Reader_March13_2025

Town Hall Violence and a (Hypothetical) Nonviolent Response – by Timothy Braatz On February 22, the Kootenai County Republican Central Committee hosted a “Town Hall,” at Coeur d’Alene High School, for the public “to meet your state legislators.” As the panelists spoke, a boisterous audience voiced approval and criticism. One panelist was pleased to encounter “so much civic interest and involvement in our government.” Standing at a lectern, event moderator Ed Bejarana didn’t mind the approval but called the critics “crazy people” and “rabblerousers.” He singled out Teresa Borrenpohl: “Everybody pay attention to the little girl who wants attention.”

Sheriff Robert Norris certainly did. He rushed toward Borrenpohl and ordered her to leave. The audience noise increased. People turned to watch the confrontation. Norris commanded Bejarana, “Stop the meeting.” In fact, the verbal chaos, provoked by Bejarana’s insults and Norris’s actions—not by Borrenpohl— had already halted proceedings.

“Get up or be arrested,” Norris told Borrenpohl. He tugged on her arm and threatened her with pepper spray.

“Please don’t touch me,” she said calmly.

Sheriff Norris appears to be uncomfortable with female sexuality.

With body cam on, he has searched public libraries for items he personally considers “obscene.” In 2023, he stole two such books, including one which educates teenaged girls on body changes and relationships. In April 2024, when the theft was discussed at a KCRCC forum, Norris reportedly stated that a certain woman, who was present, photographed pornography and enjoyed oral sex. She is suing Norris for slander and defamation.

Norris appears similarly uncomfortable with outspoken women. In July 2024, while speaking to a Republican group, Norris denied the earlier slander, then suddenly shifted topics: “And Teresa Borrenpohl…she’s another activist. We need to make sure that we don’t elect activist leaders in this community.”

Clearly, misogyny was behind the “Town Hall” violence. Norris became visibly angry because Borrenpohl stood her ground (sat, actually).

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Bejarana disparaged the “little girl” for daring to “speak up,” then bragged about his “nice loud voice” and “big microphone.”

Norris later said he had been invited to lead the Pledge of Allegiance and wasn’t involved in security arrangements. In that case, he was acting as a private citizen when he accosted Borrenpohl, but under the guise of official authority. Unable to arrest her, he directed three men to remove her. Borrenpohl asked them, “Who are you? Where’s your badge?”

They refused to identify themselves.

“We’ve just got to be a little aggressive,” Bejarana said, urging physical assault on a nonthreatening woman.

“You’re hurting her!” someone objected, as the three men—LEAR “security” agents—yanked Borrenpohl from her seat.

“Ma’am,” one of the attackers said to Borrenpohl, “just cooperate, and it will be one hundred times better.”

“Yeah,” she replied, “that’s what they say to rape victims.”

The LEAR agents, too, were private citizens, captured on cellphone footage tackling Borrenpohl, dragging her along the ground, pinning her down, exposing her undergarments— like the start of a sexual assault. Two days later, city officials revoked LEAR’s operating license due to improper behavior by the agents and lack of appropriate “SECURITY” identification on their clothing.

Borrenpohl’s resistance was critical. To leave, when ordered by Norris, would be to suggest that she was in the wrong. The bullying duo—Norris and Bejarana—would have been empowered. The “Town Hall” wouldn’t have made the news.

By remaining calm and seated— nonviolent noncooperation— Borrenpohl placed Norris in a dilemma. He could either back down, at the expense of his ego, or reveal the physical violence (threat power) that underpinned his claim to authority.

By drawing Norris’s imperiousness to the surface, Borrenpohl dramatized the tension in U.S. communities— between those who believe in democratic cooperation and those who celebrate domination. In suffering

physical and emotional trauma, Borrenpohl won much sympathy (thanks to cellphone footage) and claimed the moral high ground.

She was in the right. Borrenpohl’s message, intended or not, was Don’t surrender your rights! Will you do as she did?

Unfortunately, she didn’t have much help. The footage is startling, not just for the violent assault, but for absence of nonviolent intervention.

The panelists sat mutely at their microphones. Audience members shouted or gawked; some appeared to smirk. A woman shoved a cellphone in Borrenpohl’s face to record her anguish. But no one, not even Borrenpohl’s friends, put their bodies in the way. Perhaps they didn’t know how.

There were at least two moments where nonviolent intervention would have been effective. The first came when Sheriff Norris backed off and waved in the three men. Concerned citizens could have quietly moved into Borrenpohl’s row and the one behind her. Ideally, the intervenors would have surrounded Borrenpohl, faced outward, and linked arms, presenting the LEAR team with a human barrier of calm but unyielding energy. “We don’t want violence,” the protectors might have said. “We don’t want anyone hurt.”

What happens next in this scenario? The three attackers are following orders, caught in reactive energy, primed for fight. The nonviolent intervention gives them a way out. There’s no guarantee, but upon encountering the unexpected human barrier, the men probably pause. They wonder, Are we supposed to manhandle all these gentle folks just to get to a seated woman? They turn to Sheriff Norris for direction.

Norris, too, has a way out. The conflict is no longer simply him versus Borrenpohl. The audience’s focus is now on the nonviolent protectors.

Norris can save face, can still appear in charge, by saying what the protectors are already demonstrating: “Okay, everybody, just relax.”

At a deeper level, the contest is dehumanization versus rehumanization. To be fully human

is to see all others as fully human, to understand that they, too, need well-being, love, and freedom. In the words of Jesus of Nazareth, love your neighbors and enemies as yourself.

Bejarana, Norris, and audience members who loudly called for Borrenpohl’s eviction dehumanized her, declared her less than fully human. In their eyes, she was inferior, a problem, an uppity female, an enemy, not deserving compassion.

They wanted her treated in a way they would never want to be treated.

In the hypothetical scenario, the nonviolent protectors rehumanize Borrenpohl. By coming to her aid, by displaying a willingness to risk injury on her behalf, they powerfully demonstrate that she is worth caring about. They rehumanize the attackers, too, by awakening them from their violent stupor. The nonviolent protectors—the true security guards in the room—have brought love into the equation. (Mohandas Gandhi called it “soul force.”) The entire audience, mostly without realizing it, gets the message.

The second opportunity for nonviolent intervention was when the attackers pinned Borrenpohl to the ground. In this scenario, one nonviolent protector lies down right next to Borrenpohl and says, “I’ll help you. Hold on to me.” Borrenpohl embraces her ally and doesn’t let go.

You can ponder for yourself what comes next. Here’s one possibility: The first courageous intervenor inspires five more, or ten, or twenty.

They sit or lie down in the aisle. The bouncers are stymied. The assault ends. Consider how cellphone footage of that display of soul force might play.

One more thing to consider: Will you be ready when your moment comes?

Timothy Braatz is a historian of nonviolence, a playwright, novelist, and Peace Studies instructor.

See full version of his article on the NIVS FB Page

tombsday

Since last fall, because my son has to be at school extra early on Tuesdays, my daughter and I have a lot of time on our hands before she needs to get to her own classroom. So we’ve been using that 20 or so minutes to take a weekly (very slow) drive around Lakeview Cemetery. We call it “Tombsday,” and have grown to love the peaceful, gorgeous setting and feel a sense of close familiarity with the names on the headstones we pass. One grave marker in particular has captured our imagination, noting the final resting place of Eleanor Hurm Page. For one thing, it’s a stately stone in the shape of an obelisk, located under a tree next to the road and with a stellar view of the river. For another, my daughter’s name is also Eleanor, so we say “good morning, Eleanor,” whenever we pass her monument. I got curious the other day and searched for Eleanor Hurm Page in the newspaper archives. Turns out she was the wife of pioneering local doctor and first Sandpoint Mayor O.F. Page (his third of six between 1886 and his own death in 1941 at the age of 74, but that’s a whole other story). Described by the Northern Idaho News as “one of the most prominent women of this city,” she died on Feb. 2, 1912 of “an acute dilatation of the heart complicating Addison’s disease,” and succumbed at her home on 514 N. Second Ave. at the age of 30.

Her funeral, the News reported, “was one of the largest funerals ever held in Sandpoint.” It might seem a little morbid to some, but those Tombsday visits are an opportunity to ponder the Sandpointians who’ve come before us and, weirdly, are sometimes the highlight of our day.

pink postcards of protest

There’s been a fair amount of hand-wringing among the national cognoscenti that the second Trump presidency isn’t spurring as much “resistance” as the first go around, with fingers variously pointed at the Democrats; apathetic, screen-addled youth; and a population so despondent that it has checked out of the news cycle to preserve its mental health.

But there has been pushback, with demonstrations and speeches and a steady drumbeat of denunciatory analyses, commentary and dark comedy. But it’s true that a lot of the anti-Trump energy has been more diffuse than during 2016-’22, and much of it online.

Now comes an effort to flood 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, D.C. 20500 with as many pink-colored postcards as possible — meant to deliver a “pink slip” to the president over the events of his first six or so weeks in office. According to mobilize. us, the “action” is scheduled for Saturday, March 15, referred to as #TheIdesOfTrump. “[S]ee if your sincerest ill-wishes can pierce Donald’s famously thin skin,” organizers stated.

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More on Town Halls, ote Violence, Citizens Rights,&Engagement V ER IC

By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff

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The week in random review

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Enjoy Timothy Braatz? Read his full version on the NIVS FB Page.

Timothy is an occasional contributor to NIVS. Some of his books include: Peace Lessons, From Ghetto to Death Camp, and Surviving Conquest.

Engage! Participate in the panel discussion March 13th from 5:30 to

7:30 at Marigold Bistro’s (formerly Tangos) at 414 Church St. Learn from local professionals about our rights and responsibilities as citizens. Listen to Sandpoint Police Chief Corey Coon, civil liberty lawyer Dana Bowes, and local peace keeper Eldon Renner. Sponsored by the Bonner Co. Democrats; this is open to the public. Bring your questions!

Even in challenging times and troubled waters, we as citizens CAN make positive changes.

Our history is the proof.

Timothy Braatz is a historian of nonviolence, a playwright, novelist, and Peace Studies instructor.

See full version of his article on the NIVS FB Page

northidahovoterservices.org|facebook.com/NIVote

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: Jeanine Asche (cover), Ben Olson, Oz Architecture, Bill Borders Contributing Writers: Zach Hagadone, Ben Olson, Soncirey Mitchell, Lorraine H. Marie, Brenden Bobby, Emily Erickson, Rep. Mark Sauter, Bob McKeon, Sandy Compton 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 features a painting of the Tervan Tavern by Jeanine Asche. Thanks for the great artwork, Jeanine.

March 13, 2025 / R / 3

NEWS

Update on James E. Russell Sports Center shows lower-than-anticipated revenue

Mayor Grimm: ‘[W]e can’t allow it to become a further drain on our insufficient resources’

By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff Planning and Community Development Director Jason Welker recently walked the council and mayor through an update on the James E. Russell Sports Center, which has been open to users since December 2024 — the biggest takeaway being that it isn’t generating the hoped-for level of revenue.

Welker’s presentation at the regular March 5 meeting of the City Council was based on stats related to users of all categories going back to Feb. 3, and showed that there are between 120-130 monthly members so far.

“That is below what we projected when we planned the facility,” he said.

The JER Sports Center was made possible by a more than $7 million gift from the Russell family, envisioned as an indoor court sports facility.

While James E. Russell, for whom the center is named, was an avid tennis player, the vast majority of the facility is devoted to pickleball — 14 of the courts are striped for that sport, versus four for tennis.

The development was contentious among many members of the public, who opposed its impact on Travers Park and the removal of dozens of mature trees.

Welker said revenue since opening has been about $2,000 per week in user fees, with membership dues adding another $5,000 a month, which means the facility is bringing in about $13,000 per month.

“I will say that’s below what we anticipated and what we would hope for,” said Welker, who as a council member voted to accept the Russell family’s gift and supported the development from his position at the dais.

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“The good news,” he added, “is as the weather warms, the costs of operating the facility are going to go down” Specifically, costs of utilities — which he said “are shockingly high” at about $3,000 per month — will be lessened but also operating hours will be reduced. However, that’s because City Hall anticipates fewer people will be using the indoor space as the season allows for more outdoor play.

“We’re just going to be open less at the sports center.

We’re going to start scaling back,” Welker said. “We might close a couple days a week, pare the staffing levels down because we just don’t need to be open when the preferred area for players is outside on the free tennis courts and pickleball courts that we have in town.”

Later in the meeting, Mayor Jeremy Grimm asked Welker to put some finer numbers to the analysis of how JER has been performing. As Grimm pointed out, pickleball use is upward of four times greater than tennis.

He wondered if that reflected the actual demand for the sport, or if the facility were to accommodate more tennis courts, it would increase that category of use.

Welker said the local pickleball club regularly brings together groups of 20 to 30 people at a time, which makes it the “largest representation of users so far.”

Meanwhile, Welker said that he’s a tennis player and has used the courts between 12 and 15 times since December.

“Maybe once out of those 12 times have I seen all four [tennis] courts being used.

It’s usually a mix of one or two tennis courts being used and then six pickleball courts

being used,” he said, adding that he typically uses the center during peak hours, around 5 p.m.

“There’s rarely demand for all four tennis courts, from what I’ve seen,” he said.

However, that is changing as high school tennis season ramps up, with Sandpoint High School, Lake Pend Oreille Alternative High School, Valour Christian High School and the Homeschool Academy all booking time on the courts.

Regardless, the numbers aren’t penciling out so far, based on what the city planned for when it invested the Russell family gift into the site.

“We had community members in the tennis and pickleball community telling us that 300 was not an unreasonable estimate in terms of the paying members; so far we’re about 120, so the base membership revenue is half of what we had budgeted,” Welker said. “So the total budgeted revenue for the year was around $240,000. We’re on track to do about half of that right now.”

But that’s not to say that the community isn’t using JER — rather, Welker said

he routinely sees the space “packed” with a combination of court sports users, people walking the perimeter of the space, community space users and the SHS lacrosse team using the facility for practice.

Trout Unlimited will even host an indoor fly fishing instructional course at JER. However, a large proportion of that use is occurring during “community court” times when there are no fees.

“The community court times are packed, and there’s a plus side and downside of that,” Welker said. “Those are people who are playing for free and we want that — that’s something we wanted.

It’s a community space. If you’re a city resident, you know there’s a benefit that allows you to use it.”

However, Welker added, the city hoped that more people would put up the money to become members. In the absence of an upward trend in paid use, “Maybe we have to scale back the community court times to every other day in the future,” he said. “There might be something there just to kind of nudge more people to help us maintain the facility with the membership.”

Grimm reminded the

The interior of the James E. Russell Sports Center before it opened to the public in December 2024.

Courtesy photo. council and staff that the city’s budget for the JER Sports Center “borrowed heavily against some of our reserves for Parks and Rec, and we kind of put ourselves out there to fund it this year, but we’re going to have to figure out and, I think, really support our staff and think creatively [about] how this facility runs.”

Grimm added that his perspective on citizens’ priorities are “their toilets flushing, their water turning on, the police coming, the fire [department] coming, the roads being paved. Planning, arts/ culture, parks and recreation are secondary priorities, but we don’t even have enough money to do the first five at the level we want.

So this great gift that’s been presented to our community, we can’t allow it to become a further drain on our insufficient resources,” Grimm said.

He encouraged council and staff to think about and monitor the facility to find ways to “keep this available to the public in its current format.”

NEWS

Parking plan moving forward with business outreach Averill Hospitality gives update on hotel project: number of rooms reduced and ‘our parking plans do not include City Beach’

By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff Sandpoint City Hall is moving forward with the development of its new parking management plan, with March described as “business outreach month.”

Community Planning and Development Director Jason Welker told the City Council on March 5 that he and Public Works Director Holly Ellis will present the plan to the Greater Sandpoint Chamber of Commerce at its monthly meeting Thursday, March 13 at Marigold Bistro (414 Church St.). Following that, Welker said he plans to schedule a special meeting with the Downtown Business Association membership Thursday, March 20 in the council chambers at 1123 Lake St., with a presentation and discussion about how the plan could best serve downtown merchants.

The latest draft plan considers combining the downtown business employee and downtown resident passes; extending time limits at City Beach for resident passholders; and extending the all-day street parking zone “to incentivize downtown employees to leave scarce First, Second and Third Avenue two-hour and three-hour stalls available for downtown shoppers.”

Welker said he’s also drafted a survey that will be distributed to the public through a variety of sources, including mailers, paper surveys and an online form. That effort is scheduled to take place before the end of March.

Meanwhile, Welker addressed paid parking at City Beach, telling the council, “This is by no means the first time that paid parking at City Beach has been explored.”

Citing a news article from 1982, a group of Sandpoint residents proposed a taxing

district to include county residents in order to pay for parks and recreation facilities in the city.

“Bonner County residents overwhelmingly rejected the opportunity to help pay for city recreation infrastructure and here we are 43 years later,” Welker said.

In the intervening decades, user fees have been considered for City Beach as well, though those also failed because of the perception that up to four employees would be needed for enforcement.

“Today is not 1982,” Welker said, adding that “frictionless virtual enforcement systems” are now available that would not involve the need for staffing.

“We are looking for a technology solution here that doesn’t involve human enforcement; a solution that allows Bonner County residents and tourists and visitors from other states and other coun-

tries to help contribute to the infrastructure that for 50 years we’ve known needs additional funding mechanisms,” he said.

City Beach came up again at the March 5 meeting, when Averill Hospitality representative Ben McGrann used his three minutes of public testimony to provide a brief update on the proposed resort hotel on the current site of the Best Western Edgewater adjacent to the beach.

Pointing to “site challenges” encountered by Averill’s development team, the company has “refined our design and carefully considered public feedback,” McGrann said.

“As a result, we have adjusted the project scope,” he added. “The hotel is now planned to feature 99 hotel rooms and approximately 31 independently owned units participating in a hotel-managed rental program for a total of 130 rooms.”

McGrann noted that the

new plan calls for 51 fewer rooms than originally envisioned when the Planning and Zoning Commission approved the conditional use permit for the development in July 2024.

The downsized proposal would so far not affect the event space, wellness spa, restaurant or lakeside bar, while McGrann suggested that projected tax revenue from employment at the resort hotel would remain the same, as the rental units “are expected to offer a wider range of accommodations and higher nightly rates.”

Further, McGrann said Averill is planning for 145 on-site parking spaces in a two-story structure west of the development along Sandpoint Avenue and Dock Street.

“We understand the public concerns about our hotel guests using City Beach parking, and we are confident that our on-site parking will adequately serve nightly

A rendering of Averill Hospitality’s proposed new hotel facility adjacent to Sandpoint City Beach. Image courtesy of Oz Architecture

guests and visitors,” he said, adding that if more parking is needed due to a wedding or other event on a busy summer weekend, Averill is working with private businesses to secure other parking spaces and plans to provide a hotel-owned shuttle service for attendees.

“Our parking plans do not include City Beach,” McGrann said.

Averill plans to break ground this summer, with an anticipated opening in the summer of 2027. A new website is in the works to provide more information and public updates.

March 13, 2025 / R / 5

NEWS

City Hall begins process for Phase 3 of downtown revitalization

Work will focus on First Ave. from north of Bridge to Superior St.

By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff The third phase of a long-running downtown revitalization project is entering its beginning stages, with Sandpoint Construction Manager Erik Bush and Public Works Director Holly Ellis giving a presentation on preliminary concepts March 5 to the City Council.

“We’ve got two overarching priorities with this project: one is intersection improvements and the other one’s corridor improvements,” said Bush, who also serves as the city’s urban forester.

Phase 3 of the revitalization project focuses on the area from First Avenue north of Bridge Street to Superior Street in the south. That follows street redesigns on Cedar Street from Fifth to First Avenue in 2018, and from Cedar to Church Street on First in 2020.

Of particular importance in Phase 3 will be the intersection at Bridge and First, which “has been problematic” for years, Bush said, as well as the intersection at First and Superior.

The short-term concept for Bridge and First would include barriers that restrict left turns from Bridge onto First. The First and Superior intersection is envisioned to include a roundabout, as recommended in the city’s 2012 downtown street design guide.

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A schematic showing potential changes to downtown Sandpoint traffic patterns. Courtesy image A similar solution was suggested in the city’s downtown waterfront design competition.

“These are certainly not the endall, be-all solutions — they need to be vetted further and of course with any council comment,” Bush said.

“We realize this is a really impactful project in the short-term and the long-term — in the short-term for our businesses and residents. It will be impactful as far as day-to-day,” he added. “In the long-term, hopefully, we hope that it really makes Sandpoint even more attractive for visitors and everyone else.”

Councilor Rick Howarth emphasized that the Bridge and First intersection is “very complex” and asked city planners to focus on solving the traffic issues there. In addition, he encouraged staff and council alike “to be diligent in our design, but let’s not overdesign.”

“We have a tendency in this town to like very elaborate, expensive designs,” he added. “The waterfront revitalization is a great example of that. You guys all rejected that, or the new administration said we can’t afford that. Let’s make sure that we do designs that are cost-effective as well.

< see DOWNTOWN, Page 7 >

Bits ’n’ Pieces From east, west and beyond

With a federal shutdown looming, unless Congress reaches a bipartisan deal, the House approved a short-term spending bill on a 217-213 vote on March 11, putting pressure on the Senate to follow suit and keep the government running until at least September.

Axios reported that the Senate needs at least seven Democrats to sign onto the bill for it to pass, though they have resisted the measure because it does not contain language to halt DOGE’s “chainsaw” actions.

NPR reported that the House bill carries forward funding for federal agencies through Sept. 30, though does include spending increases for immigration enforcement and defense, and some cuts to health care and veterans programs.

Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., indicated earlier in the week that she favors a short-term funding bill to prevent a shutdown.

According to Customs and Border Protection, in 2024 Canada seized 43 pounds of fentanyl at their border, whereas in the same time frame 21,000 pounds of fentanyl were seized at the Mexican border, at odds with Trump administration arguments that Mexican cartels have “taken over” Canada.

Heeding warnings that Social Security could collapse in the next 30 to 90 days, Social Security Works laid out specifics: SSA Commissioner Leland Dudek — a DOGE sympathizer — is said to be planning layoffs, even though SSA is already “understaffed” and “overworked,” as evidenced by 30,000 Americans dying annually while waiting for their earned benefits. According to Social Security Works, “Nobody voted for this.” During his campaign, President Donald Trump pledged he would not touch Social Security.

Elon Musk calls Social Security a “Ponzi scheme.” But former SSA Trustee Robert Reich argued a Ponzi scheme involves luring an investor to funnel cash to earlier investors; when there are no new investors, the scheme collapses. Social Security is different: It’s “pay as you go,” with 85% of every dollar contributed going to the trust fund, and the rest to people with disabilities. Reich said the simplest way to fix a funding shortfall is to lift the cap on the Social Security payroll tax. The current limit is $176,100 (the ultra rich reach the cap shortly after midnight on Jan. 1); after paying in on that, the rich pay no more into the fund.

During Trump’s recent address to

By Lorraine H. Marie Reader Columnist

Congress, he failed to mention economic realities faced by 60% of Americans who live paycheck-to-paycheck; the 25% who can’t afford prescriptions; the housing crisis; three Americans owning more wealth than all of the bottom half of society; campaign finance corruption; cutting Medicaid by $880 billion; or the climate crisis.

“Think about it — we’re talking about people who own their own spaceships who are trying to take away health care for millions of kids,” Sen. Sanders, D-Vt., commented on Various media reported that Columbia University graduate Mahmoud Khalil, who is legally in the U.S. with permanent status, was taken from his home last weekend by immigration officials. As of March 12, he had not been charged with a crime. Khalil is a prominent Palestinian activist who engaged in peaceful pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia. Trump stated on Truth Social that Khalil was detained because of his politics, and, “This is the first of many arrests to come.”

Trump’s U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, Edward R. Martin Jr., wrote to Georgetown University’s law school demanding immediate termination of all diversity, equity and inclusion curriculums at the private Catholic institution. He threatened repercussions for failure to obey, such as loss of employment opportunities for students.

Georgetown Law Dean William M. Treanor responded: “The Supreme Court has continually affirmed that among the freedoms central to a university’s First Amendment rights are its abilities to determine, on academic grounds, who may teach, what to teach and how to teach it. ...

“Given the First Amendment’s protection of a university’s freedom to determine its own curriculum and how to deliver it, the constitutional violation behind this threat is clear, as is the attack on the university’s mission as a Jesuit and Catholic Institution.”

Migrants recently sent to Guantanamo Bay were shackled, then held in what The Washington Post called “cages.” They’ve been denied calls to lawyers and have been held in “prolonged” isolation.

Blast from the past: “There’s a crack in everything. That’s how the light gets in.” — Leonard Cohen, Canadian songwriter, singer, poet, novelist (1934-2016)

NEWS

Idaho journalism ‘shield law’ clears Senate committee

By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff A bill protecting Idaho journalists from being forced to divulge confidential source material is one step closer to Gov. Brad Little’s desk, after members of the Senate Judiciary and Rules Committee voted unanimously March 12 to advance it to the full body with a “do pass” recommendation.

House Bill 158 states, “No person engaged in journalistic activities shall be compelled to disclose in any legal proceeding, trial before any court, or before any jury the source of any information procured or obtained and published in a newspaper, print publication, digital news outlet, or by a radio or television broadcasting station with which the person is engaged or employed or with which the person is connected.”

The legislation further prohibits the forced disclosure of unpublished information, notes or communications “obtained or created through the course of newsgathering activities,” though includes exclusions for instances representing a threat to national security or imminent physical harm.

“I’ve always thought that when it comes to the media, that they had protections in place when it comes to their sources,” Sen. Dave Lent, R-Idaho Falls, told the committee during his introduction of the bill.

Idaho is one of 10 states that do not have a so-called journalism “shield law” in place to protect the confidentiality of sources.

“It’s really about the sources themselves,” said Idaho Press Club President Melissa Davlin, who also serves as lead producer and host of the Idaho Public Television pro-

gram Idaho Reports.

She said Idaho’s shield law is based on similar legislation in Alabama and Kentucky, both of which have had their protections in place for decades. As in those states, H.B. 158 avoids specifically defining “journalism” or “professional newsrooms.”

“That way this has broader protections for independent and non-traditional journalists,” Davlin said, later adding, “The practice of journalism is the same. It is getting information and getting it out to the public.”

Southern Idaho journalists Don Day and Nate Sunderland also testified about instances when their organizations have been served with subpoenas seeking confidential source material for use in court cases.

“Consider the chilling impact this has on whistleblowers,” Sunderland told the committee, going on to also

< DOWNTOWN, con’t from Page 6 > Nice, but cost-effective. You can do both.”

Councilor Pam Duquette also referred to the inclusion of elements from the downtown waterfront design competition — including a “gateway” entry arch on First Avenue — which the city undertook in 2023 but the current council shelved for being unrealistic and too costly.

“I have an issue with showing pieces of the design competition because we did take that off the implementation table,” she said. “I believe that might get people a little roused.”

Otherwise, Duquette’s request of planners was to incorporate “something that’s safe [and] functional” for cyclists of all ages for biking downtown, “which is ridiculous” on Bridge Street.

Going forward, the city will draft a request for proposals and identify a design team.

Then the council will consider approval of a professional services agreement and conduct

public outreach before design can begin.

A traffic study, utilities reconstruction, pedestrian improvements, stormwater treatment, street trees and parking will all follow, with funding from a combination of Sandpoint Urban Renewal Agency funds and utilities.

Bush estimated that the city will be working on design at least for the next year and a half.

“This is pretty much it for the next three years,” Sandpoint Mayor Jeremy Grimm said. “I mean, when you look out and think of what we’re going to do at the sewer plant, this is the only other major pot of money — and that pot of money is coming from urban renewal. These aren’t dollars we can spend really anywhere else in town. ...

“I’m super excited to proceed on this project,” he added. “It’s going to be one of the few major improvement projects that we will do in the next two-and-a-half years.”

refer to the effect on victims of crime or abuse and even off-the-record conversations with public officials.

“How many of these people would come forward if they knew all it would take is a subpoena for them to be outed in public?” he said.

H.B. 158 passed unanimously through both the House Judiciary, Rules and Administration Committee and the full House in February. If approved by the Senate, the measure will go to Gov. Brad Little.

“If people become afraid of speaking to the media because of concerns [that] confidential conversations could wind up in court then they won’t talk to the media, and if they don’t talk to the media then they can’t talk to us,” said committee member Sen. Dan Foreman, R-Moscow. “We need the media.”

Dist. 1 legislators to host final town halls of 2025 session

By Reader Staff Members of the Idaho District 1 legislative delegation will host their final town hall of the 2025 Idaho Legislature on Friday, March 15, with events in Bonners Ferry, Sandpoint and Priest River.

Dist. 1A Rep. Mark Sauter, R-Sandpoint, and Sen. Jim Woodward, R-Sagle, plan to be at the Bonners Ferry Visitor’s Center from 9:30-11 a.m.

(6373 Bonner St.), Sandpoint VFW Post 2453 from noon1:30 p.m. (1325 Pine St.) and Priest River City Hall from 2:30-4 p.m. (552 High St.).

Dist. 1B Rep. Cornel Rasor, R-Sagle, told the Reader that, as of press time, he would not be able to attend.

Constituents are invited to bring their questions for elected lawmakers ahead of the target date for adjournment of the Idaho Legislature, which is Friday, March 21.

For those unable to attend in person, KRFY 88.5 FM will broadcast the event in Sandpoint.

PEDIATRICS FAMILY MEDICINE BEHAVIORAL HEALTH DENTAL

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SCHEDULE YOUR SCREENING TODAY! Bonners Ferry 208.267.1718 Priest River 208.448.2321 Sandpoint 208.265.6252 Sandpoint Behavioral Health 208.920.5151

March 13, 2025 / R / 7

‘The moral necessity of true informed consent for vaccines’...

Bouquets: • I’ve always been a big history buff. Nothing pleases me more than to see history preserved, even in small, insignificant ways. While walking past the Bonner General Health Services Building on Cedar Street between Third and Fourth avenues, an old inscription in the cement remains, which reads, “W.K. Benton 1917.” BGH could’ve just torn up that section of the cement when replacing the sidewalk, but they chose to keep it intact and pour the new sidewalk around the 155-yearold inscription. That was a classy move BGH. I always love seeing that old inscription on the sidewalk, connecting us to a time long ago.

GUEST SUBMISSION: • “A huge thank you to the North Idaho Ice team and the city of Ponderay for hosting an excellent hockey tournament this past weekend and for all their hard work in bringing an ice skating venue to Sandpoint.

The NIICE group has dedicated countless hours of their own time to make ‘The Pond’ a reality, and by all accounts it was a great season with lots of smiling faces and memorable experiences. Teams from cities to the south and even some from Canada came this weekend to join local players for some friendly competition in the three-onthree tournament, which was a resounding success. I think I speak for all who enjoyed this great community asset this winter by sending a big shout out to the city of Ponderay, all the volunteers and especially to the North Idaho Ice group. Thanks to you all!”

— By Tom Russell Barbs: • Thieves are among the worst of us, especially when they take items that aren’t worth anything except to the person they were stolen from.

8 / R / March 13, 2025

Dear editor, The failure of Panhandle Health Department board members to honestly address how patients are informed of the risks and benefits of vaccine products at the March 3 PHD meeting reveals a troubling cowardice and incompetence that continues to erode trust in the authority of their board Informed consent is a bedrock of ethical medicine — people deserve honest information to weigh potential risks against claimed benefits. CDC information on vaccines is little more than propaganda. Medical outlets that depend on dispensing vaccines often use that propaganda to spin the benefits and hide the risks, as if citizens are too fragile for truth.

Some may claim that prioritizing a supposed greater good over individual rights protects public health.

But the assumption that people can’t handle nuance or make rational choices is an arrogant and false premise that clashes with needed respect for individual autonomy and responsible authority.

When hidden risks eventually surface, as they did during the COVID-19 debacle, trust in health authorities inevitably craters.

The industry-serving propaganda currently used to “inform,” and the fear promotion used to coerce, has already damaged public trust, and over time can only hasten the demise of responsible public health governance.

Dr. Thomas Fletcher, our PHD chair, sought to do right by us, but a weak board made excuses instead.

Their failure to truly champion transparency around risks vs. benefits reflects a disrespect for our citizens, and undermines what remains of their credibility.

True informed consent shouldn’t be optional — it’s a moral necessity.

Sincerely, Dr. Rick Kirschner Sagle

Is economic benefit worth noise pollution?…

Dear editor, The March 6 article on helicopters was very timely [News, “Timberline Helicopters announces expansion of Sandpoint operations”], as the previous Sunday I was hiking the Mickinnick Trail and marveling at the noise and irritation from a helicopter doing circles around the valley.

The expansion of the Timberline Helicopter business in Sandpoint may bring economic benefits, but at what cost? Is the noise pollution and disruption of the peaceful, quiet hiking in the woods near and around Sandpoint worth this? The environmental beauty, including the soundscape, of the Sandpoint area is one of the things that makes it a jewel in Idaho and the nation.

Will this be sacrificed for economic reasons? And what will be the economic fallout of this?

Will as many people come to visit a tarnished jewel?

In a study of the London heliport, it was found that “noise emissions from the heliport operation cause important/substantial adverse impact on quality of life and well-being of the majority of respondents” (Noise & Health; March 22, 2021). The “Nonmilitary Helicopter Urban Noise Study” by the FAA cited several studies that found, “a subset of the population is very sensitive to noises in this frequency range and is quite bothered and disturbed by this noise almost as soon as it crosses the threshold of audibility” (bit.ly/3DBC033).

I wonder if these concerns were taken into the decision making process for this “economic expansion” and how much of a problem they will become in the future.

Brad Huhta Sandpoint

‘Rome is burning’…

Dear editor, I grew up in the ’50s. America was awesome. During WWII, we gave up on rubber, nylon, some food products, certainly gasoline.

All to support our troops to squash dictators. And, by the skin of our teeth, it worked! It’s not that way today. We invited a dictator to rule us. Dang. Rome is burning. I don’t think there’s a fire extinguisher big enough to put it out. I still have hope, but I’m searching for my fiddle... with a tear in my eye for all the soldiers who gave us freedom.

It’s not free.

Chris Koich Sandpoint

‘Attention veterans’…

Dear editor, VFW, VVA, DAV, AL, MCL, MOPH, Iraq/Afghanistan, etc., all veterans organizations need to stand up to Trump, Musk, Vance, etc., and fight against this major reduction of VA

employees.

First it was 1,000; then another 1,400; and, now, an additional 70,000 to 80,000 employees of the VA are/have been eliminated.

Our Spokane VA has been short-staffed for years. Now it will take forever to get an appointment, check on benefits eligibility, have claims adjudicated, dental, optical, etc. Donald Trump and his neo-Nazis, Musk, Vance and Bannon, etc., don’t care about veterans — matter of fact, by reducing VA employees and availability, it appears they want us old vets to just die off, and the young vets to die sooner than later so they can show how much money they are saving the country.

Ever seen the movie Article 99?

We’re going back to the ’60s for veterans care.

Trump doesn’t give a damn about America, all he cares about is how much money and power he can get, and how often his face is shown in public. He wants to be king — do not let him have the 22nd Amendment changed! He is destroying our country, economy and strategic alliances with other nations. He wants to be an isolationist? Lock yourself in Mar-a-Lago and leave the rest of the country alone.

Trump, Musk, Vance and Co. are destroying the United States of America with massive elimination of jobs in departments that actually bring money into our government.

Chaos is what they have produced.

Recession.

By the way, winning an election by 1.6% is not an overwhelming mandate of the people. Enough of your lies, innuendos and false fabrications; oh, I must have forgotten, that’s how you got elected.

Michael Harmelin, veteran Sandpoint

‘Not one inch’…

Dear editor, The American neocons and the

European globalists are united for a deleterious cause against peacemakers Trump and Russia. Hal Turner documents in “The Road to War: How the Ukraine War Began” that, since February 1990, Secretary of State James Baker pledged that NATO would not expand “one inch to the east.”

March 12, 1999: The Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland join NATO. Yeltsin was “infuriated” with “his friend Bill Clinton” for breaking with past U.S. assurances on NATO expansion.

• March 29, 2004: George W. Bush observes seven more Eastern European countries join NATO, the largest wave of NATO enlargement in its history.

• April 2008: “At the NATO summit in Bucharest, George W. Bush announces that Ukraine and Georgia are on an ‘immediate path to NATO.’” • Feb. 22, 2014: “The ‘Maidan’ coup in Kyiv erupted in violence.

State Department official Virginia Nuland boasted that since the 2004-2005 ‘Orange Revolution,’ the U.S. had spent $5 billion on regime change in Ukraine.”

• Feb. 11, 2015: “Putin and then-Ukrainian President Poroshenko meet with French President Hollande and German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Minsk, Belarus,” to discuss the multi-year Minsk accords. Merkel “later admitted that Minsk was a stall tactic to allow the West to build Ukraine’s army up to NATO standards.”

• Dec 17, 2021: “Team Biden rejects Putin’s proposed mutual security accords that would have left ‘neutral’ Ukraine intact.”

• 2022 then 2025: Russia and Ukraine convened peace talks in Istanbul, but Biden and Boris Johnson urged Zelenskyy to walk away from peace.

“Not one inch eastward?”

Dan Rose Samuels

PERSPECTIVES

Emily Articulated I worried

By Emily Erickson Reader Columnist I’m not sure exactly when I became a worrier. Maybe it was dormant throughout a tumultuous childhood and brazen, chaotic 20s. My worry couldn’t have been present when I drove my car across state lines just after getting my license or when I dropped out of college without a backup plan; when I booked one-way tickets to foreign places without knowing what I’d do or where I’d stay when I landed. It wasn’t there when I swapped hometowns like used sweaters and tried on careers like new ones.

But maybe worry was always there, buried beneath the detritus of movement and self-inflicted upheaval. It’s hard to worry when there’s only time for action.

It took settling in a beautiful mountain town — finding stillness and contentment — for it to finally have room to grow. Decades of suppressed worry now demand near-continuous mindfulness to keep at bay.

One part of that mindful maintenance is regularly revisiting Mary Oliver’s poem, “I Worried.” It begins: “I worried a lot. Will the garden grow, will the rivers flow in the right direction, will the earth turn as it was taught, and if not how shall I correct it?”

Being a person on this planet is cause enough for crippling worry. Our collision course with destruction has been set by billionaire oli-

Emily Erickson. garchs, dictators and those who aspire to be them, with every headline confirming our worst fears about where we’re headed and who will be sacrificed to slake their insatiable thirst for power.

As scientists scream, “Action now!” we take inverse action. As philanthropists cry, “Who next?” we line up the vulnerable for bulldozing. As locals grumble, “That too?” another price tag is attached to something precious.

I raise Mary’s questions with my own: Will the planet survive? Will we start another war? Will smoke choke out our July and August? Will our town’s heart be crushed beneath yet another block of luxury condominiums?

Her poem continues: “Was I right, was I wrong, will I be forgiven, can I do better? Will I ever be able to sing, even the sparrows can do it and I am, well, hopeless.”

Being a person among people means we can always do better. Every interaction is an opportunity — to be kind, to be funny, to uplift; to be a good listener, a good storyteller, a good resource.

But it’s also an opportunity to let busyness or anxiousness or our own bandwidth get in the way of showing up as we want to, as we know we should. We can continually let each other down, fail to do enough, neglect to reach back from our place in the world and lift someone else up to meet us.

Even if we get it right 90% of the time, we still let 10% of the people we see slip by when we could have made a difference. We can always do better. We can always strive to be the best version of ourselves, yet we can only be the version of ourselves that we are capable of at this moment in time. We can only do what we can.

I ask: Did I do enough?

Did I make a difference? Did I pay attention? Did I care like I should; like I want to?

Mary continues: “Is my eyesight fading or am I just imagining it, am I going to get rheumatism, lockjaw, dementia?”

Being a person with a body means being something with an expiration date. It means needing to be aware enough to advocate for our health, to live and do the things we dream of — but not so aware that we’re paralyzed by all the ways this miracle of a body might fail, all the ways we might meet our inevitable end.

I ask: Will I get to grow old?

Is that wrinkle new? What is that pain? Is there more I could do?

The poem concludes: “Finally, I saw that worrying came to nothing. And I gave it up. And took my old body and went out into the morn-

ing, and sang.”

Finally, I see that it’s normal to worry — not to suppress it, nor to live inside it, but to acknowledge its presence, its reason for being there, and let it go. I can take action on the things I can change. And for the things I cannot, I can seek the antidotes I know to be a cure: connection, kindness

to myself and others, beauty, joy and love.

I say: I worried, yet I persisted. I worried, and I decided to live fully, anyhow.

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

Retroactive

By BO

March 13, 2025 / R / 9

Mad about Science:

By Brenden Bobby Reader Columnist In case you forgot, Pi Day is Friday, March 14 — a celebration of one of the most important numbers in our universe: 3.14159.

Pi is the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter, and is critical for calculating anything involving a circle, which is the basis for calculating anything involving a sphere. We’re all riding through space on a giant spheroid, so understanding how circles, spheres and spheroids work in relation to our environment is a big deal.

For instance, orbital dynamics explain how planets, moons and artificial objects travel through space. A spacecraft headed toward the moon does not travel in a straight line. Instead, it follows a circular or semi-circular arc. This is because objects are influenced by gravity, which perpetually pulls them toward the primary source of gravity. In the case of a rocket speeding to the moon, the Earth’s pull is the primary source of gravitational force influencing its trajectory.

If our hypothetical rocket is aimed well, it should intersect with the moon’s gravity in such a way as to either pull it into the moon or whip it around the moon to alter its speed. Pi is the key that engineers and scientists need in order to calculate how to make these precise intersections with other objects in space.

This circular motion predicted by pi is the reason

10 / R / March 13, 2025

spheres

there are so many spherical objects in the universe.

Nature loves spirals, and the motion of a spiral influences the shape of objects with great mass. The sun is spherical because of the pull of gravity and the rotation of the star. Planets and moons are spheroids for the same reason. Early in planetary formation, large bodies of molten rock are drawn toward each other by gravity and smashed together, whipping around and rotating to create centrifugal force.

Over a vast amount of time, impacts from other objects and the perpetual motion of spinning on an axis smooths the edges of these bodies to create a spherical shape. (You can observe this in real time while spinning a pottery wheel.)

Planets are seldom perfectly spherical, and are therefore technically not spheres but spheroids. A sphere is an object with every point on its surface being perfectly equal in distance from the center. The Earth bulges at the middle due to its rotation and is instead an oblate spheroid. The sun is also not perfectly spherical, but it’s the closest thing we’ve discovered to a sphere, with only a slight bulge at its equator.

There is a simple equation for calculating the volume of a sphere: 4/3*pi*radius cubed. You can demonstrate this by blowing up a balloon, whose optimal volumization is a sphere — though it may bulge in places because of how it was manufactured. A sphere is capable of containing the largest volume with the smallest surface

Brought to you by:

area. Measuring the area of the sphere is done with the equation: 4*pi*radius squared.

The radius of a sphere is half the diameter. The diameter is the distance between the two farthest points straight through the middle, which means the radius is from the direct center to the edge. Since a perfect sphere has all points being equidistant from the center, anywhere you measure from edge to edge will be the diameter, and anywhere from the direct center to the edge will be the radius.

Cleaving a sphere perfectly in half creates a hemisphere — a.k.a. a demisphere. When referring to the northern, southern, eastern or western hemispheres of Earth, you would effectively cut the Earth down the middle twice; but, because you’re referring to specific regions, you’re not actually creating quarters but halves. A quarter of a sphere is called a quadrant, though “quadrisphere” sounds really cool.

In geometry, spheres have no vertices (points) or edges (lines between points). This becomes very difficult to process when working with a 3-D design in a computer.

A computer can’t calculate an infinite number of vertices for manipulating the surface of a sphere, so it needs to make approximations. A basic sphere in a 3-D design program has 64 vertices. Increasing the number of vertices increases the number of faces the object has, which allows for more detail but requires more computing power to process.

In the context of video games, fewer objects with fewer faces requires less processing power, which will allow for faster response times and less lag for the player.

Fewer faces also reduces the amount of time that static objects need to render to create an image for artwork or movies.

3-D design is a balancing act, where designers are choosing between giving the

computer more power to process or creating less detailed objects for the user to view. Often, artistic license is applied to mask flaws in geometry.

A good designer knows that flaws are the key to tricking the human eye into believing that something is real and not manufactured.

Perfection is the enemy.

Stay curious, 7B.

Random Corner Don’t know much about blue • The blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus) is the largest animal currently alive. The biggest ever recorded was an astonishing 209 tons and measured more than 100 feet long. The blue whale’s tongue weighs as much as an entire elephant and its heart is the size of a car. Its blood vessels are so wide you could swim through them.

• In Moby Dick, Herman Melville referred to this species as a “sulphur bottom” whale because some individuals show yellow on their bellies.

• Despite their size, blue whales feed on tiny, shrimp-like crustaceans called krill. They can eat as many as 40 million krill in one day.

• Instead of teeth, blue whales have baleen, a fibrous material used to filter their tiny food. The whale takes a huge volume of water and krill into its mouth, then pushes the water through hundreds of baleen plates. The krill left behind is then consumed.

whales?

We can help!

• The call of the blue whale is also the loudest of any creature on the planet. It can be heard underwater for hundreds of miles.

A jet engine registers 140 decibels while a blue whale’s call reaches 188 decibels.

• Blue whales were hunted almost to the point of extinction during the 19th and early 20th centuries. Despite a global hunting ban in 1966, their numbers have declined almost 90% in the past 150 years, leaving only 10,000 to 25,000 left in the wild. They are classified as an endangered species.

• Scientists determine the age of blue whales by examining the wax plugged in their ears. Each year, a light and dark layer of ear wax is laid on top of one another; the light layers indicate fasting during migration and the dark layers represent feeding time. They have been recorded to have lived as long as 80 to 90 years.

PERSPECTIVES

Legislative update: Concerns about process at the Capitol

By Rep. Mark Sauter, R-Sandpoint Reader Contributor Greetings. The Legislature is in its 10th week. Nearly 400 House bills and 170 Senate bills have been introduced.

Approximately 70 resolutions and memorials have been written, as well.

We know there will likely be another 50-75 appropriation bills coming.

Obviously, the Legislature has some votes ahead. These days both bodies are meeting twice a day to work on the backlog of bills.

Adding to the bill totals is a concern for the process. The Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee has not been running smoothly this session. Despite JFAC’s storied history of respected decisions, there have also been disagreements over how budget bills get through the committee and how the basic budget issues — like agreement on a forecasted state revenue amount for 2026 — get approved.

These issues and others have hamstrung the process. Some bills are being pulled into JFAC for decisions on policy. I’m not aware of this occurring before. All these factors have slowed the volume of appropriations bills typically seen every day.

Equally concerning is a new trend for the Legislature — that being the effort to bring more and more decisions

Rep. Mark Sauter. File photo and policy into statute (with direct oversight by the Legislature) versus “rule” (promulgation by committee, with staff, local subject matter experts and public input).

Why is this important? Idaho has a part-time Legislature. When more dayto-day operational policy is in statute, it requires more time from the Legislature: more days in the Capitol, more Capitol expenses, and more meddling by legislators who have more business setting budgets and policy versus operational decisions.

Our Constitution directs the Legislature to develop and set a balanced budget for the state and to develop policy when necessary. I’m concerned with the meddling that’s occurring in state departments, local government and even in homeowners association policy.

An example of this is a bill introduced in the House Education Committee. The bill author wants high school graduation requirements moved into statute. This effort stems from legislators being unhappy with the Idaho Department of Education rule recommendation to remove a communications class from graduation requirements. Additionally, a few legislators wanted a different western civilization curriculum in the graduation requirements.

Rather than meet with the department and have their voices heard — and potentially exercising the will of the Legislature to vote down the recommendation — the bill writers chose to hijack the process and take over full control.

During the House Education Committee hearing, I couldn’t help but remember that what’s been said about the Legislature getting involved in doctor’s office decisions can now be said about classrooms.

We expect our government officials

to make good decisions and operate their departments and bureaus wisely.

I believe we should listen to them and then verify their performance. Supporting their efforts and/or stepping in with direction when necessary. That’s how leadership and management principles should work.

I don’t see a need for being fulltime. I don’t believe our residents want more government. I think they want efficiency and effectiveness from limited government, reasonable taxes and the freedom to make their own choices.

Dist. 1 lawmakers will host three town hall meetings Saturday, March 15. We will be in Bonners Ferry at the visitors center at 9:30 a.m., in Sandpoint at the VFW at noon and at the Priest River City Hall at 2:30 p.m.

The meetings have so far been mostly question-and-answer sessions with the legislators each offering a brief update of what’s been going on from their own experiences.

Comments or questions? Please let me know at msauter@house.idaho.gov or at 208-332-1035.

Rep. Mark Sauter is a second-term Republican legislator representing District 1A. He serves on the Agricultural Affairs; Education; and Resources and Conservation committees.

Idaho leaders are acting against the will of the people

By Bob McKeon Reader Contributor Well, are you all paying attention yet? Fifty million of our tax dollars just got stripped from us and our underfunded public schools by our deaf governor.

The majority of our elected officials are not listening to us. Instead of doing the will of the people and putting this on a ballot, we were once again ignored. It is shameful that Idaho is second to last nationwide in public school funding. If this amount was put into each pupil we would be around the national average in per-pupil spending.

Against the will of the majority of our voters, our constitutional obligations are not being fulfilled. The House committee hearing found 94% opposition to this bill.

They are not done yet, people.

Now they are pushing bills that would have the Bible read to students in public schools. They want to require that the Ten Commandments be displayed in public schools. Our Supreme Court ruled in 1963 that requiring the Bible to be read in public schools violates “the command of the First Amendment that the government maintain strict neutrality, neither aiding nor opposing religion.”

I, for one, fail to see how teaching scientifically impossible fairy tales to students prepares them for real life: talking snakes, rising from the dead, immaculate conception... yeah, right.

How about we teach them science and history?

I wish to thank Sen. Jim Woodward for upholding the will of the voters.

I want you to know, sir, that I did what I could to get you re-elected.

I had discussions and conversations

with people. I drove around with my “Abort Herndon” bumper sticker on my truck for a year. I paid to have “Abort Herndon” T-shirts made and passed them out to influential community members. I registered as a Republican to get around just one of the many voter suppression laws that your party continues to push through.

I am proud to be a “RINO.” It is my way of giving the finger to the people who support voter suppression in Idaho.

I thank you, sir, and Rep. Mark Sauter, for upholding the will of the majority. Your political party would be more in favor if they could learn from your examples. Please continue to do the right thing.

I would like to ask everyone to pay attention to the bills being pushed through our state government right now. Almost every one of them is aimed at taking away the rights of

women, minorities, the LGBTQ community, etc., by the “freedom” party. Pay attention to the hundreds of thousands of dollars being poured into these efforts by out-of-state racist hate groups, most of them claiming Christian values.

Whether you disagree with someone’s choices, lifestyles, opinions, etc., keep one thing in mind: They are Americans, same as you.

One last thing: I recently received a very cherished award that I am proud of. Ben Olson stopped by my workplace to inform me that I am now officially on the Reader’s hate mail list. Thank you very much! Stay tuned, more later.

Remember, “Where there is oppression, there will be resistance.”

Bob McKeon is an opinionated old fart who has seen over four decades of politics in Idaho.

March 13, 2025 / R / 11

COMMUNITY

Community Writers Contest open to all genres, ages

By Reader Staff The annual Sandpoint Community Writing Contest is accepting submissions until 8:30 a.m. on Saturday, March 22, when sponsor Sandpoint Writers on the Lake will gather with creative minds of all ages to present their work and award prizes in a number of categories.

Contestants are invited to bring two physical copies of their favorite original, unpublished five-minute work of writing — one from which to read aloud before the audience, the other to present Sandpoint Writers on the Lake should they win.

Divisions are youth ages 5-12, young adults ages 13-18 and adults 19 and up, and cash prizes include $50 for “best of” in each category and $25 for runners-up.

Writers will be judged by what Sandpoint Writers President Bonnie McDade described as “an apprecia-

12 / R / March 13, 2025

tive audience” and an awards presentation ceremony will follow the final category of readings and tallying of ballots.

The contest will take place at the Sandpoint branch of the East Bonner County Library (1407 Cedar St.), with submissions and registration in-person only at 8:30 a.m. and the first readings at 9:45 a.m. Entry and registration are both free.

Contestants in the youth category will read first, followed by young adult and adult entrants.

“Both writers/presenters and the audience play active roles in the entire contest — with the readers putting their best writing forward for a five-minute presentation and the audience being tasked with attentive and critical listening, then marking their ballots to determine winners in each category,” McDade stated.

The community is invited to attend and participate. Sandpoint

Writers on the Lake will offer complimentary snacks and beverages.

The organization includes members in Bonner, Boundary and Pend Oreille counties who gather every second and fourth Saturday of each month at the Sandpoint library branch to discuss issues related to writing, editing and publishing, as well as conducting in-depth critique sessions. Sandpoint Writers on the Lake also sponsors workshops, including a series later this year on the ins and outs, challenges and benefits of publishing.

For more info, contact sandpointwriters@gmail.com.

HOLIDAY

Creideamh Sí, or Irish fairy faith

By Soncirey Mitchell Reader Staff Due to the Irish diaspora and humanity’s love of drink, St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated worldwide with green-themed decorations and pints of Guinness. Since most modern traditions ignore the fact that this is a Christian feast day and instead highlight leprechauns and four-leaf clovers, let’s just ignore Patrick and his snakes and take a closer look at the Irish Creideamh Sí, or “fairy faith.”

As quoted in The Irish Fairy Book

by Alfred Perceval Graves, Folklorist Alfred Nutt called Irish fairy lore “as fair and bounteous a harvest of myth and romance as ever flourished among any race.” Like many folk beliefs, fairy lore was originally an oral tradition and wasn’t written down until Christian monks began to catalog the culture.

As such, according to the Dictionary of Celtic Myth and Legend by Miranda J. Green, only scraps of text survive from years prior to the 11th century. The texts probably draw from materials as early as the sixth century and present an image of pre-Christian culture, though likely dampened by the faith of the primarily 12th-century monks who cataloged it.

When poet William Butler Yeats began his study of the fairy faith, Irish folklore maintained two primary theories for the origins of fairies. As recorded in the Irish Fairy Book, the first Christian creation myth held that fairies were “angels outcast from heaven for their unworthiness, yet not evil enough for hell.” The competing and likely older belief is that fairies are the descendants of the Tuatha Dé Danann, or “the people of the goddess Danu.”

It’s unclear whether the Tuatha Dé Danann and their offspring were regarded as actual gods or simply supernatural beings. Many Christian writers documenting the beliefs portrayed them as superhuman — like Samson or Noah in the Bible — but that could have been censorship on their part to avoid talking about non-Christian gods.

In the latter theory, the Milesians — mythologized ancestors of the ancient Celts — forced the Tuatha Dé Danann underground, where their children became the Aos Sí or Aes Sídhe, or the “folk of the fairy mounds.”

“Fairy mounds,” or tumuli, are

significance.

After international backlash, the Clare County Council diverted the motorway around the tree.

The most famous Irish Aos Sí is, of course, the leprechaun, though they aren’t significant in Irish mythology.

The earliest known mention stems from the 8th century Saga of Fergus mac An imagining of a clurichaun from T. C. Croker’s Fairy Legends and Traditions. Courtesy photo. Léti, now held at University prehistoric gravesites, like the NewCollege Dublin, which depicts three grange Passage Tomb, which pepper leprechauns attempting to drown Ireland and were likely once used as the king of Ulster. The figures only religious centers and burial places. became popular in the 19th century Newgrange is one of the oldest manwith the writings of Yeats and othmade constructions on Earth — older er members of the revivalist literary than the pyramids and Stonehenge — movement. and is made from more than 200,000 Perhaps the second most famous tons of loose stones, many of which are the bean sídhe, anglicized as “banare decorated with intricate carvings. shee,” meaning “women of the fairy The structure also has rudimentary mounds.” According to Encyclowindows that align with astronomipedia Britannica, these professional cal events, such as the sunrise on the mourners appeared to signal deaths in winter solstice. families of pure Irish descent. Anyone The Creideamh Sí manifests itwho heard the banshee wail or keen — self in practical ways in everyday life. a form of public lamentation — would Believers will still leave out offerings to know that one of their loved ones was appease the fairies, which, according marked for death. to legend, can grant wealth and artistic Yeats classified the banshee and inspiration or steal children and cause the leprechaun as “solitary fairies,” as disease, among other powers. Tradiopposed to the “trooping fairies” often tional offerings include milk, baked depicted in works like Sir Orfeo and goods and fruit.

William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Even people who don’t particularly Night’s Dream, which travel in cohorts believe in fairies will still avoid their saor armies. cred spaces just to be safe, which usualOther solitary fairies include the ly means steering clear of tumuli, mush- fear dearg, red-clothed men with room rings, certain trees and ancient penchants for stealing babies; the alpsettlements called ringforts. Notably, a luachra, who sits in people’s stomachs whitethorn tree called the Latoon fairy and eats half of their food; the féar bush reportedly held up construction of gortach, a harbinger of famine; and the M18 Motorway in County Clare, the leannán sídhe, beautiful women Ireland, for around 10 years. who take human artists as lovers and Irish folklorist and storyteller Eddie inspire them while drastically shortenLenihan led the campaign to save ing their lives. the tree after hearing testimony from Given how Americans celebrate St. locals that it was a site of supernatural Patrick’s Day — with a whiskey in one

hand and a beer in the other — the holiday’s mythological spokesperson should be the clurichaun, not the leprechaun. In the book Dead-watchers, and Other Folk-lore Tales of Westmeath, Patrick Bardan describes the clurichaun as “a sprite that rides on a boughalaun [ragwort flower] and makes himself merry in gentlemen’s cellars.”

These essentially drunk leprechauns haunt breweries, bars, wine cellars and anywhere else they can sneak a free drink. Most stories involve wealthy landowners fleeing clurichauns in failed attempts to save their liquor, only to discover that, no matter where they move, the clurichaun will follow them.

So, this St. Patrick’s Day, avoid the cliché Lucky Charms costume and embody some proper Irish folklore by wailing in public or stealing booze from the rich. It’s more accurate and shows off your knowledge of traditional Irish culture.

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COMMUNITY Learn how to use native plants in home landscaping with KNPS presentation

By Reader Staff

The Kinnikinnick Native Plant Society invites the public to a presentation on the basics of landscape design and how to incorporate beneficial native plants.

KNPS Landscape Committee Co-chair Gail Bolin will lead the event, which is scheduled for Saturday, March 15 at 10 a.m. in the Sandpoint branch of the East Bonner County Library (1407 Cedar St.).

Coffee, tea and treats will be available starting at 9:30 a.m.

Bolin will explain what defines a native plant and describe the benefits of using them in home landscapes.

Attendees will also learn about some of the most common native landscape plants and how they can be best utilized, as well as the steps of incorporating native plants into attractive garden displays and ecologically valuable landscapes in their

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home gardens.

Bolin has served as KNPS president and board Member, and is a member of the Idaho Master Naturalist Program. She also works part-time for the Bonner County Soil and Water Conservation District as the coordinator of the Pend Oreille Water Festival, an annual water resource education program for fifth-graders in Bonner County.

She holds a master’s degree in environmental science from the University of Idaho and owns Earth Wise Northwest, an ecological landscape design company that specializes in native plant landscapes and wildlife habitat restoration.

The program is co-sponsored by the East Bonner County Library District and Sandpoint Parks and Recreation, and is free and open to the public.

For questions, contact Preston Andrews at KNPS.Tech@gmail.com.

COMMUNITY

CAL monthly meeting to

By Reader Staff Students from Sandpoint High feature Karie School’s pottery classes will create and Bonner Community Food Bank will and donate 200 bowls this year, supLee Knoke host its annual Empty Bowl fundraiser ported by a grant from STCU to offset Food Bank hosts Empty Bowl fundraiser

from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Friday, March 21 at the Marigold Bistro (414 Church St., in Sandpoint).

The purpose of an Empty Bowl fundraiser is to raise awareness and funds for food insecurity in the community by inviting artists and craftspeople to create and donate bowls, which attendees then fill with soup.

the costs of clay and glaze.

Tickets to the event are $25 and include soup, bread, dessert and a handmade bowl to take home. Tickets can be purchased at the door.

All proceeds will go to support the mission of the Bonner Community Food Bank.

CAL scholarship applications now being accepted

By Reader Staff The Community Assistance League is again offering scholarships to all Bonner County high school seniors, with applications now available.

Find the necessary forms on the Sandpoint High School website (sh. lposd.org) under the “Counseling Cen-

ter” tab or at CAL’s “upscale resale” store Bizarre Bazaar (114 S. Boyer Ave, in Sandpoint).

All applications must be submitted or postmarked by Monday, March 31 and received no later than 9 a.m. on Thursday, April 10. For more info, contact CALSantpointGrants@gmail. com.

BY THE NUMBERS

By Ben Olson Reader Staff

more than 200,000

By Reader Staff The Community Assistance League will feature Karie Lee Knoke at its monthly meeting Wednesday, March 19 at the Heartwood Center (615 Oak St.).

Knoke took second place on the television show Alone and is the founder of Sacred Cedars Wilderness School in Sandpoint, which she’ll talk about at the meeting. It kicks off at 9:30 a.m. followed by a short business meeting and Knoke’s program at 10 a.m. The public is welcome.

Alone is a Discovery Channel program in which contestants are dropped into remote areas to survive completely on their own.

“It’s safe to say I have been training for Alone my whole life,” Knoke said. “From my off-grid home to my vacations spent on wilderness adventures — everything I do is with the intent to see how spiritually deep I can connect with the land.”

Knoke lives off-grid in a 30-foot yurt on 13 acres near Sandpoint and is meanwhile building a wilderness school and teaching primitive life skills, sharing survival knowledge, medicine and herbal remedies. Learn more at karieleeknoke.com.

CAL meetings take place on the third Wednesday of every month.

Its next speaker will be Rachel Jeffs, daughter of Warren Jeffs and author of the book Breaking Free.

The mission of the Community Assistance League of Sandpoint is to support the community through education, service and philanthropy.

Its primary fundraising is through the operations of Bizarre Bazaar, the upscale resale shop at 114 S. Boyer Ave., in Sandpoint. The store is run by club volunteers and generates money to fund grants and scholarships.

Visit the store to donate, shop or learn more about CAL, with operating hours Monday-Saturday 11 a.m.-3 p.m.

The number of federal workers across 17 agencies who have lost their jobs since President Donald Trump took office, thanks to unelected billionaire Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency. More than 75,000 federal workers have also accepted buyouts.

By comparison, there were 151 cuts in January and February 2024. The job cuts represent the highest yearto-date total since after the Great Recession in 2009.

$76 million The value of whiskey and other spirits Kentucky exported to Canada in 2023. Last week, Kentucky and other U.S.-made liquor products were pulled from Canadian store shelves after backlash from Trump’s tariffs on Canada and Mexico, as well as his “51st state” rhetoric. The Distilled Spirits Council estimated that 31,000 more American jobs could be lost because of the 25% tariff on distilled spirits imports from Canada and Mexico. Jack Daniels maker Brown-Forman released a statement claiming Canada removing U.S. liquor products from its shelves was “worse than a tariff,” because it took away sales.

$18.2 million The cost to taxpayers for Trump’s golf trips to the resorts he owns.

Trump has golfed six weekends straight, missing just one weekend of golf since inauguration. By comparison, the Meals on Wheels program — which provides needy seniors with food — costs taxpayers about $3 million annually. Just one of Trump’s golf trips costs taxpayers $3 million. Meals on Wheels is one of many federal programs at risk after Trump’s executive order in January froze federal funding.

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events

Send event listings to calendar@sandpointreader.com THURSDAY, march 13

March 13-20, 2025

Artist Reception: SHS artists Civil Engagement Panel Madeline Hawthorne in concert 5-7pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery 5:30-7:30pm @ Marigold Bistro 7:30pm @ Panida Theater A panel discussion to address citizens’ A night of well-crafted songs and great SHS advanced art students’ work on display. Acoustic music by Conner concerns about their rights at public stories from the road. Also featuring McClure and Miles Wheatcroft events. Hosted by BoCo Democrats Kevin Dorin Live Piano w/ Dwayne Parsons Trivia Night Cribbage Macrame Hat Hanger workshop 5-7pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery 6-8pm @ Idaho Pour Authority 6pm @ Connie’s Lounge 5:30-7:30pm @ Barrel 33

FriDAY, march 14

Live Music w/ One Dog Down 6:30-9:30pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall Live Music w/ Hannah Meehan 6-8pm @ Idaho Pour Authority Live Music w/ Brian Jacobs 6-8pm @ Baxter’s on Cedar Live Music w/ Ben Barton 5pm @ Connie’s Lounge Live Music w/ Accidental Harmonies 5:30-8:30pm @ Barrel 33 Live Music w/ Ken Mayginnes 6-9pm @ 1908 Saloon Live Music w/ Tom Catmull 5-8pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery

Yak Attack & Cytrus in concert 8pm @ The Hive Electronic power trio and eight-piece funk-driven fusion band. $20 Live Music w/ Homebrew String Band 6-8pm @ Smokesmith BBQ Live Music w/ Way Down North 6pm @ Eichardt’s Pub Americana originals and covers Rock for a Cause: BTP & Miah Kohal Band 6-10pm @ Roxy’s, 215 Pine St. Benefit concert for 15-year-old local Chase Miller. Silent auction, raffle

Live Music w/ Picked Up Pieces 6-9pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall Live Music w/ Hannah Siglin 6-8pm @ Idaho Pour Authority Spokane singer-songwriter with loads of talent. Check her out on Spotify Live Music w/ Mason Van Stone 6-8pm @ Baxter’s on Cedar Live Music w/ Jacob Robin 6pm @ Connie’s Lounge Live Music w/ Accidental Harmonies 5:30-8:30pm @ Barrel 33 Live Music w/ AP Collective 5-8pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery Blistered Earth: Metallica Tribute band 8:30pm @ The Hive Spokane band that is renowned for their homage to Metallica

Live Music w/ Ian Newbill 6-9pm @ 1908 Saloon Country and classic rock Live Music w/ Justyn Priest Band 9pm @ 219 Lounge Rock and blues Tax Preparation Assistance AARP 9am-3pm @ Sandpoint Senior Center By appointment only.

Call 208-665-7329 Cottage Market 10am-4pm @ River of Life Church Eggs, woodworking and more No Man’s Land Film Tour 7pm @ Panida Theater Adventure films that showcase women on and behind camera Live Music w/ Devon Wade 8-11pm @ Roxy’s

Sandpoint Chess Club 9am @ Evans Brothers Coffee Magic with Star Alexander 5-8pm @ Jalapeño’s

SATURDAY, march 15

19th annual Fly Fishing Film Tour 7pm @ Panida Theater The F3T is back with exciting fishing films and raising funds for the Panhandle Chapter of Trout Unlimited Sandpoint Contra Dance 7pm @ Sandpoint Community Hall Intro dance at 7pm, general dancing after. No experience needed. $5 Harry Potter and the Cursed Child play 7pm @ SHS auditorium Student actors in this adaptation for high school stages. $12

Dist. 1 legislator town hall 12-1pm @ Sandpoint VFW Hall Sen. Jim Woodward and Rep. Mark Sauter will hold a town hall to give their take on the current legislative session. Stream on 88.5FM Emotional Healing Through Forgiveness workshop 1-4pm @ Yellow Room, 102 Euclid Ave. 2nd floor Register at theyellowroom.org/events ‘Designing Landscapes Using Native Plants’ 10am @ Sandpoint Library A program hosted by the Kinnikinnick Native Plant Society. Free and open to the public March Madness Dances 3-9pm @ Sandpoint Community Hall 3-5pm dance, dinner at 5pm, more dancing from 7-9pm. $25 for all or $10 each

SunDAY, march 16

Live Music w/ Celtic Folk Jam 3-6pm @ Idaho Pour Authority $5 Movie: The Quiet Man 2 & 7pm @ Panida Theater

Monday Night Blues Jam w/ John Firshi 7pm @ Eichardt’s Pub St. Patrick’s Triva w/ Alaina 6-8pm @ Idaho Pour Authority Live Music w/ Benny Baker 5pm @ Connie’s Lounge

Overturned: A film viewing and community conversation 4-6pm @ The Heartwood Center Two short films from the Pro-Voice Project exposing the consequences of Idaho’s abortion ban

monDAY, march 17

MickDuff’s Anniversary Party 5-8pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall Music by ElektroKelts, Loco’s Taco food truck will be on site, too!

Outdoor Experience Group Run 6pm @ Outdoor Experience

St. Patrick’s Day Dinner supporting SASi 5:30pm @ First Lutheran Church A fundraiser! RSVP: 208-263-6860.

Donations taken at the door Pool Tournament ($10 entry) 6pm @ Connie’s Lounge

tuesDAY, march 18

MickDuff’s Anniversary Party • 5-8pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall Live music with ElektroKelts. Loco’s Food Truck on site Live Piano w/ Bob Beadling 5-7pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery 18 / R / March 13, 2025

Karaoke 9pm-1am @ Roxy’s

wednesDAY, march 19

Live Trivia 7pm @ Connie’s Lounge

Hop Hop Dance Party benefit • 8pm @ Eichardt’s Pub $5 cover. Proceeds benefit a local competitive skier

STAGE & SCREEN

Fly Fishing Film Tour reels in the year’s best angling stories

By Reader Staff Fishing enthusiasts and fans of real-world adventure stories should clear their schedules Friday, March 14, for the annual Fly Fishing Film Tour at the Panida Theater (300 North First Ave.). Beginning at 7 p.m., the Panhandle Chapter of Trout Unlimited will screen 20 new films that capture scenic locations, unusual aquatic life and the filmmakers’ passion for the sport.

Trout Unlimited supports conservation and restoration projects throughout the Kootenai, Clark Fork-Pend Oreille and Coeur d’Alene-Spokane river systems. The chapter aims to preserve healthy populations of native, wild, coldwater fish in North Idaho for future generations.

Among the selected films, Shadow People at the Falls follows two anglers in Guyana searching for massive catches like arowana while examining the area’s uncontacted tribes;

Bumpyland takes place in the tiny Providence Atoll just north of Madagascar and chronicles one man’s quest to capture the bumphead parrotfish; and Left Field focuses on a former baseball player who finds a new purpose in fly fishing after a career-ending injury.

The other films showcase locations as varied as Slovenia and the U.S. Midwest, shining a light on various cultures, individuals and rare fish.

Tickets are $20 for adults and $10 for students at

panida.org, and proceeds go toward Trout Unlimited’s conservation efforts.

Visit northidahotu.org for information about the orga-

Equality and Ethan Murray Fund. Tickets are $15 for adults and $5 for youth.

According to organizers, films range from autistic storylines to oarswomen passing on their oars to the next generation, to mountain bikers finding community, building mountain bike trail systems and pushing their limits, and more.

The event will kick off with a panel discussion showcasing the work done by local leaders

to create inclusive spaces in the community with a raffle during intermission, including items ranging from a 2025-’26 Schweitzer season pass to gear valued more than $500 donated by Outdoor Experience, Larson’s, Syringa Cyclery, The Alpine Shop, La Chic Boutique and Mountain Lake Therapy.

All proceeds from the event will go to benefit SAFE and the Ethan Murray Fund. Last year, the No Man’s Land Film Festival raised more than $7,000 for the Kaniksu Land Trust and Pend Oreille Pedalers.

“Just as No Man’s Land film festival amplifies voices that deserve to be heard, the

Ethan Murray Fund works to ensure that those facing mental health challenges are seen, supported and given the resources they need,” stated Ethan Murray Fund founder Justine Murray. “Together, we are fostering a stronger, more compassionate community — one that embraces both the struggles and triumphs of the human experience.”

Funds raised for SAFE will help the organization pursue its mission to “dismantle hostility, increase equality and cultivate inclusion for the LGBTQ+ community throughout Idaho,” state founding board member Andrea Marcoccio.

A screenshot from Shadow People at the Falls. Courtesy photo nization and flyfilmtour.com to see the full list of films and watch trailers.

No Man’s Land Film Festival returns to the Panida

By Reader Staff The No Man’s Land Film Festival is returning to Sandpoint with a 7 p.m. showing on Saturday, March 15 at the Panida Theater (300 N. First Ave.).

Featuring adventure films centered on women of all ages and abilities, transgender and gender non-conforming athletes and storytellers, the festival this year raises funds for the Sandpoint Alliance for

Möbius Riff plays KRFY’s Little Live Radio Hour

By Soncirey Mitchell Reader Staff Panhandle Community Radio, 88.5 KRFY will host another installment of Little Live Radio Hour on Tuesday, March 18, at 7 p.m. at the Little Panida Theater (302 N. First Ave.) with special guest Möbius Riff. The free show is a collaboration between KRFY, the Festival at Sandpoint and the Panida to revive the live radio variety show.

“Expect the unexpected — songs served up with a twist — rearranged and combined to fit our forays into what Frank Zappa called ‘Movies for your Ears,’” said multi-instrumentalist Tom Dubendorfer of Möbius Riff.

“No vocals,” he added, “we have made what we feel is a prudent decision to let our

instruments do the singing.”

Dubendorfer shares the stage with Denis Zwang, Larry Higgins and Larry Guldberg, who play a range of instruments from brass and woodwinds to strings and percussion. The group blends their musical backgrounds into an eclectic, amorphous menagerie of jazz, folk, Middle Eastern and Celtic.

“The description that we hear most often and that gratifies us most is that our music has ‘feel good’ energy. Unpredictable, informal, improvisational, occasionally ragtag and always fun. Who could ask for more?” said Dubendorfer.

Attendees should arrive a few minutes early to find their seat before the recording starts.

Otherwise, tune into 88.5 FM or stream on KRFY.org.

“The real stories of women, queer and trans athletes in outdoor spaces expand visibility, build comradery and empower others to be their full and best selves — inside and outdoors,” she added.

Sponsors include The Alpine Shop, Bluebird Bakery, Bonner County Human Rights Task Force, Claire Anderson, Larson’s Good Clothes, Matchwood Brewing Company, Outdoor Experience, Powder Hound Pizza, Schweitzer and Syringa Cyclery.

For more information, contact Lauren Sanders at LMSanders208@gmail.com and buy tickets on panida.org.

Panida to host two $5 screenings of classic rom-dramedy The Quiet Man

By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff In a tip of the tammie to St. Patrick’s Day, the Panida Theater is hosting two screenings Sunday, March 16 of the 1952 romantic comedy/drama The Quiet Man. Directed by John Ford and starring John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara, the story is of boxer Sean Thornton (Wayne) who must leave the U.S. for his home country of Ireland after inadvertently killing an opposing pugilist during a bout.

Once returned to the Emerald Isle of his birth, Thornton pursues the purchase of his

family’s homestead, which earns the ire of covetous Squire “Red” Will Danaher (Victor McLaglen), who has long had his eye on the spread.

Things get more complicated when Danaher’s sister, Mary Kate (O’Hara), falls for Thornton. Out of vengeance, Will refuses to hand over Mary Kate’s dowry, blocking her marriage to the ex-boxer beau.

How they settle their beef is for audiences to find out.

The Quiet Man earned seven nominations in the 1953 Academy Awards — including Best Picture — and won Oscars for Best Cinematography (Color) and Best Director for

John Ford — his fourth and final win in the category.

In 2013, the Library of Congress included The Quiet Man in the National Film Registry, owing to its cultural, historical and aesthetic significance.

The showings are part of the Panida’s Sunday Cinemas Series, sponsored by Joni MacNeill, DDS, of MacNeill Family Dental; Ben Richards, CPFA, of Merrill; Retro Play Arcade; and SkyRight Roofing and Gutters.

Doors open 30 minutes before showtimes, which are 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Tickets are $5, available at the door (300 N. First Ave.) or panida.org.

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MUSIC

Festival announces ’90s powerhouse lineup

Toad the Wet Sprocket, Semisonic and Sixpence None the Richer to play July 26

By Reader Staff The ’90s will come alive at the Festival at Sandpoint on Saturday, July 26 with three popular bands hitting the main stage: Toad the Wet Sprocket, Semisonic and Sixpence None the Richer.

Toad the Wet Sprocket, the beloved alternative rock band from Santa Barbara, Calif., first captured audiences in the late 1980s with its heartfelt lyrics and melodic sound.

Rising to prominence with albums like Fear (1991) and Dulcinea (1994), they became known for hits such as “Walk on the Ocean,” “All I Want” and “Good Intentions.”

The band’s ability to blend introspective songwriting with catchy, folk-influenced rock has cemented it as a lasting presence in the music world.

Throughout their career,

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members of Toad the Wet Sprocket have maintained a deep appreciation for their dedicated fanbase, whose support has allowed them to continue making music on their own terms.

The band hit the road again in 2025 with their “Good Intentions” headline tour and are currently putting the finishing touches on an acoustic greatest hits album, set for release in late 2025.

Semisonic emerged to widespread acclaim with its 1996 debut album, Great Divide, which Rolling Stone called “a record of simple but sparkling modern pop, rattling with power-trio vitality.”

It wasn’t until the 1998 album Feeling Strangely Fine that Semisonic became a household name, reaching platinum thanks to its iconic single, “Closing Time.”

Nominated for a Grammy, the track was a radio juggernaut that would go on to land countless film and television soundtracks and come to define the sound of an entire decade of rock ’n’ roll.

After releasing another album in 2001, the trio decided to part ways for an amicable but indefinite hiatus, reuniting sporadically through the years for one-offs and charity shows.

Semisonic released a fivetrack EP in 2020 titled You’re Not Alone, which earned glowing reviews from Rolling Stone, SPIN and Stereogum.

Sixpence None the Richer is an American alternative rock band best known for the hit single “Kiss Me,” which reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was a top10 song in 16 countries. The song has gone viral on TikTok and frequently appeared in

film, television and advertisements worldwide. In July 2024, “Kiss Me” was RIAA certified three-times platinum.

Sixpence None the Richer has been nominated for two Grammy awards, won “Top Soundtrack Single” at the Billboard Music Awards and “Best Song” at the Young Hollywood Awards, among other accolades.

Formed in 1992 in Texas, Sixpence None the Richer has

Courtesy photo released six full-length albums and two EPs. Duo Matt Slocum and Leigh Nash have reunited with classic members Dale Baker and Justin Cary to begin their next chapter, touring extensively and releasing an all-new EP titled Rosemary Hill in 2024.

Tickets will go on sale Friday, March 14 at 10 a.m.

Visit festivalatsandpoint.com for more information.

MUSIC

The Hive hosts triple-header weekend of concerts Electronic power trio, funk-infused eight-piece and Metallica tribute packed into one weekend

By Reader Staff The Hive is throwing down with a smorgasbord of live music this weekend.

First up, electronic power trio Yak Attack will join forces with funk-driven fusion band Cytrus at 8 p.m. on Friday, March 14.

Portland, Ore.-based Yak Attack’s music spans a variety of electronic genres, including house, trance, breakbeat, drum and trap. The trio mixes elements of jazz, funk and psych to culminate in a unique live performance that features lush soundscapes, dynamic improvisation and DJ-like transitions in continuous sets.

Listen to Yak Attack at yakattackmusic.com.

Sharing the bill that night will be eight-piece funk-driven fusion band Cytrus, which combines a psychedelic offering of funk, disco, electronic, rock, hip-hop, prog rock and more.

Based in Seattle and known for

producing juicy synth sounds and bass-induced grooves, Cytrus is renowned for its cinematic live performances and flowing transitions in a consistently energetic wall of sound.

Hear Cytrus at linktrt.ee/ cytrusmusic.

Tickets are $15 in advance or $20 at the door.

Rounding out the weekend will be Blistered Earth, a Metallica tribute at 8:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 15.

Formed in 2009, Blistered Earth set out to become the definitive tribute band to Metallica and its members have spent the past decade and a half doing just that.

Hailing from Spokane, the

Top left: Yak Attack.

Top right: Cytrus.

Right: Blistered Earth (with Metallica).

Courtesy photos

band has played close to 1,000 shows, proving to be one of the hardest working bands in the business.

The band suffered a major setback in 2016, when a trailer containing all of its gear was stolen while on tour. News of the theft made it to Metallica’s James Hetfield and he, along with the other members of Metallica, not only made arrangements to have the gear

replaced, but were even provided Blistered Earth the actual gear from their previous tour.

Metallica has also welcomed Blistered Earth as special guests at select shows over the years.

Tickets are $25 in advance or $30 the day of the show.

Visit livefromthehive.com for more information about upcoming shows at The Hive.

Festival at Sandpoint announces Grand Finale theme

By Reader Staff The Festival at Sandpoint announced the theme to its 2025 Grand Finale performance will be “Sounds of Summer,” featuring the Festival at Sandpoint Orchestra conducted

by Morihiko Nakahara.

The program will include

selections from “The Four Seasons,” by Vivaldi; “From the New World,” by Dvořák; “Summertime,” by Gershwin; and more.

Each musical piece evokes the warmth, energy and emotions of summer in a unique way. Taken together, the pieces celebrate the sounds,

beauty, excitement and relaxation of summer.

The Grand Finale will take place Sunday, Aug. 3 with gates opening at 5 p.m., the Cheers Tasting Event for participants to sample regional pours in a souvenir tasting cup from 5-7 p.m. and music starting at 7 p.m.

Tickets are $39.95/adults (or $44.95 day-of), the tasting event add-on is $12.95 (or $14.95 day-of) and $9.95/ youth (or $11.95 day-of). Purchase tickets at festivalatsandpoint.org.

A snapshot of notable live music coming up in Sandpoint Way Down North, Eichardt’s Pub, March 14

Homebrew String Band, Smokesmith BBQ, March 14

Some music just sounds like its home region. For northwest Montana duo Way Down North, that holds true.

With Cory Chopp on the mandolin, guitar and vocals, and Tina Bertram on banjo, keyboard and vocals, Way Down North performs Americana originals and covers that sound like you’d think Montana would sound.

Mixing instrumental arrange-

The folksy trio Homebrew String Band plays traditional bluegrass that sounds like it’s broadcasting straight from the ’50s. Guitarist and mandolinist Gary Read, bassist and banjo player Alyse Read and multi-instrumentalist Brad Keeler have been playing underappreciated oldies together for years, lending their vocal talents to three-part harmonies. Their covers of songs like “Down in the Willow Garden” by the Everly Brothers

ments and vocals throughout their live sets, this duo has opened for some big acts over the years, including Railroad Each, Shakey Graves and The Last Revel, to name a few.

— Ben Olson 6 p.m., FREE. Eichardt’s Pub, 212 Cedar St., 208-2634005, eichardtspub.com. Listen at waydownnorth.band.

would blend seamlessly into the soundtrack of Oh Brother, Where Art Thou? — fitting since they call their style “twisted bluegrass,” according to their ReverbNation page. Get your daily dose of Americana at the band’s Friday, March 14 show.

— Soncirey Mitchell 6-8 p.m., FREE. Smokesmith BBQ, 102 S Boyer Ave., 208-920-0517, smokesmithidaho.com. Listen at reverbnation.com/homebrewstringband.

This week’s RLW by Zach Hagadone

READ

There is an effort afoot to reframe Donald Trump’s presidential style away from “fascism” to a more precise diagnosis: “patrimonialism,” a concept of German sociologist Max Weber to describe a strongman “father figure” who turns the state into a family business and rules based on unquestioning loyalty from toadies and sycophants. Read more at The Atlantic, but also (for free) in the article “Sins of the Father” at persuasion. community/p/sins-of-the-father

LISTEN

While you could watch it, historian Timothy Snyder’s presentation to The John Adams Institute in January is also worthy of a listen. Snyder is a leading scholar of authoritarianism, though his recently published book On Freedom offers an antidote to totalitarian terror and despair. Listen to his discussion of the book and learn how freedom is a process, not a state of being, which depends on securing freedom “to” aspire, rather than freedom “from” things we don’t like.

Find it on YouTube.

WATCH

Though it aired in 2018, the PBS American Experience documentary “The Gilded Age” is (unfortunately) more timely than ever. Featuring some of the most distinguished U.S. historians in the field, the almost two-hour-long episode peels back the layers of late-19th-century American political, economic and social life to show how a small group of plutocrats ruled the nation while sparking a financial crash and backlash that reverberates today. Watch it on pbs.org or stream on YouTube.

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BACK OF THE BOOK

On what we have now From Pend Oreille Review, March 13, 1908

INTIMIDATED BY HER HIRED MAN Kept off her homestead since Christmas time and bullied by a man who had worked for her and been paid for his labor, Mrs. Martha J. Prescott, who owns a fine ranch which she has hewed out of the forest two miles southeast of Laclede, made a complaint in probate court this week against Arthur J. Craig on a charge of misdemeanor in threatening her.

When Under Sheriff Merritt went to Mrs. Prescott’s place at midnight Wednesday to take Craig into custody he found him in an upstairs room asleep with a female companion. The officer took the two into custody and brought them here and lodged them in jail yesterday morning.

Mrs. Prescott had cleared up her homestead and Craig had been hired to assist her. He had been in her employ for about three years. She paid him off just before the holidays but Craig refused to leave the place.

Mrs. Prescott finally left herself and went to Spokane where she spent the winter, leaving Craig in possession of her home. The authorities were appealed to by the widow and the matter was looked up and it was found that Craig was intimidating the woman and keeping her out of her lawful possession. Mrs. Prescott got out papers against Craig in the probate court and she and Officer Merritt went to her ranch home Wednesday night to take Craig into custody. Mrs. Prescott went upstairs and lighting a match found the recreant hired man asleep and he was not alone. It was found that the woman has been picked up a few days before

by Craig, and the two had been on a drunken spree for several days. She was recently run out of Sandpoint by the local police, and refused to give her name. Hearing of the pair was put over until Monday.

22 / R / March 13, 2025

By Sandy Compton Reader Columnist My last column prompted interesting letters to the editor, some of which weren’t printed because the writers didn’t wish to be in the public eye.

One that did get published suggested the editor ban me because my views didn’t agree with theirs. They may wish to brush up on the Constitution, in which the First Amendment — the very first — guarantees freedom of speech and of the press.

Trump and Vance took advantage of freedom of speech when they abused Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in front of millions of witnesses, but Trump wants to violate freedom of the press by hand-picking reporters who can ask him questions.

And now, Trump treats with Putin — a murderous dictator — as Musk concentrates on putting thousands of good people out of work. You know some of them.

Meanwhile, a recent Sunday was the occasion for my semi-annual trip to Nespelem, the Colville Reservation village where Joseph of the Nez Perce is buried. He lies with others who landed there upon return from banishment to Oklahoma and several hundreds of their descendants. This was my 60th visit to honor an honorable man who was essentially a captive for the last half of his life, but never gave in to his captors.

On my way, I traveled through Creston, Wash., a farm town 50 miles west of Spokane on U.S. Highway 2. There I saw a crude homemade

sign featuring a red circle with a slash across it. In the circle were the words “liberal socialists.” This pissed me off for the insulting quality of the message, for the intolerance and hatred it signifies, and for its reminder of our tendency to blame our own problems on someone else.

As I went on, I thought of many things we have in this country that are the result of “liberal socialist” thinking.

I traveled on one of Republican President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s interstate highways, built for the common good with taxpayer money.

I crossed the Columbia River below Democratic President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Grand Coulee Dam on a steel girder bridge, both built for the common good with taxpayer money. I passed public schools and drove many miles on excellent secondary highways, all built for the public good with taxpayer money. I visited the National Park Service facility at the dam, a lovely example of education and commemoration built for the enjoyment of all with taxpayer money.

I thought of other blessings we have that were built with taxpayer money: post offices, railroads, airports, harbors, ferry systems, much of our Western electrical grid, irrigation projects, the national defense system, state colleges and universities, all benefiting the common good. I also marveled at my ability to cross several significant borders without having to even slow down, much less stop and seek permission to enter — or leave.

Looming behind that roadside symbol of willful ignorance at Cres-

STR8TS Solution

Sudoku Solution

ton were giant grain elevators to be filled again in the fall with wheat to be transported on public highways and subsidized railroads to places far and wide, including seaports built with the help of... well, you know.

It occurred to me that without the efforts of “liberal socialism” all this would never have come to be. We might still be living in isolated villages trying to wrest a living from the earth as we could, suspicious of any stranger and casting bones to determine the future.

Those who wish to rid themselves of “liberal socialists” — roughly translated as the Democratic Party — may wish to remember that countries with one-party systems include Stalin’s USSR, Putin’s Russian Federation, Communist China and Hitler’s Third Reich. In these one-party systems, many of the amenities were built with blood.

Crossword Solution

Whether they live in an igloo or a grass shack or a mud hut, people around the world all want the same thing: a better house!

Solution on page 22

Solution on page 22

By Bill Borders

wakerife /WEYK-rahyf/

Woorf tdhe Week

[adjective] 1. wakeful or unable to sleep

“After a long nap in the afternoon, she found herself wakerife deep into the night.”

Corrections: “He who knows nothing is closer to the truth than he whose mind is filled with falsehoods and errors.” — Thomas Jefferson (Good thing we have no corrections to report)

CROSSWORD

Copyright www.mirroreyes.com

Laughing Matter

ACROSS 1. Cast out 6. Troublesome children 11. Father Christmas 12. Permission 15. Yell 16. Includes 17. Flat hat 18. Is owned by 20. Greek god of flocks 21. Type of sword 23. Stops 24. Moral weakness 25. Confined 26. A hollow in a mountain 27. A light shade of red 28. Bristle 29. Employ 30. Dogteeth 31. A belt of parks 34. Horse 36. Anger 37. At a distance 41. Animal fat 42. G G G 43. Donate 44. Riot spray 45. Albacore or bluefin 46. Former spouses (slang) 47. Antlered animal 48. A bat and ball game 51. Explosive 52. Endure 54. Troubleshoots

Solution on page 22 56. Common name for the US 57. Dirty look 58. Type of sword 59. Patriarch

DOWN 1. Fugitive 2. Piece of clothing 3. East northeast 4. Pierce 5. Domestic 6. Light-haired 7. Finger jewelry

8. Play parts 9. Sri Lanka export 10. Sharpshooting 13. Informal meals 14. Anagram of “Seen” 15. Stairs 16. Quality of being useful 19. Rent 22. Knickknack holder 24. Time of origin 26. Gave a stage signal 27. Buddy 30. Charges

32. Bloodshot 33. Snap 34. Ski race 35. Takes on 38. A regular patron 39. Retaliator 40. Pauses 42. Stringed instrument 44. Of higher order 45. Small amount 48. Baby’s bed 49. Border 50. Confess 53. Chapter in history 55. Not good March 13, 2025 / R / 23