NEWS
The ‘who,’ ‘what,’ ‘when,’ ‘where’ and ‘how’ of the May 16 election By Reader Staff
The ballot for the Tuesday, May 16 election will ask Bonner County voters to weigh in on candidates for trustee positions on the East Bonner County Library Board and Pend Oreille Hospital District. Incumbent Library Board Trustee Susan L. Shea is running for reelection to a six-year term, facing challenger Stacy Rodriguez. For Pend Oreille Hospital District, voters will cast ballots for four candidates, also serving six-year terms of office. Contenders are Cynthia Buse, Bart Casey (incumbent), Timothy Cochran (incumbent vice chair), Jim Frank (incumbent) and Dwayne Sheffler. The five-member East Bonner County Library District Board of Trustees serves as the governing body of the library — including setting and overseeing the local library system’s budget; hiring, supervising and evaluating employees; working with the library director on policy and operations; and ensuring “its community is well represented and informed regarding their local library and
public libraries in general,” according to the district’s website (ebonnerlibrary.org). The Pend Oreille Hospital District Board is a seven-member political subdivision of Idaho, which supports hospital facilities within Sandpoint and “approximately two-thirds of Bonner County, Idaho,” according to pendoreillehospitaldistrict.org. Current trustees include Chair Dr. Thomas Lawrence, Vice-Chair Timothy Cochran and members Dr. Scott Burgstahler, Bart Casey, James Frank, Helen Parsons and Dan Rose. Early voting will continue through Friday, May 12, Monday-Friday from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. at the Bonner County Elections Office (1500 U.S. Hwy. 2, Suite 124 in Sandpoint). Meanwhile, sample ballots are available precinct-by-precinct at the Elections Office website, accessed by visiting bonnercountyid.gov/departments/CountyClerk and clicking on “Elections” in the menu. Election Day polls will be open Tuesday, May 16 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Go to the Elections Office website to identify your polling place.
Sandpoint Travers Park ‘inclusive play’ presentation and playground tour By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff Sandpoint area residents are invited to attend an “Inclusive Play Presentation and Playground Tour,” set for Tuesday, May 16 from 11 a.m.-1 p.m., hosted by the city of Sandpoint and featuring a presentation by inclusive play specialist Jill Moore, of Landscape Structures Inc. Following Moore’s presentation, the tour will take place at the existing Travers Park playground (2102 Pine St.), where the city is planning to design and build a new play facility with features intended to meet the needs of children regardless of their physical abilities. Sandpoint Parks Planning and Development Manager Maeve Nevins-Lavtar presented the inclusive playground concept in November 2022, telling the City Council at the time that while all every improvement on public property must adhere to federal Americans with Disabilities Act regulations, “inclusive design is above and beyond ADA.” The new playground project is part of an ambitious overhaul of Travers Park, which includes the $7.5 million James E. Russell Sports Center as its centerpiece, alongside an expanded skatepark and bicycle pump track. Plans to replace the current playground, which the city built in 2011, have spurred some pushback on the cost — $500,000 from a state grant and $500,000 in matching funds from the city — as well as the necessity and location, with opposition focused on whether the existing playground could be improved rather than replaced, and displeasure with the sports center being constructed on the site of the current playset. City officials have repeated that while the playground had been compliant with ADA upon 6 / R / May 11, 2023
construction 12 years ago, it no longer meets the standards — let alone considered “inclusive.” The May 16 event will begin at 11 a.m. in the City Council chambers at City Hall (1123 Lake St.) with a presentation by Moore, which “will provide community members with an opportunity to learn how inclusive playground designs can meet the unique needs of all children. Attendees will learn about the range of disabilities of playground users, and tips and strategies will be provided on how to make small to major changes in play spaces to make playgrounds not just welcoming, but engaging, challenging and therapeutic,” according to the city. Moore has served as an inclusive play specialist with Landscape Structures since 2017, with the goal of incorporating disability inclusion into playground product development and design practices. She has also represented Team USA as a multi-sport athlete, emphasizing the importance of equitable access to opportunities for play. “With a specific focus on merging lived experience with universal design principles, Jill promotes and educates on integrating inclusion in play, and bringing people with disabilities into the conversation,” the city stated. Lunch will be provided for in-person attendees that RSVP for the presentation in advance — courtesy of PlayCreation, Inc., which is sponsoring the event — and a virtual meeting link is optional for the presentation portion of the event. To attend in person and get a free lunch, email recreation@sandpointIdaho.gov and add “RSVP PLAY” in the subject line. RSVP by Saturday, May 13 at 5 p.m. for guaranteed lunch, as space is limited. To attend virtually via Zoom, register for the meeting at sandpointidaho.gov/your-government/meetings.
Bits ’n’ Pieces From east, west and beyond East, west or beyond, sooner or later events elsewhere may have a local impact. A recent sampling: Prescribed burn associations are spreading like wildfire to prevent catastrophic wildfire. According to the recent Smithsonian magazine, a group of property owners share equipment and labor, along with training and experience, for what is akin to a barn-raising. A “burn boss” plans and coordinates a controlled burn, assures proper weather conditions, then, with association members, helps a landowner who has already thinned out small trees and trimmed lower branch ladder fuels. Tasks include torching small piles of forest debris. Does it work? One homeowner (who built with cement board siding and a metal roof) thinned and groomed his 10 acres of trees, used an under-burn cooperative to remove flammables, then evacuated when the 2021 Dixie Fire approached. That 103day fire, which swallowed 960,000 acres and destroyed 1,300 structures, did not damage the homeowner’s property. Scientists are calling reports of “unprecedented” warm ocean temperatures a step into “uncharted territory.” They don’t know if the warmer waters are a short-term extreme or “the start of something much more serious,” The Guardian reported. A man who attacked police officers at the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol riot has been sentenced to 14 years, the AP reported. Meanwhile, the U.S. Justice Department is seeking a 25-year sentence against the Oath Keepers founder for “seditious conspiracy.” Other Oath Keepers face sentences ranging from 10 to 21 years. According to federal statistics, 253,000 non-farm jobs were added in April, and unemployment fell to 3.4%. Average hourly wages rose 0.5%. Historian Heather Cox Richardson regards the numbers as a logical outcome of the current administration’s policies focused on bringing supply chains home, building infrastructure, boosting new manufacturing and the passage of various acts that invest in workers. Prior to action that could result in national debt default, congressional Republicans introduced legislation that would add $5.3 trillion to the national debt, according to Americans for Tax Fairness. Included: making Trump-era tax cuts for the wealthy permanent (costing $3 trillion), and eliminating the estate tax (costing $1.8 trillion) — the latter applies only to 1,900 ultra-wealthy families. Facing a June 1 deadline for resolution of how or if to raise the debt ceiling, a bipartisan meeting this week of House
By Lorraine H. Marie Reader Columnist
and Senate leaders will explore Republicans’ demands. Republicans have said they won’t raise the debt ceiling, which allows for paying already incurred bills, unless their demands are met — erasing many of President Joe Biden’s accomplishments, including a healthy postCOVID economy and the lowest unemployment in decades. The debt ceiling was lifted three times when Trump was in office, which increased discretionary spending 16%. The Biden administration is weighing whether to disregard Republican debt ceiling demands and instead rely on a 14th Amendment clause that says national debts must be paid, The New York Times reported. Problems to that include an “immediate court challenge,” creation of temporary bond market uncertainty and elevating government borrowing costs. There’s never before been a U.S. debt default. The White House Council of Economic Advisors has presented three debt ceiling scenarios: if the issue is resolved before June 1, unemployment would rise 0.1% and 200,000 jobs would be at risk; if the default lasts less than a week, unemployment would rise 0.3% and there would be a 500,000 job loss; a longer default could mean 8.3 million people losing their jobs and a 45% stock market fall. While Republicans are claiming inflation is due to injecting too much money into the economy via social welfare programs, The Wall Street Journal disagrees, recently reporting that the main factor in inflation has been price gouging by corporations. A Texas student learned of books being removed from the English curriculum and started a Banned Book Club, ACLU Magazine reported. The club has grown and members say they appreciate defending their right to learn about society and the larger world. Ukraine has suggested Russia is using phosphorous munitions in Bakhmut, a war crime in civilian areas. A federal jury in New York City recently awarded more than $5 million to a woman who had accused formerj-President Donald Trump of raping her. The jury decided Trump had “sexually abused” the woman, according to Reuters. Blast from the past: “Our Constitution does not start with ensuring tranquility. It starts with establishing justice.” — Rev. Dr. William Barber, a North Carolina pastor, in a conversation he had with Joe Biden before Biden became a presidential nominee.