Reader_January 22_2025

2 / R / January 23, 2025

DEAR READERS,

The week in random review

By Ben Olson Reader Staff

Ro sham huh?

Whether you call it “Rock Paper Scissors” or “Roshambo,” chances are you’ve played the classic hand game that decides anything from who rides shotgun on a road trip to who gets the last piece of pizza. But where exactly did the name Roshambo come from? The easy answer: Nobody has any idea.

Some trace the name back to Jean-Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, comte de Rochambeau, a French general who fought against the British during the American Revolutionary War. According to legend, Rochambeau’s name was used as a code word during the Battle of Yorktown, where he commanded French troops. That being said, there’s no evidence that links this name to the hand game. The first time it was associated with Rock Paper Scissors was a reference in a 1936 book titled The Handbook for Recreation Leaders, where it was spelled “ro-sham-beau,” which only adds to the confusion.

Historians have found the game itself originated in China around 1600 before spreading to Japan where it was called “Jan Ken Pon.” The Japanese game reached Europe by the early 20th century, arriving in the U.S. by the 1930s.

The term “Roshambo” became popularized in Northern California, leading to another origin theory related to the large East Asian immigrant population of the San Francisco area, where children during the 1930s were playing Rock Paper Scissors, or Jan Ken Pon. The children may have inadvertently Americanized the name.

The World Rock Paper Scissors Association also acknowledged there are two styles with which to play the game: the first by saying “one, two, three” and showing your chosen symbol on “three,” and the second by saying, “one, two, three, shoot,” and showing your symbol on the word, “shoot.” The WRPSA declared the second version the most correct and widely used.

snow clones and libfixes

It’s word nerd time! A “snow clone” is a cliche that can be used and recognized in multiple variants.

The term comes from the number of words that Inuit peoples allegedly use for “snow.” Popular snow clones include: “In space, no one can hear you X,” taken from the popular phrase on the poster for the 1979 film Alien, which read, “In space, no one can hear you scream.” Also, “X is the new Y” is another snow clone, as in the Netflix show, Orange Is the New Black.

“Libfixes” — from the words “liberated” and “affix” — are lexical word formations where one adds something to a blended word that makes it memorable. Examples include adding “-gate” onto a scandal or cover-up, which originated with with Watergate, or adding “-athon” to create words like “walkathon, telethon, hackathon, etc., or “-core” added to words like hardcore, grindcore, bardcore, etc.

Back in 2020, the Reader began curtailing its Facebook usage due to the heavy volume of vitriol and inappropriate comments that showed up on posts linking to our stories. Since then, we’ve only posted a link to our weekly edition every Thursday morning — nothing more. This week, I permanently deleted our Facebook account.

The reasons for why are too numerous for this space; but, suffice it to say, I do not believe Facebook is looking out for our best interests. I also deleted a long-dormant account we had with X, because Elon Musk is a garbage human being. Why we continue to prop up people like Musk and Mark Zuckerberg eludes me, so I’m making the only move I can by opting out of their world.

For those who’ve grown used to clicking the weekly Facebook link to our digital edition, just go directly to sandpointreader.com every Thursday morning and you’ll see it in the same place that it’s always been.

– Ben Olson, publisher

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

Publisher: Ben Olson ben@sandpointreader.com Editorial: Zach Hagadone (Editor) zach@sandpointreader.com Soncirey Mitchell (Senior Writer) soncirey@sandpointreader.com Editors Emeriti: Lyndsie Kiebert-Carey Cameron Rasmusson John Reuter Advertising: Ben Olson ben@sandpointreader.com Contributing Artists: Ron Bedford (cover), Ben Olson, Soncirey Mitchell, Bill Borders, Zach Hagadone, Daher, Rebecca Sanchez Contributing Writers: Zach Hagadone, Ben Olson, Soncirey Mitchell, Lorraine H. Marie, Brenden Bobby, Sen. Jim Woodward, Jason Welker, Marcia Pilgeram, Jennifer Ekstrom Submit Stories To: stories@sandpointreader.com Printed Weekly At: Tribune Publishing Co. Lewiston, ID Subscription Price: $185 per year Website Designed By: Keokee The Sandpoint Reader is a weekly publication owned by Ben Olson and Keokee. It is devoted to the arts, entertainment, bluster, 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 bonfires to appease the gods of journalism. For back issues, contact the publisher. Free to all, limit two per person, please.

Letter to the Editor Policy: We welcome letters to the editor on all relavant topics. Please, no more than 300 words, no excessive profanity or libelous statements and no trolls. Please elevate the discussion and stay on topic.

Letters will be edited to comply with the above requirements. Opinons expressed in these pages are those of the writers, not necessarily the publisher. Send to: letters@sandpointreader.com About the Cover: This week’s cover photo was not Photoshopped! The scene was found just like this at the Third St. Pier by photographer Ron Bedford. Cool shot, Ron!

January 23, 2025 / R / 3

NEWS

Sandpoint P&Z hears presentation on plan for paid parking at city-owned lots

Officials address City Beach ‘privatization’ flap: ‘City Beach is not being sold’

By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff More residents than normal attended the Jan. 21 meeting of the Sandpoint Planning and Zoning Commission, eager to hear a presentation from Planning and Community Development Director Jason Welker on a proposed parking management plan that includes instituting paid parking at city-owned parking facilities, including City Beach and the lot at Third Avenue and Church Street.

Interest in the proposal has been high in recent weeks, especially following a pair of opinion pieces published in the Reader on Jan. 9 and Jan. 16 — the first from the Bonner County Republican Women opposing the city’s alleged move to “privatize” City Beach, and the second from the Bonner County Democrats agreeing with their GOP counterparts.

Sandpoint Mayor Jeremy Grimm kicked off the meeting by seeking to dispel “some very inaccurate information that has somehow grown a life of its own.”

Calling it a “sacred” place for the community, Grimm said it has never been the city’s intention to “privatize” the beach.

“That’s never come out of my mouth, never come out of any city staff’s mouth,” he said, going on to address further suggestions that the city had improperly accommodated a reduction in the number of parking spots at the planned 180-room Averill Hospitality hotel adjacent to the beach.

There were no “sweetheart deals,” he said. “No trading, no back-room deals, no smoke-filled [rooms], no money.”

Rather, he said, Averill chose to pay the city’s “in 4 / R / January 23, 2025

lieu” fee, which under City Code gives developers the right to pay for a reduction of up to 50% of the required parking. In the case of the hotel, that meant going from an initial 244 parking spaces to 145. Some observers worried that the move would result in overflow parking from the hotel taking up spots at the beach, leading to the “privatization” concerns.

“City Beach is not being sold, it’s not being privatized, it never will be under my administration,” Grimm said.

But that wasn’t the subject on the agenda before Planning and Zoning. Rather, Welker walked commissioners and the public through the parking management plan currently in the works, which envisions a menu of parking pass options for a variety of users.

Specifically, the draft plan identifies City Beach, the city lot, and the Sand Creek, Pend Oreille Bay Trail and Dock Street (Windbag Marina) lots as subject to paid parking.

Access to those spaces would be available through a $10 annual pass, giving Sandpoint residents two free hours at all paid lots for a single car. That pass would rise to $20 for non-residents.

Businesses in the Commercial A downtown district could purchase a pass for $200 that would provide unlimited access at all paid lots for a single car, while the city already has a downtown resident parking pass for those who live within the commercial district, which for $350 gives them unlimited on- and off-street parking downtown.

A further pass would be available to marina slip holders at the Windbag and City Beach for $100, giving unlimited parking at the Dock Street lot and the beach.

Non-pass holders would

pay $2 per hour at all cityowned lots, which would rise to $3 per hour during peak season weekend days.

“Paid parking in Sandpoint is not something new,” Welker said, referring to the parking meters that for decades lined downtown streets. In addition, Welker reminded attendees at the Jan. 21 meeting that the city lot was fee-based until as recently as 2016.

Meanwhile, occupancy at the city lot has grown to an average of 80% during midweek in the off-season and close to 90% during peak-demand season. Analysis shows City Beach routinely reaches close to 100% occupancy during peak season.

“It’s almost impossible to find a parking space at City Beach under the status quo,” Welker said, noting that at the same time, the city’s parking facilities are structurally failing, and 80%-90% of parking at City Beach is taken up by out-of-town users during the summer months — “who are not currently contributing a dime to the maintenance of our parking facilities.”

Drilling further into the numbers, Welker pointed out that there are more than 1,500 parking stalls in Sandpoint — 1,097 of them on-street in the downtown core, 505 in off-street city-owned lots and about 40 in the old Idaho Transportation Department

property on Fifth Avenue.

Of those, the data shows 525 on-street stalls are available downtown during the weekday peak hours, or roughly 51%.

“The problem isn’t availability of parking, the problem is that everybody expects to be able to park within 50 feet of where they want to go,” he said.

By instituting the paid parking structure, the goal is to incentivize parking at those underutilized spaces and spread the vehicle load away from the city-owned lots.

Based on the proposed fee structure, doing so would generate an estimated $300,000 per year.

“The vast majority of revenue from this will be generated by non-residents and visitors,” Welker said, with funds going back to infrastructure maintenance.

Without going to some kind of paid model, he added that maintenance of those facilities will continue to be paid for by diverting funds from other infrastructure projects, while the city would rather they support themselves.

“The idea that parking is free at present, it’s just not true,” Welker said, pointing to all the costs that go into maintaining it.

While the city “abandoned” paid parking about 25 years ago, “It’s not turned out well,” he added later.

A breakdown of the draft parking fee structure. Non-pass holders pay $2 per hour at all city-owned lots, $3 during peak season weekend days at waterfront lots. Courtesy image Those who testified at the Jan. 21 meeting were overall receptive to the idea of paid parking to support infrastructure maintenance — with some even suggesting that the fees should be higher in order to further discourage outof-area users from purchasing passes — but a majority focused on City Beach as the source of their concern.

Sandpoint resident Barbara Little expressed her worry that with the parking reduction at the nearby hotel, guests and those going to the restaurants and events center will “spill over” to the beach, therefore “de facto” giving the hotel greater access.

“Can there be ‘no parking’ for hotel and restaurant people in City Beach parking?” she asked, going on to say, “There are many residents in town who don’t have access to any other recreation other than what they can get at City Beach.”

To that point, Little also suggested that it would be better to provide four-hour passes for locals rather than the currently proposed twohour limit.

Other speakers echoed Little’s comments, with Nancy Hastings, of Sandpoint, adding that the in-lieu park-

< see PARKING, Page 7 >

NEWS

BOCC strikes standing rules

By Soncirey Mitchell Reader Staff The Bonner County board of commissioners voted Jan. 21 to eliminate a set of 12 standing rules from the regular business meeting, arguing that they both hampered public involvement in government and were ultimately unenforceable.

The rules gave meeting attendees and elected officials a code of conduct and outlined procedures for discussion and board votes.

“The standing rules were created by a prior board without adopting an ordinance or codifying such rules, and since one board cannot bind a future board, I find that the standing rules are not enforceable,” said Commissioner Brian Domke, who brought the motion forward.

“If somebody on a past board wished to in some way modify how we do our business, it’s my opinion they should have gone through the process of amending that county code, and they chose not to do so,” he later added.

Domke argued that the standing rules “don’t exist” and that continuing to include them on the agenda “serves no purpose.”

The standing rules were implemented by a board vote Dec. 19, 2023 under the direction of former-Chair Luke Omodt, who, along with former-Commissioner Steve Bradshaw, had a contentious working relationship with current-Chair Asia Williams.

During her first meeting as chair after Omodt’s resignation in September, Williams made a motion to strike the standing rules. The motion died without a second from Bradshaw or Commissioner Ron Korn, who served the remainder of Omodt’s term.

At the Jan. 21 meeting, Korn questioned whether voting to remove the rules from the agenda actually nullified them, and maintained that

some of the rules were worth preserving.

“I would like to see some of these standing rules put into our resolution or county ordinances. My recommendation would be to keep them until that has been accomplished because by getting rid of those now, we would lose some of the rules,” said Korn, later clarifying that rules No. 1, 2, 7, 8 and 9 had merit.

No. 1 required that agenda items follow the BOCC Meeting Agenda Submission Procedure and that all action items include an attached memorandum — which Williams argued commissioners and staff already did.

No. 2 clarified the powers of the chair and their ability to enforce “state statute, county ordinance and standing rules,” adding that the meeting’s sergeant at arms could assist.

No. 7 banned “personal or ad hominem attacks,” while No. 8 stipulated, “Any ruling of the chair can be appealed and overturned with a majority vote.”

Finally, No. 9 established the National Association of Counties The Right Way to Run a Meeting as the guide for meeting norms.

Domke suggested that if Korn found those rules valuable, he should make a motion to add them to the county ordinance in the future.

The two men agreed that many of the rules were “redundant” given Bonner County Code Title 1 Chapter 2, which gives proper procedures for BOCC meetings.

Still, Korn argued that Chapter 2 “fails to address personal attacks,” adding, “It’s not mob rule. This is a republic form of government, not a democracy.”

Domke did not receive a written legal opinion on his motion; however, he did speak with Deputy Prosecutor Bill Wilson, who also gave

testimony during the Jan. 21 meeting.

“We haven’t had standing rules for the majority of my time with the organization, and the meetings were always able to move forward in an orderly way without them.

I think they were created in response to an increased, you know, temperature in some of the previous meetings,” said Wilson, adding that the commissioners could still require the procedures as “an administrative nicety” without written rules.

Domke further added that the standing rules were “contrary” to Chapter 2.

“Referencing Robert’s Rules [of Order] is the most egregious part in my mind because what you’re doing is saying that we’re adopting Robert’s Rules when Chapter 2, as written for the conduct of the meetings, is different from Robert’s Rules. So then, which one takes precedence?

Which one do we follow?” said Domke.

Korn pointed out that the standing rules never actually reference Robert’s Rules. The previous board did vote to adopt Robert’s Rules on Jan. 18, 2023, almost a year before the standing rules.

“I’m going to be a little bit more plain,” said Williams.

“The standing rules came on this agenda because of conflict with people. It wasn’t because prior to that board that meetings weren’t conducted well.

If you look at post-September

2024, our meetings have shifted drastically, correctly, in the direction that recognizes, accepts, invites and allows for meaningful input from members of the public.”

Williams stated that the standing rules — and county ordinance — violated the right to free speech by banning “rude and derogatory comments,” adding that citizens should be “critical” of government officials when need be.

“This meeting has always been a meeting of the people, for the people to address their elected officials whether you have a positive comment or a negative comment,” said Williams.

“The standing rules continuing to be on the agenda is a memory of a period of time in Bonner County meetings that I would like to forget. We are educated, competent people in this room — whether elected or citizens participating — and for me, the standing rules were being used as a way of restricting the people from me,” she later added.

Members of the public expressed similar concerns, but Korn argued that it was the previous chair, not the standing rules, that restricted the public.

“Anything can be abused, even Chapter 2 can be abused by the chair if the chair decides to,” said Korn.

Domke proposed holding a public workshop to determine what, if any, amendments should be made to Chapter 2

Bonner County commissioners Asia Williams, left; Brian Domke, center; and Ron Korn, right. Photo by Soncirey Mitchell but maintained that the board should eliminate the standing rules in the meantime.

Domke’s motion to strike the rules passed with Korn dissenting.

Domke then made a separate motion to remove the 12th standing rule, which required attendees to sign up to make a comment before the start of the meeting and created a separate form for those on Zoom. Anyone attending remotely had to have a Gmail address and state the topic on which they wanted to comment.

“Treating members of the public who participate remotely in the same manner as those who participate in person would create an equitable approach to facilitating public comments,” said Domke during his explanation.

“I appreciate this item. I’ve never signed up on that so I don’t know what’s all entailed,” said Korn, adding that public meetings usually require people to sign in whether or not they intend to speak.

Korn suggested removing most of the form’s fields and simply having people state their name and county for the public record, but Domke argued that virtual attendees could do that verbally as they would in person.

The motion to strike the 12th standing rule passed with Korn abstaining.

January 23, 2025 / R / 5

NEWS

Daher: Expansion of Kodiak assembly in Florida will not affect Sandpoint operations

An overall view of the Sandpoint final assembly facility with the parallel final assembly lines. Photo courtesy of Daher

By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff The Daher Group announced Jan. 16 that it has secured a long-term lease agreement for its aerostructures facility at Whithan Field in Stuart, Fla., where it will establish a final assembly line for its TBM and Kodiak turboprop-powered planes.

The French-based company employs 13,000 workers worldwide, including more than 260 in Sandpoint, as well as contractors, where it also operates a final assembly plant for Kodiaks at the Sandpoint Airport.

“Daher’s intention to create a final assembly line at the Stuart facility in Florida (Witham Field) is to provide additional capacity for the build-up of the TBM and Kodiak aircraft families,” Daher Vice President of Communications Jeffrey Lenorovitz told the Reader in an email. “It does not affect the activity at Sandpoint.”

According to the Jan. 16 news release, Daher employs more than 1,200 workers in North America and reported total revenue of $1.7 billion in 2023 — 35% of that coming from its North American operations.

“The demand for these aircraft continues very strong — with sales typically booked up for at least the year to come 6 / R / January 23, 2025

(which once again is the situation, as the orderbook is solid through 2025 and into 2026),” Lenorovitz wrote. “This underscores the reasoning to create additional capacity to assemble these airplanes at Witham Field — which is a very large industrial facility (440,000 square feet of production and support activities across a 44-acre site).”

As of spring 2024, a total of 330 Kodiak 100s and Kodiak 900s have been delivered to owners and operators around the world.

The expansion in Florida follows an increase in production at the Sandpoint site, where in April 2024 the company announced plans to ramp up production capacity for the Kodiak 100 and 900 models with the addition of a second final assembly line. That came after a $2.7 million investment in a 9,000-square-foot paint facility in Sandpoint in 2023.

Daher acquired the Kodiak product line in 2019, when it purchased Quest Aircraft — a Sandpoint-based aircraft company that had been acquired by Japanese firm Setouchi Holdings in 2015.

Since then, Daher has “significantly increased the aircraft’s sales while also enhancing the production and final assembly capabilities at Sandpoint as part of the company’s long-term commitment,” Lenorovitz wrote.

Bits ’n’ Pieces From east, west and beyond

After announcing a ceasefire in the Israeli-Hamas war, former-President Joe Biden’s farewell speech warned of “a dangerous concentration of power in the hands of a few ultra-wealthy people ... an oligarchy is taking shape in America of extreme wealth, power and influence that literally threatens our entire democracy, our basic rights and freedoms, and a fair shot for everyone to get ahead.”

The nation faced a similar dynamic initiated by powerful interests a century ago, Biden continued, but we stood up to the robber barons infiltrating the government. Political action required the robber barons to “play by the rules everybody else had to. ... [A]nd it helped put us on a path to building the largest middle class and the most prosperous century any nation in the world has ever seen,” he said.

The current threat from the rise of the tech-industrial complex has resulted in a flood of “misinformation and disinformation, enabling the abuse of power,” Biden continued. “The free press is crumbling, editors are disappearing,” while “social media is giving up on fact-checking. The truth is smothered by lies told for power and for profit.”

President Donald Trump’s treasury secretary nominee, Scott Bessent, stated at his confirmation hearing he does not support raising the federal $7.25 minimum wage. Thirty states have raised it, as have some cities.

Prior to his exit, Biden commuted the sentences of nearly 2,500 non-violent drug offenders. He also pre-emptively pardoned Jan. 6 committee members and witnesses, such as police officers, who Trump had threatened vengeance against. Biden said the latter pardon was not to be “misconstrued as an admission of guilt for any offense.”

Clemency was also granted to Indigenous activist Leonard Peltier.

The Securities and Exchange Commission has sued Elon Musk over allegations of misleading shareholders when he bought Twitter stock in 2022, prior to acquiring the company, ABC reported.

Trump launched his own cryptocurrency on Jan. 17. By Jan. 19 — the day before his inauguration — he’d made $50 billion on paper. Axios said that now accounts for 89% of Trump’s net worth. It also dodges the Constitution’s emoluments clause, since purchasers cannot be traced, but they can deposit unlimited amounts into Trump coffers.

First lady Melania Trump launched

By Lorraine H. Marie Reader Columnist

her own cryptocurrency and gained more than $5 billion within two hours.

“Americans voted for corruption, and Trump is wasting not time delivering it,” said Walter Shaub, who helmed the U.S. Office of Government Ethics during Trump’s first term, according to The Guardian.

Various media reported that farright paramilitary Proud Boys marched through D.C. chanting “Whose streets?

Our streets!” during Trump’s inauguration Jan. 20; prime inauguration seating went to billionaires (including Musk, who gave what neo-Nazis interpreted as Nazi salutes); Trump promised a series of “crisis” executive orders (lawyers said the orders were poorly crafted and “not really intended for judicial interpretation”); and he claimed he was saved by God from the Pennsylvania shooter “to make America great again.”

In his inaugural address, Trump delivered numerous “false and misleading claims,” Guardian fact-checkers noted.

Some of Trump’s first actions as president: ordering the U.S. out of the Paris Climate Agreement and the World Health Organization; freezing federal hiring and new regulations from federal agencies; an end to U.S. birthright citizenship (contrary to the 14th Amendment); ordering immediate security clearances for an undisclosed list of his appointees without background checks; canceling an app for admitting legal migrants; pardoning nearly 1,500 Jan. 6 rioters; and plans to lift Biden sanctions against violent Israeli settlers, which the U.N. said were at the highest level ever.

Blast from the past: Between 1981 and 2021, government policies including deregulation, tax cuts for the wealthy and corporations, offshoring of manufacturing and weakening unions have shifted $50 trillion from the bottom 90% of Americans to the top 1%. During Biden’s term, his policies resulted in the gap between the 90th income percentile and the 10th income percentile falling by 25%. Three of the world’s richest men joined Trump at his Jan. 20 inauguration, likely signaling a return to the “trickle-down” economic policies of the 1981-2021 era.

And another blast: 15 years ago, the right-leaning Supreme Court said election spending is free speech. Now a billionaire family has 90,000 times more election spending power than an average family.

NEWS

Follies take a year off

Angels Over Sandpoint cancels beloved fundraiser

By Soncirey Mitchell Reader Staff After weeks of speculation, Angels Over Sandpoint confirmed Jan. 22 that the nonprofit will put the annual Follies variety show at the Panida Theater on hiatus this year, citing burnout from organizers. The 2025 show will be replaced by a costume dance Saturday, March 8, at The Hive (207 N. First Ave.).

“The shift is happening simply because the production team needs a break,” said longtime volunteer and “The Queen of Ireland” Kate McAlister.

“After 20 years, some of the crew needed a well-deserved break, so we made it happen. It’s always difficult

< PARKING, con’t from Page 4 > ing fee should be reexamined to ensure that developers are providing the appropriate amount of parking.

“If there’s this loophole in code, it needs to be closed,” she said. “There should be no loophole once a permit is established.”

Kathryn Larson, of Sagle, suggested that all Bonner County residents should be eligible to access the local pass — not just Sandpoint residents — and that the annual fee be raised to $20 for locals and $40 for out-ofcounty visitors. Meanwhile, Sandpoint resident Glenn Lefebvre said that all county residents should be given free access to parking, with only non-residents paying the fees.

“I don’t think that we as residents should be charged to access the beach that we’ve been able to access for free for years,” he said.

Sagle resident Monica Gunter agreed, saying, “If you’ve got a 7B license plate, you should be able to park at City Beach over any other license plate.”

However, she supported paying the fee for mainte-

to change up a tradition even once. It is heartwarming to have so many Follies fans reach out,” she later added.

Preparation for the annual two-hour show begins in November or early December, followed by rehearsals in January and performances in March.

The event takes hundreds of people on stage and behind the scenes, writing skits, choreographing dances, learning songs and practicing unique talents — all with a “naughty” twist — to pull off the two weekend performances.

Founded in 2003, the Follies remain the Angels’ biggest fundraiser and allow the group to fulfill its mission of helping community members through volunteer work, grants, scholarships and much more.

“Just like every long-standing event in Sandpoint, it’s

hard to get volunteers. I keep hoping someone will be willing to join the Angels and shadow me and then take over when I’m just too old to do it anymore,” said McAlister, adding, “We need younger people to start participating to keep these traditions going, or we will lose them all.”

The Follies will return in 2026 — provided enough people volunteer — and organizers plan to start developing the show as early as this summer.

In the meantime, the Angels will host a costume dance party at The Hive, Saturday, March 8, to raise spirits and money for 2025. The event will be a “throwback” to the classic Angels fundraising dances that the organization used to hold for New Year’s.

“The theme is: dress as your favorite movie star or

movie character, or wear one of your favorite costumes from Follies past,” said McAlister.

Guests can get down to the funky sounds of Right Front Burner — “Sandpoint’s favorite party band” — who mix rock, disco and groove to create booty-shaking beats that never miss. The Follies’ Queen will still emcee the event and greet her subjects with her trademark humor and insults.

“There might be a couple of surprises; you’ll have to wait and see. The Angels still wanted to bring people out to have fun and shake off some of the ‘non-winter’ blues,” said McAlister.

Tickets will be available beginning on Groundhog Day, Sunday, Feb. 2, at livefromthehive.com or through Eventbrite. Visit aos1.clubexpress.com to learn more.

nance but asked that non-residents and hotel users be required to pay daily rates.

“Bonner County deserves to park at City Beach, they deserve to launch their boat at City Beach,” she said. “All of Bonner County should be available to use that for the same price.”

Welker responded to those comments, noting that 348 of the 505 parking stalls in cityowned lots are regulated under federal land-water conservation guidelines, which stipulate that they can’t be free for some and not for others. In addition, if a fee is to be charged for different groups, one can’t be charged more than twice the other — which is why, Welker said, the structure was proposed at $10 for locals and $20 for non-residents.

P&Z Commissioner Mose Dunkle said he’d be willing to pay “four times that as a city resident” in order to further increase the cost for out-of-town pass holders. Beyond that, he opposed the idea of expanding the definition of “resident” to all of Bonner County.

“What it comes down to me is that city residents do

pay property taxes to the city of Sandpoint,” Dunkle said, later adding, “We do pay for these amenities, and in my opinion, I’m happy to pay for it as a city resident.”

Other discussion at the meeting revolved around exploring a downtown parking structure located at the city lot, which Welker said would cost $12.5 million just to double the number of spaces with a two-level facility. Tripling the parking there would cost about $18 million. Either option would require a bond, but the city would first have to demonstrate the necessary demand and the public’s willingness to pay for it to issue that kind of funding.

To that end, the paid parking system would represent the first step toward establishing those metrics.

“It’s not going to happen in the next five years,” Welker said of the parking garage concept, adding that it’s more likely to be 10 or 15 years out.

Still, “That is the endgame, is to build a parking structure downtown,” he said.

In an interview with the Reader after the meeting,

Welker said that the goal is to have the parking management plan in place this year — in time to undertake paving projects at the city lot and, if state funding comes through, City Beach as well.

“My dream is to have both these big city lots repaved before we start charging for parking,” he said, though underscored that there would be no paid parking until 2026.

In the meantime, there will be additional opportunities for the public to weigh in on the plan. According to Welker, the plan will be presented to the city’s Sustainability Committee on Tuesday, Jan. 28 at 12:30 p.m.; the Parks and Recreation Committee on Wednesday, Feb. 12 at 2:30 p.m.; the Pedestrian-Bicycle Committee on Thursday, Feb. 13 at 11:30 a.m.; and, tentatively, before the City Council on Wednesday, March 5 at 5:30 p.m.

Find a PDF copy of the city’s parking study and fee proposal in the agenda packet for the Jan. 21 P&Z meeting at bit.ly/3E9qQCD.

BY THE NUMBERS

By Ben Olson Reader Staff

13–2 The votes for and against passing House Joint Memorial 1, which passed the Idaho House State Affairs Committee on Jan. 22. The memorial was introduced by Rep. Heather Scott, R-Blanchard, with the intention to petition the U.S. Supreme Court to reconsider its 2015 decision that legalized same-sex marriage.

The memorial is currently heading to the Idaho House floor. A memorial is not a bill, and its passage in both chambers would not carry the weight of law.

1965 The year the Equal Employment Opportunity Act was passed, which prohibited discrimination in hiring and employment based on race, color, religion, sex or national origin. President Donald Trump revoked the legislation on Jan. 22 with an executive order that, he said, will target “illegal” diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility policies.

8,800 The estimated number of abandoned mines in Idaho.

Former-President Joe Biden signed the Good Samaritan Remediation of Abandoned Hardrock Mines Act on Dec. 19, 2024, which was bipartisan legislation more than 20 years in the making, which aims to clean up abandoned mines across the western U.S. Nevada has the highest number of abandoned mines at 106,000, followed by Arizona with 100,000 and California with 58,400. The problem mostly persists in the western states, as many eastern states have fewer than 1,000 abandoned mines.

January 23, 2025 / R / 7

Stats on female incarceration show ‘heartless’ attitude in Idaho…

Bouquets: • I’d like to recognize our very own Soncirey Mitchell with a Bouquet this week.

Soncirey has been a worthy addition to our little family at the Reader. Zach and I appreciate her humor, intellect and prowess with the written word.

She’s an excellent journalist and has a wonderful imagination. While at the 219 Lounge having our post-deadline drink last week, Zach and I decided it was time to give Soncirey a new title: “senior writer.”

We’re honored to have your words in our paper, Soncirey.

Keep up the good work.

Barbs: • As we return to another four years under our new convicted-felon president, I can’t help but feel sorrow for the decency that we’ve left behind. Mostly, though, I feel it’s important to acknowledge the real travesty is not in the man himself — we’ve always had dictators, demagogues and charlatans seeking power. No, the real bummer is that roughly half of our nation willingly handed over the keys to him and all the grifters and con men with whom he associates.

We were given ample warning. Jan. 6, 2021 was a day of shame for our nation, and we learned nothing from it. Hell, he even pardoned 1,500 rioters who stormed the Capitol.

Jan. 20, 2025 is another day of shame for America and we will likely learn nothing from that, either. The “shining city on a hill” that America once thought itself to be is now a dark, post-truth hellscape in a bog where the worst intentions are rewarded with the best outcomes. Historians have studied how and why Rome fell for centuries. If there are any historians left in the future, they’ll have a field day with our dumb timeline.

8 / R / January 23, 2025

Dear editor, I just learned of a horrendous statistic for Idaho. We have the largest incarceration of women in the nation. The primary offense is drugs, and their terms of incarceration are longer than the nationwide average.

I realize that our legislators, primarily Republican men, have a very horrible, patronizing view of women in general, but this is heartless. The state’s response is to build more prisons, at a huge cost and so less for schools.

I keep wondering why the opioid settlement money isn’t being used to help these women to recovery.

Sue Koller Cocolalla

Forces acting on climate change are far from ‘natural’…

Dear editor, As a follow-up to my previous letter concerning climate change [Letters, “‘Climate Change Deniers Travel Agency’...,” Jan. 9, 2025], a question for Mr. Mundell: What?

I can only speculate on what you were trying to get across, but I think it’s that human activity has little or no effect on the climate, comparing our actions to volcanoes and fires [Letters, “A lesson on how air quality affects global temperatures…,” Jan. 16, 2025].

Volcanos are natural and very intermittent. Fires are similar, but the majority of fires are human caused and the constant burning of fossil fuels are not natural and never-ending for over a century. They are ongoing, every day, year after year, decade after decade.

The carbon dioxide allows warmth from the sun in, trapping the increasing warmth. It’s called the greenhouse effect.

Bottomline, people need to take the actions necessary to preserve our planet.

Lawrence Fury Sandpoint

‘More satire, please…’

Dear editor, There was a hilarious, satirical contribution a few years ago on April Fool’s Day that caused some heartburn in those who have no sense of humor and/or no ability to detect a joke. It was a piece on an historic summer drawdown planned for Lake Pend Oreille. I was resigned to the fact that any tongue in cheek content was hopelessly canceled forever, so I was delighted to see toes dipped back into the proverbial waters with Soncirey’s ‘Predictions’ in the 2025 Year in Preview feature. Hopefully the clear humor was direct enough to avoid any serious backlash. More features like that, please!

Chase Youngdahl Sandpoint

‘Try that in a small town’...

Dear editor, It’s 2026 and the Idaho Supreme Court has granted immunity and pardon power to the governor of Idaho. The governor has lost the popular vote, but he rallies his supporters to the Capitol steps in Boise.

His supporters attack police on the Capitol steps and invade the Capitol building by breaking windows and beating police with weapons. The state legislators hide in the base-

COMMUNITY Native Plant Society announces 2025 Lois Wythe Grant

By Reader Staff Groups, classes or individuals who wish to undertake projects promoting awareness and appreciation of native plants are invited to apply for $500 in funding from the Lois Wythe Grant, offered by the Kinnikinnick Native Plant Society.

The grant was established in honor of Lois Wythe, who launched KNPS and the North Idaho Native Plant Arboretum in Lakeview Park. In addition, Wythe was involved with the Panhandle Environmental League and the Sandpoint Farmers’ Market, and her influence led to the Master Gardeners adding organic gardening methods to their program.

Applicants can come from throughout Bonner County, with the 2024 grant being awarded to the Sandpoint Organic Ag Center to establish a native plant area at its facility on North Boyer Road in Sandpoint. In 2023, the grant recipient was Kaniksu Land Trust to assist in re-wilding the playground at Kootenai ment, afraid for their lives. Idaho courts convict the insurrectionists.

The governor is re-elected and he pardons all of his supporters, including those convicted of violence

Elementary School. The plant identification signs for that project were funded by KNPS and will be put in place this spring.

Both of those projects will be completed in 2025 and field trips to each are being planned for the summer.

Other projects fully or partially funded by the Lois Wythe Grant include some by school children, the East Bonner County Library’s Sandpoint branch, a graduate student’s native plant inventory, and production of a children’s coloring activity book featuring native plants and insects.

Application forms are available at nativeplantsociety. org/lois-wythe-grant or by emailing grant@nativeplantsociety.org.

Completed forms are due for consideration by Friday, Feb. 28. KNPS requests a follow-up report outlining project results by the end of 2025 and, upon completion, the recipient is invited to make a presentation at a KNPS monthly program. and treason. The media celebrates with the headline: “Governor’s Train Roars Through Idaho!”

Steve Johnson Sagle

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PERSPECTIVES

Legislative update

Governing under the influence

By Sen. Jim Woodward, R-Sagle Reader Contributor

The Idaho Legislature is back in session in Boise. We have completed two weeks. I expect we have at least 10 more weeks of policy discussion and budget setting in the Idaho Capitol.

For the next two years, I will serve on the Senate Education Committee and the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee.

This session’s biggest education topic is commonly referred to as school choice. The question at hand is a policy decision about funding private schools with public money. In JFAC, I am serving as committee vice-chair. The position allows me to see expenditures across the state, and particularly to track the ones that matter most in our community.

I would like to dispel one budget myth that continues to circulate. State expenditures have not grown by 55% in the past five years. The 55% false narrative can be explained by understanding the difference between appropriations and actual spending of taxpayer money.

If we move money from the checking account to the savings account, the money is appropriated by the Legislature, but it is not spent. Over the past five years, the state has continued to appropriate funds to maximize the rainy-day account balances to weather future economic storms, just like we have in the past. In addition, returning taxpayer money is an appropriation, but it is not spending.

The $1.1 billion of your 2021 and 2022 tax rebates are included in the 55% “increase,” but they are certainly not spending.

I could go on with more details,

Sen. Jim Woodward. File photo

but I think it suffices to say that Idaho is continuing to budget in a fiscally conservative manner with a balance between government expenses, infrastructure investments to meet population growth, preparing for tough times with rainy-day savings and being mindful of the taxpayer’s pocketbook.

Two issues have popped up early in the legislative session.

One is legislator pay, determined every two years by an independent citizens’ committee. This year, the committee recommended increasing pay from $20,000 per year to $25,000. The Legislature did not make this decision, but the Legislature does have the authority to vote down the increase. The Senate, myself included, voted to reject the pay increase. The decision now goes to the House.

The other issue is the grocery sales tax system. Idaho residents receive a refundable tax credit to offset the grocery sales tax. Some groups would instead like to eliminate the tax at the cash register. I prefer our current system because we collect grocery sales from outof-state visitors, which helps pay for roads, police and other needed

services.

Three years ago, I helped raise the tax credit from $100 to $120.

Now I am advocating to increase the credit to $150 from the current $120. There is potentially the option of itemizing expenses if your situation merits a larger credit than the standard.

What do the above two issues have in common? In both, there is undue influence from out-of-state groups on our decision-making in Idaho. Last week, a very expensive mailing — with an Austin, Texas return address — was sent across the state. The letter urged you to contact your local representative to stop taxing Idaho groceries. This week, the same Texas-based group sent a text and posted a social media ad asking for your help to stop a double-digit politician pay raise.

These out-of-state interests alter public opinion with costly and deceptive marketing campaigns.

I believe we are plenty capable of making our own decisions to maintain our steady journey and continue our great successes here in Idaho.

My concern is that governing under the influence of out-of-state interests may well result in changing course, leading to a bumpier road than the past.

Thank you for your trust and support in representing our wonderful two northern counties.

Please reach out with comments or questions.

Jim Woodward is the Dist. 1 Republican senator from Sagle. He serves on the Joint Finance-Appropriations (vice-chair) and Education committees. Reach him during the 2025 legislative session at 208-332-1349 (Statehouse), 208-946-7963 (home) or jwoodward@senate.idaho.gov.

January 23, 2025 / R / 9

Mad about Science:

By Brenden Bobby Reader Columnist You may have stopped by the library and noticed some little white tags on a number of our materials. Last year, the library began the initiative to place RFID tags on every single item in our collection.

We’re nearing the final stretch of this huge project as the last of our books are being tagged before we move on to our audio-visual collection.

So what exactly are these tags and what do they do? Is the library spying on me?

No, the library isn’t spying on you. We’re just happy you’re checking out materials and we intend to make it even easier for you to do so moving forward.

RFID stands for “radio-frequency identification.”

In the simplest terms, there is an electronic circuit imprinted on the tags. Under normal circumstances, the tags do nothing at all as they have no active power source. When specific radio waves interact with the circuit, the tag emits preprogrammed data in the form of the item’s barcode number. If the code is within range of a receiver, the receiver will pick up this signal and feed it into the library’s integrated library system, which is responsible for recording materials that are checking in and checking out.

Another way to imagine this is if the RFID tag were a sailor in a dinghy at sea.

That sailor’s job is to shout the number “five” whenever he hears a foghorn from a passing ship. If random ships hear him shouting “five” then he’ll be ignored, but if the library ship sailing by hears the number five, it will know to log that number and send a corresponding book out to sea.

10 / R / January 23, 2025

Brought to you by:

rfid

A weird analogy, but that’s a “Mad About Science” staple.

How are these tags going to change your experience at the library? They will make the check-in and check-out process faster and more precise. Scanning barcodes takes a considerable amount of time when you factor in the quantity of items moving through the library on an hourly basis. Barcodes can also be missed by scanners or staff, which lead to phantom books — items that a patron may possess but aren’t currently checked out to any accounts.

Phantom books make it difficult for staff to find holds and are one of the most likely reasons why the hold you placed hasn’t shown up for over a week, despite it being listed as present in the library.

Finding holds and missing books will become a more efficient process with RFID tags. Currently, staff need to visually scan shelves for items placed on hold. As any of our volunteers can attest, this leads to getting cross-eyed after about 40 minutes of intense searching.

If a book happens to be misshelved then it’s very easy to miss during a visual scan.

Utilizing a radio wand makes this much easier, as it can tell staff whether or not a book they’re looking for is on a particular shelf or is completely gone.

One of the most impressive and time-saving features of this project is the ability to set a stack of books down on a check-out pad to check them all out at once, instead of scanning each one individually. This will be incorporated at staff desks as well as a brand new self-check station. This will work hand-in-hand with our new security gate system, which will let both staff and

patrons know if an item was missed during the check-out process, allowing for far fewer phantom books gumming up our holds searches and causing frustration for everyone.

A similar subset application of RFID is NFC, or “nearfield communication.” This is what you see with tap-to-pay credit card chips and phone readers. NFC is optimized for extremely short-range communication so the user has ultimate control over their sensitive data. Things like credit cards, insurance information and more are well suited for NFC. And before you start panicking, don’t worry: The library receivers don’t interact with any of your credit card information. The library RFID system is only able to gather and utilize information that’s directly linked to the integrated library system.

The only information we have linked to the tags at all is the barcode number of a scanned item. Locational tracking outside of the walls of the three library branches is completely impossible and the tags are not self-powered.

That being said, RFID technology has kicked up some controversy in the nation and world at large, particularly regarding informational consent. RFID technology has been utilized with chips implanted in pets, which allows shelters to run a radio wand over a pet and pull up a file of the owner’s contact information. The entity doing this would need access to the database that houses this information, so the likelihood of a stranger on the street both possessing the technology and access to that database is extremely low.

The ethics of businesses or government agencies encour-

aging or forcibly implanting people with RFID tags is a hotly debated topic. The efficacy of performing a voluntary or involuntary surgery on someone to implant an unreliable radio tag when they could just access records directly from smartphones is extremely low and we’re unlikely to be implanted with radio tags any time soon.

The next time you’re in the library checking out a book, take a peek in the back and see what was discussed here.

However, please don’t attempt to remove the tags — they are totally harmless, there’s no way the library or any other government agency could use these to track you in any way and removal accrues a $5 processing fee for each tag taken off an item. Ultimately, we’re doing this to make your experience at the library a more pleasant experience to give you more time to read and enjoy your movies.

Stay curious, 7B.

Random Corner chies?

Don’t know much about oligar ​​• An oligarchy is government by the few — especially by a small and privileged group for corrupt or selfish purposes. Oligarchies in which the members of the ruling group are extremely wealthy or exercise their power through their wealth are known as plutocracies.

• The term originated with Aristotle, who called it oligarchia, which denoted rule of the few when it was exercised not by the best but the worst persons unjustly. In this sense, an oligarchy is a debased form of an aristocracy, which refers to a government by the few in which power is vested in the best individuals.

• Modern countries that have been identified as oligarchies include Russia since the fall of the Soviet Union and China since the country embraced capitalism in the late 1970s. Contemporary political scientists have described the United States as an oligarchy or plutocracy because of its great inequality of wealth and income,

We can help!

which enables economic elites and corporations to influence public policy to their advantage — often contrary to the preferences of the majority of ordinary citizens.

• Other countries described as oligarchies are the Philippines, Iran (also characterized as a theocracy) and Ukraine.

• In his farewell address on Jan. 15, 2025, outgoing President Joe Biden warned, “Today, an oligarchy is taking shape in America of extreme wealth, power and influence that really threatens our entire democracy, our basic rights and freedoms,” and, “Americans are being buried under an avalanche of misinformation and disinformation, enabling the abuse of power.” Finally, Biden said, “Social media is giving up on fact-checking.

The truth is smothered by lies told for power and for profit,” before urging Americans to “stand guard” over their country: “May you all be the keeper of the flame.”

PERSPECTIVES

What’s happening with parking at City Beach?

By Jason Welker Reader Contributor Recent op-eds have accused the city of Sandpoint of “privatizing” City Beach and making it less accessible to the public through a proposed paid parking policy. The city’s Planning and Community Development Department wants to clarify the facts and provide insight into the real issue: improving access for residents, managing peak-season demand and ensuring sustainable funding for public parking infrastructure.

City Beach: A public resource in need of investment City Beach has been a public park for more than a century, donated to Sandpoint in 1922 by the Northern Pacific Railroad. The city formally took over its maintenance from the Lions Club in 1986; and, while incremental improvements have been made over the years, the park’s core infrastructure — including parking lots, pathways, boat ramps and landscaping — has suffered from long-term neglect.

The 2010 Parks Master Plan outlined much-needed improvements, including repaving the parking lot, planting shade trees, enhancing stormwater management and upgrading playground equipment.

However, due to funding constraints, few of these projects have been completed.

A 2020 update to the Parks Master Plan proposed an ambitious $28 million overhaul, but under Mayor Jeremy Grimm’s leadership, the city is now taking a more practical approach: focusing on essential infrastructure improvements that can be funded through available resources.

Parking infrastructure and management challenges City Beach and downtown Sandpoint face significant parking challenges, especially during peak summer months.

While parking is currently free,

this comes at a cost — both in maintenance and in accessibility for residents. Without a structured parking management plan, spaces fill up quickly, often leaving local residents struggling to find parking.

A 2022 Parking Study identified key issues, including: • High demand for parking at City Beach and in downtown, especially on weekends and during tourist season; • Deferred maintenance in public parking lots, with aging pavement, faded striping and inadequate landscaping; • A lack of sustainable funding to maintain or improve off-street public parking facilities.

The study also recommended implementing a parking management strategy to improve access and generate revenue for maintaining public parking lots.

The need for a sustainable funding model The city’s proposed parking policy, which would introduce paid parking in five off-street lots, including at City Beach, has been framed as a barrier to access. In reality, it is a solution to two ongoing problems: a shortage of available parking spaces during peak tourist season, when out-of-area visitors occupy upward of 80% of off-street parking stalls; and the lack of sustainable funding for ongoing maintenance and improvements.

Currently, all funding for parking lot maintenance comes from general city tax revenues, meaning local taxpayers foot the bill, while visitors contribute nothing beyond hotel bed taxes.

The proposed parking management system would shift some of this financial burden to non-residents. Under this policy: • Sandpoint residents and non-residents alike could purchase affordable annual passes, providing two hours of

free parking daily at city lots; • Marina users, downtown employees and full-time downtown residents would have separate pass options for all-day access; • Visitors who do not purchase a pass would pay for parking, generating hundreds of thousands of dollars annually to fund maintenance and improvements.

This approach aligns with the 2024 Comprehensive Plan, which prioritizes “enhancing access to businesses, shops, restaurants and other destinations through parking management solutions.”

Without a revenue source, there is no guarantee that public parking facilities, especially at city Beach, will remain well-maintained. Free parking is not truly “free”; it requires resources to maintain.

The proposed policy ensures that Sandpoint residents see a direct benefit from their tax dollars while also requiring visitors to contribute to the infrastructure they use.

Why parking reform matters for the future A well-managed parking system will improve access for local residents, ensuring that available spaces are used efficiently rather than being

overwhelmed by non-residents during peak months. It will also provide long-overdue infrastructure investments, such as resurfacing, restriping, landscaping, and stormwater improvements at City Beach and downtown.

Opposition to this plan has largely been based on the misconception that charging for parking is equivalent to restricting access. In reality, improving parking availability and quality enhances public access, not the other way around.

While much attention has been given to how the proposed hotel near City Beach fits into this discussion, it is important to clarify that the hotel’s parking decisions are separate from the city’s proposed parking policy. The hotel intends to provide a quantity of parking stalls that satisfies the level of peak demand, a number determined through an engineering study that looked at occupancy rates at similar hotels in the region.

No “handouts” or “giveaways” were provided to the hotel; rather, they employed tools available to them in City Code to determine the actual level of parking that will be required, then offered to pay in lieu fees to the city’s Parking Improvement Fund in the

A historic photo of Sandpoint showing parking meters downtown.

Courtesy photo amount of $10,000 per space below what was originally proposed ($400,000 in total), which will help fund improvements to public parking facilities.

While the hotel’s current plan does include fewer parking spaces than was initially proposed, it still provides ample parking based on the actual anticipated level of demand among hotel users.

The conversation about parking at City Beach should focus on how best to manage demand, maintain infrastructure, and ensure fair access for residents and visitors alike. A paid parking system, with provisions to protect local access, is a reasonable and responsible approach to achieving those goals.

The city of Sandpoint welcomes public feedback on this proposal and encourages residents to engage in discussions based on facts, not fear. The future of City Beach depends on sustainable, well-planned solutions, not just maintaining the status quo.

Jason Welker is Planning and Community Development director for the city of Sandpoint.

January 23, 2025 / R / 11

FEATURE

Cancer sticks, racism and hostage situations The fall of famous advertising characters

By Soncirey Mitchell Reader Staff At our weekly Reader editorial meeting, Publisher Ben Olson asked — as he often does — if we had any “fun” stories to give our readers a break. I, young and naive, thought it would be fun to explore defunct advertising characters. Surely, the ridiculous marketing gimmicks would be good for a few laughs.

Reader, I made a mistake.

The following is a series of depressing stories about recognizable characters, the horrors that spawned them and the havoc they wreaked, ending with a somewhat funny story. It’s the best I could do.

Cuddly buddies Companies have had to shove many furry — and slimy — friends out of the spotlight for working a little too well on certain future clientele. The trend began in earnest with the creation of Old Joe Camel, spokesanimal for Camel Cigarettes, who represented R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company from 1988 to 1997.

The hyper-masculine ungulate was based in part on Sean Connery’s James Bond, and often sported a tuxedo and had sports cars, bombshells or fighter jets waiting in the background — not to mention the phallic design of his nose.

Joe didn’t just radiate machismo, his hip design — frequently accented by the words “smooth character” — and fluffy face proved incredibly appealing for kids.

In 1991, the Journal of the American Medical Association published an experiment documenting brand recognition in kids ages 3 to 6 years old. The results showed, “Approximately 30% of 3-yearold children correctly matched Old Joe with a picture of a cigarette compared with 91.3% of 6-year-old children.”

Those numbers were only rivaled by kids’ ability to match Mickey Mouse with the Disney logo.

Because children can’t be expected to understand the consequences of smoking, the Federal Trade Commission eventually ruled that the ads were “unfair” under Section 5 of the FTC Act, which prohibits ‘‘unfair or deceptive acts or practices in or affecting commerce.”

RJR pulled the campaign, creating a precedent that led to the downfall of 12 / R / January 23, 2025

The Noid, above; the Taco Bell Chihuahua, above right; and Joe Camel, right. Courtesy images.

Budweiser’s frogs and spokesdog Spuds MacKenzie. Before they went the way of the dodo, the Center on Alcohol Advertising determined that Bay Area kids ages 9 to 11 could more reliably identify the frogs than Ronald McDonald or Smokey Bear. Understandable, considering Budweiser’s commercials were spearheaded by Gore Verbinski, who went on to direct the original Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy.

It’s more racist than you think When companies started rebranding Aunt Jemima’s pancakes and Uncle Ben’s rice, shifting away from the stereotypical Black characters that had been the faces of the brands for decades, many people called it “nitpicking.” Comedian Dave Chappelle even dedicated a Saturday Night Live skit to the subject.

From a modern perspective, the marketing seemed innocuous enough — especially to the consumers who thought Jemima and Ben were real people — but that’s because our cultural understanding of the racist symbolism underpinning the characters has been largely lost.

Jemima and Ben both represent the post-Civil War, Jim Crow South reimagining of history by embodying the trope of the “happy slave” who lived to serve. At the time, consumers would have easily recognized the terms “aunt” and “uncle” as the honorifics used for elderly enslaved people in place of “mister” or “mistress,” as in Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin.

The Pearl Milling Company created Aunt Jemima’s pancake mix in 1888, emphasizing its self-described “plantation flavor” and pairing it with fictional tales of Jemima’s loyalty to her

slaver and her escapades while fighting against the Union Army.

If that weren’t gross enough, the brand added paper (and later cloth) dolls to the packaging in the 1890s so that kids could cut out images of Jemima and her family dressed in ragged clothing, parading around barefoot.

Buying a matching bag provided better clothing, supposedly showing snapshots of the family before and after Jemima sold the pancake recipe. This campaign continued into the 1970s.

As time passed, racist Mexican caricatures like the Frito Bandito and the Taco Bell Chihuahua became more popular and used similar cultural references to belittle Latinx and Hispanic historical figures. The chihuahua — real name Gidget — often sported Argentine revolutionary Che Guevara’s beret while the Bandito’s sombrero and holsters were clearly styled after Mexican revolutionary Pancho Villa.

Though Frito-Lay didn’t care that the Bandito — who spoke broken English and had a gold tooth and disheveled appearance — was offensive to Mexican people, they did take his pistols away in 1968 out of respect for Robert F. Kennedy’s assassination.

How compassionate.

OK, that’s kind of funny Sometimes, even the most ridiculous characters — with no basis in reality — are still doomed to fail. In the ’80s, Domino’s launched “The Noid,” a supervillain with bunny ears that embodied every setback drivers faced while attempting to deliver pizza.

The slogan, “Avoid the Noid,” told customers that Domino’s drivers could get pizzas to their destinations in fewer than 30 minutes.

The name was too much of a coincidence for Kenneth Lamar Noid, a man with an undisclosed mental illness, who believed the campaign was targeting him. In 1989, Noid entered a Georgia Domino’s and held two employees at gunpoint, ransoming them for $100,000 and a limousine.

Noid kept the employees prisoner for more than five hours while negotiators worked toward their safe release.

He eventually offered to exchange a hostage for a copy of Robert Anton Wilson’s The Widow’s Son — a satirical science fiction story about the Illuminati, among other conspiracies — but later refused the trade.

When he eventually got hungry, Noid forced the employees to make him two pizzas, which he put down his gun to eat. The hostages seized the opportunity and fled, and Noid was later arrested; tried for kidnapping, aggravated assault, extortion and firearm possession charges; and found not guilty by reason of insanity.

It’s unclear if Noid was ever able to read The Widow’s Son, but given that Wilson died before completing the series, he would have been disappointed either way.

PERSPECTIVES

Shaping the future of North Idaho’s ‘Great Lakes’

By Jennifer Ekstrom Reader Contributor The “Great Lakes” of North Idaho are no secret. For decades, people have flocked to our sparkling waters from urban centers near and far, drawn by the promise of recreational renewal, vacation homes, and a quieter place to raise families or retire. The COVID-19 pandemic amplified this trend, bringing an influx of newcomers seeking refuge and a fresh start. Now, with wildfire devastating Los Angeles and displacing thousands, it’s likely that more will look to our abundant landscapes and fresh water to rebuild their lives and their next version of the American dream.

While it’s the right thing to do to welcome others to our little corner of paradise, it’s crucial to consider the challenges that growth brings.

Unchecked development can strain resources, degrade water quality, and compromise the beauty and serenity that make North Idaho so special.

Fortunately, Bonner County’s volunteer Planning Commission is working diligently to address these issues. They are finalizing the Land Use chapter of the Comprehensive Plan, a blueprint that will guide growth and development over the next 10 to 20 years.

The Comprehensive Plan: A vision for the future The Comprehensive Plan lays the foundation for updating county codes, ensuring responsible development and safeguarding our most cherished natural assets: Lake Pend Oreille; Priest Lake; and the rivers, streams and wetlands that sustain them. The Land Use chapter, currently under review, is a critical piece of this effort.

An interactive online map accompanies the chapter, allowing residents to see proposed changes to land use designations in their neighborhoods.

The map highlights new areas where high-density housing and commercial districts may be allowed along shorelines, which bring additional pollution from lawns, road and parking lot runoff, excavation and wastewater. It also highlights areas where larger parcel sizes will be retained.

People can engage and submit comments directly through the map, and can access it by searching for “Bonner County Comprehensive Plan Land Use Map” online.

Safeguarding our ‘Great Lakes’ The Idaho Conservation League has concerns about proposed changes that could impact shorelines and water. Specifically, we advocate for retaining land use designations that require larger parcels along water bodies like Priest Lake, Lake Pend Oreille and Cocolalla Lake. Designating new areas as “Recreational Resort Communities” — which allows for high-density development and commercial centers — could jeopardize water quality and the rural character of these beloved areas.

Recreational Resort Community designations are most appropriate where activities already revolve around marinas, golf courses and ski areas.

Applying this designation broadly to rural shorelines risks eroding the very qualities that draw people here.

Strengthening protections for water and land To ensure sustainable growth, the Comprehensive Plan should incorporate stronger protections for water and land.

• Require urban sewer and drinking water systems: Suburban Residential, Neighborhood Commercial and Recreational Resort Community designations should mandate urban sewer and water systems. The updated language, which merely calls for “adequate water and sewer services,” is vague and less protective than previous standards.

• Implement engineering design standards for steep hillsides: For Recreational Resort Communities above 3,000 feet, where steep slopes increase erosion and water pollution risks, protective design standards are essential. This requirement was part of the previous plan but is absent from the updated version.

• Secure health district approval for sewage disposal: The Public Facilities section should emphasize the need for Panhandle Health District approval before granting zone changes allowing higher-density or subdivision approvals. This step is critical to preventing contamination of waterways.

• Provide incentives for conservation easements and open space: The Land Use Plan should encourage preservation of environmentally sensitive areas through voluntary conservation easements, land trusts and other tools, to preserve open space, wetlands, floodplains, stream corridors and critical wildlife habitat.

Get involved: Workshops and public comment Bonner County is hosting a series of workshops to educate the community and gather input. These events are excellent opportunities to learn more and share your thoughts:

Lake, Coolin (5310 Dickensheet Road), 3-7 p.m.; • Tuesday, Feb. 11 — Bonner County Admin Building, Sandpoint (1500 Hwy 2), 3-7 p.m.

People can also submit comments to planning@bonnercountyid.gov. The deadline for public input is Saturday, Feb. 15, so now is the time to contribute to a vision that balances growth with the preservation of our region’s water quality, natural beauty, and quality of life.

The future of North Idaho’s “Great Lakes” depends on all of us. Growth is inevitable, but its impacts can be managed with thoughtful planning and community involvement. By working together, we can ensure that our lakes, rivers, streams and wetlands remain vibrant and our quality of life remains high. Let’s embrace the opportunity to protect what makes our home so extraordinary.

Jennifer Ekstrom is North Idaho director for the Idaho Conservation League.

• Tuesday, Jan. 28 — Clark Fork Junior/Senior High School (502 North Main), 3-7 p.m.; • Tuesday, Feb. 4 — Inn at Priest

Sunshine on Cedar hosts Lunar New Year celebration

By Reader Staff Sunshine on Cedar, the local Hawaiian wine and beer hangout located on the second floor of the Cedar Street Bridge, will host its first-ever Lunar New Year celebration from 11 a.m.-6 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 29.

It’s the Year of the Snake in 2025, and the event promises to bring festive cheer — the island way — to the heart of Sandpoint.

The Lunar New Year is a global celebration meant to bring happiness, prosperity and good health to all who participate.

Sunshine on Cedar’s celebration

will coincide with weekly Wednesday Grinds day, so patrons will be able to enjoy some good luck food specials along with usual fare and traditional good luck treats.

“Kung Hee Fat Choy (“Happy New Year”) from all of us at Sunshine on Cedar,” said owner Damon Eder. “We’re bringing the melting pot traditions of Hawaii and the spirit of celebration to Sandpoint and we can’t wait to share it with you.”

January 23, 2025 / R / 13

COMMUNITY

Love abounds

By Ben Olson Reader Staff About five years ago, Donna Price saw a group in Coeur d’Alene creating Valentine’s cards for their local veterans. Price decided to participate and brought her creations down, later thinking, “Why can’t we do that in Bonner County?”

The following year, she launched Valentine’s for Seniors, an event in which community members made Valentine’s that Price then collected and distributed to local senior centers.

From the first year, Price was pleased to see a high level of participation.

“I called our local Sandpoint Senior Center and asked them if they thought it was a good idea,” Price told the Reader.

“This was during COVID and they were delivering a lot of meals to seniors who couldn’t leave their homes.”

Price asked Sandpoint Area Seniors Inc. how many cards they would need to ensure every senior would receive one.

“They said 250 cards, which I knew I couldn’t make that many by myself in a month,” Price said. “That’s when I reached out to the community.”

Thanks to word of mouth, a few articles in local publications and even a hit on Spokane broadcast news, Price exceeded her goal quickly, pulling in more than 900 cards the first year.

In the years after, she expanded the program to include other facilities.

“I started calling around to see who else could take cards,” she said.

“There are assisted living centers, senior apartments. Each year it grows.”

Today, Price collects and distrib-

14 / R / January 23, 2025

utes Valentine’s cards all over Bonner County, as far east as Clark Fork and as far west as Blanchard. Also, along with community members creating cards, Price now has the support of multiple schools across the county where art teachers have enlisted students to create cards for the program as part of their curriculum.

“We’ve worked with a lot of schools and teachers,” she said. “We have Washington, Farmin-Stidwell, Hope and Priest River elementary schools. Sandpoint High produces about 300-400 cards a year. Priest River High and Junior High School also. Waldorf School. The Church of Nazarene. Even PSNI [Panhandle Special Needs Inc.] is helping to make cards and pictures.”

Those wishing to participate can either hand-make or purchase Valentine’s cards, which they can sign personally or leave anonymous before depositing into donation baskets spread throughout the county. If the cards come in envelopes, Price asks that they be left unsealed so facilities can help organize the cards before distribution.

Price will collect the cards on Friday, Feb. 7 and share them with local seniors to bring a few smiles to their faces.

Dropoff locations include: • Sagle — Buckin’ Beans, Fry Creek Animal Clinic and Pierce Auto; • Sandpoint — T. Zinke Art Studio, Finan McDonald, Eve’s Leaves, Sharon’s Hallmark, Creations for Sandpoint, Panhandle Cone and Coffee, Evans Brothers Coffee, Sanctuary Seconds, Miller’s Country Store, Scotchman’s Coffee, Sandpoint Super

Valentine’s for Seniors program celebrates five years of sharing love Drug and Missi Balison Fitness; • Ponderay — Cafe 95, Hoot Owl Cafe and Great Clips; • Priest River — Jo Mamas Bakery, Infinity Cafe and Greenhouse Coffee Co.; • Westmond/Cocolalla — Cupcake Baker Coffee Co. and the View Cafe.

Price said she continues to spearhead the program because it has given as much back to her as she has given to it.

“It hit me that first year when I was out delivering cards,” Price said.

“It was during COVID. Everyone was shut down. There was one facility in Spirit Lake that was so isolated. I went in there and ... seeing the smiles on people’s faces when they found out what they were receiving, it was really something. It was a place for people with dementia, Alzheimer’s or in hospice care.

“I left in tears and realized that for some of these folks, it was their last Valentine’s Day,” she added. “Even for 30 seconds, for that glimmer of a smile, they knew that they weren’t

Courtesy photo forgotten. That’s what has inspired me to continue doing this. They saw that we still care about them. They’re not on their own.”

For more info, contact Donna Price at iamprob@gmail.com.

COMMUNITY High school honors students raising funds for NYC Model U.N. conference

By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff Students in the honors International Relations class at Sandpoint High School are gearing up to attend the National High School Model U.N. conference in New York in March, and will hold a fundraiser dinner and silent auction to help cover the costs.

Tickets are now on sale to attend the event, which is set for Saturday, Feb. 1, beginning at 5 p.m. at Marigold Bistro (414 Church St.). It costs $55 to attend, with tickets available at bit.ly/3E0Txlh.

Twenty students will go on the trip from March 10-15, along with teacher Conor Baranski and two chaperones, where groups will represent Switzerland and Bangladesh at the conference.

Participating students were given the choice of which committees they wanted to serve on and, once assigned, given topics to research. Examples

include implementing biotechnology for disease and pest control, utilizing space technology for sustainable development, and how to ensure the safety of journalists and peacekeepers in conflict zones.

“The New York Model U.N. conference would be a fun way to learn about global issues, meet new people and build my skills in public speaking and collaborating,” said student Jetta Thaete.

The event on Feb. 1 will feature live music and a presentation about the trip, with child care and arts and crafts provided. Items in the silent auction include a snowboard, restaurant gift certificates, baskets containing pet items and Italian dinner supplies, pieces by local artists, two grand finale tickets to the Festival at Sandpoint, Sandpoint Cinema tickets and more.

The class has been working hard to raise funds for the trip, including raffling off a Subaru that was given at the Battle for the Paddle event on Jan.

17, and hosting 50/50 raffles and running concessions at basketball games.

Students and their families have also contributed, as has the Sandpoint Rotary Club, which took in a presentation from the class.

“I’m excited to get the opportunity to travel and get to be a part of the world’s largest Model U.N. conference,” said student Brooke Brown.

“I’m looking forward to exploring one

of the most culturally significant cities in the United States.”

“It’s not often that a kid from a rural town like Sandpoint gets to go to one of the most well-known cities in the world,” said student Houston Cordle. “I am also excited to get to see how world problems are solved in the actual setting they are solved at, and to be included in the solution making.”

Find support for your loved one’s mental health journey

By Reader Staff Area residents who are supporting a loved one living with a mental health challenge can receive some support themselves from the National Alliance on Mental Illness, which is offering its free four-week Family to Family program starting Monday, Feb. 10.

Taught by NAMI-trained and experienced facilitators, attendees can participate in the program online or

in-person at the Community Resource EnVision Center (130 McGhee Road, Ste. 220, in Ponderay).

“This life-changing course provides a supportive space to gain insights in current mental health research, learn coping strategies from experts and connect with others on a similar journey,” NAMI organizers stated.

Call 208-290-1768 or email info@ namifarnorth.org before Saturday, Feb. 1 to reserve a spot.

Waldorf School invites community to ‘Walk Through the Grades’

By Reader Staff The Sandpoint Waldorf School will host its “Walk Through the Grades” events, offering members of the community an opportunity to observe a day in the life of Waldorf students. The in-session school tours will take place on Wednesday, Jan. 29 and Wednesday, Feb. 12 from 8:15-10:10 a.m.

“Walk Through the Grades” events give parents, guardians and community members the opportunity to experience firsthand the “holistic, experiential” education that characterizes the Waldorf approach. Attendees will have the chance to visit classrooms spanning

first- through eighth-grade, observing how students engage in a curriculum designed to foster intellectual, artistic and practical skills.

“The Sandpoint Waldorf School is committed to providing an education that nurtures the whole child — head, heart and hands,” school administrators stated in an event announcement.

“This event offers a glimpse into how a Waldorf education inspires creativity, critical thinking and a lifelong love of learning.”

Space is limited for “Walk Through the Grades,” and an RSVP is required.

Reserve a spot by emailing Katie Frost at kfrost@sandpointwaldorf.org.

January 23, 2025 / R / 15

FEATURE

‘The lessons that wilderness can teach us’

Friends of Scotchman Peaks Wilderness celebrates 20 years advocating for our landscapes

By Ben Olson Reader Staff Phil Hough can pinpoint exactly when he fell in love with the wilderness.

He remembers paddling down the Allagash River in a canoe in the heart of the north woods of Maine with his father in 1970. It was around that moment that his lifelong fascination with the great outdoors was born. It was also the start of a career spent advocating for the preservation of wild spaces.

“The Allagash River is one of the original rivers put into the Wild Scenic River Act passed in 1968,” Hough told the Reader. “By 1970, when we did our canoe trip, it had been in the system for two years. ... It was on that trip that I really gained a fascination for being outside, for going days without seeing people, sleeping under the stars, going through rapids, learning skills to survive in conditions we aren’t normally faced with. The lessons that wilderness can teach us.”

When returning to school after summer vacation, Hough said he told way better stories of his adventures than his friends visiting Cape Cod or watching a Red Sox game. He was hooked.

Fast forward to early 2005 in North Idaho, Hough and a key group of forest advocates were in the process of founding a wilderness advocacy organization that aimed to achieve a wilderness designation for the 88,000-acre roadless area along the Idaho-Montana border known collectively as Scotchman Peaks.

Hough and others were eager to see that land set aside to guarantee that future generations retained the ability to hike into the mountains and experience life without the influence of humanity’s hand. Not wanting to align too closely with Idaho or Montana interests, the group hoped to advocate for wilderness across the spectrum of the forest area that occupies both states. They decided on a name: the Friends of Scotchman Peaks Wilderness.

This week marks the official 20th anniversary of the nonprofit’s founding. As the executive director, Hough can attest to the amount of work the organization has accomplished in 20 years — as well as the tasks they still have ahead of them.

In the early days of FSPW, members and volunteers were local advocates for healthy forests that stayed 16 / R / January 23, 2025

wild. They were spread out from the outcome.

North Idaho to western Montana, “We learned more about how to but no matter the zip code, their make friends with unusual allies, how goals were the same: protection and to defuse tensions and how to have thoughtful stewardship. honest conversations with different There are a lot of factors that go stakeholders,” he said. “After meeting into forest planning and usage desigwith timber guys, mining guys and the nation — more than can be adequately rest, we found that we shared comsummarized — suffice it to say, it’s mon interests. We all had a love for a long, arduous process trying to get the land. ... Ultimately, we discovered Congress to do anything, let alone we’re all after the same thing. It was designate land for particular uses. refreshing that so many of these people FSPW was slowly chipping away appreciate having these wild lands in at the edifice, attempting to place the their backyards.” right bill before the right senators’ While Hough accepted the outcome eyes, but progress was slow until 2018, of the advisory vote, he also acknowlwhen Idaho Sen. Jim Risch said he’d edged that it might not have been the support the outcome of an advisory most accurate gauge of where the pubvote from Bonner lic falls on the issue.

County on wheth“Sen. Risch’s er residents wanted office told us they’d Scotchman Peaks to received texts, letters achieve wilderness and calls of support status or not. more than those The issue made opposing by about the 2018 primary a six to one factor,” ballot, when voters Hough said. “What across Bonner County we learned after that voted 5,672 to 4,831 was, going forward, — Phil Hough against the proposal we need to have a executive director, FSPW to establish 13,960 congressman and/or acres (about a third senator who chamof the entire area) as pions the bill, who wilderness in the Idaho Panhandle. actually gets behind it.”

While the outcome was a blow Looking ahead, Hough is excited for Hough and FSPW supporters, he about the Idaho Panhandle Pubattempted to look at the bright side of lic Lands Initiative, a newly formed

“Advocacy work takes a long time.

Stewardship lasts forever.”

Phil Hough and Deb Hunsicker atop Scotchman Peak in early 2005. Courtesy photo collaborative group that aims to bring together disparate interests to advocate for federal legislation that enhances forest management and conservation.

“It’s a breakthrough opportunity,” he said of the initiative’s goal.

Reflecting on 20 years, however, Hough can’t help but acknowledge there is still a lot left to do.

“I’m looking down the road and what we’re seeing right now is a generational shift,” he said. “The individuals I’ve worked with, the mentors and the people in the wilderness movement who came of age in the ’60s, ’70s, ’80s and ’90s, they’ve largely moved on. So one thing we’re paying close attention to in the next few years is setting up the organization for success and succession.”

Hough said he attended a national conference last year and was pleasantly surprised to see most of the 50 people in the room were under 40 years old.

“We’re building for the future,” he said. “We’re hiring younger staff members, building endowment funds and passing the torch. Advocacy work takes a long time. Stewardship lasts forever.”

To learn more about Friends of Scotchman Peaks Wilderness, visit scotchmanpeaks.org.

PERSPECTIVES

dumb of the week scism!

Now with more

By Ben Olson Reader Staff There’s a lot to cover this week in the land of the Dumb, so let’s try to keep up.

Last week, before the convicted felon and sexual abuser Donald Trump was inaugurated to the highest office in the land, he peddled a meme coin, which is a functionally worthless asset that trades on speculation and hype.

Most crypto meme coins are an elaborate Ponzi scheme, redistributing wealth from stupid, greedy people to rich, stupid, greedy people. They’ve become famous for scams known as “rug pulls,” in which the developers run up the price and quickly cash out, leaving everyone who bought in after them with next-to-worthless assets (some might remember in the annals of Dumb, the “Hawk Tuah” influencer was recently sued over her own meme coin, which briefly soared to a half-billion-dollar market cap before falling 90%).

Trump’s meme coin (called $Trump) began trading at nearly $6.50 per token and soared to a peak of $72.62 before falling to $30 by inauguration day. Since Trump himself owns 80% of the coin’s supply (a big red flag for crypto investors), his net worth climbed more in one day than many S&P 500 companies have amassed in decades of doing business.

Not to be outdone, first lady Melania Trump launched her own meme coin, $Melania, on the eve of the inauguration, though the coin’s value has dropped 50% since it launched.

According to CoinMarketCap, $Trump had a total market valuation of around $8.42 billion while $Melania’s stands at about $660 million. Both coins, it’s worth noting, have disclaimers on their

websites that proclaim the coins are, “not intended to be, or the subject of” an investment opportunity or a security.

Also before the inauguration, after months of Trump calling for a ban on TikTok because of data privacy concerns, the Republican-led Congress voted to block the social media app and the right-leaning U.S. Supreme Court upheld the move. TikTok voluntarily shut down service in the U.S. for... less than a day. In a fawning message posted Jan. 19, the company shared that it was in the process of reinstating access after dear leader Trump vowed to pause the ban by executive order on his first day of office. Shortly after, all of Trump’s minions reversed their positions from dunking on TikTok to saying Trump was a Gen Z superstar because he brought back the app.

For those keeping score at home, this is like taking a ball from a toddler, then giving it back to said toddler just so the toddler thinks you’re a hero.

Hours before the inauguration, the Trump team announced it would be holding the historic event inside due to cold weather, leaving thousands of Trump supporters to complain on social media that their inauguration tickets would not be refunded because they were considered “commemorative.” So the people who voted for Trump because they couldn’t afford the price of eggs are pissed because they got scammed out of thousands of dollars it cost to travel to and attend his inauguration. Got it.

Moving on. After a fire-andbrimstone inauguration speech, Trump began his term by signing an executive order rescinding former-President Joe Biden’s executive order to lower prescription drug costs for Americans, which,

fa

among other things, capped the price of insulin at $35 per month.

Imagine explaining that to your MAGA grandma: “No Nana, you’re now paying $1,500 a month for insulin instead of $35 because it’s more patriotic.”

It’s worth noting that it costs about $2 to $4 to produce a vial of insulin.

Next, Trump achieved the garbage human hat trick by pardoning about 1,500 criminal defendants charged in the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. This includes rioters who assaulted law enforcement officers. This includes rioters who broke windows and beat Capitol Police with hockey sticks, flag poles and various melee weapons. This includes insurrectionists who smeared shit on the walls of the Capitol, who ransacked congressional offices and erected a scaffold to hang then-Vice President Mike Pence. Trump also commuted the sentences of 14 of his supporters in connection with the insurrection, which includes individuals associated with the extremist Proud Boys and Oath Keepers groups who were convicted of seditious conspiracy.

Finally, Trump’s new best pal Elon Musk performed an actual no-bullshit Nazi salute during a speech celebrating Trump’s inauguration. Twice.

The corporate media attempted to frame the salute as an “awkward” attempt at a Roman salute, but anyone in doubt should just watch the video and decide for themselves. Musk himself lol’d at the insinuation that he, of all people, would give a Nazi salute, writing, “Frankly, they need better dirty tricks. The ‘everyone is Hitler’ attack is sooo tired.”

OK, that’s enough. Time to take a shower.

Are we great again yet?

January 23, 2025 / R / 17

events

Send event listings to calendar@sandpointreader.com THURSDAY, january 23

Studio 1’s Jazzy Nutcracker 5:30 & 7pm @ Panida Theater Jazzy tapping and acrobatic performance with lovely touches of ballet throughout. $25 adults, $15 children

Paint and Sip 5:30-8pm @ Barrel 33 Learn how to paint a beautiful masterpiece. $45 includes instruction, supplies and your first beverage

Live Music w/ Thomas Mudrick 9-11pm @ 219 Lounge Unique one-man band playing psych rock that gets you dancing. See the full story on Page 21 Live Music w/ Justin Lantrip 6-8pm @ Idaho Pour Authority Live Music w/ Mason Van Stone 6-8pm @ Baxter’s on Cedar

Live Music w/ Bruiser 8:45pm @ The Hive Dynamic dance and party band. $5

FriDAY, january 24

Live Music w/ Suspicious PKG 5pm @ Connie’s Lounge Live Music w/ Heat Speak Trio 5-8pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery

January 23-30, 2024

Cribbage Night (double elimination) 6pm @ Connie’s Lounge ($5 entry)

Macrame Air Plant Hanger workshop 5:30-7:30pm @ Barrel 33 Make your own hanger for air plants. $45. Book your spot on their website Live Music w/ Holly and Michael Duo 6:30-9:30pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall Live Music w/ Ken Mayginnes 6-9pm @ 1908 Saloon

SATURDAY, january 25 Live Music w/ AP Collective 5-8pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery Favorites from the 1980s and ’90s Live Music w/ Courtney & Co. 6pm @ Connie’s Lounge A wide range of pop music Live Music w/ Strangerers 9pm @ 219 Lounge Classick rock riffs w/ delta blues vibes Mug Club Party / Brendan Kelty Trio 6-8pm @ Idaho Pour Authority Live music and beer. What could possibly go wrong?

Live Music w/ Mike Wagoner 5:30-8:30pm @ Barrel 33 Sandpoint Chess Club 9am @ Evans Brothers Coffee Meets every Sunday at 9am

$5 Movie: Hundreds of Beavers 1 & 6pm @ Panida Theater Slapstick epic about a frostbitten battle between Jean Kayak and diabolical beavers who stand between him and love. See the story on Page 19 Live Music w/ Austin Miller (full band) 8:30pm @ The Hive Classic country roots and modern country sound with rock influences.

Line dancing lessons at 7:30pm ($10) Show entry $5 Live Music w/ Kevin Dorin 6-8pm @ Baxter’s on Cedar

SunDAY, january 26

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

Live Music w/ Fiddlin’ Red 1-4pm @ Barrel 33

monDAY, january 27

Maple Tapping Workshop 10-11am @ Bonner Co. Extension Office A class on tapping maple trees. To register, call 208-263-8511 or write to bonner@uidaho.edu Singing for Science (live music) 2-4pm @ Create Art Center, Newport Feat. local band Easy Love. A fundraiser for Selkirk Alliance for Science.

Donations accepted, but show is free

Monday Night Blues Jam w/ John Firshi 7pm @ Eichardt’s Pub Pool Tournament ($10 entry fee) 6pm @ Connie’s Lounge

Outdoor Experience Group Run 6pm @ Outdoor Experience 3-5 miles, all levels welcome

Live Piano w/ David Speight 5-7pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery Contemporary, improv and classics

Collage Night at Woods Wheatcroft Studio Gallery 5:30-8pm @ Woods Wheatcroft Studio Gallery, 104 S. Second Ave. $20 drop in and get your creative juices flowing with some fun peeps

Live Music w/ John Firshi 5-7pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery Acoustic guitar aficionado

Trivia with host Alaina 6-8pm @ Idaho Pour Authority

tuesDAY, january 28

wednesDAY, january 29

Live Trivia ($5 per person) 7pm @ Connie’s Lounge

ThursDAY, january 30

Truffle Making Party • 4-6 or 6-8pm @ Sandpoint Chocolate Tour Sandpoint Chocolate Factory, snack on hors d’oeuvres and sip champagne/beer/wine before donning your aprons and learning to make truffles, chocolate bars and chocolate dipped strawberries. You’ll go home with $100 worth of chocolate for $75 fee. 208-304-3591 to RSVP 18 / R / January 23, 2025

Winter READY! For Kindergarten Parent Workshop 10am @ Farmin Stidwell Elementary 90-min workshop for parents of kids 0-5 to learn how to teach your child the important skills they need to be successful, happy learners who are ready for school. ReadySandpoint.org Winter Trails Day Complimentary Nordic fees at Schweitzer

Cribbage Night (double elimination) 6pm @ Connie’s Lounge ($5 entry)

COMMUNITY

Winter hiking in the Scotchmans

By Reader Staff Hiking season doesn’t have to end once the snow starts falling. Despite the low snow down low, the local mountain snowpack is looking strong. The winter hike series from the Friends of Scotchman Peaks Wilderness is also underway, offering free guided hikes on trails in the Scotchmans.

“Winter hiking and snowshoeing are perfect ways to see another side of our wild backyard,” FSPW stated in a news release. “These options are more affordable and accessible than a day at the ski resort. Plus, you can avoid the crowds.”

“It definitely feels different than hiking because of the elements, but it’s also exciting to get out there in

the peace and quiet,” said Rebecca Sanchez, a FSPW supporter who got into snowshoeing as an opportunity to extend the hiking season.

FSPW are offering a number of family-friendly hikes this winter, including a Hiking with Kids presentation, followed by a short trek up Munson Creek, near Thompson Falls, Mont., on Saturday, Jan. 25. For those looking for more of a challenge, mark your calendars and sign-up for a snowshoe expedition to the top of Star Peak on Sunday, March 16. Meanwhile, join FSPW for a hike through the Ross Creek Cedars on Saturday, Feb. 22 or Saturday, March 22.

All hikes are led by knowledgeable and experienced volunteers who have

a passion for helping people discover their wild backyard.

“I lead hikes for FSPW as my way to help others get out into this amazing wilderness for the first time or the 100th time,” stated Libby, Mont. resident Jamilee Scheiwe, who is a longtime volunteer for the winter hike program. “Getting to see a fellow hiker experience a new area, new trail or just a new season is the most rewarding thing,” Sign up for a hike at scotchmanpeaks.org/hikes-events-schedule and check for updates as new hikes are added.

A group of winter hikers trek up to Star Peak in the snow. Photo by Rebecca Sanchez

Instant classic Hundreds of Beavers to screen as $5 movie at the Panida

By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff When director/ co-writer Mike Cheslik gave an interview to the Associated Press about his black-and-white, mostly silent slapstick comedy Hundreds of Beavers last year, he said, “When we were shooting, I kept thinking: ‘It would be so stupid if this got mythologized.’”

That’s exactly what’s happened since the film debuted in a series of “carnivalesque” screenings in 2022.

Despite lacking widespread theater release, a budget of $150,000 and a shooting schedule of 12 weeks, Hundreds of Beavers won 20 U.S. and international awards — and gathered 20 nominations — in 2023 and has been described as “a fun machine” by rogerebert.com, which gave the film four enthusiastic stars.

Another description might be “live-action Loony Tunes,” focused on the story of hapless applejack salesman Jean Kayak (co-writer Ryland Tews),

who has serious beef with some beavers and battles them in the frozen woods of the 19th-century Great Lakes region.

The action escalates with increasing absurdity, zany characters and frenetic energy, employing trippy “special effects” that are enhanced by their lo-fi nature.

The beavers are obviously played by humans in googly-eyed beaver suits, elements of the scenery that are meant to be huge are obviously miniatures, and the movements of the actors are dramatic and at times herky-jerky in the style of the silent films of the 1920s.

Sandpoint area audiences will have the opportunity to see what critics have compared to latter-day Monty Python and “a triumph of big imagination” when it comes to the Panida Theater as a $5 movie on Saturday, Jan. 25, with screenings at 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. Doors open 30 minutes before the showings. Get tickets at panida.org or at the door (300 N. First Ave.).

January 23, 2025 / R / 19

FOOD

The Sandpoint Eater

A great date

By Marcia Pilgeram Reader Columnist I’ve had some great dates; some of the most memorable were in Niles, a suburb of Chicago. In my private cheftrain days, I spent much time in Chicago, preparing the private trains for charters. Still, it wasn’t until daughter Casey moved to Chicago and started dating her Egyptian boyfriend-now-husband John that I discovered the date mecca of Chicago, introduced to me by her future mother-in-law Mirfat: Jerry’s Fruit and Garden.

Jerry’s has existed for almost 50 years and the market caters to the demand for multi-ethnic ingredients.

Niles isn’t too far from Chicago O’Hare International Airport, and it will come as no surprise that more than once (particularly around the holidays), I planned my flight home around Jerry’s store hours. On my way to the airport, I’d stop and fill a suitcase (or two) with edible treasures, such as white asparagus, baby artichokes, exotic peppers and fresh dates. I have always been a big fan of dates. I love them as a quick snack and a favorite ingredient for baking sweets or savory appetizers.

Jerry’s was a date haven, where mounds of loose Medjool, Halawi, Khadrawy, Thoory and Deglet Noor cultivars were piled high in artful displays. There was also an entire aisle dedicated to packaged dates. One year, early in my discovery of Jerry’s, I couldn’t resist the imported dates packaged in ornate redand-gold boxes. I loaded up on these, a tasteful and unique Christmas gift for friends and family alike.

20 / R / January 23, 2025

That was the year I learned that none of my progeny is particularly fond of dates. My good friend Mary was the only person who was smitten with my haul. We powered through a few of those fancy boxes and, lucky for me, dates have a long shelf life.

Last year, I wandered through the vast halls of the Spice Bazaar in Istanbul and discovered even more varieties, primarily of Iranian and Iraqi origin, that you won’t find grown in the U.S. Like our beloved huckleberries, some date cultivars, such as Sayer, Rabbi and Piarom, do not grow well away from their motherland and mountainous homes. Thus, their limited production makes them some of the most expensive varieties in the world. I was in heav-

en sampling these sweet and sticky delicacies.

Closer to home, you can fill all your date desires in Southern California, which is the central production region of Medjool and Deglet Noor dates in the U.S. The Medjool is the most delicious for a quick nosh, while the less expensive Deglet Noor is more versatile, and best for baking.

If you’ve ever driven through the Coachella Valley — the “date capital of the U.S” — chances are you’ve indulged in a much-hyped date shake, the perfect cool treat on a hot day.

A recent discovery is the butter-filled Medjool date, finished with a sprinkling of sea salt flakes (even daughter Ryanne had heard about these, though she’s still loath to try

them). I first saw this style of date preparation on Instagram (after it went viral on TikTok) and had to give it a go.

I split and seeded the dates, added a scant teaspoon of soft Kerrygold butter, and finished with a slight dusting of Maldon smoked sea salt flakes.

They were a lovely complement to my cheese board and quite tasty when served alongside a freshly baked, crisp sourdough loaf. If you try them, you might agree that they’re also quite addictive.

Stuffed, pitted or pulverized, dates are so good! And so good for us, too. They’re high in potassium and fiber, and contain vitamins, protein and minerals. They do have a high sugar content, but still, it’s natural sugar.

There are myriad ways

to use dates — as endless as your imagination. You can enjoy them fresh or dried, stuffed with all kinds of delicious fillings, cooked into a paste, or glazed with chocolate or honey.

They’re the oldest recorded fruit in history, and remain (despite my children) very popular with plenty of people.

I know someone besides me is eating them because the annual world production is about 9 million tons.

Aside from a snacking stash in my pocket, my preferred way to enjoy dates is stuffing them with cheese, encasing them in bacon, and cooking until they’re nice and crispy. Give them a try. Who can resist the thought of a great date?

Bacon-wrapped stuffed dates

The options with this easy, crowd-pleasing appetizer are endless, depending on your personal palate. Substitute Boursin for plain goat cheese or half Parmesan. Mix red pepper flakes or finely chopped pecans to the cheese before stuffing, or add a whole roasted almond before wrapping in bacon. Yield — 2 ½ to 3 dozen — will vary, depending on the size of the dates. I often make 3-4 batches and carefully wrap and freeze the extra, uncooked (thaw before cooking).

INGREDIENTS: • 1 pound bacon strips, cut in half, lengthwise • 5.2 ounce container Boursin cheese • 28-32 dates, pitted • Toothpicks

DIRECTIONS: Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with heavy duty foil or parchment paper, set aside.

Cut long slits into the side of the date and remove the pits. Use a small spoon to stuff a scant teaspoon of cheese into the date. Lay out the lengths of bacon, the Boursin and the dates.

Wrap a piece of bacon around the date, make sure to completely cover/ encase the date with the bacon, so the cheese doesn’t escape. Secure with a toothpick. Repeat with remaining dates.

Bake for 20-25 minutes. Either rotate at 12 minutes from top shelf to bottom shelf, or flip the dates halfway through, cooking until bacon is crispy (but not burned). Serve warm or at room temperature.

Great as they are, or serve with sweet chili sauce or drizzle of honey.

MUSIC

One-man band, full-band sound

Thomas Mudrick brings the vibe to the 219 Lounge

By Ben Olson Reader Staff Expect the unexpected for Coeur d’Alene musician Thomas Mudrick’s upcoming gig at the 219 Lounge from 9-11 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 24.

Mudrick has played in various bands since he was old enough to hold an instrument. He moved to Salem, Ore. when he was 4 years old and later formed a band called Nodding Tree Remedies before moving to Portland to play with the Sexy Water Spiders. After that, his band Mother Mariposa took off, touring with psych rock royalty The Dandy Warhols until the pandemic put the brakes on live music for a while.

The genres represented by those bands revolved around music that made people move: psych rock, punk, rock and any other type of music that sends butts flying from seats to the dance floor.

“I love making people dance and having a good time,” Mudrick told the Reader. “That’s always my goal for the show. I get two hours at the 219 to make people dance and have fun and that’s what I’m gonna do.”

Mudrick moved to Coeur d’Alene several years ago and began playing with another band called Mount Crush-

more, but has been perfecting his unique “one-man band” style as a soloist for the better part of eight years.

Just because he’s up there by himself doesn’t mean the sound isn’t as full as a band would make. Quite the contrary.

Mudrick employs a phalanx of gadgets, instruments and intuitive energy to craft a live performance that’s almost as fun to watch as it is to listen to.

He has a bass and snare drum rigged onto a suitcase, which he plays with his feet while on stage. He also bought a special “submarine pickup,” which only recognizes one string on a guitar, meaning that when he routes that one string through octave and fuzz pedals, it essentially creates a bass tone.

As if that wasn’t enough, Mudrick uses his mouth between lyrics as a “shaker,” and, finally, employs a droning throat-singing style that transports the listener into another realm.

“I love playing in a band, because it’s freeing not to be strapped to the bass and snare drums,” Mudrick said.

“But playing solo is awesome, because whatever I’m feeling, I can do. If the moment calls for it, I can stretch out a middle part for a while, mess on the bass drum ... it’s pretty fun. You get into that flow state and I’ll forget that I’m

the one doing it.

I’ll say, ‘Oh yeah, I’m the one playing the drums.’”

Mudrick’s music is a grab bag of elements that revolve around the linchpin of psych rock. His sound takes a piece from multiple influences to create something unique.

There are elements of early Shakey Graves, The White Stripes, Sublime, the Oh Sees and a dozen other bands lurking in Mudrick’s music.

“I love psych rock, because it uses the bass as a foundation; has a rock ’n’ roll, almost punk attitude,” he said. “It’s raw and rock-y, but I use a tap delay on my vocals and a reverb on the guitar, so it gives it an echo-y sound.

Then I throat sing and have an electric tambura instrument, too.”

For Mudrick, defining his genre is a practice in futility.

The throat singing alone adds an almost world music tinge to his songs.

“I loved how Bradley [Nowell from Sublime] used to always say, ‘Whoever is the boss DJ gets the girl, it’s

Thomas Mudrick, on a mission to get your butts on the dance floor. Courtesy photo all about the stylie-wylie,’” Mudrick said. “That’s him explaining what he intertwines into one song. He’ll do a bass line from the Specials, lyrics from KRS-One and a guitar part from the Butthole Surfers and just say, ‘It’s the boss DJ!’ It’s like a flow state. If I can find it, that’s when I feel like I’m at my best.”

Friday, Jan. 24; 9 p.m.; FREE; 21+. 219 Lounge, 219 N. First Ave., 208-263-5673, 219lounge. com. Listen on Spotify or any of the streaming platforms.

Brendan Kelty Trio, Idaho Pour Authority, Jan. 25

Strangerers, 219 Lounge, Jan. 25

​​Sandpoint is fortunate to have such an inordinate amount of talented musicians who live and play here. The Brendan Kelty Trio can be counted among those ranks.

With Kelty on guitar and vocals, alongside Pete Hicks on bass and Travis Sherman on drums, the trio plays a thoughtful mix of indie rock, folk and Americana tunes that speak to the soulful nature of living in the mountains of North Idaho.

The last time we wrote about the Strangerers, we hoped the Spokane-based alt-outlaw-country-jazz-rock band wouldn’t “stay Strangerers to Sandpoint.” That was back in May 2023 — if they’ve been back since, we missed it. We’re not making that mistake again, when Vinnie Nicholoff (drums), Jacob Ayers (bass) and Eric Kegley (vocals/guitar/songwriter) return to the 219 Lounge on

6 p.m., FREE, 21+. Idaho Pour Authority, 203 Cedar St., 208-5977096, idahopourauthority.com.

Listen on YouTube and brendankelty.bandcamp.com.

READ

If you’re a sci-fi nerd like me and you want to see your favorite stories in an entirely new light, order a copy of Classical Traditions in Science Fiction

by Brett M. Rogers and Benjamin Steves. The curated collection of essays draws from historical texts like the Iliad, as well as multi-faceted historical perspectives, to explore the classical references in works like Frankenstein and Blade Runner.

LISTEN

A snapshot of notable live music coming up in Sandpoint Kelty’s songs are honest, lyrical and tell stories about traveling, relationships and simple wilderness vibes.

IPA will also throw a Mug Club party the same night, so bring your drinking fingers.

— Ben Olson

This week’s RLW by Soncirey Mitchell

Saturday, Jan. 25.

By their own admission, the band puts “the range in strange” and has otherwise been described as, “Maybe the SPAM of music, just a little bit of everything to make a good thing.”

— Zach Hagadone

If my life were a movie, whenever I’m feeling my oats the song “Que Sera” by French DJ Wax Tailor would play in the background. I’m not sure why the juxtaposition of the low-key, funky beats with a variety of dialogue samples from old movies tickles my brain so much, though it shouldn’t come as a surprise.

Tailor has been influencing the trip-hop scene — a movement that blends slow hip-hop with psychedelic, atmospheric electronica — for more than 20 years. Listen on Spotify.

WATCH

Is anyone else obsessed with British gardening shows? Listening to the hosts chat about hedgehogs and the history of sweet peas with the English countryside in the background puts me in a meditative state.

My favorite program is Grow, Cook, Eat, which focuses on one fruit or vegetable each episode. The 24-minute episodes teach viewers how to care for crops in small spaces, identify and treat common problems, and, finally, how to harvest and prepare everything. Watch it on Amazon.

9 p.m., FREE, 21+. 219 Lounge, 219 N. First Ave., 208263-5673, 219lounge.com.

January 23, 2025 / R / 21

BACK OF THE BOOK

The art of the deal(ing) with it all

By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff

From Northern Idaho News, January 23, 1912

FOUR BUSINESS BLOCKS ARE DESTROYED BY FIRE Sandpoint’s biggest fire since the burning of the Humbird lumber yards occurred early Monday morning when the C.A. Olson building, occupied downstairs by the C.F. Moody feed store and upstairs by Mr. Olson and family, the Idaho rooming house, Silver Club cafe, Denver barber shop - all owned by D.B. Wilson; the Eagle rooming house, the Eagle soft drink parlor, Doyle’s clothing store, all owned by William Doyle and the Geo M. Walker clothing store, were consumed by fire.

The origin of the fire is a mystery, it having started in the rear end of the Silver Club care about 2:10 a.m. When first seen the flames had envleloped the entire rear end of the Idaho rooming house, which was located in the upstairs portion of the building. Burning like a demon, it was only a few minutes until the entire building was a mass of flames.

The real effectiveness of the fire department was not accomplished until the fire engine, which has for some time been characterized as a mass of scrap iron, was put into play. William Zinter, better known in this city as “Punk” Bradley, was the real hero of the fire. Zinter appeared on scene shortly after the fire started and seeing that it would be impossible for the department to check the flames with the equipment on hand, obtained permission to bring out the engine. Steaming it up and placing it in action was the work of about half an hour, but as soon as it started pumping the force increase enough so that it was possible to do some real work. Six streams of water were used and it took three hours to get the fire under control.

22 / R / January 23, 2025

The first time Donald Trump assumed the presidency of the United States, I quit my job as editor of Boise Weekly, we sold our house on the Boise Bench and moved to Pullman, Wash., where I enrolled in graduate school.

That sounds like a pretty dramatic response, but I just couldn’t suffer being a journalist working in such a malignant political climate — and I came to the conclusion that because I couldn’t understand what had just happened, I needed to return to American history for an explanation.

That’s another story. More interesting (to me, anyway) is, at the same time as my flight from journalism in the time of Trump, I started picking up hobbies. I bought a telescope and played around with backyard astronomy, picked up archery and even tried my hand at raising Venus flytraps.

Among those random pastimes, I had the weird inclination to sculpt.

In a heroic example of procrastination and avoidance, one Saturday in the autumn of 2017 I spent about an hour studying sculpting techniques on YouTube, then another hour or so researching brands of clay and tools, followed by identifying where I could buy them and journeying as far afield as Moscow to secure the necessary supplies.

Ultimately, I sat down at the dining room table and set to work sculpting a bust of Joseph Conrad — most famous for writing Heart of Darkness.

It didn’t turn out too bad (see above), so I did another little bust of Edgar Allan Poe. Then I did Daniel Defoe (author of Robinson Crusoe and regarded as the first “journalist” in the

English-speaking world). I busted out a bust of John Steinbeck and, inexplicably, haven’t sculpted since.

I thought about that the other day when my wife, kids and I were at a book store in Coeur d’Alene, where for some reason I bought a travel-sized watercolor painting kit.

I have not painted, much less watercolored, since elementary school; yet, I felt a powerful urge to try it out.

According to an article from the National Institutes of Health titled “How Times of Crisis Serve as a Catalyst for Creative Action,” “creative activities during times of crisis can lead to outcomes that are judged to be new and meaningful, even if those outcomes are experienced on a more subjective level and temporary time scale.”

That tracks for me. Looking back, I started my political cartooning career in earnest with the campaign and election of George W. Bush. I kept that up all through Bush’s two terms, and even into Barack Obama’s administration, but kind of fell away from it a few years before the advent of Trump.

Now here I am watercoloring.

We saw a similar phenomenon during the COVID-19 pandemic, when homebound people flocked to hobbies like gardening and accumulating house plants, cooking and bak-

STR8TS Solution

Sudoku Solution

ing, doing jigsaw puzzles and buying coloring books for adults. The market for paper products surged during the pandemic; according to Midland Paper, printed books saw a 777% in sales in the first month of the pandemic, while market sectors such as puzzles, coloring books and workbooks for all ages rose 200%.

There are most certainly worse ways than creativity to cope with feelings of doom, moments of crisis and the processing of trauma — all of which many of us will experience in exponential intensity over the next four years. As a lapsed editorial cartoonist, erstwhile sculptor and (so far) untalented watercolorist, I submit that we may be better off if we seek at least some refuge in art, rather than dread, resignation and despair. Call it “the art of the deal(ing) with it all.”

Joseph Conrad by Zach Hagadone

Crossword Solution

If you wear a toupee, why not let your friends try it on for a while. Come on, we’re not going to hurt it.

Solution on page 22

Solution on page 22

By Bill Borders

CROSSWORD

Copyright www.mirroreyes.com

Laughing Matter

ACROSS

grift /grift/

Woorf tdhe Week

[noun] 1. a group of methods for obtaining money falsely through the use of swindles, frauds, dishonest gambling, etc.

“But a clumsy execution could undermine Trump’s attempt to ingratiate himself, perpetuating the impression that the crypto industry is a breeding ground for scams and grift.”

Corrections: In the Jan. 16 edition, Sandy Compton referred to Schweitzer’s old Chair 2 as “Baby Bear.” Chair 3 was actually Baby Bear while Chair 2 was referred to as “Mama Bear” and Chair 1 as “Papa Bear.” Thanks to ex-lifty Jon Nylund for the correction.

1. Music disc 6. Fault 11. Nigerian money 12. Back up 15. An unfortunate person 16. Formal agreement 17. Estimated (abbrev.)

18. Bank clerk 20. Male child 21. Genuine 23. Healthy 24. Certain something 25. Bristle 26. Upper limbs 27. Flame 28. Biblical garden 29. Chafe 30. Cables 31. Incredulity 34. Not a fork or a spoon 36. Hurried on foot 37. Hardly believable 41. Charged particles 42. In the center of 43. Egg-shaped 44. Online journal 45. Cicatrix 46. Make (one’s way) 47. Not new 48. Selects 51. North northeast 52. Softened 54. Hand digit

Solution on page 22

8. Affirm 32. Possibilities 9. Adult males 33. Scottish landowner 10. Expunction 34. Assassin 13. Breathes noisily 35. Pasta while sleeping 38. Retaliated 14. European volcano 39. Social skills 15. Line of poetry 40. Patriarch DOWN 16. Suite cleaner 42. Entry 19. Bush 44. Explosive device 1. Liqueur flavoring 22. Staircase 45. Stitched 2. Make milk platform 48. Nap 3. Morsel 49. F F F 4. Acid related to gout 24. Flow of air 26.

Rear end 50. Threshold 5. Mother 27. Cry of disgust 53. Downwind 6. Grills 30. Breeze 55. Born, in bios 7. Embankment January 23, 2025 / R / 23

56. Gentle winds 57. Fugitive 58. Sows 59. Sleighs