Reader_May29_2025

2 / R / May 29, 2025

DEAR READERS,

The week in random review

By Ben Olson Reader Staff

That ‘passing look’

I’ve always been one to study people, if not for pure entertainment value than for the simple desire to understand what makes some of us weirdos tick.

One thing I’ve always found amusing is that “passing look” we sometimes give each other. You know what I’m talking about: When passing someone on a sidewalk or in a hallway and making eye contact, the vast majority of us will press our lips in that way that says, “I see you. I have nothing to say, but you exist.” It’s like a benign grimace, as if to impress on the other person that, “We’re in this together,” but at the same time, “I prefer to just keep on walking, thank you very much.” It’s one of those human interactions that I have a hard time putting into words, because it happens a couple dozen times a day and you’ll never notice it until you look for it. (And now that you’ve read this, you won’t help but notice it everywhere.

Sorry about that.)

the best compliment

Sometimes the best compliments come from strangers. I was living in Los Angeles at the time of this story, feeling a bit lonely and missing the simple connection we enjoy dozens of times a day when seeing friends and acquaintances in a small town like Sandpoint. In a big city like L.A., nobody knows you, nor do they care to know you. It’s dog-eat-dog and, if you’re left behind, that’s your problem.

I had the day off and decided to wander around downtown. I ate at my favorite dive called Philippe’s — where the French dip sandwich was invented — then strolled through the flower district smelling millions of blooms that just barely covered the persistent urine smell of the sidewalks.

While crossing the street, an older woman walked right up to me and said, “I really love that shirt on you!” I stopped and looked down at my ratty old polo shirt. It was my dad’s and there was nothing special about it at all. He probably bought it on sale at JCPenney sometime during the Reagan administration.

“Oh, uh, thanks,” I said, moving to keep walking, but she gently blocked my path and continued on with her compliments, as if we’d been friends for years and not just two people passing on Alameda Street.

“This must be a special shirt for you,” she continued. “It looks like you’ve had it a while.”

“It was my dad’s,” I said.

“I see,” she nodded and placed a hand on either one of my shoulders as she looked into my eyes. “He loved you. I can tell. He loved you.”

With that, she smiled and continued walking in the direction she was going. I did the same. As I reached the sidewalk and the cross traffic resumed, I looked back and saw her talking with another stranger, who walked away with a goofy smile on his face.

I still think of her simple compliment today, more than two decades later. That’s the power of a compliment. Pass it on.

Our stalwart Reader Publisher Ben Olson hasn’t been in the office — nor the country — for the past three weeks. He and his partner, Cadie, have been trekking through the Balkans, including Albania, Macedonia and Montenegro; however, despite the nine or so hours of time difference, he’s been checking in on us with more regularity than I would if I was there and he was here.

That’s been a good thing, because he’s a good boss and human being. Mostly, it’s given Senior Writer Soncirey Mitchell and me the opportunity for some vicarious living, and the living is good. Meanwhile, fear not Sandpoint: Ben and Cadie are doing quite well, supped and sated on varieties of lamb and local booze, and will be home in time for the Thursday, June 5 edition. Meanwhile, if you see Soncirey around town, buy her the biggest glass of decent white wine available — as she’s been doing Ben’s job while he’s away, and I must say she’s been doing it with all the fearless aplomb, grace and wisdom anyone could be expected to have, either here or there.

– Zach Hagadone, editor-in-chief

READER 111 Cedar Street, Suite 9 Sandpoint, ID 83864 208-946-4368 sandpointreader.com

Publisher: Ben Olson ben@sandpointreader.com Editorial: Zach Hagadone (Editor) zach@sandpointreader.com Soncirey Mitchell (Senior Writer) soncirey@sandpointreader.com Editors Emeriti: Lyndsie Kiebert-Carey Cameron Rasmusson John Reuter Advertising: Ben Olson ben@sandpointreader.com Contributing Artists: Soncirey Mitchell (cover), Selkirk Fire & Rescue, Sarah Mitchell, Zach Hagadone, Rich Milliron, Music Conservatory of Sandpoint Contributing Writers: Zach Hagadone, Ben Olson, Soncirey Mitchell, Lorraine H. Marie, Brenden Bobby, Marcia Pilgeram, Jillian Chandler, Nishelle Gonzales, Abby Urbanek, Lauren Necochea Submit Stories To: stories@sandpointreader.com Printed Weekly At: Tribune Publishing Co. Lewiston, ID Subscription Price: $185 per year Website Designed By: Keokee The Sandpoint Reader is a weekly publication owned by Ben Olson and Keokee. It is devoted to the arts, entertainment, bluster, politics and lifestyle in and around Sandpoint, Idaho.

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

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

Letter to the Editor Policy: We welcome letters to the editor on all relavant topics. Please, no more than 300 words, no excessive profanity or libelous statements and no trolls. Please elevate the discussion and stay on topic.

Letters will be edited to comply with the above requirements. Opinons expressed in these pages are those of the writers, not necessarily the publisher. Send to: letters@sandpointreader.com About the Cover: This week’s cover celebrates Idaho’s spring lupines. Photo by Soncirey Mitchell.

May 29, 2025 / R / 3

NEWS

State, local responders battle fiveacre Laclede area fire

Springtime blaze came about a week after May 20 election defeat for fire district levies

By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff First responders with Selkirk Fire & Rescue battled a blaze May 27 that grew to include multiple structures and vehicles, as well as about five acres of vegetation, triggering an evacuation order in the Laclede area that has since been lifted.

According to an alert from officials, the fire was reported around 2:41 p.m. on a section of Lower Manley Creek Road, which prompted “ready” status for residents on Upper and Lower Manley Creek before being lifted around 6:18 p.m.

Selkirk Fire responded while requesting additional resources, and thanked interagency partners such as Bonner County Emergency Management, Bonner County EMS, Bonner County Sheriff’s Office, Northside and West Pend Oreille fire districts, as well as the Idaho Department of Lands, which took over full containment around 6:50 p.m. on May 27.

No injuries were reported, though according to a May 28 update from IDL, the fire is still active, 47 crew members mopping up hot spots and reinforcing the fire line. IDL stated that a “system of hoses” has been put in place to treat flare-ups.

“There was no additional growth overnight as firefighters were able to put a line around the fire and spot fires last night,” IDL stated on May 28, adding that a four-person group of standalone initial attack firefighters were on the scene.

According to area media, the fire posed a special hazard to responders, as it included a structure housing diesel and propane. Selkirk Fire, Northside Fire and 4 / R / May 29, 2025

IDL worked the fire together, which included helicopter air support and a number of engines from the state agency, alongside other local resources. An investigation into the cause of the blaze is ongoing, with IDL stating May 28 that investigators with the state fire marshal’s office were on-site.

Based on the latest information from IDL, Selkirk Fire was focused on the structure fire, with four state agency engines on the scene, as well as two Forest Service groups composed of Kaniksu Wildfire and a Pulaski hand crew, one crew of IDL initial attack firefighters, two water tenders and portable water tanks, and two helicopters on standby through the afternoon of May 28.

Selkirk’s response to the fire came about a week after the May 20 election, in which voters rejected levy requests for the Northside, Sagle and Westside fire districts — all of which are helmed by Selkirk Fire Chief Jeff Armstrong.

In a May 21 statement posted on Selkirk Fire’s Facebook page, Armstrong wrote that while he respected the voters’ decision, “One of the things we saw through these discussions is that there are many folks who don’t know their fire district. For those that made statements regarding ‘waste,’ we challenge you to come in and examine our books. Perhaps through this exercise, we can regain your trust. We also saw a lot of other mis- and disinformation, on both sides of the issue, including the claim we hired a consultant for the levy. This is false.”

The Bonner County Republican Central Committee staked out a strong stance against the levies, calling them “massive tax increases” that come at a time when “taxpay-

ers are already being pinched by record inflation and taxes for income, gas, groceries, sales taxes and other property taxes and government fees.”

If approved, the Northside Fire District levy would have raised an additional $1.2 million per year on a permanent basis, amounting to a tax of $61 per $100,000 of taxable assessed value. In Sagle, the fire district asked for a permanent increase for a total override of $750,000, resulting in a tax increase to $122 per year per $100,000 of taxable value. Likewise, Westside sought to raise an additional $810,358, also carrying a total tax burden of $122 per year per $100,000.

All three levies were intended to support recruitment and retention of firefighters; fuller staffing of area fire stations; and equipment, maintenance and general operations.

Northside’s levy was defeated 1,059 to 559 — or 65.45% to 34.55% — while Sagle’s went down 1,253 against and 741 in favor, for a margin of 62.84% to 37.16% and Westside’s was 402 against and 339 in favor, for 54.25% to 45.75%.

In his May 21 statement,

Courtesy of Selkirk Fire & Rescue.

Armstrong said that in the wake of the election results he’d be focusing on staffing levels and working to outfit volunteers.

Meanwhile, he is recommending removing the paid staff from the Careywood fire station in the Sagle district by Sunday, June 1. The Westside Fire District will continue with a single full-time firefighter per day, though the Samuels station in the Northside Fire District will not be staffed.

By eliminating the position in Careywood, Armstrong stated that the fire service will be able to save “a substantial amount in overtime and personnel costs,” with those funds “shifted immediately to the maintenance of our aging fleet, fire station repairs and equipment replacement.”

Armstrong stated that a recent capital replacement plan showed the need for up to $900,000 in investments over the next three to five years, including repairs and replacements to fire stations and apparatus, as well as personal protective equipment.

“The days of ‘kicking the can down the road’ are over!”

he wrote. “It will be my goal to return staffing to that station [Careywood] when financially feasible. As a note: ‘impact fees’ do not allow for the replacement of current equipment, or personnel, only the purchase of new equipment. As an example: a new fire engine for a new fire station, or other projects related directly to growth.”

Armstrong stated that as he addresses personnel costs, residents should “prepare for vacancies created by firefighters who may now leave the organization.”

“Northside also has some capital needs that need to be addressed, and we will explore all the options to stay on track with those,” he added. “With Ponderay having some of the largest commercial buildings and the most significant community risk, my concern for the Northside District is a bit unique.

“Next, we will be re-examining our automatic aid agreements and response planning, potentially scaling back the number of resources we commit (initially) to any emergency. Sending resources to a call is only one aspect of operational readiness. We must also ensure there are resources available to cover the area and respond to any subsequent calls for service.

Additionally, I have engaged with the Idaho Department of Lands (IDL) to coordinate and re-examine our responses to wildland/brush fire calls in the districts.”

Armstrong concluded his May 21 statement by saying that “the future will be challenging but we will remain mission focused and intent on making our fire districts some of the best in North Idaho and ones that can be admired by our community.”

NEWS

Bonner County to cease maintenance of Dog Beach

By Soncirey Mitchell Reader Staff The Bonner County board of commissioners unanimously voted May 27 to cease maintenance of Dog Beach, located on the northern side of the Long Bridge, after discovering that the county had no written contract with BNSF Railway, which controls the property.

Bonner County Department of Parks and Waterways Director Matt Zoeller said that his unit of government has been maintaining the property for years, after taking over from the city of Sandpoint in “some kind of weird verbal agreement,” as he described it at the May 20 business meeting of the BOCC. Zoeller recently discovered there was no written agreement when Sandpoint requested that the county fix exposed wiring and lighting issues at the beach.

“I was like, ‘OK, well let’s

look at the contract we have with BNSF and see what our maintenance obligations are,’” he said, later adding that he soon “realized, after reaching out to BNSF, we have no contract.”

Because the item was put on the May 20 BOCC agenda as a discussion — rather than an action — item, the board had to wait a week to vote on the issue.

The county has spent approximately $6,000 a year on labor, fuel and other

Dog Beach. Photo by Soncirey Mitchell. expenses at the site. In order to continue maintaining the property, which is owned by Idaho Transportation Department and controlled by BNSF as a right of way, the county would need to draw up a memorandum of understanding, take on additional insurance and pay rent.

“I did talk to BNSF about the option of basically a zero-sum agreement, where they would lease us the legal rights

to maintain it in return for public access in a clean space, and they were not interested,” said Zoeller.

BNSF offered to lease the land to the county for $4,500 — plus a $1,500 application fee — which would raise annual expenses to approximately $10,000. All three Bonner County commissioners expressed opposition to taking on the additional liability and expense, especially given Parks and Waterways’ limited budget.

“The budget of Waterways is a fee-based budget that doesn’t allow for that kind of flexibility,” said BOCC Chair Asia Williams.

“It just just doesn’t make sense [to maintain the beach.]

It’s not a fiscally responsible thing for the county to do, in my opinion,” added Commissioner Brian Domke.

Domke suggested that, if citizens wanted to, they could look into fundraising and maintaining the property themselves.

The board also considered obtaining a right of way directly from ITD; though, according to Zoeller, the county would still need permission from BNSF. Members of the public suggested that the county should put up signs warning users that they are liable for any potential injury to their persons or property. Both Domke and Deputy Prosecutor Bill Wilson advised that the county has no authority to place signs on private property, but instructed Zoeller to pass along the suggestion to BNSF. The motion to cease maintenance of the park passed unanimously. Though the county will no longer mow or clean the area, neither the commissioners nor Zoeller indicated that the decision would otherwise affect the public’s access.

“What the railroad does now is up to them,” Zoeller told the Reader May 28.

Sandpoint takes down lifeguard stands at City Beach Move comes after years of debate and struggle to attract qualified applicants

By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff City Hall has been debating what to do about Sandpoint’s moribund City Beach lifeguard program since at least the spring of 2023, when officials sounded the alarm about a shortage of individuals willing to sit on the stands and keep swimmers safe.

At that time, the COVID-19 pandemic had disrupted the training pipeline for qualified lifeguards, and discussions focused on increasing wages to attract applicants. Lacking anyone to sit on the City Beach stands, the program was suspended for both the summers of 2023 and 2024. In January, the city posted open positions for the 2025 summer season with a wage of $14.50 per hour. That pay was later increased to $16

per, but still no applicants came forward.

At the March 19 meeting, Councilor Pam Duquette asked whether lifeguard pay could be increased even further, noting that her granddaughter was making $18.50 an hour at Taco Bell.

“Something’s wrong. I mean, the lifeguards have responsibility,” she said.

Finally, at the May 21 meeting of the City Council, Community Planning and Development Director Jason Welker said that Sandpoint had made a more final decision to pull the plug on lifeguarding at City Beach, with the removal of the wooden stands that have stood for decades on the sands above the popular swimming location.

“The Parks crews did take down the lifeguard stands today,” Welker said on May 21, adding that Sandpoint Mayor

Jeremy Grimm had directed the department to remove the structures because of “challenges we’ve had in hiring and staffing our lifeguard program.”

Removing the stands was “the responsible thing to do, so there’s not a perception of public safety where really it’s going to be up to parents to monitor their kids at the beach this summer, as it has been for the past few years,” Welker said.

Worries that inadequate staffing of lifeguards at the beach might put the city in legal jeopardy have been a part of the ongoing conversation on the issue for years. According to past and current city officials, City Beach needs between 11 and 16 lifeguards on staff to operate at full capacity, assuming the typical 300 or so swimmers at the downtown waterfront park.

According to Grimm, the

American Red Cross requires one lifeguard per 25 swimmers.

“I can only imagine that if we don’t meet those standards we would probably expose ourselves to liability for not meeting standards,” Grimm said at the May 23, 2024 council meeting.

Officials have stated that the lifeguard shortage is not unique to Sandpoint, and that many other waterfront communities had already foregone staffing their beaches.

At the May 21 meeting, Duquette said she was “a little distraught” to see the lifeguard stands come down “with no thought of future lifeguards.”

Grimm responded that “there is thought of future lifeguards. It’s just when somebody walks out into a beach and sees a lifeguard stand, somehow — in the legal world — that could give them credibility to say, ‘I thought

there were lifeguards there — I saw a lifeguard stand.

Of course I let my 5-yearold who didn’t know how to swim go swimming unattended while I did something else.’

So it’s simply a preservation of liability and the prudent thing to do, considering we don’t have lifeguards.”

Duquette wondered whether the city would then have to rebuild lifeguard stands in the future — assuming there would be qualified applicants to serve on them — and pointed out that it would be an additional expense.

“I’m not an attorney, Councilwoman Duquette. I’m just trying to limit our liability,” Grimm said. “So what we can do next year [is] we can only hope that there’s a more robust interest in lifeguards and training lifeguards and a response from the community to sign up to be a lifeguard.”

May 29, 2025 / R / 5

NEWS Lakes Commission to host meeting on area dams and waterways Lake Pend Oreille to reach 2,060 feet by May 31

By Reader Staff The Lakes Commission will host a public meeting on Tuesday, June 3, from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. at the Priest River Event Center (5399 U.S. Hwy. 2). The agenda will include presentations on ongoing river and lake projects, as well as progress on the Albeni Falls Dam, among other topics.

Presenters will include members of the Idaho Department of Water Resources, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Avista, Idaho Department of Fish and Game, University of Idaho and Priest River Urban Renewal Agency. The meeting will not offer an option for virtual attendance.

The Corps will give an update on the Albeni Falls Dam and Lake Pend Oreille’s water level in conjunction with U of I, which completed a lake level economic impact study following the delay in reaching summer pool in 2024.

Engineers discovered delamination in the steel of the dam’s spillway gates in 2023 and have since undertaken

repair and replacement measures for all of the 70-year-old gates. The agency plans to replace one gate every six months beginning in 2027.

Spillway gates are currently operating either fully closed or fully open to reduce stress on the metal. Despite the limitations, the Corps recently announced that Lake Pend Oreille is set to reach 2,060 feet by Saturday, May 31. The Albeni Falls Dam is currently putting out 40,000 cubic feet of water per second, but it is still too early to predict when the lake will reach its usual full summer pool level of between 2,062 and 2,062.5 feet.

“Weather patterns, snowmelt rates and precipitation will all influence the refill timeline,” stated Upper Columbia Senior Water Manager Leon Basdekas in a recent news release. “We will complete refill once flood risk has passed while keeping with our requirement to minimize spillway gate movements.”

For more information or to see the meeting’s full agenda, visit lakescommission.org/june-3rd-2025.

Photos sought to furnish interior of nuclear attack sub USS Idaho

By Reader Staff

The commissioning committee for the forthcoming USS Idaho SSN 799 is seeking artistic submissions from Gem State residents to decorate the interior of the Virginia class nuclear-powered, fast-attack submarine.

In an announcement May 27, the committee called for photographic contributions on the theme of “Here We Have Idaho” — the title of the Idaho state song. Officials will select between 200 and 300 photos to be featured in a video on the theme, for presentation to the crew and visitors on monitors throughout the ship. A further 20-30 images will be printed and mounted either in frames or as vinyl murals in the submarine’s interior.

“Given the namesake of the ship is Idaho, the USS Idaho Commissioning Committee wants the interior of the vessel, where possible, to reflect the beauty, culture and spirit of Idaho,” 6 / R / May 29, 2025

officials stated.

Photographs used electronically and physically mounted will credit the photographer and briefly name the area of Idaho or landmark shown. Specifically, submissions are sought for one large mural — measuring approximately five feet by 18 feet long — two smaller murals, of three feet by 10 feet; and 20-30 framed pieces of various sizes.

Photos will be accepted through Thursday, July 31 and the contest is being held in partnership with the commissioning committee and Idaho Public Television. In addition, the new USS Idaho commemorative license plate will be available at Idaho DMV locations and online starting on Thursday, June 19.

The $2.6 billion ship was christened in March 2024 and is currently under construction in Groton, Conn., scheduled to be commissioned in 2026. After that, it will enter service for the next 30 or more years.

Get more info at ussidahocommittee.org/photo-contest.

Bits ’n’ Pieces From east, west and beyond

According to a recent Civiqs poll, 46% of registered voters said bringing manufacturing jobs back to the U.S. is more important than low prices; yet, 66% of those polled would not want to work on an assembly line. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that, as of March, the U.S. had 500,000 vacant manufacturing jobs.

In a late-night, 215-214 vote, Congress passed President Donald Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” Act (all Democrats voted “no,” along with two Republicans). It would extend 2017 tax cuts for the wealthy (due to expire in late 2025), add upward of $5 trillion to the national debt, and authorize $45 billion for a border wall, various media reported. To accomplish that: 8 million people will lose Medicaid coverage and Medicare will be cut by a half trillion dollars, while food aid will be cut by $250 billion.

The National Review described the bill as a “political spending spree wrapped in a tax-cut ribbon.” From Slate: “The Senate finds much of what the House is doing to be adorable. Look at them, playing grown-up Legislature!

The Senate fully intends to sand off the sharp edges … so many of the final decisions being made in the House … are unlikely to reach the finish line.”

House Republicans who flipped and voted for Trump’s budget bill, after opposing Medicaid cuts, could personally benefit from the bill’s proposed generous tax cuts, according to The American Prospect.

According to the Trust for Public Lands, D.C. lawmakers listened to the public and halted a “misguided provision” to sell off public lands in the West. TPL said 75% of Americans oppose the sales idea.

Oxfam report: The top 10 wealthiest American men collectively earned an extra $1 billion each day last year, as Trump pushes for their tax cuts.

The Defense Department confirmed the U.S. government has “accepted” a $400 million luxury jet from the Qatari royal family. The Brennan Center said that if the jet remains the possession of the U.S. government, it does not violate the emoluments clause. Experts talking to NPR argued it will take years to rework the jet to meet “mobile White House” standards. Estimates are $1 billion for the overhaul.

Bloomberg reported that Trump’s recent private dinner for top holders of $TRUMP cryptocurrency includ-

By Lorraine H. Marie Reader Contributor

ed 19 of the 25 “top wallets” from outside the U.S. According to NBC, Trump signed the “Take It Down Act,” which requires social media companies to remove non-consensual sexually explicit imagery (whether real and fake). If the images are not removed within 48 hours of a victims’ request, it becomes a federal crime.

Trump recently announced a $175 billion three-year plan for building a “Golden Dome” missile defense system.

The Congressional Budget Office said that the U.S. would need to spend more than $500 billion, during the next 20 years for a “truly comprehensive” missile defense shield.

The administration plans to spend up to $250 million to repatriate immigrants back to conflict zones. That would include 700,000 Ukrainian and Haitian immigrants, The Washington Post reported.

During Trump’s FEMA “overhaul,” and amid talk of eliminating FEMA, Mississippi residents have been waiting more than two months for federal funds to help with tornado damage, the Associated Press reported. In Missouri, FEMA has not shown up to help with $1 billion in damages, according to St. Louis Mayor Cara Spencer.

FEMA has also denied a request to help Hurricane Helene recovery in North Carolina, where 107 people died and roads and homes were destroyed.

FEMA lost most of its leadership due to DOGE cuts.

Russia launched its largest drone and missile attacks on Ukraine since the former’s 2022 invasion. On Truth Social, Trump wrote, “He [Vladimir Putin] has gone absolutely CRAZY!” Trump also faulted talk from Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who said the terrorist strikes are “sufficient reason” for new sanctions against Russia, and the “silence of America … encourages Putin.”

Russia was behind fires that burned Warsaw’s 1,400-business shopping mall last year, as well as an Ikea store.

The Week reported that the fires were meant to destabilize regional politics, and are part of a “hybrid war” tactic that includes sabotage, cyberattacks and disinformation.

Blast from the past: “If we desire respect for the law, we must first make the law respectable.” — Supreme Court Justice Louis D. Brandeis, (1856-1941), who served on the U.S. Supreme Court from 1916-1939.

NEWS

Officials break ground on $13M Timberline Helicopter expansion in Sandpoint

By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff

Just shy of three months after the Idaho Economic Advisory Council cleared the way for Timberline Helicopters’ expansion in Sandpoint, representatives from the locally based company joined City Hall officials May 21 to break ground on a new $13 million facility at the Sandpoint Airport.

Mayor Jeremy Grimm and Timberline President Tyson Davis gathered with a number of other dignitaries, including those from Washington Trust Bank and Idagon, to ceremonially turn dirt for the facility, which will include a 42,000-square-foot structure and two 8,000-square-foot quonset storage buildings at 902 E. Mountain View Drive, just to the east of the airport runway.

Timberline will use the approximate nine-acre site to “repair, manufacture parts, assemble and disassemble helicopters,” according to planning documents filed with the city.

According to a news release from City Hall, the facility will create about 24 jobs, including 20 airframe and powerplant mechanic positions, which, as the Reader previously reported, will carry salaries that may exceed $80,000.

Timberline specializes in “heavy-

lift” helicopter services, aerial firefighting and external load operations. The company operates a feet of Blackhawk and K1200 helicopters and other aircraft, supporting firefighting, infrastructure projects and other specialized aerial operations.

Calling it “a transformative investment that underscores our commitment to diversifying the local economy beyond tourism and toward high-wage, high-skill industries,” City Hall also stated, “These roles not only offer competitive wages but also stimulate additional employment opportunities

Sandpoint city officials and Timberline Helicopter representatives break ground at the site of the company’s new 42,000-square-foot facility.

Courtesy photo. in our community.”

In March, the city estimated that Timberline’s expansion would contribute to more than 20 additional indirect jobs in the region and another 12 induced jobs in the local aerospace industry.

City Hall highlighted that Daher Kodiak, which acquired Quest Aircraft in 2019, has since increased

production of the Kodiak 100 and 900 aircraft in Sandpoint, and increased its production capacity in 2024.

Meanwhile, Sandpoint-headquartered Tamarack Aerospace Group specializes in the “Active Winglet” technology, which improves aircraft performance and fuel efficiency.

“These companies, along with Timberline Helicopters, are fostering a robust aerospace cluster in Sandpoint, creating high-quality jobs and contributing to the city’s economic resilience,” the city stated. “The growth of industrial and commercial projects like these not only diversifies our economic base but also increases the city’s tax revenue. This expanded tax base helps to alleviate the financial burden on residential property owners, promoting a more balanced and sustainable fiscal environment.”

Timberline’s local expansion was made possible in part through the Idaho Department of Commerce via the Tax Reimbursement Incentive program, which provides performance-based tax credits to qualifying businesses.

“As we witness the continued ascent of Sandpoint’s aerospace industry, the city remains committed to supporting initiatives that drive innovation, create employment opportunities and enhance the quality of life for all residents,” Grimm stated.

Idaho Enters the 100 Deadliest Days

By Reader Staff As Memorial Day approaches, Idaho enters the “100 Deadliest Days,” the period between Memorial Day and Labor Day, when the state historically experiences a spike in fatal and serious injury crashes. This year, the Idaho Office of Highway Safety is urging drivers to prioritize safety and make responsible choices behind the wheel.

According to OHS, as of May 12, there have been 74 traffic fatalities in Idaho, compared to 57 at the same time last year — underscoring the importance of heightened awareness and caution during the summer months,

the agency stated.

“We call this period the 100 Deadliest Days, but it would be great to be proven wrong,” stated OHS Program Manager Josephine Middleton in a news release. “Make it safer out there for yourself and others, and remember, when traveling in rural areas, to be extra vigilant because emergency crash response times are more challenging.”

While winter driving conditions are often perceived as more hazardous, but the summer season presents its own set of challenges, OHS stated. With more people on vacation, attending events and engaging in recreational activities, the roads become busier. This increase in traffic, combined with factors such

as distracted driving, speeding and impaired driving, contributes to the higher incidence of crashes.

Additionally, warmer weather brings more motorcyclists and bicyclists onto the roads, increasing the need for drivers to share the road responsibly.

“We have a lot of wonderful partners from law enforcement to construction workers, helping to make Idaho’s roads safe, but we all need to do our part,” Middleton stated. “As drivers, we can all do a better job of looking out for each other on our roads and make it safely through this summer.”

Safety tips for the 100 Deadliest Days To help reduce the number of

crashes and fatalities, OHS recommends the following: • Wear a seat belt: Seat belts increase your odds of surviving a crash by nearly 50%.

• Drive engaged: Stay free from distractions and focus on the road ahead.

• Never drive impaired: Always plan for a sober ride home, whether it’s a cab, rideshare, designated driver or staying overnight where you are drinking.

• Slow down: Aggressive driving was a factor in 61% of the fatal crashes in rural areas in 2023.

For more information and resources, visit itd.idaho.gov/safety.

May 29, 2025 / R / 7

Letter to the editor...

‘Uff da!’…

Bouquets: • This is a bit delayed, because I wrote it before embarking on my travels, but I wanted to give a Bouquet to the city of Sandpoint for turning around the new city parking lot so quickly. When they gave a timeline of finishing the lot before Lost in the ’50s weekend, I scoffed and said, “We’ll see.”

They did it, though, and even better, they left a bunch of the existing trees thanks to some Sandpointians weighing in their opinions. Nice job, everyone.

Barbs: • Here’s a Big, Ugly Barb dedicated to our two U.S. Reps. Mike Simpson and Russ Fulcher for voting in favor of the so-called “Big, Beautiful Bill.” Big Pile of Shit, more accurately. These two Republicans voted to slash SNAP benefits, which feed many members of our community.

They voted for massive cuts to Medicaid, which heals many members of our community.

They voted to end the Department of Education, which helps educate our next generation. I have a challenge to Rep. Fulcher, who sat in the Reader offices not more than a month ago and assured our readers to “hang on” — that better time were ahead. If you believe in this bill so much, how about coming out of hiding and holding a town hall to explain how this bill makes our community better. Take questions from your actual constituents and listen to their stories. I’ll set it all up. You just have to show up. Or continue serving your convicted felon master. Otherwise, let’s just call Fulcher, Simpson and the other 213 Republicans who voted for this what they really are: Big, Fat Cowards.

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Dear editor, Among the emotions ignited by the classic cars parked on downtown streets last Saturday were treasured memories of old pals, parents and places those chariots once took me, back in the olden days.

(Closing in on 94, I mean Olden Days. Specifically the 1950s.)

I counted seven replica cars I owned in the 1950s during Air Force years in Georgia, college years in California and corporate beginnings in NYC; an antique Studebaker, a merry Oldsmobile, an MG, a souped up Mercury, and several born-again Fords from the 1930s.

But no early Bimmers or British roadsters like I once owned — and are the most memorable for a whole bunch of mainly romantic reasons.

Because of crapped out kidneys I spend Saturday mornings in Sandpoint’s dialysis clinic and have missed the last three years of Lost in the ’50s. But I hauled off and played hooky on Saturday.

The last time I strolled downtown streets decorated with classic cars and memories was in May 2022, with one of my best-ever buddies, the late sage of Sandpoint, Erik Daarstad.

Walking the route alone last weekend made me remember and smile at favorite cars from yesteryear — and, as I gawked, I missed them, along with the years of youth they revived. But not like I missed good pal Erik when, three years ago, we walked and talked along the downtown avenues at Lost in the ’50s. Uff da, Erik!

Tim H. Henney Sandpoint

[Editor’s note: Tim might take exception to the above editorial change, but I did some research and the shorthand term for BMW cars is, in fact, spelled “Bimmer.” “Beamer” and “Beemer” refer only to BMW motorcycles. If he was tearing around on Beamer or Beemer motorbikes, I apologize, but am pretty sure he meant automobiles. For my source, I cite bmw.com.]

‘Big bad billionaire bill’…

Dear editor, I read with interest the Congressional Budget Office report on the cuts to our Medicaid program

that are in the budget bill being considered by the majority in Congress. These are the cuts that Russ Fulcher told the Reader aren’t there [Feature, “Congressman Russ Fulcher sits down for a Reader interview,” May 1, 2025].

“I’m on the committee and I’d know,” or some such, he said. He is apparently clueless. The cuts are there for all to see. We all know he will be voting for them. Ten million Americans will lose their health insurance with these cuts (Democrats say 13 million — Republicans admit to only 8 million). The cuts will lead to the closure of small rural hospitals — likely including our own BGH. We need representatives who aren’t rubber-stamping this and all the other cuts. From the Newark Airport mess to the closure of Springy Point limiting access to our lake, Idahoans, our neighbors, we all, are being affected by the haphazard cuts our representatives and senators are supporting.

Oh, and by the way, the “no tax on tips and overtime” is temporary, and the “no tax on Social Security payments” isn’t in the bill.

The big bad billionaire bill doesn’t work for us.

Rick Price Sagle

Acronymic…

Dear editor, The Grifter-in-Chief does believe in DEI: Disruption, Egomania, Incompetence.

Ted Wert Sandpoint

Urge Congress to press for ‘Trump$ removal’…

Dear editor, On this early Memorial Day morning, I am drawn back many years to my very small hometown in central Iowa where friends, families, military veterans, ball teams, FFA , scouts and bands would gather from miles around to pay tribute to all of those who had given their lives defending our democracy. Then I realize it is nearly 250 years of the greatest democracy the world has ever known — and I am shocked back into our current reality.

The billionaires, the GOP and the Heritage Foundation (Project 2025) have gone to great expense, effort and planning to re-elect the greatest danger to democracy that this nation has ever seen.

The Founding Fathers could never have imagined that a psychopathic narcissist and adjudicated felon could ever get elected as president. How many lies has he told, how many laws has he broken? How many lives have been lost by his actions or inactions? Where was the Supreme Court? How many millions have taken the oath “to protect the Constitution against all enemies foreign and domestic,” and how many have given their lives to do so?

Contact our — better yet, all — Congress members and demand

that they assert themselves toward Donald Trump$ removal, or face the same fate.

The real power (for now) is in the hands of the people. We just have to convince our elected officials: They could retire heroes on the right side of history, or die as accomplices.

Go to idaho.gov and get all the contact info you need. Do it soon.

We may not have until the next election...

Jay Omundson Cocolalla

Approval of Church St. apartments was shortsighted

By Ann Giantvalley Reader Contributor I attended the Sandpoint Planning and Zoning Commissioners’ meeting on May 20. The proposed 45-foot-tall buildings of 88 275-squarefoot studios and 360-squarefoot one-bedroom apartments with retail space on the ground floor and three parking spaces and no elevators was presented by OZ Sandpoint for the public to hear and comment on.

Two of the speakers were in support, two or three were neutral, and the rest (more than 15) were opposed to these mega (for Sandpoint) and boring buildings at 413 and 417 Church St. Apparently, these are being offered as low/reasonable cost apartments for locals — not subsidized housing.

The rental cost will be under $1,500 per month. Yes, you read that right.

First I am not opposed to reasonable development for housing. I do have concerns with keeping the character of our cherished downtown Sandpoint. It is primarily a low-rise business district with residential housing surrounding the six-square-block business core on three sides and stretching out to city limits, which feels right for a town of about 10,000.

Consider someone making $15 per hour, with a monthly income of $2,400 before taxes, paying half their income in rent? Not a good model. Also

consider that the development offers no parking provided — as Americans, we own cars.

Besides all that, who will live in a tiny apartment with one or two windows pretty much looking at your neighbor’s apartment? And moving your bed and couch up three floors with no elevator? Pity the workers who install the refrigerators/stoves. It doesn’t look like any washers/dryers are in the apartments. FYI: The average size of a hotel room in the U.S. is 300-400 square feet.

Then there are three older and beautiful maples on the street. I certainly hope those will stay. Also, a few other trees on the property that appear healthy — what happens to them? We need our trees.

I just do not understand the shortsightedness of accepting this application. Maybe the city is obligated by laws to accept any proposal that checks all the boxes.

A last concern: If what I heard at the meeting was correct, in 10 years these buildings can become condos, which can lead to more shortterm rentals — just what we need and love.

I hope there is a way to reject this proposal.

Sandpoint city employees: Beware of business people with perfectly coiffed hair, wearing the latest designer clothes and rocking a Rolex on their wrist.

There is no care or concern for our little town. Ella Mae and L.D. Farmin are turning in their graves.

PERSPECTIVES

GOP legislators mock the Idahoans who provide your health care

By Lauren Necochea Reader Contributor

Lawmakers are elected to serve the people of Idaho, by the people of Idaho. Any Idahoan who approaches our elected leaders with concerns should be treated with dignity and respect. Sadly, we saw an utter breakdown of this basic decency during a recent legislative panel at the College of Eastern Idaho.

Dr. Jennifer Cook, one of the state’s leading medical educators, tried to explain to lawmakers the harm caused to Idaho patients by the state’s extreme abortion bans. She shared a harrowing account of a pregnant woman, with a pre-viability fetus, who began bleeding uncontrollably. But doctors couldn’t intervene until she was at the brink of death because Idaho law tied their hands.

As she spoke, Rep. Josh

Tanner, R-Eagle, turned to Rep. Dustin Manwaring, R-Pocatello, and sneered, “That’s not true,” for the audience to hear. When Dr. Cook acknowledged that some committee members were rolling their eyes, Tanner scoffed.

A life-threatening emergency was met with open disdain.

That moment wasn’t just disrespectful, it was a window into how the Republican supermajority governs: With disregard for the harm they cause and no intention of changing course.

Since the bans took effect in 2022, Idaho has lost nearly one in four OB-GYNs and six of its initial nine maternal-fetal medicine specialists.

Hospitals in Sandpoint, Emmett and Caldwell have closed their maternity wards.

Specialists are leaving. Today, 22 out of 44 counties in Idaho have no OB-GYNs. Idaho ranks last in the nation for physicians per capita.

When politics drives doctors out, it’s our families who pay the price in longer waits, fewer options and higher risks. Worse, they’re also sabotaging the training pipeline that could help replace them.

Most Republicans voted against the Idaho LAUNCH program, which trains students for in-demand fields like health care. [Editor’s note: Rep. Mark Sauter, R-Sandpoint, voted in favor of LAUNCH in the 2023 Legislature, while then-Sen. Scott Herndon, R-Sagle, and then-Rep. Sage Dixon, R-Ponderary, were against.]

Most also opposed an incentive program to increase nursing capacity in rural communities.

[Editor’s note: Sauter voted “aye,” and Dixon and Herndon were “nay” votes on the bill in the 2023

Lauren Necochea. File photo.

Legislature.]

These initiatives only exist because every single Democrat voted for them.

This year, the attacks escalated. Manwaring, the same lawmaker complicit in the public ridicule of Dr. Cook, introduced legislation to end Idaho’s longstanding partnership with the University of Washington’s WWAMI program. For decades, WWAMI has trained Idaho students to become doctors who serve their home communities.

Manwaring’s rationale? He feared medical students might learn about abortion care.

That’s just part of the hypocrisy of the Idaho GOP’s extreme abortion ban. They falsely claim abortion care is legal in every emergency, while blocking training in this lifesaving, fertility-preserving care.

We can elect leaders who respect doctors, protect patients and understand that deeply personal medical decisions should never be dictated by politicians. Next year, voters will have the chance to hold those responsible for this crisis accountable.

Idaho deserves better. Our lives depend on it.

Lauren Necochea is chair of the Idaho Democratic Party and a former District 19 legislator.

Necochea spent a decade leading nonprofit programs dedicated to research and advocacy in tax policy, health care and children’s issues.

May 29, 2025 / R / 9

Mad about Science:

Brought to you by:

diesel-electric locomotives

By Brenden Bobby Reader Columnist If you grew up around here, you likely learned a bit about steam locomotives during Pacific Northwest History class in high school.

Since at least the 1890s, the bulk of this area’s population has relied on the railroads, which moved lumber from the region and shipped it elsewhere for big profit.

Steam locomotives worked by housing a large boiler tank over a coal-stoked fire. Steam pipes were vented to various mechanical devices on the engine of the locomotive, which would drive pistons designed to turn the wheels.

The use of steam locomotives advanced with technology, which also included functions such as providing heating for passenger cars.

That was a massive oversimplification of the functioning of steam locomotion, but it sets a baseline.

Steam locomotives are rarer now, with heavy freight haulers having been replaced by diesel-electric locomotives, which begs the question: Why diesel-electric and not simply diesel?

Let’s compare the efficiency of a diesel-electric locomotive with a diesel long-haul truck.

A diesel-electric engine in a locomotive is designed to achieve maximum efficiency under predictable and controlled conditions.

Converting diesel fuel into electrical energy for use in a locomotive’s drivetrain is up to four times more efficient than when being used by a long-haul truck. On average, a locomotive of this design can transport 2,000 pounds of freight up to 500 miles on a single gallon of fuel. In that

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case, why even bother using a diesel truck?

Both vehicles have their place in the distribution chain.

Freight trains are designed to carry huge quantities of goods across vast distances with minimal stops. This means that it would be extremely inefficient to have a train station built into your department store to stop and unload at every town, as the train would need to devote more time and energy to stopping and starting repeatedly. Instead, trains transport goods to distribution centers that can transfer smaller loads to fleets of larger trucks that can navigate highways and town roads to deliver individual goods to store shelves and post offices.

Most freight locomotives are built similarly for ease of use, repair and to follow specific regulations related to railway operation — unlike passenger vehicles, which are more customizable and vary from maker to maker. Uniformity is the name of the game when you’re seeking prime optimization for distribution.

There are walkways on either side of the locomotive, with paneling that allows for engineer access to the internal components. The operator’s cab is small and located where you’d expect, with the windowed section near the head of the train above and behind the cowcatcher and the nose of the vehicle. There is a door on the nose of the vehicle that allows for access, with a small bathroom below the seating area — though, to be honest, calling it a “room” is a bit of a stretch, as there’s just enough room to sit and take care of business.

The auxiliary cab is located directly behind the operator’s cab, which contains several

vital electronics for maintaining the locomotive’s operation, with the engine located behind that.

The engine runs similarly to virtually any other diesel engine, with diesel fuel powering pistons that crank a huge alternator that acts as an electrical generator powering the locomotive. This is primarily how the engine differs from an automobile, which utilizes internal combustion engines as a means of locomotion. Large traction motors are what drive the locomotive, and these are powered electrically and not directly by the diesel engine.

Those means of locomotion utilize DC current, which is converted from AC current through components in the aux cab. This is one of the more technical and complex aspects of the locomotive, so if you are looking for more information about this process, you may want to ask an engineer or check out a book from the library about locomotives or electrical systems.

As you can imagine, anything involving movement and a large amount of electrical power will create a lot of heat.

There are vents above the trucks — where the wheels are housed — that pull in air and vent it directly to the traction motors to keep them cool during operation.

On the topic of heat, braking a vehicle of this size and weight is an impressive feat.

There are two forms of braking involved, called dynamic braking and pneumatic braking. The pneumatic braking system essentially uses huge air compressors to drive a piston that controls a brake shoe, creating friction that slows the train by converting energy into heat. There is a brake pipe that

is connected to the trailing cars that allows for this to function on the linked cars as well.

Each car has its own air reservoir, which can be seen as an air tank near the head of the freight car above the wheels.

Dynamic braking involves using magnetic fields surrounding the traction motors to oppose their spin and slow the vehicle down. The traction motor is essentially two components with the internal rotor and the exterior stator.

The stator surrounds the rotor like a Pringles can around a

stack of chips. When electrical energy is applied, it creates magnetic fields that then make the rotor spin. An engineer can change the direction of the field to encourage the rotor to spin in the opposite direction, effectively using magnetic fields to slow the vehicle rather than creating friction through metal contacts directly to the wheels.

This is just a brief glimpse into the complex workings of one of our most efficient vehicles.

Stay curious, 7B.

Random Corner ?

Don’t know much about onions • Ancient Egyptians viewed the onion as a symbol of eternal life. Traces of onion were extracted from the eye sockets of the mummified corpse of Ramesses IV. • Pliny the Elder of Pompeii wrote of how onions were not only used for food but medicine in ancient Rome. They were used to heal eyes, toothaches and even dog bites.

• Onions are often used by science teachers when teaching students to use microscopes because their cells are large and easy to see.

• What makes you cry when cutting onions? While growing, onions absorb a lot of sulfur. This sulfur mixes with other compounds and becomes a gas when the onion is cut, which irritates the eyes and makes you tear up while preparing dinner.

• The Egyptian walking onion is one of several onion species that

We can help!

propagate by “walking.” Instead of a flower, the plant grows another bulb on a long stem that bends as the bulb gets heavier before attaching to the soil to grow a new cluster.

• An Australian study published in 2002 contended that onion juice can be used to combat baldness and promote hair growth.

The downside? Users would perpetually reek of onions.

• To celebrate the release of Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, Van Leeuwen Ice Cream and Netflix teamed up to create an onion-flavored ice cream.

• The largest onion ever grown was weighed on Sept. 15, 2023, topping the scales at 19.7 pounds.

• Cosmonauts aboard the Soviet Salyut 1 space station grew onions in space, which they then ate, making onions the first food to be grown and eaten in space.

OPINION

House GOP strips sell-off provisions but public lands remain at risk

By Abby Urbanek Reader Contributor After weeks of public outrage and mounting bipartisan backlash, U.S. House Republicans quietly removed a provision that would have mandated the sale of hundreds of thousands of acres of public lands in Nevada and Utah. While the immediate threat of sell-off may be gone, advocates across the country say the damage remains.

The budget bill — deemed by many as the most dangerous environmental legislation in modern U.S. history — still includes sweeping measures that gut environmental safeguards, fast-track development and strip the public of any voice in how their lands are managed.

The provision to sell off land was originally slipped into the bill by Reps.

Mark Amodei, R-Nev., and Celeste

Maloy, R-Utah, just before midnight on May 6 during a Natural Resources Committee hearing. Members had fewer than 30 minutes to review it.

The amendment passed 23-18, along party lines, with Rep. Russ Fulcher, R-Idaho, supporting the amendment to sell off these lands.

Citizens across the country called the removal a “temporary concession” that does not change the bill’s core threat to public lands, wildlife and climate action. The bill is now set for a vote by the full House.

“Public lands are a core part of our identity and belong to all Americans,” said John Robison, public lands and wildlife director with the Idaho Conservation League. “While we are deeply concerned with other provisions in this astonishingly bad bill, these fast-tracked public lands sales would have set a terrible precedent and done

permanent damage to the fabric of communities throughout the West.

The people prevailed.”

As the budget bill moves over to the Senate, ICL encourages Idaho Republican Sens. Jim Risch and Mike Crapo to follow through and make sure that public lands sales are not included in the Senate version.

Both Risch and Crapo have a background of supporting public lands through their respective leadership with the 2008 Idaho Roadless Rule and the Owyhee Initiative, and their joint support for community-based groups that collaborate on forest and rangeland management.

Abby Urbanek is communications and marketing manager for the Idaho Conservation League.

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PERSPECTIVES

The alchemy of grief A few suggestions for how to turn anger, fear and loathing into resistance — and understanding

By Nishelle Gonzales Reader Contributor

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If you are paying any attention to the downward spiral of our country, then you’re feeling a sense of grief.

This grief also shows up as outrage, which is valid when outrageous things are happening. This has led to a lot of my peers feeling a sense of hopelessness and paralysis over what to do about it all. I have caught myself several times yelling at my television for our elected officials in the Democratic Party to “do something.”

This grief tends to show up as anger and/or checking out completely.

Sticking our heads in the sand because we can’t hear about another atrocity or human rights violation by this administration is a way to protect our peace in the moment, as opposed to overwhelm and disgust. These are all understandable and justified reactions to facism. This collective grief is a necessary vehicle to carry us into the next phase of action.

This call to action I am about to suggest feels like a step in the wrong direction for a lot of people in my circle, but hear me out.

First, I want to acknowledge that the grief is real and you have every right to be angry because our safety and rights as humans are being threatened in real time. Our desire to argue with, separate ourselves from and hate the people who align with what is being done to our country hasn’t been productive. In fact, I’d argue, it has solidified the other party, as we continue to fragment and fall into specialized factions of moral superiority with a pretty high bar for entry.

If you aren’t in the know, you’re out of the group and you’re considered “one of them.”

This has hurt the Democratic Party during the past decade in a very serious way. We have banished any room for error, causing all sorts of trouble for people who are trying to understand, but don’t feel safe to ask questions or debate in our presence. We call ourselves educated and intelligent to argue semantics into the ground, leaving only the dust of division, driving people away who aren’t on the

“woke superhighway.”

In the rooms where local human rights activists gather and plan, I often witness the same vitriol and hate that their opposing party runs on. Same coin, different side.

What would it look like to assume that our neighbor of opposing beliefs has good intentions for thinking the way they do? What would it cost you to actually listen to them without the intention of trying to change their beliefs?

I have heard a wonderful concept when approaching these kinds of conversations that divide us: When we are grounded and rooted in our values, then we can hold our beliefs more loosely.

A belief is just a way we see the world, based on our lived experiences and stories we tell. A value is a person’s principles or standards of behavior; one’s judgment of what is important in life. Beliefs are more fluid and changeable and values are foundational and less shaken by our experiences.

When a family member or coworker talks about their approval of what President Donald Trump is doing, ask them what values they hold that they feel align with the values of this administration. This approach does not feel like an attack — it shows that you are curious and wanting to know more about the person speaking. It also seems to stop them in their tracks and tends to open up a conversation about the ways you are more alike than different.

I’d put money on the fact that our values align a lot more than our beliefs.

Asking questions and remaining rooted in your own values provides protection from being threatened by a difference in beliefs. If one is rooted in their values, they are not shaken by the differences in beliefs and both parties can shift them a little more fluidly.

If you want to alchemize this grief into some kind of resistance, let’s try the following: • Move through the world with curiosity and wonder.

• Find community. We all think a little differently, and exposure to new opinions can be refreshing.

• Choose love over hate, and assume those who oppose your views

could just be afraid.

• Do things that bring you joy. Quit giving it up so easily — it’s yours and no one can take it.

• Find beauty in the world around you that contradicts what the algorithms are telling you.

• Take care of yourself gently. If you are living within your own values, you won’t be so angry when your beliefs are challenged.

• Learn how to regulate your own emotions. Notice the feelings beneath the rage. Get curious about your own fears and self growth.

• Keep social media time to a minimum. It thrives on division and hate — don’t feed it.

If all of this seems ridiculous and you have a strong reaction to it, I urge you to ask yourself why. You can keep going in the same direction, banging your head against the same wall and wondering why nothing is changing, but I have experienced this alchemy in real time.

My grief is still with me; but, when I move through the world solid in my values and more fluid in my beliefs about the world, I am able to alchemize it into a more loving and accepting place — dissolving my sense of hopelessness and powerlessness.

Becoming callous and bitter is not how we are going to play the long game; we need to be the change we want to see and let love do her thing to expand the hearts around us.

This is not a game of the mind, this is a game of the heart. That is why the Christian far-right belief system is based on the tenet that the heart is wicked and not to be trusted, because that is the way their system of control and power over others works. They have to outsource their intuition and inner knowing to systems outside themselves.

When we begin to understand that logic — and that being morally superior is the same tactic that our oppressors are using — we can upend the tired and historically redundant back and forth that has caused so much pain and suffering.

Nishelle Gonzales is a local business owner who contributes occasional essays on social issues.

COMMUNITY KRFY grand finale fundraiser event features Utara beer and a quilt raffle at IPA

By Reader Staff

Panhandle Community Radio, 88.5 FM KRFY, is closing out its membership drive Friday, May 30 with a tap takeover featuring Utara Brewing beer at Idaho Pour Authority (203 Cedar St., in downtown Sandpoint).

The membership raffle grand prize of a quilt titled “Grateful for Music” — designed, constructed and donated by KRFY listener-supporter Kerry Kresge — will be raffled off during the event, which takes place 5-8 p.m.

How to win: Renew or begin your support for KRFY at krfy. org. All 2025 members of KRFY — whether they have made a new donation, renewed or made a scheduled donation to the station (and have provided a name and contact information) — will be entered into the raffle. Each name will be entered only once, according to station organizers.

The “Grateful for Music” Quilt designed, constructed and donated by Kerry Kresge. Courtesy photo.

Visit the website to donate, or call 208-265-2992 — “operators are standing by,” KRFY told the Reader.

May 29, 2025 / R / 13

To submit a photo for a future edition, please send to ben@sandpointreader.com.

Rain and shine, people flooded the streets for this year’s Lost in the ’50s classic car parade and show. Here are a few snapshots by Rich Milliron, Sarah Mitchell (Reader Senior Writer Soncirey’s mother) and Reader Editor Zach Hagadone.

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May 29, 2025 / R / 15

COMMUNITY 101 Women announces $10K spring grant to Sandpoint Area Seniors

By Reader Staff Local philanthropic organization 101 Women Sandpoint announced the recipient of its 2025 spring grant cycle, awarding $10,000 to Sandpoint Area Seniors, Inc. SASI plans to use most of the grant to fund a covered walkway from its kitchen to the parking lot, “which will make the experience for staff and volunteers safer, easier and more efficient when delivering meals to local seniors,” according to 101 Women.

In addition, the grant will fund electric garage door openers for the areas that house medical equipment available for use by the community.

“The balance will support their nutrition program — even more important, given the budgetary constraints on social service agencies on which they rely,” 101 Women stated.

101 Women is a membership group made up of 101 women living in Bonner County. Each member donates $200 per year, and that donation is then leveraged to create two $10,000 awards. The grants are presented to two nonprofits at the group’s membership meetings in the spring and in the fall.

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Present for the award from the Sandpoint Area Senior Center: SASI leaders Lisa Bond, Nancy Savage, Lindsay Hughes and board members Judy McComish, Sue Poppino, Paige McMaster, Kellie Dryden and Loris Michael. Board members representing 101 Women: Vicki Reich, Julie Jurenka, Judy Thompson, Kirsten Thompson, Kristine Rae, Karen Amestoy, Liz Koster and Mary Catherine Role. Also present from 101 Women: Vanessa Velez, Judi Manis, Anita Porter, Rebecca Little and Debbie Love. Courtesy photo The top three finalists are selected after a vetting process, which includes grant application reviews and site visits, and are provided in a presentation at the meeting, which includes a summary of the group’s purpose and need for funding. 101 Women membership then casts votes to choose the

winning organization.

Interested nonprofit organizations can find more information about grant cycles and applications at 101womensandpoint.com. Member information and registration are also available at the group’s website or by emailing 101womensandpoint@gmail.com.

STAGE & SCREEN

‘Anderson fatigue’ be damned, I’m excited for The Phoenician Scheme Wes Anderson’s newest film has a predictably stellar cast, hitting theaters June 6

By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff If we didn’t have Wes Anderson, we’d have to create him. And every entry from the auteur director is a “creation” in the fullest sense. Anderson’s milieu is among the most distinct in contemporary cinema — he of the twee, with a sad, side-eyed and wiseass nod to knowing tragedy in comedy.

Anderson’s oeuvre has been so informing to film-making culture — and wider culture, to boot — that we all know what it’s about: meticulous (borderline obsessive) design, immaculate scoring and set pieces that toy with mundanity to achieve exoticism.

His films are so “Anderson” that the AAA-list ensembles that he conjures out of seeming pure will are almost an afterthought.

Haters gonna hate, but Anderson knows what he’s about, and that’s to be commended. Such is the case with his newest flick, The Phoenician Scheme.

Disclosure: I have not seen this movie, but it’s opening Friday, May 30 in select theaters and nationwide Friday, June 6. I have, however, seen every other Wes Anderson movie since The Royal Tenenbaums (2001) right up to Asteroid City (2023), and will see this one at the first opportunity.

I enjoy swimming in Andersonian waters, and they’re always pretty much the same temperature with concomitant currents. That’s to say that, as a committed Anderson fan of more than 20 years, I am not unaffected by what many describe as “Wes Anderson fatigue.” The 56-year-old director’s vision is so singular and style so bespoke that it can become a little “much.”

A less charitable summary might be that Anderson is the whitest, most upper-middle-class male filmmaker in the biz, and his predilections and obsessions speak to that viewership, of which I’m a part (other than the “upper” part of “middle-class”).

I feel this weariness with a lot of Anderson’s work. Despite about a half dozen viewings, Asteroid City’s charms continue to elude me, for instance.

Casting about for indications of how other Andersonophiles were thinking about The Phoenician Scheme, I ran across an incisive entry on the Reddit r/moviecritic thread.

Courtesy photo.

User Crandin wrote that while being a self-described “Wes Anderson diehard” who (like me) sees every one of his films in the theater than rewatches them for years after, they have struggled with the director’s most recent efforts — Asteroid City and The French Dispatch in particular. (I had to force myself to fall in love with the latter, which I eventually did, though I’m still a Tenenbaums/Grand Budapest Hotel loyalist.)

As Crandin stated, Anderson’s best work goes “down smooth, like pure melted gold”; however, after having apparently viewed The Phoenician Scheme in an early screener, they’d “put it in between [Fantastic] Mr. Fox and Asteroid City.”

That’s damning with faint praise, despite George Clooney’s superb voice work as the eponymous Mr. Fox in the Roald Dahl-inspired stop-motion film adaptation.

The trailers for Phoenecian Scheme have hinted at a typical Anderson setup: A ludicrously rich, mysterious and idiosyncratic man has a plan to make himself richer with the titular “scheme” and, along the way, he enlists his daughter (a nun) to help him out through mobster-by-turns-paramilitary tactics.

There’s a lot of reference to hand grenades in the preview material, leavened by the usual Anderson panache, which ebert.com picked up on: “[T]he latest from the beloved auteur feels like a lark — it’s one of his flat-out goofiest movies, filled with physical humor and sight gags — but he’s also playing with deeper themes like finding purpose in family instead

of business and the way oligarchs can manipulate both.”

However, “Buoyed by a traditionally spectacular ensemble, The Phoenician Scheme feels unlikely to be anyone’s favorite Wes Anderson flick. Still, it’s so easy to like that it’s equally difficult to hate it.”

The allusion to ensemble includes Benicio Del Toro — one of Anderson’s stable of actors — as the oligarchic patriarch Zsa-zsa Korda and Mia Threapleton (the nunnish daughter) who sets the plot in motion. Along the way, there are characters inhabited by the likes of Steve Park, Willem Dafoe, F. Murray Abraham, Michael Cera, Bryan Cranston, Tom Hanks, Richard Ayoade, Jeffrey Wright, Scarlett Johansson, Benedict Cumberbatch and Bill Murray playing no less than God. Anderson’s casting reads like the front row of an especially fun-loving Academy Awards ceremony. No one in Hollywood gets to play with performers like those as if they’re favorite toys in a jewel box setting.

Yet, early reviews are a little iffy (76% on Rotten Tomatoes), 3/5 stars from The Guardian, 3/4 stars from ebert.com, etc., but Redditor Crandin might be closest to the fanbase, writing: “[I]t’s straightforward and fun. Still, the reviews are coming in, and most of them put it pretty low.

My guess is fatigue, because it doesn’t change the Wes formula enough to be ‘new,’ even if it would be a masterpiece to people unfamiliar with Wes’ work.”

Time will tell; but, for now, I’m scheming on a theater seat for this one.

May 29, 2025 / R / 17

events

Send event listings to calendar@sandpointreader.com THURSDAY, may 29

Wheatcroft Studio ‘Closing Opening’ 5-9pm @ 104 S. Second Ave. With DJ Nutzo

Live Music w/ Matsiko Orphan Choir 6-6:45pm @ Talus Rock Retreat Live Music w/ Sydney Dawn 5-8pm @ Idaho Pour Authority 88.5 KRFY Fundraiser and Utara tap takeover Spring Market and Yard Sale 9am-4pm @ Sandpoint Lions Club

Brim, Band & Sip 5:30-6:30pm @ Barrel 33 $95-150 (includes materials) Lei Making Class 56-8pm @ Sunshine on Cedar $45. Email SOCSandpoint@gmail.com

FriDAY, may 30

Live Music w/ Ian Newbill 6:30-9:30pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall Country and classic rock Live Music w/ Dave & Rey 5pm @ Connie’s Lounge

SATURDAY, may 31

Live Music w/ LillyBrooke Annual Kids Carnival 1-5pm @ LillyBrooke family Justice Center Live Music w/ Brian Jacobs Live Music w/ Pamela Jean 6-8pm @ Idaho Pour Authority 6pm @ Connie’s Lounge Live Music w/ Monarch Mountain Band Live Music w/ Matsiko Orphan Choir 5:30-8:30pm @ Barrel 33 7-8pm @ First Lutheran Church Spring Market and Yard Sale 9am-4pm @ Sandpoint Lions Club

Live Music w/ Sammy Eubanks 6-8pm @ Smokesmith BBQ

May 29 - June 5, 2025

Terrapin Flyer: Spring Tour 2025 7pm @ The Hive Playing the music of the Grateful Dead. $25-$30 Open Mic w/ Kjetil Lund 5-8pm @ Idaho Pour Authority Live Music w/ Bright Moments Jazz 5-8pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery Live Music w/ Liam Russell 6-8pm @ Smokesmith BBQ Live Music w/ Midnight & GENEVA 7pm @ The Hive Live Music w/ BTP 5-8pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery Rock Ensemble: End of Year 3-6pm @ Little Carnegie Second Annual Spring Market 9am-4pm @ Sandpoint Church of God Live Music w/ Bright Moments Jazz 6-8pm @ Arlo’s Ristorante

Sandpoint Farmers’ Market 9am-1pm @ Farmin Park Fresh produce, artisan goods, live music by Musha Marimba

Plant Swap 10am-3pm @ Sandpoint Library Bring your extra starts, seeds, houseplants and/or come give some new plants a home.

The Magic of Mary Poppins 1-6pm @ Panida Theater Allegro Dance Studio’s spring recital

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

Live Music w/ Matsiko Orpjan Choi 8am; 9:30am; 11am @ Cedar Hills Church

Magic with Star Alexander 5-8pm @ Jalapeño’s Up close magic shows at the table

Spring Serenade 4:15pm @Music Conservatory of Sandpoint $25 for adults, $10 for students. Proceeds support MCS scholarships

Live Music w/ CobraJet, No Boundaries, Cast & Crew 2pm @ Farmin Park

Spring Market and Yard Sale 9am-4pm @ Sandpoint Lions Club

Live Music w/ Matsiko Orphan Choir 2pm @ Cedar St. Bridge

Sandpoint Swing Dance 5:45-9pm @ Sandpoint Community Hall 1 hr basics dance lesson followed by general dancing 7-9. Couples, singles, and all levels welcome! $10.00

SunDAY, june 1

Live Music w/ Abe 4pm @ Idaho Pour Authority

monDAY, june 2

Outdoor Experience Group Run 6pm @ Outdoor Experience 3-5 miles, all levels welcome Monday Night Blues Jam w/ John Firshi 7pm @ Eichardt’s Pub

$10 Pool Tournament 6pm @Connie’s Lounge

tuesDAY, june 3

A New Way of Mindfulness: film and conversation • 6-7:30pm @ Bluebird Bakery An evening of film and conversation to explore a unique practice of mindfulness and self-awareness. Hosted by Gurdjieff Foundation of Idaho Make a macrame plant hanger 5:30-7:30pm @ Verdant Plant Shop $25; all materials and light refreshments included. Register at bit.ly/4mAOGce Live Piano w/ Dwayne Parsons 4-7pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery

ThursDAY, june 5 Toshi’s Trivia Thursdays 7pm @ Connie’s Lounge 18 / R / May 29, 2025

wednesDAY, june 4

Live Music w/ John Firshi 5-7pm @ Matchwood Brewing Family hour National Trails Day Pint Night 4-7pm @ Utara Brewing Company Celebrate National Trails Day

Triva 6-8pm @ Idaho Pour Authority Live Piano w/ Jack Purdie 5-7pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery

Benny on the Deck 5:30pm @ Connie’s Lounge Music Conservatory student spotlight Sandpoint Farmers’ Market 3-5:30pm @ Farmin Park Fresh produce, artisan goods, live music

STAGE & SCREEN

Pro-Voice Project premiers one-woman documentary play in NYC

By Reader Staff From her days working a chainsaw and writing a regular column with the Sandpoint Reader, Jen Jackson Quintano has emerged as the go-to women’s reproductive rights activist in North Idaho. Her grassroots ProVoice Project has empowered women and encouraged education on abortion rights as Idaho becomes more and more hardline on the issue.

Now, Quintano is taking her message to the stage with the production of One Body: Dispatches from Idaho at 7 p.m. on Monday, June 2 at Theater 555 in New York, N.Y. The documentary play-in-progress brings the frontline stories of Idaho’s restrictive abortion landscape to the national stage, offering a uniquely human lens on regressive reproductive rights policies across the nation.

One Body is built from interviews with women, doctors and activists, offering real-world repercussions wrought by abortion bans in deeply conservative states, transforming testimony into theater. By centering on the “lone abortion activist in northern Idaho,” the piece bridges the urban-rural divide and reminds national audiences that attacks on autonomy don’t respect geography.

This one-night-only event will seed an off-Broadway run this fall and a nationwide community tour, especially targeting underserved communities where the abortion conversation is yet inaudible but increasingly necessary.

“With One Body, we’re not just telling stories; we’re building infrastructure for change,” Quintano wrote.

“By placing rural Idahoans’ experiences front and center — elevating stories too often silenced — we not

only humanize the stakes of reproductive rights, we create a blueprint for community-centered activism that can travel anywhere.”

One Body is written by Jimmy

Maize, directed by Maridee Slater and hosted by Amanda Duarte.

“This is how we change the national abortion story: One night. One body.

One voice at a time,” Quintano wrote.

Circle Moon Theater to show Second Time Around for spring musical show

By Reader Staff Nostalgia abounds with the 2025 Spring show from Northwoods Performing Arts. Directed by Mark D. Caldwell, Second Time Around features chorale, solo and ensemble music that was popular throughout the past several decades.

Where were you and what were you doing in the ’40s, ’50s, ’60s and ’70s?

Second Time Around is a chance to revisit those memories through music.

The show will feature seven performances on May 30-31; June 3, 5, 7; and June 13-14 at the Circle Moon Theater (3645 Highway 211, Newport, Wash.).

Doors open at 5:30 p.m. each night, dinner service starts at 6:30 p.m. and the curtain opens at 7:30 p.m. Dinner show tickets are $35 per person, and show-only tickets are $14. Senior and children’s tickets are $12.

Menus are provided by Country Snack Shack (May 30, Roasted Chicken); Village Kitchen (May 31, Parmesan Chicken); Village Kitchen (Jun. 3, Lasagna); Two Tones (Jun. 5, Mushroom Pork Roast); Mi Pueblo (Jun. 7, Beef Enchiladas); Owen’s Catering (Jun.13, Fried Chicken); and Owen’s Catering (Jun. 14, Pulled Pork).

For tickets and reservations call 208-448-1294 or email northwoodsperformingarts.com.

May 29, 2025 / R / 19

FOOD

The Sandpoint Eater May days

By Marcia Pilgeram Reader Columnist

May’s not even over yet, and it has not disappointed.

The first days of May were the tailend of our Ireland trip.

I was just home long enough to unpack and commence baking a tres leches cake for 40 partygoers in Spokane.

Once I got there, I also prepared fried ice cream for the (12) children in attendance. It was a big hit at a joint party, celebrating the birthdays of my two youngest (and most adorable) grandchildren. Sam turned 7, and Runa is now a (super sassy) 5-year-old.

As soon as I returned home from Spokane, it was time to prepare for my oldest grandson Zane’s graduation in Savage, Mont., which I refer to as the postage stamp corner of the state. It’s a 14-hour drive, so we (aunts Ryanne and Casey and I) chose to fly. The routing is a bit circuitous: drive to Spokane; fly to Denver, with a connection to Williston, N.D.; and, finally, drive an hour to Sidney, Mont.

My checked baggage took a lot of consideration, as I was bringing along Zane’s favorite food: four quarts of homemade split pea soup. I’m happy to report that the carefully packed soup, which included repacking instructions to TSA, arrived intact and still frozen.

Zane’s graduating class of eight seniors may have been small, but the turnout was mighty. The community support was staggering, and there wasn’t an empty seat — or a dry eye in the gymnasium.

The commencement included a parent slideshow, a 20 / R / May 29, 2025

star quilt ceremony, a student slideshow and flower ceremony, which involved the graduates delivering flowers and cards to everyone who impacted their lives.

The commencement lasted about two hours, but was so endearing and heartfelt that no one (except 10-year-old grandson Riley, who was eyeing the chocolate graduation cake) was watching the clock.

The ceremony was followed with a hearty, hosted lunch at the community hall, with all the small-town Norman Rockwell feels and fixings. My four Montana grandchildren were raised by my son in a single-parent household; and, since their first days of kindergarten, an entire village of supporters has been cheering them on. I saw

it play out in real time that day, and just thinking about it still chokes me up.

No trip to Savage is complete without the better part of the day spent in the crew cab of my son Zane’s Ford pickup, inspecting the cows and their new offspring. The adage, “You can’t take the country from the girl,” will always ring true for “my girls” and me, and there’s nothing we like more than hearing all about the history of “his girls.”

Even though the herd numbers about 200, he knows most of them intimately; and, by days’ end, so did we.

A tornado in Denver delayed our return by a day.

It was a hectic turnaround, because Zane and his sister Miley earned places at the Montana Class C Track Meet

in Missoula — close enough for me to play spectator. The laundry could wait; I had cookies to bake!

With two days between trips, I managed to bake a respectable offering for the entire track team of 11 athletes, plus more for Ryanne’s family, who joined me there.

Besides the baked goods — and thanks to the Savage Warriors’ full-sized team bus — I loaded up lots of Savage-bound kitchen paraphernalia to pass on to my baking protégé, Miley. The timing could not have been better, as I am finishing the last weekend in May with a serious garage sale. Still, Miley had first dibs on my baking equipment, and passing the torch was bittersweet. The vast assortment of cake pans

I used to bake wedding cakes for my daughters, and others who were like-daughters are now in good and loving hands.

Some pans I passed on to Miley, like the set to make marbled cakes, were actually my mother’s. I’m grateful for the time I spent in her kitchen, where she patiently taught me the technique of her perfect pie crust.

It seemed fitting this week to honor family. I harvested some just-ripe and ready-topick rhubarb from Mom’s original plant, so I made a tart rhubarb tart, with her perfect crust recipe. Next month, I’ll be spending time with Miley again; and. I imagine we’ll whip up another one. Rhubarb is just ripe for the picking — you may want to whip up one, too.

Rustic rhubarb tart

The key to a great tart is a flaky crust, which is achieved with cold dough and a hot oven. It’s worth the effort to chill the tart on one baking sheet, then transfer it to another baking sheet that is preheated in the oven. Cutting the rhubarb diagonally gives it more area to soak up the sugar and liquids.

Serves 8-10.

INGREDIENTS: Crust: Your favorite, one-crust recipe (store bought will even do) Filling: • 4 cups rhubarb, cut into 1½” diagonal pieces • ¾ cup sugar • 1 tbsp cornstarch • ½ tsp sea salt • 1 tsp lemon zest • 2 tbsp lemon juice • 1 tsp fresh ground nutmeg • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract • Egg wash • Cinnamon sugar (for crust edge)

DIRECTIONS: Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place a metal sheet pan (large enough to hold tart) inside the oven as it preheats.

Toss rhubarb with sugar, salt, cornstarch, zest, juice, vanilla and nutmeg. Stir well and set aside for 15 minutes.

Set chilled dough on a large piece of parchment paper, roll into a circle (doesn’t need to be perfect).

Use slotted spoon to arrange rhubarb onto dough, leaving a 2” border of dough (reserve the liquid in bowl).

Pleat edges over, brush with egg wash. Drizzle leftover juice from bowl over fruit.

Chill assembled tart in refrigerator for 30 minutes, or freezer for 15 minutes. Brush again with egg wash and sprinkle filling and crust with

cinnamon sugar.

Transfer tart, on parchment paper, onto the hot pan in oven, on middle rack. Cook 15 minutes and reduce heat to 375 F, bake another 40-50 minutes, until crust is golden and the filling

bubbles. Cover loosely with foil if crust is browning before filling is bubbly.

Cool at least 30 minutes before serving. Serve with ice cream, crème fraîche or whipping cream.

Refrigerate leftovers.

MUSIC Matsiko World Orphan Choir coming to Sandpoint May 29-June 1

By Reader Staff The Matsiko World Orphan Choir will present a number of performances throughout the Sandpoint area, from Talus Rock Retreat on Thursday, May 29 to Cedar Street Bridge on Sunday, June 1.

Composed of sponsored children from India, Liberia, Nepal and Peru, the choir is the first of its kind to tour the U.S. as ambassadors for the world’s 600 million orphaned and at-risk children. The choir will visit Sandpoint for three

days as part of this year’s trek around the country.

“With a heartfelt mission to empower the world’s most vulnerable children through music and education, Matsiko delivers breathtaking performances filled with hope, inspiration and cultural richness,” according to organizers.

The group has performed at NFL, NBA, MLS and Rose Bowl stadiums; corporate events for Microsoft, Hewlett-Packard and Google’s World Conference; as well as Disneyland. Their journey has

also taken them to the White House under three administrations and into the national spotlight through television and radio.

“Yet, for these remarkable children, the most cherished moments happen in more intimate settings — where they can connect personally with those they meet and inspire along the way,” the organization stated.

Performances include a range of selections from traditional to contemporary songs, along with dance,

humor and stories.

The choir will perform in Sandpoint on Thursday, May 29 at 6 p.m. at Talus Rock Retreat (291 Syringa Heights); Saturday, May 31 from 7-8:30 p.m. at Sandpoint First Lutheran Church (526 S. Olive Ave.); and Sunday, June 1 at the 8 a.m., 9:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. services at Cedar Hills Church (227 McGhee Road), as well as 2 p.m. at Cedar Street Bridge (334 N. First Ave.).

For more information, visit matsiko.org.

MCS Students to Perform in Prague

Jubilant Duvall and Cody Ontiveros will make their debut at ‘Summer Music Nights’

By Jillian Chandler Reader Contributor

Two talented Music Conservatory of Sandpoint students will be traveling to take part in the annual Šumavské letní hudební večery (“Summer Music Nights”) music festival in Czechia, Prague.

Jubilant Duvall and Cody Ontiveros are the students on the trip. Ontiveros is a countertenor and “rare voice,” and has been a student at MCS from the age of 8 years old. Now 20, he is MCS’s apprentice.

Duvall is a classically trained alto and has studied

voice for the past six years.

Her latest achievements include two gold medals at the MusicFest Northwest, and she was one of the featured soloists in the “highlights” concerts. She will graduate this summer, majoring in vocal performance at the Lionel Hampton School of Music at the University of Idaho.

“Both singers are exceptional talents with unique voices who stand out with their level of dedication and love for singing and music altogether,” stated MCS Executive Director Karin Wedemeyer.

This year’s concerts are scheduled for Saturday, May 31, at the Panna Maria Po-

Jubilant Duvall (left) and Cody Ontiveros (right) harmonize. Photo courtesy of Music Conservatory of Sandpoint. mocna Chapel in the town of Kašperské Hory, followed by a performance at the synagogue

in Hartmanice at and a final concert on Sunday, June 1 in the same area.

Karin Wedemeyer, a German-born dramatic soprano, and Daniel Hughes, a pianist with international performance experience, will also join the concert tour.

“MCS has a strong international component in its organization, with staff coming from the U.S. and abroad,” Wedemeyer stated. “Since much of the music our young artists sing has been composed in Europe, it will give them a deeper artistic understanding.”

For more information, visit sandpointconservatory.org or call 208-265-4444.

A snapshot of notable live music coming up in Sandpoint

Pamela Jean, Connie’s, May 30 Sugar Bear, 219 Lounge, May 31 Singer-songwriter Pamela Jean is a Nashville recording artist who has put down stakes in six states over the past two decades — but now makes North Idaho home.

Self-taught on the guitar, she started her singing career in 1998 on a “karaoke dare.” A decade later, she was hosting open mic nights in Southern California. Today, Jean’s brand of rock-country — buttressed with powerful vocals and impeccable songwriting — has garnered airplay on indie

radio stations across the U.S., and her video for “Slip Away” was nominated for “Video of the Year” at the NW-CMA Awards. A portion of all music proceeds go to Priest River Ministries Advocates for Women in Spirit Lake — which means a good time at her shows is also contributing to a good cause.

— Zach Hagadone 6 p.m., FREE. Connie’s Cafe, 323 Cedar St., 208-255-2227, conniescafe.com. Listen at pamelajeanunlimited.com.

Wrapping up the month of May, the 219 Lounge is welcoming a new (to us) name: Sugar Bear, a five-piece based in Spokane specializing in a toothsome groove combining R&B, funk and jazz with tinges of electro-funk and hip hop. Fronted by band founders Brook Gannon (vocals) and Drew Blincow (guitar), Sugar Bear is a regular act at downtown Lilac City hot spot Zola featuring Tiffany Johnson on drums, Eddy Pace on

bass, and Austin Long on sax and keys. If you’re looking for a pure get-down sound — and are a fan of influences like Allen Stone, Soulive, Soul Sonic and Louis Baker, among others — the Niner has you covered this Saturday.

— Zach Hagadone

This week’s RLW by Ben Olson

READ

One of my best thrift store finds ever was a three-volume set of Philip K. Dick’s science-fiction novels. Some of his best are in there, including The Man in the High Castle, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, Martian Time Slip, A Scanner Darkly and A Maze of Death. Dick is perhaps one of the coolest sci-fi writers of the past half century, adding so much to this already rich genre. If you’re not lucky enough to find a set in a thrift store, you can buy it for around $85 online.

LISTEN

Martin Tomemitsu Roark, who performs under the moniker “Tomemitsu,” creates lo-fi dream pop tunes that run from sleepy and hazy to tropical and bouncy. You might have heard his songs “Runaway” and “In Dreams” on HBO’s High Maintenance.

The latter track also has a “disco remix” version that has been stuck in my head for the past two weeks. Check him out.

WATCH

Way back in the late-’90s and early 2000s, a man named Lou Pearlman revolutionized the music industry by launching bands like Backstreet Boys, *NSYNC, LFO, Natural and others. It also turns out he was one of the biggest Ponzi schemers around. A three-part series on Netflix called Dirty Pop: The Boy Band Scam walks you through the entire era, giving viewers close access to Pearlman’s story told through those who were closest to him.

9 p.m., 21+, FREE. 219 Lounge, 219 N. First Ave., 208263-5673, 219lounge.com. Listen at sugarbearband.com.

May 29, 2025 / R / 21

BACK OF THE BOOK

Cream always rises to the top

By Ben Olson Reader Staff

From Pend Oreille Review, May 30, 1913

BOOTLEGGER GETS $300 FINE Thomas Hall, a bootlegger, was found guilty on two charges of selling liquor without a license, before the probate court on Thursday, and on the first charge was fined $300 by Judge Wood, after the jury returned a verdict of guilty. On the second charge, the jury again returned a verdict of guilty after deliberating less than three minutes, but the court withheld sentence until Saturday. When the third charge was pressed, a change of venue was taken before Justice of the Peace R.H. McMillan, but before the jurors could leave the room Sheriff Remer had resummoned them, and the charge was immediately tried. Justice McMillan withheld his decision after the jury again found Hall guilty.

John Bowen is out on bail on similar charges. He has not yet been arraigned and his case is holding over until further evidence is secured. The sheriff’s office believes that this young man was made the instrument of others and is inclined to be as lenient as possible in this case. It is also presumed by the sheriff’s office that one Fred Andrews was instrumental with others, in getting this young man into trouble.

The hearing of Rose Estes, who was arrested last week Friday by Sheriff Remer on a bootlegging charge will be held tomorrow morning at 10 o’clock.

22 / R / May 29, 2025

I’ve been a struggling writer most of my life, which is a funny statement from someone who owns a newspaper.

It’s also the reason I went into the newspaper business in the first place; nobody else would publish me.

Sure, I wrote a novel when I was 25 years old and a strange defrocked priest from New Zealand ended up publishing it to absolutely no acclaim.

I think I made $500 off of it, only after threatening to toss my publisher into the lake if he didn’t pay me (he did pay me, but I still threw him in the lake; he deserved it). I also wrote three original plays and produced them on the Panida’s main stage, entertaining perhaps dozens of people, but my heart was always in fiction. I always wanted to write a truly great novel and die with the satisfaction that I created something that might make someone else feel like I’ve felt reading my favorite books over the years.

Like many journalists, I have dozens of these failed novels haunting my hard drives. It reminds me of those guys who collect junk cars and trucks in their yards. They don’t have time or money to fix them up now, but maybe someday, at some point in the future when things slow down, they’ll throw a new engine in there, slap on a new coat of paint and go for a ride.

Someday, I say to myself, staring out of my office window feeling absolutely buried by the amount of work it takes to produce a newspaper each and every week. Someday I’ll finish that final chapter and work out all the inconsistencies in that one book. Then I’ll go for a ride.

The thing about “someday” is that it never really comes when you want it

to. This is where I insert the story of the man who wins the lottery, retires from his job and promptly dies two weeks later. Life is funny like that.

Writers have probably struggled since first etching their cuneiform characters into clay. There is a certain agony that writers understand best, when a thought refuses to come out whole through their fingers and onto the page. For those times, there are editors and publishers who help the cream to continue rising to the top.

Before Charles Bukowski was a renowned poet who chronicled the seedy side of life, he was just a drunk who liked to sit at racetracks and bars scribbling into his notebook. Sure, anyone who reads Bukowski’s poems will recognize his prowess with the written word and his ability to shine a powerful light onto the downtrodden, but recognition doesn’t fill a growling stomach. It wasn’t until John Martin recognized Bukowski’s genius and invested everything he had into making the man famous that Bukowski’s stock began to rise. Martin founded Black Sparrow Press explicitly to publish Bukowski’s work and now, thanks to Martin’s financial assistance, moral support and stewardship, Bukowski is revered by many as the 20th-century Walt Whitman.

Another example is the editor of editors, Maxwell Perkins, who is best remembered for discovering authors like Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald and Thomas Wolfe. Perkins worked as a reporter for The New York Times, then joined the Charles Scribner’s Sons publishing house to become an editor. However, he grew tired of publishing older authors. He longed to publish the exciting words of younger writers, so, unlike many editors, he actively sought out young authors with

promise. It was a gamble that paid off, giving the world such words as The Great Gatsby, A Farewell to Arms, Look Homeward, Angel and so many more.

The closest thing I’ve ever had to an editor who cares about my words and cultural output is my friend and colleague Zach Hagadone, who happens to be the editor-in-chief of this little rag. For years, Zach has endured my painful stories and tortured plotlines, weaving his fingers in that magical way he has to give meaning where there was little or none before.

Alas, there is only so much lipstick one can apply to a pig, so even Zach’s Herculean efforts have proved futile for my career as a novelist.

Without the Martins, Perkinses and Hagadoneses of the world who actively sought out and cultivated young voices with something to say, the world of literature might be a bit less exciting to this day. We certainly wouldn’t have exposure to many of the writers who have gone on to define what it is to live and die in America.

So, as much as I love the writer’s struggle, I think I love more the ability to publish those who have more promise and ability than I do, in the hopes that their words might live longer than mine ever had a chance to do.

It’s been a unique joy publishing the words of so many young writers in these pages over the years. Cream really does rise to the top. Talent always finds an outlet, and if that’s my place in this world — to provide a medium for talented wordsmiths to share their thoughts with the world — maybe, just maybe, someone in the future might read their words and be inspired to continue the cycle.

Onward and upward.

STR8TS Solution

Sudoku Solution

Crossword Solution

By Bill Borders

CROSSWORD

Copyright www.mirroreyes.com

Laughing Matter

Solution on page 22

Solution on page 22

ACROSS

valleity /vuh-LEE-i-tee/

Woorf tdhe Week

[noun] 1. a mere wish, unaccompanied by an effort to obtain it.

“It was the least effort he could spend — a velleity — to appease them and avoid being sent to the gulag, or worse.”

Corrections: :snoitcerroC

Contrary to what most people say, the most dangerous animal in the world is not the lion or the tiger or even the elephant. It’s a shark riding on an elephant’s back, just trampling and eating everything they see.

1. They form skeletons 6. Grasp 10. Dossier 14. Kick out 15. Fair attraction 16. Farm soil 17. Terpsichore 18. Affirm 19. Anagram of “Neat” 20. Drowsiness 22. Stratum 23. “Go away!”

24. Uproar 26. 128 cubic feet 30. Anger 31. North northeast 32. Away from the wind 33. Anagram of “Slid” 35. Shopworn 39. Marksman 41. Dodger 43. Firm 44. Bristle 46. Detective ____ Wolfe 47. US spy agency 49. Zero 50. Pinup’s legs 51. Perspires 54. Filled with gloom 56. Pitching to one side 57. A union of interests 63. African sheep 64. Ages 65. Close-knit group

Solution on page 22 66. Quash 67. Dispatched 68. Luminous 69. Biblical garden 70. Mats of grass 71. Noxious plants

DOWN 1. Sleeping platforms 2. Egg-shaped 3. Three times three 4. Behold, in old Rome 5. Stairs 6. Grain storehouses 7. Engrossed 8. Mid-month days

9. Individual 10. Obsequiously complimentary 11. Style of building columns 12. Subsequently 13. File 21. In an unfriendly way 25. “Do ____ others” 26. Scoundrels 27. Margarine 28. Genuine 29. Allegiance 34. Sarcastic humorists 36. Notion

37. Duration 38. Anagram of “Rose” 40. Rewrite 42. Legitimate 45. Part of the UK 48. Judge 51. Barrel part 52. Full of excitement 53. Wash out with a solvent 55. Colorful parrot 58. Black-and-white cookie 59. Anger 60. Inactive 61. Stepped 62. Evergreens May 29, 2025 / R / 23