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(wo)MAN compiled by

Susan Drinkard

on the street

What book do you frequently find yourself recommending to others? Have you read any good books lately?

“The book, ‘Hinds’ Feet in High Places’ is a Christian allegory. No matter where I am in my life, I can find myself in the book. I have read it four times and I am re-reading it.

I still find it so encouraging.”

Lynea Bickish Barista Sandpoint

“I like books about tigers and Shopkins books.”

Nevaeh Flynn Age 10 Farmin-Stidwell Sandpoint

“I constantly talk about the Fablehaven series. There are seven books in the series—fairytale, action, adventure — and they take you to an entirely different world.”

Ammon Ollerton Staples tech sales associate Sandpoint

“I recommend ‘Empire of the Summer Moon: Quanah Parker and the Rise and Fall of the Comanches’ by S.C. Gwynne. I love history and Native American history has always fascinated me. It is rich in culture.”

Stephanie Rief Executive director Sandpoint “I suppose it would depend upon the person I was recommending a book to, but I believe the Bible would be my first choice. In fiction, I tend to go for Jane Austen, Francis Hodgkins Burnett and Lucy Maude Montgomery.”

Susannah Ashby Stay-at-home mother Bonners Ferry

DEAR READERS, Tuesday, March 12, is an important day for Bonner County. That’s voting day for the proposed Lake Pend Oreille School District supplemental school levy. As a graduate of Sandpoint High School and advocate for education, I believe it’s our duty to pass this levy. I will be honored to vote in favor of it.

Opponents of the levy claim this is a cash grab by the district, that the revenue will benefit teachers and administrators more than students, that these levies will tax us out of house and home. Still others believe it should not be our responsibility to ensure the education of our next generation is excellent.

Thinking back to some of my former teachers at SHS, I realize that I would not be half the man I am today without their guidance. I would not understand or care about history and American government without Terry Iverson’s class. I wouldn’t have as much of a love for the written language without Mike McNulty’s English class. I learned so much about communication and public speaking from Marian Rendall (later Sawby). I wouldn’t love science if not for the classes I took with Woody Aunan and Kevin Collins.

These and many more instructors helped me find a love for education that has never died. They deserve recognition. They deserve respect. And they deserve to make a decent wage, or other states will nab them away from us.

I believe in and respect our teachers in Bonner County. Let’s help future generations look back with pride at their own influential teachers and vote yes on this March 12 levy. Polling places are open 8 a.m. – 8 p.m.

In a final note, here’s a big pat on the back to the Angels Over Sandpoint, who raise $25,000-$30,000 each and every year from the Follies risqué variety show. The Angels take this money and spend it on school supplies for Bonner County students whose families may not be able to afford them on their own. I was out of town last weekend, so I was unable to attend, but I heard from many people that it was yet another great weekend at the Panida Theater. Way to go, Angels. I appreciate what you do for this community.

-Ben Olson, Publisher

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

www.sandpointreader.com Publisher: Ben Olson ben@sandpointreader.com Editorial: Cameron Rasmusson cameron@sandpointreader.com Lyndsie Kiebert lyndsie@sandpointreader.com Zach Hagadone (emeritus) John Reuter (emeritus) Advertising: Jodi Berge Jodi@sandpointreader.com Contributing Artists: Bruce Duykers (cover), Ben Olson, Bill Borders, Susan Drinkard, ACLU Contributing Writers: Cameron Rasmusson, Ben Olson, Lyndsie Kiebert, Stephen Drinkard, Emily Erickson, Brenden Bobby, Karen Seashore, Sarah Garcia, Sharon Bosley, Mike Wagoner, Drake the Dog. Submit stories to: stories@sandpointreader.com Printed weekly at: Griffin Publishing Spokane, Wash.

Subscription Price: $95 per year Web Content: Keokee The Sandpoint Reader is a weekly publication owned and operated by Ben Olson and Keokee. It is devoted to the arts, entertainment, politics and lifestyle in and around Sandpoint, Idaho.

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

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

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

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

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

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

About the Cover

This week’s cover was painted

by Bruce Duykers. It’s an abstract piece called Northern Thaw. You can see Bruce’s work at the Pend d’Oreille Winery Saturday, March 23 from 5-8 p.m.

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NEWS

Idaho Department of Correction failures leave inmates in limbo

By Cameron Rasmusson Reader Staff

Frustrations between First District Court and the Idaho Department of Correction are apparent following allegations that justice officials are failing to follow through on presentence investigation appointments.

According to court documents, inmates experienced a failure to return phone calls, investigations left uncompleted and reports turned in late or not at all. One individual, Ray Allen Jones, remained incarcerated for 65 days while awaiting his presentence investigation, a situation that District Judge Steve Verby lambasted while ordering that IDC officials follow through.

“Due to the ongoing failure of the Department of Correction to return phone calls and schedule a presentence investigation interview with Defendant Ray Allen Jones … (he) has wrongfully continued to be jailed,” Verby wrote in the order.

The presentence investigation report is an important part of the sentencing process. It reveals whether or not there are circumstances in the convicted person’s background that should affect sentencing and is a key court record. The investigation and report are necessary steps prior to sentencing, at which point the convicted individual can serve out whatever sentence the court issues.

But according to court documents, numerous issues have prevented jailed inmates from receiving their sentences, a situation Verby observed while substituting three weeks for Judge Barbara Buchanan. The failure by the Department of Correction, he states, has impacted the entire justice system as officials and employees work to reschedule delayed appointments that were set weeks beforehand. What’s more, the needless incarceration costs taxpayer money and opens 4 /

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the state of Idaho up to a potential class-action lawsuit.

“Based on the information received, it appears that the Idaho Department of Correction has been, and continues to be unable to deal effectively with the egregious problem of failing to return phone calls to defendants in order to complete presentence reports in a timely manner,” Verby wrote in the order. “This failure by the Department is abhorrent and has resulted in people remaining in jail when they should not be.”

Verby’s frustration is evident in the transcript for Jones’ hearing to be released on his own recognizance. He said he was “aghast” that IDC personnel had failed to come through for Ray despite more than 14 attempts to arrange a presentence investigation and noted that “the record has been replete with defendants and their counsel who have stated this has now become the norm.”

Both prosecutors and defense attorneys acknowledged their aggravation with the system.

Tevis Hull, the Boundary County prosecutor handling Jones’ case, said in the court transcript it’s a regular problem that has become worse in recent years. Sentencings that formerly took place within six to eight weeks now are drawn out to ten weeks or more, and Hull sees the Department of Correction taking no steps to address the issues.

“It is an atrocity in the way this is being handled, and that’s why I had made the recommendation to the court to issue (an order) … because it’s a perpetual problem,” Hull said, according to the transcript.

According to Correction officials, they are aware of the issue and are taking steps to address it.

“We’ve heard the First District Judiciary loudly and clearly,” said Jeff Ray, the department’s public information officer. “For justice to be served,

it is imperative that these reports be produced in a thorough, accurate and timely manner.”

The problem, he added, stems from an overload of work and not enough personnel to handle it.

“Put simply, there’s more work but fewer workers,” he said. “Last month we asked the Legislature’s Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee for additional resources for presentence investigations. It appears that request was successful. While we work to hire and train more investigators, we have temporarily reassigned additional resources from elsewhere in the state.”

“We are working diligently to ensure judges have the information they need to make appropriate and timely sentencing decisions,” Ray concluded.

For ACLU of Idaho Community Engagement Manager Jeremy Woodson, that case overload speaks to a deeper systemic issue within the courts.

“It’s yet another example of

An inmate serves his time in prison. Photo courtesy ACLU.

the disaster that is our criminal justice system in general,” he said. “The mass incarceration that we have become addicted to has become far too costly and far too ineffective for what it produces.”

According to Woodson, citizens have more to worry about than systemic inefficiencies when the state cannot fulfill its responsibilities in the justice system. Indeed, it places the individual’s Constitutional rights in jeopardy, he said.

“Any time you have a situation where the state has an obligation to provide something and that’s not happening, … we think that’s a cause for concern and an issue to raise in terms of people’s rights,” Woodson added.

NEWS

Idaho House votes down Idaho bill to allow guns in schools introduced bill to end child marriage

By Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Staff

An Idaho bill would make it legal for anyone with an enhanced concealed carry permit to possess a firearm on public school grounds.

Rep. Chad Christensen (R-Ammon), the legislator behind HB203, told the Idaho Statesman that he sees schools as soft targets, since they are gun-free zones.

The bill would make it state law that anyone with an enhanced permit could carry in Idaho public schools, and would prevent ad-

ministrators from asking permitted people if they’re armed or disciplining those who do carry.

To obtain an enhanced concealed carry permit, Idahoans must complete a day-long, handson gun safety course, according to the Statesman.

“The biggest concern is the safety of people’s children,” Christensen told EastIdahoNews. com regarding why he drafted the bill. “That’s my biggest concern.”

Safety seemed to be the main concern for those who packed the Statehouse Feb. 26 to oppose HB203. The Statesman reported

County earns grant to repair Squaw Valley, Grouse Creek Bridges

Bill to increase voter initiative requirements gets hearing

By Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Staff A pair of Bonner County bridges will see some much-needed repair in coming months thanks to a $250,000 grant from the Local Highway Technical Assistance Council.

The two bridges Bonner County Road and Bridge will use the funds to fix are the Squaw Valley and Grouse Creek Bridges.

“We will get to work and get it done this year,” said Road and Bridge staff engineer Matt Mulder.

The grant does not require a match from Bonner County.

Mulder said any remaining funds once both bridges are repaired will go back to LHTAC. “Our bridges have been neglected for quite some time, and I know that we’ve continued to put in for grants,” Commissioner Jeff Connolly said. “It’s nice to see us get grants to do some of this work because it is hard to keep up with everything we’ve got in Bonner County, bridge-wise and road-wise.”

The Squaw Valley Bridge is located near Coolin, and the Grouse Creek Bridge is located northeast of Sandpoint. Road and Bridge Director Steve Klatt said the quarter million from LHTAC is specifically for those two only.

“But we have plenty more to do,” Klatt said.

No start dates have been set for either project.

that many were from Moms Demand Action, a gun-control advocacy group. Elana Story, leader of the group’s Idaho chapter, said she feared lawmakers weren’t doing their “due diligence” in proposing the bill.

“This is a very dangerous bill and they’re not consulting with the people most impacted,” Story told the Statesman.

The bill is garnering bi-partisan concern. A hearing is not yet scheduled.

By Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Staff A bill that would make it harder for voters to qualify ballot initiatives in Idaho has advanced to receive a hearing.

Sen. C. Scott Grow (R-Eagle), who introduced the bill, said it’s an attempt to level the playing field among rural and urban legislative districts.

“The effort here is to allow the rural districts to also be involved in the process and not just have the cities dictate to the (rural areas) what’s happening in the state,” Grow said, according to Boise State Public Radio.

Grow’s bill increases the number of registered voters that must sign ballot initiative petitions from 6 to 10 percent, and raises the number of districts those signatures come from to 32 out of Idaho’s 35 districts, rather than the current requirement of 18. The time to gather those signatures, now 18 months, would be shortened to six months.

Under the heightened requirements, neither the Medicaid expansion or horse racing initiatives from last election would have made it onto the state’s ballot.

Rebecca Schroeder — the recently-announced executive director for Reclaim Idaho, a grassroots group that fought to get Medicaid expansion on the ballot — voiced

Idaho State Sen. C. Scott Grow (R-Eagle) her concerns about Grow’s bill on social media.

“This is a direct attack on our Constitutional rights to propose a ballot initiative,” Schroeder tweeted Monday. “Why is Sen. Grow so afraid of Democracy? Is the #idleg worried that voters might keep taking care of important business like closing the Medicaid gap?”

Reclaim Idaho co-founder and Sandpoint native Luke Mayville also tweeted Tuesday: “Question for Sen. Grow: If your bill is really about amplifying the voice of rural voters, why not stop at increasing the distribution requirement? Why also require nearly double the signatures in one third of the time?”

Grow told KIVI Boise Monday that the legislation will be printed and on the Senate floor “in a few days.”

By Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Staff

The Idaho House killed a bill last week that would have raised the minimum age to get married in Idaho to 16 years old and required parental consent for those age 16 and 17 to be wed.

Rep. Melissa Wintrow (D-Boise) created the legislation with the Idaho Coalition Against Sexual and Domestic Violence, a group seeking to end violence against women and girls. The bill was meant to line up marriage laws with existing statutory rape and child protection laws in Idaho.

Wintrow said her “primary goal with this legislation is to help defend children who are in harm’s way,” and that setting the marriage age at 16 and requiring parent consent would “provide another step of security for children in Idaho.”

The bill failed in the House with a 39-28 vote.

“Unfortunately, many legislators showed that they are not going (to) take children’s safety seriously,” Wintrow said in a statement directly following the House vote on Feb. 28. “The existing law has loopholes that allow for someone to commit rape or statutory rape and not be charged. Refusing to change the law will guarantee that those who are committing illegal activities will suffer no consequences.”

According to Unchained At Last, an organization fighting child marriage in the United States,

Idaho has the highest rates of child marriage in the country. Unchained reports 4,080 minors married in Idaho between 2000 and 2010, the youngest being 13 years old.

Opponents of the bill cited government overreach, according to the Idaho Statesman. Rep. Christy Zito (R-Hammett) said Wintrow’s bill would make it harder for a young girl in Idaho to get married than to have an abortion. In Idaho, a girl under 18 can get an abortion with consent from a judge or one parent.

“If we pass this legislation, it will then become easier in the state of Idaho to obtain an abortion at 15 years old than it will to ... create a family for a child that has been conceived,” Zito told the Statesman.

Both Sage Dixon (R-Ponderay) and Heather Scott (R-Blanchard) voted against the bill.

“I agree with the premise of the bill, but do have reservations about some of the language,” Dixon said.

“Specifically, the final sentence that stipulates ‘Further, where the person to be married is the age of sixteen (16) years or seventeen (17) years, a marriage license may be issued only if the other party to the marriage is less than three (3) years older than the minor party,’ and the additional requirement of a judge’s ruling for those under 18. We already have in statute the requirement for those 16 and under to gain both parental, and judicial, approval before a marriage license would be issued, so this does not affect anyone under the age of 16.”

PacWest to present on smelter at Lakes Commission meeting

By Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Staff PacWest, the company behind the proposed silicon smelter in Newport, Wash., will present at a Lakes Commission meeting March 28 in Priest River.

The meeting, which is open to the public, is slated for 9 a.m.-12 p.m. at the Priest River Event Center. It will also feature presentations from Idaho Fish & Game, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Bureau of Reclamation.

John Carlson and Jayson Tymko will present for PacWest 11-11:40 a.m. The presentation,

listed on the agenda as “Proposed PacWest Silicon Project,” will be similar to previous presentations the company has made at other local venues, according to company representative Mike Welch.

“We are approaching it as a general briefing on the project and technology,” Welch said. “In my opinion the Lakes Commission is an important audience due to their commitment to protecting critical bodies of water in region. We just wanted to make sure that we do our best to provide the most up to date information possible.”

The Priest River Event Center is located at 5399 US-2, Priest River.

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NEWS

Local first responders join BNSF in winter training

By Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Staff

BNSF Railway provided local first responders with winter-specific emergency-response training last week through a combination of classroom learning and handson activities out on the ice.

At a series of stations just off the boat launch at War Memorial Field Friday, personnel from local EMS and various fire districts demonstrated ice booming — a technique used when oil enters frozen waterways — as well as ice rescue and other emergency response drills. Local first responders also had a chance to work with BNSF’s new airboat, which will remain in Bonner County with the Selkirk Fire District.

“Being prepared and preventing incidents is the best way to keep everyone safe,” BNSF said in a statement last week. “BNSF recognizes that incidents can occur, and that strong emergency response can help minimize their scope and duration.”

Top photo: First responders practice cutting ice as a strategy for removing oil that would float to the top in a hypothetical spill. Photo

by Lyndsie Kiebert.

Bottom right: The orange airboat, provided

by BNSF, will be kept with Selkirk Fire. Photo

by Lyndsie Kiebert.

Bottom left: An aerial image of first responders practicing ice booming on the lake Friday.

Courtesy photo.

Lt. Gov. under fire after posted photo

By Cameron Rasmusson Reader Staff Newly-installed Idaho Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin is under fire for posing in a photo with conservative activists making hand gestures that some interpret to be a white-supremacist signal.

Posted to social media last Thursday, the photo portrayed McGeachin, forming a heart symbol with her hands, with two men wearing orange jumpsuits and making the “OK” symbol. It’s a gesture commonly used by white supremacists, with the three extended fingers forming a W for “white” and the circular thumb and forefinger a P for “power.” But supporters of McGeachin and the pictured men, Anthony Dephue and James Ward, say the hand gestures are completely benign, with the two men instead signaling their support for the Three Percenter organization.

Dephue and Ward wore orange jumpsuits to protest the federal imprisonment of Todd Engel, who was 6 /

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This photo was posted to Janice McGeachin’s Facebook page with the words, “sending love” to convicted felon Todd C. Engel. Courtesy Facebook. prosecuted for his involvement with the Cliven Bundy standoff in Nevada.

Shortly after the uproar began, the post was removed, and McGeachin said that people were falsely attributing a “sinister motive” to it.

“The photo was intended to show support for Engel and nothing more,” McGeachin wrote in a statement. “No other messages were intended in this

photo. To claim otherwise is ridiculous, and is part of a larger narrative to paint conservative leaders as embracing identity politics.”

The photo attracted national attention, with media outlets and organizations condemning McGeachin for a perceived friendliness with an extremist right-wing element.

But others sprang to defend McGeachin and the Three Percenters. On Tuesday, the Idaho Three Percenter organization issued a fiery response to the widespread reaction, saying the men were making a common Three Percenter gesture that predates the white supremacist gesture. According to the Three Percenter organization, it will not ask its members to refrain from using the gesture and criticized the media for reporting the story.

Gov. Brad Little remains taciturn on the controversy but issued a short statement Monday.

“I discussed the issue with the Lt. Governor. All of us must be accountable for our actions and their implications, and I trust her to do the same,” he said.

Supreme Court favors county in appeal

By Cameron Rasmusson Reader Staff Bonner County is declaring a complete victory in its legal battle with SilverWing following an Idaho Supreme Court ruling in its favor.

In its decision, the Idaho Supreme Court agreed with the county’s legal team that it fulfilled all promises to SilverWing, which sued the county for millions over alleged broken promises involving the development of a fly-in community located next to Sandpoint Airport.

“By the time of trial, the County fully performed the promises that SilverWing alleges were made; those promises were never broken,” the court stated in its decision.

It’s the latest development in a legal conflict that has ping-ponged between various courtrooms for years, culminating in a five-day jury trial that awarded SilverWing $250,000. In response, the county filed a motion for judgment

notwithstanding the verdict, which a judge can issue if he or she finds a jury decision unreasonable. When the district court denied the motion, the county appealed to the Idaho Supreme Court.

In a decision issued Feb. 26, the court determined that the case hinged on whether “SilverWing suffered a substantial economic detriment due to its reliance on the county’s promises.” On this point, they sided with the county, reversing the denial of their motion and remanding the issue for a redetermination of costs and fees.

“Five out of five justices of the Idaho Supreme Court agree that the county fulfilled all of its alleged promises and that the county is entitled to judgment as a matter of law,” said Paul Fraidenburgh, an aviation attorney who represented the county, in a statement. “We are thrilled to have won yet another significant victory for this public airport.”

PERSPECTIVES

The granddaddy of all missed opportunities?

By Stephen Drinkard Reader Contributor

All of us miss opportunities. In 1989 my wife and I missed an opportunity to buy an acre of property on the lake for $80,000 because we were either naive or simply feared risk!

The city of Sandpoint has missed some opportunities as well over the years. Right now, the city is not aggressively trying to keep the 77 acres on Boyer Avenue in the public’s hands.

In 2017 the city learned the University of Idaho was going to sell the property, after having closed its experimental agriculture station there in 2008. During that nine-year interim, the public fell in love with the green space for recreation and the beauty of the area along Sand Creek.

It seemed UI was still a partner.

In a 2013 Daily Bee article, Mr. Charles Buck, director of northern facilities of UI, said, “This is a great location to (seek out local partnerships). It doesn’t do us any good and it doesn’t do the community any good to leave the property just sitting there.” Buck entertained offers from golf companies and experiential education companies such as Selkirk Outdoor Leadership and Education.

But, by 2017, partnership ideas had died. Dan Ewart, UI president of infrastructure, was quoted in the Daily Bee as saying, “I wanted to come here to be clear, the university does intend to dispose of that property.”

In 2018 the city tried to raise the money that the university wants (millions) and conducted a public workshop to consider the best uses of the property. They couldn’t raise the money, but the general consensus was to keep the as green as possible and that some of the land should be used for affordable housing, houses selling for $130,000 or less.

I believe there were three mistakes in that approach.

The 2018 comprehensive plan assumed that if you put deed restrictions on a developer’s private property, public needs can also be met Good idea, but a developer can’t buy the property for millions, put millions more into it and not sell the project as a gentrified and expensive area.

More retail? Sandpoint already has

An aerial view of the University of Idaho extension campus.

Courtesy photo.

lots of expensive commercial ground and has spent millions of dollars festooning downtown, and yet there is significant retail space available.

Moreover, the only way to provide significant numbers of affordable houses at a time is to form a large Community Land Trust where the land ownership stays in the public’s hands but the house is owned in perpetuity by the buyer. When and if the owner wants to sell, their profit is capped so that the house remains affordable. It works well because the costs of land and infrastructure are not part of the houses’ costs.

The assumption that UI can sell the property Nominally, the UI owns the deed. But does it morally?

When in 1913 the Humbird Lumber Co. gifted the property to the land grant college, it did so with the provision that the university would bring experimental agriculture expertise to the community to help it grow. If not used for that purpose it was to revert to Humbird and the community. In 1954 when Humbird was on its deathbed, the UI got a quit claim deed, erasing the restriction of the gift.

We have seen this happen before with university land. Years ago, the UI managed the Clark Fork campus, 35 acres of forested land gifted by the U.S. Forest Service. For a long time, this campus provided a space for classes and retreats

of all kinds.

Sometime in the fall of 2003 the UI, with no public input, sold the 35 acres for $450,000 to a hunting outfitter. Then publisher of The Bee, David Keyes, was irate and editorialized that the “sale of the field campus is a shameful move by U of I.” Last year, Dennis Pence, former CEO of Coldwater Creek, gave 66 acres of prime land and improvements on North Boyer to the university. As a friend of mine said to me at the time, “How many years will it be until the UI sells this gift?”

The comprehensive plan undervalued what can happen on Boyer Think of the possibilities for this property: Perhaps 100 new, truly affordable homes; more green space for pure enjoyment; and practicum education for U of I students in business management, recreation, architecture and engineering.

We have living in our community probably scores of innovative thinkers and doers. People who can turn the 77 acres into a site for “Experimental Green Solutions,” as builder Joe Sweeney refers to the possibilities (see, “Wilderfinde. com”). Cutting-edge projects that can be a new model of an “experimental station,” for jobs and wealth, as was originally imagined by Humbird Lumber Co. I myself know of a local steam boiler engineer who can turn the county’s green waste at Colburn into steam on the Boyer site that could heat all the new housing.

Want low-cost electricity? We have the Brusaws of Solar Roadways who could provide snow-free and electricity generating, solar paneled streets for the housing.

Mr. Sweeney has developed low cost and fast ways of building homes out of straw bales, thus lowering the cost of the homes even more. He knows of a company out of White Fish, Montana, called “Algae Aqua” that might be interested in being here, too. “They have a power plant using sawdust, algae and aqua culture.”

Another innovative local developer, Randy Carne of Sagle, proposes that Sandpoint move its proposed regional sewer system to Boyer. The Gates Foundation developed for Third World countries a system that burns human and green waste that generates electricity on a relatively small footprint. The process has been industrialized by a company called Janicki Omni Processor (Sedron Technologies) and we might get Gates’ Foundation’s support here, too.

This property is truly a field of dreams.

Deeding the property back to the city — it’s legal — could be a big win for the UI. Sandpoint has always been innovative and entrepreneurial. This Boyer Innovation Project could bring national and favorable publicity to the U of I and our city!

The city needs to gather powerful people and meet in Boise with other powerful people. The city has leverage and power.

It just needs to use it. Please don’t miss this once-in-a-city’s-lifetime opportunity!

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Apology to Steve Gahn...

Dear Editor, I’d like to take this opportunity to apologize to Steve Gahn and to the Reader audience for misquoting Mr. Gahn in a previous LTE. I incorrectly quoted Mr. Gahn has having said “We don’t need capitalism.”

He did not say that. However, I did manage to correctly quote him in my article “Carbon Is Not the Culprit” in the current edition of the Co-Op Country Roundup. Gahn’s words were, “We don’t need to abandon capitalism.”

Again, I apologize for my mistake. Mea Culpa. My bad.

Cort Gifford Sandpoint

Support Our Teachers...

Dear Editor, I ask, what determines the quality of education more than having an excellent,inspirational and dedicated teacher?

The teacher is the heart and cornerstone of education. The teacher is the one who provides compassion and patience, the one who strives each day to help students develop their emotional maturity, confidence and knowledge needed to insure a secure and fulfilling life.

And remember, much of a teacher’s work begins after the last bell rings.

It signals the beginning of an evening devoted to preparing for the next day’s lessons and learning activities. Much as a nurturing parent, a teacher’s work does not end at the close of the school day.

So what must we all do to support our valued teachers? VOTE YES on March 12 for the school levy.

Raising salaries and increasing benefits are imperative for retaining and hiring the very best, qualified teachers. Our additional support is greatly needed to meet the ever increasing medical, housing and living expenses here in Sandpoint.

Finally, an increased salary would give teachers the professional recognition and respect they deserve.

Sandra Deutchman Sandpoint

Levy Date Makes No Sense...

Dear Editor, Why does LPOSD holds its supplemental levy vote in March when it’s the only thing on the ballot, while numerous other taxing districts in the county hold their votes in May? LPOSD says that it must be in March because teacher salary negotiations are in May, and a May levy would conflict with the negotiations timetable.

So union negotiations dictate the levy vote date which, by the way, is costing Bonner County taxpayers over $60,000 as a stand-alone levy? LPOSD’s budget does not pay for it.

By law, LPOSD has the option of running levies in March, May, August, 8 /

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and November. If the March levy failed, they would be able run it again in May, and hopefully at a more reasonable amount, as happened in West Bonner County School District in Priest River not too long ago. The sky did not fall.

Secondly, a March levy makes no sense because the Idaho Legislature is still in session, and the amount it will send to the school has not yet been determined. The legislative session ends in late March. Yet LPOSD sets its levy amount the previous December, always with the “prudent” worst-case scenario assumption of not getting their Christmas Wish List. This year the new Governor said in his State of the State address that education Is his highest priority, so the already generous funding of the past four years can be expected.

LPOSD willfully ignores the sensible way to come up with a levy amount. Only we, the people, can stop it with a No vote.

Chris Anderson Sagle

We are Fortunate to Have Library...

Dear Editor, I usually write these letters to be against others’, their position, a cause or interest I find wrong or unfair. Here however I’d like to take a positive road.

Last year, the our library expanded its facility without asking for increased taxes. I applaud them for that.

In addition, however, I’d like to make the observation of how fortunate we are to have such a facility which usually only larger towns can boast of.

I applaud the Bonner County Library team and the offerings that I have only scratched the surface of.

Maybe sometime I’ll try the VR room.

In any event, our library offers a peaceful respite and civilized refuge from the often harsh atmosphere of not only the struggles of daily life, but the let’s say less than congenial political atmosphere we currently find ourselves in.

Lawrence Fury Sandpoint

Ross Hall...

Dear Editor, Sandpoint has a treasure that many know about but have not visited (much like those living in New York City never visiting the Statue of Liberty). That treasure is The Ross Hall Collection found in downtown Sandpoint at the Hallans Gallery on First Avenue. Seeing the Ross Hall Collection is a trip back into the history of North Idaho.

Should you visit the Hallans Gallery, look through the book of Ross Hall post cards. It is a condensed pictorial history of Sandpoint and North Idaho.

Also at the Hallans Gallery are

photos by Dann Hall, the gallery owner and son of Ross Hall, whose work is every bit as good as his father.

Lee Santa Sandpoint

Facts are Stubborn Things...

Dear Editor, My wife and I have lived in Bonner County for 30 years. Over the last two decades we have watched the recurring divide in our communities when the school district rolls out its latest supplemental levy for voter approval.

Two of the “must-have ingredients” of the controversial levy are the funding of all extracurricular activities and the salaries of a third of the district staff. Total district staff is listed as 900.

Just wondering: Between 2013, when the levy was “only” $15 million and now that it’s over $25 million, has the enrollment and therefore the cost of extracurricular activities gone up that much to justify a $10 million increase? Have the number of employees gone up that much? Or the salaries or both?

The Idaho Department of Education website has some answers to these questions.

There hasn’t been a surge in student numbers, in fact, quite the opposite. The considerable enrollment decline has only recently improved, mostly due to the face that the district has actively counted homeschoolers who attend part-time, but boost enrollment numbers. With this information, extracurricular activities costs should have dropped or at least remained flat.

There is also no indication that the district has 900 employees, not on the Idaho Department of Education website nor on the school district’s payroll reports. The numbers reported by the Idaho Department of education have hovered between the mid-to-upper 500s, the payroll reports around 600.

Facts are stubborn things and voters cannot be blamed for saying no when school officials are trying to manipulate them.

Steve Bradshaw Bonner Co. Commisioner Dist. #1

Levy Support is Critical...

Dear Editor, It is critical to vote in support of the Lake Pend Oreille School District’s Replacement Levy on March 12.

In our family, my husband, four children and currently five grandchildren have attended and received excellent educations from LPOSD. They have participated in extracurricular academic and athletic activities, attended small rural schools, have had reasonable class sizes and been able to choose from a

variety of elective programs. These are just a few of the things only made possible through local funding.

Local financial support is vital to schools in Idaho. School districts must make up the funding gap between what is provided and what is actually needed.

Local support is not extra, it is essential.

LPOSD is not unique in this regard. Post Falls, Lakeland, Coeur d’Alene, Boundary County and West Bonner County school districts are all asking for levies this March and have been doing so for years. Wallace, Mullan, Kellogg and St. Maries all have such levies as well. The state simply does not fully fund schools.

Approximately 83 percent of school districts throughout the state depend on these maintenance and operation levies in order to function. When other levies and bonds are included, every school district in Idaho but two rely on the support of their local communities. Both of the districts that do not currently rely on this support have less than 25 students in their entire district. The reality is that Idaho schools must have local funding to provide the services that their communities expect.

Judy Hull Sandpoint

Chamber Supports the Levy...

Dear Editor, The Greater Sandpoint Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and Staff supports the renewal of the Lake Pend Oreille School District Levy. A ‘yes’ vote on March 12th will replace the current levy and help the school district maintain our academic programs, technology and extracurricular activities.

The levy funds one-third of all district staff, all academic and athletic extracurricular activities, all curriculum and instructional materials, as well as funding a wage increase for our teachers and staff to become regionally competitive in Idaho. It funds technology and all curricular materials and professional development. Without the levy the situation is bleak.

The Chamber Board of Directors and Staff believes facilitating quality outcomes for K-12 students in Sandpoint is vitally important to the business community and economic development for our area. Local businesses would be greatly impacted by the loss of any staff or teaching position.

Quality education is also an economic development issue. Existing and prospective businesses indicate a high-quality school system is an essential component when making expansion and new development decisions.

It is also difficult to recruit management and skilled employees when applicants are apprehensive about the quality of our schools. We must

continue to invest in quality education and extracurricular activities to stay competitive in business growth and continue to attract new development and commerce to our region.

The Chamber Board of Directors and Staff believe in keeping taxes low and being responsible with public funds. Considering the alternative to the levy, our vote was unanimous.

Please join us and vote ‘yes’ on March 12.

Michelle Sivertson – Chairman Bob Witte – Vice Chair Robin Hanson – Secretary Jacob Styer – Treasurer Chad Foust Andy Gion Cory Donenfeld Andra Nelson Deanna Harris Sean Mirus Stephanie Rief Kate McAlister – President & CEO Ricci Witte – Office Manager & Membership Specialist Kristin Carlson – Communications Specialist

What LPOSD Won’t Tell You...

Dear Editor, What the LPOSD won’t tell you and never wants you to know.

LPOSD routinely calls its levy, which it runs every two years, a “replacement supplemental levy” to emphasize that it merely replaces the existing two-year levy.

Except it becomes more “plus-size” every time it’s run.

Calling this a”replacement levy” is misleading at best!

At 49 percent more since 2017, this year’s levy no longer qualifies as “plussize” but crosses the boundary into obese.

LPOSD’s misleading message is that the levy is “for the kids” and whitewashes the tax increase as minimal. That has always been their message for every one of their levies going back many years. In fact, only 16 percent of this proposed levy is “for the kids.”

Keep in mind that 84 percent of this levy feeds the salaries of current and retired employees. Meanwhile, kids are holding fundraisers for extracurricular activities and you the parents are buying classroom supplies that the district won’t provide.

LPOSD also has in the works since last summer the whopping $39 million levy proposal you have all been waiting for! They will tax you out of your home if you let this cumulative levy pass.

You work hard for your paycheck.

You have a budget for your household and you stick to it. Make LPOSD live within a budget mindful of you the tax payer. You can stop feeding the predatory appetite of LPOSD by voting NO on March 12. It will force LPOSD to go back to the drawing board and come up with a more reasonable levy.

Rick Johnson Sandpoint

PERSPECTIVES

Emily Articulated

A column by and about Millennials

Seven laws of life all know, is beneficial.

By Emily Erickson Reader Columnist This last week of sunshine has prompted feelings of springtime in me. And springtime, in addition to a distinct inability to regulate my body temperature, prompts a desire to clean. This desire, however, isn’t to clean my apartment, my car, or any of the junk I’ve accumulated in the small corner of my garage (that’s absurd), but rather, to clean my mind and life of all of the bad habits I’ve acquired over the cold months (like reaching to pour myself that fifth cup of coffee).

In pushing the reset button on myself for impending spring and reflecting on all that I have to reorganize, I’ve realized I have very little figured out.

But, despite the ignorance that comes with my age, I’ve managed to boil down some of the most important rules by which I strive to live, and think they are relatively universal. No matter what I’m doing with my life, if I’m abiding by these rules, I am doing alright. So here they are Seven Laws of Life: Emily-Unqualified Edition. I’ll let you be the judge.

1. Don’t Be a Dick.

The golden rule. It seems basic, but choosing not to be dick can be difficult, especially because people continually push the boundaries of creativity in how they can be the ugliest versions of themselves.

Often, it’s a product of circumstance, but checking in with yourself regularly, choosing kindness as often as possible,

4. Assume Less, Learn More.

Emily Erickson. and viewing the world through an empathetic lens is a great place to start. Not sure if you’re being a dick? Here are some examples: Have you ever consciously parked someone in? Thrown trash next to the receptacle?

Stiffed a bartender? Left regular negative YELP reviews?

Assumed someone was “less than” you in any capacity?

Then you’re being a dick.

Knock it off.

2. Drink More Water.

I’m dehydrated, you’re dehydrated. Mix in another glass between iced coffees already, would ya?

3. Spend Time Outside.

Being outside makes you happier and healthier. There’s a reason taking a walk in the park or getting a breath of fresh air makes you feel better. Recent studies across the world are proving that when your exposure to green spaces and beautiful vistas increase, your mental health, stress levels, and social interactions improve. Also, when you’re outside, you’re likely being active, which as we

In a world full of things to learn, cultural intricacies to navigate, books to read, instruments to play, and subjects to explore, the reality is; we know very little about most things.

And that is exciting. When we recognize our own ignorance instead of assuming we already know enough, the world becomes a prism of opportunity to grow and learn. Even more exciting is that the ways in which we can learn are becoming more accessible and varied by the day. Not a big reader? Try a podcast. Visit a museum. Listen to the old man on the barstool next to you. Pick up a guitar.

Cook a paella. The possibilities are truly endless.

express joy and maintain social bonds. When we laugh honestly and without inhibition, happy chemicals, or endorphins, are released in our brains and make us feel good. We also use laughter to communicate comfort and security within friendships, and as a tool to navigate social situations in which we want people to feel valued. Then, my favorite form of laughter is the kind directed at ourselves. When we don’t

take ourselves seriously, we unlock endless opportunities to have fun and to connect with the people around us. Because we are all dorks at our cores, and that’s beautiful.

7. Pet More Dogs.

Dogs are better than people in every conceivable way. They deserve each pet they get and more. *Cue tail wag*

Retroactive

By BO

5. Prioritize Your Time.

We have 24 hours in every day. That means, even if eight hours are dedicated to work and eight hours are dedicated to sleep, there are still eight hours in every day that we get to fill with the things we choose.

It’s so easy to get caught up in being busy that we forget that we have one life, and how we choose to spend our days is how we choose to spend our lives. So if you want to be an underwater basket-weaver, grab your snorkel and get weaving already.

6. Laugh More (especially at yourself).

Laughter is one of the greatest keys to life. It is how we communicate affection, March 7, 2019 /

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Mad about Science:

By Brenden Bobby Reader Columnist Sometimes, you don’t want to learn about cutting-edge technology, prehistoric super-beasts or gross bugs. Sometimes, you just want to read about punching stuff.

It’s a pretty straightforward concept. Curl your hand into a ball and swing. Bam, you just punched the air and dropped your Reader. What sort of power have you unlocked? What sort of worlds await conquering with your newfound strength?

Whoa now, Stallone. You’re using force (not THE Force, what are you, a Jedi?), and it’s important to be responsible when using force. Only use this mystical new strength for good, never on people unless they’re trying to use it on you first. Even then, there’s never an excuse for violence against other people if you can book it out of there and get friends.

Strength in numbers!

With your first swings into this wide and wonderful new world, there are a few things you need to know to truly master your technique. First, when you ball up your fist, wrap your thumb like a locking bar around the outside of your index and middle finger. While you get more surface area by protecting it with your fingers, the force of impact transfers from your external fingers to your thumb, and specifically into the compromised joint connecting it to your hand, resulting in a number of bad things ranging from dislocations to fractures.

Now that you have figured

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punching

out how to direct your Herculean rage without harming yourself, learn how to amplify the power of your swing. We all know you use your arm to punch, because if you used your leg it would be a kick, but your arm isn’t the only muscle being utilized for this. Every muscle in your torso can help, but you can direct the most force by pivoting with your hips when you swing, magnifying your Goku-esque power to deliver a truly magnificent, world-shattering strike.

Punching, although awesome, isn’t perfect. As a tool for violence we’ve had since our ancestors figured out how to punch sabertooth cats, we’ve also figured out a lot of ways to counter it. Pivoting and focusing your full strength into a punch without forethought for repercussions can be countered by someone exploiting your elbow. With a bent elbow, your force is redirected, but your pivoting momentum is still carrying you forward, leaving you open to be flipped like a delicious pancake and staring at the sky in a stupor. Another reason you should never use punching against people, you never know what kind of whoopin’ awaits you when you act in violence towards human beings.

That being said, if you are absolutely hellbent on using your newfound powers for harming others, might I suggest directing that into sport?

Humans love watching other humans wallop on each other, and professional fighting is a hugely popular sport right now.

Now I’m not talking putting

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yourself on YouTube fighting garage cage matches with your buddy Dale four beers in, there are actual gyms you can go to, to train this sort of thing and meet talent scouts in the process.

Don’t think wildly swinging will win you any belts though.

You need to know basics.

There are several different types of punches, but here are a few basic ones: Left jabs are quick strikes with, you guessed it, your left hand (unless you’re a lefty), as this is the non-dominant hand you use to guard with and sacrifice to pain before you bring out the big guns with a right cross. The right cross is the moneymaker that has enough energy behind it to deliver a knockout, but also leaves the attacker open to being countered.

The left and right hook is mostly what you see in the Rocky movies, where they’re just wildly wailing on each other. This is primarily used to pull someone out of a guard and open them up to attack, or frustrate them into a poorly calculated attack. Uppercuts are used similarly, as they are used to throw off a target’s balance and open them up for a cross.

If you like punching stuff but don’t want to turn into a piece of veal wearing Tapout shorts, boxing has tremendous health benefits. You don’t have to go all Popeye on another person, just train in the gym and at home. Boxing, like any form of martial art, gets you in touch with your body. It exposes all of your weaknesses for

you to figure out how to better yourself, is one of the best cardio workouts on the planet, improves hand-eye coordination and even betters your posture.

The best thing about it is there is no age restriction. As long as you can swing your arm, you can work out.

Remember that when you

taunt a 98-year-old at the gym, who promptly sends you to the floor. Lift up, folks! Don’t tear down.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to take after my ancestors and go punch some logs for firewood. It’s cold out there!

Random Corner nching?

Want to know more about pu

We can help!

• In “Rocky IV”, Ivan Drago delivered a 2,150 PSI punch. This is wildly fictitious, as researchers don’t generally measure pressure in regards to punches, they measure force, and it would have equated to a force of over four tons.

•A group of elite Olympic boxers from several weight classes were measured for delivering punching force. The forces exerted ranged from 447 pounds to 1,066 pounds. The flyweights delivered more power than the super heavyweights in almost all cases.

•Frank Bruno threw punches with over 1,400 pounds of force, and caused his opponents’ heads to accelerate to around 53 g. Jet pilots take over 9 g when pulling up, causing most people to black out.

•More than one-fifth of all professional boxers live the rest of their lives with dementia pugilistica, a form of chronic traumatic encephalopathy seen most often in football players.

•A concussion is when your brain impacts your skull. The brain is free-floating inside of your skull, so when your skull suddenly stops or is forced backward, the momentum transfer causes your brain to collide with the inside of your head.

•Boxing directly killed a bare minimum of 650 people between 1917 and 1997. That number is probably much higher when taking CTE-related disabilities into account.

•Floyd Mayweather has earned over $1 billion dollars in his life from fights.

•Muhammad Ali fought in 61 professional bouts, with 56 wins (37 KOs).

•“Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!!” was a game for the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1987. In 2014, Jimmy Fallon challenged Mike Tyson to a bout on live TV, and Mike Tyson lost to TKO in the first round. To be fair, I lost every round that way as a kid.

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COMMUNITY

KNPS presentation: ‘Becoming Animal in the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness’

By Reader Staff

Bouquets: • It dawns on me that I never did properly thank Andrea and Kennden at Matchwood Brewing Co. for hosting our Reader party a few weeks back. They are both great to work with and made this event a truly special one. Happy to have Matchwood in Sandpoint.

Barbs • The photo Idaho’s Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin posted to Facebook where she was “sending love” to a man sentenced to federal prison for his role in a 2014 standoff is a perfect example of what is wrong with electing people to office who hold extreme ideological views.

The post, which has since been removed from McGeachin’s Facebook page, showed McGeachin posing next to two men dressed in prison clothing with “Engel” stenciled on the front. The men both made symbols with their hands with three extended fingers and thumb and forefinger touching, which they claimed to represent the Second Amendment group the Three-Percenters. While the symbol traditionally has been known as the “All good,” symbol, it has also been adopted over the past year or two by those who identify as alt-right as a way to “troll liberals.” Many farright groups and white nationalists such as the Proud Boys and Patriot Prayer are regularly photographed flashing the symbol including white nationalist Richard Spencer.

McGeachin is forming a heart symbol with her hands in the photo.

Todd C. Engel was sentenced to 14 years in federal prison for his role in a 2014 standoff near the Nevada ranch of Cliven Bundy, who is known for fighting the government over grazing rights on federal land.

Engel was accused of pointing a loaded AR-15 assault rifle at officers while he his behind concrete barriers on a freeway overpass.

Why our McGeachin, the second highest ranking elected official in Idaho, finds it appropriate to pose next to these men and “send love” to a man found guilty of obstruction and traveling across state lines in aid of extortion is beyond me.

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The Kinnikinnick Native Plant Society and Sandpoint Parks and Recreation offer free monthly presentations covering a variety of natural resource-related topics. This month’s presentation is by Debbie Lee: “Becoming Animal in the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness.”

Lee will present on Saturday, March 23 from 9:45-11:30 a.m. at the Sandpoint Community

Hall, 204 S. First Ave. From 2010-2014, Debbie Lee conducted 50 oral history interviews with people who had traveled or worked in the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness of Idaho and Montana. Based on these and recordings of interviews of Nez Perse elders, Lee will talk about how the connection between animal stories and oral narrative is vital to a wilderness ethic.

Debbie Lee is a Regents Professor of English at Washing-

ton State University and author/ editor of eight scholarly books, most recently “The Land Speaks: New Voices at the Intersection of Oral and Environmental History” (Oxford University Press, 2017).

Her creative work has appeared in Narrative and The Los Angeles Review of Books, among other places. She is director of the National Endowment for the Humanities-funded Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness History Project, and her creative nonfiction work

about her family history in the Selway-Bitterroot, “Remote: A Love Story,” is forthcoming from Oregon State University Press.

For more information about the Native Plant Society or upcoming KNPS programs visit their web site at: www. nativeplantsociety.org, or visit Sandpoint Parks and Recreation at 1123 Lake St., and online at www.sandpointidaho.gov/parksrecreation

Contra Dance planned for Friday Here comes ‘Pi Day’ at SASi

By Reader Staff

Sandpoint Parks and Recreation and Lost Horse Press present Contra Dancing Friday, March 8, from 7-10:30 p.m. at the Sandpoint Community Hall.

Contra dancing is community dancing for all ages, in the New England tradition, featuring live music with great local and regional bands and lively callers.

Contras, circles and occasionally squares or long ways sets are taught, called and danced in a friendly atmosphere.

Participants should meet at the Sandpoint Community Hall, 204 S. First Ave., every second Friday of the month except for

August.

Please use the front door.

Beginners and singles welcome; contra dance tradition holds that anyone can ask anyone to dance. New dancers are warmly encouraged to arrive in time for the beginning (we always start with the basics). If you can walk quickly, count to eight and know right from left you can contra dance.

Light, comfortable clothing suggested. Bring clean, softsoled shoes, a water bottle (the kind you’ll take home), and your smile. Finger food snacks at the break are much appreciated. A $5 donation at the door is suggested (musicians need to eat too).

Laughing Matter

By Reader Staff

Heads up! It’s time for the annual “Pi Day” celebration at the Sandpoint Senior Center.

The annual fundraiser will take place Thursday, March 14, at 12:30 p.m. at the Sandpoint Senior Center, 820 Main St. This year’s victims will be Dan McDonald, Jeff Connolly, Bryan Hult, Nora Horn, Debbie Love, Ellen Weissman, Wayne Kerns and more. Marchelle Fritz will emcee the event.

Participants will be able to pay to toss a cream pie in the face of one of the willing victims. Small

pies cost $10, and larger ones will be $20, with proceeds benefiting Sandpoint Area Seniors, inc.

Last year’s event raised over $900 for the Senior Center in less than an hour.

Please arrive by 12:15 p.m. or join for lunch at 11:30 a.m.

THE READER GOES TO COSTA RICA

By Bill Borders

Patti Rechnitzer of Dover sharing the Reader with her daughter Bonnie Bradshaw in Playa Potrero, Costa Rica. We hope you had a great time down there, ladies!

PERSPECTIVES

Meet me at the governor’s mansion or Skiing in Town: A Testimonial

By Karen Seashore Reader Contributor I’m crazy about the Nordic tracks at the former U of I Experimental Agricultural Station on Boyer Avenue. In fact, every time I slot my skis into the parallel grooves and push off, I get happy. I follow the looping, swooping track and, well, soon I get very happy. If I’m cold, I get warm, If I’m worried, I forget what that’s all about. Through stands of grand firs and corkbark firs, under the lone crow that caws at me overhead, gliding through the snowy landscape, I end up with a natural high and all aglow.

So high do I become after I’ve skied a circuit or two at the U of I tracks, I’ve taken to calling it the “U of High.” All that sky, snow and joy. All those outdoor people – the pair of tiny sisters in every shade of periwinkle, pink and fuschia, the guy skiing on the walking track with a happy husky attached to his belt, giving his master a good tow, the elegant skate skiers, the snowshoers, the walkers, the beginners, the pros. Those in goggles and neck gaitors so they are only a nose.

Those in lyrca. Those in Carhartts and woolens. Everybody in great form.

Fresh air, white snow, exercise: the secret combo.

Last week after skiing, we went to buy a zipper at Walmart. We walked into the huge store and felt like flashing Technicolor toons in a gray world of indoor people. (Think Tom’s turquoise & white ski boots and tighter than average pants, for instance.)

Top: Rows of trees in a bright winter sunbeam. Left: Keep your eyes peeled for Sasquatch. Right: in the groove, with Schweitzer in the background. Photos by Karen Seashore.

The view of Schweitzer, the wind, the smiles, the train you race along the south border, the clanging red lights of the crossing that you can ignore — no cars allowed on the U of High tracks. Benefits come from as short a time as a half hour — a lunch break with time to down a sandwich before returning to your desk or bench. You can go slowly or you can book it. You can even stand and chat. Or watch the Nordic Club kids training after school.

Take note of the view of the ‘Governor’s Mansion’ just before you ski back to the parking lot. Across Boyer, the family home of Don Samuelson (Idaho’s 25th governor, 1967-71), hunkers behind a stand of tall pines. Still stylin’, the classic flat-roofed house with a thick stone chimney, has a color-matching sage green VW bus in its driveway.

Thanks to the groomers and organizers and committee of the Sandpoint Nordic Club, we can enjoy this fabulous site!

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Dollar Beers!

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

Live Music w/ Mike and Shanna Thompson 5-7pm @ Idaho Pour Authority Live Music w/ Big Phatty & the Inhalers 6-9pm @ Matchwood Brewing Co. A dynamic variety of blues, rock and swing Live Music w/ Gre3ne Trio 6:30-9:30pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall Ron, Justyn and Brian will rock the night away Live Music w/ John Firshi 5-7pm @ Idaho Pour Authority Live Music w/ the Wow Wows 6:30-9:30pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall Indie punk alt-psych-rock trio Live Music w/ Brendan Kelty Trio 8-11pm @ 219 Lounge Sandpoint’s newest trio Live Music w/ The Ronaldos 8:30-10:30pm @ Connie’s Lounge

Live Music w/ Larry Mooney 5-8pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery Beatles songs and Latin rhythms

Live Music w/ Browne Salmon Truck 9pm-12am @ 219 Lounge Blues, jazz, latin and more

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Live Music Artist Reception + Live Music and Brian J 5-8pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery 8-10pm @ T Come in and meet the artist, Bruce Piano/guitar Druykers, and appreciate his oil paintings displayed at the Winery, plus live music by Dustin Drennen

Live Music w/ Ken Mayginnes 4-6:30pm @ Matchwood Brewing Piano Sunday w/ Annie Welle 3-5pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery

Umphrey’s M 8:30pm @ The The boys are ba Ghee always pa head full force

Karaoke 8-close @ Tervan Best song selection in Sandpoint

Night-Out Karaoke 9pm @ 219 Lounge Join DJ Pat for a night of singing, or just come to drink and listen Djembe class 5:45-7:30pm @ Music Conservatory Ali Maverick Thomas hosts this class

Dollar Beers!

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

Live Mu 8:30-10:

Mugs & Music w/ Ron Greene 6-8pm @ Laughing Dog Brewery Free and open to public

Monday Night Blues Jam w/ Truck Mills 7:30pm @ Eichardt’s Pub Cribbage Tournament 3-6pm @ Tervan (no buy-in)

Wind Down Wednesday 5-8pm @ 219 Lounge With live music by blues man Truck Mills and guest musician Ali Thomas

LGBT 5-7pm A wee youth ages share

Live Music w/ Birds of Play 6-9pm @ Matchwood Brewing Co. A dynamic mix of sentimentality and playfulness from this band based out of Bozeman, Mont.

Trivia Takeover Live 6-8pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery Family friendly interactive trivia

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

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Magic Wednesday 6-8pm @ Jalapeño’s Enjoy close-up magic shows by Star Alexander right at your table

Lifetree C 2pm @ Ja An hour o week’s top

Triva Night 7pm @ MickDuff’s Show off that big, beautiful brain of yours

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CHAFE 150 Party and Fundraiser 5-7pm @ Idaho Pour Authority Live music by Marty Perron and Doug Bond. Complimentary appetiz ers and raffle prizes

Thursday Night Solo Series w/ Jake Robin 6-8pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall Join singer/songwriter Jake Robin for a night of soulful folk music

Pi Day at SA 12:30pm @ All are welc a cream pie i ald and Jeff C larger ones w

ful

March 7 - 14, 2019

LGBTQ+ Support Group 5-7pm @ The Human Connection A weekly gathering for LGBTQ+ youth, friends, family, and allies ages 15-25 to get together and share their stories. 208-265-5412

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

Reader recommended

Alzheimer’s Support Group 1-2pm @ Sandpoint Senior Center Thursday Night Solo Series w/ Kerry Leigh 6-8pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall Americana, folk, rock, country and blues

Sandpoint Contra Dance Live Music w/ Kevin Dorin Live Music w/ The Ronaldos 7-10:30pm @ Community Hall 8:30-10:30pm @ Connie’s Lounge 8-10pm @ The Back Door Called dances to live music. $5 Great blues from this local artist suggested donation. All welcome Paint and Sip Downtown Fire benefit 6pm @ The Pottery Bug Truck 3-9pm @ Tervan Tavern Bring something to sip and paint Support those affected by the downtown fire with live music “Reflections in Gold.” $35/each

by Rhinestone Outlaw and raffle prizes. All proceeds donated AHWF fundraiser: “Wild Babies” Seed Starting & Micorgreens Workshop 2pm @ Clark Fork Library 1pm @ All Seasons American Heritage Wildlife Founve Music w/ Chris Lynch It’s time to get growing and All Seasons can dation volunteers will offer a power d Brian Jacobs help you with tips and tricks to begin your point lecture with photos and tips and 0pm @ The Back Door indoor seed starting. Free! 208-265-2944 pointers about determining if the wild no/guitar duo animal you see is truly in distress Toga Party Fire-Light Community Singing @ A&P’s Bar and Grill 6-7pm @ Matchwood Brewing Co. Sponsored by Jim Beam Gather ‘round the fire for songs! hrey’s McGhee in concert pm @ The Hive boys are back in town for their tour closer. Umphrey’s Mcalways packs a punch and will nail you square in the fore- Karaoke full force with their amazing show. Don’t miss this one! 8-close @ Tervan

Lifetree Cafe 2pm @ Jalepeño’s Mexican Restaurant An hour of conversation and stories. This week’s topic: “Next Generation”

ful

The Conversation 6-8pm @ Ivano’s Ristorante “How to Prepare Artwork for an Exhibition” with Blair Williams

undraiser hority erron and ry appetiz-

Snow Pit Chats 6-8pm @ Matchwood A free series of snow pit chats on avalanche awareness

Brews for Benefits 5-8pm @ Laughing Dog Taproom A portion of sales will support Sandpoint Friends of the NRA Terry Robb in concert 7:30pm @ Di Luna’s Cafe Robb’s signature fingerpicking style has earned him international acclaim from worldwide audiences, music critics and his distinguished peers Open Mic Night 6-9pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall Join Kevin Dorin for a fun night of playing in a positive environment to share your passion. 21+

Day at SASi :30pm @ Sandpoint Senior Center l are welcome to enjoy Pi Day with the Sandpoint Seniors. Throw ream pie in the faces of two county commissioners, Dan McDonand Jeff Connolly, plus more officials. Small pies will be $10, and ger ones will be $20. Additional donations greatly appreciated!

March 15 MickDuff’s 13th Anniversary and Brewery Bash w/ Devon Wade March 15 Annual Student Art Exhibit @ Power House Gallery March 16 24 Hours for Hank Fundraiser @ 219 Lounge

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COMMUNITY

Second rail bridge workshop planned: ‘Bridges and Beer’

By Sharon Bosley Reader Contributor

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Please join us Thursday, March 7, from 5-8 pm at Matchwood Brewing Company for our Bridges & Beer Workshop. This educational, interactive and empowering workshop will include a brief presentation at 5:15 pm. We will provide background information on the Sandpoint Junction Connector Project, and a summary of the content in the draft Environmental Assessment. During the workshop, we will help attendees understand how to best comment during public hearing testimony as well as submitting written comments. Do not worry if you cannot make the presentation: Drop-ins are welcome, and we will stick around until 8 p.m. to answer your questions and help you understand the local impacts of the proposed rail expansion.

We have many concerns that we would like the U.S. Coast Guard to address, which we will be sharing with the community at our workshop. After reviewing the draft EA, we believe a project of this magnitude needs a more thorough environmental review that considers all of the impacts to our community and lake. Therefore, we are advocating for an environmental impact statement, the highest standard of environmental review, to be performed.

One of the biggest safety concerns we have is the risk of a train derailment. As much as the rail industry touts their safety record, we still see train derailments happening on a weekly basis. In the last month alone, there have been at least 17 train derailments in the United States and Canada. The draft EA assumes that the project would not increase the amount of freight / March 7, 2019

An artistic rendition of how the second rail bridge would look over Lake Pend Oreille. Courtesy image.

moved or rail miles traveled and therefore would not increase the risk of spills or accidents. Even though according to the Idaho Statewide Rail Plan from 2013, train volumes on Idaho’s network are projected to increase by 143 percent by 2040.

“A derailment of hazardous materials within the vicinity of the Lake Pend Oreille basin could have serious consequences to human and environmental health and our local economy”, said Chantilly Higbee, the Lake Pend Oreille Waterkeeper.

Matt Nykiel Conservation Associate with the Idaho Conservation League states, “A study under the EIS framework is needed to clarify what these projections are and how they might impact the amount of freight moved and number of rail miles traveled. “ The Coast Guard is accepting public comment on its draft Environmental Assessment through March 25. Two public hearings are scheduled for March 13 — one at 8 a.m. and one at 6 p.m. — where the Coast Guard will take comments on its environmental review of the proposed rail bridge. Both hearings will take place at the Ponderay Events Center, 401 Bonner Mall Way. This is likely your only opportunity to weigh in on the proposed project by supplying a written comment or by testifying at one of the public hearings. You can submit comments at: https://p2a.co/ ZtuMNIB If you would like more information email sharon@lpow.org or sherber@ idahoconservation.org

ENVIRONMENT

Conservation Corner A monthly column by the Bonner Co. Soil and Water Conservation District

Zebras in Idaho?

By Sarah Garcia Reader Columnist Sandpoint is synonymous with breath taking beauty made up of pine covered mountain peaks and beautiful blue waters. For many Bonner County natives, the unparalleled beauty is burned into our souls and calls us back home no matter how far you’ve traveled. Only as a returning adult does one fully grasp the rare blessing we have to call this place home. Each summer thousands of visitors travel from all 50 states and many Canadian provinces to recreate in the beautiful outdoors we call home.

Many of these visitors come to play in lake Pend Oreille and the surrounding waterways bringing with them their boats, kayaks, paddle boards, etc.

Unfortunately, there is a very real threat to the ecosystem, waterways and our small-town economy. Aquatic Invasive species. The Quagga-Zebra mussels, being the most notorious of these species, are invasive mussels who are gluttonous filter feeders that eliminate the bottom of the food chain, ultimately destroying the entire food web and as such the abundant fishery.

To date, no invasive mussels have been found in Idaho waters. If mussels were introduced to our waters, it would cost Idaho approximately $100 million annually to manage their impacts as eradication would be unlikely. These bivalves attach themselves to hard and soft surfaces and don’t let go. Then they multiply at an exponential rate. The Idaho Invasive Species act was passed in 2008 to address this serious threat. This legislation required that all watercraft traveling in Idaho must be inspected. The Idaho State Department of Agriculture’s watercraft in-

spection program strategically placed 20 watercraft inspection stations throughout the state to prevent the introduction of invasive species. There are three inspection stations in Bonner County: Albeni Falls, Clark Fork and Samuels. During the 2018 season, our stations inspected 21,833 boats; 39 boats were hot washed as a precaution and two mussel-fouled (dead and non-viable) boats were discovered.

Each year, as the inspection stations spring to life, we hear boater’s express frustration and confusion as to why these stations are required and we see boats fly by only to be turned around by law enforcement. While we understand the desire to get out on the water as soon as possible these inspections are critical to maintaining this beloved resource.

When you pull into the station you will be greeted by two inspectors the first will visit with you while the second inspector does a quick visual inspection of your boat and trailer. The inspector’s questions are designed to determine if you may have visited areas with invasive mussels.

Because invasive mussels attach to hard surfaces and need water to survive, a thorough inspection of all boat components: anchor ropes, dry wells, bilges, trailers, will take place if traveling from a highrisk water body.

What: Watercraft inspection stations When: May – September from dawn to dark Who: If it floats, it’s a boat! Any watercraft over 10 feet including canoes, paddle boards, kayaks and all boats.

Where: Albeni Falls, Clark Fork and Samuels stations — these stations are identified by lighted reader boards.

Although the prevention of quagga-zebra mussels is a focus of the inspection; identifying, documenting and removing

A national map of where boaters are coming from when passing through the Clark Fork Aquatic Inspection Station. Courtesy image. invasive weeds is also an important part of the process. While the Pend Oreille Basin already has number of invasive plants, we don’t want new ones, and we don’t want our weeds to end up in other lakes throughout the country.

What can you do? Clean, drain, dry your watercraft and all your equipment!

Mussels and other aquatic invasive organisms need water to survive. Please remember to purchase your invasive species sticker which is required in Idaho. Registering your boat in Idaho is the cheapest way to purchase this sticker for motorized vessels. Only $10 with registration!

If you are interested in joining our inspection crew this summer, please send your letter of interest to boatwash7b@ gmail.com. If you have additional questions or concerns regarding invasive species, please visit the ISDA’s invasive species website www.invasivespecies. idaho.gov. Here you will find detailed information regarding invasive species, noxious weeds, watercraft inspections and frequently asked questions.

We look forward to seeing all of you this summer at the watercraft stations!

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MUSIC

Bella Noté welcomes new teachers

By Reader Staff

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Bella Noté Music Studios announced new instructors and new programs recently.

Beth Weber and her Sandpoint Suzuki violin program of 35 years has joined forces with Bella Noté Music Studios.

The Suzuki method fosters a bond between student and parent, providing a positive and supportive learning environment. Our next beginner group will start this Spring.

Sandpoint native Athena Robinson recently completed her music degree at Corban University and has joined us as a piano instructor. Athena loves sharing her love of music through teaching piano.

Violist Jessica Jasper is now accepting viola students and will be spearheading a Chamber Music program beginning in March. Jessica performs with the Spokane Symphony and is principal assistant viola with the Yakima Symphony.

Drummer, composer and songwriter Emily Westman has joined us as drum and percussion instructor. She will be building a composition and songwriting / March 7, 2019

From top left moving clockwise: Beth Weber, Emily Westman, Athena Robinson and Jessica Jasper. Courtesy photos.

program that will help aspiring musicians of all ages learn about this process: from inspiration all the way to the stage. Classes will begin in March.

Visit us at BellaNoteSandpoint.com to learn more about these wonderful instructors and the programs available at Bella Noté Music Studios. We also post updates and special promotions on Facebook and Instagram.

Bella Noté Music Studios is located at 1205 HWY 2 on the main level of the Two Rock Plaza Building. We are in our fourth year of bringing quality private instruction and early-childhood music to the Sandpoint Community. We offer private instruction for piano, violin, viola, cello, bass, guitar, banjo, drums, flute, saxophone and clarinet. We also have a children’s choir and offer early-childhood music and pre-keyboard classes for newborn through schoolaged children, these classes are taught by certified Musikgarten instructors.

ART

Duykers to show abstract, realism work at PO Winery

By Ben Olson Reader Staff It’s not often you find an artist just as interested in abstract paintings as they are in realism. But Bruce Duykers isn’t your average artist.

There will be an artist recepBruce Duykers tion showcasing 18 of Duykers’ original paintings at the Pend d’Oreille Winery Saturday, March 9 from 5 to 8 p.m. Dustin Drennen will also be playing live music to accompany the show.

Duykers first got his start in art at the American Academy of Art in Chicago where he studied realism, watercolors and other forms.

“I didn’t take their painting class, though, because I was more interested in making a living once I got out of art school,” said Duykers. “I knew there were a lot of guys painting fine art and starving to death. I didn’t want to starve.”

Duykers began a career working in advertising art first at a large agency in Chicago and later in San Francisco where he worked on layout, lettering, creative ideas and the like for national TV commercials.

“Then, I started doing something people told me I should have done 10 years prior,” Duykers said. “I became a voiceover actor for television commercials and moved back to Chicago.”

After 15 years and thousands of commercials, Duykers retired and moved out west, where he began to work on his own art.

“I did layout and drawings of stuff you see on TV to get you to buy it,” he said. “That flies in the face of trying to be creative. The ad biz didn’t help me do a damn thing with my art.”

It was after moving to Montana when Duykers began working on his own creative art, first in western style paintings and gravitating toward plein air pieces, and eventually abstract.

“Abstract is like jazz,” Duykers said.

“You go away from the tune a little bit and do a little scatting and hey, it’s kind of interesting. But it isn’t a can of soup and it isn’t a bunch of guys riding horses and roping cattle.”

While Duykers’ works are a mix of realism and abstract pieces, he said he’s interested to get more into abstract and watercolor in the near future.

“The one thing I’m trying to learn these days is, don’t approach a canvas with an idea,” he said. “All the greats didn’t approach a canvas and say, ‘I think I’ll do this.’ They searched for a feeling, a mood. That’s what I’m searching for.”

Check out Bruce Duykers’ work on the cover of this week’s Reader, and see the rest at his artist’s reception Saturday, March 23 from 5-8 p.m. at the Pend d’Oreille Winery. Dustin Drennen will also play live music from 5-8 p.m.

One of Duykers’ abstract pieces entitled “Fall Colors” which will be on display at the Pend d’Oreille Winery Saturday, March 23 from 5-8 p.m.

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The Pioneer Square at 819 Hwy 2, Ste:102-B

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STAGE & SCREEN

‘Annie’ to hit the SHS stage this spring

By Reader Staff

“The sun’ll come out tomorrow…”

What a song, what a play – Annie!

Billed as America’s best loved musical, “Annie” really does touch every heart which experiences its optimism and joy so perfectly set to music. And this Spring, Growing Dreams Productions, Inc., and Sandpoint High School Mime and Masque are excited to bring Annie to the stage at SHS Venishnek Auditorium for six shows on April 12, 13, 18 and 20. Two of the shows will be 2 p.m. matinees this year – April 13 and 20. The other four shows will begin at 7 p.m. April 12, 13, 18 and 20.

With a super-talented cast, this show promises to be every bit a smashing success. The role of Annie features a talented newcomer, Leah Clark, with a big voice and lots of moxie. Oliver “Daddy” Warbucks and his secretary, Grace, spotlight accomplished veterans Burton Anderson and Rene York. Crotchety Miss Hannigan highlights the comic talent of Emma Riach, with Orphans Avery Baker, Ada Anderson, Semmone Draper, Jordan Rosenau, Naomie Anderson, Baylie Hindle and Cheyenne Logan as Hannigan’s raggedy tormentors. The rascally Rooster Hannigan will be played by Zane Rasor, with Joellie Heneise as his ditsy girlfriend Lily St. Regis. Altogether there are over 50 roles filled by energetic and talented local youth from ages 8 to 18 on stage in this rendition of Annie, plus the team of over twenty creative teens working on set construction, running crew, props, make-up and costuming. And, of

course, we would not be able to do all this without the support of every one of the parents and all the other enthusiastic adult volunteers.

Each year, Director Jeannie Hunter, Musical Director Jon Brownell, Choreographer Becky Lucas, Costumer Angie Aller and the rest of the production team outdo themselves in bringing us a show to remember. With so much talent behind the scenes and so much talent on the stage, you’ll want to buy your tickets for “Annie” early, before they are all gone!

Tickets will be available mid-March at Eve’s Leaves and online. Tickets for this year’s show will be $12 per person for all shows with the following exceptions. Both 2 p.m. matinees (April 13 and 20) will feature $10 tickets for children 12 and under. Thursday, April 18, is the student show, which will feature a free bag of popcorn for students 18 and under.

We would like to thank our current sponsors for their support — you really

make a difference for these children!

Thanks to Panhandle Alliance for Education, Schweitzer Mountain, Pierce Auto Center, Winter Ridge Natural Foods and Arby’s of Sandpoint.

There are still sponsorship and advertising opportunities available — contact us at growingdreamsproductions@ gmail.com or call Mimi at 208-267-

Musical Director Jon Brownell works with Annie, FDR and his cabinet in polishing up “The Sun’ll Come Out Tomorrow”. Pictured from left to right are Cody Moore as Bert Healy, Marcus Anderson as Harold Ickes, Leah Clark as Annie, Future Churchill as FDR, Tyler Almeida as Freances Parker, Ben Rogers as Cordell Hull, Lucinda Meshberg as Harry Morganthau, and Jon Brownell at the piano.

1325. Be part of our team and support youth theater in Bonner County!

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COMMUNITY

Clark Fork Alumni Tournament this weekend

By Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Staff Of the many mascots in our region, few need more explanation than the Clark Fork Wampus Cat. Like most Clark Fork kids, I’ve learned the short answers: “It’s a mountain lion with a spiked ball on its tail,” or, “It’s a Native American legend.” But also like most Clark Fork kids, I know Wampus Cats are defined more by the feeling

of family such a title creates.

Everyone who identifies with the mystical creature has the chance to get together this weekend at the annual Clark Fork High School Alumni Volleyball and Basketball Tournament, where young and old athletes — not necessarily all CFHS alumni, though a large portion of participants are — will face off in friendly and often funny competition March 8-10 at Clark Fork High School.

It’s too late to sign up to play, but attending to cheer on the athletes while they ask their bodies to perform feats

The vision of panelized, realized.

they haven’t in years is arguably just as fun. Plus, there will be raffles and auction items out all weekend, along with concessions from breakfast to dinner, so the opportunities to support CFHS are aplenty. Proceeds go toward extracurricular activities for the school’s students.

The first basketball game is Friday at 6 p.m., kicking off a weekend that will feature full volleyball and basketball brackets, as well as three-point and free throw contests Sunday afternoon.

Learn more about the home of the Wampus Cats at cf.lposd. org, and get a glimpse at what’s so special about the unique mascot by attending the 32nd annual Alumni Tournament.

By Mike Wagoner Reader Contributor

T

ROBOTS

here’s a lot of things I don’t really understand.

Calculus. Rap. Why moths don’t try to fly towards the moon. But the way some of these tech companies are busily attempting to build robots to do more and more things that people are presently employed to do, I find disturbing.

There’s more folks on the planet now than there has ever been.

Oh, I’ve heard the rationale: robots can work in the dark, no need to have much heat on, they don’t go on strike, they don’t get pregnant and want time off, they don’t sue, etc. It’s an economic argument. Well, my thought is, what type of society could we eventually end up with if we continue to pay homage to profit over people?

Next time you’re out on the town, say you end up at Eich-

Learn to use the laser cutter like a pro

By Reader Staff

www.mehomes.net (208)264-6700

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Dan McMahon, Gen. Contractor dan@mebldg.com

The Epilog laser is the most popular tool at Makerpoint Studio.

Some of their members have even built small businesses with this tool. To those interested in learning the magic of laser cutting and engraving, an series of introductory classes are being offered.

In these one day monthly sessions participants will work side by side with the instructor to learn the basics of Adobe Illustrator and make the laser hum while cutting and engraving projects.

The class fees are $71 ($2 in-city discount) per session. The

class requires a minimum of two participants and a maximum of four participants. Classes will be held on Wednesday evenings starting March 13 from 6 to 9 p.m. at Makerpoint Studios (C106-14 1424 N. Boyer Ave.). Register for the upcoming session March 13 session by March 10.

For all Sandpoint Parks and Recreation activities, or to view monthly registration details and pre-register online, go to www. sandpointidaho.gov/parksrecreation or visit 1123 Lake St. in Sandpoint or call 208-263-3613.

ardt’s. If Jeff or Doug serves you that draft, imagine them as a robot.

If Blissa waits on your table... robot. The singer on the stage? A robot that knows every tune that has ever been recorded. Cool? I think not.

We think we have a cultural problem now with drugs, crime, booze, depression. Just wait, we ain’t seen nothin’ yet.

Well, I’m gonna do my part, damn it. I’m never gonna use that self-check out line at Home Depot!

Mike Wagoner is a science teacher by day and a singer-songwriter at night.

County seeking Solid Waste Advisory Board members

By Reader Staff

The Board of County Commissioners is calling for letters of interest from persons interested in serving on the Bonner County Solid Waste Advisory Board.

There are currently two positions from each of the three districts in Bonner County available (six positions total). Please email letters of interest to jessi.webster@bonnercountyid.gov OR send a letter of interest to: Bonner County Board of Commissioners, 1500 Highway 2, Ste. 308, Sandpoint, Idaho 83864; fax your letter to 208-2651460. Letters should be received no later than April 5.

MUSIC

Celebrating community with a Celtic touch Bridges Home to play Shamrock Social at the Hope Memorial Community Center March 16

By Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Staff

The Memorial Community Center in Hope wears many hats.

For one, it’s the home of the Hope Preschool, attended by both Hope and Clark Fork children. Secondly, it serves as a meeting place for fitness groups, art classes, AA meetings, the Clark Fork Valley Quilters and anyone else who’d like to rent the space for a special occasion. On top of that, MCC hosts an annual Christmas Giving Program for local families and provides a high school scholarship program. The list of hats goes on and on.

The center is also known for its various lively community gatherings, which are a fun way to make an impact on MCC and all of the programs it supports.

One such gathering is coming up next weekend: the Shamrock Social on March 16 from 5:308:30 p.m. will feature hearty Irish appetizers and a no-host bar, as well as live music.

The local musical duo known as Bridges Home — made up of Dave and Tami Gunter — will play at the event. Dave characterized Bridges Home’s style as “an interesting mashup of originals, Celtic influences and roots music,” and said this time of the year they like to emphasize those Celtic elements.

“March is the month where we pull out the Celtic harp and Irish drum,” he said. “It’s not the only time of year we do that, but we try to turn the spotlight on it.”

Dave said both he and Tami have Celtic ties in their ancestry, so when it comes to reflecting that in their music, they “come by it honestly.” He said they were fortunate to travel to Ireland a few years ago and play music there.

“We’ve been students of Celtic music for several years

This week’s RLW by Ben Olson

READ

I don’t always read poetry, but when I do, I read Charles Bukowski. A good start would be “Run with the Hunted,” an anthology of his prose and poetry.

Bukowski is an acquired taste.

His beautiful diatribes from the bottom rung are tinged with the downtrodden aspects of life, but not in a gratuitous way. He owns every line he writes, and they all have so much weight.

LISTEN

now and we’re constantly trying to deepen that musical relationship,” he said.

When it comes to live shows, Bridges Home is known to have fun. Dave said someone once complimented them for making every show, regardless of venue or size, “feel like a friendly, warm pub atmosphere.” He said he saw it as high praise, and it’s the plan to bring that same energy to the community center the day before St. Patrick’s Day. Dave said MCC was one of the first venues he and Tami played as Bridges Home, so it has a special place in their hearts.

“We’re big believers and supporters of what the community center does for the Hope community,” he said. “We’re looking forward to an evening of great, shared fun.”

Tickets to the Shamrock Social are $20 and can be reserved by calling MCC at 208-2645481. The community center is located at 415 Wellington Place.

For those interested in how to help MCC today, the center

Dave and Tami Gunter, otherwise known as Bridges Home, will play in Hope Saturday, March 16. Courtesy photo.

is kicking off an Angels of Hope Donation Drive this year, with a goal of $10,000 to support operational costs. Those who choose to donate $100 or more in 2019 qualify to receive 25 percent off all facility and equipment rentals throughout the year.

Learn more about the event and MCC in general at facebook. com/memorialcommunitycenter or memorialcommunitycenter.com.

To learn more about the Angels of Hope Donation Drive, contact MCC Executive Director Carolyn Speelmon at 208-264-5481 or mccmail@frontier.com.

OPEN 11:30 am

GAME ROOM UPSTAIRS

The Psounbality with Per FRESH FOOD LIVE MUSIC THE BEST NW BREWS

We traveled to Portland last weekend to see one of my favorite bands Beirut in concert. Wow. What a show. What a band.

If you haven’t listened to them yet, do yourself a favor and check out their latest album, “Gallipoli.” It’s a great example of their style, which is a curious combination of indie-rock and world music. Lots of melodic harmonies on brass, lots of accordion-led songs that will stick with you for ages.

WATCH

At the recommendation of a friend, I finally checked out “Russian Doll” on Netflix.

The show could be described as a sci-fi “Groundhog Day” for the next generation.

There is a darkness to this eight-episode series that is very warm and enveloping, if that makes any sense. I won’t share any of the specifics of the show because I think you should go in blind, but I will tell you to watch every episode.

212 Cedar Street Downtown Sandpoint

208.263.4005 A SandPint Tradition Since 1994 March 7, 2019 /

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COMMUNITY

POAC hosts 22nd annual Student Art Exhibit

By Ben Olson Reader Staff The Pend Oreille Arts Council is presenting its 22nd annual Student Art Exhibit opening reception this Friday, March 15.

The reception will take place from 5:307 p.m. at the Power House Gallery, 120 E. Lake St. in Sandpoint.

This is a free event open to all ages.

Pend Oreille Arts Council has brought together a body of work that represents the high school students from Sandpoint High School, Lake Pend Oreille High School, Forrest M. Bird Charter School and Clark Fork High School. This exhibit embodies the spirit and youth of our community and gives them the opportunity to share the creative voice that they have been cultivating all year long.

This student art exhibit will remain

One of the submitted pieces of artwork.

Courtesy image. on display at the Power House Gallery in Sandpoint until May 3.

CAL grants now available

By Reader Staff Applications are now available for the Community Assistance League 2019 grant program.

The applications will be available in the following locations: the libraries in Sandpoint, Priest River, Old Town and Clark Fork; the Sandpoint Chamber of Commerce and at Bizarre Bazaar, 502 Church St., in Sandpoint. Also, grant information and applications may be downloaded from the CAL website at www.calsandpoint.org.

Applicants must be a nonprofit organization and funds must apply to Bonner County only. Some of the criteria for evaluation include having a significant impact on the community, being an

innovative idea and involving important issues.

The Community Assistance League contributes the profits from their shop Bizarre Bazaar directly back into Bonner County via grants and scholarships.

The shop thrives from the enthusiastic support of people who shop there and those that donate their gently used items.

This allows CAL volunteers to contribute financially to many local area schools, organizations and services that enhance the quality of life of many residents of Bonner County.

Grant applications must be postmarked or returned no later than Saturday, March 30. For additional information, contact Bobbie Franklin, CAL’s grant chair at calsandpointgrants@gmail.com

The Straight Poop: The quest for dog-friendly businesses in North Idaho From Northern Idaho News, March 24, 1939

MATRON RECALLS JESSE JAMES GANG “I felt an urge to write this story when I heard the Panida will show a picture called Jesse James,” said Mrs. Joseph Reed of Clarksfork, in a letter to the News yesterday. Her story continues: “The picture showing the story of Jesse James reminded me of my early childhood days.

“I was born and lived in the college city of Northfield, Minn., and remember the Jesse James robbers quite well.

“I was in the primary “A” or second grade as it is called now. This morning our school had just opened and all were studying our lessons when all at once we heard shooting six or seven shots.

“Our teacher, Mrs. James Bunker, looked frightened, but made us keep on with our lessons. All at once someone knocked at our door and gave the alarm her husband had been shot at the Old National bank. He was the president of the bank. She dropped everything and ran out. Then we little children were dismissed and told to go straight home as quickly as we could.

We were very frightened as we still heard the shooting.

“My father owned the largest general merchandise store in Northfield, just two doors from the bank.

He heard the shooting as the robbers came across the Northfield bridge.

There were five of them and all started shooting as they got on the large bridge. They were all on horseback and everybody cleared the streets. My father crept on his hands and knees to lock the front door of his store. As he was going out the back door he was met in the door by a fat lady; she was trying to get in and he was trying to get out, so he locked her in in his excitement. He went down his back steps and across lots to our home. We were happy he was safe.

“He then told us the story. He said he felt as if every shot was for him and expected to be shot before he could get out of sight. The robbers got all the money the bank had and fled on their horses.”

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Salon DeMars

By Drake the Dog Reader Columnist Do your ears hang low? Do they wobble to and fro? Can you tie them in a knot, can you tie them in a bow? Since the Missus has fur that is obscuring her vision, I’m taking my most beloved human to the new location of Salon DeMars for a new do. The Mister is taking her on a playdate soon, and she wants to look sharp.

We fetch an awesome parking spot right next to the Cedar Street Bridge, and up the stairs we go to shakapaw with Rachel Binderup, owner, and take a bow-wowstylist of Salon DeMars. She has granted her closest members of the puparazzi (us) a sneak peek experience of the salon which will be opening on or about March 1.

As a child, Rachel always wanted to be a hairstylist. To live her dream, she ventured to England in 1998 on a whim. She became an intern at Vidal Sassoon in Manchester, England. Her job included sweeping hair off the floor, learning from stylists and taking classes. After a year she came back to Seattle, attended The Greenwood Academy of Hair and graduated in 2000.

She landed a stylist position at Vain Salon in Seattle and built a client base. Ten years later, the salon opened a satellite store in Ballard. She got the entrepreneurial bug (of which there are no pet meds for) and became self-employed for six years at The Tart Salon in Ballard.

As with most Seattleites, she got sick of the big city. Rachel and her handsome man friend, Cory (you know him as the silver fox beer tender at MickDuff’s Beer Hall), moved to Sandpoint in 2013. She worked at a few shops in Sandpoint, and served clients at home. One day she realized that the salon in her doghouse just didn’t work and she needed more exposure. So she fetched a small space downtown with one chair and moved the whole shebang. Ruff, ruff: Salon DeMars was born. What’s in a name? DeMars is her Mom’s maiden name, and she pays homage to her mom daily.

Rachel specializes in lady’s cuts. However, she has her handful of die-hard guys.

She defines her style as “Vidal Sassoon meets Edward Scissorhands — very precise texturized cuts, so it is easy for the client to maintain daily.” She prides herself on giv-

ing the client a cut they can style at home and look like they just came from the salon.

So, think pawsitive, humans: You will leave the salon feeling extra special. Best of all, you will look and feel fab every day.

Rachel’s clients do not have to mess with those big pink foam night-time curlers or spend time futzing with big blowouts in the morning. Yep, it’s true. The Missus puts very little effort into her ‘do’ in the morning. No bed head, just easy breezy hair!

Why did Salon DeMars move to second floor of the Cedar Street Bridge?

Because the new spacious digs have beautiful light, a great view and the Bridge is now Sandpoint’s most vibrant happening dog-friendly place. (Be sure to check out all of the new shops!) Just look for the anchor on the door and the nautical retro gal inside. I asked her what does the anchor and the salon have in common. She said, “I’m anchored here, and I don’t have any desire to go back to the big city.” As a foodie, on occasion, she does let her hair down in Spokane when she eats her way through her favorite restaurants.

If you’re going to Salon DeMars, be sure to check out the Moroccan Oil and AG Products. Rachel specializes in colors of all varieties and NO PERMS! Clients and their furry guests are able to lap up water during their salon experience. However, the complimentary white wine, coffee, tea and sparkling waters are reserved for the humans while they rid themselves of their bad hair day.

Rachel is dog mom to a girl named Bob, a 7-year-old poodle pug rescue dog, who might be there to give you a paws up on your new do. They have collaborated together on the shop rules, so if you’re coming in with your human to let your hair down, we are absolutely welcome, here as long as we stick to the rules: 1. Leashes required 2. Well-behaved pups only 3. Do your biz outside 4. Bring your own water bowl 5. Bone up on your tricks for a treat Salon DeMars, Cedar Street Bridge, 334 N. First Ave., Ste 204A (second floor).

Text/call 206-412-5938 By appointment (text/call) and walk ins are welcome. Instagram: Rachel_does_ my_hair. Facebook: Salon DeMars.

Crossword Solution

I remember how my great-uncle Jerry would sit on the porch and whittle all day long. Once he whittled me a toy boat out of a larger toy boat I had. It was almost as good as the first one, except not. It had bumpy whittle marks all over it. And no paint, because he had whittled off the paint.

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CROSSWORD ACROSS 1. Monetary penalties 6. Manager 11. Picture 12. Name 15. A citrus fruit 16. Participant 17. Beer barrel 18. Caught 20. French for “Summer” 21. Dogfish 23. Gunk 24. Infants 25. Long ago 26. Car trunk (British) 27. Essence 28. Moving within 29. A large vase 30. Hockey footwear 31. Elkwoods 34. Gives forth 36. Muck 37. After-bath powder 41. Demolish 42. Citrus fruit /MEL - ik / 43. Always [adjective] 44. A ceremonial staff 1. Intendied to be sung 45. Sit for a photo of the 46. Wander “The melic poem was performed at last night’s open mic performance.”

47. An Old Testament king 48. Knickknack Corrections: On last week’s news page, we were sent out-of-date links and 51. C press releases for Sen. Mike Crapo town halls meeting in North Idaho. Those 52. People with red hair meetings are not scheduled for North Idaho. Sorry about any confusion.

54. Magician 56. Gallivant

Word Week

melic

Solution on page 22 57. Leave out 58. Doled out 59. Storehouse

DOWN 1. He fights blazes 2. Follower of free verse poetry 3. Indian bread 4. Hens make them 5. Observed 6. Surgical cord 7. Chose 8. Copied

9. Bamboozle 10. Hideaway 13. Urticate 14. T T T T 15. Relative of a giraffe 16. Field-crop experts 19. Fruit of the oak tree 22. Spray very finely 24. A small kitchen appliance 26. Insects 27. Calypso offshoot 30. On the left or right 32. Consumed food 33. Unit of luminous flux

34. Found at the end of a pencil 35. Paving material 38. Popular salad ingredient 39. A young hare 40. Belief system 42. Wealthy 44. Shopping place 45. Stage 48. Cried 49. Was indebted 50. Scrabble piece 53. Hasten 55. Nil

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