Reader March 29 2018

March 29, 20l8

Election Profiles: Heather Scott Mike Boeck

Festival at Sandpoint nixes 'number line' system

Two marches, one Issue Castles, the vision of Karin Wedemeyer, Grant Farm at the Heartwood Center, The Sandpoint Eater returns from Thailand, a 11st of an candidate forums and much morel

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GAME ROOM UPSTAIRS

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Food by Edelwagen Food Truck

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212 Cedar Street Downtown Sandpoint

208.263.4005 A SandPint Tradition Since 1994

We inject trees with fertilizer and insecticide to help rejuvenate the tree and kill off the larve and beetles inside.

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Pint’s Up Beer Release Party (buy a pint, get a pint glass!)

All day!

(wo)MAN compiled by

Susan Drinkard

on the street

When the wind blows, what is it saying to you?

“It is whistling at me, like a train.”

McKinley Icardo 5 years old Sandpoint

DEAR READERS, For this, our Easter issue, we reached out to a few local pastors and asked them to give their thoughts for what Easter means to them.

It’s also rapidly become spring, with just a few of these pesky holdout snowstorms clinging on. Have no fear, you’ll be sweating and drinking margaritas on the lake before you know it.

On this week’s cover is a flower. For a chance to win a $25 gift certificate to Eichardt’s Pub, what kind of flower is it? We’ll post on Facebook Thursday morning — find the post and comment beneath it. The first person to get the right answer wins!

Thanks again for another great week, Sandpoint. Tune in next week - same bat time, same bat channel.

-Ben Olson, Publisher

Elect Stephen F. Howlee Idaho State Representaave District 1 Seat B Stephen Supports: • Agriculture.

• Property Tax Reducaon.

• Economy that works for Idaho.

• Access to Healthcare.

• Invesang in Educaaon.

• Mulaple use of Public Lands.

“Hello.”

Tekla Lien 5.5 years old Sandpoint

Paid for by Howlett for the House

Vote November 6, 2018 for Stephen F. Howlee District 1 Seat B ssowleeoridahodistrict1b.com

“Stay happy.”

“I like it when my hair flies in the wind.”

Isabelle Pickett 3.5 years old Sandpoint Thursday Ladies Night $1.00 off all drinks Unique selection of Excellent Wines

Mason Rasor 5 years old Sandpoint

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

www.sandpointreader.com Publisher: Ben Olson ben@sandpointreader.com Editor: Cameron Rasmusson cameron@sandpointreader.com Zach Hagadone (emeritus) John Reuter (emeritus) Advertising: Jodi Berge Jodi@sandpointreader.com Contributing Artists: Andrew Small (cover), Ben Olson, Susan Drinkard, Lyndsie Kiebert, The Nature Conservatory, Showlove Media.

Contributing Writers: Cameron Rasmusson, Ben Olson, Lyndsie Kiebert, Major Shelby Rognstad, Rev. Bob Evans, Pastor Colin Moody, Sandy Anderson, Brenden Bobby, A.C. Woolnough, Jim Mitsui, Amy Craven, Karen Seashore, L.S. Jones, Jodi Rawson, Marcia Pilgeram, Marcia Wilson.

Submit stories to: stories@sandpointreader.com Printed weekly at: Griffin Publishing Spokane, Wash.

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

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

Free to all, limit two copies per person.

Landon Burkett-Knapp 7 years old Sandpoint

“I hate it when it blows me down, but it makes me a little happy too.”

READER

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

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

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

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About the Cover

This week’s cover is a photograph of a flower by Andrew Small. What kind is it? Email Ben with your answer.

March 29, 2018 /

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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Fix the ‘Gun Show Loophole’...?

Dear Editor, You want to fix the “gun-show loophole” on firearm purchases? There isn’t one, really (know what you are talking about, see above). It is a private party transfer loophole. I’m cool with that fix, but you had better improve the restricted buyer database. Not all law enforcement (local, state, federal) contribute data; mental health data is also often not included or incomplete (but be careful to protect privacy rights).

Texas mass killer D.P.K., convicted of domestic violence and discharged for bad conduct, was not reported by the Air Force, allowing him to buy firearms. A 2015 Pentagon report found the military was failing to provide crucial information to the FBI in about 30 percent of a sample of serious cases handled in military courts. (NPR Nov 7, 2017).

I would suggest that the U.S. has a violence problem as much as a gun problem. Twice as many people here commit suicide by gun than are murdered by one. But Japan, with almost no guns, has a suicide rate 50 percent higher than ours, whereas Israel, where every Israeli is trained, and many are armed (with automatic weapons too!), the suicide rate is 50 percent less than here.

Who was the first person shot and killed at Sandy Hook Elementary school? Principal Dawn Hochsprung, a brave woman. Why? She charged the gunman EMPTY HANDED! It’s hard to believe that it would have been worse if she had been armed. At the Orlando/ Pulse nightclub shooting, the police stayed outside for THREE HOURS, while inside dozen of victims bled out.

You can’t convince me that it would have been worse if one of the dozens of hostages had been armed.

I support the Second Amendment.

I also support the ACLU, free universal health care, women and LGBTQ rights.

Want a firearm in your home, fine. But to carry in public, then mandatory training and licensing is called for.

There are far too many uneducated gun control advocates and owners.

So you want to ban the AR-15?

Better know the other side’s issues.

Chris Mielke Sagle

For the Kids...

Dear Editor, We now have a generation of children born after Columbine and 9/11 who have always lived in an ever more dangerous world. This is in stark contrast to nearly everyone over about 30 years old who never even considered school terrorism or shootings. While many of us feel “it won’t happen here,” our schools practice lockdowns, lockouts and escape routes that remind the students it can. Since the 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook, there have been more than 400 people shot in more than 200 school shootings. Despite 4 /

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those numbers, some of us don’t think our kids should be protesting.

With every gun regulation proposal, the NRA immediately screams “they want to take away your guns.” Yet for any gun confiscation to happen, including assault rifles, a Constitutional amendment would be necessary. If anyone on either side of the gun issue really believes that can happen, they should look at the amendment process while considering today’s political situation.

If we are to ever begin reducing gun violence, we all need to come away from our extreme positions and implement measures that don’t really “infringe” on gun ownership or even remotely look like an unconstitutional confiscation of guns. Our generations have failed again and again at correcting major problems in our institutions (Social Security, collapse of the middle class, etc.) that will disproportionately affect the younger generations. Maybe we can finally do something right and take concrete steps to reduce the violence these kids have lived with their entire lives.

Ken Thacker Sagle

Distorted Facts...

Dear Editor, Mr Rose gets many facts twisted and appears to need some education. The federal government can not seize lands they already have. The Scotchman Peaks are owned by the public and managed by the federal government through the United States Forest Service. Whether the Scotchman Peaks end up being designated as wilderness or not, they will continue to be owned by the public and managed by the USFS. There is no transfer, seizure or “grabbing” going on.

Thank you, Cheryl McKee Sagle

Error in Statistics...

Dear Editor, I apologize for my letter to the editor on March 22. In that letter I stated 80 million people are members of the NRA. I was wrong. There is an estimated 80 million people that own guns. The NRA claims about 5 million members. However, the NRA is very vague about the true numbers, stating annual members, but they leave out lifetime members and other memberships. According to a Pew research center, more than 14 million claim NRA membership.

I still standby my March 22 letter.

These numbers still make the NRA the largest terrorist organization. No longer will getting an A-plus rating from the NRA get a politician elected. It will cost you votes. That may not happen in Idaho soon, but it will happen in the not to distant future. “The times, they are a

OPINION changin’,” in the words of Bob Dylan.

Marty Stitsel Sandpoint

Name calling won’t accomplish much...

Dear Editor, Marty Stitsel’s letter of 22 March re: the NRA. In last week’s letters to the editor column, Marty Stitsel accused the NRA (National Rifle Association) of being the worst terrorist organization in the world. Marty associated the organization with the likes of ISIS, Al Qaeda and the Taliban. I don’t know where Mr. Stitsel gets his data, so I don’t know if it’s correct. I do know, however, that when one makes a blanket statement like that, it does little to further logical or intellectual debate. We all know that automobiles, cigarettes, alcohol, drugs and medical malpractice kill more people each year than do criminals with guns.

I have no problem with discussing gun deaths, because any death that is not natural is cause for concern.

The NRA is like any other organization just like the American Medical Association, The Distilled Spirits Council of the United States (DISCUS), The National Tobacco Association, The Automotive Industry or the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORMAL): Each and every one of the above mentioned organizations produce a product or service that leads to the death or destruction of health or both. With the exception of marijuana use, all of the other trade organizations mentioned represent organizations that cause more death and destruction than the deaths caused by firearms.

This is not to say that one can’t focus on firearm deaths. But to blame an organization for the crimes committed by those that probably don’t even belong to the targeted organization does little to further the quest for fewer firearm deaths.

Mr. Stitsel further stated that guns are not properly monitored. We have numerous laws and regulations that monitor the purchase, possession and sale of firearms in this country. What we don’t do is monitor the people who use guns in a criminal fashion.

I believe a more cool, calm and collected tone of voice will accomplish more than coining a legal organization “terrorist.”

I will host a discussion of Mr. Stitsel’s letter Friday, March 30, on Face-To-Face, 1400 and 1450 on your AM dial at 12:10 p.m. Please tune in and contribute to the discussion. Feel free to contact me with questions or comments in advance of the program.

Bill Litsinger Sandpoint

Mayor’s Roundtable

By Mayor Shelby Rognstad Reader Contributor There are a couple issues I’d like to address this week.

First, I applaud Sandpoint High School students taking a stand in solidarity with students around the nation who are concerned about the increasing epidemic of gun violence.

On March 14, over 120 local students joined thousands across Idaho in a school walkout to bring awareness to gun violence and the need to act. Around 1,500 students protested at the State House in Boise.

Many others joined at the March for Our Lives last Saturday.

Change can only happen when people stand in solidarity and make their voices heard. To those youth who are taking a stand, you are making a difference. Continue to speak up, write your legislators, talk to others about this issue and others that concern you.

You are the future. Your voice matters.

So will your vote. I want to personally invite you to join the next Mayor’s Roundtable, and I promise you that I will listen. Bring your friends and teachers. We need more youth participating in our community.

In another gun-related matter, two Sandpoint police officers were shot in the line of duty three weeks ago.

Thankfully, officers Hutter and Clark are having a good recovery. I truly appreciate their service and courage in the line of duty. This incident, like the school shooting in Florida, was perpetrated by a person with mental health issues. It makes no sense that we, as a society, would not regulate gun ownership to those who are mentally healthy. We don’t allow driver’s licensure to those who are unsafe or unfit to drive. Guns are dangerous and should be regulated as such. Elected officials have a legislative responsibility to protect public health, safety and welfare. The Second Amendment grants the right to bear arms, but not to shirk responsibility to uphold public safety. We can uphold the Second Amendment AND provide for public safety through background checks and mental health screening.

Now for some good news. A few weeks ago I was in Jackson, Wyo., where I met with the LOR Foundation board to follow through with the city’s request for a $4 million grant.

The request was for the purchase of the 77-acre University of Idaho property on Boyer Avenue. The city made the request in an effort to preserve open space and wetland on the parcel as well as to facilitate

the development of a community recreation center.

These priorities were identified in the Comprehensive Plan update and again through the open house, workshops and survey that were conducted last month.

While our full request was not granted, LOR did commit to offering $500,000 toward the purchase of land at the site specifically for a future recreation center. The city and LOR are currently working through conditions of the grant. In addition, LOR offered $500,000 to the city of Ponderay for the planning and development of the Field of Dreams complex north of the City. Sandpoint is incredibly grateful to LOR for this generous gift.

A recreation center has long been an aspiration for the community, and this grant could allow the city to leverage the purchase of a portion of the parcel on Boyer for a future recreation center. Meanwhile, Sandpoint Urban Renewal Agency (SURA) is initiating the process of revising its master plan for the northern urban area which should be complete by fall. Doing so would allow the agency to contribute funds toward purchase and/or public infrastructure development on the site.

The city will be looking to partner with a private developer to share in the purchase. Hopefully the city, in partnership with urban renewal, can purchase 15 to 20 acres for a community rec center, and the developer could purchase the balance.

SURA’s participation does give significant leverage to influence future development on the property. Urban Renewal could repay public infrastructure costs to a developer upon meeting certain conditions with the development. Such conditions could facilitate more open space, creek access, trail connectivity, and other public assets. The city also has limited ability to leverage through zoning, planned use development agreement and deferment of fees associated with development. The end goals are to dedicate space for a community/recreation center, allow for trail connectivity in accordance with the Trails Master Plan and allow public access to Sand Creek.

Please join me for the Mayor’s Roundtable discussion this Friday, 8:00 a.m., at Cedar St. Bistro to discuss these issues and more.

RELIGION

Easter, a day of resurrection

By Rev. Bob Evans Reader Contributor For those of us who are Christians, Jesus is the archetype of who we are born to be, and also, the one whose own journey to the cross teaches us, while showing us, how we are to live and what it means to take up our cross. These words of Jesus are a Christian imperative, “Take up your cross and follow me,” as it is telling us to take responsibility for our own actions. We cannot say, “The devil made me do it,” or, “I believe Jesus is my savior, and I have all the right Bible verses remembered, so I’m saved,” whatever that means to some.

We all have within us the greatest desire to prolong our lives and to maintain the physical self. Our five senses are tuned such that they help us with this struggle against nature; so much so that we develop these in-

sulating walls between us and the rest of the world, as we tend to put ourselves first. This tends to create walls between us and the ability to see God’s kingdom and to know our true selves as children of God already partaking in eternal life.

Carl Jung, the great early 20th century philosopher, psychiatrist and spiritualist, called the self, created by our five senses, our “Shadow Self.” This shadow self is who we think we are as physical beings, as identified by our culture and friends, and only strengthens our separation from the Holy One we seek. According to Jung, it is this shadow self that keeps us from truly experiencing anything of the divine dimension.

To carry our cross and deny ourselves means we must identify, name and rid ourselves of this most powerful demon, the shadow self, who steals from us our true identity; leave the shadow self on the cross and rise as a new being in Christ. Jesus says to us that in order to save our lives we must lose them. He is referring to this shadow self. It is this life we must lose. It is this life of the shadow self that must be given up on

our personal cross so that our real self, our true identity as a son or daughter of God, can rise.

It is then, in the here and now, that we will be able to see that God’s kingdom has come in power. Jesus, when speaking of God’s kingdom, always refers to it in the present: “God’s kingdom IS like…” is how Jesus starts every metaphor concerning the symbol, God’s kingdom. In his saying today Jesus tells his disciples and the crowd around him, “Truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see that the kingdom of God has come in power.” Jesus, in saying that the kingdom has come, is speaking to those who have not yet understood that the kingdom is eternally present. Those who just now see it, or are about to see it, will awaken to the fact that not only is the kingdom of God present, but it always has been eternally present. When we are able to see the things of the kingdom, we have been resurrected.

Rev. Bob Evans is with the United Church of Christ in Sagle.

A personal invitation

By Pastor Colin Moody Reader Contributor If your mailbox is like mine, it’s chock-full of monthly bills, sales flyers and reminder postcards.

Sometimes I’ll see a nice-looking envelope in the stack of mail and think, great, a personal letter. Sadly, it’s usually a cleverly packaged invitation for a lower APR. Every so often, though, I receive a genuine, personalized invitation to an upcoming event. That envelope — hand-addressed and often on thick-stock paper — goes to the top of the pile. It’s the first thing I want to read.

Why? Because it’s personal.

Personal invitations don’t just communicate details. Personal invitations communicate care.

A personal invitation communicates that as the inviter thought about the future, they thought about you. A personal invitation says that you’re included. It affirms that you matter. It confirms that you will bring something that no one else can — you.

This Easter, more than two billion people around the world will celebrate the life and legacy of the most powerful inviter in history.

Two thousand years ago, Jesus of Nazareth — later known as Jesus Christ — invited people to see themselves and God in a new way. Over three years of public teaching as an itinerant Jewish rabbi (religious teacher), Jesus shared bold, powerful invitations that both expressed and confirmed God’s loving intentions for humanity.

As Jesus begins his work as a rabbi he encounters several fishermen and gives them this invitation: “Follow me.” And without knowing exactly what it meant to follow, Peter, Andrew, James and John—the first disciples—begin a journey with Jesus that will transform them and transform the world.

When a group of committed friends daringly lower their paralyzed friend on a mat down through a roof in order to get him in front of Jesus, Jesus doesn’t hesitate to help.

After first proclaiming the man forgiven of sin, Jesus gives the paralyzed man this invitation: “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.”

The man does just that, and walks away into a promising future that was unimaginable just moments before.

And when a woman caught in an adulterous affair faces mob justice, Jesus first brilliantly dismisses the violent mob and then gives the woman this invitation: “Go now and leave your life of sin.” And for the rest of her life, I’m convinced this woman aligned her life with God’s intentions, rather than simply following her own desires or following the lead of those around her.

Transformation. Healing. Forgiveness.

These are some of the personal invitations that Jesus gave and that Jesus himself makes possible. And those invitations aren’t just for people 2,000 years ago.

Those invitations are open to you, and they’re open to me.

Easter celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ. As part of this celebration, we’re invited to see ourselves and God in a new way. God is not far-off; through Jesus Christ, God is near.

Not just at Easter, but every moment of every day, Jesus Christ invites every person to receive and extend transformation, healing and forgiveness rooted in him. I think that’s an invitation worth responding to.

The Easter Bunny will be hopping over to the Bonner Mall!

SATURDAY, MARCH 31st 10 am - 2 pm With treats for kids 12 and under!

Photos available, or take your own.

BY ORED SPONS LL A THE M NTS! A MERCH

Colin Moody serves as the adult ministries pastor at Cedar Hills Church.

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COMMUNITY

Writers of the panhandle unite Soft road beds cause closures Bouquets: (Guest Submission) • I’d like to give a bouquet to Ralph Sletager. He has put on display for the public his personal collection of arrowheads and primitive tools. This is an amazing collection that has been beautifully and thoughtfully displayed. It can be seen on the third floor of the Power House. Thank you, Ralph, for sharing this with us.

-Submitted by Cynthia Mason •I attended both marches Saturday, and I was pleased to see that despite the heated topic matter and emotions running high, both marches were very peaceful and respectful. I really think we can climb out of this uncivil rut we’ve dug ourselves into as a nation these past few years. All it takes is respecting the other person’s point of view, even if it differs dramatically from your own. Continue to stand up for what you think is right, but don’t toss those who don’t think like you under the bus. Remember, we have more in common than that which divides us.

Barbs • I got a few calls from readers after my blinking yellow light barb.

One wanted me to remind drivers to drive 45 through Ponderay, as many drivers seem to think this is a 25 mile per hour zone. Another wanted me to point out to Sandpoint drivers that the speed limit on downtown city streets is 25 m.p.h., not 10 m.p.h.

I’ve also noticed that people drive slower than molasses downtown, but I always figured it was the slow, agonizing search for a parking spot.

Finally, a caller wanted me to point out that the intersection between Bridge Street and First Avenue needs some attention. Drivers should treat this as a “lazy roundabout,” in the sense that if there is a vehicle in the intersection that has already passed their yield sign, you must then give way to them. If they haven’t reached their yield sign yet, you can proceed.

Always yield to the left traffic, but keep aware of those coming on your right side. Bottom line: don’t trust anyone at this intersection, because it can be confusing. OK, enough soapbox traffic preaching.

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By Sandy Anderson Reader Contributor

By Ben Olson Reader Staff

Writers from Clark Fork to Oldtown, from Bonners Ferry to Athol, descended on Sandpoint on Saturday, March 17, to celebrate the art of writing in an annual contest. Spirits were high, as attendees signed in to share their work and to enjoy a few hours of recital. Borrowing the mic, 22 authors in turn took listeners on a roller coaster tour of unusual stories, sweet reminiscences, mirthful moments and fantastic fables, as the audience sat captivated. While many of the participants are known in the community, new talent made its debut, developing themes around love lost, family china, orphans, warfare and trolls—and much more.

If the event had allowed, the storytelling would have gone on for as long as the listeners could stay. In the contest format, though, each writer was granted five minutes to showcase a sample of their work, while Tom Reppert and Jim Payne, members of the local chapter of Idaho Writers League, moderated the morning and called time.

Attendees voted and were hard put to select winners from

Spring breakup season is upon us. The following roads have been temporarily closed by the Sandpoint Ranger District due to soft road beds: Grouse Creek Road, Forest Service Road (FSR) #280, Sand Ridge Road, FSR #2656, Butler Creek Road, FSR #230, and the Little Blacktail Roads, FSR #630, FSR #630A, FSR #630B, and FSR #630C in Bonner County. The Bonners Ferry Ranger District is closing all of Myrtle Creek Road, FSR #633, Snow Creek Road, FSR #402 from FSR #402a to FSR #2190 Kootenai

Distorted Facts...

Dear Editor, Steve Brixen, I agree with your analogy that guns (in your case, apparently, a rifle), in being like cars (in my case a pick-up truck), do not cause harm by themselves. Rare exceptions noted.

So hopefully you’re in agreement that we should treat the two a little more alike. You must pass a test and get a license to drive. If your license lapses, you must pass another test. You must register your vehicles and have liability insurance. You must have additional training or qualifications for some vehicles and some are not allowed. Make certain mistakes, you lose your rights.

Where I have problem is your cherry picking of the data that you reference. Let’s start with your comparison of rifles verses vehicles. Using your logic I can state: Total firearm homicides 2016: 11,004. Total pick-up truck deaths 2016: 4,601.

So let’s agree that if we are going to talk about guns and vehicles, we include

all the submissions. The teen category awards went to Maggie Russell for “A Second Chance,” and to Coen Smith for “Daily Drink.” Competition in the adult category was so heated that the moderators called for a second round of voting to ratify three winners. Ken Fischman took first honors with “Lollipop.” Second and third went to Mame Cudd for her story, “Calling Out to Lizzie,” and Celeste Lawrence for “Inheritance.”

Dubbed “The Luck of the Irish Writing Contest,” the affair enjoyed support from the East Bonner County Library. Mike Bauer, adult programs coordinator, abetted the planning of the meeting, along with Kathleen Clayton, past president of the Sandpoint Chapter of Idaho Writers League. Chapter members and Friends of the Library spread an appetizing brunch for all comers at the Heartwood Center.

all types of both. But wait, there’s more!

You chose only to include homicides for gun deaths, yet include all auto related deaths. Once again, using your method, I can state: total number of firearm related deaths (five-year average): over 33,000 per year. Total homicides by vehicle is not a stat in your source, but it does include: other weapons or weapons not stated, 903. So we can extrapolate that the number is somewhere below 903.

So let’s also agree to compare all gun related deaths to all motor vehicle related deaths acknowledging that most gun deaths are suicides and most vehicle deaths are accidents. If you really just want to compare homicides let me know but I am trying to help you out here.

We now have a fair comparison. An average of over 33,000 gun deaths a year and 37,461 vehicle deaths in 2016.

Now let’s look at licensed drivers vs. estimated gun owners in the U.S. In 2016 there were roughly 222 million licensed drivers and an estimated 129 million gun owners. That works out to one gun related death for every 3,909

Ridge Road, all of Kootenai Ridge Road FSR #2190 and all of Placer Creek Connection Road, FSR #2541, in Boundary County. The Priest Lake Ranger District is closing Quartz Mountain Road, FSR #1314, and Guinn Creek Road, FSR #1335, in Bonner County.

“We recognize that these closures are an inconvenience to the public,” said Heather Degeest, acting deputy forest supervisor. “The closure orders will be rescinded as soon as conditions improve.”

For additional information, or to report new road damage, please contact your local ranger station.

Help curb mail theft

By Reader Staff

There are areas scattered throughout Bonner County that have been experiencing mail theft from residential mailboxes.

Informed delivery is a free notification service by the U.S. Postal Service that allows you to digitally preview letters and to track packages that are scheduled to be and/or have been delivered. You can find out more about informed delivery by gun owner and one vehicle related death for every 5,926 licensed driver.

So as you suggested, I did the homework. If you compare gun deaths to vehicle deaths, both are tragic, but guns are worse. I look forward to your support of responsible, common sense gun laws that are at least as comprehensive as motor vehicle laws.

David Marx Sandpoint

Yes to Wilderness...

Dear Editor, I am in favor of wilderness designation for the Scotchman Peaks area.

Currently, this land is owned by the American public and managed by the Forest Service. If this becomes wilderness, it will still be owned by the American people and managed for us by the Forest Service. Currently, hiking, fishing, hunting, berry picking, camping and horseback riding are allowed. If it becomes wilderness, permanent access

typing the term into Google and following the links.

Several Bonner County Sheriff’s Office Neighborhood Watch volunteers in different areas of Bonner County have signed up for this free service. Please consider signing up for these notifications. Then, if you don’t receive your scheduled mail, keep your notification and call Bonner County Dispatch at (208) 265-5525 with your information. for all of these activities will be assured.

Fires can still be fought and wildlife will still be managed if it becomes wilderness. In short, nothing will change, which is exactly the point. Future generations will thank us for preserving this unspoiled gem. There is currently not one acre of wilderness in the nine northern counties of Idaho. This proposal represents only .5 percent of the area of the Idaho Panhandle National Forests. This leaves the remaining 99.5 percent in a non-wilderness status. In addition, numerous studies have shown that communities near wilderness areas enjoy an economic boost. Please vote for wilderness on May 15!

Jim Mellon Sandpoint

Got something to say? Write a letter to the editor at letters@sandpointreader.com. Please, keep submissions under 400 words, and elevate the discussion. No handwritten letters accepted, and please include the town you are writing from.

Mad about Science:

By Brenden Bobby Reader Columnist Few things inspire us more than ancient architecture. The mystique of medieval castles comes from their complexity, built during a time when humans were considered to be simple creatures. Structures that seem random and decorative to us today actually served important military purposes when they were built, and the genius behind their design may cause you to rethink the idea that the denizens of the Dark Ages were dimwitted dingbats.

What is a castle? It’s a house for a king or a lord. These individuals amassed a large amount of wealth (primarily through slave labor), and they wanted a place to store all of this wealth away from Vikings and other invaders. The most economic way to do this was to store it all in a wooden structure, but then you ran the risk of it being burned down. What natural building material wouldn’t easily catch fire?

Stone, of course!

Everything about a castle is designed with defensibility in mind. Most castles were built on hills or steep artificial mounds of dirt. This would slow attackers as they tried to scale the hill while having arrows shot at them, and wear them out before they could even get to the walls. This hill was called a motte. In the process of getting all of that dirt mounded up, the builders would usually leave behind a ring-like pit at the base of a motte, fittingly dubbed a moat. Sometimes moats would be filled with wa-

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castles

ter, sometimes they wouldn’t, and sometimes defenders would put wooden spikes or wicked defenses into them.

Until the 16th century, many castles had gatehouses or barbicans. Two towers would flank a gate and give way to a courtyard before you got to the actual castle gate. If an invading army were to break through the gatehouse, their soldiers would have to cross a courtyard while being pelted from all sides by arrows. Gunpowder and cannons trivialized gatehouses, because you could just blow through a wall and skip the courtyard altogether, but the practice of building imposing barbicans became a staple of elite English architecture.

When you think of a castle, you probably imagine a large wall with square ridges. These ridges are called battlements or crenellations, while the gaps are called embrasures. Archers would take cover behind the battlements, then pop out to aim and fire from the embrasures. Modern militaries still use cover in a similar manner.

Between the 12th and 16th centuries, you had to lobby your ruler for a license if you wanted to add battlements to one of your buildings. This could have been a way to stifle revolts from lords of questionable repute and loyalty.

The keep was generally where the lord and his staff lived. It was the core of a castle, and capable of halting a siege if invaders breached the walls. The benefit of a keep was to force close-quarters fighting, and despite being such a large building, most

keeps were built with corridors where men could hardly travel two abreast. This may seem like backward logic if you’re trying to get through your keep during daily duties, but it makes sense when you imagine your enemies trying to do the same. Within your keep, you can’t be flanked, and with your back to the wall you’re likely to fight even harder. If you’re fighting one knight at a time, your chance of survival increases exponentially.

Most castles would have dungeons (from the French donjon, which looks really funny when it’s written). This was the place no one wanted to end up. The Geneva Convention wasn’t exactly a thing in the Middle Ages, and if you were to torture a prisoner for information, no one would call you on it for fear of suffering the same fate. It was also a handy storage place to keep another lord if you wanted to ransom him off to his family or strike a truce with someone else. These were usually underground or at the top of a tower, which made escape and sanitation equally impossible.

One cool feature later castles had that no one talks about is the machicolation.

When you see a castle with a tower that billows out, almost like a mushroom cap, you probably don’t notice that there are large holes on the bottom of the “cap.” This allowed defenders to look straight down, fire arrows, drop boulders or pour searing oil directly onto attackers without damaging the castle. Gates had similar gaps in them, aptly named murder

The Raglan Castle in Wales. Photo Creative Commons.

holes, which could also be a sweet band name.

Castles served multiple purposes in their day. They were homes, warehouses, barracks and military bases. Castle architecture went on to inspire features for our own homes in the centuries that followed.

Did you know bay windows originate from castles? In castle architecture, they were called oriel windows, and likely gave lords (or archers) a unique perspective of the bailey, or courtyard, without being viewed

themselves. Oriel windows are a major part of Islamic architecture; I wouldn’t be surprised if Europeans adopted the idea for their own castles after the Crusades.

The next time you peer out your bay window for morning coffee, imagine yourself the lord of your keep, watching diligently over your bailey.

Now if only you could throw that rogue goose in the dungeon for pooping all over your faithful ‘67 Mustang.

Random Corner espeare?

Don’t know much about shak

We can help!

• William Shakespeare’s six surviving signatures have different spellings, including “Shakspere,” “Shaksper” and “Shakspeare.” The right spelling has been in dispute for centuries.

• Shakespeare invented about 1,700 words that we use today.

• Shakespeare directly mentions America only once.

• Uranus’ moons are named after characters from the works of Shakespeare and Alexander Pope.

• Rapper Tupac Shakur was a voracious reader and particularly enjoyed Shakespeare.

• Scientists detected traces of cannabis on pipes found in William Shakespeare’s garden.

• The letter u as an abbreviation for “you” was first used by Shakespeare.

• Shakespeare’s daughter was illiterate.

• Shakespeare’s signature is worth more than $5 million.

• Caodaism is a Vietnamese religion that worships Joan of Arc, Shakespeare and Muhammad.

• An 18-year-old William Shakespeare married an older woman who was three months pregnant at the time.

• Shakespeare and Pocahontas were alive at the same time.

• Although Shakespeare’s works run to more than a million words, only 14 exist in his own handwriting.

•Nobody knows what Shakespeare was up to from 1585 to 1592.

Historians speculate he might’ve been a teacher, traveled through Europe with an acting troupe and another account says he fled his hometown after poaching a deer from a local politician’s estate.

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NEWS

Bonners Ferry forests preserved in conservation easement

By Cameron Rasmussson Reader Staff About 5,000 acres of forestland near Bonners Ferry will be preserved under a conservation easement in an agreement announced Wednesday by Idaho Department of Lands officials.

Conveyed to IDL in a partnership between Hancock Timber Resource Group, The Nature Conservancy and the U.S. Forest Service, the conservation easement will preserve forests for recreation, wildlife preservation and woodland management. Half of the preserved woodland is located near Hall Mountain and the other half east of McArthur Lake.

“Conservation easements and the Forest Legacy Program keep private working forests working,” said Karen Sjoquist, IDL Forest Legacy Program coordinator.

“The continued use, protection and sustainability of these forests provide local jobs while protecting the social and environmental values that forests provide.”

Partnership planners identified the North Idaho acreage as prime candidates for conservation easements due to its natural beauty and vibrant natural life.

The easement will establish permanent public access for hunting, hiking and berry picking while allowing land to be managed for timber harvesting, water quality protection, habitat preservation and other matters of public concern, including grizzly bear management.

“This project is a win-win for both nature and people in North Idaho,” said Toni Hardesty, state director for the Conservancy in Idaho. “These lands will continue to provide habitat for native wildlife while also maintaining jobs and providing access to the local communities.”

The U.S. Forest Service Forest Legacy Program and The Nature Conservancy contributed funding for the conservation easement. Public funding for the legacy program derives from the Land and Water Conservation Fund, made up of royalties paid by energy companies drilling for oil and gas on the Outer Continental Shelf. The intention is 8 /

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that the depletion of one natural resource pays for the preservation of another, U.S. Forest Service officials said.

“The Forest Legacy Program is about protecting forest lands that are threatened by conversion to non-forest uses,” said Janet Valle of the U.S. Forest Service.

“It’s about helping willing private landowners to maintain and keep their forests in active production — to benefit local economies, and preserve fish and wildlife habitat, clean water and public recreation opportunities.”

Conservation easements are a popular means of partnership between public agencies and private landowners. The easement essentially preserves the natural qualities of the land and restricts its development while maintaining its recreational qualities and income-generating timber.

“Cooperative, thoughtful agreements such as these create wins for all parties involved,” said

Scott Ketchum, general manager of HTRG’s North Inland forest management operation. “Over the past three decades, we have been able to conserve and protect more than 465,000 acres of timberlands through our Sensitive Lands Program — with nearly 30 percent of the protected lands coming under

conservation easements like this one.”

Bonner County was the site of another high-profile conservation easement: Clagstone Meadows.

The preservation of 14,400 acres of North Idaho forestland, owned

by Stimson Lumber, was seen by conservationists as a win, but the

The view from the McArthur Lake East Forest Legacy Project, photo courtesy of The Nature Conservancy. deal was criticized by some conservatives as a hand-out from the government to a private company that locked up Bonner County’s limited developable space.

Hecla sues over Festival nixes number line system bad actor violations

By Ben Olson Reader Staff

By Cameron Rasmussson Reader Staff Hecla Mining Company is punching back after Montana Department of Environmental Quality hit it with bad actor violations last week.

The Spokesman-Review reports that the company sued the department on Friday, asking a Lincoln County judge to lift the violations.

Montana DEQ leveled the violations against Hecla because of CEO Phillips Baker Jr.’s previous involvement with Pegasus Gold, a now-defunct company whose inability to clean up its gold mines left Montana with a mess that has cost taxpayers $74 million to date.

Montana DEQ argues that given Baker’s history with Pegasus makes him

a bad actor, thus prohibiting him from any mining activities in Montana. They asked that Hecla either prove Baker has no part in any proposed Montana mines or repay the state for its expenses in reclaiming the gold mines.

Hecla, meanwhile, argues in its lawsuit that Baker had little involvement with the mines that have proven costly to Montana taxpayers.

“Mr. Baker neither directed nor controlled mining operations at any of the Pegasus entities’ mines,” wrote attorney William Mercer, arguing for Baker’s lack of liability. “If Pegasus failed to perform (cleanup obligations) pursuant to its permit with the department, Pegasus is exclusively liable.”

The Festival at Sandpoint announced Wednesday that it was doing away with the “number line” system it has used for the past decade, replacing it with tiered pricing for early entry.

Executive director Dyno Wahl said the change came about after input from both local and out of town ticket buyers who could not participate in the early morning ritual of standing in line to obtain a number for preferred seating.

The Festival now offers tiered ticket pricing for general admission and early entry.

Season Pass holders can also opt to upgrade to early entry for their choice of shows.

“While recognizing that it is impossible to please everyone, we think this plan is fair to all and reflects how concert venues operate across the country where there is a choice of pricing depending on how close you want to be,” said Wahl.

Festival fans can now choose from a variety of options. The “Keepin’ it Simple” plan is a basic general admission ticket where fans pay regular price for tickets and come to the venue whenever they’re ready, line up and enter the venue at posted gate times.

The “Need to be Closer” plan charges

fans $25 extra to enter the venue through the new lakeside early entry gate 10 minutes before the general admission. There are only 300 early entries available for Friday and Saturday shows, so they are expected to sell out. This is an automatic benefit for Patrons and Sponsors.

The “Donor” is when a patron donates $1,500, buying them two season passes with early entry for Friday and Saturday nights as well as tax donation benefits.

The Patron/Sponsor gate located to the left of the Main Gate on Ontario St. will also open 10 minutes early.

Season Pass holders can call or visit the Festival to upgrade any or all of the Friday or Saturday night tickets for $25 each. If pass holders choose not to upgrade, the Season Pass still saves them half on all concerts as usual. With the upgrades, pass holders save 30 percent.

Because Thursday and Sunday concerts usually have shorter ticket lines, general admission pricing will apply.

“Our goal is to improve the Festival experience, make it fair for fans from near and far and minimize the time spent in line,” said Wahl. “We will see how this new system works this year, and reevaluate for the future.”

Call (208) 265-4554 or visit the Festival office for more information.

NEWS

Two marches, one issue

By Ben Olson and McCalee Cain Reader Staff and Contributor

A heavy spring snowfall didn’t deter the hundreds of people from marching on Saturday morning. At the south end of the Long Bridge, an estimated 100 to 150 amassed for the “March for Our Rights” to support the Second Amendment and push back against weapons bans. At the Sandpoint City Beach, an estimated 200-250 people gathered to participate in the nationwide “March for Our Lives” to protest gun violence and call for stricter regulations on firearms.

The March for Our Lives saw participants marching the Sandpoint city streets down First Ave., north to Larch St., then back toward the City Beach along Fifth Ave. Led by students from Sandpoint High School, “March for Our Lives” participants carried signs with all sorts of messages: peace signs, placards that read, “Sensible Gun Control,” “Teachers should be in charge of grades not Glocks,” and American flags.

Benj Rogers, a freshman at Sandpoint High School, said he was marching for “better gun control.

We’re losing lives, as you see from the Parkland shooting. We lost 17 lives.”

“I’m here to support the kids in our community,” said Dennis Roubicek, a Sandpoint resident for 40 years. “I think it’s pathetic they have to go into the streets and ask for their safety. It is time we stood up to the NRA and fringe groups that have no sensibility about gun control.”

Roubicek said the march surpassed his expectations: “I think in our county, and in this kind of weather, this turnout shows there’s a full latent support for realistic gun control.”

College student Hailey Nicholson said she thought it was ironic that it was easier to buy a gun than it is to attend college.

“It’s such a detailed process for me to go to school,” she said. “I have to write an essay on why I want to go to school, on who I am, then I have to go through an interview process for that and they I get accepted or not. (To purchase) a gun it takes 15 minutes of a background check. I don’t think that’s enough ... I should be educated on how a gun works.”

Across the Long Bridge, “March for Our Rights” participants congregated to support their right to own guns. Marchers carried American flags, “Don’t Tread on Me” flags, and signs that read “Commies Love Gun Control,” “We Love the Second Amendment,” and “Trump is My President.”

The majority of marchers carried

The many candidate forums to choose from this spring If you’re looking to attend a candidates’ forum before the primary election in May, there are plenty to choose from.

Compiled by Ben Olson Bonner County Farm Bureau forum April 3 • 5:30-9 p.m.

Blanchard Grange Hall This forum has invited state legislative and Bonner County candidates.

A meet and greet will kick off the night at 5:30-6 p.m., followed by county candidate Q&A from 6-7:30 p.m. and a state candidate Q&A from 7:30-9 p.m. Light refreshments will be provided. Bring hand-written questions.

Above: Participants in the “March for Our Lives” in Sandpoint.

Below: Steve Wasylko speaks to a gathering of Second Amendment supporters at the “March for Our Rights”.

Photos by Ben Olson.

Bonner County Republican Women and Bonner County Republican Central Committee forum April 7 • 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.

VFW Hall Sandpoint This forum will focus on gubernatorial candidates from 11:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m., and lieutenant governor candidates from 12:30–1:30 p.m.

Bonner County Farm Bureau forum April 10 • 5:30-9 p.m.

Clark Fork Senior Center

firearms. Some wore pistols on their hips, while others carried bolt action and assault style rifles.

Steve Wasylko from Sagle, who organized the event, said he wanted to host this march as a counter protest to the many marches against the Second Amendment going on around the country.

“All those marches going on that are supposed to be student-led, but I don’t really believe that,” said Wasylko. “They’re backed by big money. …there are 18-page documents available for download that tell these kids what to say, how to say it.”

Wasylko believed that new laws are not necessary for gun ownership when our nation already struggles to enforce the laws they currently have on the books.

“I’ve got kids, and I don’t think passing another law is going to keep things safe,” he said. “It’s just to give a false sense of security. ...We’re fed up. That’s why we’re here right now.”

Wasylko said he supports federal background checks help prevent criminals and those with mental health issues from owning guns: “I don’t think any responsible gun owner wants to see a violent felon with a gun, but banning the AR-15, that’s not right. This is America. If bad people have access to weapons like this, how I defend myself?”

“March for Our Rights” participant Ron Korn said he believes the problems lie not with guns, but with people, especially our federal law enforcement agencies.

“Look at the Parkland shooting,” he

said. “The FBI did not do their job. They dropped the ball. There were 39 law enforcement contacts with that kid. What happened there? The armed guards (at the school) also didn’t do their job.”

Korn said he supported arming teachers and school resource officers, but only if they were properly trained.

“They need to be qualified, like a deputy,” he said. “Gun-free zones don’t work because it’s a hunting ground for these idiots.”

Korn also believed the “March for Our Lives” protest was organized by a larger entity: “It’s hard to buy that this march is led by these kids.

It’s obviously orchestrated by adults.

Look, I deeply believe in the Second Amendment. I’m 53 years old and not influenced by anything but my own beliefs. I don’t want my kids to grow up in a communist, socialist country.”

Both marches were peaceful and non-confrontational.

Hundreds of thousands participated in over 800 sister marches across the country as part of the “March for Our Lives” event. Students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida led the march in Washington, D.C., where thousands of participants marches down Pennsylvania Avenue to the White House.

Editor’s Note: “March for Our Rights” organizer Steve Wasylko called the Reader office Saturday afternoon and said an additional 100+ people turned up after the Reader reporter left the march to cover the “March for Our Lives” at 10:20 a.m.

The Reader was unable to independently verify these claims.

Sponsored by the Bonner County Farm Bureau, this forum will feature a meet and greet from 5:30-6 p.m., county commissioner and assessor candidates from 6 to 7:30 p.m., and State Senate and District Representative candidates from 7:30-9 p.m. Bring hand-written questions.

North Idaho Federated Republican Women April 12 • 5:30 p.m.

Holiday Inn Express – Ponderay This forum will feature State Senate and House candidates.

KYMS 89.9 FM “The Bridge” Christian Country radio forum April 14 • 1:30-3 p.m.

Sandpoint Community Hall This forum is for District 1 State Senate candidates. It is styled more as a debate, with audience members encouraged to write questions for moderators to ask candidates.

Bonner County Republican Women, Inc. candidates forum April 17 • 10 a.m.

Ponderay Events Center Starting with a 30-minute meet and greet, this forum will then focus on county and legislative district candidates, who will give a two-minute introduction, followed by a question and answer period. To RSVP for the forum, call (208) 627-7969.

Selkirk REALTORS candidates forum May 1 • 5:30-7:30 p.m.

Sandpoint Community Hall Hosted by the Selkirk REALTORS, this forum has invited all county and state legislative candidates.

Candidates Forum hosted by Reader, Sandpoint Online and KRFY May 8 • 5:30-7:30 p.m.

Sandpoint High School Auditorium All county and legislative candidates have been invited to participate in this moderated forum a week before the election. All candidates in contested races have confirmed they will attend the forum. This forum will also be available to stream live on KRFY 88.5 FM and will be available to stream later on KRFY’s website.

March 29, 2018 /

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ELECTION COVERAGE District 1 State Representative, seat A

Profile of Heather Scott

By Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Staff Editor’s Note: Rep. Heather Scott is running for the Republican nomination for the District 1 State Representative Seat A, a seat she currently holds.

Sandpoint Reader: Tell me a little about how you ended up living in Idaho. What first brought you here?

Heather Scott: My husband and I moved here 20 years ago for a natural resource-related job. We like the rural, self-reliant lifestyle, the can-do attitude of the people who live here, and the beautiful countryside.

SR: After two terms in office, how would you say you’ve helped Idaho move in what you see as the right direction?

HS: I have kept my promises on the platform I ran on: government accountability (I have been a strong advocate for the three branches of Idaho government to follow our state and federal constitutions); and more transparency in government (I have worked hard to educate and engage citizens on the importance of their involvement in government through meetings, mailers, townhalls, websites, etc.).

I represent two counties in Idaho, and I believe the values I fight to protect line up well with the values of the majority of people in my district: limited, bottom-up government, strong local and state sovereignty over heavy-handed federal encroachment and exposure of crony capitalism.

I am pleased that my efforts to

Heather Scott AT A GLANCE AGE: Almost 50!

BIRTHPLACE AND RESIDENCE: Born in Ohio, residence in Blanchard, Idaho.

GOVERNMENT SERVICE: State Representative, Idaho House of Representatives.

PROFESSION: Aquatic Biologist.

EDUCATION: Bachelor of Science in Biology.

FAMILY: Andrew Scott, husband.

FUN FACT: I love to snorkel and scuba dive.

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strengthen Second Amendment rights, which Idahoans strongly support, have resulted in securing permitless carry as well as this year’s special concealed-carry permits for retired law enforcement officers in K-12 schools and on college campuses. I have also set up a successful website to help citizens track legislative bills and see how they could affect their lives.

SR: There’s no doubt that there’s been a couple controversies while you’ve been working in the legislature, one of which briefly limited your legislative privileges. What was it like coming back from that?

Do you look back with any regret, or do you stand by your comments that female lawmakers need to “spread their legs” to get ahead in the Idaho legislature?

HS: Every legislator experiences “controversies” because their lives, their statements and actions are under ongoing public scrutiny, and they are not perfect. Most legislative decisions are made in either debate-style situations or in public or both. Add to that the circus of the media who uses these opportunities to embellish, promote agendas or continually repeat issues in an effort to sell publications, often with facts overlooked and substance lacking.

As a legislator, choosing to stand for the truth is going to come with some bruises. This year has been a great productive legislative growth year for me. I know I will continue to be a target as long as I expose crony capitalism and government corruption when I see it. That’s OK, because I work for the people, not the establishment or lobbyists.

SR: Your website features a “myths” tab, where you debunk things people have said about you.

One myth you have listed is that you are “unpopular in the Republican party and can’t get anything accomplished.” To debunk that myth you have several awards listed. Why do you think that myth exists in the first place?

HS: Myths are generated by individuals, organizations and some media who fear the truth, fear transparency, fear losing control over elected officials and/or want to silence the message and the messenger in pursuit of their own agendas.

The best repudiation of the particular myth you mention comes from the

awards I have received over the past three years.

• 2015 Liberty Legislator of the Year, Republican Liberty Caucus • American Legion Certificate of Appreciation for supporting John Arnold (Veteran whose guns were going to be confiscated) • The American Conservative Union Foundation, Conservative Excellence • 2017 Defender of Freedom Award, Idaho Freedom Project.

• I have the highest four-year-average liberty score of all 105 legislators when it comes to voting for the constitution and limited government.

• And several other awards and recognitions.

I feel blessed and humbled to have received them as a validation of my efforts and my unwavering commitment to serving the people of Idaho and standing up for liberty and the constitution.

SR: Some people see you as associated with the Redoubt movement. Would you consider that accurate? Why or why not?

HS: I try not to put people in boxes or label them. I look at people as individuals rather than the collective.

I would love to know the Reader’s definition of the “Redoubt Movement.”

If it means standing for and supporting individual freedoms over collective freedoms, limited government over bloated government and advocating for common sense and responsibility over an entitlement mentality, then you can label it whatever you choose, because those are the people to whom I relate well and vice versa.

SR: If elected to a third term, what are the top three issues you will be focusing on?

HS: • Ensuring District 1 residents have a seat and a voice at the table when decisions are being made about the Hi-Test smelter.

• Ensuring District 1 is properly represented and defended in the pending water adjudication process for Bonner and Boundary Counties.

• Pursuing more transparency in government and working to reduce regulations and taxation through the legislative process. Boise appears to have better roads, nicer schools and better connections when it comes to state grants and opportunities. North Idahoans pay just as much in taxes and deserve the same benefits.

SR: Recently you sponsored a bill that would force school districts to wait a year after a failed bond issue before running another one.

Some opponents of this bill claim it may do harm to school districts, especially those facing potential emergencies such as a collapsed roof or fire. Others claim it limits local control over this issue. With Idaho already ranking near the bottom in the nation for school spending, is this bill intended to further weaken public education in Idaho? Why? HS: First, to clarify, the legislation is for any taxing district, not just schools.

The number of taxpayers who have come to legislators asking for relief from the relentless serial levy and bond voting is huge. It is straining an already over-taxed public.

This bill would not eliminate or put a ceiling on levy funds that taxing districts can ask for; however, it will put the burden on the taxing districts to do their homework and provide factual, transparent information to voters and prioritize a taxing district’s needs. I and other legislators believe that in the long run it will build better, more positive and open relationships between taxing districts, taxpayers and communities. It will also put pressure on legislators to find real solutions to funding public schools as required by our Constitution instead of saddling the already overburdened taxpayer with levies.

My bill passed the House Committee and the House floor vote, showing that its merits are recognized, but has been held by a committee chairman in the Senate, which is typical establishment behavior and diminishes citizen voices.

SR: This is very much a divided time in America. For your part, how will you help heal the division if elected? Will you serve all of your constituents equally?

HS: Locally, an issue that has the potential for uniting North Idaho is the proposed silicon smelter. I believe most North Idahoans want to protect our way of life and the environment we call home while bringing jobs to our area.

“A divided time in America,” to use your term, is not unique to our time. Unfortunately, certain media sources want Americans to believe that, but we are seeing evidence that people aren’t as divided as the media touts. With the election of President Trump and the incredible, positive impact he has had on our economy and reducing the federal government’s overreach, many Americans are gaining hope for a brighter future. This easing of anxieties at the national level is now allowing Americans to focus on, and get involved with, government at the state and local level, and I welcome that.

I look forward to a new Idaho governor and the promises that will bring in 2019. With Idaho now the fastest growing state in the Union – something I believe is due to not only to the beauty of our state but our culture of self-sufficiency and can-do spirit – we have many issues to tackle to keep the strong rural and rugged flavor of Idaho intact while embracing cultural and social changes sure to come with the influx of new residents. I am confident that I and other legislators who value freedom, individual rights and protecting families will always find common ground with those we represent.

ELECTION COVERAGE District 1 State Representative, seat A

Profile of Mike Boeck

By Ben Olson Reader Staff Editor’s Note: Mike Boeck is running as a Republican for District 1 House of Representatives Seat A. Reader: Tell me a little about your history in North Idaho. How long have you been here?

Mike Boeck: I was born and raised here, fourth generation. My great grandparents were some of the original founders. I know my great grandmother was one of the founders of the First Presbyterian Church here in town. My great grandpa, he was a millright, taxidermist, carpenter and jack of all trades.

So yeah, I’ve got some pretty deep roots here. I attended all public schools here, attended University of Idaho and got my degree in forestry, mainly in the engineering side of forest products. … I served in Idaho National Guard, retired after 20 years as a combat engineer.

So I’ve got some pretty good practical experience as well in that field and it really relates back to transportation issues - roads and bridges.

SR: Speaking of transportation, that’s one of the top issues on your platform. Why is transportation important for North Idaho?

MB: Like I said, it comes a little from my education background in engineering and military, how important it is to maintain good transportation and infrastructure. As a mill manager in Priest River, we saw that highway between Sandpoint and Priest River as a death trap. Over the course of the years, I was able to work with companies like LP and the state of Idaho to get that road, like dead man’s curve taken care of. … We worked to get that highway rebuilt. But one of the biggest challenges was getting that bridge over Priest River to our mill done. …

It’s so important to this district that we keep the focus on that. One thing I’ve learned on this campaign is that infrastructure is more than highways and bridges. It’s high-speed internet, it’s the ability to communicate from some of our rural areas in cellular. It’s access to natural gas. ... As we encourage new business in this area, particularly in the aerospace industry, just a tremendous opportunity here to bring in good high paying jobs in a very clean industry, but they need that kind of infrastructure.

SR: Idaho was recently named the fastest growing state in the nation. How do we manage this growth responsibly?

MB: Well, I’d like to see it the way

it was in the ‘50s, but that isn’t going to happen. People are going to come here whether we like it or not. Quite frankly, you get two different groups that come here: the ones who really embrace what we have here, then you get the ones who want to really change everything.

But we cannot afford not to keep up with growth, and it has to be good responsible growth. Schools in particular.

We need to keep up with our educational stuff, and workforce development is one huge part of this package. Career technical education is so important. We need technical welders and stuff like that in the aerospace sector. … I’ve been on Idaho Forest Products commission for over 20 years now and our mission is to provide the public with the knowledge of how we best manage our natural resources, our forests. That doesn’t mean we’re going to go in and clear cut everything, but we’ve seen our national forest deteriorate immensely over the last several years, from insects, and disease and fire. So there’s lots of things to do to improve upon that.

SR: Let’s talk about your opponent, Heather Scott. It seems she has spent a lot of her time in office focusing on ideological issues. Do you agree with how she has served this district in her past terms?

MB: Well, just to set the record straight, I’m not running against Heather Scott. I’m running for what I feel is a better future for this district. I know I can do a better job working with the legislature getting some of these problems solved that we need solved.

A lot of the stuff she pushes are federal issues. That’s all well and good. I’m not against pushing back against federal overreach by any means. I’ve done it all my career. But I think we have to know what the role is of a good legislator.

Going around the district and talking to supporters, I feel that I can do a much better job to represent those views. I’ve always been considered a pretty strong conservative, but by today’s standards, I guess I might be pretty moderate.

SR: Are you dedicated to serving all of your constituents, no matter what their political leanings?

MB: That’s the definition of a representative, right? If I get elected, I’m elected to serve all the constituents of this district. Not just a very narrow view. That doesn’t mean I agree with them, that doesn’t mean I will always vote the way they would like me to vote, but I will certainly listen to them.

I’m not going to do anything that’s going to embarrass them.

SR: Politics has always been contentious, but it has ramped up in the past couple years. How will you handle this divisiveness? How do you bridge the gap?

MB: I’ve been working to do that even though I’m not an elected position right now. On different issues.

Scotchman Peak for one, the smelter for another. I’ve got ideas that I think can help bridge some of discord on that stuff. All this hysteria and a lot of misinformation that goes around. I’m not one to jump on the bandwagon without knowing all the facts. In my career, speaking of the smelter, I’ve dealt with the EPA in regulating emissions on our burner boiler system. We were able to solve those problems installing electrostatic precipitators and other things that really improved air quality and environment in the area. I think siting is a problem with that. It could be sited different, where it’s not in such a critical air shed, even though emissions might not be as bad as some claim, it would be better sited closer to the dam, closer to airsheds that don’t impact the population as much. Those kind of industries produce the products for solar panels, so how do you get there unless you have industry that creates it? Those are hard issues. Like I’ve told some folks, if it’s half as bad as some of the critics say is, I’m totally against it. But I want to know that for sure, and I want to know if there’s a better way to approach this thing.

SR: Let’s talk about some other issues. How about the second rail bridge that BNSF is proposing over Lake Pend Oreille?

MB: Railroads have a lot of power within the federal system, but you have to look at the reality. That’s still one of the safest modes of transportation we have by far. That bridge has been there for over 100 years, to this point we haven’t had an accident. Doesn’t mean one won’t happen. But by improving the infrastructure with a second bridge, we could reduce the odds of that happening.

I sat in on the presentation that was made on how we deal with something like that. Emergency response stuff. I think there’s a real effort to improve on that. I would encourage that as a state legislator. These waters are really precious to us here and I really, really think we need to do everything we can to maintain the quality of our water.

SR: What about the proposed Scotchman Peaks wilderness designation. Your opponent is a big supporter of the state of Idaho taking

over federal land. Where do you fall on this issue?

That’s kind of right up my alley, this kind of stuff. It’s not as important who owns the land, it’s how it’s managed for the benefit of our district and our state. We’re faced with a huge percentage of land that is state or federal, primarily federal. When they don’t manage them for the benefit for the people, people get upset.

There’s been a lot of work, here and up in Boundary County, I’m seeing really good progress with tribes, state, federal government on how do we best manage these lands. That’s the direction we need to go. On the Scotchman area, I think there’s some room for compromise. …

I have no problem with them having a special place like that, but there are areas along the west side and south side that really have got a lot of people upset. There’s old logging areas, why you’d want to include those areas in a wilderness, I don’t understand. At one point that wilderness line went right down middle of Lightning Creek Road. You could move it back a mile and the folks who want the wilderness wouldn’t know the difference frankly. … That’s one of the ways we could bridge some of this division here.

SR: Do you have anything we haven’t touched on that you’d like to talk about today?

MB: School funding, I’ll tell you, that right now is under fire. If you look at what my opponent proposed recently about the bonding levy proposals.

It’s funny, instead of looking at how we can solve these problems, it just exasperates the problem. Why do we need to do that? Personally I think that super majority is onerous, but I also believe the elections should be held when more of the public can participate in voting on levies, they want to roll that back to one a year. Her group also wants to eliminate all federal funding of education in Idaho. Well, that kind of stuff is just devastating to the ability to maintain our schools in these rural areas. Why she would do that, I have no idea. There are a lot of folks, for some reason, that are dead set against supporting our public education system. Believe me, that’s snot where I stand. We have some of the most fantastic natural resources as anywhere in the nation, and if we can’t support our infrastructure and education then shame on us. But to go after the voters and make it so difficult to actually gain the kind of financial support we

need for our rural schools, I don’t think that’s the direction we want to go, and I think I can make a big difference. I have some ideas on how we can relieve some of the property tax issues on levies and bonds, but it has to do with how we manage and develop our resource base in this state. … Bottom line, when things go sideways, that’s where I get more involved. We’ve got some really good responsible folks from our party that have served, and I want to be counted in that group.

Mike Boeck AT A GLANCE

AGE: 68 BIRTHPLACE AND RESIDENCE: Sandpoint.

Currently lives in Wrenco.

GOVERNMENT SERVICE: Wrenco committeeman for 20+ years, Sen. Keough’s first campaign manager, Phil Batt’s county chairman when he was elected Gov., 20 years in Idaho Nat. Guard (retied Major), Over 20 years commissioner District 1 Idaho Forest Products Commission. Served on Ready Fit Working Group.

PROFESSION: Professional forester and resource manager. Managed number of mills in 40-plus years, not only in human production side, also natural resource side to manage land, timber, protect water.

EDUCATION: B.S. Forestry, U. of Idaho. SHS grad. Certificates from NIC in log scaling.

FAMILY: Dee (wife), kids Justin, Alyssa.

Three grandkids.

FUN FACT: Mike is a rabid instrument builder. He participated the last three years at Lional Hampton Music Festival.

He’s built two mandolins, three violins, two guitars and a stand-up bass. He participates in the slow jam session at the Heartwood Center. He’s also a hunter, fisherman and likes to dirt bike. Finally, he has his private pilot’s license.

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Dollar Beers!

8pm @ Eichardt’s Pub

2 3 4 5

Trinche 6pm @ 4 A wine d chero Fa dinner w exclusiv person. C

Live Music w/ Marty and Doug 6-8pm @ Cedar St. Bridge Wine Bar Mandolin / guitar duo from Sandpoint

Live Music at the Farmhouse 6-8pm @ Farmhouse Restaurant Great food and live tunes in Ponderay

Live Music w/ BareGrass 5-7pm @ Idaho Pour Authority Great bluegrass and Americana

Live Music w/ The Somethings 9pm @ 219 Lounge Fun duo w/ Chris Lynch and Meg Turner

Live Music w/ Betsy Hammet 6-8pm @ Cedar St. Bridge Wine Bar Live Music w/ Scott Taylor 5-7pm @ Idaho Pour Authority Great covers and some originals Live Music w/ Harold’s IGA 8pm @ Eichardt’s Pub Indie rock multi-instrumental trio who like beer and garlic fries. Mmm. Live Music w/ Browne Salmon Truck 7-10pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall Blues, jazz, Latin and more

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Trivia Takeover Live 5:30pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery Teams encouraged but not required.

Wine and beer specials, prizes as well.

Takes place the last Thursday of every month. Free and open to the public

‘Canoes Along the River’ presentation with Jack Nisbet 6:30pm @ Beardmore Building Historian Jack Nisbet will give a talk on explorer David Thompson and the boats the indigenous peoples used on Lake Pend Oreille and Priest Lake in the early 1800s. Free!

Grant Farm in Concert 7pm @ Heartwood Center Colorado-based Americana band Grant Farm with opener from Trego, Matt Mitchell. Presented by Takin’ Time

Laughing Dog Bre Taproom Annivers 5pm @ Laughing D A Taproom Anniv starting, held simult the brewery’s Mug ation Renewal Party ed to come enjoy f raffles, plus Devon performing live from

Live Music w/ Bea 9pm @ 219 Lounge All your favorite roc

H APPY EASTER !

Monday Night Blues Jam w/ Truck Mills 7:30pm @ Eichardt’s Pub

Sa 9a M

Diabetes Support Group: “Get Your M The meetings are offered at no charge and tions. All people with diabetes, their careg

Bonner County Farm Bureau Forum 5:30-9pm @ Blanchard Grange A candidates’ forum hosted by the Farm Bureau. Bring written questions.

County candidates will be from 6-7:30 p.m., state candidates 7:30-9 p.m.

Wind Down Wednesday Friends with Scotchman P Open Mic 5-8pm @ 219 Lounge 5-8pm @ SKåL Taproom 5-8pm @ Idaho Pour Autho With live music by blues man Truck Musicians and comedi- A fundraiser for FSPW, w Mills. Relax together with friends ans welcome! Open mic beer on tap, live music with and colleagues at the end of the day is held every Wednesday raffle prizes and complimen Night-Out Karaoke 9pm @ 219 Lounge Join DJ Pat for a night of singing, or just come to drink and listen

Trivia Night 7-9pm @ MickDuff’s Grab a seat early, they go fast! Test your useless knowledge!

Pints Up and Beer Release Party @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall April is Idaho Craft Beer Month with Idaho Brewers United. Buy any regular priced pint, and get a pint glass as part of Idaho’s Pints Up Day! Plus at 5:30 p.m., MickDuff’s is tapping a special Pro-Am brewed India Black Lager from their First Avenue Pilot Brewery

Big Something in Con 8pm @ The Hive If you missed Big Som another chance to catch on the Jam Band scen $18 at the door. www.l

ful

March 29 - April 5, 2018

Trinchero Wine Dinner 6pm @ 41 South A wine dinner featuring Napa Valley’s Trinchero Family Estates. Includes a five-course dinner with five hearty wine pairings, plus exclusive discounts on wine orders. $75/ person. Call (208) 265-2000 to reserve

t deray

Turner

Clark Fork Crafternoon 3pm @ Clark Fork Library Enjoy free family fun with an artisitic craft to take home. (208) 266-1321

Live Music w/ Jake Robin 5-8pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery Acoustic rock / pop Live Music w/ Harold’s IGA 6:30-9:30pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall Indie rock covers and originals

Dog Brewing Anniversary Party ughing Dog Taproom om Anniversary Party eld simultaneously with ry’s Mug Club Appreciewal Party. All are invite enjoy food, beer and us Devon Wade will be g live from 5-8 p.m.

ic w/ Beat Diggers 9 Lounge avorite rock n’ roll tunes

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

Reader recommended

Yoga on Tap 11am @ Laughing Dog Brewery One hour class that ends with the group sharing a beer. $12 includes your first beer

More than a store, a Super store!

We are the largest carrier in town for Melissa & Doug products!

Used Bike Garage Sale 9am-3pm @ Greasy Fingers Bikes n’ Repair All used bikes will be on sale, plus a used parts table. We have been working all winter Easter Bunny at the Bonner Mall on our used bike inventory, cleaning , tun10am-2pm @ The Bonner Mall The Easter Bunny will be hopping ing and refurbishing to get them ready for over to the Bonner Mall with treats Spring. And the time has come to move them on hand for kids 12 and under. Photos out and make some room. Cash discounts! available or take your own. Call (208) Lions Club Easter Egg Hunt 263-4272 for more information 10am @ Lakeview Park (Sandpoint) Wild Idaho Rising Tide Celebration Sandpoint Lions Club holds their annual Easter Egg Hunt. Children ages 1 to 12 years 7-11pm @ Little Panida Theater The seventh annual Wild Idaho Ris- old are welcome to participate, and there ing Tide celebration concert with live will be separate areas set aside for each age music by John Firshi, OWULL and a group. The event begins promptly at 10 a.m., background slide show. $5 suggested so families are encouraged to arrive early!

Parents are not allowed in the marked-off ardonation, proceeds benefit WIRT eas, but may watch from the sidelines

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

Lifetree Cafe 2pm @ Jalepeño’s Mexican Rest.

An hour of conversation and stories

t Your Move On.” • 10am @ Bonner General Health Services Building - Ste. 101 harge and serve to strengthen knowledge about diabetes to prevent complicaheir caregivers, and families are invited. (208)265-6279

Forum Bonner Mall Seniors Day 9am-12pm @ Bonner Mall e by the All are welcome to come walk the uestions. Mall, plus there will be a featured m 6-7:30 speaker or entertainment, free refreshments, games and a drawing m. otchman Peaks Wilderness fundraiser Pour Authority FSPW, with Georgetown Brewing Co. music with Marty Perron and Doug Bond, omplimentary appetizers

ng in Concert (April 5-6) Hive d Big Something last year, here’s ce to catch one of the hottest bands Band scene. Tickets $15/advance, or. www.livefromthehive.com

April 7 National Beer Childbirth Education Classes Da y celebration 6pm @ BGH - Health Serv Bldg #101 Call (208) 265-7484 for more info @ 219 Lounge

Growing Dahlias 6-8pm @ Ponderay Event Center Join Paul Kusche to learn his secrets to growing great dahlias

Bro Dads Stand-Up Comedy 7:30pm @ Panida Little Theater Harry J. Riley and Phil Kopczynski - Bro Dads - return to the Panida Little Theater for a hilarious night of stand-up comedy. Rated PG-13.

Tickets $12 at door or available on Panida.org

Now Through April 30th

April 7-8 Schpring Finale @ Schweitzer Mountain Resort April 8 “The Journey of Light” concert @ Panida Theater

MONDAY-FRIDAY 8AM-8PM / SATURDAY 8AM-6PM / SUNDAY 10AM-6PM

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HEALTH

SHAKE, RATTLE AND ROLL

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

Who are we? What do we want? When do we want it?

By A.C. Woolnough Reader Columnist

Policy Forum (PPF) in Washington D.C. What is the PPF? The answer if both simple and complex. The first meaningful therapy (levodopa-- essentially a chemical replacement for the loss of dopamine in the mid-brain) for Persons First, we need to with Parkinson’s (PWP) was discovered about establish who we are.

60 years ago — and it only treats symptoms and As a community, we’re is not without side effects. It is still considered not exclusive — anythe gold standard treatment. After more than one can join. We do six decades of increasingly more sophisticated not discriminate based research, the best we have are some new drugs on age, gender, race or sexual orientation.

A.C. Woolnough. and brain surgery — to treat symptoms — but there is no cure. In fact, we have no test to conEvery year, we add about 60,000 clusively prove I have Parkinson’s. It is based on new members. Our total group membership is clinical observation or — wait for it, drum roll, about a million. For some reason, most folks please — an autopsy. I, for one, will opt for that don’t make a purposeful choice or join willingly. choice at a later (much later) date.

Who are we?

Over the past few decades, many PD About a million people, including me, have organizations and foundations arose — locally, Parkinson’s disease (PD). Once we include regionally and nationally. They include Parkinpartners, family, friends and co-workers who son’s Foundation (my personal favorite), Mialso live with the impact of PD, our community chael J. Fox Foundation, American Parkinson’s easily totals over 10 million individuals. That’s Disease Foundation, Brian Grant Foundation, who we are.

Davis Phinney Foundation, Northwest ParkinEvery day increases your chances of joining son’s Foundation and many, many others. Each this select group. Age is the single largest factor organization competes with the others for dollars in determining who joins and who doesn’t. You to implement their mission — including research will never be younger than you are today. Tofor better treatments, improving the quality of morrow, you may be one day closer to becoming life and searching for a cure. Our goal is to elima member of our group. inate the PD community. We want a membership It is of some importance that I wrote most total of zero — as soon as possible. of this column in Spokane, Portland and Seattle Once a year, these groups join to prepare airports. I was on my way to the Parkinson’s

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a proposal for presentation to Congress. This year, over 250 PWPs and care partners became a unified voice in Washington, D.C., for the Parkinson’s Policy Forum. For two days, folks from 47 states were trained to make an impact on Congress. On the third day we were supposed to ascend Capitol Hill to have personal meetings with senators, representatives and staffers.

We had printed materials to distribute and we practiced making personal connections and telling our stories. Many of us have done this for several years (this was my fourth trip), and the energy and synergy are tremendous.

Then the worst spring snowstorm since the 1960s was forecast to hit the area. Schools closed, stores closed (even the Starbucks close to our hotel was shuttered!), airports closed, trains stopped and the primary purpose of the PFF (face-to-face meetings) was canceled. It did snow a few inches, and those of us from upstate New York, Minnesota, Idaho and the like simply smiled and shook our heads. To be fair, D.C. is simply not prepared for a snowstorm — no plow trucks, sanders, etc.

What a huge disappointment — all dressed up and no place to go. Many congressional offices did stay open but moving 250-plus people (most with some kind of movement issue) around and especially up and down slick marble steps was not a good option. It was clearly lemonade time. Wednesday became a day to make phone calls, send emails, post on Facebook,

tweet, etc. The Idaho delegation (Joe Prophet from southeast Idaho and I) was able to contact staffers on the Hill and make a connection. For example, I made plans to meet with Sen. Risch sometime next week.

So, what do we want? Our unified proposal included three “asks.” First, we want funds ($5 million) appropriated for the CDC’s National Neurological Conditions Surveillance System.

That mouthful of a title is for a national registry.

It has been created by Congress, just not funded.

This registry will help scientists refine and target research, build a better understanding of variances in toxic exposure, gender differences and geography. Second, the PD community wants Congress to continue funding NIH at least at present levels ($38.4 billion) of which over $150 million is for research to slow or halt the progression of PD. Finally, the request that has special meaning for me: restore funding ($20 million) for the Department of Defense Parkinson’s research program. This one is important for veterans and those service members with TBI (traumatic brain injury) or exposure to toxins. It is too late for my dad who had PD, who served 37 years in the Navy and saw action in three wars (WWII, Korea and Vietnam), but it isn’t too late for many others. I consider it an honor that I have served as a reviewer for these research grant proposals for the past two years.

That’s what we want.

When do we want it? Now.

LITERATURE

This open Window

Vol. 3 No.4

poetry and prose by local writers edited by Jim mitsui

celebration Oh the magic of this body This heart that beats, the heat that rises from effort Arms that open like great wings, their never-ending reach.

Let’s celebrate the joy of walking through newly green fields The path of breath, the beauty of song Our laughter with heads thrown back.

That thrill of swimming in a lake, strong legs The exuberance of red, the yes of yellow The youthful fall of snow.

This hand that holds the cup Five fingers curled round its girth The scent of jasmine from the tea.

The soft deepening into sleep The snuggle into fresh white linen The pleasure of slow.

-Karen Seashore

to love a dog to hold its dear body, feel the sinewy stretch beneath the fur to divine the creature’s essence, a covenant of adoration swimming in the eyes to hear sighs that convey one’s shortcomings, a failure to be hero or heroine in the shared history for even though it is they who are supposed to be below us in the panoply, we raise ourselves up when we meet a dog’s gaze Amy Craven, 2017

Amy, a retired classroom music and voice teacher, is dog-less at present. Hazel, the chocolate lab that walked in a ballerina’s first position is no longer. While she misses having a dog around she and her husband, Rob will wait awhile until getting another. Amy enjoys the way poetry crystallizes and preserves time and emotion. She thinks that the editing and fixing process of writing is the most fun of all.

Jim Mitsui: This poem captures the essence of the relationship between us and dogs – their faithfulness and trust, their companionship and what we sense when we look into the “open windows” of their eyes. At home we have two pugs – a fawn and a black – and my wife is training a black lab puppy for Canine Companions for Independence.

Send poems to: jim3wells@aol.com

Karen Seashore teaches yoga, skis on flat snow and on steep, and avoids driving whenever she can. She loves writing and is finally coming around to the idea that it can be done as a sport and not as a self judgment-generator….I chose this poem because of its range, how it suits the transition of weather that we’re experiencing. Through it, we look ahead to the summer ahead of us, the mood created when we’re crossing Long Bridge.

a week before spring equinox all the open spaces are solid blocks of chocolate ice, tops covered in thin fudge sauce for days, but today it’s thick pudding that cakes the treads of my boots, sends me sliding askew down sloping paths. Strawberries & asparagus garnish produce bins, more sunlight warms my days, and today I saw my first robin.

-Jeanette Schandelmeier.

Jeanette is a retired educator living in Sagle. In addition to her gardening skills she raises chickens, maintains a bee hive and enjoys the writing process involved in writing poetry. This poem captures the transition from winter to spring, and the dismay we sometimes experience when it snows “again.”

writing about not writing titles I write at random times, when words cruise by in my head and need a port to deboard in.

It’s not scheduled every morning at 6 a.m. or waiting for me after midnight in a quiet house with night noise that eats itself as I drift into a timeless void.

One of life’s pleasures is the completion of a poem.

The release of breath I didn’t know I was holding, a calming sense of self-satisfaction, a soothing serenity that soon dissipates with the impending necessity of coming up with another arrangement of words, at the top.

“Oh yes,” the reader will say, ”we can tell there’s something worth reading here at first glance.”

I can feel my brain whirling, searching for the perfect combination as logic rearranges confusing content perfecting line breaks and appealing, no, amusing, use of alliteration.

Any minute now it will stop like a slot machine, lining up its cherries, bells and dollar signs CHING! CHING! CHING! Detracting words that tell not show must be shown to the door.

Muddled misunderstandings must be made clear as reason, nothing too obtuse for the common humanity.

I could place an ad in the newspaper: 42 lines in search of intro for purposes of clarity and/or enticement to read But I’d better focus on the work at hand and finish what I’m writing first.

-L.S. Jones

L.S. Jones lives on the banks of Fry Creek and likes to match the exact title with the right poem. I like the stream-of-consciousness aspect of this poem, a good example of what I like to say about writing being a process. If you think you know how a poem is going to end before you begin to write, you’re making a mistake.

Writing a poem is not like those essays you had to write in your high school English class.

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PERSPECTIVES

How to argue (without sounding like an idiot)

By Ben Olson Reader Staff

T

his is the second part of the “How to Argue” series where we take a look at logical fallacies, which are errors in reasoning that undermine the logic of an argument.

Last week we discussed slippery slope, ad hominem and straw man fallacies. This week, we’ll cover red herring, false dilemma, circular argument and hasty generalizations.

Catch up at www.sandpointreader.com

Red Herring Red herring is a type of logical fallacy that misdirects an argument through the introduction of irrelevant information. The tactic is useful as a form of distraction from the issue at hand. The term comes from an antiquated technique for training or distracting hunting dogs. Trainers would drag a smelly smoked herring across the path of a dog to throw off its scent.

An example of a red herring fallacy: A mom comes home from work and yells at her son to clean his room. Her son yells back, “I saw you smoking cigarettes in the kitchen last night! You’re not supposed to do that.”

A real world example of a red herring: When asked about lewd comments Trump made on the infamous Access Hollywood tape, President Trump responded: “It’s locker room talk, and it’s one of those things. I will knock the hell out of ISIS. We’re going to defeat ISIS. ISIS happened a number of years ago in a vacuum that was left because of bad judgment. And I will tell you, I will take care of ISIS.” Explanation: Instead of addressing the comments he made on the tape, Trump diverted the attention of the argument by changing the topic, quite abruptly, to how he would defeat ISIS.

False Dilemma Also referred to as a false dichotomy, a false dilemma fallacy occurs when a speaker limits the options for an outcome to just two when there are more options to choose from. It’s basically an oversimplifying of options meant to manipulate and polarize the audience into two camps: those who 16 /

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Calvin gives his mom a false dilemma, then his mom later presents one to his father. Copyrighted by Bill Waterson. agree and are heroized, and those who don’t agree, who are demonized.

Don’t get me wrong – there are many instances where there are only two options to an issue.

An example of a false dilemma fallacy: If I were to say, “Either the Sandpoint Reader is the best newspaper in town, or it isn’t,” that would be a true dilemma since there are really only two options to choose from – either the Reader is the best or it isn’t. If I were to say, “There are two kinds of people in Sandpoint – those who love the Reader and those who can’t read.” Just because someone can read doesn’t mean they will love the Reader. The choices provided are way too oversimplified.

A real world example of a false dilemma fallacy: A week following 9/11, President George W. Bush addressed Congress to discuss the U.S. going to war with Iraq. He said, “...we will pursue nations that provide aid or safe haven to terrorism. Every nation, in every region, now has a decision to make. Either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists.”

Explanation: President Bush committed a false dilemma fallacy because he oversimplified the choices. Obviously there are many different shades of gray in the argument for going to war, especially with a country that was not the home of the suicide bombers who were responsible for the terrorist attacks on 9/11. It was entirely possible to not be with the terrorists, yet also not approve of the decision to invade Iraq.

Circular Argument This one can be particularly maddening when you hear it in an argument. A circular argument is just that; an argument that goes round and round and doesn’t ever arrive at a new conclusion. Speakers

who use circular arguments repeat their initial points they already assumed beforehand, sometimes in slightly different forms, always arriving at the same end.

Circular arguments have also been called Petitio principii, which means “Assuming the initial.” Circular arguments only appear to be an argument, when really they are a way to repackage someone’s assumptions into a form that might resemble an argument.

One of the best ways to recognize a circular argument is if the conclusion also appears as one of the premises in the argument. Put simply, a circular argument starts where it finishes and finishes where it starts.

An example of a circular argument: “Only a mentally deranged person would ever kill someone, so anyone who kills someone is automatically mentally ill.”

A real world example of a circular argument: In 2014, when Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker was discussing the potential legalization of marijuana in the state, he told a reporter, “If I’m at a wedding reception here and somebody has a drink or two, most people wouldn’t say they’re wasted. Most folks with marijuana wouldn’t be sitting around a wedding reception smoking marijuana.”

Explanation: See what he did there? Gov. Walker’s argument neglects certain key facts which would make his argument fall apart if presented. People aren’t openly smoking marijuana at Wisconsin wedding receptions because the drug is illegal. If made legal, who knows, maybe wedding receptions would be a great place to get stoned. There’s plenty of food lying around, at least.

Hasty Generalization When you make a general statement without sufficient evidence to support it, you could be making a hasty generalization. You’ll see hasty generalizations made when people commit an illicit assumption,

Part 2

stereotyping, unwarranted conclusion or an exaggeration.

A hasty generalization is one of the most common logical fallacies because there’s no single agreed-upon measure for “sufficient” evidence. You can identify a hasty generalization by examining if its possible to support the original claim without resorting to guesswork.

One way to avoid hasty generalizations is to add qualifying words like “sometimes,” “often,” or “maybe.”

An example of a hasty generalization: “Toyota engines last longer than other engines.” This may be true for some Toyotas, but it’s impossible to say every Toyota engine lasts longer than its competitors. If you added one word, this statement no longer would be a logical fallacy: “Toyota engines often last longer than other engines.”

A real world example of a hasty generalization: This is a quote from then-candidate Donald Trump, who said the following when he announced his run for the Republican nomination: “When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending their best.

They’re not sending you. They’re not sending you. They’re sending people that have lots of problems, and they’re bringing those problems with us. They’re bringing drugs.

They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists.

And some, I assume, are good people.”

Explanation: Trump commits a hasty generalization with this quote because he wants the audience to jump to a conclusion with little to no evidence to support their conclusion. With his statement, he assumes that the majority of Hispanics are either rapists, drug mules or criminals in general.

Logically, there is no way this can be true.

Sure, there are probably cases to support his accusations, but to generalize that an entire country is deliberately sending illegal immigrants to the U.S., and to presume them as criminals without any validation, is a hasty generalization at work.

STAGE & SCREEN

The vision of Karin Wedemeyer

From singing in the Bel Canto choir to teaching our future musicians, the director of MCS does it all

By Jodi Rawson Reader Contributor She is a leader, visionary, artist, scientist, wife, mother and she is directing an upcoming opera. She loves Janice Joplin, and she hopes to be a space-traveling astrophysicist in her next life. Karin Wedemeyer’s passion for storytelling is only matched by her passion for music.

Her hands wave like she is conducting an orchestra, and her words have musical fluctuations. We laughed aloud a lot, while nibbling trail mix in her office, in the old City Hall building, about 25 feet from the outdoor piano-her idea.

“That piano is so crazy,” Wedemeyer laughs, while burying her head in her hands. “It is almost biodegradable... there are keys missing, but people play that thing every day.” She is happy to announce that a newer outdoor piano will be donated this spring — a painted art piece with all the keys.

“It is so inviting... the school invites people to participate,” Wedemeyer said.

“It engages the public continuously. I think for the vitality of downtown it has to have the elements to be participatory, so that it doesn’t shut down.”

“The appreciation for beauty is a really important part of a healthy society... the Panida is such a beautiful building — a true jewel that needs to be protected and kept vibrant,” said Wedemeyer, who has lived in Sandpoint since 2006. Her upcoming opera is in collaboration with and helping benefit the Panida. “(Ruth Klinginsmith and I ) opened the music Conservatory of Sandpoint the day after the economy collapsed (in 2009), but it didn’t occur to us not to open the MCS. I owe this to my parents ... they did not put limits on our minds ever. There was no one in my family who ever said ‘you can’t.’ I didn’t appreciate that until later.

There is an incredible kind of psychological benefit to that. It just never occurred to me to not build this school, to not build this opera company. ... Maybe it should have,” Wedemeyer said, laughing. “The line between courage and madness might be very fine.”

Fluent in German, English and French and comfortable reading and singing Latin, Greek, Italian and Spanish, Wedemeyer was born and raised in Bremen, Germany, to a pianist mother. Her maternal grandmother was a pianist, and her

maternal grandfather was locally famous as a composer and baritone singer. “I was around classical music my entire life,” said Wedemeyer, “and Bremen, in many ways, is a cultural hub for classical music.”

Early in her musical career, Wedemeyer toured and sang in Italy, Germany and around the U.S. “When I came to the United States in the early 80s I was extremely young (barely 20). I had an orange backpack and $200 to my pocket. I was an aspiring archaeologist, but I also studied voice (at UCLA). I did graduate work in archeology, but I was pretty bi-continental at that time because I followed the opportunities in singing, provided for me as a young dramatic voice,” Wedemeyer said.

“So I ultimately decided I was going to follow my heart and be an opera singer.

If I wanted to get a doctorate I could do it at a later time, but singing was sort of now. I lived in Venice, Calif., and it was a wonderful time. In fact I met my husband there.”

Eighteen years ago, the couple welcomed their son, Willem.

“The delivery was so excruciatingly difficult that my husband yelled at me, “Sing! Sing!” knowing that my abdominal muscles were so strong that it could give the final push, and it did,” Wedemeyer said. “So I sang the opening to Elsa’s Traum Wagner, and my son was born on an E flat.”

She gave birth to a healthy son but was unable to sing for almost five years afterward due to strained chords.

“Sometimes I think we don’t know why we do what we do, so sometimes I think that the great, higher purpose of my singing was to allow for my son to be born,” Wedemeyer said. “Who knows, right?”

With two young children and a new home in Sandpoint, Wedemeyer began to warm up her chords. Not only could she sing what she used to, but she had matured and improved.

“Because I took that long break I have many miles left on my chords,” she said.

“So I will do the Bel Canto Opera and continue to sing.”

“The Journey of the Light” will be performed April 8 at the Panida and features classical and dramatic singers, master musicians and even dancer Autumn Whitley.

“It is about people coming together for higher purpose,” said Wedemeyer. “It is such a struggle nowadays for people to

Karin Wedemeyer stands in front of the Music Conservatory of Sandpoint.

Photo by Ben Olson.

come together in a world of hyper-competition and hyper-individualism that we fail to recognize how powerful we can be when we are together.”

Catch “The Journey of the Light” on April 8 at 7 p.m. Tickets are available at Panida.org and the MCS office.

March 29 @ 7:30pm | march 30 @ 5:30pm | March 31 @ 3:30 & 7:30pm

‘getting grace’

ater Little The

March 31 @ 7pm

7th annual wild idaho rising tide thursday, april 5 @ 7:30pm

ter ittle Thea bro dads: live stand up comedy

L

april 5 @ 7:30pm | april 6 @ 5:30pm April 7 @ 7:30pm

‘bombshell: the hedy lamarr story’ sunday, april 8 @ 7pm

bel canto opera: Journey of light april 12 @ 7:30pm | april 13 @ 5:30pm

‘the square’

Oscar Nominated for Best Foreign Film

saturday, april 14 @ 7pm ‘The Work’ presented by Sandpoint Men’s Group tuesday, april 24 @ 6pm MCs hosts ‘children performing for children’ March 29, 2018 /

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LITERATURE

Historian Jack Nisbet presents on David Thompson

By Reader Staff Fur agent, cartographer, and master canoe builder David Thompson was one of the first Europeans to see Bonner County’s highest mountain, Scotchman Peak, and paddle the waters of the Clark Fork River and Pend Oreille Lake and River. When he entered this area in 1809, he found the indigenous peoples paddling local lakes and rivers in a somewhat strange-looking bark canoe. Rather than sporting the classic rounded prow and stern Thompson was familiar with further east, the local boats had a distinctive nose and tail with a point that rode under the water and resembled a sturgeon’s bottle nose. And they were made of completely different materials than birch bark, with which he and his voyageurs were expert.

On Saturday, March 31, at the Beardmore Building in Priest River, Spokane-based historian, teacher and naturalist Jack Nisbet will give a slide presentation about the traffic that plied Pend Oreille

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Lake and River and Priest Lake during the early 1800s. Nisbet traced the several routes of Thompson’s explorations while writing his books “Sources of the River” and “The Mapmaker’s Eye.” He will discuss the local bark and dugout canoes, trace the influence of the fur trade and Eastern Woodland culture on local transportation and try to explain what Thompson was thinking when he designed his own cedar-planked bateaux.

Nisbet’s presentation is free and sponsored by Friends of Scotchman Peaks Wilderness and the Bonner County Historical Society. The doors open at 6:30 p.m. and Nisbet’s slide show and talk begin at 7:15 p.m. The Beardmore Bistro will provide a no-host bar, and FSPW will provide free light appetizers. Nisbet will also have a number of his books for sale.

Nisbet’s article on Thompson’s Spokane House trading post is included in the new anthology “The Spokane River,” available this month from the University of Washington Press. His next book, “The Dreamer and the Doctor,” will appear in

An 1860 painting shows a sturgeon-nosed canoe on Lake Pend Oreille. (James Madison Alden 1860, Kellispelm Lake or Lake Pend Oreille, National Archives, Washington DC)

October and follows the adventures of Dr. Carrie Leiberg and her husband, John, around Lake Pend Oreille in the 1880s and ’90s. Dr. Leiberg was that rare individual,

a female doctor in the pioneer age.

For more information visit www. scotchmanpeaks.org/events and www. jacknisbet.com

COMMUNITY

Bonner County’s Guardians:

The Bonner County Board of Community Guardian cares for local residents who have no one else

By Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Staff Joyce Hatcher is a member of the Bonner County Board of Community Guardian.

She currently cares for two people — and might take on another soon — by making decisions about their medical needs and day-to-day lives.

Some days, that means approving a new medication.

Other days, that means hanging up photographs in the room of a man with a fading memory.

“It’s just doing a little bit to try to make someone’s life pleasant,” said Steve Franklin, another member of the board. “You’re really involved with a person’s life, and I think that’s what makes it, to me, gratifying.”

Guardians in Bonner County care for community members who can no longer care for themselves and have no family or friends to step in and help. Most of them have dementia or some other debilitating condition that requires they live in a care facility. Guardians can choose whether or not to manage their client’s money, and if they choose not to, Franklin will as the board’s conservator.

“When someone becomes a guardian, they step in as a parent would for a minor child,” said Tami Feyen, board chair and Bonner General Home Health and Hospice manager.

The board of volunteers meets once a month to discuss the citizens they currently care for, and to offer advice and support.

Guardians must apply, get a background check and receive training. Members take on as many cases as they choose, and while every case varies, member Mary Franzel said she’s found being a guardian is extremely manageable.

•TRANSPORTATION: Secure funding to improve safety and efficiency of our roads, bridges and airports.

•EDUCATION: Adequately fund education and integrate vocational education to meet work force needs.

•JOBS: Retain and expand our current resource jobs and promote jobs in emerging industries.

•NATURAL RESOURCES: Expand the multiple use of our forests and protect our precious waters.

•CONSTITUENT SERVICE: Listen to constituents and address the “things that matter” to them.

Guardians are bound to care for their people until they pass, but the Board of Community Guardian works as a team to make sure all clients are taken care of given a volunteer must leave the board, Hatcher said.

The district court oversees the guardianship program, but the process is straightforward, Franzel said. Guardians file reports once a year about the people they look after and receive counsel from the county prosecutor’s office whenever it’s needed.

“It’s real. It’s one of the most real things you can do. We discuss people’s lives — what we can do to help them, how they’re progressing or things we can do to make their life a little bit enjoyable,” Franklin said. “It’s a challenging thing, but it’s probably the most gratifying thing you can do because you’re helping an individual and you see what your help does.”

The county’s need for guardians currently exceeds the capabilities of the board.

To become a guardian or notify the board

From left to right, Bonner County Board of Community Guardian members Mary Franzel, Erin Busby, Tami Feyen, Joyce Hatcher and Steve Franklin. Photo by Lyndsie Kiebert. of someone who needs help, call 208-2553098 and leave a message. Anyone with questions should call that number or contact Feyen at tami.feyen@bonnergeneral.org.

To learn more, visit the board’s website at bonnercountyid.gov under the “Departments” tab.

www.MikeBoeckForIdaho.com

Idaho Elks Rehab donates $20k to BGH

By Reader Staff Idaho Elks Rehab, the state major project of the Idaho State Elks Association, has donated $20,000 to Bonner General Health over the past two years.

Last year, the Elks donated $10,000 to BGH’s Oncology Rehabilitation program at Performance Therapy Services. The grant was used to purchase a Biostep recumbent elliptical machine and a wall-mounted double pulley machine for therapy treatments for cancer patients.

For 2018, the Idaho Elks Rehab program donated $10,000 to the Cardiac Rehabilitation program at BGH. This grant was used to purchase a treadmill and a Biostep recumbent elliptical machine for the exercise component of the program.

“We are so appreciative and thankful for their ongoing support,” said Michelle Tucker, BGH rehabilitation director. “It has made a difference for our patients!”

The Woodward Family: Jim, Brenda, Avery and Anna, celebrating 23 years of marriage.

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FOOD

The Sandpoint Eater

Curry Up!

By Marcia Pilgeram Reader Food Columnist

By plane, Tuk-Tuk (auto rickshaw) and longtail boats, I just spent 10 sun-filled days exploring Thailand and indulging in regional Thai foods with my friend and like-minded companion, Yannette (travel expert, cooking instructor and cook book author).

There are four characteristic flavors that make the cuisine both distinctive and delicious: sour, sweet, salty and bitter. To say I ate my way through Thailand may be an understatement. And while man does not live by bread alone, this woman was able to exist on a mainstay of curry. Yes, even for breakfast.

The contrasting flavors of many Thai dishes come from a variety of sources, including pungent spices, herbs and vegetables. We visited local markets in Bangkok, Amphawa, Chiang Rai, Phuket and Burma, Myanmar.

These are not tourist markets but markets where the locals do their daily shopping. Even our local, educated tour guides did not own refrigerators, so daily shopping is a requirement to purchase their perishable proteins, such as fish, frog, pork, chicken and beef.

Likewise, the markets do not have refrigerator cases, so perishable leftovers are smoked for preservation. In addition to the market foods to nourish theirs bodies, spiritual food offerings for Buddha (90 percent of Thailand’s residents practice Buddhism) were available for purchase in all the markets we visited.

While all the markets were similar, there were notable differences between the ones in the north (Chang Rai and Burma) and the south (Phuket). Along with fresh fish, meat proteins and 20 /

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larvae (seasonal ant larvae was available and expensive), dishes from the north use many jungle herbs and vegetables for their unique flavors. The foods in the south are influenced by bordering Malaysia – lots and lots of extreme spice and an abundance of fresh seafood (my daily indulgence, even for breakfast).

Besides bowl after bowl of spicy curries (green, red and Penang), we ate lots of Phad Thai (Goong Sod). Phad Thai has been around Thailand for hundreds of years, but it was Luang Phibunsongkhran, the prime minister in the late 1930s and early 1940s, who was responsible for the popularity of this noodle dish. To discourage rice dishes that cut into the commodities availability for export, Luang encouraged

his people to eat more Phad Thai and less rice. It’s been a popular staple there ever since.

I was spellbound by the beauty of Thailand and her kind and gentle people. I visited dozens of gold gilded temples, including the magnificent Grand Palace of Bangkok, but not surprisingly, my trip highlights revolved around the food, filling not only my belly but my memory. Besides a market trip and cooking class in Chang Rai, we received a spontaneous and gracious invitation into the kitchen of the restaurant where we dined on the last night of our trip. Some of the wait staff spoke broken English, but not so for the kitchen staff. Armed with nothing more than nods, swift hand motions and many smiles, we learned to make the dish that

had both pleased and intrigued us: Goong Sarong, prawns wrapped in Phuket noodles and deep fried. Served with sweet chili sauce, it was a delicious and dramatic presentation that I attempted to recreate my first night home (practice makes perfect, and it remains a work in progress).

Though I traveled nearly 20,000 miles for my bucket list elephant ride at a rescue sanctuary, at least I don’t have to travel all the way back to Thailand for curry or Phad Thai. Thai dishes are abundant and wellloved around the world. Here in Sandpoint, we’re fortunate we can eat authentic and delicious Thai food at Thai Nigiri or Secret Thai Garden (and at Ohn’s seasonal, Oak Street location).

Thai Green Curry

Marcia Pilgeram riding an elephant in Thailand. Courtesy photo.

But, if you’re like me, and looking for curry for breakfast, you may have to make your own. This recipe for Green Curry makes a quick and delicious meal for two.

Serves 2

This recipe can be made with shrimp or chicken or tofu. Green curry sauce should have a delicious balance of spicy, rich and creamy. You can adjust the ingredients to find your own level of spiciness (and/or sweetness). This recipe calls for prepared curry paste – several choices are available in local grocery stores-Asian food section. Kaffir lime and Thai basil are available at Asian food markets in Spokane (or use substitutes listed-still delicious)!

INGREDIENTS:

DIRECTIONS:

• 1 1⁄2 tablespoons oil • 2 tablespoons green curry paste • 8 oz chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces or peeled and deveined shrimp (or tofu, cubed).

• 1 cup coconut milk • ¾ cup water (or stock) • 5 kaffir lime leaves, lightly bruised (available at Spokane Asian food market-or substitute 3 bay leaves and 1 tsp fresh lime zest) • 2 red chilies, cut into thick strips • 2 oz bamboo shoots • 2-3 thin slices fresh ginger • 2 cups fresh chopped vegetables (onion, carrot slices, mushrooms, tomato, bok choy) • 1 tablespoon fish sauce • 1 tablespoon sugar or (preferred) palm sugar • 1⁄4 cup Thai basil leaves, chopped (or chopped cilantro leaves)

Heat a sauce pan over medium heat and add the oil. Add the green curry paste, whisk until aromatic, add the chicken and stir to combine well with the curry paste. Add the coconut milk and water and bring it to a quick boil (if using shrimp or tofu, don’t add yet).

Add the bamboo shoots, kaffir lime leaves, ginger, red chilies and chopped vegetables, bring back to boil (add shrimp or tofu).

Lower the heat to simmer, cover the pot and let simmer for 10 minutes or until the curry slightly thickens.

Add the fish sauce, sugar, and basil leaves. Stir to mix well. Turn off the heat and serve over steamed rice (follow directions on rice package).

MUSIC

Grant Farm band: where roots music meets story

By Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Staff Grant Farm may be labeled an Americana band, but there’s no doubt this Colorado-based fourpiece can adapt to just about any scene.

In Sandpoint, the band has played the Eureka Institute’s SummerFest — band founder Tyler Grant mentioned the band loved the “hippie” scene — and this weekend they’ll play the Heartwood Center in a show put on

by Takin’ Time, a local nonprofit which strives to make “quality music and art available to those who typically do not have access to it.” “(The show) is going to be a good cross-pollination of the scenes we’ve been a part of in the area,” he said.

The Takin’ Time show is Saturday, March 31, with doors opening at 6 p.m. and the show at 7. All ages are welcome. Grant Farm is known for high-energy shows filled with Grateful Dead covers, lots of originals, and plenty of dance numbers mixed in, Grant said.

“We’re just looking to give everybody a good time,” he said.

Grant Farm describes their sound as “Cosmic Americana,” with a special emphasis on storytelling, Grant said. The band’s

Join fellow chess enthusiasts for a one-day chess tournament, formerly known as the Sandpoint Chess Festival. The program has since been renamed the “Annual Lou Domanski Chess Tournament” in honor of its founder and longtime coordinator Lou Domanski.

The tournament will begin at 9 a.m. Saturday, April 7, at the Sandpoint Community Hall.

Those interested in registering can go online at www.sandpointidaho.

READ

The New Yorker featured a photo essay in their March 26 edition titled “Gun Country.”

British photographer Sharif Hamza became fascinated with American firearm sports back in 2016 — specifically children participating in such sports — so he starting taking the kids’ photos. His photographs, and the stories behind them, shine some light on the gray areas of the country’s gun debate as of late. Check out “Gun Country” in print or online at newyorker.com.

LISTEN

Grant Farm plays at Red Rocks Amphitheater in Colorado. Photo by Showlove Media.

2016 album “Kiss the Ground” pays particular homage to working class people.

“That is just something we‘ve all been through — trying to make a living like everyone else,” he said. “And so are the people at our shows. That’s a common thread along our travels.”

The ever-growing web of musical storytelling is something Grant Farm wants to be a part of according to Grant. As a result, their original works aim to build

on the many characters of American mythos.

“We don’t want to just write about, ‘Oh honey honey, baby baby’ — we want people to connect on a deeper level,” Grant said, mentioning his admiration for Bob Dylan and other songwriters who wrote meaningful songs about real, hardworking people, adding with a laugh, “We aim high.”

Grant Farm dropped a live album this month — “Meeting on the Mountain Live, Vol. 1” — and

Annual Lou Domanski Chess Tournament

By Ben Olson Reader Staff

This week’s RLW by Lyndsie Kiebert

gov/parksrecreation. The tournament usually goes until 5 p.m.

There are three divisions, splitting up players by age, with different entry fees for each.

Elementary age division is for grades 1-6 with a $5 entry fee. The Middle/High School division for grades 7-12 has an entry fee of $6, and an open division will have an entry fee of $7. Trophies will be awarded for each division. Visit Sandpoint Parks and Recreation online for more information, or call (208) 263-3613.

Grant said if there was ever a time to experience those live vibes in person, it’s now.

“We’re feeling great. We’re better than ever,” Grant said. “It’s a good time to come see us play.”

Tickets to Saturday’s show are $12 in advance, $15 at the door and children under 12 are free.

Find tickets at Eichardt’s, Loaf and Ladle, 7B Grooves or takintime.org.

The vision of panelized, realized.

www.mehomes.net (208)264-6700

When I think of Bear’s Den, I think of sweeping acoustic melodies and prominent banjo. Their most popular songs (“Sophie,” “Above the Clouds of Pompeii,” etc.) create that folk image, but the band’s 2016 release “Red Earth & Pouring Rain” sets an entirely different tone — dare I say, Phil Collins meets dreampop? The entire album is lovely, but “Roses on a Breeze,” “Fortress” and the title track particularly shine.

WATCH

If you need some faith in humanity, I have just the thing, and it’s local. Sandpoint High School’s Cedar Post featured a video this week titled “Opening Doors: Find out why freshman Yona Soltis greets people each morning.” Soltis is an SHS student who holds the outside door to the school for students and faculty arriving each morning. While the sentiment is small, it serves as a reminder that we could all do a little more for one another. Find the video at shscedarpost.com. Thanks for brightening our community, Yona!

Dan McMahon, Gen. Contractor dan@mebldg.com March 29, 2018 /

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EDUCATION

What Do You Think About 7B Education?

By Marcia Wilson Reader Contributor

From Northern Idaho News, March 3, 1925

SANDPOINT MOOSE BASKETEERS DEFEAT SPOKANE TEAM One of the largest crowds ever at basketball game Before a crowd that taxed the capacity of the high school gymnasium, the Sandpoint team of the Moose lodge defeated the Spokane Moose team at basketball Saturday evening by a score of 28 to 16.

Play started off in a whirlwind fashion at the sound of the whistle and both teams played good basketball, but the Sandpoint team finally got a lead only to lose it near the end of the first half when the score stood 11 and 11. During the second half the Sandpoint boys played fast and furious, gaining 12 points on their brothers from Spokane before the close of the game.

The Mutts and Jeffs of the Sandpoint lodge of Moose were the preliminary attraction and elicited gales of laughter from the audience. At the conclusion of two eight-minute periods the Mutts had cinched the game by a 1 to 0 score. Oscar McCormack refereed this match.

A dance followed the games, the Spokane lodge brothers in attendance being guests of the Sandpoint lodge.

Mr. and Mrs. W.E. Gayer of Spokane, who spent the past month as the guests of Mr. and Mrs. Len Arnett at the Arnett cabin on Priest River, came out with the Arnetts Saturday, spending Sunday with Mrs. Gayer’s father at Wrenco. They spent Monday and Tuesday in Sandpoint, returning to Spokane Tuesday evening.

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What do you think about education in Idaho? The Panhandle Alliance for Education wants to know, and has just launched a community survey to help learn more about the values and concerns local residents have about our schools.

Quality education has many important benefits for everyone: leading an informed and interesting life, increasing income potential, building problem-solving skills for life’s challenges and improving chances of success in life, regardless of how one defines “success.” In our ever-changing and challenging world, schools matter — to our children, our quality of life and the future of our community.

Education is important to a community, and business leaders recognize the value of quality schools. When hiring local graduates or recruiting outside talent to our community, education plays a vital role in the success of both scenarios. What is the second question asked of Realtors everywhere? “How good are the schools in this community?” The question speaks volumes about the widespread concerns for quality education.

The Panhandle Alliance for Education (PAFE) has embarked on an exciting next step. After 15 years of serving the Lake Pend Oreille School District, the organiza-

tion is reaching out to local citizens with an important survey to better understand local values, priorities and potential new directions.

“Our survey represents the first time PAFE has formally asked our community-at-large for their opinions about education. We are looking for valid data about our communities’ understanding of education in Idaho, desires for local schools and dreams for all children,” said Ross Longhini, PAFE board member and Strategic Business Advisor.

The results of the survey will be instrumental in determining how a nonprofit organization like PAFE, with the sole objective of encouraging quality education and support for our Lake Pend Oreille School District, can make our town a better place to live for all residents.

To access the anonymous five-minute

survey and have your opinions counted; visit the Panhandle Alliance for Education website at www.panhandlealliance.org and click through the survey button on the home page. Or click through from the hyperlinks in the online Daily Bee, Sandpoint Reader, Sandpoint Online or the Panhandle Alliance for Education Facebook page.

The Panhandle Alliance for Education is a nonprofit organization composed of local citizens, business leaders and educators.

Its mission is to promote excellence in education and broad-based community support for the Lake Pend Oreille School District.

Donations are distributed as a working pool of money to fund grants to Lake Pend Oreille School District educators, strategic educational programs and the READY! for Kindergarten program.

ICC seeks applicants for Idaho Service Corps Crossword Solution

By Ben Olson Reader Staff

Since 2015, the Idaho Conservation Corps (ICC) has employed Idaho youth and young adults, who earn money through the completion of high priority natural resource projects. Participants also gain an understanding of conservation of natural resources issues and become interested in related careers.

Last year, 216 youth participants supported nearly 50,000 total project hours including fuels reduction (thinning), invasive plant removal, riparian planting, stream restoration, fence construction and trail maintenance.

Why should you learn more? ICC provides paid opportunities to youth, helps them gain academic and life skills and successfully meet personal challenges. Participants graduate with a living allowance, education stipend, professional reference, Wilderness First Air certification and a

variety of skills needed for a career in the outdoors.

This year, ICC is expanding and adding additional crews based out of Sandpoint.

ICC is seeking young adults 19 to 24 years of age to apply for these seasonal, fieldbased AmeriCorps positions with the Idaho Service Corps program. No experience is necessary, only a willingness to learn and work hard as a team, and travel to some of the most rugged and scenic areas in Idaho.

The 21-week term begins May 13 and ends Oct. 5, 2018. For more information and to apply, go to www.idahocc.org.

Here’s a good tip for when you go to the beach: a sand dollar may look like a nice cracker that someone left, but trust me, they don’t taste like it.

Copyright www.mirroreyes.com

CROSSWORD ACROSS

Woorf tdhe Week

berceuse

/ber-SŒZ/

[noun] 1. French: a cradlesong; lullaby.

“The new mother sang her babe a beautiful berceuse.”

Corrections: No corrections to report this week. Woo hoo! -BO

1. Fogs 6. Debatable 10. Throw up 14. Manner of speaking 15. River of Spain 16. Applications 17. Inborn 19. Regrets 20. Acid neutralizer 21. Consumed food 22. Cover with asphalt 23. 63 in Roman numerals 25. Parts portrayed 26. Gave the once-over 30. Breathes noisily during sleep 32. Duchy 35. A short novel 39. Any unsaturated aliphatic hydrocarbon 40. Deceive 41. Intercede 43. A fast narrow sailing ship 44. Wardrobe 46. Similar 47. Orbital point 50. Kind of lily 53. Mend (archaic) 54. Petrol 55. Ring around the nipple 60. Biblical garden 61. Expecting the best 63. After-bath powder 64. Backwards “Reed”

Solution on page 22 10. Meaningful 11. Normal 12. A bleaching vat 13. S S S S 18. Veto 24. Belief 25. Celebrate DOWN 26. Anagram of “Dome” 1. Flexible mineral 27. Christmas season 2. False god 28. Barely managed 3. Drop down 29. Inadequacy 4. Roman robe 31. Gown 5. Aroma 33. Instrument 6. Japanese apricot indicators 7. Get 34. Savvy about 8. Speech 36. Hubs 9. Lacquered metalware 37. A door fastener 65. Licoricelike flavor 66. Kill 67. Arid 68. Religious splinter groups

38. Wings 42. Fugitive from justice 43. Faster than light 45. A Christian celebration 47. Assists 48. Foot lever 49. Grave marker 51. Flee 52. Operatic solos 54. Deities 56. Feudal worker 57. Ear-related 58. Enumerate 59. Cards with 1 symbol 62. Fury

March 29, 2018 /

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