Sandpoint Reader - December 28, 2017

The good, the bad, the ugly

Get ready: Another winter storm is on the way The conclusion of the American Redoubt series Perfecting the art of replacement cussery, medieval horses, lake herbicides, poetry, Banff Film Festival, The Somethings, and much more!

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

Sandpoint Property Management provides:

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List your property with us and get results that beneďŹ t you!

(wo)MAN compiled by

Molly Balison

on the street

How would you describe 2017 in one word and why?

“Short. It just seemed like there was no time at all from January to this Christmas.”

Regina Retired transcriber for BGH Sandpoint

“Amazing. I have been given the opportunity to serve our amazing community, and I have realized how special and unique each person is.”

Shery Meekings Owner of Carousel Emporium Sandpoint

DEAR READERS,

We’ve only a few days left in 2017, and while it’s easy to get lost in the negative spin cycle of national news, we’ve had a great year at the Reader.

More and more advertisers are utilizing the Reader as an important source of news, community happenings, arts and entertainment and perspectives from a wide variety of sources. We’ve received countless donations from you, our dear readers, and the truth is we can’t make this happen without your support.

None of us are striking it rich here, but we’re paying our bills and continuing to honor the mission set forth in 2004 when this funky little weekly first appeared in Sandpoint. I thank you all for helping us continue. This is just as much your newspaper as it is ours.

This week, we’re wrapping up the American Redoubt series with an analysis by guest contributor Bill Harp. Special thanks to the Idaho Press Club, whose grant allowed us to dedicate a bit more time with this project.

Looking forward, we have some exciting stuff coming in 2018: more special features and more in-depth series on issues important to North Idaho. In January, we’ll begin our expansive coverage of the upcoming legislative session, including profiles of all candidates for state offices from the gubernatorial race down to local politics. The plan is to introduce the candidates and their stances on the issues. We’re also toying with some redesign ideas to help improve our overall look, so stay tuned. As always, your comments are welcome.

It has been an honor serving as publisher of the Reader the past three years since we came back from the dead. I’m learning how to be a better publisher every week. I’m also striving to be a better person overall, which is my main goal in 2018. We all have our flaws — and mine are many — but inside, we share the same jumble of ego, passion, hubris, fear and love. Let’s find ways to increase communication and understanding with one another. Let’s practice dropping our guard more often. Let’s embrace compromise instead of conflict.

We can do this.

Here’s hoping that your 2018 will be filled with joy and love.

-Ben Olson, Publisher

“Busy. It has been busy for me between my law practice and my store, but I like it.”

OPEN 11:30 am

Tom Vanderford Vanderford’s owner and attorney Sagle

“Marvelous. I think it has been a good year, because so many people have been blessed.”

Terry Palmer Gift buyer/ decorator for Petal Talk Sandpoint

LIVE MUSIC Brewery Bash w/

TENNIS!

8pm $5

Sandpoint’s favorite dance band

Brewery Bash w/

DEVON WADE Country night at the Beer Hall

Bob the Unicorn Endangered but awesome Sandpoint

The Psounbality with Per

7pm $5

Food by Edelwagen Food Truck both nights!

“Skittles.”

GAME ROOM UPSTAIRS

BREWERY & BEER HALL 220 Cedar St. 209-6700 FAMILY FRIENDLY BREWPUB 312 First Ave.

255-4351

FRESH FOOD LIVE MUSIC THE BEST NW BREWS

212 Cedar Street Downtown Sandpoint

208.263.4005 A SandPint Tradition Since 1994

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

www.sandpointreader.co

m Publisher: Ben Olson ben@sandpointreader.com

Editor: Cameron Rasmusson cameron@sandpointreader.com Zach Hagadone (emeritus) John Reuter (emeritus) Advertising: Jodi Taylor Jodi@sandpointreader.com Contributing Artists: Ben Olson, Lyndsie Kiebert Contributing Writers: Cameron Rasmusson, Ben Olson, Nick Gier, Scarlette Quille, Lyndsie Kiebert, Jodi Rawson, PollyAnna, Bill Lewis, Brenden Bobby, Shannon Williamson, Bill Harp, Amy Craven, Sandra Rasor, Robens Napolitan, Beth Weber, Ammi Midstokke, A.C. Woolnough, Tim Henney Submit stories to: stories@sandpointreader.com Printed weekly at: Griffin Publishing Spokane, Wash.

Subscription Price: $95 per year Web Content: Keokee

The Sandpoint Reader is a weekly publication owned and operated by Ben Olson and Keokee. It is devoted to the arts, entertainment, politics and lifestyle in and around Sandpoint, Idaho.

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

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

Sandpoint Reader letter policy: The Sandpoint Reader welcomes letters to the editor on all topics.

Requirements: –No more than 400 words –Letters may not contain excessive profanity or libelous material. Please elevate the discussion.

Letters will be edited to comply with the above requirements. Opinions expressed in these pages are those of the writers, not necessarily the publishers.

Email letters to: letters@sandpointreader.com Check us out on the web at: www.sandpointreader.com Like us on Facebook.

About the Cover This week’s cover photo was taken by Ben Olson on a rare sunny winter day in North Idaho.

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COMMENTARY

Virgin and Child: The Christmas Story according to Islam

By Nick Gier Reader Columnist

Most Christians do not know that Muslims hold Mary and Jesus in utmost esteem. The virgin mother of Jesus is mentioned 34 times in the Qur’an, where she is given her own chapter (Surah 19).

Mary’s Arabic name is Maryam, which is identical to the Aramaic spoken by Jesus in first-century Palestine. Over the centuries, millions of Muslim girls have been named after her.

In the Qur’an, Jesus is hailed as the Messiah, and he performs miracles just as he does in the Gospels. Islamic and Christian conceptions of the end of the world are very similar, and Muhammed told his followers that “surely the Son of Mary will descend amongst you as a just ruler.”

In Surah 3 the angels proclaim that Allah has chosen Mary over all women to bring Jesus into the world. The angels declare: “Allah gives you glad tidings of a Word from Him, whose name is the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, illustrious in the world and the hereafter, and one of those brought near to Allah.”

The title “Word from Allah” is used exclusively for Jesus,

Letters to the Editor Us vs. Them, Or Just Us...

Dear Editor, Albert Einstein once observed: “If we keep doing what we’ve been doing, we keep getting what we’ve been getting.” Oh my!

So if “what we’ve been doing” is “us versus them,” how’s that working for us? It seems what we’ve been getting is thousands of years of division, fear, hate, horror and death. The rich get richer, and the people and the planet get screwed.

Why? Divide and conquer and divide and rule go all the way back.

As always, it’s how scum rises to the top. Always we are told some version of: “Those people want something different! Be angry, be afraid and vote for me!” And yes, we sweet, loving liberals do this, too!

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but its meaning is disputed. It is related to the Word of the New Testament but it does not mean that Jesus is divine.

Addressing Allah directly, a puzzled Mary asks: “How can I have a child when no mortal has touched me?” An angel relays Allah’s answer: “Allah creates what He will.”

Similar to the God of Genesis speaking the world into existence, all that Allah has to do is say, “Be and it is.”

When Mary was about to deliver she retired to a secret place, where “the pains of childbirth drove her to the trunk of a palm tree.” A voice called out, calmed her and directed her to drink from a stream under the tree. The voice also instructed her to shake the tree and obtain dates to sustain her.

This, of course, sounds strange and even off-putting to Christians in the West, but the story is found in the apocryphal Infancy Gospel of Matthew, which was popular in with the Eastern Orthodox and Egypt’s Coptic Christians. The main difference is that this version of the story takes place on the Holy Family’s flight to Egypt, not before Jesus’ birth.

Ancient institutions work to feed the fear and keep things this way, e.g. politics, media, military, weapons makers and saddest of all, sometimes churches.

We know this. The point is, do we want to change it?

Because one little question cuts through all the “us versus them” we’ve ever thought there was! A question whose time has come: “How would you like this world to be?”

Does this seem a strange, childlike question? Want to hear the children answer? This question is to the bone fundamental, vital and urgent, and we’ve never asked! Let’s ask.

So, bravely and from the heart, just imagine your answer. Speak it, write it, sign it and share it. Then we listen to each other all the world around. What we hear will change everything!

A 15th-century painting by Giovanni di Paolo, “Madonna and Child with Two Angels and a Donor.” Courtesy Metropolitan Museum of Art.

In 1992, a fifth-century Byzantine church was unearthed between Jerusalem and Bethlehem. It is called The Church of the Seat of Mary, and its mosaics celebrate this story, complete with the stream and If you’d like to help this happen, call me (208) 290-2936.

Greg Flint Sandpoint

Response to Mr. Weins...

Dear Editor, The author of the second article on page 7 (Herb Weins, Reader 12-21-17 issue) makes numerous irrational statements and comparisons.

1: “We have been exporting high-quality blue collar jobs out of the country for decades.”

How does a smelter job qualify as a high-quality blue collar job, given the extreme working conditions and high turnover rate?

2: He makes an equivalence between the sight of a housing development and the sight of a smelter development.

date palm, which we find in the Qur’an. The only difference is that she goes on to Bethlehem to give birth to Jesus.

When Mary brings the infant Jesus to her people, they are sorely perplexed. Joseph is not part of this story, so Jesus’ legitimacy is even more questionable. The infant Jesus saves his mother’s virtue by verbally attesting to Allah’s favor: “He has given me Revelation and made me a prophet, and he has made me blessed wheresoever I may be.” Mary’s people are both amazed and appeased.

The Syrian Infancy Gospel, one used by Nestorian Christians and mostly likely known by early Muslims, supports this remarkable story. The baby Jesus says to his mother: “I am the Son of God, the Logos, whom you have brought forth, as the Angel Gabriel announced to you.”

The Bible has a talking snake and donkey (Balaam’s ass), so even more significant would be a talking Christ Child. The infant Buddha gave the following sermon: “I am the Buddha, the Enlightened One, and this is my last life.” Hindus believe that they are in store for many

more future lives, so this was an astounding claim.

Most Christians would say that they believe only what their Bible tells them. The Bible, however, is a different book depending on whether you are Roman Catholic, Protestant, Eastern Orthodox or Coptic. The Catholic Bible contains apocryphal books of the sort mentioned above.

Legends tells us that the Buddha, Krishna and Confucius had miraculous births. Krishna and Zoroaster were threatened in infancy by demon kings. Could not these stories be symbols of the hope that every new-born child brings to a broken world?

As Unitarian educator Sophia Fahs declares: “Every night a child is born is a Holy Night.”

George Bernard Shaw offers a similar insight: “Life is a flame that is always burning itself out, but it catches fire again every time a child is born.”

3: He trivializes the threat of silicosis, not taking into account the unaccountable percentage of microscopic crystalline silica that escapes from the baghouse and goes out the stack, which has been cited in various studies, and will tend to accumulate locally near at least one school I am familiar with.

4: The estimated 15,130 wood stoves do not generate their emissions from one central point, but are spread out fairly evenly across three counties. Their emissions are not aimed in concentration at a corridor that would appear to be predominantly toward the Sandpoint area.

5: The amount of sulfur dioxide that he states they produce, 65 tons, is less than one-tenth what HiTest says will be produced: 760 tons.

Here is my biggest problem with the HiTest scenario: It tends to

precipitate up here much more than in Spokane, and when sulfur dioxide contacts water, it turns into sulfuric acid (also known as battery acid).

The soil in this area is mostly sandy. The wells are shallow. Forests and fish don’t do well when the pH goes down. Much of the runoff will go into the Pend Oreille River.

In the garden, potatoes and azaleas and blueberries like lots of acidity, as do huckleberries, but most of the other plants will do poorly as a result. I do not consider this a suitable trade-off at all.

Nick Gier of Moscow taught religion and philosophy at the University of Idaho for 31 years. He is indebted to Mustafa Akyol’s book “The Islamic Jesus” (St. Martin’s Press, 2017).

He can be reached at ngier006@ gmail.com.

Tom Garrett Oldtown

Got something to say? Write a letter to the editor at letters@sandpointreader.com. Under 400 words, and please elevate the discussion.

HUMOR

See ya later, 2017 It’s time to say goodbye to 2017.

Suffice it to say, 2017 had its low points. That being said, we are looking down the barrel of a new year, and I have hope that as a society we can turn our failures into learning opportunities.

I think we all need to cut ties with 2017 and move onto something better: 2018. However, this is a “singles” column, and thus we must acknowledge the mistakes that were made in 2017, and not drag them into our relationship with a new year. In order to have the proper closure, I have written a list.

Please feel free to start your own.

Mistakes, and Lessons Learned from the year 2017: 1. The archaic, corrupt manner in which USA presidents are elected.

I’m not going to use this column as a slam-Trump forum. There is no point.

The man is president of our country.

Whether we like it or not, we as a country have allowed a governmental system to be flawed to the point where voters believe that there are only two choices in a presidential race, and that a vote for anything other than ass or elephant is a wasted vote. Neither choice, nor party, reflects the viewpoint of the average American. I hope as a country we have learned that voting for the lesser of two assholes is a pretty shitty way to choose a president, and it comes with consequences.

2. Smartphones are the new cigarettes.

I think 10 years from now, we will look back and see a society that was addicted to a device that kills people.

We will look back in disbelief that we allowed children to sleep with their phones, take their phones to school and manage the very adult world of social media and search engines as minors.

We have seen the steady rise of teen suicide and the evidence that it is related to the popularity of smart phones.

We will look back at this era in disbelief when we see pictures of people at work, at the dinner table and driving while using cell phones, just like we do now when we see people smoking cigarettes at the diner or inside the hospital.

I can’t blame 2017 for all of the cell phone madness, but I do think cell phone usage will peak and then decline within a couple of years. We will need to learn to control our addiction to electronics if we want a happy healthy society.

3. High-waisted pants.

Why? Why would we continually recycle a fashion trend that’s biggest draw is that you can sport a camel toe and flat ass all at once. These pants are abominations. Let them die. No one looks cute with a two-foot-long ass.

Hopefully people will take a good hard look at this fashion trend and finally let it rest in peace.

What I hope is learned from this mistake is kids need to how to prioritize tasks and gracefully handle boring situations. Adults are tasked with teaching them this mundane reality.

However, when you give a child something to play with during a time when playing is inappropriate — ­ like school — then we are contradicting ourselves and sending mixed messages to our kids: “School is important, pay attention, get good grades, but also here is a toy so it won’t be so bad.”

WTH. Part of the human condition is that we occasionally are expected to respectfully handle boring situations.

Let your kid learn to handle their boredom. As an educator, I beg you: We have enough shit competing for your kids’ attention. There is no need to send them off with a toy and a mixed message.

5. Government’s role in our personal lives.

We have a government whose primary job is to serve and protect us. Yet, they spend a lot of time judging and chastising people’s personal choices.

As a contributing adult member of society I should be granted the personal freedom to decide whom I have sex with or choose to marry, what public restroom suits my needs and what kind of birth control works for me. I got this.

What I could use the government’s help with is the prosecution of sex offenders, taking reports of sexual misconduct seriously and putting convicted rapists behind bars.

The year 2017 taught us that there are a lot perpetrators out there, and their victims are uniting. In 2018, I hope no matter how rich and powerful you are, you will think twice before “grabbing her by the pussy.”

Thank you for another year of support.

Cheers to 2018! XOXO Scarlette Quille

4. Fidget spinners.

I have no problem with them as a toy. However, when you give them to a child complete with a justification of why they should be allowed to constantly play with them, that’s a dicey situation.

Most kids do not need something to fidget with. They find plenty of things to mess with on their own.

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COMMUNITY

Students can hone basketball skills over winter break

By Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Staff Writer Bouquets: •I’d like to give a shout out to

all those who have donated to our Patreon page this year. We can’t thank you all enough for chipping in to help us keep the Reader publishing every week. $50/month •Anonymous $25/month •Jon Hagadone and Vicki Reich •Amy Flint $10/month •Bill and Susan Harp •Val LeRose •Charlene Godoc •Trisha Miller •Cynthia Mason •Connie Burkhart •Tracy and Tom Gibson •Danny Strauss •Jim and Lilly Mitsui •Clem Yonker and Lori Getts •Steve and Linda Navarre •Edward Karasek •Karen and Alan Millar •Simon Levine •Valerie Olson •Carrie Logan •Ed Ohlweiller $5/month •Marilyn Haddad •Vanessa Valez •Patricia Ericsson •Matthew Smith •Travis Sherman •Leah Tomey •Diane Newton •Bruce and Gretchen Duykers •Gretchen and Brent Lockwood •Gil Beyer •BJ Biddle •Zachary Taylor •D.R. Douglas Technologies •Phil Hough •Jeff Bohnoff •Carol Robinson •Talache Construction $4/month •Karen Seashore $2/month •Kathe Murphy •Krissy Cameron •Cameron Murray •Joanne Cottrell •Warren Santoro •Meggan Gunter $1/month •Lee Guthrie Brotherton •Kim Staunton •Jenaye James •Marilyn M. McIntyre •Laura Nicholson-Paulk 6 /

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The Basketball School of Sandpoint officially opened in early November, and founder Darren Laiche said he hopes kids will take advantage of a couple of upcoming sessions at Sandpoint High School over Christmas break.

BSS is a basketball skill and development school held at Northside Elementary on Tuesday and Thursday nights.

Each session includes guidance

on fundamental skills, including ball handling, passing, shooting, rebounding and defense. Ages

Cross country ski lessons available

By Ben Olson Reader Staff

Would you like to learn more about Nordic skiing? Interested in finding out the difference between classic and skate skiing?

Looking for a way to exercise in the winter while also having a blast?

Join the Sandpoint Nordic Club for a series of introductory skate and classic ski classes held in conjunction with Sandpoint Parks and Recreation.

Lessons will be held Saturday, Jan. 6 with classic lessons from 8:30-9:45 a.m. and skate ski lessons from 10-11:15 a.m.

Each lesson will be held at the University of Idaho extension property on N. Boyer Ave. and will cost $20 per person ($2 discount applies to those who live in the city of Sandpoint).

Participants must supply their own gear, including skis, boots and poles. Rentals are available at Syringa Cyclery, Alpine Shop and Outdoor Experience in Sandpoint.

To view more about these Nordic lessons or all activities provided by the Sandpoint Parks and Recreation, visit their website at www.sandpointidaho.gov/parksrecreation or give them a call at (208) 263-3613.

Synchronized swimming offered

By Ben Olson Reader Staff Sandpoint Parks and Recreation and Sandpoint West Athletic Club offer a new activity for those who like dancing, gymnastics and swimming.

Synchronized swimming, or “synchro,” uses the grace of dance and the power of gymnastics to perform fun water skills like somersaults, walkovers, oysters, torpedo sculls and more. Goggles and nose plugs are recommended.

Participants must be age 8 years or older and have the ability to: competently float,

submerge in five feet of water, and swim 25 meters using front crawl and breaststroke.

Classes are at SWAC, 1905 Pine St., on Fridays from 3:304:30 p.m. Sessions begin the first Friday of the month from January-April 2018. Registration deadlines are two days prior to session start dates.

Register for the Jan. 5 session

by Jan. 3. Class fee is $40/session ($5 in-city limit discount).

There is a minimum of four and a maximum of 10 participants for this class, so register early!

Visit www.sandpointidaho. gov/parksrecreation or call (208) 263-3613.

Coach Austin Laiche instructs the 7-10 age group on stationary dribbling as part of the Basketball School of Sandpoint. Courtesy photo.

7-10 take the court 5-6:30 p.m. and ages 11-16 play 6:30-8 p.m.

The two sessions at SHS, held Dec. 28 and Jan. 2 with the same schedule for the age groups, will run at a special price, Laiche said. While individual sessions are typically $15, those nights at SHS will be $10 each if the player attends both.

For more information on what BSS offers, or to stay up

to date on current BSS happenings, visit www.basketballschoolofsandpoint.com or find Basketball School of Sandpoint on Facebook.

Register for sessions either on the BSS website or in person right before the session starts at the given location. Players should bring their own basketball and a water bottle.

Do you need help?

By Jodi Rawson Reader Contributor

If someone is contemplating suicide, what should a friend or layperson do or say?

1. Talk! Research shows that giving someone the space to talk about suicide helps. Do your best to be curious and compassionate. Ask them what they are needing, and what needs suicide might meet. Validate these needs, and see if they can think of other ways those needs can be met. Let them know you care.

Shaming is not helpful; kindness and expressions of your love for this person are. Often people who are contemplating suicide feel like a burden to others and lack a sense of belonging. Can you help this person find ways to contribute, and help them discover where they belong?

2. Ask them if they have a plan. If they do, ask if they are willing to temporarily restrict means (i.e. if they want to shoot themselves, ask them if you can keep their weapon for a while) We have great research on restricted means. We are generally not our creative best when contemplating suicide – taking away the preferred method of suicide has been shown to prevent suicide.

3. If they have a plan, ask if they will get help. Take them to the emergency room if necessary. If they are willing, see if they will call the North Idaho Crisis Line at (208) 946-5595 or the National Suicide Hotline (800) 273-8255 (press 1 for the veteran hotline). If they want, you can call and be there with them. The national hotline is available 24 hours a day, and is staffed by caring, supportive people. Call to check it out so you know what it is like!

HUMOR

Perfecting the art of replacement cussery

By PollyAnna Reader Columnist My parents are the sort of people who think that watching “Snowden” counts as a date night. “Uh… How romantic?” I said, when my mom informed me of their plans for the evening a few months ago.

The next day, I asked my dad if he had to hold my mom’s hand during the scary parts in “Snowden.” “Was it a good movie?” I questioned.

“I guess so,” he texted back, “because at one part your mom turned to me and said, “That’s bullshit!”

That’s high praise coming from our family. I don’t remember ever hearing my parents cuss out loud. We were the kids who weren’t allowed to even use the word “stupid” growing up, and accidentally calling someone an “idiot” was liable to result in the worst possible form of punishment: confiscation of our library books (yeah, I know. Life on the edge).

It didn’t help that we had some potty-mouthed New Zealander friends setting the bar low in elementary school. Our American “bad words” were largely OK to them, and I remember coming home distraught from carpool rides when someone used the word “damn” in the back of the pickup.

Acting distraught … but mostly, I was just being the tattletale, until I learned that my parents had no leeway over how well other children conformed to our house rules.

It goes two ways, of course. We could occasionally shock the Walters with our own crudeness. My sister was prone to nosebleeds when she was young, and the Walters were always adamant that we were not to call her ailment a “bloody nose,” much to our amused confusion. And, of course, resulting in us constantly using the word

“bloody” in front of them, as much as possible.

When you’re not allowed to cuss, you’ve gotta disguise your emotions in some other suitable vocabulary, and my Nebraskan grandfather perfected the art of replacement cussery. Elvin served in the Coast Guard along the East Coast during WWII. It sounds pretty badass, trolling around for submarines and such, but he’s always been honest about how he got there.

“Well, they sent me a letter telling me I was going to be drafted in two weeks. I always thought that was about as dumb as it gets, letting me know what they were about to do, because my immediate reaction was, ‘Well, it’s time to volunteer to serve as close to home as I can.’” El had never seen the ocean before and was a terrible swimmer, but he knew that patrolling the seaboard would be a heckuva lot safer than heading to North Africa.

El and his crewmates pulled shipwrecked sailors out of icy waters off of Newfoundland, patrolled as far south as the Bahamas, and eventually wound up in the Great Lakes region. During his time shipside, El picked up a typically salty vocab, which embarrassed my mother to no end during her childhood.

After his service, El’s growing family attended a very conservative Baptist church in a Michigan town of 1,000 people, and El’s habit of cursing loudly while fixing the lawn tractor was a matter of familial shame.

As always happens, everything changed when the grandkids started showing up. El now had to fix his cussing habit, and so my childhood memories are filled with odd sayings that he adopted. “Oh my ears and whiskers!” he used to sputter at the computer when it froze up.

One day, frustrated when my grand-

ma crushed all the plastic straws for Sunday night malts, he complained, “but that’s like … that’s like digging up fishing worms, and stepping on them!”

We used to giggle to no end at Grandpa’s odd phrases, and half the time, that was all he needed to diffuse his frustration. It’s the one unshakable truth in this season of holidays, snow

Retroactive

and cheer: grandkids are what make the world go ‘round, and no crusty dog can’t be taught new tricks when the little ones come for a visit.

PollyAnna lives, loves and writes from Sandpoint, and she’s eagerly anticipating a visit with her heart-melting nieces in January.

By BO

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NEWS

Winter storm warning in effect until Saturday morning

By Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Staff Writer Old Man Winter is bringing his A-game (again) over the next couple of days.

The National Weather Service is predicting 18 to 24 inches of snow will fall in the Idaho Panhandle before Saturday morning, and the onslaught of precipitation will begin Thursday morning.

This comes after an impressive accumulation last week, when more than a foot of the white stuff fell in Sandpoint, and even higher amounts fell in other parts of Bonner and Boundary counties. Downed trees and traffic jams became the norm for two days while schools stayed closed and plows worked around the clock.

North Idaho can expect more of the same in the coming days, as NWS predicts

chance of precipitation will hover around 90 percent until partly sunny skies arrive on Sunday.

The area also felt the effects of last week’s storm in the form of power outages.

Thousands experienced outages in the area according to reports from both Avista and Northern Lights, Inc. To report an outage through Avista, call 1-800-227-9187, and to report an outage through Northern Lights, call 1-866665-4837.

Expect slow going on all roadways, particularly on Friday, when heavier snow is predicted. Law enforcement officials advice using caution while on the road — driving under the speed limit if necessary — and keeping your home well-supplied in case of a power outage or another emergency.

Traffic crawls down Second Avenue and Main Street last week shortly after North Idaho was hit with an influx of snowfall.

Photo by Lyndsie Kiebert

Idaho Panhandle National Forests seeks Camp Robin comments

Bonner General earns four-star rating

By Reader Staff The Idaho Panhandle National Forests is seeking public comments on the Camp Robin Project located on the Bonners Ferry Ranger District. The public comment period is open for 30 days, with comments accepted through Jan. 19. Project information and instructions on how to comment are available on the Idaho Panhandle National Forests website.

Public comments help guide the project. Please focus your comments on the proposed action and include rationale to help us understand your concerns. The Bonners Ferry Ranger District will host an open house at the

The Bonner General Health staff is enjoying a merry Christmas indeed after receiving a four-star rating from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid.

A system evaluating hospitals on a one- to fivestar scale, with five being the highest award possible, the CMS system evaluates information on mortality, safety of care, readmissions, patient satisfaction, quality measures, claims data and timeliness of care. Those numbers are then calculated in order to assign the star rating. The national average is three stars.

The CMS system ranks more than 4,000 hospitals across the country. The rating

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Boundary County Extension Office on Thursday, Jan. 4, from 6-8 p.m. at 6447 Kootenai Street, Bonners Ferry.

Camp Robin is a vegetation management project designed to address hazardous fuels, forest health and resilience, wildlife habitat, watershed health and recreation management concerns. Within the 42,000-acre project area, approximately 380 acres are proposed for prescribed burning and about 6,200 acres for commercial vegetation management.

Call 208-267-5561 for more information about this project.

By Reader Staff

The Bonner General Health campus. Courtesy photo

system is publicly reported and helps guide patients as they select where to receive their healthcare.

BGH officials believe this accomplishment shows the community and prospective patients that they provide excellent care. They also emphasize that every employ-

ee and health care provider at Bonner General Health contributed to this four-star rating, not just leadership.

For more information on the CMS overall rating and to see Bonner General Health’s profile go to BonnerGeneral. org/4-Star-Rating.

PERSPECTIVES

By Bill Lewis Reader Contributor Several months ago, a medical marijuana company purchased a small, 120-acre town called Nipton, Calif.

Nipton is a nearly-deserted mining community north of the Mojave Desert and south of Las Vegas that was purchased by American Green for $5 million.

American Green has the wet dream of creating a community culture around medical and recreational marijuana. Imagine a Marijuana Spa of the world.

I came here to see what it was all about. But that’s another story.

I was sitting in my RV in Nipton thinking: I sure would like to go to MJBiz Trade Show in Las Vegas. The event is billed as “The largest cannabis industry conference in the world.”

The promoter, Marijuana

California Dreamin’ Exploring the weed culture

Business Journal, charges $500 for a one-day ticket. That’s a little out of my league.

Then I had this epiphany: many years ago I wanted to attend an outdoor rock concert that featured Wolf Man Jack in Bellevue. I called Pete Thompson at the Daily Bee, and voila! I’m off to the concert, press pass in hand. Lesson learned. Thanks, Pete! Hello, Ben! Marijuana evokes a multitude of mind candy. To some it is the devil itself, to others a creative supplement that enhances their artistic endeavors, or just kick back and enjoy the day. To many, it’s medicine.

I spent most of my time on the floor at the show, absorbing the current information regarding the miraculous aspects of this magical herb.

I heard stories that would give you chicken skin, stories relating how friends and relatives given terminal diagnoses that are now

well and happy thanks to cannabis.

I heard stories about overcoming addiction from opioids using CBDs to manage their pain. CBD stands for Cannibidiol, which is one of the active cannabinoids found in marijuana. CBDs don’t have mind-altering effects like THC. I heard stories about how reasonable the cost is for treating illnesses of all kinds with CBD. The booths were manned by professionals who work for these companies. There were no models to attract the unwary, only knowledgeable people happy to share the story of their journey into the cannabis business.

The show itself was oriented toward the medical side of cannabis. Venders produced evidence of the many medical discoveries of the power of this herb.

One speaker was Bruce Linton of Canopy Growth Corporation.

This Canadian company is devot-

ed to medical cannabis. Linton claimed over 20 conditions which respond to their oils, tinctures and flowers. This as a result of 15 years of research and utilization by patients. Patients who abandoned the protocol of pharmaceuticals which are expensive and seldom actually cure.

There is now a plethora of anecdotal evidence showing palliative benefits as well as cures. Furthermore, there is new research revealing there are 90-plus individual cannabinoids which are now being tested to determine which of them — either singly or combined — work best to treat individual conditions.

The machines developed to process cannabis were amazing.

They were high-tech hunks of stainless steel armed with computer brains that trimmed, weighed and filled containers with cannabis flowers. Even more amazing was

the number of machines processing the flowers into tinctures, oils and edibles.

I’ve attended many conventions in four different industries, and I can honestly tell you, this was as professional as any I’ve attended.

Thanks, Ben and the Reader, for making this story possible. I have advocated for this industry for almost 50 years, and it is satisfying to see we are finally overcoming the Schedule I drug classification given to cannabis

by Richard Nixon. Rest in peace, Tricky Dicky. We miss you, but not the trouble you caused.

For those of you who are adventurous and have Etrade accounts, you could learn a lot from these web sites: The Marijuana Times, technical420.com.

It’s the “Green Rush,” you know!

Let’s hope Idaho jumps on the bandwagon in the near future to take advantage of this emerging industry.

Celebrating 13 Years of Working for Wilderness A conversation with FRIENDS OF

SCOTCHMAN PEAKS

www.scotchmanpeaks.org

Backgound photo by Marjolein Groot Nibbelink

Working for WILDERNESS

Rich Landers

40 “Rich” years in the Great Outdoors as writer and editor for the Spokesman Review

Silent Auction • Raffle • No-host bar

Jan. 13 • Panida Theater • 6:30 • $5.00

For tickets and info: bit.ly/ThirteenOnThe13th Sponsored by

Purchase online or call for appointment

evergreen What do you want from your forest?

magazine

Roundup Publications Kochava All Seasons Garden and Floral Keokee Company

Blue Creek Press KRFY Radio Williams and Parsons Gem Vision Productions Syringa Cyclery

Dish at Dover Bay Selikirk Press Sandpoint West Athletic Club Bonner Books

Idaho Pour Authority • Eichardt’s • Pend Oreille Arts Council • Winter Ridge Foods December 28, 2017 /

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Mad about Science:

By Brenden Bobby Reader Columnist Horses have been a pretty central part of human civilization for thousands of years.

They’ve pulled things for us, they’ve delivered things for us, they carry us: They literally put the team on da’ back.

The Industrial Revolution changed all of that and made these big, expensive animals virtually obsolete.

Don’t feel bad, horses.

We’re working hard to create robots that will make humans obsolete, too!

Despite the fact that we don’t use horses nowadays for hard working tasks, we have lots of specialized and well-documented breeds built for all sorts of different things. It wasn’t that way in the Medieval ages. In fact, during the Dark Ages, political instability, constant warfare and rampant illiteracy led to a loss of good equine stock. Heck, they didn’t even keep track of what a breed was back then.

If this seems backwards, it is. We’ve discovered tremendous evidence during antiquity that breeders were keeping track of equine bloodlines, what kinds of horses from which locales were best suited for specific tasks and so on.

Cavalry warfare was a big deal during the times of the Romans. They had to know their rides as well as a Formula 1 driver does today.

So what happened?

The collapse of the Roman Empire was a big part of it.

Civilization collapsing plays a major part in the degradation of knowledge. Another was 10 /

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Brought to you by:

medieval horses the changing circumstances of warfare. Local battles between warring lords saw a handful of knights and men-at-arms clashing amidst rows of inexpensive footsoldiers. Many of these battles were just grand whizzing contests, so there wasn’t a need to expend tons of money on expensive cavalry. If someone decided to besiege their neighbor’s castle, well, horses aren’t very good at climbing ladders.

This changed over the centuries, however. Once the European kings and lords started to slow down murder on the homefront and turn their sights to new conquest in the Middle East during the Crusades, the need for well-trained cavalry became very apparent.

While the Europeans were having a fanciful time smacking each other on foot, the various caliphates in the Middle East had been training fast horses with agile bowmen and lancers to charge huge distances and strike with brutal hit-and-run tactics.

Math quiz: On the field of battle, what’s better? Two legs or six?

Arabic influence in the equestrian world persists even to this day. Who hasn’t heard of an Arabian when talking about horses? They’re big, strong, fast and built to do just about anything you need them to do. This breed, or one related to it, is very likely the “Spanish Horse” written about in European Medieval texts. After all, Islamic caliphates invaded Spain around the same time, and there’s no doubt their horses left their mark.

Despite poor documentation

of breed types, Europeans did keep track of what function their horses were set to perform based on their body type.

Destrier. This was the Ferrari of Medieval horses.

This is what the baron showed up riding to the battlefield.

Like a real Ferrari, it probably didn’t get driven into battle very often. Destriers were huge and impressive and mostly for show. Lords showed them off to say, “Look, I can afford this.

Fear me, respect me.”

Courser. This was the primary warhorse in knightto-knight combat. Strong and fast, Coursers got work done.

They were expensive, but not as expensive as the Destrier.

Coursers were also used in tournaments and are the horse most frequently depicted in paintings of the joust. Think of it like an Army Humvee.

Rouncey. These were basic horses, a sort of catch-all term for a general purpose horse.

Somewhere between a Festiva and a Jeep.

Jousting was huge in the medieval ages. It was like the Superbowl, but with more accidental death. Jousting tournaments went on for centuries, and they became safer and more noble affairs the more time went on.

However, you could wrap a horse and rider in bubble wrap and throw a caution cone on his head, it’s not going to stop someone from getting hurt when two people are racing at each other, slamming one another with blunted spears at three and a half times their weight in G-forces. These clashes were intense, and it

wasn’t infrequent for a lance to break and splinter and maim or kill someone.

In the joust, later called tilt, horses were bred specifically for the task. These were called chargers. They were basically the dragsters of the medieval world. They would have cloth or mail draped over them, called caparison, and their heads would be protected by a special metal barding called a chanfron.

This helped limit the chance of injury to the incredibly expensive animal they were rushing

headlong into pointed danger.

Jousts didn’t always just use lances, and in fact tended to switch weapons as matches went on. Because after a day of watching people charge each other with sticks, it only made sense to switch it up and start using axes, swords or daggers. Variety is the spice of life (and death)!

Luckily for our horses, most of them aren’t subject to jousting or cavalry warfare anymore.

We’ll leave the jousting to the frat bros in golf carts.

Random Corner s?

Don’t know much about Knight

We can help!

• Knights were the supreme force on the battlefield for centuries, but their downfall undoubtedly came after the invention of an arbalest in the 12th century. The arbalest was like a super crossbow, made with steel and accurate up to 980 feet, meaning no one had to square off against knights anymore — they could just pick them off at a distance. The fate of knights was sealed soon after with the invention of gunpowder.

• Many medieval castles featured spiral staircases between floors, which were functional, not aesthetic — knights had a difficult time navigating the tight staircase while fighting.

•Chivalry was a loosely based code of knightly conduct, which included never trafficking with traitors, never giving evil counsel to a lady (regardless of her marital status) and always treating her with respect and defending her against any danger. What’s more, knights took part in fasts and abstinences, attended daily Mass and made offerings to the church.

• A knight’s armor had to be tailor-made (since they were made of metal and other inflexible materials, it was essential that they fit as well as possible). It got sturdier and sturdier over time — originally knights’ armor was a collection of padded garments and chain mail. As technology progressed, plate armor and finally full-plate armor (the full knights’ armor seen in most movies) entered the knight’s wardrobe. Full-plate armor was complex and weighed around 50 pounds.

• Since 1560, knighthood has essentially ceased to exist as a military honor. There are still a few hereditary “true” knights around today, but most new knighthoods are bestowed because of the contributions their recipients have made to society in one way or another. Modern day knights include Sir Elton John, Dame Judi Dench, Sir Sean Connery, Sir Bill Gates, Sir Michael Caine and Sir Paul McCartney.

OPINION

On the Lake:

A column about lake issues by the Lake Pend Oreille Waterkeeper

‘It snowed! Let’s talk about herbicides’

By Shannon Williamson Reader Columnist

“eradication” of invasive plants like Eurasian milfoil Hooray, it’s snowing! and flowering rush But more importantly, your is pretty much lake is getting bombed impossible when with herbicides all over they are constantly the place. Do I have your entering the lake attention now? Great! from Montana via Don’t get me wrong — Shannon Williamson the Clark Fork all this snow is seriously River. I don’t even magical. Especially the part where know why we use this word.

I wrote this last week while my I think we can all agree that kids were off from school. For two invasive weeds are not good for days. I was definitely not distractthe overall health of our local ed at all. But I digress… waters, and we have a duty to LPOW was founded in 2009 manage them. In fact, noxious in response to an all-out offensive weed management is mandated by maneuver to “eradicate” invasive the state. Given that fact, what is Eurasian watermilfoil by the state. happening around our watershed We are no newcomer to this show. with respect to herbicide treatment I put “eradicate” in quotes because of aquatic plants in general, re-

gardless of whether they are native or not, is … how should I put this … BANANAS. We’ve got in-water treatment with aggressive broad spectrum herbicides like Diquat, which is now the norm rather than the exception due to the emergence of new strains and increasing plant resistance.

We’ve got “bare-ground” treatment of acres and acres of exposed lake sediments during the draw down with chemicals that are not approved for in-water use due to a loop hole in pesticide labeling.

The water always returns, so…

We have people taking matters into their own hands and throwing chemicals they bought off Amazon into the lake and river to kill what they perceive as a giant vegetative

nuisance, regardless of its native or non-native status. If I had room to espouse the benefits of native aquatic vegetation, I would. You should google it.

Some of you may be totally fine with all the different kinds of chemicals going into our water, pretty much year-round. Some of you may be completely horrified.

The question is what can we do about it.

One way is prevention. For example, if you own a boat and enjoy the lake and river in the summer, don’t drag weeds all over the place on your trailer and prop.

This is how invasives spread, and a little due diligence goes a really long way.

Or, if you own waterfront property, try easing up on the fer-

tilizer and consider planting a nice “vegetated buffer” along the water.

Vegetated buffers are awesome filters AND they help keep the geese off your lawn. BONUS! Prevention is just one tool in the tool box of integrated weed management, but it’s not the popular one. Neither are mechanical, cultural or biological means of weed management. Herbicides are popular because they are a quick fix, even if they don’t solve the problem in the long run.

It you’re concerned about the skyrocketing use of herbicides in our lake and river and want to learn more about how you can get involved, you know where to find me. If you don’t, you can google that too!

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1 2 3 4

Dollar Beers!

8pm @ Eichardt’s Pub

Tennis Brewery Bash 8pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall Sandpoint’s House Band is back! The undisputed best dance band in Sandpoint will be rocking the brew room at the Beer Hall. Cover $5. Food

by Edelwagen food truck

“The Greatest Showman” film 3:30 & 7:30pm @Panida Theater Inspired by the imagination of P. T. Barnum, The Grea original musical that celebrates the birth of show business who rose from nothing to create a spectacle that became a w Starring Hugh Jackman, Zac Efron, Michelle Williams an

Live Music w/ Mostly Harmless 5-7pm @ Idaho Pour Authority A fun trio featuring Kelly McTavish, Jeff Poole, and Ali Maverick Thomas. No cover

Live Music w/ Doug Bond and Patrice Webb 5-7pm @ Idaho Pour Authority See two of Sandpoint’s beloved musicians at the IPA Devon Wade Band Brewery Bash 7pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall After debuting his self-titled album “Devon Wade” this fall, MickDuff’s is excited to welcome the Devon Wade Band for another Brewery Bash! $5 cover. Food by Edelwagen

Live Music w/ The So 9pm @ 219 Lounge Meg Turner and Chr duo of glitter and doom

Live Music w/ Browne Salmon Truck and Tap Takeover 9pm @ 219 Lounge This Sandpoint trio plays traditional to contemporary blues, jazz, Latin and more. Three Georgetown beers will be flowing with glassware available first come, first served. Prizes, swag and snacks. No cover. 21+

Live Music w/ Harold’s IGA 9pm-1am @ 219 Lounge Join Indie rock trio Harold’s IGA for a night of dancing, partying and fun times while you usher in 2018. Lots of originals and covers from Violent Femmes to Talking Heads to Johnny Cash

Ced lic M 10a Brid Com shop span

Orgone in concert at Hive’s New Year 10:30pm @ The Hive The 4th annual New Year’s Eve Ball at gone. Orgone delivers dirty, organic, s music that grabs you by the collar, pu and shoves you right to the dance floor. $

Monday Night Blues Jam w/ Truck Mills 7:30pm @ Eichardt’s Pub Bonner Mall Seniors Day 9am-12pm @ Bonner Mall All are welcome to come walk the Mall, plus there will be a featured speaker or entertainment, free refreshments, games and a drawing Wind Down Wednesday 5-8pm @ 219 Lounge With live music by blues man Truck Mills. Relax together with friends and colleagues at the end of the day Dollar Beers!

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

Night-Out Karaoke 9pm @ 219 Lounge Join DJ Pat for a night of singing, or just come to drink and listen

Memory Cafe This casual ga sons diagnose The only cost tion, contact P

3D Printing Workshop for Adults 4pm @ Clark Fork Library Explore the potential of 3D printing and design a 3D able object in this beginner class held in the Clark For brary. Pre-registration required by calling 208-266-132

Intermediate to Advanced 7-9pm @ Sandpoint Comm Join instructor Mary Faux to set of classes held from 7 p.

Community Hall, 204 First includes all class materials.

ful

December 28, 2017 - January 4, 2018

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

Reader recommended

The Greatest Showman is an business & tells of a visionary became a worldwide sensation. illiams and Zendaya. Rated PG

w/ The Somethings Lounge and Chris Lynch’s and doom

Live Music w/ Mike Wagoner Trio Live Music w/ Marty Perron and Doug Bond 6-8pm @ Cedar St. Bridge Wine Bar 5-8pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery Returning as a trio, these guys al- Mandolin guitar duo ways bring a great time with classic rock and country. No cover

Cedar St. Bridge Public Market 10am-2pm @ Cedar St. Bridge Come enjoy indoor shopping on the bridge spanning Sand Creek

Live Music w/ Bryan Jacobs 6-8pm @ Cedar St. Bridge Wine Bar Catch live music with a local favorite at the historic Cedar Street Bridge

New Year’s Eve Parties at Schweitzer @ Schweitzer Mountain Resort Parties for all ages at Schweitzer Mountain Resort. The Taps Party is sold out, but tickets are still available for the all-ages Tubing Party!

New Year’s Eve Ball

ve Ball at the Hive, with Ororganic, soul with heart - it’s collar, pulls you to your feet nce floor. $30/adv or $35/door

Sandpoint Chess Club 9am @ Evans Brothers Coffee Meets every Sunday at 9am

We’re open New Year’s Eve! Thursday Ladies Night $1.00 off all drinks

Now taking reservations from 5-9 pm

Unique selection of Excellent Wines Local Beers On Tap

Yummy Tapas Menu

Wine $ Cheese Sampling Wine & cheese sampling Saturdays 12-3p.m. p.m.

Saturdays 12-3 Open 5 p.m. - Closing Thurs. - Sat.

Jan. 5 mory Cafe • 2-3:30pm @ Kokanee Coffee First Fridays casual gathering provides socialization, interaction, and fellowship for perwith Devon Wade diagnosed with Alzheimer’s or other related dementia and their care partners. @ MickDuff’s only cost is what you order at the bakery and coffee bar. For more informaBeer Hall , contact P.J. Christo at the Alzheimer’s Association, 208-666-2996 ext. 8314 Jan. 6 Sandpoint Lacrosse Club benefit Open Mic Free First Sat5-8pm @ SKåL Taproom 5-8pm @ Idaho Pour Authority urd ay @ Bonner ign a 3D print-Musicians and comedi- Grand Teton Brewing will be on hand Clark Fork Li-ans welcome! Open mic along with live music, raffles and free County History Museum 8-266-1321. is held every Wednesday appetizers Jan. 13 Advanced Bridge (Registration Deadline) FSPW 13th anniint Community Hall ry Faux to learn Intermediate to Advanced Bridge during a nine-week versary @ Panifrom 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.Wednesday nights, Jan. 10 through March 7, in da Theater

204 First Ave. Fee is $33 ($1 city discount; $1 senior discount) and materials. Pre-register by Jan. 4 with Sandpoint Parks and Recreation

December 28, 2017 /

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The American Redoubt Series Why the Redoubt?

Some insights into the motivation for strategic relocation

By Bill Harp Reader Contributor Editor’s Note: This is the final piece in the American Redoubt series — an essay by guest contributor Bill Harp. We thank all those who contributed and talked with us during this series. Read the whole series on the Reader website.

“Vote with your feet” is the rally cry of many voices in the Redoubt.

I mentioned in my previous article that the Redoubt is a geographically-centered, socio-political demographic movement often coupled with strong religious roots. It is also a subset of the larger and diverse global preparedness community.

In that previous article, I mentioned the different variables that families take into account when they consider strategic relocation to the Redoubt and why our neck of the woods is considered an optimum destination. I also reference the Redoubt section and Precepts pages on SurvivalBlog.com that explain, according to the site’s editors, how folks embracing the concept of the Redoubt share certain beliefs, philosophies, principles and intentions. And, of course, there is now at the Sandpoint Reader a corpus of well-researched articles on the Redoubt movement.

Why the Redoubt?

What is missing is a discussion on why a family would go to the trouble to move to the Redoubt. An even more profound question is why a pioneering subset of American society decided to change their lifestyle and geography, often leaving their friends, family, home and community, and “voted with their feet” to our region. Relocating is one of the most significant life-changing events that families undertake. No simple statement can explain or account for this socio-demographic shift.

It is also important to recognize that not everyone who identifies with the Redoubt movement has relocated here. Redoubt identity can be classified into four main groups.

1. Those who have lived in the Redoubt area — perhaps grew up here — and have adopted Redoubt 14 /

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philosophy.

2. Those who have moved here full-time in the last decade or two.

3. Those who are planning to move here or who have some toehold in the Redoubt but have not made the full-time transition to living in our area.

4. Those who strongly identify with the Redoubt philosophy but live somewhere else and don’t really plan to move here.

Why would a family uproot and move to the Redoubt? If we temporarily discount the unilateral and primary concern for surviving a calamitous event, there is a constellation of other beliefs and conditions that guide a family’s decision to relocate. As you can imagine, there are no simple answers, so let’s explore some potential reasons for this active demographic immigration from outside the region.

Strategic relocation to the Redoubt: religious and faith-based community

A fundamentalist Christian orientation of like-minded practitioners is often a critically important relocation factor for many families.

The community church also forms an important institution for not only worship but social interaction and education, so any potential location should have a church with a fellowship of like-minded folks.

Minimal political and regulatory intervention

Regulations and taxes have become increasingly cumbersome in many states. Reasons can be, in part, due to larger population densities, environmental concerns, government finances and safety precautions.

California building code, for example, is notoriously controlling.

In comparison, Bonner County does not enforce a building code. You need only a relatively inexpensive building location permit to build a home. This permit has few regulatory requirements, such as a safe driveway, a consistent address that supports 9-1-1 emergency response, building setbacks and protection of certain critical habitats such as wetlands. This is in striking contrast to

most U.S. counties that have a litany of complex requirements, bureaucratic forms and inspections you need to satisfy to build a home.

Taxes are also relatively low. Although Idaho does have a state income tax, property taxes are moderate to low, and insurance, such as auto insurance, is about the lowest in the U.S. If you look at Idaho code on any issue and then compare to the code for the equivalent subject in other states, you will find that Idaho code is often one-tenth the volume of code for most other states. This suggests considerably less regulation.

Libertarianism and constitutionalism

Many folks who embrace the Redoubt have strong libertarian and constitutionalist philosophies. This is the belief in having the unfettered ability to practice the freedoms written into the Bill of Rights and with a minimum of intervention from all forms of government.

These freedoms are considered inalienable human rights that pre-existed before political systems and therefore cannot be revoked or modified by governments. Many folks of the Redoubt believe that the government has grossly overstepped its constitutional authority and infringed upon these inalienable rights.

They feel that the federal government, in particular, has damaged its contract to hold “We the People” as the highest authority in the land.

Therefore, relocation strategy would include those areas where libertarianism is valued and where there is respect and belief in strict interpretation of constitutional authority.

Respect for the Second Amendment

The Redoubt community largely believes the Second Amendment, which guarantees the rights of citizens to own and bear firearms, is increasingly under fire. For them, state support of non-restrictive Second Amendment rights is critical because a “calamitous event” could bring chaos and social unrest. Under

those conditions, self-defense would be an important skill and necessary right.

Other states such as Colorado, California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Minnesota and Virginia ban or regulate certain semi-automatic rifles and/or standard-capacity magazines, reducing one’s options for self-defense.

This is in stark contrast to Idaho, which recently legislated that all residents in good standing have the legal right to the concealed carry of a firearm without a state permit.

Idaho regulations do not, in general, limit the use of firearms in a more restrictive way than provided for by federal regulations.

Education and homeschooling

Many Redoubt families are very concerned with the nature and quality of their children’s education.

Some wish to homeschool and do not want onerous homeschooling requirements.

Idaho has recognized the right of parents to homeschool. Some families want to send their kids to schools that recognize religious principles and have faith-based curriculum. Others want to send their kids to a public school where parents have a significant say in school priorities and who support school boards that favor certain values. For example, a school board that favors local control — rather than state or federal — over school activities. North Idaho in general favors all these options.

Crime and social unrest

Urban areas tend toward higher crime rates. Any analyst might say

that crime rates indicate not only the propensity of crimes but also a wide variety of other social ills.

These could be inadequate finances for law enforcement and public safety, poverty, inadequate housing, poor educational systems, lack of jobs and dysfunctional local government.

A low crime rate, especially crimes against person and property, is a key indicator of an area’s health. The Redoubt, specifically in rural environments, has low incidences of most crimes. With low crime rates comes a low incidence of a broad spectrum of co-related social unrest. Therefore, the Redoubt’s low population densities and relatively few major metropolitan areas add to its desirability.

However, while Sandpoint’s violent crime statistics are average for the state, the property crime rate has increased 25 percent since 2011, putting it at the top of the list for property crimes statewide.

Nearby Coeur d’Alene also has the distinction of the highest violent crime rate in the state, with 344 violent crimes reported per 100,000 people for 2016.

Conclusion

Strategic relocation to the Redoubt is a major life-changing decision for a family and is based on a wide variety of factors. We have discussed some of the more significant underlying concepts.

The mission of the Redoubt can be summed up as: A movement seeking to create a community of like-minded individuals that share the concept of preparing for a calamitous event. This event will require communal collaboration and a strong measure of appropriate technology oriented towards significant self-sufficiency for an indeterminate period without many of the goods, utilities and services upon which we currently expect and depend.

Bill Harp is a technologist, geospatial analyst and cultural anthropologist. He was Director of Technology (emeritus) of Bonner County and has a long career in defense and intelligence.

LITERATURE

from hood-sled

the cubicle pack

by Beth Weber

by Sandra Rasor

This open Window

Vol. 2 No.19

poetry and prose by local writers edited by Jim mitsui

a christmas spell

by Amy Craven

Come weasel, fox, and mighty moose, Now that magic has arrived Come owl, grey wolf, and snowy goose Show yourselves, for now it’s time

Zero tolerance from those that require unending tolerance Yiddish isn’t spoken here but the innuendo is just as rich X marks no spot so unsure are we, the willingly incarcerated Where to stand, out in the open or cower at your desk Violent reactions result in tears and humiliations when Alpha girl usurps the rest and claims her bleached blond turf. A tight knit group forms against outer attacks striking quickly to ward off any threat, later they retreat to their corners, unravel the binds that tie.

Quixotic, alone in the stream of talk, the pariah curses her fate, tries to fit in, it is an onerous chore, trying to be what she despises.

Not to be undone, cheering herself on, Alpha girl moves to soothe and ingratiate herself, secure her place.

Lulled into temporary surrender, but keeping escape routes in view, the others smile Just to keep the uneasy truce for a time Icharus had an idea, not good, but possible, fly away but hell is in the sun, melting wax a preparation for garish grins, desperate, and pasted on tired faces. The F word is guttural, low in the throat, waiting, expectant, planning the coup that never arrives.

Don’t imagine you are safe from attack, no one is safe cannibalism is considered, briefly, will her power be ours? The power of a cruelly charismatic blond Alpha girl?

-Sandra Rasor

Frosty is the frozen ground Cold and still and bright Which of you will take the crown On this crystal shining night?

Here’s a poem that plays with the idea of an acrostic, where the first letter of each line spells out a meaning, vertically. This one goes from Z to A.

the new normal

by Robens Napolitan

Lynx is proud and fluffs her fur Eagle waits with folded wings Rabbit stares and barely stirs Creatures fit as queens and kings

Dry grass begins just beyond the sprinkler’s reach. It’s a stark reminder of the balance between keeping plants alive, and testing the limits of our well.

I apologize to my yard in general, and then water my favorites by hand, particularly the flowers I started from saved seed in snowy March, when summer was only wishful thinking.

Use the incantation steeping Rise and show your keenest charms We yearn like you for mystic being To find our rest in Winter’s arms -Amy Craven Amy, a retired voice teacher, gives us a feel of this holiday season.

In this poem I want to point out the rhyming (called assonance) of the vowel sounds in “arrived” & “time”, “ground” & “crown”; the rhyme of “fur” & “stir” (called consonance); and the near rhyme of the participle sounds of “steeping” & “being”. Contemporary poetry frequently avoids perfect rhymes, like “moose” & “goose”, “bright” & “night”, “wings” & “kings”, and “charms” & “arms”.

Send poems to: jim3wells@aol.com

A log cabin’s cozy warmth and crackle we carry, in the grin of a red ’53 Chevy’s up-turned hood we kicked out of the frosty junk heap just over the bank by the rim of the woods.

Our ears jangle from the Husqvarna, sawing that young standing tamarack, dead long enough for the bark to slip when the tree is felled, plumpf in snow over near the heap’s edge.

You haul across whiteness, by hemp rope, lashed to hooked latch, this high-piled hood-sled.

Its rounded prow noses through our boot marks trailing a smooth furrow from the weight of wood and saw.

I flip the cold ball handle with a mittened hand, to open Baby Bear Fisher’s cast-iron maw and stuff into its brick-lined jaws the logs cut short to fit on a small pile of split cedar, culls from ol’ Pete Stutzky’s shake mill.

Flames kindle and fluff in the clean draft of the chimney flue you blasted creosote-free earlier today with a shotgun’s straight-up spray. Soon ice in the pot, cackling on the flat stove top, will turn to tea. Couch- curled together, we wait for heat, grateful to find this little cabin mid-winter, and call it home.

-Beth Weber Beth Weber not only directs youth orchestras, she is the contractor of a fixer-upper. She has lived in the Sandpoint area since 1971, and teaches violin in her home in Cocolalla.

Rain hasn’t been seen in weeks, this after a hard winter and wet spring, when we had enough water to trick us into thinking it would tide us over until the autumn rains came again. We were wrong.

We’ve had persistent winds, too, and their drying effect elevates our concern over fire danger, and whether or not our perennial gardens can hang on until fall, with only occasional water.

I find myself saving cooking water, washing water, any extra water that can be reused to quench the thirst of a blooming plant that’s turned gray for lack of adequate moisture. If this is our new normal, which it may very well be, then we’d better sharpen our coping skills, before everything either turns to toast or is flooded out of sight.

A broad and often deep selection of quality fiction in a post-truth time. And lots of other good books.

Main Street Downtown Bonners Ferry 267-2622

-Robens Napolitan Robins is an artist, poet & gardener. In this poem she reminds us, in the midst of snow, of the past summer’s drought, and what kind of weather we’ll be facing in 2018.

We buy used books December 28, 2017 /

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HEALTH

IN FINE FETTLE

Creating change one cup of coffee at a time

By Ammi Midstokke Reader Health Columnist

children? Are you eating more vegetables, developing in your “You could stop eating the chosen career, retired? butter mints on your secretary’s Is that project in your desk each day,” says Kenny. I yard finally done? roll my eyes at him. Really? The Based on your current butter mints? My life will now trajectory, did you get have no purpose. He takes it a more or less healthy? step further by suggesting I drink In doing this exermy coffee black. cise myself, I realized I have run several marathons, Ammi Midstokke with Freya the Brown Dog. two profound things: survived divorce and veganism, 1. I am not currenteven invited the suffering of burpees, but ly making the changes necessary to actually nothing has ever seemed as Machiavellian or be the person I want to be in five years, and; cruel as leaving the cream out of my coffee.

2. I am and entirely in control of my I decide Kenny is a sadist, but what can we choices, thus empowered to be that person expect from the owner of a CrossFit gym? if I accept responsibility for number 1.

He’s also right. And he asks me a quesWe often want to be the thing without tion that we too often fail to ask ourselves: doing the things it takes to get there. If we Is it worth it? And what makes it worth it? can accept that it is not worth it to us (I’m There is a misleading expectation that, on the fence about cream in my coffee), as a nutritionist, everything about my then we can also be content with where nutrition is optimal. I am here to dispel that we are now. That’s an okay option! It just myth. Sure, I eat well — but I eat a lot of requires honesty and acceptance. really good food. And those damned butter Often we are discontent with where we mints that call to me with their siren song. are but have unrealistic expectations of Like all other normal humans, I require how to get to where we want to be. I had a some support and accountability. I usually get patient once who said, “I could never run a it from Kenny Markwardt (if anyone knows marathon, but I’ve always wanted to.” sports nutrition, it’s him), and sometimes I “You’re right,” I said, “You can’t just regret that but usually my body does not. go run a marathon. But you could train for We all know what we shouldn’t be one.” So that’s what she did. Then she ran a eating. What we seem to understand less marathon too, just for kicks. is why we make choices that don’t support Real change and sustainable developour goals. I would argue that we often fail ment in our lives, our bodies, even our to even ask ourselves what our goals are or personal growth, requires that we look to look beyond the smaller size of jeans. We ahead and set intention toward that future. want to be thinner, faster, stronger and atIt also requires that we re-evaluate our tached to this idea or ideal, but do we pause commitment to that future again and again. to ask ourselves why?

Sometimes our priorities will shift. We may Without that understanding, it is impospause to ask ourselves if they are shifting sible for us to commit to change or make because we are choosing proactively or it sustainably. Here’s another little uncombecause our lack of commitment has made fortable truth: Without making changes, we that future unachievable? cannot expect change to happen. If I am Pretty soon, Jan. 1 will roll around, and committed to cream in my coffee and stealwe’ll all be wallowing in the suffering of ing mints every time I send a fax, well… deprivation and thrill of turning a new leaf.

This is not only true for food. We seem Both of those things will likely die out by to seldom address or consider our future February. selves beyond our hopes of next month or Maybe this year you can change your our next vacation. We are disconnected approach. Maybe instead of wanting results from who we imagine ourselves to be in now, you can look ahead one year or five five years. Or even one year. I urge you to and start making the small but tangible pause and take a moment to envision what commitments toward those goals. a version of you looks like, feels like, is Maybe black coffee is just as delicious if we doing in five years. give it a chance. I won’t know if I don’t try.

No really. Take a moment. I’ll still be here when you’re done.

Ammi Midstokke can be reached at How did it go? Is your five-year-older ammi@twobirdsnutrition.com self still strong and vital? How old are your

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SHAKE, RATTLE AND ROLL

A column about the trials and tribulations of Parkinson’s Disease

Strange Science: The Cutting Edge of Research

By A.C. Woolnough Reader Columnist

specialized microscopes to observe what areas of the brain are firing and which are not. Then, various treatments (drugs) can be tested to see if they improve Researchers work brain function and movement. Involunon some incredible tary muscle contractions (for example, projects as they toil in tremors and freezing) are common with relative obscurity in PWPs which is what makes this research their cramped, underso exciting. funded labs trying to For those readers who don’t like the unlock the mysteries of idea of using mice, researchers also use the brain and neurologdrosophila—more commonly known as ical diseases like Parfruit flies. Because they have tiny little kinson’s. Fortunately, A.C. Woolnough. brains (still very sophisticated) scientists the National Institute of have been able to map essentially every neuron Health, the Department of Defense, universiand know its function. These little buggers ties and various foundations are underwriting (pun intended!) can be genetically modified or the costs of this exacting and time-consuming studied as to the effects of various chemicals— research with no guarantee of success. Unboth as potential causes of brain dysfunction and fortunately, less than one quarter of proposed potential treatments for neurological deficits. projects ever make it through the competitive Another avenue of research involves using funding process.

I’m not a molecular biologist, brain surgeon young zebrafish. These little swimmers also have a relatively simple nervous system but or biochemist, but as a PWP (person with Parkinson’s) I do have a curiosity about what these with the advantage of being transparent for a few weeks. Scientists can look directly into graduate students, PhDs, and MDs are doing to the brains of these creatures while still alive. help identify causes, treatments and the magic As a good scientist, however, we realize the bullet — a cure! To learn more, I have particdownside of utilizing these fish. First, as they ipated in studies at the Columbia University grow up, they lose their transparency. Second, Neurological Institute, reviewed Parkinson’s research grant proposals and met with scientists Parkinson’s takes years to develop; a short window of opportunity with these fish does to evaluate and score other PD projects. What not make a great model for PD. Finally, fish follows is a layman’s understanding of some are neither hominids or even mammals and reof the more fascinating — sometimes unusual search on fish does not necessarily translate to or seemingly bizarre — ideas being pursued. humans—another reason why mice are a better, I must admit, my biggest disappointment was though imperfect, model. No animal “gets” seeing they don’t wear white lab coats and actual Parkinson’s which is one more reason skulk around with hunched backs and diaboliwhy research is so challenging. cal accents. Any errors of fact are mine!

A final example of cutting-edge research Nevertheless, much of the current research involves the creation of brain sims—three diseems lifted right out of science fiction. For example, using viruses with fragments of DNA mensional clumps of living neurons mimicking actual brains—or, at least a functioning neural attached, scientists inject these nanoparticles network. Sophisticated study and analysis of into the brain—to (hopefully) stimulate or neuronal interaction at the molecular level restore neuronal (brain cell) activity in certain leads to a better understanding of brain funcareas of the brain. One reason for using tion (and dysfunction) — with the potential for nanoparticles is the wonderful defense mechdevelopment of new or better treatments. This anism we have called the blood-brain barrier is fundamental, basic science at its best.

(BBB) which acts as a filter to keep out most I would like to personally thank all the molecules (especially potentially toxic subdedicated scientists and researchers working stances) from entering the brain. Opioids and so hard (with little appreciation) for people cocaine, however, have no problem crossing they don’t know and will probably never the BBB—with mixed results for society. meet. I was delighted to have an hour-long One of my favorite avenues being explored conversation over lunch with one such young in multiple labs takes a bit of explaining. scientist (who had never met a PWP) at Apparently, it is possible to genetically alter Columbia University. We both came away mice (with jellyfish DNA) so their brain cells feeling we had gotten the better result from will fluoresce when activated. Researchers our time together. She learned what it was like then shave their little mouse heads, carefully to live with PD, and I got to experience a true remove the top of their skull and glue on a hero: a PD researcher. little glass plate—a window into their brain. Of course, there is a technical term for this: in vivo After being diagnosed with Parkinson’s multiphoton fluorescence microscopy through Disease, A.C. is calling on his 37 years in “cranial windows.” The mice are then injected K-12 education to became a “Parkinson’s with a chemical that simulates Parkinson’s disease. While strapped into a little harness and Warrior” by educating the public, advocating for a cure and participating in research. running on a treadmill, scientists use highly

COMMUNITY

Flexible winter pool operations begin this week at Albeni Falls

By Reader Staff

Flexible Winter Power Operations (FWPO) will begin this week at Albeni Falls Dam based on request from BPA. The operation plan is to store water in Lake Pend Oreille today through Monday, and then begin releasing stored water next week. In order to begin storing water, the staff decreased outflow from 20 kcfs (thousands of cubic feet per second) to 16, and will decrease again to 12 kcfs today: Thursday morning.

A third flow decrease, to 10 kcfs, is planned for Friday morning at 10 a.m.

A notification email will be sent out on Friday morning to confirm the Friday flow change and discuss flow increases starting next Tuesday.

As a part of this FWPO operation, the lake level will increase above the typical one-foot winter range. Lake elevations in the range of 2051-2053 feet are expected this week and next week. During FWPO operations later this winter, people living or recreating around the lake may see Lake Pend Oreille fluctuate from elevations 2051 to 2056 feet, but the planned operation

We Will ALways have The Reader Dave and Gloria Diehl paused on their European vacation to show off the Reader in front of the Eiffel Tower in Paris.

They said, ‘Nous souhaitons à tous les vœux de Noël chaleureux de Sandpoint.’

Translation: ‘We wish all of Sandpoint warm Christmas wishes.’”

Courtesy photo

this week and next week will not utilize this full allowed range.

In addition to the FWPO operations, we are also adjusting Albeni Falls operations to begin following best-management ice practices due to recent cold weather and observed ice buildup.

These are a set of guidelines designed to manage ice conditions both upstream and downstream of the dam.

Under these guidelines, the maximum Albeni Falls outflow change is reduced to 5 kcfs per day and 2 kcfs per hour. This is intended to reduce problems with ice breakup associated with flow changes downstream of the dam. Ice operations guidelines also stipulate lake-level fluctuations of 0.1 feet per day on average to prevent ice buildup from stabilizing around the shores of the lake. The FWPO operation discussed above is designed to meet these guidelines. We will continue to follow these guidelines for as long as cold weather and ice conditions exist upstream or downstream of Albeni Falls Dam.

Dec. 28-29 @ 3:30 & 7:30pm Dec. 30 @ 3:30pm | Dec. 31 @ 1:30pm | Jan. 1-3 @ 7:30pm

“The Greatest showman”

Jan. 4 @ 7:30pm | Jan. 5 @ 5:30pm Jan. 6 @ 3:30 & 7:30pm | Jan. 7 @ 3:30pm

“Three billboards outside ebbing, Missouri” friday, Jan. 12 @ 7pm

DAVID RAITT, PETER RIVERA & THE BAJA BOOGIE BAND Jan. 12 & 13 @ 6pm | Jan. 15 @ 7pm

‘The florida project’

saturday, Jan. 13 @ 7:30pm

FRIENDS OF SCOTCHMAN PEAKS 13TH ANNIVERSARY Celebrate 13 years of FSPW, with a conversation with Rich Landers, an outdoor reporter and editor for the Spokesman-Review for 45 years

tuesday, Jan. 16 @ 7pm

smooth hound smith in concert Presented by Mattox Farms, this Nashville duo produces a folksy rhythm & blues sound all of their own creation Jan. 26-27 & Feb. 2-3 @ 7pm

“Death of a small town in the west” play An original play of doom in three acts • written by Ben Olson and Chris Herron, directed by maddie Elliot December 28, 2017 /

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YEAR IN REVIEW

Idaho news in review for 2017

By Cameron Rasmusson Reader Staff It’s been a whirlwind year locally, statewide and nationally.

Whether it was major street and infrastructure developments in Sandpoint or the Trump Administration’s first year leading the U.S., change was the order of the day. Here are just a few of the biggest stories that kept our office busy in 2017.

The Heather Scott controversy The Idaho State Legislature kicked off to a salacious start in January when North Idaho’s Rep. Heather Scott, R-Blanchard, got herself in hot water with House leadership. According to press reports, Scott, after learning she had not received any leadership assignments, said women only advance in the Legislature if they “spread their legs.”

As controversy spread throughout the Legislature, Idaho Speaker of the House Scott Bedke disciplined Scott by removing her committee assignments. It wasn’t a toothless punishment — without committee assignments, a legislator has limited ability to shape bills before they reach the floor for a vote. After a four-week suspension, Scott apologized for her comments and was restored to her committees.

Train derailments This year was a worrying one for those concerned about train derailments in Sandpoint. While there were no train accidents in town this year, two accidents in the region drove conservation discussion about trains carrying hazardous materials possibly derailing in Lake Pend Oreille.

The first derailment occurred in March, upending 12 cars about four miles north from Highway 2 on Moyie River Road in Boundary County. Triggered by a mudslide, the derailment resulted in tons of grain being spilled across the landscape. The second hap18 /

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pened in August, when 31 rail cars spilled 3,500 tons of coal along the banks of and into the Clark Fork River near Noxon, Mont.

Wildfires The Sandpoint area was mercifully spared from the wildfires that ravaged much of the western United States this year, but that doesn’t mean North Idaho got off scot-free. On Labor Day, multiple news outlets reported that Sandpoint had the worst air quality in the nation for several hours, the result of smoke blowing in from wildfires in Montana, Canada and western states. At an air quality rating of 418, the air was dangerous to breathe for everyone regardless of health, but far more concerning to those with medical issues.

While the smoke-clogged air was no picnic, North Idaho experienced a far gentler fire season compared to summer 2015, when wildfires threatened several regional communities. The same could not be said this year for other western towns like Missoula and its surrounding areas.

The transition to two-way streets Sandpoint’s plan to change to a two-way street system was a long time coming. Even so, there was no fully preparing for the rocky first weeks as drivers adjusted to the changes.

After the Sandpoint City Council voted against Idaho Transporta-

Top left: A smoky view from the Long Bridge a day after Labor Day when the air quality index was the worst in the nation. Photo by Lyndsie Kiebert.

Top Right: A crewmember with the city of Sandpoint pulls down a one-way sign to make way for the transition to two-way streets. Photo by Ben Olson.

Bottom right: Rep. Heather Scott, R-Blanchard, avoiding media queries on Jan. 13 after receiving criticism for making disparaging remarks about a fellow lawmaker.

Photo by Bill Dentzer / The Idaho Statesman.

tion Department’s proposed U.S. 2 extension that would have diverted cars from downtown Sandpoint, the two government bodies agreed upon an alternative. Under the new arrangement, U.S. 2 traffic flowed onto a two-way Fifth Avenue, with the rest of downtown reconfigured to two-way around that flow plan.

It took drivers some time to relearn their driving habits and adjust their routes in the new system. Combined with some closed routes due to construction, it made for an atypical summer of driving.

As controversial as any major change to traffic, the new system spurred much debate and attracted both critics and supporters.

For the City Council, the street changes are part of a long-term revitalization plan. With downtown street management back under city control, local officials intend to initiate a series of aesthetic, infrastructure and functional improvements, which started this year with sewer work.

The fate of the University of Idaho property

In September, city officials announced they were in talks with the University of Idaho, which declared its intention to offload its 77-acre property on Boyer Avenue. The news set off a firestrorm of concern that the property, which is a prime location for outdoor recreation, would be sold off for private development. However, the University of Idaho said it intended to work with the city and public in the hopes of finding a mutually favorable outcome.

Over the course of several workshops, city officials and members of the public identified several possible uses for the property, which included affordable housing and its development into a rec center. The city also voted to pursue a grant from the LOR Foundation. While there’s no guarantee that the city will actually get the grant, it could pave the way

for the property’s public purchase, either in part or in whole.

The 2017 city elections A new Sandpoint City Council will convene in January, ushering in a new body to conduct the public’s affairs. This year saw a large lineup of candidates throw their hats in the ring, with City Council President Shannon Williamson seeking re-election and Joel Aispuro, Jeff Bohnhof, John Darling, Mose Dunkel and Robert Jediny hoping to start their first term.

Ultimately, voters re-elected Williamson and approved Aispuro and Darling to occupy the three seats up for grabs. Aispuro and Darling will replace council members Bob Camp and Stephen Snedden.

YEAR IN REVIEW

Good stuff that happened in 2017

By Ben Olson Reader Staff It’s easy to get caught up in the negative news cycle of the modern age. Every day seems to be fraught with peril and doom, and there often seems no end in sight.

While many have focused on that which divides us, here are a collection of stories from 2017 that show humanity has not fallen to darkness.

A human chain of 80 heroic bystanders save a family from drowning After two young boys were swept away by a riptide in the waters of a Panama City, Fla., beach in July 2017, their parents and relatives jumped in to rescue them. When the relatives became trapped by the strong current, others swam out to rescue them. Eventually, 80 people formed a human chain from the beach to pass the exhausted swimmers back to safety, according to the Washington Post.

“To see people from different races and genders come into action to help TOTAL strangers is absolutely amazing to see!!” bystander Jessica Simmons wrote on Facebook.

Thanks to the efforts of the heroic bystanders, nobody lost their lives that day in Florida.

ALS ice bucket challenge led to real progress in treating and curing the disease ALS, or “Lou Gehrig’s disease” is a lethal disease where motor nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord are damaged and killed by the body’s glial cells. Those suffering from ALS endure atrophy, paralysis and eventually death from respiratory failure.

Thanks to money raised from the “ice bucket challenge,” where people doused themselves with buckets of ice water for donations, Israeli scientists at Ben-Gurion University found a way to stop the increased activity of glial cells, restoring the nervous system’s immune defenses and increasing life expectancy, the Times of Israel reported.

“This could also have major implications on the life expectancy of other neurodegenerative disease patients with Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s,” said Dr. Ora Horovitz, the senior VP of business development at BGN Technologies.

A viral tweet earns a teenager free

chicken nuggets for a year When 16-year-old Carter Wilderson tweeted to Wendy’s a request for free chicken nuggets, he never could’ve predicted his tweet would become the most retweeted of all time. The tweet passed up Ellen DeGeneres’ Oscar selfie with a smattering of A-list stars.

In answer to the amazing response on the internet, Wendy’s obliged and granted him a year of free chicken nuggets.

“You’ve more than earned our respect … and the nuggets,” Kurt Kane, the chief concept and marketing officer for Wendy’s Company said in a statement to the New York Times.

Wendy’s also donated $100,000 to the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption which Wilkerson asked his own followers to donate to.

Southwest Airlines flew a plane full of puppies to help them escape from Hurricane Harvey Cuteness alert: Southwest Airlines stepped up after Hurricane Harvey devastated Texas and Louisiana, rescuing more than 60 animals from overcrowded shelters in an effort they dubbed “Operation Pets Alive!”

The flight transported the four-legged passengers from Houston to San Diego, where the Helen Woodward Animal Center found them new homes.

Republican and Democratic Congressmen take road trip to D.C. together after getting stranded When a blizzard hit the east coast, U.S. representatives Will Hurd (R-Texas ) and Beto O’Rourke (D-Texas) were left stranded in Texas, unable to reach Washington, D.C., by plane in time for an important vote. So, they rented a car and drove the 1,600 miles together.

The Congressmen on opposing sides of the aisle decided to turn their trip into an informal town hall, accepting questions via livestream and talking about important issues face-to-face in a way rarely seen in this divisive political climate.

Scientists invent spray gun that shoots stem cells onto burn victims to regrow skin without scars

Top: A human chain of 80 people helped save a family from drowning in Florida. Bottom: U.S. Rep. Will Hurd (R-Texas), left, and Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-Texas), right, road tripped to D.C. together after being stranded by a snowstorm. The two opposing political representatives turned the opportunity into a town hall, answering questions via livestream.

device called the SkinGun that sprays victims with their own stem cells. These cells help the damaged skin regrow with no scars, which is a major improvement on current burn restoration techniques which often leave behind obvious scarring.

The device awaits FDA approval, but has already proven successful in trials both in the U.S. and Germany, according to Newsweek.

Instead of purchasing just a few items for his family, he decided to pay for all 350 layaway orders – a total of over 8,000 toys – and asked everyone in the store to pick out three toys to be donated to Toys for Tots.

“I’m trying to bring some happiness to people, to the community that brought happiness to me and my family,” the man told CBS News. “I love this community, and I am trying to provide back to it.”

Real life secret Santa put 8,000 toys on layaway at Toys ‘R’ Us A man identified only as “Charlie K” came to a New Jersey Toys ‘R’ Us to get some Black Friday shopping done.

The SkinGun, which uses a burn patient’s own stem cells to help damaged skin regrow without scarring.

In 2017, RenovaCare invented a December 28, 2017 /

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COMMUNITY

When You’re Smiling

By Tim Henney Reader Contributor It’s difficult to describe how powerful several bulging bookcases of vinyl, longplay records have been in shaping my life.

A 1956 Cal-Berkeley co-ed has been central to this feeling of oomph and optimism, as have three kids, four grandchildren, books and many memorable dogs. But vinyls have run a tight second. Some of the musicians in my library are ancient. Marlene Dietrich, Al Jolson, Scott Joplin, Eddie Cantor, the Boswell Sisters, Rudy Vallee, Mae West, Bessie Smith, Ted Lewis Lee Wiley. (Anyone who can ID Lee Wiley without googling receives a free Reader). To those who think, “This guy’s a dinosaur,” the LP collection includes such current pop stars as The Ink Spots, Tommy Dorsey, Billie Holiday, Bing Crosby, Ella Fitzgerald, Miles Davis, The King Cole Trio, Peggy Lee and the Mills Brothers. Always on the cutting edge, I also collect promising yet-tobe-discovered talents: Neil Young, the Eagles, Eric Clapton, Ray Charles, the Beach Boys, The Supremes, Willie Nelson and Peter Paul & Mary.

Equally essential to the good life are Sandpoint people who bust out in a smile when you see them. My 1957 bride and I have lived in 13 homes, from Lloyd Harbor, N.Y., to Palos Verdes, Calif., and I don’t remember people anywhere seeming as happy as they seem in Sandpoint. Some hold multiple jobs so they can stay. Is it the lake? The library? Schweitzer? Our vibrant creative culture?

The restaurants? All of the above – and certainly our enviable public schools and their under-appreciated teachers.

After three corporate decades and a couple more of post-retirement non-profit service elsewhere, networking and lengthy meetings lose their luster. Been there, done that. But my bride and I do buy groceries, dine out frequently and see people. Having grown up before malls and box stores, we feel a warmer kinship with traditional downtowns and family businesses than with the mass-oriented Amazons 20 /

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Employees at Tango Cafe in Sandpoint while they celebrated Halloween 2017. Courtesy photo. and Walmarts that have so warped society. No impersonal behemoths for us if we can accomplish our shopping at locally-owned businesses. When we jabber with folks we meet in such places, or in the post office or bank, it’s a party. What follows is a tip of the turban to them. A pairing of happy pop tunes from treasured vinyl recordings with Sandpoint citizens who, in pursuing their daily chores, dispense cheer: It’s breakfast time, so I order a bagel and lox from Julia at Pine Street Bakery. Julia’s smile is so authentic I find myself humming the Irving Berlin classic from “Annie Get Your Gun”: “Got no mansion, got no yacht, still I’m happy with what I got, I Got The Sun In The Morning And The Moon At Night.”

Maybe Bobby McFerrin’s “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” is even better. But as I tuck into this memory-jogging slice of old New York my thoughts are of “Blue days, all of them gone.

Nothing but Blue Skies from now on.”

One of my favorite businesses is right next door. Payton’s ear-to-ear grin as one walks into the Paint Bucket tempts one to order a gallon even though one has nothing needing paint. Payton has

strong role models in his upbeat bosses, owners Liz and Harold. An abundance of positive vibes here. I pair Payton with “A Cockeyed Optimist,” from Broadway’s “South Pacific.” “Let A Smile Be Your Umbrella” comes to mind, too. But this epic musical ode earns the final salute: “Grab your coat and get your hat, leave your worries on the doorstep, just direct your feet, to The Sunny Side Of The Street.”

Inspired, I cross the street to consult with Dee and Jim Z. at broker D.A. Davidson. Budding financial mogul Dan happily greets me at the door with a mug of boutique java from their intimidating office coffee maker. Dan is so welcoming that I almost burst forth in imitation of vocalist Billy Eckstine’s “Life Is Just A Bowl Of Cherries, so live and laugh at it all.” On second thought, that could be considered irresponsible for a tycoonto-be, so I depart with this tune bouncing around in my head: “You’ve got to Accentuate The Positive, eliminate the negative, latch on to the affirmative...”.

Johnny Mercer, Jo Stafford and every other 1940s singer sang it.

Next stop is Winter Ridge market. Two things of note occur here this morning.

Part 1 First, employee Kim hugs me right there in the gluten-free granola aisle. Kim and I were fellow trustees on the library board. We are proud to have had a hand in promoting Ann Nichols to head that esteemed institution when the director job opened a few years back. Loaded up with bone broth and organic wine at checkout, I am greeted by cashier Susie. She commutes from Bayview and makes customers feel fortunate and wise just to be at Winter Ridge. Susie says she is moving into a float house on the lake. Although I often sailed past those water-born dwellings years ago in a sloop moored in Bayview, I never thought people actually lived in them. (I mean, what if they sprung a leak when you were sleeping?).

In tribute to Kim and Susie I dedicate this Rosemary Clooney recording of “It’s A Lovely Day Today, so whatever you’ve got to do, you’ve got a lovely day for doing it, that’s true.” But Roll Out The Barrel would also fit: “Roll out the barrel, we’ll have a barrel of fun, roll out the barrel, we’ve got the blues on the run.”

I wind up the morning joining knights of the round table Michael, Marty, Steve, Erik, Bob and their buddies at Tango Cafe. No Trump-base simpletons here. As luck would have it, Tango staffer Trish and her colleagues are in Halloween costumes. That’s because it’s Halloween. Merry pranksters on parade and their joie de vivre is contagious. Hail, Hail, The Gang’s All Here leaps to mind. “What the heck do we care, what the heck do we care.”

Or how about “Happy Days Are Here Again, the skies above are blue again.”

That works, too. Back in FDR’s era, long before Mitch Miller recorded it, that rousing anthem was adopted by the Democrats. But that was then.

Beginning in 1951 the author edited an Air Force base newspaper in Georgia, a college newspaper in California, and corporate publications in New York before retiring in 1986 as director of public relations of the original AT & T, parent company of the former Bell Telephone System, the world’s largest corporation at that time.

MUSIC

Local Band Spotlight:

s g n i h t e m The So

This week’s RLW by Ed Ohlweiler

READ

It’s hard to find a medium Simon Rich hasn’t made a mark in. Film, TV, radio, books, magazines — you name it. He has written for films, The New Yorker, Saturday Night Live, “The Simpsons,” and his short stories have been performed on NPR’s Selected Shorts. “The Last Girlfriend on Earth: And Other Love Stories” is an especially savory collection of odd stories. Sometimes funny, sometimes perverse, sometimes striking or poignant, Rich’s stories are all told from a unique perspective or premise.

LISTEN

By Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Staff Writer When Chris Lynch and Meg Turner talk about how they teamed up to start their new music venture, they play off of one another effortlessly.

“Chris can play almost anything, so the options are limitless,” Turner said.

“And Meg can sing almost anything, so there you go,” Lynch said immediately after, creating the easy cadence in their conversation that makes their artistic collaboration equally as effortless.

Lynch and Turner make up The Somethings. With Lynch on keyboard and Turner on the mic, they’re a minimalist act with a resume of experience and a lengthy log of songs.

“I think that we like to do a little bit of everything,” Turner said. “I think that’s why we went with ‘The Somethings’ — because I think we’ve got a little something for everyone.”

Lynch said he and Turner

met a few years ago when Turner sang a couple songs with him on a whim.

“The vibe was really cool,” he said. “It’s not always you find people that you think are talented that you click with personally and share the same tastes in a lot of different stuff.”

Lynch and Turner agree that Arlo’s Ristorante is where it all began for The Somethings. Arlo’s is Lynch’s house gig, and now that he often plays with Turner, they still feel really welcome there.

“They treat us like family,” Lynch said.

“If I have an excuse to go sing and eat their food, I’m a happy camper,” Turner added.

Turner is third-generation Sandpoint, while Lynch moved here about 25 years ago. Turner said she’s seen the music scene change in Sandpoint since her years as a teenager, and it’s currently “exploding with amazing talent and cool projects.”

Lynch agreed.

As far as their sound, The Somethings are all over the place. Essentially, it depends of what people want to hear, they said. Turner said they try to sample from every decade, though Lynch admits they haven’t delved too far into the 2000s. Turner did say they play “Feel It Still” by Portugal.

The Man, so contemporary hits aren’t entirely out of the question.

“One of our goals is to try to have a different set of music for every venue we play,” Lynch said.

Turner said keeping up the variety will be essential to making sure the duo, which often plays several sets a week, keeps from becoming “stale.”

“I would say there’s been nothing easier that I’ve ever done in my life,” Turner said of teaming up with Lynch. “I’d literally show up to Arlo’s and would sing with him and he would be like, ‘Hey, do you know this song?’ and I’d say,

Chris Lynch, left, and Meg Turner, right, perform at Arlo’s Ristorante.

Courtesy photo.

‘Yeah, I do know that song.’

Moving forward, Lynch said he hopes to see The Somethings grow beyond writing their contact information on napkins when people approach them about hiring them for gigs. He said he and Turner plan to keep learning new songs, keep playing the rounds in Sandpoint and to hopefully become the kind of music group with business cards.

“We’ve gotten a really good response from a lot of different people about the variety of music that we play. There’s been little tiny kids that can listen, and there’s been people in their 80s and 90s,” Turner said. “People can hope to hear something a little different every time they come out.”

Catch The Somethings this Friday, Dec. 29, at the 219 Lounge from 9 p.m. until midnight.

Twenty-someodd years ago in a little bar in North Carolina, I saw a band that actually used what can only be described as a cat toy during an improvisational jam and wowed just about everybody. Granted, that was more about the musicianship than the cat toy, but Leftover Salmon has been wowing crowds for a long time.

Realizing that not everybody shares my fondness for long extended jams, I would like to recommend the “Nashville Sessions,” which showcases the band’s talent and versatility in radio-length songs, joined by the likes of Taj Majal, Waylon Jennings, Lucinda Williams, Earl Scruggs, Jerry Douglass, Sam Bush, Bella Fleck and others.

WATCH

Short Films are a fascinating genre in that the film maker has to convey whatever it is they are trying to convey in 8-20 minutes. They can’t rely on background knowledge of the characters or story like on TV shows and seldom waste your time with car chases. Short films are emerging as a new art form, one that I wish were easier to find.

There’s the documentaries featured in the Banff Mountain Film Festival, of course, and Sandpoint’s own film festival that played last month. Netflix has a few collections of Oscar-nominated shot films, and Pixar shorts, and any film by Film Movement.com has a short film included in the extras.

Spokane has an international film fest in February. And my favorite is the Manhattan Short Film Festival that has visited the Panida in the past.

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OUTDOORS

What is that red stuff on the water?

By the Lakes Commission Reader Contributor

So what is that red stuff you see on the water when driving over the Long Bridge?

Don’t worry, it is not “red algae,” and it is not an immediate threat to wildlife or water quality. It is Eurasian watermilfoil, an aquatic invasive species.

If you have lived here for any length of time, you have likely heard people talk about milfoil. While Eurasian watermilfoil (EWM), has a stronghold throughout Lake Pend Oreille and the Pend Oreille River, this year there is a particularly large and obvious patch that you can see from the north end of the Long Bridge. There are numerous aquatic plants in the system, but EWM has a distinguishing red hue that can help identify it.

Idaho Department of Agriculture (ISDA) is the agency that manages aquatic invasive species for the state, and they will

be surveying the area to develop a plan of attack.

Over time, if not controlled, invasive plants become very dense and take over diverse and less dense aquatic habitats, creating a monoculture. When large amounts of aquatic biomass break down it depletes dissolved oxygen in the water, which in turn, is a threat to fish. Local, state and federal water managers have worked diligently to eradicate Eurasian watermilfoil for about seven years. However, several years ago, it fell from the state’s “eradication” list to the “control” list, due to its tenacious nature.

This means that instead of trying to treat the whole Pend Oreille Basin, they will focus on high use areas such as busy boat launches, public swim areas and small bays deemed especially problematic. Boat launches are targeted because boats are the main pathway for spreading EWM (and other invasives).

Spreading by just a tiny plant fragment, boat props exacerbate the problem by chopping it up.

Plants also attach to boat props and trailers, where they can be moved to other areas of the lake or waterbodies.

Eurasian watermilfoil is not

Milfoil on the Pend Oreille River. Photo by Glenn Lefebvre. the only aquatic invasive species (AIS) of concern in the Pend Oreille Basin. Flowering Rush is fast becoming the most challenging aquatic plant in the system.

Please keep your eyes peeled for a follow-up post on Flowering

FSPW outdoor education winter programs set

By Reader Staff

In addition to the burgeoning Winter Tracks outdoor education program Friends of Scotchman Peaks Wilderness puts on with area schools, FSPW also annually offers a continuing series of free adult education classes. In 2018, expert tracker and wildlife researcher Brian Baxter of Libby will lead four winter and spring classes in the Scotchman Peaks vicinity.

Baxter’s first two classes run consecutively on Friday and Saturday, Jan. 19 and 20, in Libby.

On Jan. 19 at the Venture Inn Fireside Room, he will make an evening slide show presentation on the basics of animal tracking from 5-6 p.m., followed by questions and a no-host social hour.

Saturday, Jan. 20, will be a field day exploring nearby forests and wetland habitats and observing and interpreting tracks, sign, scat and wildlife trails. The meeting 22 /

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place and time for the tracking day is 9 a.m. at the Venture Inn parking lot.

“Brian is a great outdoor ed instructor,” said FSPW program coordinator Sandy Compton.

“He’s animated, enthusiastic and knowledgeable and he knows how to have fun outdoors.”

On Feb. 17, Baxter will lead a day of unique study in winter ecology, concentrating on local evergreen trees, shrubs, and forbs as well as winter adaptations of mammals and birds including Canadian lynx, snowshoe hare, white-tailed ptarmigan, Rocky Mountain elk, long-tailed weasel, boreal owl and wolverine. Meet for this day at 9 a.m. at the Venture Inn parking lot.

On March 24, Baxter will lead a winter birding class beginning at the Heron Community Center.

After an initial informational meeting at the center, the class will move to the field and exam-

ine riverside, wetland and timbered edge habitats in pursuit of spotting birds of prey, waterfowl, woodpeckers and songbirds.

On April 28, a second birding day will be held, also beginning from the Heron Community Center, this time concentrating on the newly returned species as well as raptors.

All of these events are free.

Some have limited group sizes.

Signups for Jan. 20, Feb. 17 and March 24 are online at www. scotchmanpeaks.org/events Signup for the April 28 event will be online soon. Learn more about the FSPW Winter Tracks program at www. scotchmanpeaks.org/ stewardship/ winter_tracks/ For all winter and spring

Rush.

To learn more about the Lakes Commission, visit them online at www.lakescommission. wordpress.com.

Brian Baxter will teach four outdoor classes for FSPW in the coming months

outdoor events, please come prepared with proper layers, rain gear, binoculars, spotting scopes, good winter boots and snowshoes if appropriate, snacks, hot beverages, lunch and water.

Baxter has been doing outdoor classes for FSPW as well as instructing with the Winter Tracks program for the past five winters under the auspices of Silver Cloud Associates. He has been teaching for 16 years. For more info, email him at b_baxter53@yahoo.com or call 406291-2154.

Crossword Solution

One thing a computer can do that most humans can’t is be sealed up in a cardboard box and sit in a warehouse.

Copyright www.mirroreyes.com

CROSSWORD ACROSS 1. After-bath powder 5. Utilizers 10. Hairless 14. Chocolate cookie 15. Belly button 16. Hodgepodge 17. Short skirt 18. Utility 20. A type of bottomdwelling fish Dec. 31 22. Spire 9pm-12am 23. Enemy 24. Fire residues New Year’s 25. Well water Eve Party!

32. Belonging to you 33. Decorate 34. A spider spins this 37. Thorny flower $10 cover per person 38. Grille 39. Rant 40. Eastern newt /SKRIM-shangk/ 41. Feudal lord [verb] 42. Duck down 1. British Slang. to avoid one’s obligations or share of 43. Easygoing of the work; shirk.

45. Descendant “My plan is to scrimshank my way through the day.”

49. 56 in Roman numerals 50. Opinion poll Corrections: After some fact checking, Alex Barron’s comment in last week’s Re53. Childcare doubt feature about Sen. Shawn Keough having a D rating from the NRA was false.

Sen. Keough’s grade is currently an A-. The lowest rating Sen. Keough had received 57. Mortician from the NRA was a B-. Also, we accidentally spelled “silicon” with an “e” on the 59. Gorse end. Silcon is the second most abundant element in Earth’s crust. Silicone, on the 60. Reasonable other hand, is largely used for breast implants and sex toys. Big difference. -BO 61. Discrimination against the elderly 62. Stow, as cargo

Word Week

scrimshank

Solution on page 22 12. Fine thread 63. Level 64. Financial institutions 13. Units of medicine 19. Gain knowledge 65. God of love 21. Charged particles 25. Calyx DOWN 26. Top of a house 27. Dethrone 1. Grave 28. Squandered 2. Diva’s solo 29. Saying 3. Gave temporarily 30. Clan emblem 4. Hairdo 31. Before, poetically 5. New 34. Dry riverbed 6. Cummerbund 35. Not odd 7. Night before 36. Large mass of ice 8. Umpires 9. A promiscuous woman 38. Martini ingredient 39. Make fun of 10. Parts of a skeleton 41. Pertaining to 11. First Hebrew letter

the moon 42. Covetousness 44. Warning devices 45. Shoe blemish 46. Artificial waterway 47. Large Asian country 48. Blatant 51. Knife 52. Epic 53. Writing table 54. Winglike 55. Start over 56. X X X X 58. Family

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