A reader named Ron Bedford sent a photo of a rainbow that appears to have split at the bottom, creating a curious effect. He snapped the photo (see right) after the rain on March 3, while standing in south Sandpoint looking at Washington Elementary School. Smithsonian Magazine attempted to explain this effect in an article, with scientists calling it a “twinned bow.” While there is no consensus on why this phenomenon occurs, scientists have postulated that it happens because of different-sized water droplets in the air. Raindrops usually maintain a spherical shape as they fall to Earth, but sometimes the air resistance flattens them into the shape of a hamburger. Of course, scientists call these drops “burgeroids.” When two rain showers occur simultaneously, their models show that different-sized drops can create “slightly deformed” rainbows, like the twinned rainbow we see here.
Sandpoint moments
After writing about quintessential “Sandpoint Moments” in an article some years ago, Reader reader Rick Price submitted a hodgepodge of his own, which I was hoping to turn into an ongoing mini feature at the time. Unfortunately, that fell by the wayside, so I’d like to share a couple from Rick’s precious stash of Sandpoint moments. And we quote:
• Does anyone remember the guy in the early 2000s who would skateboard across the Bridge Street Bridge over Sand Creek into City Beach doing a handstand the whole time? It was quite a sight.
• When MickDuff’s was on First Avenue, we were eating dinner there late one fall night. A siren on a police car going by slowly alarmed the clientele, until we realized they were escorting the Bulldog Girls’ Soccer Team home from the game in Coeur d’Alene where they just won the state championship. The spontaneous cheer that went up in the crowded restaurant was a heartfelt and heartwarming burst of hometown pride.
• I once saw a 12-year-old boy dribble a basketball while riding his bike to the beach.
• Each time I drive to town across the Long Bridge and am greeted by one or more bald eagles is a Sandpoint moment. It’s our version of the WalMart greeters. It happens often.
Thanks for the submissions, Rick.
DEAR READERS,
During the pandemic, I remember a good indicator for how people were feeling about the world was the volume of emails and phone calls I received from readers. Most were from supporters looking to share their thoughts on a story we’d published, or their stance on an issue that was concerning them. The others were from the usual haters who, like a person with a bad mood, are only satisfied when they spread their vitriol.
After the worst was behind us, the calls and emails waned.
Lately, I’ve been noticing them picking up again, which tells me that we are feeling stress again in our community. Looking at the national news, it’s hard not to feel worried about our future. Now is the time to take care of each other. The powers that be do not care about our struggles. Like so many times in history, it’s up to us to empower ourselves.
We’re here for you, dear readers. Don’t lose hope. – Ben Olson, publisher
READER
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We hope to provide a quality alternative by offering honest, in-depth reporting that reflects the intelligence and interests of our diverse and growing community. The Reader is printed on recycled paper using soy-based ink. Leftover copies are collected and recycled weekly, or burned in bonfires to appease the gods of journalism. For back issues, contact the publisher. Free to all, limit two per person, please.
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About the Cover:
This week’s cover photo features SMS 7th grader Addison Hyder reading to Farmin-Stidwell kindergartner Olivia Bentley, with Pepper the therapy dog. Photo by Ben Olson
Local school leaders respond to gov’s signing of ‘school choice’ H.B. 93
LPOSD
Superintendent Becky Meyer:
‘I just don’t want to see any students fall between cracks’
By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff
Idaho Gov. Brad Little signed House Bill 93 into law Feb. 27, providing $50 million of public money to support payments of between $5,000 and $7,500 toward tuition at private and religious schools in the state.
H.B. 93 went into effect immediately following the governor’s signature, after passing the Idaho House on a 42-28 vote and 20-15 in the Senate. Dist. 1 Rep. Mark Sauter, R-Sandpoint voted against the bill, while Dist. 1B Rep. Cornel Rasor, R-Sagle, was in favor. Dist. 1 Sen. Jim Woodward, R-Sagle, also voted against the measure.
Former-Dist. 1 Sen. Shawn Keough, R-Sandpoint, who serves on the Idaho State Board of Education, declined to comment to the Reader in her official capacity, though indicated that her personal thoughts on the legislation mirrored Sauter’s and Woodward’s, both of whom have published opinions on the bill in the Reader and Bonner County Daily Bee.
Opposition to the so-called school-choice bill was widespread and vocal. According to reports, Little’s office received 37,457 phone calls and emails in the runup to his signing of H.B. 93 — 32,366 of which urged the governor to veto the bill. The number of calls to Little’s office related to H.B. 93 was so high, reports from the capitol say, that an automated assistant had to be installed to handle them all.
Little posted Feb. 27 on Facebook thanking President Donald Trump for his support of H.B. 93, writing, “Idaho is now the first state to offer school choice from kindergarten through career.”
On his own social media platform, Truth Social, Trump wrote on Feb. 16: “Congratulations to Governor Brad Lit-
tle, and Idaho Legislators, who are fighting to bring School Choice to their beautiful State. $50 million Dollars to empower parents to provide the very best Education for their child — GREAT news for Idaho families. This Bill, which has my Complete and Total Support MUST PASS! [sic]”
Seventy-three public school superintendents — representing districts that educate more than 300,000 Idaho students — wrote to Little that they were “gravely concerned that privatizing education will, over time, erode the stability of our republic.”
Citing the Idaho Constitution, they wrote: “We strongly believe that such a monumental shift to our established system of free, common, public schools should be put to voters as a referendum to amend Idaho’s Constitution. Barring that, we implore you to please keep your promise to Idaho taxpayers by vetoing House Bill 93 and demanding that the legislature ensure fair, responsible, transparent, and accountable use of public tax dollars.”
In a separate letter, published Feb. 24 by Idaho Ed News, North Idaho superintendents including Dr. Becky Meyer, of Lake Pend Oreille School District; Kim Spacek, of West Bonner County School District; and Jan Bayer, of Boundary County School District wrote that, “North Idaho takes pride in our public schools, our communities and our ability to make decisions that reflect Idaho’s values — not the interests of out-of-state billionaires looking to reshape our education system.”
The central point of the letter was that H.B. 93 lacks accountability, specifically with regard to testing requirements for non-public schools, and represents a risky use of taxpayer dollars — a statement Little himself made at an Idaho Press Club forum prior to
signing the bill, when he told reporters, “There’s not enough accountability in it.”
“Public education is the backbone of North Idaho,” superintendents wrote. “Our schools serve every family, regardless of financial means. But instead of strengthening our local public schools, H.B. 93 would divert critical resources away from them, putting our communities at risk.”
According to a State Board of Education report issued in Feburary 2024 (and based on 2021-’22 numbers), there are about 16,800 private school students enrolled at 155 institutions offering instruction in at least two grades from first12th statewide. Ada County has the largest number of such schools, with 32, followed by Kootenai County with 18 and Canyon County with 10. Bonner County has between six and 10 private schools, according to the report.
Meyer told the Reader in an interview that LPOSD — which has just over 3,800 students enrolled at 11 schools and one homeschool academy — is most concerned about H.B. 93 when it comes to testing.
“I’ve been on the record saying I’m not opposed to families having choice. If families choose and want to do a private or homeschool option, I’m in support of that — unlike some superintendents throughout the state — as long as we can measure apples to apples, Granny Smiths to Granny Smiths,” she said.
“The bill ... does not have accountability,” Meyer added. “If we are only held [accountable] for parent satisfaction, that’s fine. I’m OK with getting rid of all the red tape, and the hours upon hours of endless reports and paperwork that we have, but it just... that’s not equitable. I’m all for families using money for homeschool if there’s a different curriculum they want to do, private
schools or Christian schools, if it’s best for their kid, as long as we’re all measured on the same measuring stick.”
Spacek, at WBCSD, told the Reader that while he hadn’t read the legislation before signing the letters urging Little to veto H.B. 93, he stood by his signature.
However, he said that the bill should be more accurately described as a “tax credit,” rather than a “voucher,” and it serves to challenge public school districts to be more “attractive” to students whose families may be considering alternative enrollment in private schooling.
Stacy Happell, of the privately funded Selle Valley Carden School, declined to comment “as we are uncertain on how this will affect us or anyone attending school with us.”
Julie McCallan, who serves as pedagogical director of Sandpoint Waldorf School, said her institution “will continue to offer a holistic, age appropriate and academically robust curriculum which fosters critical thinking, empathy and a lifelong love of learning.
“While we welcome efforts to make alternative education more accessible, we also recognize the importance of a strong public school system,” she added. “A thriving public education system benefits everyone in our community, and we do not wish to see public school funding diminished in a way that could negatively impact students.”
Mary Jensen, who serves as executive director of Forrest M. Bird Charter Schools, echoed Meyer’s concerns about accountability, while also telling the Reader that she doesn’t anticipate H.B. 93 negatively affecting her school, which is a publicly funded charter with 255 students in sixth-12th grade.
However, she worries about the overall impact on the state
budget.
“My concerns are large in that respect — partly because they’re also looking at large income tax cuts,” she said, “$250 million in an income tax cut means there’s less revenue coming in to pay for public schools as it is, now they’re adding $50 million for private schools. Where’s that money going to come from? ...
“We have definite standards and accountability that we need to provide as public schools that the bill does not clarify how that accountability is going to be done, or if any accountably will be done towards the use of money,” Jensen added. “No tests, no proving — if you don’t know what that money is used for, that’s no better than the government spending money and we don’t know where it’s going. This is taxpayer money.”
Leaders at Sandpoint Christian School, Sandpoint Junior Academy, Selkirk School and Valor Christian High School did not respond to a request for comment.
The Idaho Education Association issued a statement Feb. 28 that Little had signed H.B. 93 “against rampant opposition,” describing the pushback from Idaho educators, parents, guardians and students as “vociferous” and “centered on the bill’s lack of accountability.”
“Bringing vouchers to Idaho is a huge mistake,” stated IEA President Layne McInelly. “House Bill 93 is just the beginning. Voucher proponents — eager to help out-of-state billionaires plunder Idaho’s public school budget — are already planning how to exploit and expand this program during 2026’s legislative session.”
The effort to channel public money to private schools — including those with a religiously inspired curriculum — has been nationwide, with high-dollar backing from organizations like the American
< see HB93, Page 5 >
Timberline Helicopters announces expansion of Sandpoint operations
Mayor Jeremy Grimm: move is the ‘high-impact economic development Sandpoint needs’
By Reader Staff
Timberline Helicopters is expanding its operations in Sandpoint, which City Hall stated in a news release March 3 marks “a major step forward” for Mayor Jeremy Grimm’s “goal to expand and diversify Sandpoint’s economy.”
According to the announcement, the Idaho Economic Advisory Council signed off on a performance-based investment incentive for Timberline Helicopters, which clears the way for “a significant expansion” of the company’s footprint in the local area.
“This milestone marks a crucial investment in the region’s economic future, fostering job growth and industrial diversification beyond the tourism sector,” the city stated.
Based in Sandpoint, Tim-
< HB93, con’t from Page 4 >
Federation for Children, Citizens Alliance of Idaho, Yes. every kid and Young Americans for Liberty.
Lobbying efforts on behalf of “school choice” go back years. According to a June 2023 report from the Boise-based Idaho Statesman, those groups spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to promote legislation subsidizing private education with public dollars, though those efforts had been unsuccessful until this year.
Yes. every kid alone spent $113,000 lobbying for school choice legislation as far back as 2021. That group, which sent robocalls to Idahoans urging them to call Little’s office in support of H.B. 93, is part of what the Associated Press described in 2019 as a “sprawling network of wealthy donors, political groups and tax-exempt advocacy organizations” under the leadership of “billionaire industrialist” Charles Koch, who is among the most influ-
berline Helicopters specializes in “heavy-lift” helicopter services, aerial firefighting and external load operations. The company operates a fleet of Blackhawk and K-1200 helicopters and other aircraft, support firefighting, infrastructure projects, and specialized aerial operations across the U.S. and beyond.
The expansion will create 24 new jobs, including 12 positions for mechanics with salaries that can exceed $80,000 per year, according to the city. In addition, the expansion is estimated to contribute to more than 20 additional indirect jobs in the region and another 12 induced jobs in the local aerospace industry.
“The estimated annual labor income from these new positions will exceed $3.7 million, while the total statewide GDP impact is projected to be $6.3 million annually,” City
ential players in ultra-conservative policy circles.
“To date, the Koch strategy has been to profit from and compete with public schools, while trying to ‘defund and defang’ anyone who got in their way,” American Federation of Teachers Union President Randi Weingarten said, according to the AP.
Yes. every kid has frequently applauded Little for his stance on education — including “championing the nation’s strongest K-12 open enrollment policy” and “empowering parents.”
“Idaho stands as a beacon of educational opportunity, thanks to the transformative leadership of Governor Brad Little,” the 501(c)(4) organization stated in December 2024.
Lauding Little’s signature of H.B. 93, Yes. every kid issued a statement Feb. 27 that, “Idaho joins a wave of states from throughout the nation to enact universal education freedom,
Hall stated.
Timberline Helicopters’ expansion will include increasing the company’s fleet, enhancing its maintenance capabilities and developing new aviation technologies.
“This is exactly the kind of high-impact economic development Sandpoint needs,” Grimm stated in a news release. “The expansion of Timberline Helicopters will bring quality, well-paying jobs to our community, reinforcing my administration’s commitment to moving Sandpoint toward a more sustainable and diverse economy.”
The company plans to invest more than $13 million, with upward of $12 million dedicated to real property improvements.
“We are thrilled to continue growing in Sandpoint,” stated Timberline Helicopters President Tyson Davis. “This
reflecting the growing national trend toward personalized education. This bill is the strongest and most family-friendly education policy in the nation.”
Yet criticism of H.B. 93 remains steadfast — including that it runs afoul of the Idaho Constitution’s mandate that the Legislature “establish and maintain a general, uniform and thorough system of public, free common schools.” What’s more, Idaho Ed News reported Feb. 18 that constituent emails to Little’s office were “10-to1” against the bill, with many citing the Idaho Constitution’s Blaine Amendment, which bars state and local governments from funneling public dollars to religious institutions.
Proponents say H.B. 93 does not violate the Blaine Amendment because “parents, not schools, would receive taxpayer funds,” Idaho Ed News reported.
Sauter highlighted some of those concerns in a Feb.
investment will allow us to expand our capabilities, create new opportunities for skilled professionals and contribute to the community’s economic vitality.”
“This project exemplifies the state’s dedication to fostering business growth and innovation,” added Idaho Department of Commerce Director Tom Kealey in a statement. “Timberline Helicopters’ expansion not only creates high-paying jobs but also reinforces Idaho’s reputation as an emerging leader in this segment of the aerospace industry.”
27 opinion piece published by the Reader, writing in part, “Our public schools are saddled with considerable reporting and requirements to teach all students. H.B. 93 doesn’t make those demands. During the floor debates, we heard stories of students being turned away from certain schools because their faith was different from that of the religious school they were considering. These types of decisions being made with public funds involved are troubling.”
Woodward also penned an opinion piece published in the Reader on Feb. 13, stating, “Idaho policy decisions are being heavily driven by out-ofstate influence. I have resoundingly heard from folks at home that they are opposed to these proposals to fund private schools with public money. In the Capitol, the opposite is true. Which begs the question, whose ‘school choice’ is this?” Yet, looking ahead to
Members of Sandpoint’s aeronautical industry include Tamarack Aerospace and the Daher facility, which manufactures the Kodiak aircraft.
“This expansion further strengthens Sandpoint’s position as a hub for specialized aerospace and high-tech industries,” the city stated.
“This expansion is a clear example of the kind of economic development we need — one that supports our workforce with stable, well-paying opportunities and strengthens our regional economy for years to come,” Grimm stated.
implementation of H.B. 93, LPOSD Superintendent Meyer said the local school district will weather the changes.
“There will be some great homeschool families that will more than surpass what we do, and they know that that works for their child. Great. I’m happy to have that, happy to have that. There will be private and Christian and charter schools in the area that will far surpass what we’re able to do, I’m happy for that. If that’s what works for that student, I’m happy for that. I just don’t want to see any students fall between cracks,” she said.
“I’m personally not worried about losing a lot of students to other options because we have such a great school system,” Meyer later added.
“Our parents are, for the most part, extremely happy with the education that their students receive.”
Additional reporting by Ben Olson.
Courtesy photo
Idaho House committee advances ‘compromise’ Medicaid cost bill
H.B. 345 does not repeal Medicaid, but inserts measures meant to control costs
Bits ’n’ Pieces
From east, west and beyond
By Mia Maldonado Idaho Capital Sun
A bill meant to contain Medicaid costs in Idaho is headed to the House floor for a vote after the House Health and Welfare Committee voted to advance it on March 4.
House Bill 345 would create work and volunteer requirements for able-bodied Idahoans enrolled in Medicaid, and let Idahoans eligible for Medicaid expansion access tax credits to purchase insurance on Idaho’s health care exchange.
It would require the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare to seek waivers from the federal government, in a move that some legislators have been skeptical of, the Idaho Capital Sun previously reported. In 2019, Idaho failed to receive federal approval — then by the Trump administration — for Medicaid work requirements and an exchange tax credit option, which are similar to the new bill’s provisions, the Idaho Capital Sun previously reported.
Bill sponsor Rep. Jordan Redman, R-Coeur d’Alene, said the bill would provide immediate savings to the state and long-term sustainability and accountability measures.
After more than an hour of testimony and two failed motions to hold the bill in the committee, the committee voted along party lines to move the bill to the House floor with a recommendation that it pass. The Idaho House will vote on the bill at a later date.
“It’s none of my intention to not provide the services to those who need it and those who are eligible, but it is my intention to make sure that we can kind of control the cost,” said bill cosponsor and committee chairman Rep. John Vander Woude, R-Nampa.
Most testimony in opposition to H.B. 345 Legislators on the committee thanked Redman for drafting the legislation in a way that addressed the need to cut Medicaid costs without entirely repealing Medicaid expansion. However, most of those who testified opposed the legislation, including health care providers and representatives from nonprofit groups who mostly criticized the bill’s work requirements, citing concerns that it would implement more bureaucratic hurdles for low-income Idahoans seeking health care.
Jennifer Johnson was the first to testify to the committee. As a business owner and single parent with two children with
serious medical conditions, she said her family relies on Medicaid expansion for care and prescriptions.
“While I understand the goal of reducing Medicaid costs, this bill does the opposite by adding unnecessary expenses and red tape,” Johnson said. “Adding work requirements is unnecessary. Those who are participating in Medicaid through expansion are people like me who are working one or more jobs, volunteering in the community and raising families, but doing so at low incomes.”
Like Johnson, Dr. Melanie Edwards, a physical therapist from Idaho Falls, opposed the bill. Edwards said the bill would not control costs. She said bureaucratic barriers, such as job reporting requirements, would cause Idahoans to lose their Medicaid, ultimately reducing access to preventive care. She also said she is concerned about the term “able-bodied” in the bill.
“I think of people in their early 60s, such as a retired farmer with a bad back from a lifetime of hard work and no local job or volunteer opportunities that he could do, or a man who has severe mental illness such that he’s unable to work,” Edwards said. “Most of these people have not been classified as disabled, and so are regarded as able-bodied. These situations are not rare outliers in Idaho. The work or volunteer requirement would strip away their care.”
Chris Cargill, the president of the Mountain States Policy Center, spoke in favor of the legislation.
“This program was specifically designed for the most vulnerable, the working poor, parents with children and the disabled,” Cargill said. “Medicaid was never intended to provide health insurance for more than 20% of the population [Eds. note: According to the policy analysis nonprofit KFF, about 18% of Idaho’s population is enrolled in Medicaid]. As you all know, the cost of Medicaid coverage for the state is skyrocketing, and unless you act, you could very well lose financial control of this program. ...
“If the federal government reduced Medicaid expansion dollars tomorrow, would Idaho be ready?” Cargill said to the committee.
This story was produced by Boise-based nonprofit news outlet the Idaho Capital Sun, which is part of the States Newsroom nationwide reporting project. For more information, visit idahocapitalsun.com.
Following the fractious TrumpVance-Zelenskyy meeting in the Oval Office, The Washington Post reported the Trump administration may end shipments of military aid to Ukraine. This follows a Feb. 24 refusal by a Trump administration delegation to the United Nations to support a U.N. principle: one nation must not invade another. The U.S. delegation aligned with 18 pro-Russia countries.
The global response to the recent Zelenskyy-Oval Office meeting: in the U.K., Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was warmly welcomed and promised “full backing.” Support for Ukraine came from leaders in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Moldova, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Romania, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, the European Council, the European Parliament, the European Union and more. Former-U.S. Labor Secretary Robert Reich: “The emergence of the Trump-Putin axis is the most cynical and dangerous change in American policy in 80 years.”
A former chief economist at the Department of Labor told the Telegraph, “It seems almost unavoidable that we are headed for a deep, deep recession.” Why? Private industries are cutting back due to DOGE budget slashing and tariffs are a “paralyzing” influence. Predictions for economic “devastation” are targeting April and May; job losses could be 400,000 a month.
The Lever reported on Trump-Musk cuts to federal firefighting services: The Trump administration froze $3 billion in wildfire mitigation efforts.
Various media: Terminated federal employees report being told their performance was poor (bringing into question eligibility for unemployment), despite positive evaluations.
Trump’s recent congressional address was attended by federal workers who have been fired in the Trump administration’s effort to shore up tax cuts for the wealthy. They included veterans and a wildfire prevention worker. “I am speaking out because I cannot see how employing veterans in the federal government is fraud, waste or abuse,” stated a disabled Army vet fired from Veterans Affairs.
DOGE actions have put monthly Social Security benefits at risk, (more than 72.5 million people receive Social Security), former-Maryland Gov. Mar-
By Lorraine H. Marie Reader Columnist
tin O’Malley told CNBC.com. O’Malley: “Ultimately, you’re going to see the system collapse and an interruption of benefits. I believe you will see that within the next 30 to 90 days ... people should start saving now.”
The Guardian: Congressional Republicans are dodging critiques of Trump’s policies due to fears of physical safety for themselves and their families. They don’t want to hire round-the-clock security protection to defend against MAGA extremists ready to act on Trump’s criticism of perceived enemies.
What do Libertarians think about the Trump administration? The Washington Post turned to the Cato Institute’s Ilya Somin, a law professor: “Bad on the metrics of both economic and personal liberty”; attacking freedom of the press is “troubling,” as is Trump’s “kissing the rear end of a dictator like Vladimir Putin.” Somin likes some of the efforts to cut regulations and taxes, but “the horrible things Trump is doing massively outweigh many times over the good that he might do in a few areas.”
Somin added that if Trump exempts the “executive branch from being subject to judicial review and judicial orders,” that undermines the Constitution and installs authoritarianism. “And that’s bad from a libertarian point of view.”
Relevant headlines: “Defense Secretary Hegseth has Paused Cyber Offensive Against Russia”; “Judge Says Trump’s Mass Firing of Federal Employees is Illegal”; “Nearly 40% of Contracts Canceled by Musk’s DOGE are Expected to Produce no Savings”; “U.S. Consumer Confidence Plummets in February, Biggest Monthly Declines Since 2021”; “Elon Musk’s Business Empire is Built on $38 billion in Government Funding”; “Pro-Ukraine Protests Erupt Across U.S. after Trump and Vance ‘Ambush’ Zelenskyy”; “Trump Admin Approves $3 billion Bomb Sale to Israel Without Congressional Approval”; “Russia Celebrates U.S. Foreign Policy That Now ‘Coincides’ with Moscow’s Worldview”; “Democrats Warn of ‘Largest Medicaid Cut in American History’”; “Social Security Administration Offers Buyouts to Staff Ahead of Planned Workforce Reductions and Field Office Closures.” Blast from the past: Mitläufer (roughly translated as “follower” or “hanger-on”) is a German word for ordinary citizens who became complicit in Nazi crimes through inaction and compliance. Post-WWII, to avoid prosecution, no one wanted the mitläufer label.
ITD announces changes to U.S. 95 project, moves design into ‘proposed action’ phase
By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff
The Idaho Transportation Department has again revised its plan for rebuilding a six-mile corridor of U.S. Highway 95 from Dufort Road to Lakeshore Drive, which marks a finalized “preferred concept” for the project.
According to the department, community input and engineering and environmental analyses over the years have resulted in the preferred concept, which will become ITD’s “proposed action.”
Following a period of public comment in October, the department removed a proposed underpass at Algoma Spur Road and Ivy Drive and relocated it to Sagle Road. In addition, the plan now includes a new frontage road running along U.S. 95 across from Ivy Drive.
The U.S. 95 Dufort-Lakeshore project has been in the planning stages for years, with analysis dating back to the late-1990s and early-’00s that has resulted in an envisioned four-lane divided highway concept that would include
interchanges at Dufort and Brisboy roads, and underpasses at Monarch and North Gun Club roads and Sagle Road.
The frontage roads would enable access to locations including Sagle Elementary School, Sagle Fire Station, Bottle Bay Road and Lakeshore Drive, while a 10-foot-wide shared-use pathway would connect to the existing Long Bridge underpass.
While the proposed action has been finalized, ITD is still a long way from realizing the project. Environmental reevaluation and
preliminary design plans are expected to be complete in 2026, with each phase of the project needing to be finalized and right-of-way acquired for the highway expansion.
“Currently, funding is not identified for the final design and construction of this project,” ITD stated on its website, promising that it will update with more information as the timeline and process continues.
Combined with the process of securing a final design and securing right of way, it’s estimated that the U.S. 95 Dufort-Lakeshore
project could be as far as 15 years from its groundbreaking, according to previous statements from officials.
For more information — including maps and links to previous studies — go to itdprojects.idaho.gov/pages/ us-95-dufort-to-lakeshore. Direct questions and comments to info@us95duforttolakeshore.org or 208-2439326.
An overhead view of the Lakeshore Drive/ Highway 95 corridor plans from ITD. Courtesy image
Bouquets:
GUEST SUBMISSION:
• “I want to thank Ben Olson for the thoughtful and enjoyable article he wrote about me in the Feb. 6 Reader [Feature, “Making a difference is my reason for being”]. We had a fun interview between two long-time friends, and I think the finished article reflected some of that. I also want to thank Ben for the Bouquet comment in the same issue. That was such a pleasant surprise. Sue and I will very much miss our long-time friends here. But new adventures await us. And we’ll share them with Sandpoint friends when we return for a visit.”
— By Paul Graves
• Photographer Chelsea Mowery gets a Bouquet this week for her always stunning submissions for our cover shot. I usually try to swap out cover artists regularly, but three editions in February have featured Chelsea’s amazing photographs. We’ll just call February “Chelsea Month” around the Reader office going forward. Check out more of her work at chelseamowery.com.
Barbs:
• Gov. Brad Little gets the Barb this week for signing House Bill 93, forever altering — and endangering, in my opinion — public education in Idaho. Despite his office receiving over 32,000 messages urging him to veto the bill as opposed to about 5,000 supporting it, Little showed support for the extremists who have taken over the Idaho Legislature by signing the bill, which directs $50 million in state funds to offer private, religious and home-schoolers up to $5,000 — or $7,500 for special needs students — for tuition and other education expenses. One more brick in the wall, one more punch in the face. That’s Idaho politics.
Better sleep through poetry...
Dear Editor,
The other night I had a hard time sleeping. My partner and I made a decision to watch the news once a day. It’s really difficult to do that right now, and at times I find it difficult to shut my mind off to sleep. So the other night, I jotted this down, closed my eyes, and found sleep:
Tumpty Dumpty wants to be King, Executive orders, crowned Time Magazine. With Russia he flirts While Ukraine he deserts, And the price of eggs really sting.
Keep on publishing. You help keep me sane.
Valerie Maxey Sandpoint
Mixed messages...
Dear editor,
About the supposedly “open to the public” town hall held in Coeur d’Alene recently by the Kootenai County Republican Central Committee: Those who asked hard questions were forcibly ejected by “private” security. What can we expect next from the GOP/MAGA playbook: “kristallnacht”?
How precious, the Republicans advertise an open to the public town hall meeting, in a public building — a school auditorium — with elected public officials; but, it’s a private meeting. Talk about your horse---t.
Lawrence Fury Sandpoint
Feeling unclean...
Dear editor,
At 5:30 p.m. on the nightly news (Feb. 25) it was announced that President Trump will now start selling in two weeks the “Trump Gold Card,” which will sell for $5 million, as opposed to the “green card.” He hopes to sell at least 1 million to wealthy families.
I am going to take a hot shower.
James Richard Johnson Clark Fork
‘Sandpoint should reconsider SmartPass’...
Dear editor,
The SmartPass system, which rolled out at Sandpoint High School on Feb. 27, presents significant risks that outweigh its intended benefits. While marketed as a tool to improve security and streamline
student movement, the privacy, psychological and legal issues it raises should not be ignored.
SmartPass, developed by Raptor Technologies, tracks students’ movements, collecting sensitive data. Given Raptor’s history of data breaches — including one exposing millions of students’ personal information — and Google Cloud’s own privacy violations, parents should be wary of trusting third-party tech companies with such sensitive data.
Beyond privacy concerns, SmartPass introduces psychological risks. Constant surveillance has been shown to increase anxiety and impair cognitive function. Instead of teaching accountability and encouraging personal responsibility, it fosters a climate of distrust and over-reliance on “Big Brother”-type monitoring. Many families live in North Idaho to be free from this.
Legal concerns also exist. SmartPass could unintentionally discriminate against students with disabilities, potentially violating the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Additionally, legal liabilities could arise if a data breach violates laws like the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).
The school administration has failed to clearly communicate an opt-out option to parents and has not sought school board approval. Given the risks, this system should undergo school board scrutiny, and all parents should have an opportunity to opt out well before implementation.
In light of these concerns, the community should demand the school district halt the implementation of SmartPass. A petition can be signed at https://chng.it/ynwFksgYrP.
Kristen Dodd Priest River
‘Wake up’...
Dear editor,
Wake up American, your reputation as leader of the free world is being destroyed by a rogue presidency. A group of billionaires led by Donald Trump and Elon Musk are systematically destroying our democracy. By firing inspector generals, they’re eliminating oversight to hide what they’re doing. They are firing top and mid-level government employees, including in the military, and replacing them with people loyal to Trump, rather than the Constitution.
The constant lying has become normalized and with the “new people” in charge of Justice, FBI and national intelligence, we now have
legalized corruption so long as you are a Trump loyalist.
Trump pardoned all of the Jan. 6 defendants, who brutally assaulted police officers, then fired all the FBI people and prosecutors who worked to bring accountability for the action of the Jan. 6 perpetrators.
The U.S. voted against the U.N. resolution condemning Putin for invading Ukraine, siding with Russia, China and North Korea, and other authoritarian countries.
Trump was impeached twice in his first term; and, both times Republican senators acquitted him. (A conviction would have banned him from seeking office again.)
Republican senators have made a mockery of the confirmation process for judges and cabinet heads by confirming many individuals who were clearly unqualified. Pleasing Trump was more important than protecting the best interest of the American people.
Americans, I plead with you to stand up and speak out against those who want to squander all the sacrifices past generations have made to make us the greatest country in the world.
Larry Liberty Oldtown
‘Spineless!
Little signs school voucher bill into law’...
Dear editor,
As the High Priest of The Church of Neo-Hedonism I will be organizing my new school immediately. Obviously church basements are out, since they’re probably already filled with “schools” that have only one textbook.
I’m thinking of finding a backroom or basement of a local watering hole; it needs to be large, because I’m expecting a substantial turnout. However, during ski season, classes will be held at Schweitzer; we’ll insist on summer classes as well, concentrating on one ski dock starts.
As far as literary curriculum goes, initially we’ll begin with analyzing lyrics of the Rolling Stones, Steve Earle and, for the more gifted students, Richard Thompson. Diagramming sentences, assuming there are any complete sentences, will be a basic.
Math? Seventy-eight, 45 and 33 rpm will be discussed. This might carry into Science as well, analyzing sound quality.
Lemme know if you’re interested in being an instructor or have a particular field of study that you would
like to have students explore. Deadheads need not apply; we won’t have time for extended jams. Rigorous vetting for potential educators will occur. After all, Neo-Hedonism will take no slackers.
Ted Wert
Sagle
The Forest Service is not where federal waste is happening…
Dear editor,
Thank you to Pat Hart for her “Beyond Politics” piece last week [Perspectives, Feb. 27, 2025]. It was spot on. I worked at the Sandpoint Ranger District of the Forest Service for most of my career and retired in 2019. It was drilled into us as employees what Pat said: “Government is not a business, It’s a service.”
Although I never worked with Pat, she was well known for making a lot happen for Forest Service recreation in the Bonners Ferry Ranger District with little to no funding. In these national forests, recreation funding is sparse, unlike in more popular national forests that manage much higher numbers of recreation visitors.
When you hike or horseback ride on a trail, take your ATV or snowmobile out, or camp in the national forest, you are being provided a service that you paid for with your tax dollars.
Although I’ve seen wasteful spending in the government, that’s not where it’s happening.
I agree that agency budgets should be scrutinized and trimmed where necessary. But the willy-nilly butchering of federal agency funding and employees by Elon Musk — who is not even a federal official — is criminal (just like the rest of our so-called presidential administration run by a 34-times convicted felon).
Please support your local federal workers and tell Congress, who has the power of the purse, to stop the madman and the madness and do their jobs.
Judy York
Proud Forest Service retiree
Sandpoint
‘Mud vacation’...
Dear editor,
When we first moved to the farm on Beers Road, there were a total of five families on our county road. The road was narrow and grass grew in the center. In the spring, when the
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West Bonner pins hopes on $4.7 million two-year levy ask in May
By Emma Epperly IdahoEdNews.org
West Bonner trustees decided in a split vote at a special meeting Feb. 27 to run a $4.7 million two-year levy in May.
The decision comes after years of failed levies, a rotating door of superintendents and murky budgets.
Debra Buttrey, an accountant hired to help get the school district back on solid financial ground, said if the levy fails the district would be in dire straits.
At the end of this school year, the district will have at most $500,000 in savings, she said.
Superintendent Kim Spacek said the district would have to close two elementary schools and even then would struggle to make ends meet if the levy failed.
Trustees disagreed over whether to vote on a levy proposal or wait for additional information from district employees to fine-tune the ask. Ultimately, Chair Ann Yount and Trustee Delbert Pound voted to support Trustee Paul Turco’s levy proposal. Vice Chair Margaret Hall and Trustee Kathy Nash voted “no,” despite generally supporting a levy on the May ballot.
The levy will pay for sports and extracurricular activities; maintain staffing levels and 2% cost of living raises; and restore art and music programs, among other supports.
Finance expert to district: ‘You have no wiggle room’
Buttrey and Belynda Best, who work in finance at the Newport School District, stepped in to help the district when its longtime business manager retired.
They combed through the past 10 years of financials and found that the majority of the 2021-’22 levy wasn’t spent but it’s unclear why. The majority of the funds, $2.3 million, were earmarked to pay for teachers and staff that the state didn’t fund, Buttrey said. She suggested using those funds to reduce the May levy ask.
The district is set to spend about $10 million this year with about $8 million in revenue, Buttrey said. So the district plans to dip into its savings to cover the deficit, resulting in a $500,000 reserve fund budget.
Buttrey explained that she set aside the unused levy funds, which are in a separate account, so that even if the
levy failed in May the district would have a small buffer to pay staff and help close schools. Those existing levy funds also reduced the amount Buttrey suggested trustees ask the community for in May.
“You have no wiggle room,” Buttrey said. “There is no doubt we need a levy.”
The district has yet to pass its 2022-’23 and 2023-’24 audits. Buttrey expects the district will pass the audits with findings for poor checks and balances but not for inappropriate purchases.
Multiple trustees noted the district is in this position because of significant business manager and superintendent turnover, partially due to hiring unqualified people. Most notably, the district hired Brandon Durst, whose brief tenure was marred by controversy and litigation.
Next, Buttrey and Best are set to start working on reconciling this year’s budget and then building the 2026 budget in coming weeks.
The levy proposal
Levy discussions began with a $3.2 million proposal from Buttrey, based on the current budget and previous levy asks, then trustees made additions to reach the $4.7 million figure.
• $1.7 million general fund shortfall (teachers/staff salaries);
• $200,000 school library and copy paper;
• $614,000 for sports and extracurriculars;
• $75,000 one bus per year;
• $150,000 restart the music program;
• $150,000 restart the art program;
• $250,000 school psychologists and nurse;
• $150,000 for utilities at the closed Junior High School building.
Trustee Paul Turco proposed adding $1 million to supplement facilities maintenance and $500,000 to increase staff pay and retain employees. Those additions brought the levy ask to $4.7 million.
He and district leaders noted that because the district expects about $1 million in property tax relief funds from House Bill 292 over the course of the two-year levy term, local taxpayers would only pay about $3.7 million into the levy over the course of the two years.
The specifics of how the facilities funds would be spent will be ironed out in the coming weeks, as the trustees work with attorneys to craft the ballot language.
Turco noted negotiations with the teachers’ union are ongoing but a 2% raise, which is below the rate of inflation in recent years, for all employees would cost about $175,000 a year.
Teacher calls for stability, better pay Jared Hughes, a teacher and coach at the Priest River Junior/Senior High School, argued during public comment that teachers won’t stick around forever if salaries don’t increase and the district doesn’t start providing stability.
“We have the highest turnover rate in the state because we still do not have contracts,” Hughes said.
In the 25 years that Hughes has been a teacher at the district, he said there have been 12 principals — and, in the past three years, six superin-
tendents — and the district went eight months without a business manager.
He noted that at every level in the pay scale, West Bonner teachers’ pay is among the lowest in Idaho.
Trustees agreed that teachers need to be considered in the levy ask.
“Our teachers are important and we need them and we need to have something on there that ensures that we can keep them,” Yount said.
Ultimately, Turco moved to make the $1.5 million in additions, with specifics to be identified in the coming weeks. The $4.7 million levy proposal passed in a 3-2 vote.
Idaho Education News is a nonprofit online news outlet based in Boise and supported by grants from the J.A. and Kathryn Albertson Family Foundation, the Education Writers Association and the Solutions Journalism Network. Read more at idahoednews.org.
2025 swim instructors and assistants needed
By Reader Staff
The Pend Oreille Rowing and Paddling Association and Long Bridge Swim Association are providing free swim and water safety lessons for the third year this summer at Riley Creek Recreation Area. But a lead swim instructor and assistant swim instructors are needed to support the program.
All instructors are paid positions.
Instructors are needed on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, the weeks of Aug. 5, 12 and 19, from about 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. each day. Paid training will take place on Aug. 4.
Organizers ask that applicants know how to swim and help kids feel safe and comfortable in the water. Lifeguard certification is not required.
“This is a great opportunity for students in the Priest River, Newport and Sandpoint Area,” organizers stated in
a news release.
Teenagers ages 13-17 are encouraged to apply as swim assistants. Training will be provided by the lead water safety swim instructor. Without this assistance, free swim lessons may not be available to the community. Send an email with your contact information and/or questions to water_safety@PORPA.org by Thursday, March 20, or contact Celia Thomas at 208-946-1229. Registration for swimming lessons will open on Tuesday, April 1.
An unoccupied lifeguard stand at Sandpoint City Beach. Photo by Ben Olson
Science: Mad about
By Brenden Bobby Reader Columnist
Nothing beats the sizzle of a steak on a cast iron pan.
Dense, seasoned metal bringing perfectly even heat and a flawless sear to the outside of your filet is a thing of real beauty. If you just so happen to prefer sautéed vegetables to meat, I won’t judge... much. There’s no denying the utility of culinary cast iron, but what makes it so special and different from regular cookware? Steel is steel, right?
Metallurgy is kind of like baking with metal — precise configurations of ingredients, temperatures and time exposed to heat can create wildly different results from item to item. In the case of most cast iron, it has a carbon content of up to 4% (which is high) that produces unique results well-suited to specific functions. In 2025, one of the most widely used applications of cast iron is for cookware, owing to its phenomenal ability to hold and retain heat evenly across its surface. Caring for cast iron cookware comes with its own unique set of challenges you don’t have to worry about with ceramic and nonstick metal cookware. Adding various elements to pig iron (that is, the intermediate product of iron ore smelting used to make steel), carbon and silicon during the smelting process can drastically alter the final product. Sulphur can make the metal harder, but more prone to cracking. Adding chromium or nickel can help counteract this by making the metal harder, but also less brittle.
The production of cast iron was believed to have started in China, sometime during the fifth century B.C.E. Cast iron
cast iron
is not well suited to creating very sharp objects that will be subjected to heavy impact forces, such as arrowheads, spears or swords. Instead, it was used for things like ploughs, pagodas and larger, heavier weapons. Knowledge of cast iron blacksmithing has also been observed in central Africa in the Congo around this time. The knowledge of how to create cast iron was likely brought west from China through roads that supported the silk trade. Cast iron production in Europe was believed to have started sometime in the 13th century C.E.
Later, cast iron and wrought iron both featured heavily in Victorian-era decoration in England, particularly for fireplace tools and decoration. Cast iron pots were frequently used throughout Asia as a form of food storage, and cast iron pots were a must-have for many people throughout history.
Personal stoves were rare until the 19th century, as hearths were a much more common form of heating and cooking for communal and individual homes. Cast iron’s ability to retain and evenly distribute heat made it a perfect tool for cooking large quantities of food over a hearth. Its durability and reliability made it a staple throughout the American West in the 1800s.
However, cast iron cookware faded from widespread use as newer forms of cookware entered the market as more advanced technology and metallurgical techniques came to prominence. Nonstick cookware, pyrex and various plastics totally altered the culinary landscape from the 1950s until the 2000s, when cast iron saw a sudden resurgence. Viewed as rustic and reliable in a time when
seemingly everything was built to break, cast iron brought a taste of the past into the present while also enhancing the flavor and the sear on everything it touched.
So how is cast iron cookware produced today?
It all starts with pig iron and steel scrap in a factory. Iron is very easy to recycle in a factory setting, so a mixture of scrap and defective cookware can be used to supplement the process ensuring very little waste outside of the energy required to produce the items to begin with. Pig iron is loaded into a furnace along with scrap collected by a giant magnet on a crane. It is smelted at a temperature of at least 2.500 degrees Fahrenheit and slag is skimmed off the top by a large robot arm.
Sand molds are utilized to create the desired shape of a pan. This sand doesn’t become glass until it is subjected to temperatures of at least 3,100 degrees F, allowing it to be reused several times.
The sand is fed into a twopart die that presses the sand together and compacts it into the desired shape. This is very similar to using a molded bucket at the beach to create a sand castle. Pressure packs the sand together so that the mold doesn’t lose its shape. Molten iron is squirted into the mold, which can then be knocked off the new pan once it has been adequately cooled. The sand from the mold is cycled back into the production process to be reused in new molds. This sand is a lot like the sand you’ll find at City Beach, but it has been turned black by heat and carbon.
Molded pans are then hung on moving racks and sprayed with a soybean oil and heated to season them. This oil creates a protective barrier
over the iron, and is crucial to maintaining the longevity of the cookware. A fun extra tidbit is that excess oil forms a droplet at the bottom of the pan as it hangs, and a worker is assigned to burn it off with a high-powered torch. Depending on the process, there’s anywhere from a 5% to 10% rate of defective pans, which is an acceptable margin in this field. These pans are sorted out before reaching distribution and are recycled back into the scrap heap to begin the process all over again. Pans that pass inspec-
tion are packed into cardboard boxes and stacked onto pallets that are then loaded into a distribution center before being shipped off to their final destination, be it your home or local store.
It’s a fascinating and entertaining process to watch, which I would highly recommend you do from the computers at your local library; after you’ve done that, you’re just a few steps away from checking out a cookbook to test out your grandmother’s old cast iron pan.
Stay curious, 7B.
Random Corner
• Benito Mussolini coined the term “fascism” in 1919 to describe his political movement, the black-shirted members of the Fasci di combattimento (“combat groups”), who seized power in Italy in 1922. Mussolini’s party adopted the fasces, an ancient Roman symbol of authority that depicts a bundle of rods bound around an axe as a representation of the unity of law and military power, meant to show the Italian people united and obedient to the unitary power of the state.
• George Orwell wrote an essay called “What is Fascism?” in 1944, in which he stated, “almost any English person would accept ‘bully’ as a synonym for ‘Fascist.’ That is about as near to a definition as this much-abused word has come.”
• Robert O. Paxton, Professor emeritus of history at Columbia University, often dubbed “the father of fascism studies,” defined the word as both a political practice and movement. Paxton said fascism as a political practice arouses popular enthusiasm by using sophisticated propaganda techniques for anti-liberal, anti-socialist, violently
exclusionary, expansionist national agenda. As a movement, fascism is often used as a cudgel to “restore a country” that proponents of authoritarianism feel has been damaged or is in decline to replace democracy with dictatorship. Fascism focuses on one person as leader, who usually promotes the idea that at least one group of people is “bad” and has caused the nation’s problems. The fascist leader then promises to fix those problems by getting rid of the group of people they see as “bad.”
• Other defining characteristics of fascism include: derision of human rights; putting the military first; the belief that men are better than women; control of the mass media; close ties between religion and government; protection of businesses and corporations over citizens; suppression of labor power; hate for intellectuals and the arts; telling people not to listen to scientists, scholars and artists; focus on crime and crime fighting; and corruption and fraudulent elections in which even if the people vote, their votes are either not counted or otherwise abused.
COMMUNITY
Perky Smith-Hagadone chosen as 2025 Festival at Sandpoint poster artist Gracie Duncan chosen as series lineup
By Reader Staff
The Festival at Sandpoint announced the winners for its 2025 poster contest, with Perky Smith-Hagadone being chosen as the creator of the annual concert series’ fine arts poster and Gracie Duncan contributing the series’ lineup poster.
Smith-Hagadone has lived in Sandpoint almost 47 years and has many fond memories of attending the Festival at Sandpoint’s Summer Series. She earned her bachelor’s degree in education and a master’s in educational administration from the University of Idaho and served as a public school teacher and principal in Lake Pend Oreille School District for 28 years.
Along her career path, Smith-Hagadone also earned a master’s in zoology from Miami University, which enabled her to deepen her interest and practice of environmental education.
If she is not hiking, kayaking or playing with family and friends, she is making art — often inspired by nature.
“My lifetime service in education
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frost came out of the ground, our road — like almost all the county roads — was impassable. It was called “spring breakup,” and it was like the mud had no bottom to it.
Hap and Evelyn Keller weren’t even able to drive their four-wheel-drive school bus (a 1954 Willys box-like station wagon). There was no school for two and sometimes three weeks. We called it “mud vacation.”
Now there are more than 50 families on our county road and it is an excellent year-round road. Thank you to Mr. Topp and his Bonner County Road and Bridge Department.
Steve Johnson
Sagle
‘Parking history’...
Dear editor,
Parking meters were installed downtown in 1946 — maximum limit: two hours.
Meters were changed to a one-hour limit in an attempt to create more parking space in 1952 (presumably expecting more turnover). Some more history:
• Councilor Steve Klatt (1976): “We need an overall parking plan.”
• Chief Wilcox warned downtown employees to stop feeding meters in 1979.
• Parking meters removed in 1985; began chalking tires for a two-hour limit.
• Diamond Parking hired in 1995 to manage all city parking; City Beach was recom-
creates an almost innate desire for me to continue to share information about our world through my creativity,” she stated in an announcement from the Festival.
[Disclosure: Smith-Hagadone is the mother of Reader Editor Zach Hagadone.]
Aside from traditional media including watercolor, colored pencils and digital photography, Smith-Hagadone is compelled to create art out of almost anything. No medium is out of bounds: wood, clay, rocks, acorns and
mended but excluded. Daily Bee’s take: “Paid parking at City Beach is an idea that should be driven to the junkyard and dumped.”
• Diamond agreement was not renewed in 1996 — a city-appointed stakeholders task force estimated 80% of downtown core parking is taken by employees and business owners.
• Tom Hudson, consultant, hired in 2004 to study the problem for an area that provides 2,359 parking spaces. No long-term solutions identified were acceptable to the city.
Does Sandpoint have a parking problem or is it a perception?
Consider this: Lake Pend Oreille has 111 miles of shoreline. How much is free and easily accessible to locals? Not much. Basically it’s the City Beach unless you want to drive miles and miles and sometimes pay an access fee. Is anyone listening? If so, who are you listening to?
Helen Newton Sandpoint
Time to take action…
Dear editor,
To those who watched Trump’s address to Congress on March 4, you have my most sincere empathy. To those who would have stood on the floor and cheered with all the spineless MAGAt sycophants, I suggest you lay off the Kool-Aid and find another news source. Fox and social media are not reliable
poster artist
even plastic bottle caps.
“My lifelong association with the natural world, resplendent with pattern, texture, detail and color dictates my intricate and stylized art approach,” she said.
Smith-Hagadone’s winning art piece is titled “Wild Cantata” and will be revealed on July 8, following the Festival’s annual sponsorship appreciation event.
Duncan’s piece was selected as the series lineup poster, and, as a college student pursuing a degree in graphic and web design from North Idaho College, she was selected to receive the Festival’s 2025 Poster Contest Scholarship.
Duncan has lived in North Idaho her entire life and has a deep appreciation for nature.
“I’ve always had an admiration for Sandpoint and its beauty,” she said. “It’s a place that embraces art and the outdoors, two things that are dear to me.”
news sources. Everyone should listen to Bernie Sanders’, Lawrence O’Donnell’s and MeidasTouch Network’s responses. Bernie might be the only U.S. congressman who takes no corporate money — never has. His heart and mind are closer to the typical U.S. citizen than any other politician who is willing to speak the truth.
To my friends on both sides of the aisle, who either blindly believe Trump’s lies and bluster, or those on the left who are so shattered by the outcome of the election that they don’t even want to talk about it, please consider that the ostrich approach of “head in the sand and butt in the air” is an extremely vulnerable position. The best thing we can do is to focus all our energy on getting this convicted felon and adjudicated insurrectionist removed from office. He has committed plenty enough crimes against the Constitution and the law to be impeached. If just a few Republicans in Congress could grow a spine and vote for our country over their party, we could be rid of Trump and President Musk at the same time! If we don’t take action soon, it may be too late. It only took Hitler 53 days to turn Germany into a dictatorship. At this pace, Trump could beat that record.
Jay Omundson Cocolalla
Send letters to: letters@sandpointreader.com
BY THE NUMBERS
By Ben Olson Reader Staff
32,366
The number of messages received by Gov. Brad Little’s office calling for him to veto House Bill 93, which creates a $50 million tax credit program offering private school students between $5,000 and $7,500 for tuition and other education expenses. Of the 37,457 phone calls and emails weighing in on the bill, 86% were opposed. Nonetheless, Little signed the bill into law.
$12 billion
The amount of money lost by President Donald Trump supporters who purchased the crypto meme coin Trump released prior to his Jan. 20 inauguration (which critics claimed was a “pump and dump” scheme). The coin’s value plummeted from $15 billion to $2.7 billion, as of Feb. 27, losing 82% of its value. Trump has since announced that he wants to create a “strategic crypto reserve” that will use U.S. government funds, despite the extreme volatility of the crypto market.
$652.44
The amount of money left in a person’s investment if they purchased $10,000 worth of first lady Melania Trump’s crypto meme coin at its peak of $13.72 per coin. That’s a loss of 93.4%. If I write, “I told you so,” in Latin, would it have more gravitas? If so, here you go: Ita narravi tibi.
33
The reported number of times Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has thanked the U.S. for assistance fighting the invasion of his country by Russia. This statistic was fact-checked by CNN after the disastrous Oval Office meeting between Trump, Vice President JD Vance and Zelenskyy, where Trump chastised Zelenskyy to “be more thankful,” and Vance asking Zelenskyy, “Have you said thank you once this entire meeting?”
Perky Smith-Hagadone, left, and Gracie Duncan, right. Courtesy photos
Public forum focuses on invasive species, aquatic herbicide plans for Lake Pend Oreille
By Jennifer Ekstrom Reader Contributor
Members of the public will be updated on plans to combat invasive aquatic species in Lake Pend Oreille — and provided with the chance to voice concerns — at forum scheduled for Thursday, March 13 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at the Bonner County Administration Building (1500 U.S. Hwy. 2, in Sandpoint).
Bonner County is hosting the forum, which will also include the Idaho State Department of Agriculture and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The county and agencies will highlight efforts to kill aquatic invasive weeds and prevent the introduction of quagga mussels.
Despite good intentions, efforts to control aquatic weeds with chemical herbicides are fraught with problems. These chemical herbicides are toxic substances, and pose their own threats to both human health and aquatic life.
These herbicides can potentially harm native plant species growing in or near the application sites. Plus, killing the “bad” weeds all at once can negatively impact water quality — by creating vast amounts of decomposing plant matter, dissolved oxygen in the water can be depleted, which fish need to survive. The decomposing plant matter also releases nutrient pollution into the water, feeding the next generation of weeds and increasing the chances of toxic algae outbreaks.
In past years, diquat dibromide (a.k.a. Reward), endothall (a.k.a. Aquastrike), glyphosate (a.k.a. Rodeo) and florpyrauxifen-benzyl (a.k.a. ProcellaCOR) have been used in attempts to control or eradicate invasive weeds in Lake Pend Oreille, along the shoreline and on breakwaters.
Since these herbicides are pollutants and are discharged from a specific point, they are called “point source” pollution, and therefore regulated
under the Clean Water Act. As part of this regulatory process, discharges must adhere to stipulations in the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality’s Pesticide General Permit. This permit currently allows an exemption for herbicide discharges that are under 80 acres. Eighty acres is pretty big — roughly equivalent to 60 football fields. This means that herbicide applications that cover fewer than 60 football fields are not regulated or coordinated.
In addition to agencies applying these pollutants, homeowners associations and individuals can also hire private companies to apply herbicides to the water near their shorelines. This means that several herbicide applications could happen in the same part of the lake without anyone knowing about the duplicate applications and oversaturation of the chemicals. Therefore, the chemical labeling requirements on these chemicals, which are designed to protect human health and aquatic life by specifying the concentration of chemicals that are allowable, are undermined and ineffective.
The good news is that IDEQ is working to update the Pesticide General Permit, and the Idaho Conservation League is urging them to close this loophole. While ICL and IDEQ hoped the new permit would be completed this winter, they are behind schedule. We now understand that the new permit will be published for public comments in the late summer or early fall.
ICL will certainly be weighing in, and urging our concerned community members to do so, as well.
In the meantime, we can all advocate that herbicide applicators and the agencies, homeowners associations and individuals that hire them take extra
precautions to ensure no duplicative chemical applications occur this year. Not only would it waste their money, duplicative herbicide discharges can harm people, fish and other aquatic life.
The ISDA has responded to past public pressure and agreed to avoid discharging chemicals to areas near public drinking water intakes. They also employ hand pulling of aquatic weeds at City Beach and in Sand Creek. They have honored this agreement for many years and deserve our gratitude for that.
Hand pulling and bottom barriers are very effective ways to control weeds in specific areas like boat paths, docks and swimming areas. These methods pose no risk to human health or water quality, and we encourage their prioritization by agencies and private entities alike.
Since it is impossible to eradicate these weeds from a system as large and complex as Lake Pend Oreille, we need to learn to live with them outside of our immediate surroundings, and use these non-toxic methods in our immediate surroundings.
In the face of ongoing challenges with water quality and invasive species in Lake Pend Oreille, it’s crucial that we carefully consider the methods used to control them. The forum on March 13 is an excellent opportunity to learn more, share concerns and advocate for solutions that prioritize the health of our lake and its ecosystem.
We encourage everyone to attend and make their voices heard.
Jennifer Ekstrom is North Idaho director for the Idaho Conservation League.
Flowering rush along the shoreline of Lake Pend Oreille
An open invitation to volunteer with local nonprofits and service clubs
By David Keyes Reader Contributor
I want to thank Ben Olson for raising awareness about the importance of our local nonprofits and the need for volunteers. His article, “A dying cause: Local nonprofits and philanthropy clubs sound the alarm over decline in membership numbers,” ran in the Feb. 13 issue of the Reader.
As district governor elect for Rotary and past president of Sandpoint Rotary, I have had a unique perch from which to watch the power of volunteerism in our organization as well as the influence of Lions, Elks, Community Assistance League, Kiwanis and so many others.
The Sandpoint, Ponderay, Newport-Priest River and Bonners Ferry Rotary clubs are bucking the trend. They are attracting new members
and continue to fill needs in each community. In fact, Sandpoint and Ponderay clubs were recently voted the top clubs their size in a district of 57 clubs in Washington, Idaho and British Columbia.
Sandpoint Lions are famous for the Fourth of July parade and fireworks show, the annual Easter Egg hunt and Toys for Tots. For many years, this dynamic club also
distributed American flags to businesses in and around Sandpoint several times a year. They passed off that promotion to Sandpoint Rotary several years ago when the delivery, etc., got to be too much work for an already busy club.
Sandpoint Kiwanis is youth oriented and its Camp Stidwell attracts youngsters from around the region to enjoy the great outdoors while learning citizenship and responsibility.
Sandpoint Elks aims at youngsters, veterans with Bingo and golf thrown in for fun. Everyone knows about the Elks Hoop Shoot but maybe people don’t know about the organization’s free meals for veterans.
Ponderay Rotary has given hundreds of scholarships over the years with some focus on trades and continuing education.
The Community Assistance League is just that. This club assists the community in the form of scholarships, the money for which mostly comes from proceeds from the Bizarre Bazaar “upscale resale” store.
Each of these organizations focuses on assisting youth in one way or another.
For example, Sandpoint Rotary has donated more than $1 million to local education as a result of the CHAFE bike ride. From a club of just more than 100 members, more than 95 of them volunteer for that ride every year. We also have numerous other volunteers step up to help with everything from running rest stops to rider support and much more.
There is a dire need for volunteers and Rotary, Lions and each organization mentioned here would love to have you and to show you
Where has all the virtue gone?
By Liam FitzGerald Reader Contributor
Sometimes I wonder what a person notorious for lacking many of the valued human virtues of humility, empathy, honesty or kindness — and who uses lies, bullying and threats of revenge to get others to do their bidding — might feel when they encounter someone who has gained respect and admiration because they exemplified those virtuous qualities.
Do they secretly wish they could be more like them? Or do they consider them “suckers” and “losers” that should be cast aside as relics of the past?
Life, at times, seems to reward the unworthy — at least for a while. And as long as they are allowed to do so, those lacking virtue will use their greed, desire to control and disregard for their fellow human beings to elevate themselves into positions of power and influence.
I also wonder if the reason those who lack virtue seem to have such loyal, enthusiastic and devoted followers is because so many of those followers desire to be just like them. They want to feel powerful and influential, and
be recognized as someone who really matters. Because they have been denied those feelings for so long — maybe their entire lives — they have a strong desire to experience them.
Perhaps it’s that strong desire that allows them to feel admiration and respect for those who have attained power and influence, even if they did so by dubious or questionable means?
It’s hard to imagine that many of those devoted followers were not taught, as children, to admire virtue.
Weren’t their childhood heroes “good guys” who were guided by virtues that their new heroes have either abandoned or never possessed? What caused their change of heart and redirected their moral compass?
Was it the promise of better times ahead? Was it the pleasure of watching “their guy” bash the “Libs” and all that they stand for, and to defend against what they have become convinced are existential threats to their way of life?
Do they ever consider the possibility that the ideas and programs they have been duped into supporting may in the long-run end up benefiting only a small group of rich and powerful individuals, whose main goal is
to remain in power and to get even richer? Will those loyal followers be left without power and influence in the end, just as they were in the past?
History has recognized America’ s true heroes as those who have made sacrifices — who put country ahead of themselves and stood up for the rights of others. President Abraham Lincoln, Rep. John Lewis, Sgt. Alvin York; individuals who gained respect and admiration for adhering to virtues that the robber barons of the “Gilded Age,” the greedy land-grabbers of the 19th century who banished Native Americans from their homeland and others who put wealth and power above all else never felt were important.
Hasn’t America always looked up to the “good guys” and rejected the selfish, the uncompassionate and the bully? Have we as a country now moved past that? Do we now admire the “robber barron’s” more than we admire those who consider true love of country and empathy for their fellow human beings more important than power and influence?
Sometimes it’s difficult to think that’s not the case.
Liam FitzGerald is a Sagle resident.
how to plug in.
Volunteerism is a cure for loneliness. If you believe in the power of “we,” versus the power of “me,” we would love to talk.
I firmly believe most people want to volunteer or find ways to help their community, but don’t know how to plug in. This is an invitation to do just that.
Sandpoint Rotary meets Wednesdays at noon at Marigold Restaurant in the Umpqua building on Church and Fifth. You can easily find when and where the other organizations meet. We would all like to meet you.
The need is real and if you are looking for an opportunity to make a difference, have I got a deal for you!
David Keyes is district governor elect for Rotary International.
David Keyes. File photo
Is ‘Gaz-a-Lago’ a harbinger of doom — or dumb?
Bizarre ‘Trump Gaza’ AI video posted to the president’s social media leaves the world scratching its head
By Ben Olson Reader Staff
Sandwiched somewhere between his calls to stop funding colleges that allow “illegal protests,” threatening to take Greenland “one way or the other” and kicking wartorn Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy out of the White House, President Donald Trump reposted a bizarre video on his social media account that left the world scratching its collective head.
The AI-generated video is like a nightmare vision you’d see after battling a fever for three weeks. Set to a syncopated beat, it bursts in with a banner that reads, “GAZA 2025 WHAT’S NEXT?” and jump cuts to a family picking barefoot through rubble in a bombed-out street before its members emerge into a skyscraper-filled, American-styled development some are calling “Gaz-a-Lago” online. All the while a robotic AI voice sings, “Donald’s coming to set you free/ bringing the light for all to see/ no more tunnels, no more fear/ Trump Gaza is finally here,” before the beat drops and things really get weird.
There are symbols crammed into this 35-second video. Lots of symbols. While we’re used to the propaganda Trump shares on social media — like clips showing his face superimposed on a wrestler who is body-slamming CNN to the mat; others that present lewd and hostile attacks on his many perceived enemies; and, finally, dozens of unhinged reposted QAnon conspiracies — Trump’s Gaza video repost hits a little different.
The video comes, of course, after Trump promoted the idea of expelling 2.1 million Palestinians from Gaza, “leveling the site” and transforming it into a “Riviera of the Middle East” that would be owned by the United States — a proposal that has been called “disgraceful” and “a serious violation of international law,” among other colorful descriptions.
The video has it all: AI-generated clips of Elon Musk chowing down on hummus, Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lounging shirtless by the beach sipping cocktails, bearded and bikini-clad belly dancers, a child holding a golden balloon in the shape of Trump’s head, Elon Musk dancing on the beach as
U.S. dollars rain down upon him, a North Korean-esque golden statue of Trump looming over those walking below and shops filled with golden miniature Trump statues for sale.
After receiving forceful pushback from Egyptian and Jordanian leaders, Trump told Fox News in late February that, “The way to do it is my plan. I think that’s the plan that really works. But I’m not forcing it. I’m just going to sit back and recommend it.”
Meanwhile, Wassel Abu Yousuf, a member of the Palestine Liberation Organization’s executive committee, told CNN that the video was “a clowning gimmick and nothing more than that,” and, “There will not be resorts or Middle East Riviera or anything else. What Trump wants to do should be done somewhere else, but not on the backs of the Palestinian people. This is the land of our ancestors and parents, and a lot of blood has been shed to defend it.”
Netanyahu, on the other hand, has endorsed Trump’s Gaza ownership plan, calling it a “bold plan of reconstruction.”
But who, actually, created the Trump Gaza video in the first place? As usual, with anything in Trumpworld, it’s complicated.
The video’s creators, Solo Avital and
Ariel Vromen, are two of the co-founders of Los Angeles-based EyeMix Visuals, which uses AI to create commercials and promotional media. The pair told NBC News the project was created as satire while they experimented with AI software called Arcana.
Also, the two aren’t sure how the video ended up in Trump’s wee little hands. Vroman said he shared an early version of the video with Mel Gibson, who Trump named as a special ambassador to Hollywood, but Gibson denied sharing it with the president.
Vroman and Avital — who are both from Israel and live in the U.S. — said while testing the AI software, they were attempting to create a video in just eight hours. At exactly the same moment they began work, Trump was announcing his Gaza development plan and the pair said, “Hey, why don’t we do that? Let’s do a little satire?”
Vroman said he played with the idea of Trump turning Gaza into Las Vegas, saying that while the video was satire, he thought Trump’s proposal was “forward-thinking.”
Vroman said that while he was peeved at being used by Trump as a “propaganda machine,” he also said Trump’s proposal was a “gazillion times better than what it is right now, whether it’s good or bad.”
He expanded on the “context” of the video by claiming the real intent was to show that Gaza will be “so liberated that it will become woke.”
Perhaps that’s where the bearded belly dancers came from.
After Trump reposted the video, Vroman said he was “shocked,” because, among other images, it showed Trump “standing erected in the center of the city as a golden statue, like some sort of dictator.” (Isn’t there something in the Bible about this? Something something golden idols? Oh well... moving on.)
While some laugh it off and say, “Trump’s just trolling people,” his proposal for Gaza compares with his calls for “taking” Greenland and the Panama Canal for “national security reasons.” These are sovereign nations. This kind of rhetoric is how wars begin. No matter where the video came from or what its intended purpose was supposed to be, the fact that our president posted it as some kind of visual promotional brochure about his plans for the Middle East should be enough to cause alarm to even his most ardent supporters.
Instead, the video was just lost in the never-ending slog of propaganda and doom that is our world in this foul year of our lord, 2025.
The AI-generated video reposted by Trump shows, clockwise from the left: bearded bikini-clad belly dancers, Elon Musk under a shower of U.S. dollar bills, a Trump Gaza arch and luxury vehicles, a North Korean-esque golden statue of Trump, miniature golden statues of Trump for sale and a child holding a golden balloon in the shape of Trump’s head. Courtesy of Truth Social.
Human Rights Task Force opens annual grant cycle
By Reader Staff
The Bonner County Human Rights Task Force annual grant cycle is open and grant proposals are being accepted from community nonprofits, educational and governmental agencies to benefit projects and programs specific to issues of human rights.
The BCHRTF is seeking to fund projects and programs that support its mission “to affirm the American principles and ideas of the inviolable dignity
and worth of each human being and recognize that everyone is equal under state and federal laws and constitutions.”
The Task Force hopes to help sponsor activities that “enhance human rights; focus on community education; provide a support system for people victimized by malicious harassment or intimidation; and celebrate the fact that it is the racial, social and cultural diversity of our people that makes Bonner County a rich and worthwhile place to live,” the
organization stated.
Grant requests up to $8,000 will be considered, however the average amount of grants in the past has been approximately $2,250.
Get more info at bchrtf.org. Applications are made directly to the Idaho Community Foundation at idahocf. org, with a deadline of Wednesday, April 30.
Email bchrtaskforce@gmail.com or call 208-290-2732 with any questions about how to apply.
Dance Madness 2025 showcases talents of local cheer, dance teams at SHS
By Reader Staff
It will be an afternoon of talent on display at the inaugural Dance Madness 2025 event, hosted by the Sandpoint High School Dance Team on Saturday, March 8 starting at 3 p.m. at SHS (410 S. Division Ave.).
The fundraiser will showcase both
Bonner County Democrats organize panel discussion on civic engagement
By Reader Staff
In the wake of the tumultuous Kootenai County Republican Central Committee public town hall on Feb. 22, Bonner County Democrats announced an upcoming panel discussion in Sandpoint to address citizens’ concerns about their rights at public events.
“The chaos that we saw at that town hall was incredibly disheartening,” stated Karen Matthee, chair of the Bonner County Democratic Central Committee.
“The Constitution grants us the right to express opinions to our elected representatives at public events without being dragged out of the room by unidentified men while the event organizer taunts us from the stage.”
The panel will be organized to provide citizens with information about their rights to speech at public events, their rights to personal safety at those events and what to do to ensure that others’ rights are upheld as bystanders.
Panelists will include Sandpoint Police Chief Corey Coon, local civil liberties lawyer Dana Bowes and volunteer Eldon Renner.
The event will be held from 5:30-7:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 13, at Marigold Bistro’s meeting room in the Sandpoint Center (414 Church St.). All members of the public are invited, and encouraged to bring questions for the panel.
For questions regarding Bonner County Democrats and their work, contact bonnerdemocrats@gmail.com.
dance and cheer, including performances by the SHS Dance Team, Post Falls Dance Team, Allegro Dance, Laiche Dance Center, Sparks Elite Cheerleading, Studio 1 Dance Studio, Premier Dance, Dance Works and more.
Admission is $10 for adults and $5 for ages 18 and under, available at the door, which opens at 2:30 p.m.
All proceeds will support the SHS Dance Team’s efforts to cover essential costs, including travel, competition
fees, costumes and advanced training.
“Don’t miss out on this exciting event that promises to be full of energy and passion,” organizers stated. “We invite you to come cheer on our local teams and help support the future of dance in our community.”
For more info or questions, contact SHS Head Dance Team Coach Frances Clark at frances.clark@lposd. org or follow the Sandpoint High School Dance Team on Instagram at @sandpointdanceteam.
PERSPECTIVES
By Sen. Jim Woodward, R-Sagle Reader Contributor
The legislative session is in full swing. After eight weeks of bill introductions, there are many hotly contested proposals to debate.
Medicaid expansion in Idaho, put in place by the citizen initiative in 2018, is rising in cost every year. My understanding is that the Medicaid expansion population is relatively flat. Rising costs are driven by higher utilization of benefits at the individual level and by increased medical costs. Regardless of what is driving the cost, the result is a need to manage the costs.
House Bill 138, which requests 11 waivers from standard federal requirements in the Medicaid system, has been front and center lately. It is very unlikely that the federal government would approve all 11 waivers. The bill stipulates that Idaho would no longer implement Medicaid expansion if the waivers were not approved by July 1, 2026. H.B. 138 is widely viewed as a Medicaid expansion repeal bill. The proposal is at an impasse right now.
H.B. 328 was introduced last week by the same bill sponsor as H.B. 138, but with a few more key people sponsoring H.B. 328. It was quickly set aside because of concerns from
Why U.S.-Canada cooperation matters more than ever Legislative update: And now for the tough ones
By Former presidents of the Pacific NorthWest Economic Region Reader Contributors
“Geography has made us neighbors. History has made us friends. Economics has made us partners. And necessity has made us allies. Those whom nature hath so joined together, let no man put asunder.” — President John F. Kennedy
As former presidents of the Pacific NorthWest Economic Region (PNWER), we’ve witnessed firsthand how nonpartisan cross-border collaboration can transform challenges into mutual opportunities that transcend political differences. Since 1991, PNWER has championed cross-border partnerships to enhance the economic interdependencies that span the 10 states, provinces and territories of our bi-national region.
The success of PNWER’s work is made possible by giving the region’s public and private sectors a seat at the table — governments, businesses, In-
our Idaho hospitals. H.B. 345 is the current proposal regarding Medicaid expansion. It is a rewrite of H.B. 328 with changes made to accommodate the hospitals. I anticipate it will be presented in the House Health and Welfare Committee this coming week.
H.B. 176, regarding medical training, has also been a hot topic recently. We all know our state is growing and with that we have a need for more physicians. Idaho operates in conjunction with the University of Washington to educate and train new physicians through the WWAMI program (Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, Idaho). Some legislators are concerned
digenous leaders, nonprofits, academics and community stakeholders — to unite across borders and solve common challenges. Collaboration is at the heart of PNWER, enabling our region to advance practical solutions that create long-lasting benefits for us all.
We are disheartened by the potential erosion of the U.S.-Canada relationship that comes with the threat of tariffs. Our successful history of trust, mutual respect and cooperation must not be shattered by a failure to engage in good faith with one another. Through world wars, terrorist attacks, economic downturns, trade disputes and a global pandemic, we have worked and fought side by side to address challenges and have grown stronger as a result.
The U.S.-Canada trade relationship is woven into the fabric of each of our economies. This historic partnership shares the world’s largest and most comprehensive trading relationship, with nearly $2.7 billion USD worth of
that UW is not providing enough training slots to meet our demand. There have also been claims regarding the training provided at UW in women’s health. H.B. 176 is a proposal to sever our ties with the UW and look to the University of Utah for a physician training program.
I have spent time with doctors, program administrators and legislators to learn more about the issue. We may need to add capacity with a program through the University of Utah, but it appears we would only be causing ourselves harm to shut off the UW program.
I am happy to answer any questions regarding what I’ve learned. The WWAMI-trained physicians in our community and serving us currently are another resource for information as well as those performing their medical residency here.
H.B. 93, a school choice bill that provides a tax credit for eligible education expenses, is signed into law. I did not support the bill. I am hopeful it will create opportunities for Idaho children in education and life. I am skeptical it is the best solution to create those opportunities. I am fearful it will create yet another significant demand on our thinly spread tax dollars.
H.B. 93 makes $50 million dollars
goods and services crossing the border each day. These products support some of the industries we rely upon most, such as food, energy, manufacturing and agriculture. Millions of jobs both in the U.S. and Canada are dependent on this incredible partnership. In the spirit of the 2020 U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA/CUSMA), we must protect the U.S.-Canada trade relationship and work together to honor the agreement during the upcoming review process.
As neighbors, our two nations have built a prosperous and exemplary relationship that is the envy of the world. We must not take this relationship for granted. The Pacific NorthWest Economic Region demonstrates the power of this relationship — how a bridge between states, provinces, territories, industries and sectors can drive real growth and solve shared challenges together. Recognizing that our common interests outweigh our differences, we encourage our nation’s leaders to em-
available for private school tuition and other expenses. Utah’s similar program started at $40 million and has quadrupled in a few years. Arizona started with a $60 million program that has ballooned to more than 10 times that cost. All this with an accountability system that consists of a shoebox of receipts tucked in a closet somewhere.
As I’ve stated before, I am not opposed to supporting education in Idaho beyond our constitutionally mandated minimum. However, I think we should have a better answer than what we just put into law.
There are more tough choices to come. The legislative session will run through the end of March at least. I am hopeful to be back in Bonner and Boundary counties in early April, to enjoy our piece of Idaho we all appreciate so much. In the meantime, we will have additional townhall meetings on Saturday, March 15 in Bonners Ferry, Sandpoint and Priest River.
Jim Woodward is the Dist. 1 Republican senator from Sagle. He serves on the Joint Finance-Appropriations (vice-chair) and Education committees. Reach him during the 2025 legislative session at 208-3321349 (Statehouse), 208-946-7963 (home) or jwoodward@senate.idaho.gov.
brace this model of collaboration.
Over three successful decades, PNWER has proved that the way forward lies in reaffirming our commitment to collaboration; fostering consistent, open dialogue between public and private sectors; and strengthening the bonds that have united our countries for 150 years.
Our nations face real challenges today. Let’s face them together — as neighbors and friends — to preserve and strengthen the most successful bi-national partnership in the history of the world.
PNWER past presidents are: David Coutts, Alberta, Canada; Mike Cuffe, Mont.; Fred Dyson, Alaska; George Eskridge, Idaho; Rick Glumac, British Columbia, Canada; Mel Knight, Alberta; Lesil McGuire, Alaska; Curt McKenzie, Idaho; Jeff Morris, Wash.; Barry Penner, B.C.; Rob Renner, Alberta; Arnie Roblan, Ore.; John van Dongen, B.C.; and Chuck Winder, Idaho.
Sen. Jim Woodward. File photo
Top left: “I took a pic of my friend visiting from Phoenix to ski and, as you’re aware, Friday, Feb. 7 was an incredible bluebird day after all that snow,” wrote photographer Nate Belcher. “Thought I’d share this with you... this is on the Outback Lakeside chutes.”
Top right: This winter scenic photo was taken at sunset on a recent day in Bonner County. Photo by Albert de Armas.
Bottom left: Seventh-grade students from Sandpoint Middle School paired up with kindergartners from Farmin-Stidwell Elementary at the Sandpoint branch of the East Bonner County Library District for Read Across America, a weeklong celebration in which students read books, create crafts and share their love of reading with younger students. Photo by Ben Olson.
Bottom right: A beautiful moment driving north on Highway 95 from Boise with fresh-fallen snow on the trees. Photo by Ben Olson.
To submit a photo for a future edition, please send to ben@sandpointreader.com.
Florida man claims airport bomb threat was attempt to ‘flirt’ with fellow traveler
Some jokes just bomb.
Florida man Alan Borinsky, 70, claimed his wisecrack about having a bomb in his bag at an airport was merely an attempt to “flirt” with a fellow passenger.
Borinsky was sitting at gate 11 at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport on Feb. 28 when two witnesses overhead him tell another passenger, “If the bomb in my bag goes off prematurely, I apologize to your family in advance,” according to the police report.
The witnesses became alarmed and reported his statement to the police. Borinksy was later arrested and charged with making a false bomb report — a second-degree felony.
He pleaded not guilty and was released from jail on a $7,500 bond.
The people vs. the billionaires
By Lauren Necochea Reader Contributor
We must continue striving toward a democracy where every person, rich or poor, has a single vote and political influence cannot be bought.
We’re rapidly moving in the wrong direction as a handful of billionaires — with an incomprehensible level of wealth — buy elections, buy politicians and buy policies that benefit themselves. This is happening in Washington, D.C. and Idaho, where Gov. Brad Little signed a voucher bill despite fierce public opposition.
Elon Musk spent at least $288 million electing President Donald Trump and other Republicans. Without being confirmed to a cabinet position, he is unilaterally gutting our public sector: firing high-performing employees, shutting down agencies, freezing payments and treating our entire federal workforce like they work for him.
What is he leaving intact? Contracts benefiting his personal business interests.
While Americans loudly decry his actions, the Republican-controlled Congress does nothing to rein him in.
Republican Congressmen Russ Fulcher and Mike Simpson rubber-stamped a House budget resolution that will lead to $880 billion in Medicaid cuts and $230 billion in cuts to food assistance. Idahoans
are opposed to such cuts. Among Trump voters nationally, 71% oppose Medicaid cuts. But Republicans advanced a reverse Robin Hood resolution because they want huge tax cuts favoring the extremely wealthy, no matter the cost to people with modest incomes.
When Democrats proposed amendments to a budget bill in the U.S. Senate to at least stop tax breaks from going to billionaires, Sens. Mike Crapo and Jim Risch voted them down. For these Republican senators, tax breaks for billionaires are a must-have.
Similarly, a majority of Idaho’s Republican legislators and Gov. Little sold out to the billionaire-backed voucher scheme proponents.
Idahoans saw this voucher scheme for what it was: a blatant attack on public education. Voters flooded Little’s office with calls opposing it by a 10-1 margin, jamming phone lines so that his office had to set up
an automated system.
The people saw through the lies, dark money and backroom deals, but too many GOP politicians were willing to bow down to the outof-state voucher lobby that helped elect them.
The Idaho Federation for Children PAC, funded by the national American Federation for Children, poured more than $300,000 into the 2024 Republican primaries. That money helped unseat incumbents who opposed vouchers, replacing them with people willing to push the privatization agenda.
Out-of-state interests funneled another $85,000 into the Idaho Federation for Children PAC to target general election races, including $53,000 to defeat public school advocate Sen. Rick Just. Their payoff came when his Republican opponent, Codi Galloway, voted to approve vouchers.
Republican politicians keep choosing to serve the billionaires over the people. The people must remember who stood with them and who sold them out.
Lauren Necochea is chair of the Idaho Democratic Party and a former District 19 legislator. Necochea spent a decade leading nonprofit programs dedicated to research and advocacy in tax policy, health care and children’s issues.
Ziply Fiber honored as Chamber’s February Business of the Month
By Reader Staff
The Greater Sandpoint Chamber of Commerce recently honored Ziply Fiber as its Business of the Month, citing the company’s involvement with chamber activities, including sponsorship of a number of events.
In addition to community events, Ziply has sponsored the chamber’s luncheon venue for the year, the Holiday Tree Lighting and Winter Carnival Parade of Lights.
Ziply joined the chamber in 2024, after Community Development Manager Nicole Barnett reached out to discuss what the
organization has to offer.
“After learning all the benefits of being a chamber member, Ziply made the decision to not only join, but to join at the Silver-Elite level,” the chamber stated in a news release.
“Nicole and the Ziply Fiber team understand that being a chamber member is more than just joining and paying your annual membership dues,” the organization added. “In order to truly make the membership mean something, you have to be involved, show up, participate and be present for what is happening in our community.”
Nicole Barnett of Ziply Fiber, left, and Sandpoint Chamber Executive Director Mickey Quinn. Courtesy photo
Lauren Necochea. File photo
Her Mark: A Tribute to Women to open at POAC Gallery
By Reader Staff
The Pend Oreille Arts Council will present Her Mark: A Tribute to Women, a new exhibition opening at the POAC Gallery on Friday, March 7, with a public reception from 5-7 p.m. The diverse and thought-provoking collection brings together works from 10 artists, each reflecting on the profound influence of women in their lives and in society.
Through a range of media — including painting, mixed media, sculpture and collage — artists explore themes of strength, resilience, inspiration and advocacy.
“Her Mark seeks to honor the role of women as nurturers, creators and leaders while inviting viewers to reflect on the support and impact women have had throughout history and in their personal lives,” organizers stated in a news release.
POAC Visual Arts Coordinator Claire Christy curated the exhibition with the intent of fostering reflection and connection.
“When I sent out the call for artists, I asked them to think about the influence women have had on their lives — whether they had been comforted, supported or loved by a woman,” Christy said. “There is nothing like the support of a woman who loves you. I hope that viewers will take that message and, in turn, give that same love and support to the women in their lives.”
The exhibition features works by Judy Baird, Alison Barrows-Young, Christy, Molly Gentry, Teresa Rancourt, Brett Rennison (a.k.a. Chico Sundown), Jan Rust, Daris Judd, Amy Stephensen and Lucy West. Each artist brings a unique perspective to the theme, offering deeply personal and powerful statements alongside their artwork.
“We can come together to support and uplift one another,” Christy said. “Art has the power to connect us and remind us of the strength found in community.”
The exhibition will be on display at the POAC Gallery (313 N. Second
Ave., in downtown Sandpoint) from March 7-31.
For more information, visit artinsandpoint.org or contact POAC at 208-263-6139.
Top: “Badlands II” painted by Chico Sundown.
Right: “Blue in a Red State” by Teresa Rancourt. Courtesy images
Send event listings to calendar@sandpointreader.com
Madeline Hawthorne in concert
7:30pm @ Panida Theater
A night of well-crafted songs and great stories from the road. Also featuring Kevin Dorin
Live Music w/ Mobius Riff
6-8pm @ Idaho Pour Authority
Live Music w/ Jason Perry Duo
6-8pm @ Smokesmith BBQ
Live Jazz w/ Bright Moments
6-8pm @ Baxter’s on Cedar
Live Music w/ Sydney Dawn
6-8pm @ Idaho Pour Authority
Live Music w/ Justin Lantrip
6-8pm @ Baxter’s on Cedar
Live Music w/ One Street Over
5-8pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery
Live Music w/ John Daffron
5:30-8:30pm @ Barrel 33
Live Music w/ Kyle Swafford
6pm @ Connie’s Lounge
Live Music w/ Tim G.
6:30-9:30pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall
Sandpoint Chess Club
9am @ Evans Brothers Coffee Meets every Sunday at 9am
Monday Night Blues Jam w/ John Firshi
7pm @ Eichardt’s Pub
Trivia Night
6-8pm @ Idaho Pour Authority
Priest River Watershed monthly meeting
4:30-6:30pm @ Priest River Library
Please visit priestriverwg.org for meeting agenda and details
Live Music w/ Jonathon Nicholson
5-7pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery
Live ambient acoustic guitar
THURSDAY, March 6
Artist Reception: SHS artists
5-7pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery
SHS advanced art students’ work on display. Acoustic music by Conner McClure and Miles Wheatcroft
FriDAY, March 7
Live Music w/ Shawn Chasten
6-8pm @ Matchwood Brewing Co.
South Jersey-based singer-songwriter; songs compare to artists like Dominic Fike, John Mayer and Tyler Childers
Live Music w/ Ken Mayginnes
6-9pm @ 1908 Saloon
SATURDAY, March 8
Follies Adjacent w/ RFB
8pm @ The Hive
A fundraiser for Angels Over Sandpoint. Join the Queen of Ireland and Right Front Burner as they give the Follies production crew a break for a dance party. Theme: movie star or character (or your favorite Follies wear). $30
Live Music w/ Jason Perry Band
9pm-midnight @ 219 Lounge New Orleans soul, blues and funk
SunDAY, March 9
Live Music w/ Fiddlin’ Red 1-4pm @ Barrel 33
Magic with Star Alexander 5-8pm @ Jalapeño’s
monDAY, March 10
Outdoor Experience Group Run
6pm @ Outdoor Experience 3-5 miles, all levels welcome
tuesDAY, March 11
Geezer Forum
2:30-4pm @ Marigold Bistro
With guest speaker Carol Wright, 82, who has run multiple marathons, including one coming up on April 20. Hear her inspirational story
5-8pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery A folksy, bluesy duo
Live Music w/ John Daffron 5pm @ Connie’s Lounge
Live Music w/ Ian Newbill 6:30-9:30pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall
Front Porch Rockers live concert 6pm @ Create Arts Center, Newport, Wash. Music from the 1920s-1990s. Tickets $12/advance, $15/door. Students free Dance Madness 2025 3pm @ Sandpoint High School auditorium Fundraiser for SHS Dance Team. $10/adults, $5/kids
Maryhill wine tasting 5:30-8:30pm @ Barrel 33 $15 to taste the Maryhill lineup
Live Music w/ Kerry Leigh 3-5pm @ Idaho Pour Authority
With guest speaker Charlene Dawson: “GPL-1 — What the Heck is all the Hype?”
Quaff Immersive Culinary Arts Experience
5:30pm @ Eichardt’s Pub
A foodie showcase with Chef Reese Warren, pairings by Doug and Jeff. Presale only, limited seating. 208-263-4005 to reserve your spot. $100/person. Proceeds benefit Angels Over Sandpoint
wednesDAY, March 12
Sushi Night w/ Junior Solis • 4:30-6:30pm @ Sunshine on Cedar Info and signup on Eventbrite. Check Instagram for more info
Family Hour w/ music by John Firshi 5-7pm @ Matchwood Brewing Co.
Panel discussion on rights at public events
5:30-7:30pm @ Marigold Bistro
Hosted by Bonner Co. Democrats, a public town
hall outlining rights during public events, w/ SPD
For one night only: The ‘Follies Adjacent’ event takes center stage at The Hive
By Soncirey Mitchell Reader Staff
Sandpoint’s raunchiest, side-splitting act — the Follies — returns this year as a killer costume party for one night and one night only. Presented by the Angels Over Sandpoint, the “Follies Adjacent” event begins Saturday, March 8, at 7 p.m. at The Hive (207 N. First Ave., in downtown Sandpoint), raising money for the nonprofit’s volunteer work, grants, scholarships and more.
Ordinarily, preparation for the annual two-hour variety show begins in November or early December and rehearsals continue into March. The event takes hundreds of volunteers on stage and behind the scenes to produce; and, after more than 20 years, organizers earned a year off to rest. The Angels are already looking toward the 2026 show and are hoping for fresh volunteers to carry on the tradition.
“If the Follies are to continue, we need some new blood, both on the
production team as well as acts. It’s a lot of work but so rewarding,” said organizer, emcee and the “Queen of Ireland” herself, Kate McAlister.
Founded in 2003, the Follies continue to be the Angels’ biggest fundraiser, helping the organization bring volunteers and donations to underserved causes and communities in Bonner County.
“It’s the Follies fans who keep me going. I love being on stage and making people laugh — we don’t seem to have enough laughter these days,” McAlister said. “It fuels me to keep going. And best of all, we are helping those in need in our community. Those who fall through the cracks and those who need just a little help to get back on their feet.”
The March 8 event will have all the excitement of the Follies packed into a costume party, where guests should dress as their favorite actors and movie characters or acts from Follies past.
“I’d like to see some of the old movie stars — Marilyn Monroe, Cary
KLT seeking paid summer interns
By Reader Staff
Kaniksu Land Trust is now accepting applications for the 2025 Conservation and Education Intern Program, which offers participants the opportunity to pursue careers related to conservation and natural resources.
The program is designed to encourage students who grew up in the area to return home for the summer, build career-level skills and discover that meaningful careers exist in their hometown. Interns gain real-world experience in conservation, nature education, land management and non-profit operations. An additional goal of the program is to assist interns with making community connections that may lead to future employment.
KLT’s interns assist staff in work that advances the organization’s mission, including:
• On-the-ground conservation efforts, including maintenance of Pine Street Woods and site visits to private conservation lands;
• Spearheading Trails and Tales and supporting other youth education programs;
• Assisting with community outreach, fundraising and summer events to build local support for land conservation;
• Gaining insight into the inner workings of a non-profit land trust through mentorship and support work.
Two interns will be selected for the three-month season, working a flexible schedule of approximately 25 hours per week at $15 per hour.
Apply online at kaniksu.org/internjobdescription. Candidates are welcome to reach out to KLT directly with any questions: 208-263-9471 or info@kaniksu.org.
Grant — or characters — Norman Bates, Lucy, etc. — or even some of the ones previously worn. Over the years, there have been some great costumes,” said McAlister.
As usual, the “Queen of Ireland” will host the celebrations with her trademark sarcastic commentary and good-natured insults. She’s also hinted at a few surprises involving audience participation but wouldn’t divulge anything more.
Anyone looking to avoid her ire should consider copying her look: green and red.
“Well, to win the Queen’s favor, it would have to be in a Pippi Longstocking costume — she is my hero, and I have strived to be her my entire life. Also, any green outfits and, of course, redheads,” said McAlister.
Attendees will boogie to the music of “Sandpoint’s favorite party band,” Right Front Burner, which mixes rock, disco and groove into one funky, danceable sound. Considered the
Follies’ official band, RFB is headed by Paul Gunter, whose banter with the Queen has become a staple of the yearly shows.
“Just so everyone knows, Paul and the Queen don’t talk or rehearse anything; it’s all improv, so you never know what you are going to get. Sarcasm is our love language,” said McAlister.
“RFB is also a great band to dance to and so much fun. That’s what the Angels are about, bringing our community together and having fun,” she added.
Tickets are $30 for the 21+ dance at livefromthehive.com. Get them before they sell out.
“Thank you all for all your support throughout the years. I cannot thank Gail Fendley (a.k.a. “Velma Queen of Fun”) and Deb McShane enough for getting this wonderful fun event started way back when. We are just carrying on their legacy,” said McAlister.
Festival at Sandpoint announces new board members
By Reader Staff
The Festival at Sandpoint recently welcomed Kaleb Keaton, Liz Morris and Bea Speakman as new members of the nonprofit arts organization’s board of directors.
“We are thrilled to welcome Kaleb, Liz and Bea to the board,” Executive Director Ali Baranski stated in an announcement. “Each of them brings unique perspectives and expertise that will help guide the Festival into its next chapter of success.”
public schools, private pediatric clinics and a major hospital. With thoughts of starting a family, Morris and her husband, Taylor, moved to his hometown of Sandpoint.
Speakman grew up in Europe, Africa and Asia, and, having had the opportunity to see the world in her youth, concluded as an adult that the best place to live and raise a family is in Sandpoint.
Born and raised in Sandpoint, Keaton spent his childhood swimming in the lake, skiing on the mountain, and attending the Festival with his friends and family.
While pursuing his bachelor’s degree at Florida State University, he was involved with Student Campus Entertainment, where he was chair of the Comedy Committee and involved with numerous events and productions designed to provide culture and entertainment to the student body. Keaton received his master’s degree in counsel-
ing psychology from Boston College and has worked in numerous areas within the field, including developmental intervention, substance abuse treatment, mental health therapy and life coaching.
Morris was born and raised in the Finger Lakes area of New York. After receiving her master’s degree in occupational therapy from Ithaca College, she moved to Southern California where she gained clinical experience in
She has been an insurance professional for 34 years, and is owner-operator of Speakman Insurance Agency in Ponderay with her husband.
In addition to the new board appointments, the Festival also introduced its newly elected Executive Committee, including Ben Higgs, president; Chris Blanford, vice president; Doug Hawkins Jr., treasurer; and Sarah Pillsbury, secretary.
Learn more about the Festival at Sandpoint at festivalatsandpoint.com
FSPW offers free presentation on mountain goats,
By Reader Staff
Friends of Scotchman Peaks will host wildlife biologist and award-winning author Bruce Smith on his nationwide book tour Tuesday, March 11 from 5-7 p.m. at Matchwood Brewing Co. (513 Oak St., in Sandpoint).
Of North America’s large mammals, the mountain goat lives higher, steeper and more remote than any other, which is the subject of the presentation by Smith, who is a Montana-based wildlife biologist and photographer.
His career as a wildlife biologist included 26 years at the Wind River Indian Reservation and the National Elk Refuge in Wyoming. Besides writing for scientific journals and magazines, Smith is an award-winning author of five books of natural history, science
a wilderness icon
and outdoor adventure.
To study the subject of mountain goats, Smith lived in Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness Area of Montana for almost two years, and recently collaborated on a status review of Montana’s mountain goats — synthesizing 55 years of population data from across the state.
Smith will share results of that work at the Sandpoint presentation, as well as talk more broadly about conservation of mountain goats. The photographic images he’ll show are from his book Life on the Rocks: A Portrait of the American Mountain Goat, which won the National Outdoor Book Award.
Learn more about Bruce Smith at brucesmithwildlife.com. Find more event info at scotchmanpeaks.org/hikes-events-schedule or email info@scotchmanpeaks.org.
Info available about how to apply for veterans’ benefits
By Reader Staff
If you served in the military and were honorably discharged, you are eligible for VA benefits, which include hearing aids and glasses, as well as medical care. You don’t have to be retired from the military to obtain benefits.
Perspective enrollees can confirm their eligibility by calling Bonner County Veteran Service Officer Tom
Lindley at 208-255-5291. If already registered for benefits, double check the VA identification card to ensure it’s not expired. Those seeking new cards can visit the Mann-Grandstaff VA Medical Center in Spokane.
Contact Sandpoint VFW Post No. 2453 at the corner of Pine and Division streets with any questions, or call 208-263-9613. Operating hours are Monday-Friday from 10 a.m.-noon.
Left to right: Kaleb Keaton, Liz Morris and Bea Speakman. Courtesy photos
By Marcia Pilgeram Reader Columnist
I just got home from Canada. I flew to Vancouver, British Columbia, to meet with travel industry partners. Many Alaska cruises begin or (end) in Vancouver, and I like to stay current on happenings to share with my cruise clientele. Once I realized I hadn’t been there post-COVID, it was high time to head north, check out several hotels and restaurants, and see if I could learn of any new attractions. I also wanted to go to VIA Rail Station and check out the updated firstclass lounge (I’ll be escorting a trans-Canadian tour from Vancouver to Halifax next fall).
Train stations always feel like home — especially that one — and I got a bit nostalgic wandering the space. Years ago, I oversaw private rail charters and spent a lot of time there. We’d arrive on cars attached to the end of Amtrak’s Cascade; and, once our fleet cleared Customs and Immigration, the railcars would remain static on a side track while the guests ventured off to explore Vancouver Island and Whistler for a few days.
On those layovers, I kept myself busy preparing for the return trip, which included traipsing around the coastal city in search of interesting food, wine, and local trinkets for the tablescapes and staterooms (I know, tough job). After my recent station encounter, I walked to Chinatown and lingered over a filling lunch at my favorite dim sum restaurant, Floata. It was just as I remembered — filled with the lively chatter of locals.
Another spot I used to frequent was Rodney’s Oyster
The Sandpoint Eater Dear friends
House in Yaletown. It was years since I’d been there, too. I used to overtip the staff and persuade them to shuck dozens of oysters I could take back to the train for the returning guests. Rodney’s was just as I’d remembered. I pulled up to a barstool, bantered with the young fellows pulling pints of Keith’s Amber and deftly shucking oysters by the dozen. On an average weekend, they go through an unbelievable 1,000 oysters a night. I did my best to help them maintain their nightly average by slurping down a dozen tiny, briny mollusks. Though I usually avoid talking about politics when traveling, it was hard to avoid that evening. The curious bartender peppered me with questions. I did my best to reply with honest and sometimes painful answers, and he
was more than sympathetic — even pouring me a conciliatory drink on the house. When it came time to pay my tab, we bid a fond farewell, and he wished me (and my fellow Americans) nothing but luck. Besides trips to Vancouver, living so close to Canada, I’ve made countless road trips across border crossings closer to home. Whether it was Eastport, and I was Nelson-bound with a carload of silly soccer girls, or heading to Creston via Porthill to meet a friend for lunch, I’ve always encountered a warm welcome — even the time I realized I’d entered the wrong border of Eastgate and had to double back to Porthill, answering the Canadian border agent’s perfunctory question, “When was your last visit to Canada?” Forty-five minutes was not the answer he sought, causing
a long-ish, but light-hearted interrogation.
Maybe it was all the trips north, but I can’t recall why daughter Casey knew all the words to the anthem, “O Canada.” Perhaps it was all the sporting trips we made across the border. I do know that the lyrics came in real handy when Casey grumbled to her math teacher about a B she received on a test in the eighth grade. Mr. Lang offered to revise it to an A if Casey would stand at the front of the class and sing “O Canada.”
That well-earned A may have been the highlight of her middle-school career; to this day, she still knows all the words.
After 30 years of living next door to Canada, I am pretty darned fond of these friends and neighbors; and, right now, I feel like I’m caught in a cus-
Canadian butter tart
tody battle and can’t choose sides. When angst takes over, I head to the kitchen for baking therapy (never look to me to sing “O Canada”).
It seemed fitting to bake something to honor my Canadian friendships, so I whipped up a pan of butter tarts — a quintessential Canadian pastry from pioneer days. Regarding additional ingredients, fans are passionate and divided about adding either nuts or raisins to the tart recipe. We don’t need one more thing to argue about, folks, so I recommend leaving out both (I also think plain tastes best). Enjoy with a steamy Americano — or, as I just heard it coined in Vancouver, a Canadiano. Call it what you may, just bake up a tart or two and keep the faith, my friends.
A traditional, rich and flaky sweet finale. This Canadian delight can be baked in individual small tart pans or miniature muffin tins, but making in a single baking pan is a labor saver. These are quite sticky, and the parchment paper helps release them from the pan. Add some chopped nuts or raisins if you’d like.
INGREDIENTS: DIRECTIONS:
Crust layer
• 1 cup unsalted butter softened
• ½ cup powdered sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 ¼ cup all-purpose flour
Butter tart filling
• ½ cup unsalted butter softened
• 1 cup dark brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 4 large eggs at room temperature
• 2 tbs heavy cream
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• ¾ cup dark corn syrup
• 2 tbs white vinegar
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, beat the butter and powdered sugar until fluffy. Add the salt and flour, mix until well blended. Press the mixture into the bottom of the pan.
Bake in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes or until a pale golden color. Remove from the oven and leave the oven turned on.
Filling Layer
Make the filling while crust layer is baking. In a standup mixer, beat the butter, brown sugar and flour until evenly combined. Beat in the eggs — two at a time — the cream and vanilla extract. Mix in the corn syrup and vinegar (stir in the optional raisins or pecans at this time).
Pour the mixture over the baked crust. Bake in the preheated oven for 3035 minutes, or until the top looks set. Remove from the oven and cool completely on wire rack. Make sure
the tart is completely cooked before cutting into squares. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days or wrap well and freeze for up to 2 months.
MUSIC
‘The stories we tell’
Madeline Hawthorne and special guest Kevin Dorin to play Panida
By Ben Olson Reader Staff
There has always been a close association with music and the open road.
Some songs and albums seem to have been specially crafted to be enjoyed while moving down the asphalt at a good clip.
That seems to be the case for singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Madeline Hawthorne, who will play the Panida Theater on Thursday, March 6 at 7:30 p.m., with special guest Kevin Dorin.
Born in New England, now based in Bozeman, Mont., Hawthorne has created a catalog of music that serves as a vehicle to tell her stories from the road and beyond. She plays a balanced set of Americana, roots, folk and rock with a slight nod to the country world.
As stated in Hawthorne’s biography, “The miles we travel make up the stories we tell.” As such, her songs take on a lyrical, oratory quality that have earned her a following as she crisscrosses the West in search of the next venue. She’s shared the stage with everyone from Jason Isbell to John Craigie and Nathaniel Rateliff, and has played some of the best fes-
tivals in the region, including Treefort, Americanafest, WinterWonderGrass, Park City Song Summit and Roseberry Music Festival.
Her debut album Boots was released in 2021, followed by Tales From Late Nights & Long Drives in 2024, which she recorded alongside producer Ryan Hadlock, who has worked with Zach Bryan and The Lumineers, to name a few.
“I was fully immersed in the experience,” she said of the recording process. “I went for a walk every day, wrote in my journal and spent a nice amount of time with the spirits of artists who have worked there before me.”
The album features Hawthorne’s thoughtful lyrics and a multitude of instrumentation that paints a clear picture of
If you like a side of neosoul and blues-funk with your barbecue, then Smokesmith Bar-B-Que is serving what you want with a live show by Spokane-based Jason Perry Duo at the spot on Friday, March 7.
The eponymous Perry is well known for a get-down sound, performing throughout the region in various band configurations — including the Evergreen Afrodub Orchestra — and has even been
the sound profile she’s seeking. The final output is a driving vibe filled with emotion and good times.
Joining Hawthorne on the Panida’s hallowed main stage will be Kevin Dorin, a musical fixture in Sandpoint. Originally hailing from Canada, Dorin has made a name for himself in the Sandpoint music scene thanks to a sonorous, sweet voice that refuses to be forgotten.
Dorin originally played with the band Bigger Fish Than Guns, earning frequent plays on Canadian alt-rock radio across the continent before moving
to Idaho and reinventing his sound which, he wrote, can be described as “Ed Sheeran meets the Black Keys.”
An Evening w/ Madeline Hawthorne and special guest Kevin Dorin
Dorin’s solo career has fused his alternative singer-songwriter style with that touch of Americana and blues to give it a finish that leaves a pleasant aftertaste.
7:30 p.m., $15. Panida Theater, 300 N. FIrst Ave., 208-2639191, panida.org. Listen at madelinehawthorne.com.
Tickets are $15 for the show, and can be purchased at panida.org.
A snapshot of notable live music coming up in Sandpoint
March 8
This week’s RLW by Soncirey Mitchell
READ
Most know novelist and poet Vladimir Nabokov from his controversial book Lolita, but I would argue his greatest work is the lesser-known Pale Fire. The novel is a work of metafiction wherein the plot is told through increasingly long annotations made to the poem “Pale Fire” by fictional author John Shade. The editor and unreliable narrator, Charles Kinbote, manages to tell three conflicting stories at once, leaving the reader enough clues to attempt to understand what’s actually going on.
LISTEN
known to bring down the house for New Year’s Eve at the likes of the 219 Lounge. Kick off the weekend the right way with a helping of grooves and good times that might as well be a main course.
— Zach Hagadone
6 p.m., FREE. Smokesmith Bar-B-Que, 102 S. Boyer Ave., 208-920-0517, smokesmithidaho. com. Listen at facebook.com/jasonperrymusic.
One Street Over cultivated its powerful sound in Nashville, Tenn., performing everywhere from intimate gatherings to festivals and cruise ships. Michael, Bridgette and Jordan Lewis easily play off one another, drawing from their strengths to tailor any cover to their jazzy style.
Now that they call the Pacific Northwest home, they’ll bring their bluesy, pop-rock sound to the Pend d’Oreille
Winery on Saturday, March 8, performing a mix of originals and covers from artists like Whitney Houston and Dua Lipa. Sit back, relax and enjoy this family band over a glass of local wine.
— Soncirey Mitchell
5-8 p.m., FREE. Pend d’Oreille Winery, 301 Cedar St., 208-2658545, powine.com. Listen at onestreetover.com.
Indie-pop band TV Girl has taken over my Spotify recently with its retro sound, which layers modern beats with samples from ’60s songs and famous films and TV shows. The catchy and deceptively simple music is downright hypnotic — perfect for playing in the background or chill listening. Also, trio Brad Petering, Jason Wyman and Wyatt Harmon immediately endeared themselves to me with their new album, Fauxllennium, which samples Star Trek: The Next Generation in the song “Yesterday’s World.”
WATCH
PBS’s mini-series Magpie Murders is a delightful whodunit with classic British charm. The story follows an investigation into the death of mystery author Alan Conway conducted by his longtime editor, Susan Ryeland. Ryeland forms an unlikely alliance and friendship with detective Atticus Pünd — a fictional character from Conway’s books, brought to life by her imagination — as the two attempt to solve the author’s murder and resolve the plot of his final, unfinished book. Stream it on Amazon.
Jason Perry Duo, Smokesmith Bar-B-Que, March 7 One Street Over, Pend d’Oreille Winery,
Madeline Hawthorne, left, will play with special guest Kevin Dorin, right. Courtesy photos
From Pend Oreille Review, March 6, 2024
WINDOW SMASHING IS NEW FAVORITE OUTDOOR
SPORT
Local business men are wondering what sort of criminal is at large these days, since the smashing in of the windows of two establishments this past week. Sunday evening at some time after midnight, some person or persons wreaked vengeance on the Himes photo studio by wrecking two plate glass windows and the glass door. Two rocks the size of a person’s fist and a half brick were used, the missiles being found inside Mr. Himes’ place of business Monday morning.
On Tuesday evening about seven o’clock the large glass in Dad’s barber shop was smashed in some mysterious manner, and despite the fact that there were many people on the streets, nobody appears to know just exactly what happened. No evidence of a rock was to be found. Opinions of nearby persons who heard the crash believe that a group of three or four men seen coming from the direction of the shop put their shoulders to the window and simply gave it a push inward. At any rate there was enough pressure used to topple over a glass showcase inside, the case containing a number of bottles of toilet preparations, which were also smashed.
Neither Mr. Himes nor Mr. Hartman carried any insurance, the loss in the first case being around $200 and in the latter about $150
BACK OF THE BOOK
Decline of a nation
By Ben Olson Reader Staff
When I was young, I thought my father had two belly buttons.
One was where they’re usually supposed to be, but he had a second indentation a couple of inches to the left and a bit lower down. When I’d ask him about the mark, he’d say, “That’s just my second belly button.”
It wasn’t until I was a bit older when he told me where that mark actually came from. It was a gunshot wound — one of a few he received from fighting in the Korean War as an infantryman in the U.S. Army.
He was too young for World War II; but, when the conflict began in Korea, he was quick to enlist. By the time the hostilities ended, he’d received two Purple Hearts: one for taking a sniper shot in the neck, and another for his “second belly button,” after being gut-shot.
As a result, he carried that scar — and a recurring case of malaria — all of his life.
He never shared combat stories with me as a kid; but, before he died in 2007, I managed to get him to open up about what it was like fighting in a war. My father — a big, tall Swede who wasn’t afraid of anything — often had to pause while recounting a particularly troublesome story of combat. It was clear he didn’t like talking about it. After several uncomfortable silences, I stopped asking.
I took the idea from the stories that he did share with me that I didn’t want anything to do with the military. I’d yet to see a conflict or political situation in my lifetime that warranted bloodshed, and I’d be damned before contributing more to the growing military-industrial complex with my flesh and blood.
STR8TS Solution
But, as the son of a combat veteran, I grew up with a huge amount of respect for those who fought for our country. Even though I’ve gravitated toward nonviolence since I was a kid, I was fascinated by the mechanisms of war; what brought man to deliver such evil onto one another.
My dad was a staunch conservative — a Reagan man through and through. We often disagreed about politics, but we usually met on a DMZ of sorts between our ideologies that allowed for intelligent discussion and debate.
I often wonder how Dad would’ve reacted to someone like Donald Trump. On the surface, I’d say he’d have been a Trump voter in 2016, but probably strayed from him and written in another candidate in the 2020 and the 2024 elections. My dad couldn’t stomach when people bad-mouthed veterans. He didn’t like con artists or grifters, and he showed a particular disdain for any leader promoting authoritarian tendencies.
Like every other conservative until about three months ago, he didn’t like Russia and considered that country one of the greatest threats to our own. His opinion wasn’t formed solely from Fox News; but, rather, from the years he spent with boots on the ground, fighting against a communist threat that most Western nations agreed was a danger to our democratic freedoms. He lived most of his adult life during the Cold War and didn’t forget that.
Now, well... it’s a big, jumbled mess. President Trump is seemingly all-in on Russia. He has reinvented history regarding Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, claiming that it was somehow Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s fault for Russia’s invasion. This is the old, “Your face ran into my fist” argument. After the disastrous Oval Office meeting on Feb. 28, Trump
Sudoku Solution
and Vice President JD Vance threw him out of the White House and later announced the U.S. would halt all military aid to Ukraine. Zelenskyy has since offered an olive branch, saying he’d consider the deal giving the U.S. access to Ukrainian minerals. As usual, it’s all about money.
If America became a world superpower on Sept. 2, 1945 when World War II officially ended, it’s clear that Feb. 28, 2025 is the day America turned its back on the rest of the world. After 80 years of fighting fascism, communism and attempting to live up to the lofty words written in our founding documents, we abdicated and gave up, leaving a vacuum for another nation to occupy. What especially bothers me is the legion of sycophants cheering Trump on as he dismantles the ideal my father and so many others fought to protect.
Trump won’t always be president — despite his attempts otherwise — but the shame he has brought to this nation will forever reverberate around the world. We have lost our honor, America. That should concern all of us. It breaks my heart that it doesn’t.
Solution
How come the dove gets to be the peace symbol? How about the pillow? It has more feathers than the dove, and it doesn’t have that dangerous beak.
Solution on page 22 Solution on page 22
Laughing Matter
By Bill Borders
CROSSWORD
ACROSS
1. Costa Rican monetary unit
6. Walking stick
10. Glance over 14. Give a speech
15. Affirm
16. Desire
17. Female demon
18. Asphalt
19. Digestive juice
20. Instances of briskness
22. Sow
23. Tiny
24. Not clean
25. Oceans
29. Lost
31. Snack bar
33. Arithmetic
37. Towards the rear
Solution on page 22
[adjective] 1. having well-shaped buttocks.
“The callipygian model wasn’t shy about showing off what she considered her best asset, showing up in tight Levi jeans.”
Corrections: In the Feb. 27 Perspectives piece “Parking requirements are not what people think in Sandpoint,” the author inadvertently wrote that Averill Hospitality could have paid $70,000 in in-lieu fees to reduce off-street parking at its proposed resort hotel near City Beach to 71 spaces. That number should have been $700,000. callipygian /kal-uh-PIJ-ee-uhn/
