ambassador Steve Sanchez, Chamber Executive Director Joan Urbaniak, Alandra Doran, Dish General Manager Suzanne Waldrup, Dish owners Gary and Suzan Peitz, Linda Redmon and Chamber Ambassador Beryl Ryan.

Back Row (L-R): Chamber Ambassador Phil Hough, Chef Ben Gendro, Jett Hiibner, Cliff Long, Daniel Singarajah and Sous Chef Marcus Stevens. Photo by Woods Wheatcroft.

December 18, 2025 / R / 19

By Zach Hagadone and Soncirey Mitchell Reader Staff We’re entering the final innings of the holiday shopping season, with workplace and neighborhood parties populating the calendar even as the days are winding down to the Main Event on Dec. 25. These are the desperate times for many gift-givers, who may have procrastinated on picking something up for the office white elephant exchange or have so far avoided the challenge of their harder-to-shopfor family members.

Though it’s crunch time, this is when some people shine. Others, however, fall into the trap of buying whatever they can lay their hands on at the gas station, and come off looking like they’re as thoughtless as they are terrible with time management. Hopefully a few of these last-minute suggestions will help score a late-game win.

Unique candy from Sugar Tooth

When we say “unique,” we mean it. Located on the Cedar St. Bridge (334 N. First Ave., in downtown Sandpoint), Sugar Tooth is a treasure trove of sweets and treats that can’t be found anywhere else. The offerings range far and wide both in type and origin, with loads of products from as far afield as Japan and South Korea.

Check out the drinks cooler and consider if anyone on your list would be interested in cracking open a bottle of enchilada- or grass-flavored soda. Mix and match items as you peruse the 20 / R / December 18, 2025

shop, or consider one of the coolest options: any of seven “mystery boxes” with themes including chocolate; international snacks; sour candy; the even more mysterious “blue,” “pink” and “red” boxes; or the TikTok Viral selection. Prices start at $24.99, and that’s killer for a gift that takes the guesswork out of giving by keeping them guessing. Go to sugar-tooth.com for more info.

Magazine subscriptions

There remain few gifts that keep on giving like a yearly subscription to a high-quality print publication. We’re talking about titles like The New Yorker (with fabulous long-form journalism, essays, interviews, cartoons and a pretty decent crossword every week); The Smithsonian (which has some of the most fascinating and cutting-edge coverage of everything from science and nature to culture and history); The Economist and Foreign Affairs (for some of the best, most politically neutral coverage of what’s happening both here and abroad); Wired (covering the economic, cultural and political impacts of tech) — you get the picture. Prices vary, but there are often low-cost intro offers, promotions and other options.

Not only is off-screen appointment reading gratifying, it’s fun to get something in the mail that isn’t junk.

Mug club membership

It’s impossible to deny that Sandpoint is a beer-drinking town — our population size relative to the number of local breweries, bottle shops and pubs is proof enough. Following that, a signature gift for the beer lover(s) on your list might well be paying their way into any of the mug clubs offered at establishments around town.

Just based on the power of Google and lived experience, we can point to at least Eichardt’s Pub, Idaho Pour Authority, Matchwood Brewing Co., MickDuff’s Brewing Co., Utara Brewing Co. and Barrel 33 as offering some kind of mug membership (and there may well be more). Some only accept new memberships at certain times and prices vary, but all provide discounts for the initiated. Bonus: Stopping in to get more info provides the opportunity to grab a cold one for yourself.

Cool stuff from Sandpoint Books

The internet — and digital technology writ large — has taken so much from us: writing letters with fancy paper and nice pens, consulting physical maps, looking at a calendar on the wall, you name it. But all of these things are rewarding and can even be comforting, especially when the objects themselves are attractive. Aside from its namesake product, Sandpoint Books (321 N. Second Ave.) carries a load of cool stuff including pretty calendars, spiffy and artistic maps, and, of course, lovely stationary and elegant writing implements. Also peruse the puzzle section and check out some of the little boxed-set games like Literary Charades and Mythology Trivia. Naturally, the book selection is top-tier, featuring new titles in a range

of genres, including a healthy section of local authors. But sometimes the perfect last-minute gift can be found by simply browsing outside the stacks.

Donate in their name

As we get older, most people don’t need — or want — any presents over the holidays, much to the chagrin of their loved ones. If you’re someone who shows your love through gift-giving, instead of buying another knickknack or candle, consider donating to any of Bonner County’s many nonprofits on your friends’ and family’s behalf.

Then, simply write out what you did on a card. It’s elegant, easy and won’t take up space in the closet. With so many worthy organizations, the most challenging part will be choosing the nonprofit that your friend will most appreciate. If they value community and kindness, choose something like Bonner Community Food Bank, The Bonner County Human Rights Task Force, Sandpoint Alliance for Equality or the Pro Voice Project. If they’re a patron of the arts and humanities, try Pend Oreille Arts Council, Bonner County Historical Society and Museum, the Panida Theater or KRFY community radio. Finally, if they’re passionate about the environment, consider Kaniksu Land Trust, Friends of Scotchman Peaks Wilderness or Kinnikinnick Native Plant Society. No matter the choice, you can’t go wrong.

COMMUNITY

Sing, dance and be merry Celebrate the holidays with these local parties

The percentage of decline for new enrollment in health coverage in Idaho, according to Your Health Idaho, after Republican lawmakers refused to extend the enhanced Affordable Care Act premium tax credits. Your Health Idaho estimates about 20,000 Idahoans will cancel coverage in the coming months due to premium prices increasing an average of 114%. Also, 9.2% more Idaho residents selected bronze plans, which provide the least coverage and higher out-of-pocket costs.

There’s no shortage of holiday cheer around Bonner County, where there are no fewer than a dozen festive parties with dancing, singing, food and good tidings happening in the coming week. Peruse these options and then check out Page 22 for additional holiday concerts happening right up until Christmas Eve.

Thursday, Dec. 18

SHS Choir Christmas Concert Every year, Sandpoint High School’s four choirs — Mixed, Concert, Women’s and Men’s — put on one holiday spectacular before winter break to showcase the students’ growth. The 7 p.m. performance takes place in the high school auditorium (410 S. Division St.) and includes holiday classics, spirituals and other entertaining additions. Tickets are $5

By Ben Olson Reader Staff

24%

By Soncirey Mitchell Reader Staff

An Old Fashioned Christmas Musical Head over to the Priest River Event Center (5399 U.S. 2) to take in a free Christmas nativity musical put on by the Newport Seventh-day Adventist Church. This free, family-friendly event begins at 5:45 p.m. and will include sing-along carols, refreshments and gifts for every child in attendance.

BY THE NUMBERS

Nearly 1,800 The number of U.S. Fish and Wild-

at the door and proceeds go toward the classes’ expenses.

A DanceWorks Christmas The students at DanceWorks & Company will also have a chance to showcase their talents in jazz, ballet, modern, hip-hop, tumbling and tap at their annual holiday performance.

Doors open 30 minutes before this 7 p.m. show at the Panida Theater (300 N. First Ave.), and $15 tickets are available at the door or at DanceWorks (409 N. Fourth Ave.). Visit panida.org to learn more.

Sunday, Dec. 21 Amahl and the Night Visitors The Music Conservatory of Sand-

The MCS Bel Canto Opera will perform life Service employees who have left Amahl and the Night Visitors Sunday, Dec. the agency in the past year after pres21. Courtesy image sure from President Donald Trump to point’s Bel Canto Opera will once again perform Gian Carlo Menotti’s beloved children’s opera, Amahl and the Night Visitors, at the First Lutheran Church (526 S. Olive Ave.). The story follows a young boy, Amahl, who encounters the Magi on their way to Bethlehem. The back-to-back performances begin at 2 p.m. and 5 p.m.

Tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for students, with free admission for children ages 6 and under. Visit sandpointconservatory.org/events for more information.

Sagle Community Christmas Concert The Sagle Seventh-day Adventist Church will team up with the Sagle Senior Center (605 Monarch Road) for a free Christmas concert beginning at 4 p.m. The evening’s festivities include carols, instrumental classics and holiday sing-alongs open to everyone.

Pend d’Oreille Winery holiday party Local favorite Bob Beadling will sit down at the grand piano at the Pend d’Oreille Winery (301 Cedar St., in Sandpoint) for an afternoon party with classic and contemporary holiday music. Vocalist Kelly Woodruff will accompany him, performing from 1-3 p.m. while attendees enjoy mulled wine, cider, hot chocolate and a visit from Santa.

cut the federal workforce, representing about a 20% loss of the service’s staff.

The loss of these staff members could imperil species already endangered across the country, such as monarch butterflies and hellbender salamanders, according to Noah Greenwald at the Center for Biological Diversity. The Trump administration plans to eliminate another 143 positions from the service, but it is blocked from issuing more cuts until Jan. 30.

18 The number of U.S. states that will restrict the use of federal SNAP benefits for certain foods and beverages after South Carolina received U.S. Department of Agriculture approval to block purchases of items such as candy, soda and other sugary drinks.

$12 billion The size of the aid package the Trump administration announced for U.S. farmers as the agriculture sector absorbs the impact of sweeping tariffs.

About $11 billion will go out as onetime payments through the Farmer Bridge Assistance Program, with another $1 billion directed to commodities not covered by the program. The conservative agriculture group Farm Bureau Federation welcomed the aid package, but called for the government to “recalibrate trade strategies, open new markets” and “strengthen longterm farm viability.”

December 18, 2025 / R / 21

events

December 18 - 25, 2025 calendar@sandpointreader.com

THURSDAY, december 18 SHS Choir Christmas Concert

Bonner Co. Historical Society Holiday Party An Old Fashioned Christmas Musical 5-6:30pm @ Sandpoint Organic Ag. Center 5:45pm @ Priest River Event Center Festive annual party and also grand Free entry, fun for whole family opening of new collaborative exhibit with Collage Night w/ Woods Wheatcroft U of I and POAC on Bonner County’s 5-7pm @ Idaho Pour Authority agricultural heritage Supplies provided. Sliding scale Supper with Santa $10-$20. Special: Collage sesh 5-7pm @ Connie’s Lounge and calendar for $20!

Line dancing lessons • 6:30pm @ The Hive $10 at the door, 21+

FriDAY, december 19

Live Music w/ Mike & Sadie 5-8pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery Live Music w/ Hot Cheetohs 5pm @ Connie’s Lounge Live Music w/ Waterhouse 5-7:30pm @ Matchwood Brewing Co. Live Music w/ Mobius Riff 5:30-8:30pm @ Barrel 33

Live Music w/ Sydney Dawn 6-8pm @ Idaho Pour Authority Music w/ DJ General Slime 9pm-midnight @ 219 Lounge Live Music w/ Devon Wade 8-11pm @ Roxy’s Lounge Live Music w/ Zach Simms 6:30-9:30pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall

Live Music w/ Harold’s IGA 6-8pm @ Idaho Pour Authority Live Music w/ Tucker James 5-8pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery

Gigawatt: An ’80s Christmas Party 8pm @ The Hive The sights and sounds of the 1980s!

Winter Farmers’ Market 10am-2pm @ Sandpoint Library Music, festive vibes, seasonal shopping Music w/ DJ Sterling 9pm @ Roxy’s Lounge

SATURDAY, december 20

Live Music w/ John Wayne Williams 6-8pm @ Smokesmith BBQ Live Music w/ Sydney Dawn 6-8pm @ Connie’s Lounge Live Music w/ Cody Bartels Band 9pm-midnight @ 219 Lounge Live Music w/ Mason Van Stone 6-8pm @ Baxters on Cedar Sandpoint Chess Club 9am @ Evans Brothers Coffee Meets every Sunday at 9am Celtic Folk Jam 3-6pm @ Idaho Pour Authority Magic with Star Alexander 5-8pm @ Jalapeño’s

Live Music w/ Kerry Leigh & Bill Kurtz 6-9pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall

7pm @ Sandpoint High School A DanceWorks Christmas 7pm @ DanceWorks, 409 N. Fourth Ave. Family-friendly evening with music Live Music w/ Frytz Mor 8-11pm @ Roxy’s Lounge Cribbage tournament 6pm @ Connie’s Lounge David DaVinci: Thrillusionist 7pm @ Panida Theater A world-class illusionist. See Page 23 Live Music w/ Cody Bartels Band 6-8pm @ Smokesmith BBQ

Live Music w/ Justin Lantrip 6-8pm @ Baxters on Cedar

MCS Concert: Joy to the World 6:30pm @ Little Carnegie Hall, MCS Join violinist Sylvia Ranette and pianist Melody Puller for this festive show. Entry by donation Holiday Ball 6-10pm @ Sandpoint Community Hall One-hour waltz basics lesson at 6pm followed by general dancing until 10pm. All welcome, dress holiday! $10

SunDAY, december 21

Amahl and the Night Visitors Special music holiday party 2pm & 5pm @ First Lutheran Church 1-3pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery The Music Conservatory’s Bel Canto Holiday cheer on the piano with Bob Beadling choir production of the cherished chilLaiche Dance Center’s Polar Express dren’s opera. $15/adults, $10/students, 4-6pm @ Panida Theater free/children 6 and under Talented dancers bring this touching story to Sagle Community Christmas Concert life. Pajamas encouraged for this cozy night 4pm @ Sagle Senior Center, 650 Monarch Rd. Variety of music including carols and more

Monday Night Blues Jam w/ John Firshi 7pm @ Eichardt’s Pub Supper with Santa 5-7pm @ Connie’s Lounge

monDAY, december 22

Outdoor Experience Group Run 6pm @ Outdoor Experience 3-5 miles, all levels welcome Trivia w/ Alaina 6-8pm @ Idaho Pour Authority

Bluegrass Open Jam 5pm @ Connie’s Lounge Styles alternating between Irish and bluegrass stylings

tuesDAY, december 23 Live holiday music w/ Zach Simms 5-7pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery Wednesday tango night 6pm @ Barrel 33 Beginner Argentine tango lesson 6pm, pracitca 7pm. No partner needed. $15

wednesDAY, december 24

Family night with John Firshi 3-5pm @ Matchwood Brewing Co. Dinner, live music and beer

Live trivia w/ Toshi 7pm @ Connie’s Lounge

ThursDAY, december 25

M E R RY C H R I ST M A S !

22 / R / December 18, 2025

STAGE & SCREEN

‘Just short of insanity’

‘Thrillusionist’ David DaVinci returns to the Panida

By Reader Staff Sandpoint’s own globetrotting magician, David DaVinci, will once again wow audiences Friday, Dec. 19 with a 7 p.m. show full of stunts, magic and humor at the Panida Theater (300 N. First Ave.).

Tickets to see this thrilling illusionist — or “Thrillusionist” — are between $36-$41 at panida.org, depending on seat selection.

DaVinci is a well-known name in the Inland Northwest and beyond, with multiple world tours on both land and sea and starring roles in Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey productions on his resume. That’s not to mention the numerous national and international accolades he holds, including the world record for

the most escapes (220, to be precise) from a straitjacket in an eight-hour period.

DaVinci’s shows are described as “Beyond reality — just short of insanity” for the death-defying feats and fantastical animal companions that have become staples of DaVinci’s performances.

He will pull out all the stops for the Dec. 19 performance, demonstrating his mastery of prestidigitation, escapology — the practice of escaping various restraints — and more, as well as his bond with his trained birds, which inspired his act. Whether making someone float or asking an audience member to pick a card, DaVinci links each illusion together with a common thread of comedy and rockstar-esque showmanship.

Courtesy photo Visit daviddavinci.com to get a taste of the magic before the upcoming show.

Panida moving forward on key improvements

By Reader Staff Heather White joined the Panida Theater as its new executive director, effective Nov. 1; and, since then, she has jumped in to implement some critical changes to help move the theater into its next century.

Among the key improvements implemented by White in recent weeks was the hiring of a front-of-house manager, introducing mandatory staff strategy planning sessions, and reviewing calendar management solutions and job costing to link staff time to events.

According to theater officials, “These changes will support more efficient management of events and staff hours, and provide much-needed insight into the financial operations of the theater.”

Meanwhile, the board is moving forward on the im-

provement/expansion projects identified and approved by the community, including: • Plans and pricing estimates to create a new women’s bathroom in the southern retail space, which are nearly complete, with work expected to begin after the first of the new year; • In-progress engineering assessments to determine requirements for connecting the main theater with the little theater, including the basement spaces; • Addition of a bar area in front of the stage to relieve lobby congestion for larger events.

Board members, staff and White stated that the theater is excited about the latest changes and plans to provide regular community updates as they move ahead. Watch for some noticeable changes in 2026 and 2027, the theater added.

December 18, 2025 / R / 23

COMMUNITY Festival at Sandpoint releases 2025 annual report

By Reader Staff

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Despite Fiscal Year 2025 proving to be “more complex than the recent years of notable growth,” the Festival at Sandpoint’s annual report credited “diverse revenue streams, disciplined expense management and prudent savings” to result in a year-end profit.

According to the recently released report, which covers October 2024 to September 2025, total income for the nonprofit arts organization ran to $2,377,982.14 with expenses of $2,364,174.82, for a profit of $13,807.32. Programs, including the annual summer concert series, accounted for 77% of income, followed by 19% from fundraising, 4% from other sources and 1% from grants.

FAS pointed to “a sharp drop in grant funding due to federal freezes that reduced availability and heightened competition” during the year, as well as a nationwide decline in live music ticket sales, which the Festival also experienced.

Regardless, the organization’s net assets increased $19,029.07 over the course of FY’25.

“Our success is rooted in careful stewardship and the continued generosity of our donors and sponsors,” the report stated.

Among the highlights of the 2025 Summer Series at War Memorial Field was Community Night, which featured four artists from around the region with tickets priced below $20. In addition, FAS donated 1,186 tickets to community members through its Ticket Giving programs.

“With our 2025 Summer Series, we continued to strengthen our community and keep our programming accessible to all,” stated Director of Operations Veronica Knowlton.

According to Development and Community Engagement Coordinator Darra Collison, the Festival partners with local schools and organizations to provide free Grand Finale tickets, with an emphasis on providing accessible admission to individuals with special needs, seniors and veterans.

“This year, we gave away 198 tickets to the Grand Finale, helping low-in-

Harold’s IGA and Justin Landis perform at the Festival at Sandpoint’s 2025 Community Night.

Photo by Racheal Baker. come and underserved families enjoy this cherished community tradition,” stated Collison, who joined the Festival in 2025, bringing her lifelong community connections to the organization.

In collaboration with artist teams, the Festival also provided 944 free tickets to teachers, nurses, EMTs, police, firefighters, veterans and active-duty service members for four performances: Neon Trees, Community Night and DISPATCH. During the 2025 Summer Series, the Festival partnered with local nonprofit Pend Oreille Pedalers to improve and operate its bike check area while spreading the word about POP’s mission.

In addition to the Summer Series, the Festival assists other organizations with production services, including lighting, sound and equipment rentals for their events. This year, those included Bonner General Health’s Heart Ball, Lost in the ’50s, KRFY’s Little Live Radio Hour, Community Cancer Services Rock Out Cancer and more. During that time, production services revenue increased by 50% and in-kind donations totaled upward of $8,000 to help local nonprofits’ fundraising efforts.

Meanwhile, FAS expanded its yearround music education programs, growing the Instrument Library by more than 20%, and with more than 60% of the 70 instruments being checked out.

“For the first time, we have a waitlist,” Production and Education Manager Paul Gunter stated. “We’re continuously investing in new instruments to meet demand, and donations are always greatly appreciated.”

The Festival’s Pre-K Outreach program, which offers a series of in-class lessons that engage students in music, is now operating in four local preschools: Huckleberry Montessori, Kaniksu Community Health Kids Club, Sandpoint Play & Learn and Selkirk School.

To learn more and read the 2025 Annual Report, visit festivalatsandpoint.com/ annual-reports.

MUSIC

A totally radical Christmas

Gigawatt to play An ’80s Christmas at The Hive

By Ben Olson Reader Staff “Great Scott!” The 1980s was a wild decade for music.

The hair was big, the costumes were over the top, colors were bright, and music was full of confidence, spirit and fun.

Gigawatt, the Inland Northwest’s only ’80s show band, brings the sights, sounds and style of that decade — with a dash of Christmas spirit — to The Hive for its Saturday, Dec. 20 concert, An ’80s Christmas.

With Steven Santiago on vocals, John Watson on bass/ vocals, Larry Koffel on guitar and vocals, and Rick Wakefield on drums/vocals, Gigawatt throws a heck of a party.

The band members are known for wearing costumes from popular ’80s film, television and music, and often change

outfits multiple times throughout a single show.

They play an exciting mix of songs from bands that made that era what it was, including The Cars, Billy Idol, Bryan Adams, The Cult, Van Halen, Genesis, Bon Jovi, The Police, R.E.M. and many more.

On top of their dedication to costumery and high-quality stage performance, Gigawatt also uses lighting and stage effects to ensure each of their shows is an experience.

Unpack all the DayGlo relics from your past, squeeze into those leather pants and get the curling iron hot, it’s going to be a wild night.

Saturday, Dec. 20; 8 p.m.; $10.

The Hive, 207 N. First Ave., 208920-9039, tickets at livefromthehive.com. Listen at gigawatt80sband.com.

Joy to the World, Little Carnegie Hall, Dec. 20 Join violinist Sylvia Ranette and pianist Melody Puller as they celebrate the joy of Christmas with traditional music. The Music Conservatory of Sandpoint presents Joy to the World, a Christmas concert featuring the duo on Saturday, Dec. 20 from 4-5 p.m. at the Little Carnegie Hall inside the conservatory. Ranette and Puller will play tender carols, sparkling holiday masterpiec-

es and songs that capture the spirit of the season. In lieu of tickets, admission is by donation.

— Ben Olson Dec. 20, 4-5 p.m., admission by donation. Little Carnegie Hall, Music Conservatory of Sandpoint, 110 Main St., 208-265-4444, sandpointconservatory.org.

The Seattle-Tacoma area isn’t typically people’s idea of a country-rock cradle, but it was for Cody Bartels — a 20-something, self-described “touring honky-tonk country artist” who can walk the talk.

From his western Washington hometown, he rode bulls on a college scholarship in Wyoming, crisscrossed the country in sales on the trade show circuit, and lived and worked at an island fishing lodge in

the Alaska hinterlands — all of which gives authenticity to his clear, cool and polished sound with just enough grit, underpinned by creative, often unexpected lyrics.

— Zach Hagadone 6-8 p.m., FREE. Smokesmith Bar-B-Que, 102 S. Boyer Ave., 208-920-0517, smokesmithidaho. com. Listen on Spotify and other streamers.

READ

Night by Elie Wiesel is one of the foundational pieces of Shoah — or Holocaust — literature, recounting the author’s experiences with his father in the Nazi concentration camps at Auschwitz and Buchenwald, and the journeys in between. The novel begins with his life in a Romanian ghetto, and through illness, torture, starvation and the unspeakable horrors of the camps, marks Wiesel’s loss of faith in both God and humanity. Find it at the library.

LISTEN

Gigawatt, clockwise from top left: Steven Santiago, Larry Koeffel, John Watson and Rick Wadefield. Courtesy photo

John Wayne Williams, Smokesmith Bar-B-Que, Dec. 20 Five years ago, John Wayne Williams moved from Fort Worth, Texas to Spokane and found his voice among the trees and life around him.

Infused with a bit of country soul, and inspired by songwriters like John Prine, Williams’ eccentric country songs are all

about the existential dilemmas we face in our daily lives.

— Ben Olson Dec. 20, 6-8 p.m., FREE. Smokesmith Bar-B-Que, 102 S. Boyer Ave., 208-920-0517, smokesmithidaho.com.

A snapshot of notable live music coming up in Sandpoint Cody Bartels Trio, Smokesmith Bar-B-Que, Dec. 19

This week’s RLW by Soncirey Mitchell

Zach Simms, Pend d’Oreille Winery, Dec. 23 Indie singer-songwriter Zach Simms is known for his subtle, atmospheric songs that reward different styles of listening. Whether you sit quietly and take in the depth of his lyrics or you allow it to fade into a background hum, Simms’ music is always a welcome addition to spaces like the Pend d’Oreille Winery on cold winter nights.

The multi-instrumentalist draws inspiration from his

childhood in Nashville, Tenn. and his faith for songs like “His Mother’s Song” — his take on a holiday ballad. His song selection on Dec. 23 will include plenty of Christmas music to get everyone into a festive mood.

— Soncirey Mitchell 5-7 p.m., FREE. Pend d’Oreille Winery, 301 Cedar St, 208-2658545, powine.com. Listen at zachsimms.bandcamp.com.

English singer-songwriter, arranger and producer Mike Batt is the most famous man you’ve never heard of. Not only has he worked with everyone from Slash to The Beatles, but he has major credits on multiple Top 10 hits and was a co-writer for the musical The Phantom of the Opera. His album Tarot Suite — inspired by major arcana cards — is an experimental combination of classical, symphonic music and ’70s synth-rock that’s worth a listen or 10. Find more at mikebatt.com.

WATCH

Filmmaker Sepideh Farsi created the documentary Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk through a series of video calls with Palestinian photojournalist Fatma Hassona, capturing a raw, firsthand perspective on life in Gaza. The film documents the terrible loss and constant violence Palestinians face during the conflict with Israel and, through it all, the perseverance and resistance of people like Hassona, who died in an Israeli airstrike shortly after the film’s completion. Find it on all streaming services to see the brutal reality of the war in Gaza.

December 18, 2025 / R / 25

BACK OF THE BOOK

Don’t give up the light: An allegory

By Ben Olson Reader Staff

From Pend Oreille Review, December 16, 1910

BAD RAIL CAUSES SPILL The east-bound Burlington train on the Great Northern met with a bad mishap at the Sandpoint station yesterday evening and two passenger cars were piled up and a sleeper derailed as a result of a broken rail which it had taken to let the west-bound mail train by. The accident occurred about 4:40.

The train was under a slow rate of speed. The engine, tender and baggage car passed over the faulty rail which broke as the smoking car was passing over it. The smoking car was thrown clear of the track and into the ditch, the chair car next was upended and stood up at an angle of about 45 degrees. The next coach was a sleeper and this left the track but did not overturn.

Although the passengers were badly shaken up there was only one person hurt, a man who was in the smoking car. He was drunk and asleep and when the bump came he was thrown out of his seat and sent sprawling across the seats across the aisle from him. His injuries were patched up at the depot and he continued his journey when the train got out in the night.

The upended chair car was a hard proposition for the wrecking crew as it was wedged up on end against the smoker. The main line was cleared for traffic in a short time but the siding was not cleared up of the spill until this morning.

26 / R / December 18, 2025

A long time ago, the people of Sandpoint lived in darkness.

When the cold winter months set in, Sandpointians were left to navigate to and from work on streets without lamps, homes without porch lights, and no twinkle lights to cheer their paths.

The darkness sunk deep into peoples’ souls. It fed off of their fear and confusion. It ate away at them.

Without light to see their way, Sandpointians were restless and short with one another. They argued, they hollered, they snapped. Thanksgiving and Christmas came and went without cheer, the new year dawned without occasion. The darkness that surrounded the town invaded their souls.

It was not a fun time to be alive.

Then, one day, a Sandpointian decided to hang a light from his porch.

It was a simple, warm lamplight that gave those passing by something to help guide their way.

Neighbors began following suit, installing their own lights, some adding lawn torches on front walks, others stringing lights from eaves.

The lights were of all types, colors and arrays. Some were solid yellow, others blue and red. Some twinkled on and off, others pulsed slowly. Some were modern LED lights, others old incandescent bulbs with filaments burning visibly inside.

Before long, Sandpoint no longer lived in darkness. Lights of all types lit the town from bridge to bridge. Neighbors, intrigued and comforted by the glow coming from everywhere, emerged from their hermitage and embraced one another. They sat on porches and shouted hearty greetings to passersby. They shared sodas and beers in their backyards.

Though some didn’t have much in

common other than the lights, these residents grew kinder and appreciated their neighbors like never before. Everyone, lit by the warm glow, felt they belonged in this place.

It was a glorious time to be alive in Sandpoint, this quaint little hamlet lost somewhere in the panhandle of Idaho.

Then, slowly, the darkness began to creep back in. New Folks moved to town and, not knowing of the dark days before everyone embraced lights, began complaining that they disrupted their lives.

They complained about the people who displayed LED lights because the glow was too sterile. They groused about holiday light displays not including their favorite colors red and green.

“We moved here to enjoy the darkness!” the New Folks cried, flooding the City Council meetings with their pitchforks. “If people want light, tell them to go back to where they came from or move to the big city!”

The lights were either too bright or too dim. They contained too many colors or not enough. The lights were placed incorrectly and shined too close to their own living room windows. The New Folks wanted nothing to do with lights anymore — they only wanted darkness, which they demanded everyone else should live in, too.

Soon, the bickering turned to shouting. Before long, the shouting gave way to shoving. Sandpointians often carried pockets full of pebbles to throw at their neighbors’ lights, shattering the bulbs with well-aimed throws. Before, the people felt warm and comfortable walking home awash in light. Now, they broke bulbs as quickly as they were installed.

Before long, Sandpoint found itself in darkness again — all of the porch lights, street lamps and twinkle bulbs busted down to shards of glass. The residents grumbled to and from work again, their eyes looking at neighbors’

dark lawns and homes with mistrust.

Because nobody could see where they were going, the people of Sandpoint often bumped into one another, causing fights and feuds that lasted years. Front porches grew silent, yards empty, streets dark and foreboding.

It was not a fun time to be alive in Sandpoint anymore.

It was around this time when the New Folks began to notice Newer Folks moving into town. These Newer Folks wanted not only darkness, but complete silence in town. No light, no noise. Period.

“That’s a step too far,” some of the New Folks said to one another.

They held town meetings and stamped their feet in frustration, but the Newer Folks got their way and all sounds were prohibited, along with all light. Now, they lived in total darkness and complete silence. Neighbors hated one another more than ever before.

People began to move away from Sandpoint, seeking light and sound that other places provided, but some of these places were also becoming dark and silent. It seemed there was no end to how far these feelings traveled, until, one day, the nation was dark and silent from coast to coast. No lights, no noise — just an uneasy stillness that lasted for generations.

Everyone got their way. The lights were all broken, the sound nonexistent and forgotten. Our nation became one large mass of land filled with unhappy, silent, dim people wondering what happened to the good days.

Don’t give up the light, folks. Don’t give up on each other, either. We may hang different lights in our yards, but we have more in common than we might think. We might disagree about some small things, but we all seek light and love, friends and family, kindness and civility, respect and a place to lay our heads at night. Don’t give up the light.

STR8TS Solution

Sudoku Solution

Crossword Solution

By Bill Borders

CROSSWORD

Copyright www.mirroreyes.com

Laughing Matter

Solution on page 26

Solution on page 26

ACROSS

comport /kuhm-POHRT/

Woorf tdhe Week Corrections: Corrections?

We don’t need no stinkin’ corrections!

[verb] (used without object) 1. to bear or conduct (oneself); behave.

“The senator comported himself with dignity, despite every else in the chamber losing their grip on reality.”

If you’re a blacksmith, probably the proudest day of your life is when you get your first anvil.

How innocent you are, little blacksmith.

1. Highly emotional episode 6. Smell 11. Employ again 12. Motorized 15. Lab container 16. Whenever 17. Once around the track 18. Vanquish 20. D 21. Dogfish 23. Depose 24. Geek 25. Repair 26. Scottish hillside 27. Be suspended from above 28. Therefore 29. American Sign Language 30. Itinerary 31. Obtaining 34. Barren 36. Faint 37. Fit of pique 41. Walking stick 42. Anagram of “Nose” 43. Russian emperor 44. Desire 45. Beer 46. Cassava 47. Unit of energy 48. Traditional 51. A strong drink

Solution on page 26

52. Icebreakers 54. Twosome 56. Set free 57. Beginning 58. Looked amorously 59. Destitute

DOWN 1. Fantasizer 2. Harvesting 3. Arctic bird 4. Millisecond 5. Designed for flight 6. Husband or wife

7. Extraterrestrial object 8. Pitcher 9. Mesh 10. Neptune’s fork 13. Come forth 14. Exploit 15. Fault 16. Sordid dirtiness 19. Scandinavian 22. One who adores 24. Mischievous 26. Spine 27. Term of endearment 30. Edges 32. Before, in poetry

33. Scenes 34. Rare 35. Grapefruit hybrid 38. Seized 39. Teaching staff 40. It surrounds a painting 42. Spoke 44. Dam 45. Nonchalantly unconcerned 48. Anthracite 49. Computer symbol 50. Funnel shape 53. Plead 55. Employ

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