In these last few weeks of fall, conversations often drift to the winter ahead. Will it be a big one? Will we have a good year for skiing? Will we have an adequate snowpack? I often chuckle when I see people raise their eyebrows and talk about how it’s going to be a “big winter.” Sometimes we even get an early November snowfall that really kicks off the speculation. Then? Well, it’s usually followed by about six to eight weeks of cold rain and bluster before winter finally shows up around mid-January. It’s a sad reality that North Idaho winters have grown tamer since I was a kid. If you embrace facts, climate change is a driving factor. If you don’t, well, I don’t know what to tell you. Maybe malicious garden gnomes are responsible?
For what it’s worth, the predictions this year are mixed. It’s a weak La Niña winter until February, which should mean earlier snowfall and a cold December/January, but a warmer start to spring. But, let’s not forget that many La Niña winters of the past started with the same predictions and culminated in shoveling your walk approximately three times over the entire season.
The Old Farmer’s Almanac is calling for a mild, wet winter for our region. NOAA predicts a slightly above average precipitation outlook. Local prognosticators think it’ll be a white Christmas.
My best guess?
so deep they squeak
Occasionally, one of our readers will send an email asking why I continue to publish that little box on Page 22 with Jack Handey’s “Deep Thoughts,” made popular by Saturday Night Live in the 1990s.
The most prevalent criticism involves the statement, “I just don’t get it.”
I usually respond with the same explanation, which is just a shrug and a statement that says, in essence: “Not everyone has the same humor.”
The truth is, Jack Handey’s “Deep Thoughts” is one of the little pieces of duct tape that keeps this paper together. It’s about five square inches of absurdist real estate in a newspaper with more than 3,000 square inches of “arts, entertainment, bluster and some news,” as we say on our cover.
I like it because it’s absurd, because it doesn’t always make sense and because it’s often ridiculous. I’m also a traditionalist in the sense that I don’t change things just for the sake of change. So, each and every week for 11 years now, I thumb through the half dozen Jack Handey books on my desk and find a zinger for that five-square-inch box on Page 22 that I know will probably land flat with several of our readers. So be it, friends. With any luck, long after I’m dead and gone, some other schmo tasked with running this paper will continue the tradition, if for no other reason than to keep offering absurdist fare in a world that has grown increasingly more absurd.
DEAR READERS,
I’d like to apologize for a term I used in the Nov. 6 edition when referring to Sandpoint City Councilor Justin Dick’s barrage of softball questions to Averill Hospitality Group representatives. I likened him to a “car salesman,” and, after reading my words later, I regret using this lazy, out-of-date expression. I’m friends with people who sell cars. People who sell cars have been and continue to be backbones of our community and they don’t deserve the ridicule I wrote at the end of a 14-hour workday. My criticism of Dick still stands, but I wish I’d used better terminology. Mea culpa.
In other news, the grocery store racks are running empty of Readers quicker than usual, which is normal for this time of year, when people use it for firestarter. If anyone needs stacks of old Readers for kindling your wood stove, please call or email me anytime (see masthead on the right). I’ll even deliver them to your door. Please refrain from grabbing more than one or two of the current edition so everyone can get a copy. Thanks!
–Ben Olson, publisher
111 Cedar Street, Suite 9 Sandpoint, ID 83864 208-946-4368 sandpointreader.com
Editors Emeriti: Lyndsie Kiebert-Carey Cameron Rasmusson John Reuter
Advertising: Ben Olson ben@sandpointreader.com
Contributing Artists: Soncirey Mitchell (cover), Ben Olson, Eric Lundholm, Tricia Florence, Kelly Price, Nancy Foster Renk, Rich Milliron, Bill Borders, Sandpoint Chamber
Contributing Writers: Zach Hagadone, Ben Olson, Soncirey Mitchell, Lorraine H. Marie, Brenden Bobby, Laura Guido, Mark Reiner, Janie WardEngelking, Melissa Wintrow, Sylvia Humes, Marcia Pilgeram
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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 200 words, no excessive profanity or libelous statements and no trolls. Please elevate the discussion and stay on topic.
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About the Cover:
This week’s cover is by Farli Boden and Soncirey Mitchell, who have been doodling together since kindergarten.
Sandpoint City Hall to consider amendment to non-discrimination ordinance
Move comes amid furor over transgender individual’s use of YMCA locker room
By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff
Sandpoint City Council members convened in a special meeting Nov. 12 to address the municipality’s longstanding non-discrimination ordinance, which Mayor Jeremy Grimm proposed should be amended to “mirror” state and federal law regarding LGBTQ+ accommodations in the wake of a fast-moving public controversy over an alleged transgender individual using the Litehouse YMCA women’s locker room.
The issue arose in late October, after Jennifer Hook — who identified herself as a YMCA lifeguard — posted on Facebook that, “a man semi-dressed (he had a bra on and a towel around his waist) as a woman” exited the shower at the facility’s women’s locker room on Oct. 15. “I did not see his genitalia, but I could tell that this was a man,” she wrote.
According to Hook’s post, she spoke with the individual, who had a “distinctly male voice when he laughed and mumbled as his reply to me.”
While she claimed not to have confronted the individual, she stated that “he had a male chest under the bra and no breasts.”
Hook claimed to have gone to the YMCA’s facility manager and aquatics director, reporting “that there was a man in the women’s locker room.” However, according to Hook, YMCA officials responded that no company policies had been violated by the individual’s use of the facilities, and, in subsequent reporting by the Bonner County Daily Bee, the YMCA stated that it follows Sandpoint’s non-discrimination ordinance in that it “allows an individual to use the locker room that aligns with their gender identity.”
Hook then claimed to have called Sandpoint police, who responded by phone that no laws had been broken, “and [that] if I wanted to make a difference that I needed to contact my legislature to make changes to the laws [sic],” according to her post.
That post triggered a torrent of responses, with local Republican Party groups and former-Dist. 1 Sen. Scott Herndon — who recently announced his intention to challenge current Dist. 1 Sen Jim Woodward, R-Sagle, in the 2026 GOP primary election — seizing the alleged “incident” to press for changes to both state and Sandpoint city policies.
“Sandpoint YMCA ALLOWS some men into the women’s locker room,” Herndon wrote on his Scott Herndon for Idaho Facebook page. “Here’s the thing — if you were born a male, you will NEVER be a female, and it is an affront to the dignity of real females to allow you to invade their privacy in their bathrooms and locker rooms. We need to criminalize this activity ASAP in Idaho. ... The YMCA is part of the transgender mafia. For the sake of our mothers, wives and daughters, this must stop.”
Sandpoint enacted its non-discrimination ordinance in 2011, making it the first such city-level measure in the state (at the time, Reader co-founder and then-Publisher John Reuter served on the City Council and was instrumental in the passage of the ordinance).
Following that, multiple cities throughout the state adopted similar if not identical ordinances. Sandpoint’s ordinance, §5-2-10, states that, “all persons, regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity/expression enjoy the full benefits of citizenship and are afforded equal opportunities for employment, housing, commercial property, and the use of public accommodations.”
Furthermore, Sandpoint City Code defines gender expression and identity as, “A gender related identity, appearance, expression or behavior of an individual regardless of a person’s assigned sex at birth.”
Speaking at the Nov. 12 meeting, Grimm said, “The city has no legal power to enforce or regulate these issues, and we do have federal and
state law to respond to any discrimination activities.”
In a memorandum included in the Nov. 12 council staff report, Grimm wrote: “It has become clear that the city’s current ordinance unintentionally places Sandpoint in the center of a legal and cultural debate that extends far beyond municipal authority or intent.”
According to his statements at the Nov. 12 meeting, Grimm intends to bring an amended ordinance to the City Council at its regular Wednesday, Nov. 19 meeting to “extract us from an issue that we have no control over.”
Public testimony was initially not included on the Nov. 12 agenda, but Grimm opened the floor due to the presence of several area residents in attendance wishing to speak. Almost all the commentators pressed for changing the NDO, with most citing the perceived need to protect “women and girls” from potential threats of sexual or otherwise physical violence.
Bonner County resident Heather Haggard said that protecting transgender individuals’ right to use facilities that align with their identity is “not OK. That is not fair to me, that is not fair to young girls.” Later adding that those policies are “teaching a generation of young girls not to believe what they know is true. ... [T]hat this is a man and he should not be in my space.”
Other testimony questioned whether transgender people are mentally stable — calling gender identity that differs from biological sex a “fantasy that is not based on reality,” according to one speaker — while others claimed to be opposed to homophobia and transphobia, but were still “deeply concerned and fearful of this situation” and demanded “penis-free spaces for women.”
According to a statement read by Andrea Marcoccio on behalf of the Sandpoint Alliance for Equality:
“To reverse the existing NDO in Sandpoint is not a technicality of jurisdiction: It
is to knowingly, willingly put your citizens in harm’s way. It is to be held hostage to the fear, prejudice and intolerance we’ve seen online these last days. It is to react hastily to an issue that requires careful, collaborative decision making.
“If it were the safety of citizens — and not the promise of votes and allegiances — at the heart of this rapid response to change the NDO, our community would be invited to thoughtful discourse on what language and protections in our ordinances best serve all of us,” she added, noting that more than 400 other cities employ similar language to Sandpoint’s NDO, and, “no increased risk to safety or criminal harm has occurred as a result of the ordinance.”
“To be clear, this attack on this single organization that has so willingly served our community is to risk losing the YMCA altogether,” Marcoccio said. “And while this alone would be economically and socially devastating in our town, it is only the first business that will be forced out of our community.”
In his memorandum, Grimm stated that federal law already covers LGBTQ+ protections under the 2020 U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Bostock v. Clayton County, which held that, “An employer who fires an individual merely for being gay or transgender violates Title VII [of the Civil Rights Act of 1964].”
However, President Donald Trump in a Jan. 20 executive order called that decision “legally untenable and has harmed women.” In his order, Trump stated that, “It is the policy of the United States to recognize two sexes, male and female. These sexes are not changeable and are grounded in fundamental and incontrovertible reality.”
Idaho law offers no protections based on gender identity or expression, and Idaho Republican Sens. Mike Crapo and Jim Risch joined Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Miss., as cosponsors on Kansas Republican Sen. Roger Marshall’s bill titled the “Defining Male and
Female Act of 2024.” It remains in the Committee on the Judiciary; but, if passed, would establish that, “there are two — and only two — sexes: male and female, which refer to the two body structures (phenotypes) that, in normal development, correspond to one or the other gamete — sperm for males and ova for females.”
Sen. Woodward organized a meeting Nov. 10 that brought together officials with the city, Lake Pend Oreille School District and YMCA to discuss the issue. In a statement to the Reader, he wrote that, “LPOSD and the YMCA have been proactive in arranging use of locker rooms so that only students have locker room access during organized events and there are separate girls and boys rooms in compliance with Idaho law.”
However, Idaho House Bill 500 — which barred transgender athletes from participating on sports teams of their chosen gender identity — is still in court on grounds of discrimination under Title IX.
“Judges blocked the law, meaning transgender rights remained unchanged,” Woodward wrote. “The case remains in litigation and has worked its way to the U.S. Supreme Court. In a nutshell, Idaho is in the same position as prior to the passage of H.B. 500, except we have consumed huge amounts of time and money. I did not vote in support of H.B. 500, even though I agree with the intent. We could have done better.”
Ultimately, Woodward wrote, “We have the ability to respond quickly and to the will of the majority. Local decision making stands in stark contrast to how we see our government operate, or not, at higher levels. Let’s keep the decisions close to home.”
The Sandpoint City Council will meet Wednesday, Nov. 19 at 5:30 p.m. in City Council Chambers at City Hall (1123 Lake St.). To view the meeting virtually, go to sandpointidaho.gov/calendar, select the appropriate meeting and follow the directions to access Zoom.
Sandpoint P&Z to consider ‘substantial overhaul’ of short-term rental regs
Push for deregulation coming from Idaho legislators and lawsuit threats
By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff
Big changes are in store for how the city of Sandpoint regulates short-term rentals — or doesn’t regulate them — as Mayor Jeremy Grimm and Planning and Community Development Director Jason Welker announced at the Nov. 5 meeting of the City Council.
According to Welker, the Sandpoint Planning and Zoning Commission will consider a “substantial overhaul” of the city’s STR ordinance at its regular Tuesday, Nov. 18 meeting, “to bring them into compliance with state law.”
Welker pointed to “several lawsuits against resort cities in Idaho” over the past year challenging caps and other regulations on the number of STRs, and Sandpoint is “desperately trying to avoid a lawsuit” that would force them to be overturned.
Currently, Sandpoint City Code limits the number of STRs in residential zones to 35, unless they are owner-occupied. Meanwhile, organizations representing STR properties, including vacation rentals, have been pushing back against those limitations
with court cases, and are “teeing one up against us,” Grimm said on Nov. 5.
In response, the mayor said, Sandpoint will consider removing that restriction to avoid going to court.
“It’s not out of a desire, it’s out of a practicality of litigation and cost,” Grimm said.
Welker described the ordinance due to appear before P&Z on Nov. 18 as deregulating the number of STRs in Sandpoint and “making them available to any speculator or investor who wants to buy a house and convert it from a place that a community member lives to a place where a visitor will come visit.”
That could have a major impact on the available housing inventory, and the push for deregulation of STRs is coming in part from the Idaho Legislature.
Welker told councilors on Nov. 5 to “keep a close eye on Boise this winter. We believe there’s going to be a really strong effort among some legislators down in Boise to basically strip cities of all rights to regulate short-term rentals whatsoever.”
While he said that it’s likely not “a very popular effort ...
it’s happening nonetheless.”
“If that effort succeeds within a year or two, we may lose the right to regulate short-term rentals whatsoever in the city of Sandpoint,” Welker added.
Sandpoint regulates STRs to collect rental lodging taxes, which amount to 14%, with revenue divided 50/50 between:
• Public safety services, public parks, and other infrastructure and capital projects; and,
• Infrastructure expenses such as street pavement, sealing, widening, reconstruction
and associated stormwater infrastructure; improvements to the Pedestrian Priority Network, including maintenance of sidewalks and pathways, as well as reconstruction and extensions to provide connectivity and increase ADA accessibility and safety; and property tax relief.
The council approved that bed tax fee increase from 7% to 14% in 2022, and voters accepted it at the polls that year. The bed tax is due to expire on Dec. 31, 2035, and the increase passed in 2022
was estimated to raise $6 million over the course of the life of the tax. It applies to “all short-term rentals of 30 days or less, including hotels and motels, condos and vacation homes,” according to the ballot language.
“That’s one reason we need to know who operates short-term rentals — and to protect neighborhood integrity and character,” Welker said on Nov. 5. “I don’t think many people here want to see thousands of short-term rentals operated in Sandpoint. [It] really does impact the neighborhood character. So, keep an eye on what’s going on down in Boise.”
The Sandpoint P&Z will meet Tuesday, Nov. 18 to consider the ordinance changes and will meet at 5:30 p.m. in the Council Chambers at City Hall (1123 Lake St.). To watch the meeting remotely, go to sandpointidaho.gov/ calendar, click on the Nov. 18 P&Z meeting and follow the instructions to access the feed via Zoom.
The city posts recordings of its meetings afterward on its official YouTube channel.
Festival at Sandpoint announces Executive Director Ali Baranski’s departure
By Reader Staff
The Festival at Sandpoint Board of Directors announced Nov. 7 that Executive Director Ali Baranski will step down from her role to focus on personal and family health.
“We would like to sincerely thank Ali Baranski for her immense dedication and transformative leadership of the Festival at Sandpoint,” the
board stated. “Her six-year tenure represents one of the most challenging and critical chapters in the organization’s history.”
Baranski stepped in as interim executive director in 2019, coinciding with the onset of the yearslong lawsuit over whether the nonprofit organization could prohibit weapons on publicly owned War Memorial Field, which it leases from the city of Sand-
point for the annual summer concert series.
The suit was eventually settled in favor of the city and Festival; though, in the meantime, Memorial Field underwent a sweeping redesign that replaced the longtime grass surface with artificial turf. That change further complicated the Festival’s operations and added substantial costs to putting on the event — made even more difficult by the COVID-19 pandemic, which
the Festival also weathered under Baranski’s leadership. Finally, in more recent years, the organization instituted a number of new policies such as no-reentry, banning outside liquids and hard-sided coolers, and other measures that rankled many concertgoers. Still, the Festival persisted under Baranski’s tenure.
Upon becoming executive < see BARANSKI, Page 7 >
A screengrab of some short term rentals in Sandpoint from Airbnb. Courtesy photo
Ali Baranski. File photo
BOCC to reconsider proposed Deerfield subdivision
By Soncirey Mitchell Reader Staff
The Bonner County board of commissioners will hold a public land use hearing on Monday, Nov. 17, at 10 a.m. at the Bonner County Administration Building (1500 Highway 2, in Sandpoint) to reconsider the preliminary plat for the proposed Deerfield subdivision off of Baldy Mountain Road. The board denied the first preliminary plat application in September, citing a lack of information on the extent of the 32.67-acre property’s floodplain.
The development — owned by Deerfield, LLC, which is managed by outgoing Sandpoint City Councilor Rick Howarth — would create 24 lots, each between one and three acres. The suburban-zoned property borders the cityowned lot used by Baldfoot Disc Golf Course and intersects Syringa Creek.
The Bonner County Zoning Commission voted unanimously in June to recommend approval of the preliminary plat, subject to conditions, which included a stormwater runoff and erosion control plan and a topographical map of the parcel.
Conditional approval has been a standard of Bonner County developments for years; however, the current BOCC has argued that applicants should meet all conditions before bringing preliminary plats before the board for approval.
The BOCC continued its Aug. 14 meeting to September to give developers more time to update their application, making changes that Bonner County Planner and Certified Floodplain Manager Jason Johnson called “extremely minor,” some of which were only required because of “obsolete code.”
“[The developers] addressed five of the conditions, which is the maximum they could reasonably be expected to address at this point in the preliminary
process,” Johnson said at the Sept. 9 meeting. “There’s no way that they could fulfill any of the other conditions that are on here.”
One such condition — a letter from the Federal Emergency Management Agency affirming or modifying the mapped floodplains on the property — proved to be the sticking point, leading commissioners to deny the application in September in a 2-1 vote, with Commissioner Ron Korn dissenting.
The southern portions of the proposed development bisected by Syringa Creek — a U.S. Fish and Wildlife-designated wetland — cannot be developed and therefore do not count toward individual lot size. Though all proposed building locations are 20-30 feet above the current mapped floodplain, commissioners determined it would need updated or affirmed base flood elevations from FEMA prior to approval to ensure that the development wouldn’t create drainage and septic issues.
As required by Bonner County Code 14-501, “All subdivision proposals and other development proposals shall be consistent with the need to minimize flood damage and determined to be reasonably safe from flooding.”
The development would utilize individual septic systems; however, Panhandle Health District cannot accurately test the effectiveness of the proposed systems until developers have built the subdivision’s road and drainage systems, which will fundamentally alter the makeup of the site’s soil.
In September, the commissioners invited the applicants to reapply after hearing back from FEMA; however, the federal agency has yet to respond as of press time.
For more information or to submit public comments, visit bonnercountyid. gov/FileS0001-25.
Annual citywide leaf pickup scheduled for
Nov. 17-20
By Reader Staff
Sandpoint’s annual citywide leaf pickup is scheduled for Monday, Nov. 17-Thursday, Nov. 20, when municipal crews will make a single full pass through each neighborhood to collect leaves placed along the curb line.
According to an announcement from the city, residents should place unbagged leaves in the street next to the curb by Sunday, Nov. 16 to ensure they are picked up. The city emphasized that leaves must be left loose — no bags, branches, grass or garden debris should be deposited, as they
Bits ’n’ Pieces
From east, west and beyond
President Donald Trump’s numerous power grabs are not popular, according to polling reported by The Bulwark. Respondents were asked about 25 of Trump’s controversial policies and actions, and whether they considered them authoritarian. The overwhelming answer was in the affirmative that Trump has taken authoritarian actions, such as persecuting political foes, purging government positions of non-MAGA people, deploying the National Guard to “blue” cities and ordering masked ICE raids. Pollsters also asked if respondents approved of those actions, and the wide majority said they did not
While Trump claimed the price of a Walmart Thanksgiving dinner this year will be down 25% this year, critics said the meal basket will have fewer and less pricey items in 2025, The Independent reported.
According to NBC, Democrats offered a plan to end the government shutdown on Nov. 7, including a one-year extension of Affordable Care Act subsidies, which would dodge a massive increase in insurance costs for millions using the ACA. Republican Senate Majority Leader John Thune said it was a “non-starter.”
In a Nov. 10 vote reported by nationwide media, seven Democrats and one Independent joined all but one Republican in the Senate to approve reopening the government after the longest federal shutdown ever. The Democratic minority explained that Republicans showed no interest in any compromise, and they feared for the wellbeing of constituents. The House is expected to vote on the issue as soon as members — absent since mid-September — return. The reopening would extend the rest of government funding until late January 2026.
can damage equipment. Collected leaves will be composted for reuse.
Meanwhile, residents should avoid parking on streets during the week of the leaf pickup to help crews work more efficiently.
The pickup operations depend on the weather, and may be suspended if the city experiences snowfall.
Property owners are responsible for removing any leaves remaining on the street after Nov. 20.
“Thank you for helping keep Sandpoint’s streets and storm drains clear this fall,” the city stated.
The Senate vote agreed to rehire federal workers laid off during the shutdown, and provide back pay for furloughed workers. As well, the Senate version calls for states to be reimbursed for funds spent to cover the shutdown shortfalls, and SNAP funding will resume (but not at pre-”Big Beautiful Bill” levels). Trump lost, too: He was denied both an end to the filibuster and passage of measures that could have made him a dictator. Missing from the Senate vote was the Democrats’ most treasured issue — extending health care subsidies that will prevent significant increases in health care insurance costs.
The Senate is expected to vote in
By Lorraine H. Marie Reader Contributor
mid-December on extending the expiring health care subsidies. Now Republicans say they are working on a health care plan, and are aware that failure to get it “right” could be catastrophic for the next electoral cycle. A recent KFF poll showed 75% of Americans support extending the health care tax credits, but Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson has not agreed to a vote on the issue. Democrats proposed a one- or two-year stopgap measure that would extend the subsidies, but Republican leaders rejected that. While Republicans have talked about alternatives to health care, no plan has been set into motion, and there is no clarity on whether those plans would result in health care savings.
The Justice Department announced a mass “full, complete and unconditional” pardon of individuals involved with Trump’s campaign to overturn the 2020 election.
The Nov. 4, 2025 election — the first since Trump re-took office — represented a “blue wave,” numerous media reported. Many races flipped longstanding seats held by Republicans, or had wide margins of victory for Democrats. Meanwhile, California easily passed Proposition 50 (a time-limited gerrymandering to offset Trump’s gerrymandering push). All candidates endorsed by right-wing group Moms for Liberty lost their elections.
Political data specialist Tom Bonier said that, while Republicans ran on affordability in 2024 and claimed a mandate, they “then governed as reckless authoritarians.” However, Republicans had no mandate from 2024, according to Bonier, who noted that more people voted for someone other than Trump, than voted for him.
From the File of The Guy Who Wants a Nobel Peace Prize: Trump ordered the Department of Defense to prepare for an invasion of Nigeria “guns-a-blazing,” citing persecution of Nigerian Christians. However, experts say Christians in Nigeria are not specifically targeted for violence, according to international media. At the same time, the Associated Press reported that Senate Republicans voted down legislation to limit Trump’s ability to attack Venezuela on a margin of 49-51.
Blast from the past: “An army of principles will penetrate where an army of soldiers cannot.” — Founding Father Thomas Paine, author of Common Sense (1737-1809).
BOCC replaces MLD process
By Soncirey Mitchell Reader Staff
After continuing their Oct. 16 meeting on proposed revisions to Bonner County Code regarding minor land divisions — among other related topics — the Bonner County board of commissioners reconvened Nov. 10 to approve the changes in a series of 2-1 votes. The new language replaces MLDs with “short” and “long” subdivisions, which have heightened safety requirements, removed redundant language and clarified land division applications.
Short subdivisions of 10 parcels or fewer and long subdivisions of 11 parcels or more will fall under the jurisdiction and protections of the Local Land Use Planning Act — as well as the existing requirements for subdivisions — and undergo infrastructure and service capacity reviews of their potential impact on area schools, road networks, and water and sewer districts. Each subdivision will require sanitary restriction lifts and wastewater feasibility reviews from the Panhandle Health District, which will confirm that the proposed developments meet the requirements for water and sewage hookups.
The vote brings an end to a monthslong process involving the Planning Department, Planning Commission and the
< BARANSKI, con’t from Page 5 >
director, “She immediately faced an extraordinary confluence of crises: organizational debt, lawsuits, the complex new turf project at War Memorial Field, an unprecedented global pandemic and legislative advocacy,” the board stated.
“Through it all, Ali was unwavering. With limited staff and resources, she remained dedicated to her vision of making the organization sustainable.
“Today, thanks to her tireless efforts, the Festival is not only stable but thriving,” the board added. “Ali has hired and trained an extremely
BOCC. Former-Planning Director Jake Gabell approached the board in March with concerns that the imprecise MLD language had led to “conflicting interpretations and inconsistent enforcement” of code, creating loopholes that allowed developers to create de facto subdivisions without meeting the infrastructure requirements necessary to sustain them.
“Although the MLD process was originally created to provide an efficient and cost-effective review pathway for smaller-scale land divisions, practical experience demonstrated that the reduced applicable standards sometimes resulted in developments that lack sufficient infrastructure,” said Interim Planning Director Alex Feyen at a Planning Commission meeting in September. “These conditions created potential issues for emergency responders; increased the risk of fire hazards in rural areas; and, in certain cases, led to drainage or stormwater management concerns.”
In response, commissioners instituted an emergency moratorium on MLDs in April, giving the Planning Department time to workshop new language while preventing developers from submitting last-minute applications before the changes took effect. The Planning Commission unanimously approved the changes in September, passing the final decision to the BOCC, which
talented team, dramatically expanded our mission and program offerings, ensuring the organization’s continued success and a significant positive impact for our region. We are deeply grateful for her resilience, passion and the lasting legacy she leaves behind. We extend our warmest wishes to Ali and her family.”
Baranski shared her reasons for departing in a statement:
“After much soul-searching and more recent health concerns in myself and family members, it is with a heavy heart that I’ve decided to de-
met in October but could not agree, as Commissioner Asia Williams was absent.
The commissioners addressed only points of disagreement at the Nov. 10 meeting, beginning with the proposal to lower the maximum requested variance handled administratively (without a public hearing) from 30% to 20%. Variances allow property owners to establish unique lot sizes or setbacks that do not conform to zoning code. Feyen estimated that the Planning Department receives 25 to 40 variance requests annually that are resolved administratively.
Commissioner Ron Korn argued that keeping the maximum at 30% was more efficient, as it meant fewer hearings. In contrast, Williams and BOCC Chair Brian Domke argued that constituents favored opportunities for public comment and discussion by elected officials.
Commissioners adopted the change to 20% in a 2-1 vote, with Korn dissenting.
Korn opposed the proposal to eliminate MLDs, arguing that the moratorium was intended to give the Planning Department time to revise, not eliminate, the relevant code language. Korn had previously voted against the moratorium, saying that MLDs were a property rights issue, and arguing that striking MLDs takes an applicant’s property rights and gives them “to the other
part the Festival at Sandpoint. It is time for me to prioritize my health and that of my loved ones.
“My time with the Festival has been an immeasurable privilege,” she added. “I am profoundly proud of the growth and achievements of this organization, and I leave with the deepest respect for our mission and the incredible community that sustains it. I want to express my sincerest gratitude to the dedicated board of directors over the years, our phenomenally talented staff, generous donors
property owners.”
Korn further maintained that eliminating the MLD process — which costs $500 plus $25 per lot for an application — and replacing it with short and long subdivision (which cost $1,000 plus an additional $75 per lot) was unfair to low-income families.
“We’re making it harder on people to split their property,” Korn said, later adding, “If you have medical bills or you’re being taxed out of your property, if you want to try and create one extra parcel so that you can try and cover your bills and live more comfortably, what we’re doing as a government now is we’re adding more red tape and more expense in order to do that.”
Williams and Domke argued that the potential drawbacks to neighboring property owners caused by de facto subdivisions created under the MLD process outweigh applicants’ potential financial concerns.
“Instead of using an appeal to emotion for a situation that is really outside the bell curve, we’re being charged with creating a system that has a greater positive impact on both sides of development within the county,” said Williams, later adding, “I would argue that it’s not that [MLDs are] going away. It’s actually being absorbed in the correct terminology. To not see the words ‘minor land division’ doesn’t mean that the sub-
and the tireless volunteers whose passion brings the Festival to life every season.”
The board is initiating a search for the next executive director. Further details on the interim leadership plan will be announced shortly.
“I have every confidence that the Festival at Sandpoint will continue its trajectory of success and cultural impact. I look forward to remaining a dedicated supporter of such an amazing organization,” Baranski stated. “It has been one of my greatest honors in my life to have been a steward of such
stance of it is gone.”
When asked to propose an alternative course of action, Korn suggested that MLDs remain an option and that neighbors resolve disputes arising from them through “civil litigation.” Domke commented that that led to a “David and Goliath” situation, where developers who could afford better legal counsel would usually win against average property owners.
“The people don’t want to be ruled,” said Korn. “The people want their freedom, and it’s not government’s job to sit there and mitigate a citizen’s risk and exposure.”
In an effort to maintain a more affordable land division option, the revised code still includes family exemptions, which allow property owners to divide a parcel for $210, plus an additional $16 per lot, and gift or sell it to a spouse or close relative.
The proposed changes would have increased the maximum number of lots created under a family exemption from four to 10; however, Williams and Domke expressed concern that a division that large — without subdivision infrastructure requirements — would lead to the same loophole previously exploited with MLDs.
The commissioners voted 2-1 to maintain the family exemption limit of four, meaning the original lot plus three additional parcels, and to adopt the rest of the code changes, with Korn dissenting.
an iconic community treasure for a chapter of its rich history. Thank you for the honor and the memories, Sandpoint.”
The board stated that planning for the 2026 Summer Series and all year-round programs is moving forward, writing: “The board, staff and volunteers are united in their commitment to carrying forward the Festival’s legacy of artistic excellence and community impact. They look forward to continuing to serve as a catalyst for creativity, connection and cultural vitality in Sandpoint and beyond.”
New Bonner Mall owners plan for the future
By Soncirey Mitchell Reader Staff
Ownership of the Bonner Mall in Ponderay changed hands over the summer in an off-market deal from longtime proprietors Bonner Mall Partnership, operated by the Magnuson family as majority owner, to Bonner Mall, LLC, led by Dave Black and Chris Bell, of Spokane-based commercial real estate agency NAI Black. According to Bell, the next steps for the group include boosting current tenants’ sales, attracting new businesses and diversifying the 195,800-squarefoot shopping center’s uses.
“This is a region with incredible momentum, and we’re committed to being good stewards of Bonner Mall for the long term,” Bell told the Reader “Our goal is to work hand-in-hand with tenants, the city and the broader community to ensure Bonner Mall remains a place people want to shop, connect and spend time for years to come.”
The shopping center has seen its ups and downs over the years, with past renovations isolating individual businesses from the building’s former shared hallways. Regardless, the mall maintains 78% occupancy, including anchors such as Yoke’s, Sandpoint Cinemas and Petco. Bell said the new owners intend to fill out the property with additional businesses while improving flow to create a more cohesive shopping experience.
“We’re focused on making the property more inviting through improved
signage, better use of shared spaces, and fostering a welcoming environment for both national retailers and local entrepreneurs,” said Bell. “We’re in early discussions with several potential tenants, including a couple of exciting new-to-market concepts we aren’t allowed to announce yet, and we’re optimistic about new leasing momentum as we refine our long-term strategy.”
In an age of online shopping, Bell said that a staple like Bonner Mall is still vital to the community. The group’s plans to improve the 15-acre parcel go hand in hand with Ponderay’s Comprehensive Plan, adopted in August, which prioritizes small businesses, pedestrian and bike-friendly routes and the development of community gathering spaces.
Bonner Mall featured prominently in Comp Plan discussions, according to Senior Project Manager Aaron Qualls of SCJ Alliance, who consulted with Ponderay while updating the plan.
“The plan’s engagement process yielded a strong desire for Ponderay to further its identity through placemaking enhancements and so-called ‘third places’ — which are those informal places that people gather outside of work and home life,” said Qualls. “They are typically small, locally oriented businesses, institutions or other gathering spots that are also typically pedestrian oriented. The Bonner Mall emerged as an opportunity for the potential creation of an authentic downtown experience for Ponderay
residents and visitors.”
Qualls pointed to the mall’s central location — within walking distance of old and new subdivisions and the continued development of the Pend d’Oreille Bay Trail — and its spacious lot as two factors that make Bonner Mall a popular spot for Ponderay’s future downtown. Meanwhile, Ponderay is continuing efforts to develop the surrounding community, with voters passing a 1% local option sales tax in the Nov. 4 election, which will expand and establish a maintenance endowment fund for the Field of Dreams sports center, improve streets with additional bike trails and sidewalks, and build a railroad underpass to Lake Pend d’Oreille, giving residents direct access to what the city has dubbed its “Front Yard.”
“Redevelopment of unused parking by the movie theater, for example, may present an opportunity for small busi-
ness prosperity, an increase in the city’s tax base and a greater sense of identity and place of connection for the growing community of Ponderay,” said Qualls.
Though SCJ Alliance is not currently working with Bonner Mall, LLC, Qualls said that he’s open to partnering with the group to help align the mall’s future projects with Ponderay’s vision.
“Partnering with the city of Ponderay is a core part of our vision,” said Bell. “As we continue to evaluate the property, we look forward to aligning with the city’s Comprehensive Plan and contributing to its broader goals for sustainable growth, economic vitality and community development. Collaboration will be key to ensuring Bonner Mall continues to thrive alongside the community it serves.”
Democrat Terri Pickens announces bid for Idaho governor’s office
By Reader Staff
Though the 2026 election is about a year away, Boise lawyer and small business owner Terri Pickens announced Nov. 10 that she would seek the office of Idaho governor.
Running as a Democrat, Pickens stated in an announcement that she is, “answering the call to lead during a time of conflict and fear. For too long, politicians have ignored us and we just can’t go on this way. We need to change course and elect leaders who listen, who act and who won’t bend the knee to billionaires.”
Founding partner of Boise-based Pickens Law, Pickens ran unsuccessfully as a Democrat for Idaho lieutenant governor in 2022, earning 178,147 votes for 30.48% against Scott Bedke, who won with 376,269 votes, or 64.38%.
Since then, she’s remained a vocal critic of Idaho Republican Gov. Brad Little, the Republican legislative caucus, the Idaho Republican-dominated Idaho congressional delegation and, increasingly since the 2024 election, how Idaho Republican leaders have fallen in lockstep with President Donald Trump.
Pickens is a graduate of USC and the University of Idaho College of Law, and in practice represents construction clients and others. She lives in Boise and is the mother of two.
In a launch statement Nov. 10, she singled out “a lawless billionaire class that has captured our government and is plundering our state and national coffers.”
According to her campaign, “Giving up freedom for the illusion of security has always been a slippery slope. An autocratic virus in the extreme
wing of the Republican Party has become a full-blown fascist movement.”
Going on, she referred to government surveillance, the loss of bodily sovereignty to “anti-science zealots,” and programs for the poor, elderly and veterans “being robbed by billionaires.”
“Civil rights for the LGBTQA community and people of color are under constant threat,” her campaign added. “And Idaho’s governor shrugs when ICE troopers take Idaho citizens captive at gunpoint — and
hold them until the federal government decides to stop holding them.”
“I still believe in Idaho,” Pickens stated. “I know we are decent, courageous and independent. We are strong together and together we will reclaim our future.”
The Pickens campaign will host an official launch event Thursday, Nov. 20 in Boise. Those interested in attending can visit her social media pages or terriforidaho. com.
Follow the campaign on social media at @ TerriForIdaho.
A rendering showing potential improvements to the Bonner Mall. Courtesy image
Terri Pickens. File photo
Idaho begins distributing partial SNAP benefits, awaits further federal guidance
By Laura Guido Idaho Capital Sun
Idaho has begun distributing partial payments of federal food assistance for low-income residents, while awaiting for federal guidance to be able to distribute full benefits.
Funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as SNAP, has been in question amid the ongoing federal government shutdown and varying court orders.
The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, which administers the program to more than 130,000 Idahoans, said it began distributing funds Nov. 7 and aimed to complete distributions by Nov. 12.
“Idaho is in the process of issuing partial benefits based on previous federal guidance and does not expect to have to undo those benefits,” Health and Welfare spokesperson AJ McWhorter said in an email to the Idaho Capital Sun. “[Health and Welfare] will move to full benefits as soon as guidance is received that directs that action.”
The typical maximum allowable SNAP payment may already be reduced for participants based on a formula that takes into account income, household size and some living expenses. The reduced payments are roughly 65% of the maximum allotment, minus the program’s typical reductions. The average monthly benefit in Idaho is $178 per household member.
Recipients are encouraged to check their EBT cards, which are used to pay for groceries, and look for updates on the agency’s website at healthandwelfare.idaho.gov.
SNAP guidance volatile amid shutdown and court battles
The move follows weeks of varying, sometimes conflicting, federal guidance and court orders related to the program.
Here’s how things changed for the program:
• Oct. 1: Because Congress failed to approve spending for the next fiscal year, the federal government shut down on Oct. 1, which meant many federal agencies did not have authorization to spend additional money.
• Oct. 22: Idaho Health and Welfare announced it would pause SNAP payments in November because funding had dried up during the ongoing shutdown. The federal United States Department of Agriculture asked Idaho for the suspension.
• Oct. 24: The USDA, which administers SNAP federally, originally had a plan to tap contingency funds to continue paying the 42 million Americans who use the program, but reversed course and said it didn’t have the legal ability to continue making payments if the shutdown extended into November, the States Newsroom reported.
• Oct. 28, Oct. 30: The USDA’s decision not to provide more payments was challenged in two lawsuits in federal court systems in Massachusetts and in Rhode Island.
• Oct. 31: A federal judge in Rhode Island ordered the USDA to either provide full payments or partial payments using the contingency fund. The judge provided a written version of the ruling Nov. 1.
• Nov. 3: In response to the Rhode Island judge’s order, the USDA said in court filings it would authorize payments of about 50% of the maximum benefit, with the program’s typical deductions for household income. However, the federal agency later said it miscalculated the reduction and
clarified the reductions would be closer to 35% of the maximum allotment.
• Nov. 4: President Donald Trump wrote on social media that no payments would be made until the government reopened, which conflicted with the court documents from the USDA.
• Nov. 6: The Rhode Island judge ordered the federal government to pay the full benefit to recipients for November.
• Nov. 7: The USDA told states it would release full funding for November to comply with the court order, States Newsroom reported.
— Later that same day, the Trump administration appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, asking justices to reverse the order to pay full benefits.
— The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare distributed partial payments to about 15,000 Idahoans, the agency stated.
— The Supreme Court that night temporarily blocked the lower court order to make the full payments, allowing the case to continue litigation in the lower appeals court.
• Nov. 8: Trump administration officials told states that provided full benefits to “undo” the action, and instead fund 65% of allotments.
• Nov. 9: The U.S. Senate on Nov. 9 advanced a bill that would fund the government through the end of Jan-
uary, clearing a major hurdle toward potentially ending the shutdown, States Newsroom reported.
— A separate federal appeals court denied the Trump administration’s request to halt the order to make full SNAP payments, The New York Times reported.
• Nov. 10: A federal judge in Massachusetts temporarily blocked the directive for states to “undo” full benefits.
Idaho’s health agency is continuing to disperse reduced payments until it receives further guidance. New SNAP applications continue to be accepted, according to the agency.
The situation may cause longer wait times at call centers and offices, Health and Welfare’s website stated on Nov. 10.
Benefits provided under the federal Women, Infants and Children, or WIC, program are unaffected, according to Health and Welfare’s website, as of Nov. 10.
This story was produced by Boise-based nonprofit news outlet the Idaho Capital Sun, which is part of the States Newsroom nationwide reporting project. For more information, visit idahocapitalsun.com.
Courtesy photo
Bouquets:
• Here’s to auto mechanics. My partner Cadie’s car broke down while traveling to Whitefish last weekend. It ended up being a blown head gasket (yikes!). Every mechanic she called said they weren’t open on the weekend, but one shop, the Acme Auto Garage, said, “Bring it by,” and received the car on a Friday evening. Despite not being open over the weekend, the mechanics agreed to do the work, saying if they didn’t, we’d probably be stuck there until Monday or Tuesday. Sure enough, Sunday morning we checked out of our hotel and picked up the car without any issues. Knock on wood, I’ve never had any bad experiences with mechanics here in Sandpoint, either, so this is a general Bouquet to all those who keep our vehicles running.
Barbs:
• A recent email from Schweitzer advertised the new “Schweitzer Reserve Pass,” an upgrade that can be added to a season pass that provides parking in the Lakeview Lot and “priority lift access” at the Great Escape, Basin Express and Stella lifts. Curious, I checked what it would cost. For both parking and priority lift access it’s $1,999 and without the parking it’s $599. Mind you, this is on top of the season pass prices. Hooray, it’s yet another way that uberrich people can cut ahead of us plebs. Maybe I’m just bitter because my feet are planted firmly in the middle class and I’ll never see the type of wealth that leads to a charmed life. But I know it’ll be frustrating to get up early, trudge up the hill and stand in line to get first chair only to see some wealthy tourists wander over to the lift five minutes before the bell full of hot chocolate and step ahead of everyone else in line. I guess I should just be happy I can still afford to ski at all and shut up about it.
‘Neighbors, not parties, built this place’…
Dear editor, In today’s climate, it’s too easy to put people into boxes labeled “Democrat” or “Republican” — two words that too often decide whether we listen or turn away. That’s not the Bonner County I’ve known all my life, and it’s not the way I choose to live. None of us should. It’s not good for our community, and it’s not who we are.
This community was built on showing up for each other — fixing fences, cooking for fundraisers, lending a hand when it mattered. We used to care more about being good neighbors than being on the “right side.” Somewhere along the way, we forgot that politics don’t plow snow, feed families or rebuild homes — people do.
Division doesn’t solve problems; it just makes them bigger. The issues we face — food insecurity, housing, health, jobs — demand all of us, working side by side.
It’s time to start seeing each other again, not the affixed label: to listen first, help where we can, and lead with kindness and care. That’s how strong communities — and real democracy — endure.
Let’s start the conversation again. Let’s remember who we are.
Before party, we’re neighbors — and together is the only way we make this place stronger.
Kari Saccomanno Sandpoint
City must ‘trust but verify’ communications with Averill…
Dear editor, Thanks to Averill Hospitality for raising the issue of the RV park at City Beach, which now will see public input and analysis of what’s the highest and best use of that space. As mentioned at last week’s council meeting, an RV park was not high on any previous list. When the property was acquired via swap for property adjacent to the existing hotel, that property was to serve as a new boat ramp to alleviate traffic. Unfortunately, it would require lots of expensive dredging to have a boat ramp there (how that wasn’t known in advance is troublesome).
conflict on his part, even though his series of softball questions to Averill made me wonder. Those in the public eye need to avoid any perceived potential conflict. Recusal is easy and avoids future questions.
Thanks again to Averil for revealing that the city must “trust but verify” any communication from it. Averill’s doublespeak needs translation. One must wonder about the long-term viability of any corporation that could send such an ignorant, threatening letter to the city. Stupid is as stupid does.
Shannon May Sandpoint
Let legislators know your opinion on ACA, SNAP…
Dear editor,
I’m not sure what Sen. Chuck Schumer was thinking, or the eight Democrat senators who went along with the vote to end the deadlock. It did not accomplish anything other than shove it all back down to the House of Representatives. The battle is still on over the Affordable Care Act.
What should be brought into the fight is the loss of SNAP. Let’s hope the House Dems put up a
better fight.
Idaho only has MAGA Republican legislators, but let them know your opinion on these matters. Maybe they will care enough to vote against Trump’s demands.
Sue Koller Cocolalla
Averill should be required to install sidewalk space…
Dear editor,
If you or I build a building, we have to put sidewalks along any street frontages. Before Sandpoint staff realized that Averill Hospitality was playing endless hardball with their new “resort hotel,” Averill was granted their wish to not have to build sidewalk space along Dock Street/Sandpoint Avenue on their block.
This is a big deal and a loss for all of us. Sandpoint Avenue is narrow there. The “bike path” paint is always worn off by busy traffic. It’s not safe to walk in the street —- the only place to walk today.
This block is the way to the Pend d’Oreille Bay Trail. Ponderay has big plans to make this wonderful trail even better. It’s the way to walk to and from the Seasons condos. It’s
how you walk to the marina and out onto the jetty.
If you are coming from any of those places, that block takes you to City Beach and downtown. And “resort” guests will want that sidewalk to walk to most of those destinations.
Ask our city officials and staff to claw back the requirement that Averill build that sidewalk next to their parking lot. Attend the planned workshop and speak up.
Molly O’Reilly Sandpoint
Got something to say? Write a letter to the editor. We accept letters up to 200 words that are free from libelous statements and excessive profanity. Send to letters@sandpointreader.com
Also troublesome is the prospect of conflict of interest. I believe Councilor Dick when he says there is no
To submit a photo for a future edition, please send to ben@sandpointreader.com.
Middle left: “Bottoms up!” wrote photographer Tricia Florence, of her photo showing Canada geese feeding.
Middle right: Northern lights were visible in Sandpoint on the evening of Nov. 11 (and sightings were reported as far south as Florida). Photo by Taran White.
Bottom left: Unique trees at the Pend d’Oreille Bay Trail. Photo by Kelly Price.
Bottom center: “Our nightly dog walk in Pine Street Woods,” wrote photographer Rich Milliron.
Bottom right: “The sun broke through the clouds as I walked past Chuck Slough the other day,” wrote photographer Nancy Foster Renk. “I love fall!”
Top: A sunset glow on Lake Pend Oreille. Photo by Eric Lundholm.
Science: Mad about
knightly weapons
By Brenden Bobby Reader Columnist
Imagining a medieval knight conjures the image of a gallant plate-armored nobleman holding aloft a glimmering sword. It’s true that in medieval Europe, the sword became an image of prestige, wealth and honor displayed on noble coats of arms across the continent; however, its usefulness as a symbol vastly outweighed its value as a weapon — especially toward the end of the medieval period.
A medieval knight carried a number of weapons onto the battlefield, with each one designed to serve a specific purpose. The sword was a weapon designed to cut through unarmored opponents, which critically hamstrung its value against other armored warriors. Despite what the movies may tell you, a sword slash against a steel breastplate or even chainmail wouldn’t result in an instant kill — it’s effectively the same thing as slapping someone wearing a coat with a pool noodle.
Medieval knights had two weapons that were specifically designed to kill other knights in the age of the sword: lances and daggers. The war lance was designed to deliver the full weight and force of an armored horse, which could gallop at speeds of up to 30 miles per hour. The amount of force delivered by the impact of a point just a few inches across was tremendous and enough to fling a 200-pound man in 90 pounds of armor a dozen or more feet from his saddle.
However, lances were largely a single-use weapon, and spares weren’t readily carried on the horse. Medieval cavalry’s strength also wasn’t
catered toward engaging other cavalry, but instead targeting poorly armored infantry and soldiers armed with crossbows.
Regardless, knights still fought other knights, which made the lance their primary weapon for felling armored foes. The lance, however, came in second to the most lethal anti-knight tool in a medieval warrior arsenal: the dagger.
Contemporary fantasy depictions inaccurately portray the dagger as a tool of the coward — the dastardly rogue skulking about the tavern waiting to deliver a poisoned blow to the heart of some drunken lordling, or the lithe and agile archer that moves with a water-like grace (another grossly inaccurate depiction of medieval archers that we will explore another day).
The dagger was a utilitarian weapon used by many, but especially used by knights in the form of the rondel. Rondel daggers were often used as a boot knife — a last resort weapon to finish off another armored opponent — and they worked extremely well.
Due to the nature of armored combat, two unhorsed knights would collide in a heavy metal wrestling match to utilize every advantage they could to incapacitate or kill their opponent. The rondel was perfectly designed to slip between the articulating plates of armor and pierce a vital artery in the neck, armpit or thigh.
Game of Thrones would have you believe that the goal of every nobleman on the battlefield was to kill his enemies as swiftly and viciously as possible; and, given the huge arsenal of armor and weapons they left behind for historians, it makes a convincing argument that this was true.
In actuality, medieval war was often more like a game of rich man’s tag, in which the bulk of the casualties were the commoners forced to fight in their lords’ lethal games.
Capturing an enemy noble was a far more profitable act than simply murdering him and trying to control his family’s land. There was even a specific tool designed to achieve exactly this — a horrific contraption called the man-catcher. This was a spiked collar attached to the end of a pole and deployed against armored cavalry.
The premise was simple: thrust the man-catcher at the charging knight’s neck, brace the back against the ground and let physics take care of the rest. If all went well, the horse kept moving without its rider, and a swarm of infantry would capture a valuable prisoner — or, they just accidentally decapitated someone who was worth more money alive than dead.
One of the most powerful tools in a knight’s arsenal is seldom seen in modern fantasy media, and I find that rather surprising. The poleaxe appeared in the middle of the 14th century, and its simplicity was a marvel of medieval ingenuity. This weapon was the Swiss Army knife of weapons in its day, blending the benefits of a spear, a hammer and an axe with virtually none of the drawbacks.
The poleaxe was perfectly suited for every situation a knight might face on foot, with an axe head for hacking at unarmored opponents, a hammer for bludgeoning armored foes, and a spear for reach and poking at weak points in articulated plate.
The poleaxe itself was designed for grappling, locking
up with another opponent’s weapon to twist and overpower them in an attempt to contort their limbs into submission and eke out an edge. The hammer side of the poleaxe even made for an effective leverage point for a foot, when a knight could point the tip downward and press with their full body weight to pierce a downed enemy through a visor or the gaps in the neck of their armor.
Of course, all of these weapons fell out of favor in
the age of gunpowder. Plate armor couldn’t deflect a thumb-sized ball of metal, which meant steel became a more valuable resource for building artillery than defending noblemen who could command a battle from outside the range of artillery. Armor and helmets receded, and melee weapons fell out of favor. The age of knights then faded into history, replaced by the era of shot and pike.
Stay curious, 7B.
Random Corner
•The world’s most expensive taco can be found at the Grand Velas Los Cabos resort in Mexico where, for $25,000, you can get a gold-flaked corn tortilla, langoustines, Kobe beef, Almas beluga caviar and black truffle brie cheese.
•When Glenn Bell created Taco Bell in 1962, tacos and other menu items were just 19 cents.
•Based on the earliest known evidence, tacos have been around in one form or another since at least 1500 B.C.E. The modern taco, however, was developed in the 19th century in Mexican silver mines. The first true modern taco is known as the taco de minero, or “miner’s taco.”
•There are many competing theories on the origins of the term “taco.” One theory has taco meaning “wad” or “plug” in Spanish, as in a small piece of paper or cloth folded up to stop a hole. The notion of something folded or plugged fits the tortilla folded around a
filling. Another claim is that it’s from the Nahuatl word tlahco, meaning “half” or “in the middle.” Yet another theory holds that the name comes from a slang word used to describe thin sheets of paper wrapped in gunpowder that were used as a plug for blasting by Mexican silver miners.
•The Mexican Department of Agriculture claims there are more than 20,000 taco recipes.
•During the 1930s and 1960s, Lebanese immigrants to Mexico infused their native dishes into taco recipes. One of the most lasting and famous Lebanese/Mexican blends is “tacos al pastor,” which includes thinly sliced marinated pork.
•Tacos became popular in the U.S. in the early 1900s, when Mexican immigrants came to work on the railroads and brought tacos with them. Most Americans considered tacos a lower-class street food at the time. Now Americans put away 4.5 billion tacos every year.
Poleaxe combat depicted by Fiore Furlan dei Liberi da Premariacco, c. 1410. Courtesy image
What now?
By Mark Reiner Reader Contributor
Every paper, including this one, is running one or more articles concerning the split between the right and the left, between liberals and conservatives. Ultimately, it is a reflection of this universe, one of duality. One side requires the other for its own existence. That’s why it is written that dualities arise together. We may accept the need for duality in order to provide contrast, but now emotional responses are tied to the contrasts, thus engendering every emotion from joy to hate based on the perception of one side winning or losing.
These emotional responses have now been whipped up to provide rationales for mental, emotional or even physical violence. Is a solution possible? Yes, but it requires people of goodwill to stand up.
No specific person, party or group is being singled out — we are concerned with only one issue: the ushering in of peace and justice. We need a group of people who respond to peace and goodwill, without interfering with specific efforts or loyalties.
We need people who will work for peace and goodwill, without division
This is not an effort to promote a Christian society, nor any earthly government. It is a group of those who belong to every religion, every political party and every nation. They need to be free of the emotional spirit of hatred and separative reactions so prominent now. Such attitudes have permeated to the lowest depths of humanity, and colored all fields of humanity’s thinking. Let’s look first at the world picture.
Grasping materialism in all of its forms — plus human ambitions and ignorance — are obvious reasons for the divisions. They lead to inequalities of supply and demand, trade barriers, resulting in war and talk of conflict, which in turn further futile expenditures of time and money.
Yet, no energy is being expended towards enabling those of goodwill to cooperate. Instead, every effort is made to erase apparent enemies: “them.”
Simply look at where the vast majority of money is spent.
Further, the concept should be clear, to boldly confront the person or group opposing you simply strengthens their resolve. Instead, be an example of your peace and justice that others may
see the situation in a different way and start to think in different terms.
Those who evidence goodwill tend to be responsible people. A sense of responsibility toward the whole is an indication of those who are forward-thinking. This group is steadily growing.
Individuals are found in every group who seek world peace, equality and justice. These individuals engage in no separative political activity, take no position either for or against any government or religion, nor do they make attacks on any existing individual or group. They do work to breach the divisions between people, evoke a sense of brotherhood, foster mutual relationships and encourage others to look beyond national, religious or racial barriers. These people represent an attitude of mind, but are not out in “la-la land.” They know exactly what to do and are doing it in their own way.
If they are pop musicians, they write songs of unity; if they are writers, they write pamphlets or books calling for internal and external unity. Each person does what he or she knows is best in their own field, but none will say or write anything that feeds the separative feelings of those around them.
‘Sandpoint is better than its panic’
By Anna Ballard Reader Contributor
I’ve always believed that decency could stand on its own. But lately I’ve been realizing that even decency needs defenders. When we stay quiet, fear fills the space we leave empty and I don’t want to mistake silence for peace anymore. If anything’s going to change, I want to be part of that change and not with noise, but with truth.
I’ve been reading about what’s happening at Litehouse YMCA, and what strikes me most isn’t the event itself, but the reaction. A person, described as “a man in a bra,” was seen using the women’s locker room, and within hours, hundreds of locals were online calling them a predator, spreading panic and urging people to cancel their YMCA memberships.
How did we get here? How did we get from someone existing as themselves to the language of assault and hysteria? Fear has become our favorite drug. We feed on it, pass it around and call it “protection.” But fear isn’t
wisdom, it’s just adrenaline dressed up as moral certainty. And when we let fear steer, empathy dies.
The YMCA is one of the last true community spaces we have, a place where kids learn to swim, where elders exercise safely, where people rebuild their health and sense of belonging. To punish the YMCA, to try to close it down over one person’s existence, is not protection. It’s destruction.
I understand wanting safety. Every parent, every woman, every person deserves to feel safe in shared spaces. But that safety has to include everyone, or it isn’t safety at all. The transgender community already carries the weight of misunderstanding and violence. Adding another wave of public humiliation doesn’t protect anyone; it just deepens the wound.
Real safety doesn’t come from excluding people. It comes from learning how to share space with respect, clarity and compassion. It’s possible to protect privacy and protect dignity. It’s possible to hold boundaries and stay kind. But that takes courage — the kind that
listens before judging, that chooses love when fear would be easier.
If you’re dropping your YMCA membership out of outrage, please pause and think about who you’re really hurting. It’s not just the staff or a policy, it’s the kids who learn to swim there, the elders who find friendship there, the families who rely on it as a safe and welcoming space.
Maybe we could start with listening instead of labeling. Maybe we could stop mistaking discomfort for danger. And maybe, just maybe, we could remember that the measure of a community isn’t how loud we shout about our fears, but how bravely we love through them.
Sandpoint is better than its panic. We can lead with heart, not hysteria. The world doesn’t need more people tearing things down, it needs more people standing up, gently but firmly, for kindness, inclusion and community care.
Anna Ballard is a born-and-raised Sandpoint local who now resides in Hawaii.
There will be no attempt at coercion. Their larger interest will not stop them from being “good citizens,” for they will serve on juries, be teachers and otherwise accept the situation in which they find themselves. They will always work to break down barriers, promote peace, trust and goodwill.
One important point needs emphasis: None of these people will form an organization. There will be no leadership, nor headquarters. What will happen is a subjective realignment of thought. Each and every individual will reflect their own understanding. Some will be more influential in helping, others less so. That is the way of the world, but because there are so many people who are responding to the demand for peace and justice, a true groundswell will continue to slowly grow.
Please consider being a part of it, and join with those who are an expression of practical loving understanding.
Mark Reiner is a longtime Bonner County resident, composer, orchestra director and writer.
Preventable and predictable: Idaho’s budget crisis impacts us all
By Sen. Janie Ward-Engelking,D-Boise, and Sen. Melissa Wintrow, D-Boise Reader Contributors
Transparency and accountability are hallmarks of healthy budgeting. So, let’s be transparent. Let’s be accountable.
Everyone already knows how we got into our current budget crisis: Republican lawmakers adopted unrealistic revenue projections to accommodate tax giveaways and an unpopular school voucher scheme, resulting in $450 million in revenue reductions that overwhelmingly benefited the wealthy. That was preventable.
When revenues fell short, Gov. Brad Little imposed across-the-board reductions, followed by 3% temporary holdbacks, and then permanent cuts to every agency. That was predictable.
Now, Idaho faces a $555 million fiscal cliff due to the massive gap between revenue and needed services.
The result is chaos in health care, stress on public safety and strain across the very services that sustain Idaho families.
As Idaho grows and aspires to move forward, our GOP-controlled Legislature keeps pulling us backward
by enacting policies that starve the very services that allow communities to thrive. Health care, public safety, public schools and transportation form the backbone of a strong Idaho. Yet, instead of building on success, they are cutting to the bone.
At the recently concluded interim meeting of the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee — the Legislature’s budget-setting body — we saw what happens when growth and responsibility diverge. Budget analysts confirmed that, when adjusted for population growth and inflation, Idaho’s budget has remained relatively flat over the past two decades. That means we are serving more people with fewer resources.
Unlike successful businesses that evolve to meet demand, the state has drifted from true conservative stewardship toward extremism, shrinking government at the expense of governing well.
Budget analysts stepped to the podium carrying another piece of grim news. Behind every graph was a real-world implication: an elderly woman losing her caregiver, a family unable to afford home health support for a child with a disability, a police
officer forced to respond to another preventable mental health crisis, more local bonds and levies needed to keep our schools running, and critical road and bridge projects put on hold.
The weight in the room was palpable.
The pain is most visible in health care. Rural hospitals and clinics are struggling to stay open, and home care providers are leaving the workforce. Idaho has already lost more than a third of its OB-GYN physicians, leaving families without local maternity care. These cuts make it even harder to keep people healthy, working and living independently.
The Idaho Department of Correction is facing cuts that weaken reentry programs that reduce recidivism and improve public safety. When those programs are eliminated, the costs are passed back to local taxpayers and law enforcement. Even our newly created statewide public defender system — built to meet constitutional obligations after years of litigation — faces reductions that risk undoing hard-won progress.
Idaho sits on more than $1 billion in rainy-day reserve funds. Yet we are cutting the very programs that keep
people safe and healthy. We are not just facing a rainy day; we are standing in a storm of our own making. The Legislature seeded the clouds, and everyday Idahoans are weathering the downpour.
Behind every percentage point lies a ripple effect that touches real people: a patient losing home health care, a teacher managing an overcrowded classroom, a small-town clinic closing its doors. Real conservative values are about planning, taking responsibility and investing wisely. Idaho can no longer afford to treat its people as a line item to be cut.
It’s not too late to change course, to put responsibility ahead of ideology and ensure our state’s growth is matched by leadership that protects the foundations of our communities.
Janie Ward-Engelking is a seven-term senator from Boise and Democratic minority caucus chair. She serves on the Commerce and Human Resources, Education and Joint Finance-Appropriations committees. Melissa Wintrow is a three-term senator from Boise and Democratic minority caucus leader. She serves on the Health and Welfare, Judiciary and Rules, and JFAC.
Democrats are the champions of average Americans
By Sylvia Humes Reader Contributor
Shout it from the rooftops: I am a proud Democrat. Why should I not be? We are not vermin, slime or radical leftists, as DJT claims. My party is the champion of the average American: Social Security, the eight-hour work day, unemployment insurance, the Civil Rights Act, Medicaid and eventually Medicaid expansion, Medicare, women’s voting rights, reproductive rights, overtime pay, minimum wage, child tax credits, voting rights, rural electrification, ending child labor, the G.I. Bill, student loans and many, many more.
Democrats also support scientific research, environmental health and public education.
Truth: Non-Americans are not included in any federal social programs, except in a medical emergency only. Medicaid picks up the cost at the emergency room. Stop believing the Republican lie.
There is no organization called Antifa — we should all be anti-fascist.
Tariffs are paid for by you and me, not the importer. In some cases they may absorb the cost to keep their edge, but that’s not the norm. Unrealistic tariffs and an unregulated banking system are credited with the worldwide depression from 1929-1939. Oh, and by the way, Democrats established the FDIC to protect the average citizens’ money if a bank goes under.
Democrats have little to no power right now in D.C. or in the Idaho Legislature. We have had a federal government shutdown because the Republicans refuse to negotiate on keeping the tax credits for Medicaid expansion. Anyone whose employer doesn’t provide health insurance is more than likely on the Affordable Care Act (Your Health Idaho). By discontinuing the federal tax credits, the government would no longer be subsidizing your health care.
It is yet to be seen if Senate Re-
publicans will abide by the recent negotiation to open the government. They agreed that all federal workers would be rehired and receive all back pay. They also agreed to increase SNAP benefits and address continuing funding for the ACA. Let’s see what the Republican-held House does. The ball is in their court and the question is: “Can they be trusted?” I’ll withhold my opinion on that.
Don’t be cowed by many of those on the “right.” Get involved. The easiest thing you can do is email your representatives and let them know how you feel, and sign up for their newsletters so you can keep up with what they are doing and saying. Write letters to the editor, sign up to write postcards to encourage folks to vote and be sure you are registered to vote. If you haven’t voted in two consecutive voting cycles, you are dropped from the rolls (for more information on all things election related, go to voteidaho.gov).
Honor your responsibility to maintain our constitutional republic and vote. If you do so by mail, you must reapply every year. This can be done online at the state website above.
Help us protect our public schools and women’s health. Sign up with the Bonner County Democrats, Bonner County Human Rights Task Force, Indivisible North Idaho and other progressive organizations. Collect signatures for the people’s initiative to restore reproductive health in Idaho, with more info at backtoidaho.com. Ask what you can do to help.
Be grateful for Democrats and their commitment to ordinary working Americans. Are they perfect? Of course not, but don’t let fear, lies and the ugliness of the most corrupt administration in our nation’s history deter you from protecting our democracy before it’s too late.
Sylvia Humes is a Sandpoint resident and past chair of the Bonner County Democrats.
KRFY debuts new program on 88.5 FM
By Reader Staff
A new program is coming to the airwaves on 88.5 KRFY Panhandle Community Radio, with “Know Your States, Know Your Community,” which will debut Wednesday, Dec. 3 with hosts Jack Peterson and Jim Healey.
Scheduled weekly from 8-9 p.m., the show will focus on two states per episode, featuring interviews of local community members hailing from the selected states.
Interviews representing more than half the states have occurred, but the
station needs community members from the following states to step forward and participate: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, Kentucky, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
If any of those are your home state, contact either Peterson at jpeterson@ krfy.org or Healey at jhealey1945@gmail. com, or call the station at 208-265-2992 and leave a message.
For more info on the station in general — and listen live to programming or recorded shows — go to krfy.org.
The Cottage temporarily closed due to construction
By Reader Staff
There’s good news and bad news at Panhandle Special Needs, Inc. The good news is that construction will soon begin for the first phase of a new facility that will allow PSNI to expand its services to the disabled adults within Bonner and Boundary counties. The bad news is that The Cottage Thrift Store, located at 1407 N. Boyer Ave., will be temporarily closed during construction.
“Getting the infrastructure prepared for the new campus would be too disruptive for customers, staff and clients, so we have no choice but to close The Cottage for now,” stated PSNI Executive Director Trinity Nicholson. “We have a waiting list of over 45 disabled
people needing our services right now, so we desperately need space to expand.”
According to organizers, “PSNI was hit with a double whammy.” Not only does it lack the space for expansion, but the city of Sandpoint will not renew the lease on its current location on North Boyer Avenue.
Drawing on community generosity, PSNI was able to purchase the property across the street, where it will construct the new campus to accommodate all of the organization’s needs — including an expanded version of The Cottage, the greenhouse, the center-based work services classes and adult caregiving.
Follow PSNI’s new development plans at panhandlespecialneeds.org or call 208-263-7022 for more info.
Festival at Sandpoint offers masterclasses for band students
By Reader Staff
This fall, the Festival at Sandpoint will offer its largest masterclass session for Sandpoint Middle School and Sandpoint High School students, as part of its year-round effort to work with local music and band instructors to provide in-class, small-group lessons to local seventh- through 12th-grade students.
During each class period, both band classes will combine and then be divided into sections based on instrument. The curriculum often incorporates pieces of music that students are working on in class and is tailored to the needs of each instrument section, identified by the band teachers and masterclass instructors.
Some examples of techniques practiced in past sessions are slide positions for trombones, note fingerings for flutes and drumstick grip styles for percussion.
Crackshots invited to compete for a holiday bird at VFW turkey shoot
By Reader Staff
Just in time for Thanksgiving, the Sandpoint VFW will host a turkey shoot Wednesday, Nov. 19 at the indoor range at Shoot North (478338 U.S. 95).
Shooters ages 8 and up can test their skills from 4-6 p.m., competing for a turkey if they win in their group. Categories are men, women and kids 8-12 (with parental or adult supervision). Each participant will have five shots at a target,
with the tightest grouping in each category winning a bird for the holiday table.
Contestants will be provided with a .22-caliber rifle and entry is two nonperishable (nonexpired) food items per shooter, benefiting the Bonner Community Food Bank.
Winners in each category will be notified by phone after the event. For more info, call the Sandpoint VFW at 208-263-9613.
The Masterclass Program would not be possible without the many experienced instructors. Rachel Gordon is an instructor at Bella Noté Music Studios, and she works with the students playing the flute. Owner of Backbeat Drums, Chris Terraciano, teaches the percussionists.
Denis Zwang is a teacher at the Music Conservatory of Sandpoint and works with the saxophone and clarinet players. Retired Director of Bands at North Idaho College, Terry Jones, works with the trumpet players.
SHS band teacher Aaron Gordon works with the trombone and tuba players, while Festival Production and Education Manager Paul Gunter works with students playing electric bass guitar.
Visit festivalatsandpoint.com/education to learn more about the Festival’s year-round, no-cost music education programs.
Identify that skull
By Ben Olson Reader Staff
Our readers bring some interesting items into the Reader offices from time to time, but Jim Armbruster gets the prize for showing up with the first animal skull.
Armbruster said he was out walking around near Sunnyside when he found the skull in the above photo, and, farther away, the matching lower jaw. He wondered if the Reader could use the mighty
arm of the media to help track down someone who could identify to which animal it belongs.
Sure, we could look on Google and probably track it down within an hour, but what fun is that? I’m curious what you fauna experts out there have to say.
Take a look at the photo and give us your best guesses. Send them to ben@ sandpointreader.com and we’ll publish the most accurate (and entertaining) answers in the Nov. 20 edition.
Photo by Ben Olson
Missoula Children’s Theatre holds auditions for Alice in Wonderland
By Reader Staff
The Missoula Children’s Theatre will hold auditions for its Saturday, Nov. 22 production of Alice in Wonderland on Monday, Nov. 17 at the Forrest Bird Charter School (615 S. Madison Ave.) beginning at 3:25 p.m. Aspiring actors in kindergarten through high school are invited to audition for more than 50 roles in the stage adaptation of Lewis Carroll’s classic.
The touring production will partner with the Pend Oreille Arts Council to bring to life the classic fantasy tale, where nonsense, talking animals and mad regents abound.
“We value our decadeslong relationship with the Missoula Children’s Theatre and know that local children and their families look forward to their return each year,” stated POAC Executive Director Tone Lund. “The amount of work they do with the kids all week, and all the fun the participants have is truly remarkable.”
Students will be coached through the two-hour audition process before being placed in their assigned roles. Anyone interested in working in theater behind the scenes can also volunteer for roles like assistant director and production assistant.
Cast and crew will begin rehearsing on Nov. 17 following the audition. Rehearsals will run for approximately four hours daily, Monday through Friday, beginning after school.
For more information, visit artinsandpoint.org.
Girl Scouts host second annual G.I.R.L. Dance
By Soncirey Mitchell Reader Staff
Local Girl Scouts Troop 2132 will throw the second-ever G.I.R.L. Dance on Saturday, Nov. 15, from 6:30-9 p.m. at Sandpoint Community Hall (204 S. First Ave.) in what the girls hope will become an annual tradition for years to come.
Everyone is welcome to the free dance, where kids of all ages are invited to bring a “Grown-up I Really Love” (G.I.R.L.) as their dance partner. Sand Creek DJ will bring the tunes, and the night will include a photo booth, snacks and desserts.
“Everyone is welcome,” said organizer Cora Johnson. “Picture [the] old school father-daughter dance, but for everyone. Dress up or show up as you are, just come have fun.”
There is a suggested donation of $5 to help pay for the dance and set up the next one. For more information or to RSVP, email cora.johnson31@gmail.com.
COMMUNITY
Annual Purse Party benefits local court advocates for abused, neglected kids
By Reader Staff
North Idaho Court Appointed Special Advocates will host its annual Purse Party fundraiser Thursday, Nov. 20 at the Pend d’Oreille Winery (301 Cedar St., in downtown Sandpoint).
The event runs from 4-6:30 p.m. and features hundreds of donated purses and handbags in every style, brand and price range for sale, as well as a silent auction and wine and appetizers available for purchase. Shoppers who spend $10 or
more on a purse win a drink ticket. Finan McDonald is the sponsor and donor of the event, which raises money to help support the local CASA organization and its work in court for area children who are victims of abuse and neglect, as well as providing safe communication and space for kids. Funds raised will go to help train and support Bonner County CASA in its mission.
For more info on the organization, go to northidahocasa.org.
Sandpoint Slam pickleball tourney comes to JER
By Reader Staff
The James E. Russell Sports Center will host its first tournament Saturday, Nov. 15 with the Sandpoint Slam pickleball competition, inviting players of all ability levels to the courts in a benefit for the Rotary Club of Ponderay.
Play will run from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. at JER (2016 Pine St., in Sandpoint), with participants grouped by ability into round-robin pools to seed for a double elimination final bracket. Teams should plan on between six and nine or more games if they make it to the medal
rounds. Those without a partner will be paired with another solo player.
Registration costs $20 for JER members and $40 for non-members, with registration for non-members available at bit. ly/SlamRegistration. Members can register through their CourtReserve account.
Organizers describe the tourney as a “fun and low-key” way to support JER and Rotary, with proceeds going toward funding the latter’s community projects and scholarship fund.
For more info on the James E. Russell Sports Center, go to bit.ly/JERWebsite.
Happy trails
By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff
For 21 years, Phil Hough has been the face — and motive power — behind Friends of Scotchman Peaks Wilderness; but, a change is afoot as Deputy Executive Director Rose Olson will step into the top job, effective in January 2026.
FSPW announced the transition in its Nov. 6 newsletter, writing that under outgoing-Executive Director Hough’s “inspired guidance, FSPW has grown from a local grassroots advocacy group into a beloved community-rooted organization valued for stewardship, outdoor educational opportunities for school children, recreational leadership, and solutions-oriented wilderness advocacy based on inclusion and collaboration.
“His political acumen and passion for preserving wild places have made him a respected leader across Idaho, Montana and beyond, and his influence extends well beyond FSPW, the organization’s programs and culture have become a model for conservation groups nationwide,” FSPW stated.
In an interview with the Reader, Hough said that from the organization’s inception in 2005, “we knew that in order to be successful in getting Congress to designate the area as wilderness, we needed to really engage the public. We at first had a name-recognition challenge, which was that not a lot of people knew about the Scotchman Peaks; or, if they did, they didn’t necessarily know what it was beyond its name — or, if they knew the name, they didn’t necessarily know where it was. So we had a marketing challenge, which was simply getting the word out about it.”
In the following 21 years, FSPW made the Scotchman Peaks not only known to North Idaho and northwestern Montana communities, but turned them into a household name.
But, for the uninitiated, the Scotchman Peaks is a proposed wilderness area covering 88,000 acres — about the same size as Lake Pend Oreille — sprawling from North Idaho to northwestern Montana, crossing into Bonner, Lincoln and Sanders counties. It includes iconic destinations such as Star Peak, Little Spar Lake, the
Ross Creek Cedar Waterfalls and — crowning it all — Scotchman Peak, the highest point in Bonner County at 7,018 feet.
The land has been managed by the U.S. Forest Service since the 1970s, but it lacks protection from future development. That’s why FSPW has worked to pass a bill in Congress ensuring that the area remains wild for future generations. That hasn’t happened yet, but FSPW continues its mission to secure the peaks while also expanding its reach into wider conservation, education and advocacy programs.
“There is a need for people to understand the value of wilderness,” Hough said, later adding, “One of other things that we discovered early on is that everyone felt some connection to the land. For some, it’s having the pride of living in our area; some value what they derived from living close to the land, whether it was the lake or the mountains or the forests. They took pride in that there was a connection to place.”
FSPW founding Director Phil Hough passes the torch to Rose Olson
Olson worked in marketing and earned a degree in environmental science from the University of Idaho. She and her husband — who hails from Rathdrum — came to Sandpoint in 2016 and Olson started with FSPW in 2023 as communications and engagement manager.
“It really felt like a dream job, and looking for jobs in Sandpoint can be tricky — especially if you’re trying to do something fun and meaningful and make money,” she said. Olson quickly moved into the deputy executive director role, and said she’s excited to pick up the torch from Hough.
Realizing that decision makers were best swayed when they heard from constituents who they might not expect to be in support of wilderness designation, FSPW has relied on a strategy of community building across user groups — including with industry.
“At the end of the day, they’re going out there, and they’re hunting and they’re hiking and they’re fishing, right?” Hough said. “A lot of it became breaking down barriers and finding ways to communicate with people that didn’t make them defensive about their love for the land and allow them to express it in their own way.”
That has meant providing a suite of programs and efforts that include the Scotchmans, but also extend beyond them, including slideshow presentations, the Wild and Scenic Film Fest, storytelling sessions, regular newspaper columns and radio features, the popular Trail Ambassador program on Scotchman Peak, trail maintenance work and backcountry skills training, the Winter Tracks program and a range of citizen science projects — all of which engage hundreds of community members each year, from local schools to adults from all walks of life in both Idaho and Montana.
One highlight, according to Hough, was the 2010 effort to document the presence of rare forest carnivores such as wolverine and martens in the region. What started with a few game cameras and a handful of volunteers turned into three winters of data collecting using dozens of cameras and engaging with more than 300 volunteers.
“We collected data from 73 stations that went to feed into this program,” Hough said, adding that the results provided the Idaho Department of Fish and Game with the information to develop a state wildlife action plan to keep wolverines protected. Meanwhile, it introduced hundreds of locals to their wild backyard, and helped raise awareness for the Scotchmans and bring in new members to FSPW.
“I like to say they came for the wolverines, and they stayed for the wilderness,” Hough said. “And some of those are still very, very active volunteers today.”
One of those volunteers was Mark Cochran, who now serves as chair of the FSPW Board.
“Phil’s legacy isn’t just about programs or milestones, it’s about people,” Cochran stated. “Thanks to his vision, and with Rose’s leadership, the dream of protecting the Scotchman Peaks as designated wilderness is closer than ever.”
With Hayden as her hometown,
“Phil’s done an amazing job building this diverse community and really successful programs connecting people to the land and getting people engaged,” Olson said. “My initial goals are just stability and continuation.
“I think the shifts are going to be subtle,” she added. “It’s been an interesting project to work on this transition, to try to make sure we are shepherding all those relationships across this shift, and not just from Phil to me, but from Phil to our whole team, our staff and our board, because Phil’s been the mainstay over the years. He’s had a long time to really steep in all these connections and relationships and build this nice web.”
In addition to her position with FSPW, Olson also serves on the board of the Sandpoint Nordic Club and organizes the youth ski league.
Hough said he’s planning a post-retirement biking trek along the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad (Katy) trail in Missouri, taking on occasional nonprofit consulting, continuing as a regular presence on KRFY 88.5 FM and, ultimately, embarking on a book project. Through it all, he has every intention to stay and remain active in the community.
“This has never been just a job for me, this has been my life. I think it’s so important to care about what you do and have some passion for it,” Hough stated. “The Scotchmans deserve lasting protection, and I am confident Rose’s leadership will carry this vision forward.”
Outgoing FSPW Executive Director Phil Hough, left, with incoming leader Rose Olson, right. Courtesy photo
National Nurse Practitioner Week highlights importance of local providers
By Reader Staff
The U.S. Congress recognized National Nurse Practitioner Week in 2004, establishing an observance in November that pays homage to the work of the health care providers who can be found in clinics, hospitals, emergency rooms, urgent care centers, nursing homes and private practices.
This year, the week runs from Sunday, Nov. 9-Saturday, Nov. 15, with local NPs reminding the community of their 431,000 licensed colleagues nationwide, and more than 4,788 in Idaho, where they provide almost 50% of primary care. What’s more, there are 13 counties in Idaho where NPs are the only medical providers.
“In our current legislative environment, where Idaho is losing obstetricians/gynecologists, NPs are stepping in and providing OB-GYN services or referring patients to appropriate providers,” stated longtime local NP Cynthia Dalsing. “Idaho has the distinction of being the first state — there are now 27 states — to authorize full practice authority, this allows for more health care access in rural areas where no physician practices.”
In honor of their service, here are profiles of handful of local NPs, written in their own words:
Leanne Elisha, DNP, PMHNP, PMH-C
“I am a psychiatric nurse practitioner working full-time through the Kootenai Clinic OB-GYN clinic and providing care across Idaho and Washington. I am passionate about working with women across the reproductive lifespan — especially preconception, during pregnancy and postpartum. Being a mom is hard, and there is still a lot of stigma around mental health conditions in pregnancy and beyond. I work to create a safe environment and to provide my patients with evidence-based treatment recommendations to help them feel their best.”
“I am a psychiatric mental health (PMHNP) nurse student who has completed my clinical training throughout Bonner and Boundary counties. I will be graduating in December and am eager to continue serving the people of our community after graduation. What stands out about practicing in North Idaho is the strong sense of community and collaboration. There’s a genuine spirit of support among patients, providers and neighbors that makes health care here feel impactful and unique.”
“I’m currently practicing at Kaniksu Community Health, pediatrics. Additional titles currently: CNO, director of Risk and Safety. I also serve LillyBrooke Family Justice Center as director of the Bonner County MAST team (child abuse, domestic violence, sexual assault, human trafficking and elder abuse). Each of these titles contributes to the community in a different way, but directly impacts our local community by mentoring other health care providers at many different levels.”
“I work for Mezacare and am the primary provider at both of our local skilled nursing facilities — Valley Vista and Life Care — where we specialize in post-acute and long-term care. What makes practicing as a nurse practitioner in North Idaho unique is the strong sense of community and teamwork that can turn challenges into meaningful connections.”
Whitney Whitaker MSN, FNP-c
Tammy Undiemi, FNP-BC
Maggie Waugaman
Chamber welcomes Northpoint Spa to Ponderay
By Reader Staff
The Greater Sandpoint Chamber of Commerce recently celebrated the official ribbon-cutting and grand opening celebration for Northpoint Spa, a new full-service wellness firm located at 30410 Highway 200, Suite 100, in Ponderay.
Founded by Stephanie Stephens, Northpoint Spa offers health, beauty and relaxation treatments, including several styles of massage therapy, acupuncture, facials, aesthetic treatments, nail services, medical-grade infrared red-light therapy, far-infrared sauna, lymphatic care with the Ballancer Pro and lymphatic massage, body sculpting, organic spray tanning, chiropractic care, physical therapy and hair services, with more offerings to come.
“Stephens’ vision for Northpoint Spa is to create a one-stop destination for rejuvenation — uniting skilled professionals from multiple wellness disciplines under one roof,” according to the chamber. Appointments can be made online at northpointspa.com or by calling 208-263-3211.
Sandpoint Chamber of Commerce welcomes Numerica Credit Union
By Reader Staff
The Greater Sandpoint Chamber of Commerce recently welcomed Numerica Credit Union to the organization with a ribbon-cutting ceremony, inaugurating the new, full-service branch, which opened its doors Nov. 4 at 200 Bonner Mall Way in Ponderay.
This is Numerica’s first branch in Bonner County and the company’s 16th in the North Idaho and Spokane region. The branch offers savings and checking accounts, loans, mortgages and investment services.
“Numerica’s core purpose is to enhance lives, fulfill dreams and to help build vibrant communities,” stated Numerica President and CEO Carla Cicero. “As a credit union, a member-owned financial cooperative, our goal is to support our members’ financial success and contribute to the growth and success of the cities and regions we serve.”
In celebration of its new location, Numerica invites the community to visit the branch through Saturday, Nov. 15 to enjoy complimentary treats from local partners. Daily offerings
include cookies and pastries from Bluebird Bakery, pet-themed goodie bags from All About Paws, coffee from Jitterz Espresso and craft kits from Creations Art Studio.
Normal branch operation hours will be Monday-Thursday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.; Friday from 9 a.m.-6 p.m.; and Saturdays from 9 a.m.-1 p.m.
Numerica Credit Union serves more than 175,000 members in North Idaho, eastern Washington and central Washington.
“We look forward to offering a comprehensive array of consumer and business financial services to everyone who lives and works in Ponderay, Sandpoint and the surrounding areas,” Cicero stated.
(Front row, from left to right) Brad Mitton (Ponderay City Council), Wes Mortensen (Numerica Board chair), Carla Cicero (Numerica president and CEO), Joan Urbaniak (Greater Sandpoint Chamber of Commerce), Christina Kamkosi Chery (Numerica Board of Directors), Phil McNerney (Ponderay City Council president).
(Back row) Members of Numerica’s leadership and branch teams. Courtesy photo
(From left to right): Chamber Ambassador Alisha Kowalski and Executive Director Joan Urbaniak, with Northpoint Spa Team Members Paloma Caso, Jenni Schrader, Anali Coles, Angela Bureau, Jessica Kimble, Camrynn Jayne, Stephanie Stephens (owner), Brittnie Kohler, Katie Santos, Bella Vigil, Robert Miko, Kymmberley Robertson and Chamber Ambassador Steve Sanchez.
Photo courtesy of Greater Sandpoint Chamber of Commerce
KNPS program is ‘for the birds’
By Reader Staff
“Audubon Christmas Bird Count in Bonner County: Why It Matters” is the title of the Saturday, Nov. 15 program presented by the Kinnikinnick Native Plant Society. Beginning at 10 a.m. at the East Bonner County Library (1407 Cedar St., in Sandpoint), Rich Del Carlo will share the history and importance of the Audubon Christmas Bird Count, an event that has taken place since 1900.
Del Carlo has been involved in Sandpoint’s bird count for 20 years and is organizing this year’s event, which will take place on one day (not yet scheduled) between Dec. 14 and Jan. 5, 2026. Teams will be organized into count circles led by experienced
birders with spotting scopes and assigned to destinations in and up to 14 miles around Sandpoint.
According to Del Carlo, looking through a scope “creates both interest and inspiration,” especially for inexperienced team members. Several years ago, first-time participant Mary Toland noted that the count expanded her appreciation of birds “far beyond my backyard feeder” and “waterfowl came to life before my eyes.”
Bird count information is shared with the Audubon Society, adding to its database from 1901 to the present, providing a valuable picture of changes in bird populations for the past 125 years. For example, Del Carlo has noticed a drop in the numbers of diving ducks observed in Sandpoint in the
NIMSEF preparing for 16th season of sponsorships to access Schweitzer
By Reader Staff
As area mountaintops start to accumulate at least a little snow, the season is clearly approaching for those who participate in winter sports — and even those whose budgets might not accommodate a season pass or lift ticket to Schweitzer have the opportunity to participate in cold-weather recreation because of the North Idaho Mount Sports Education Fund, Inc.
The 501(c)(3) nonprofit is gearing up for its 16th season of providing sponsorships to local kids and disabled veterans to access the slopes. Applications are closed for the year, with a roster of 88 kids and two vets participating in this year’s program, which has offered more than 1,000 sponsorships since its inception.
“A large percentage of the children growing up with Schweitzer in their ‘backyard’ never experience the joy and freedom the slopes provide,” NIMSEF stated in a news release.
“These kids — whose families are often the hard-working backbone of the community — never experience what many of us take for granted.”
NIMSEF not only teaches skiing and snowboarding skills, but engages with participants, allowing them to work for a portion of their tuition and take part in fundraising.
Meanwhile, Schweitzer has worked with NIMSEF to set up a program with reduced tuition to enroll scholar-
ship students in an eight-week, all-day lessons program.
All children aged 7-17 who qualify based on economic need and live in Bonner and Boundary counties can receive a season pass, bus pass and equipment rental and the lesson program via Schweitzer and NIMSEF.
Enrollees are grouped by similar age and ability, and cohorts stay with the same coach — all of whom are certified instructors — for the entire program. The all-day program takes place on either Saturday or Sunday, but the pass and equipment rental are valid all season.
“NIMSEF exists to provide all the children of our community an opportunity to participate in skiing and snowboarding,” the organization wrote. “We believe this not only provides the child with a lifelong activity, but it gives the child a sense of belonging, accomplishment and pride. All of which can help children do better in school, stay off drugs, have a good work ethic and more.”
NIMSEF is preparing for the start of its upcoming season with a meeting of enrollees and looks forward to selling raffle tickets around the next screening of the Banff Mountain Film Festival, which is expected in January 2026.
As every year, the organization is sending out a call for donations, which can be sent to P.O. Box 170, Ponderay, ID 83852, or given at nimsef.com.
past decade.
Certified arborist and owner/operator of Peregrine Tree and Landscape in Sandpoint, Del Carlo has been interested in birds most of his life. He travels extensively — always on bird-related trips — and has recently returned from an expedition to Colombia.
KNPS programs take place on the third Saturday from September to June, except in December. They begin with a social gathering at 9:30 a.m. including coffee, tea and treats. The titled program follows at 10 a.m. and is open to the public. Programs are cosponsored by Sandpoint Parks and Recreation with support from the East Bonner Library District. For more information on the organization, go to nativeplantsociety.org.
dumb of the week
By Ben Olson Reader Staff
There is way too much Dumb in the world (and closer to home) to fit into this remnant space, but that seems to be the case every week. I could write about how a handful of feckless Democrats caved on their steadfast resolution to protect Affordable Care Act tax subsidies, effectively ending the government shutdown by giving Republicans exactly what they wanted. Get ready for your insurance premiums to skyrocket.
I could write about how the Trump administration asked the U.S. Supreme Court to intervene on a lower court ruling requiring SNAP benefits to be paid for November. It’s telling when a president is actively fighting against helping to feed people who need help.
I could write about how new emails between convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, author Michael Wolff and convicted sex offender Ghislaine Maxwell released by the House Oversight Committee Nov. 12 claimed President Donald Trump “knew about the girls,” and called Trump the “dog that hasn’t barked,” and said Trump spent “hours at my [Epstein’s] house,” with one of the alleged sex trafficking victims. I could write about these and a hundred other topics, but I’m out of space, so I’ll just gesture broadly around at... everything.
Send event listings to calendar@sandpointreader.com
Cribbage tournament
6pm @ Connie’s Lounge
Line dancing lessons ($10)
6:30pm @ The Hive
Live Music w/ Double Shot Band
5pm @ Connie’s Lounge
Live Music w/ Ian Newbill
5-8pm @ 1908 Saloon
Live Music w/ The Cole Show
5-8pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery
Loop pedal, rock and groove
Live Music w/ Marcus Stevens
5:30-8:30pm @ Barrel 33
Live Music w/ Tim G.
6:30-9:30pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall
Live Music w/ Ian Newbill
5:30-8pm @ Old Ice House Pizzeria (Hope)
Live Music w/ Pamela Benton
5-8pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery
Live Music w/ Mike and Sadie
5:30-8:30pm @ Barrel 33
Mike Wagoner and Sadie Sicilia
Live Music w/ Liam Russell
6-8pm @ Smokesmith BBQ
Music w/ DJ Crooz
9pm-midnight @ Roxy’s
Live Music w/ Travelin’ Huckleberries
6-8pm @ Idaho Pour Authority
Live Music w/ Justin Lantrip
6-8pm @ Baxters on Cedar
Celtic Folk Jam
3-6pm @ Idaho Pour Authority
Magic with Star Alexander 5-8pm @ Jalapeño’s
Live piano w/ Dwayne Parsons 1-3pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery
Live Music w/ Courtney and Co. 6pm @ Connie’s Lounge
Live Music w/ Tomboy the Band
9pm-midnight @ 219 Lounge
Modern indie rock, party tunes
Bridges Home concert
6pm @ Create Art Center, Newport, Wash. Celtic, bluegrass and originals. $12/$15
Live Music w/ Chris Paradis 6-9pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall
SunDAY, november 16
Sandpoint Chess Club 9am @ Evans Brothers Coffee
Live Music w/ Fiddlin’ Red 1-4pm @ Barrel 33
Monday Night Blues Jam w/ John Firshi 7pm @ Eichardt’s Pub
Altra Running group run, shoe demo 6pm @ Outdoor Experience Shoe demo and giveaways!
Live piano w/ Bob Beadling
5-7pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery
Make a macrame plant hanger
5:30-7:30pm @ Verdant Plants
$35; materials and light refreshments included. RSVP: bit.ly/4nXqFMu
Rock ’n’ Roll Bingo
6:30pm @ Tervan Tavern
DJ will shuffle songs and play for 30 seconds, then players must guess the song to see if its on the game board. $5
Cribbage tournament
6pm @ Connie’s Lounge
November 13-20, 2025
Ladies night in Priest River
6-8:30pm @ Priest River Ace Hardware
Local vendors, light snacks and drinks, giveaways and more
Sandpoint Contra Dance
7-10pm @ Sandpoint Community Hall
Live music, lively caller. All dances taught and called. No partner needed. $5-10 donation at the door
Handwoven textiles by four local artists 11am-6pm @ Wine4U
Curious Conversations: ‘Living Books’ 5:30-9pm @ Sandpoint Center (Marigold) Listen to a “Living Book” as people tell their own story. Mocktail party, food
Girls Afternoon Out: Cabi Sip & Shop
1:30-3:30pm @ Springhill Suite by Marriott
A pop-up sip and shop at the Ponderay Marriott, 477490 US-95
Featuring the Conservatory’s faculty musicians, highlighting works of the great masters. Ticket sales benefit student scholarships. Tickets $35/adult, $15/students
monDAY, november 17
Missoula Children’s Theater auditions: Alice in Wonderland
3:30-5:30pm @ Forrest Bird Charter School Arrive at 3:15pm and plan to stay the full 2 hours. 50-60 kids needed. All students K-12 are welcome
tuesDAY, november 18
Karaoke night
9pm-1am @ Roxy’s
wednesDAY, november 19
A Taste of Tango
5-8pm @ Barrel 33
No experience/partner needed
Trivia with Toshi
7pm @ Connie’s Lounge
Open jam with Seamus Divine 6pm @ Connie’s Lounge
Trivia w/ Alaina
6-8pm @ Idaho Pour Authority
Family Hour and Live Music w/ John Firshi 5-7pm @ Matchwood Brewing Co.
Three categories of shooter (men, women, kids 8-12 years). Each category wins a turkey. Cost to enter is two non-perishable foot items for Food Bank. Open to everyone. 208-263-9613
ThursDAY, november 20
Live Music w/ Cafe Gas Boys
6pm @ Connie’s Lounge
Live bluegrass!
Live Music w/ Reese Warren
8-11pm @ Tervan Tavern
Live Music w/ Frytz Mor 8pm @ Roxy’s
Line dancing lessons ($10)
6:30pm @ The Hive
Be my Frankenstein
Guillermo
del Toro has created
the finest Frankenstein adaptation in 200 years
By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff
There’s a reason that the novel Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus, by Mary Shelley, has been in continuous print for more than 200 years. Entire academic careers have been made analyzing what’s been called the first true work of science fiction, and hundreds (maybe thousands) of adaptations of the original 1818 tale have appeared in writing, song, art, film, television and Halloween costumes.
From the serious to the silly, Frankenstein is so embedded in the cultural DNA of the European West that its presence is taken for granted — so much so that a synopsis of the plot is unnecessary. That’s a pity in a sense, because the actual story, as Shelley framed it, has just as much relevance today as it did in the first 20 or so years of the 19th century, which should be scary enough in itself.
Auteur director Guillermo del Toro (who came to most U.S. audiences’ attention with Pan’s Labyrinth, which will return to theaters for its 20th anniversary in 2026) has created what might well be the best Frankenstein ever.
That is no mean feat, and as ebert.com published in its fourstar review, “dream projects” like del Toro’s long-anticipated
retelling of such an iconic tale — which dropped on Netflix on Nov. 7 — often fall far short of the mark; but, in his hands, what’s old is new again.
We have the titular Dr. Victor Frankenstein (Oscar Isaac) seething with scientific hubris — “The Modern Prometheus,” attempting the blasphemous act of defeating death by way of hyper-modern methods, thus usurping God in a Nietzschean contest of will.
While this character has been represented in various media as the prototypical “mad scientist” with cool detachment, maniacal deviance, gothic brooding and goofy almost-accidental-genius (looking at you, Young Frankenstein), Isaac grounds the good-bad doctor in authentic human tones.
Reading Frankenstein as a kid, the eponymous doc comes off as arrogant — to say the least — but still a little stilted. Isaac’s performance is full-blooded and recognizable. He’s a Victorian tech bro, all bright-eyed and annoyingly enthusiastic about the “disruption” that will be the next big thing. That is: immortality. This is to say that del Toro makes Frankenstein more insufferable than any writer/director has heretofore accomplished.
He pisses off his instructors in med school with unorthodox ideas, probably thrills
but wearies his fellow students with his obnoxious rantings at the local pub, but catches the eye of Heinrich Harlander (a scene-chewing Christoph Waltz) — the army surgeonturned-arms dealer (literally!) who offers to bankroll Baron Frank’s experiments in reanimation, but with a catch. You won’t get spoilers here, but if you know, you know what he wants.
Harlander also happens to be the uncle of Victor’s brother’s bride-to-be, Elizabeth (Mia Goth), and a complex love quadrangle develops. With Harlander’s money and Victor’s brother William (Felix Kammerer) as contractor, the infamous laboratory is constructed from a half-ruined waterworks facility on a rock-shattered Scottish coastal crag.
From there the real “construction” begins, in all the gory detail del Toro can muster, of making “the creature,” played with affecting sensitivity by Jacob Elordi.
The real achievement, and what makes this the best Frankenstein in 200 years, is how deftly del Toro draws out the parent-child dynamic. The moment Victor realizes he’s a “parent” he turns into a bad dad. He liked the idea of creating life more than nurturing it, and we see how abuse twists “the creature” from a natural state of loving kindness
and curiosity into rage, yet somehow retains the former qualities despite the insufferable existence it didn’t ask for.
Let loose into the world after the destruction of the lab, the so-called monster learns how to think, read and speak, coming into full sentience and wisdom — realizing at last what “it” is.
“I am the child of a charnel house,” it says to the kindly old blind man, who becomes its only true friend.
At this point, del Toro’s version of this story starts to click with contemporary anxieties. That quote above is something ChatGPT might say if — or when — it gains sentience, which an article in the most recent New Yorker argues it has or almost has already. Cobbled together from the pieces and parts of other people into a simulacra of the whole, “the monster” (like A.I.) is “created,” rather than
“born.” The Monster is, in a literal sense, artificial intelligence; but, in our world, can we expect the same essential humanity to spring from that amalgamation, which comes from language rather than physical, human bodies?
The haunting question at the core of Mary Shelley’s tale is “whence comes the soul?” Frankenstein’s “soul” is destroyed by his ambition, then redeemed by his creation; the creation, in absolving its maker, becomes “human.” Will we experience this same trajectory with our own “monster”? This movie gives no answer, nor did its source material, but begging the question is the point, and del Toro has put the finest point on it yet.
Streaming now on Netflix.
Panida kicks off Wes Anderson film series with MoonriseKingdom
By Ben Olson Reader Staff
Fans of whimsical filmmaking are in luck: The Panida Theater is launching a Wes Anderson film series for its ongoing $5 movie night. The series begins with Moonrise Kingdom at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 15.
Set in 1965 on a fictional island off the coast of New England, Moonrise Kingdom is a
perfect example of Anderson’s auteur filmmaking in action. Containing all the quirky warmth that defines his films, Moonrise Kingdom follows the story of two 12-year-olds who have fallen in love and decide to run away together. Sam, an orphan played by Jared Gilman, escapes from a scouting camp to unite with his pen pal Suzy, played by Kara Hayward. Not fitting in with their peers or guardians, the intro-
verted pair hikes, camps and fishes in the wilderness while on the lam. Meanwhile, the scout leaders track the missing pair as a storm threatens to turn the outing into something more serious.
Starring the usual ensemble of accomplished actors that populate Anderson’s film world (Bill Murray, Edward Norton, Frances McDormand, Bruce Willis, Jason Schwartzman and Tilda
Swinton), Moonrise Kingdom also includes some delightful casting additions and showcases Anderson’s hallmarks: dysfunctional families, a loss of innocence, nostalgia, humanity, grief and deadpan humor — all inside his picturebook film world defined by symmetrical compositions, whip pans and lateral tracking shots, intricate production design, a retro soundtrack and a preciousness that usually hits
the mark.
With a 93% score on Rotten Tomatoes, critics and audiences agree this is one of Anderson’s best.
The Panida will also show other Anderson films in the months ahead, including The Life Aquatic on Dec. 7, Fantastic Mr. Fox on Jan. 10 and The Royal Tenenbaums on Feb. 13.
Visit panida.org for more info.
A behind-the-scenes look at the filming of Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein. Courtesy photo
By Marcia Pilgeram Reader Columnist
In the last column, I was lamenting the fact that I was long overdue for some local eatery meals, chiefly because I’d been traveling a lot. Trust me when I say I made up for lost time, with one meal (and no remorse), feasting on an eight-course (plus a dessert trio) at Pack River Store. Chef Alex Jacobson and co-proprietor wife Brittany have turned the Pack River Store into a local culinary legend. A place where “gas-station food,” as Alex likes to call it, means “gastronomy station” to me.
A few years ago, professionally trained chef Alex began offering the P.R.S. Tasting Menus, presented on two consecutive evenings each month, from fall through spring. To say it’s popular is an understatement, evident by the repeat customers sitting beside me at a long, family-style table.
Their latest tasting dinner (No. 78) was Italian. Alex and Brittany had just returned from a family trip through Tuscany, daughters in tow, and brought their pasta-making inspiration home to Pack River. The first of two nights sold out almost immediately. I somehow lucked into the last seat for the first dinner. The timing couldn’t have been better — in two weeks, I’ll be heading to Italy myself — air-travel gods permitting — to attend the White Truffle Festival in Alba.
But for one chilly night in North Idaho, I didn’t need to cross the Atlantic. Italy came to me.
The evening opened with veal tonnato, a classic of northern Italy: paper-thin slices
The Sandpoint Eater Italy meets Idaho
of chilled veal bathed in a silky tuna sauce with capers, anchovies, lemon and olive oil. It’s an odd marriage on paper — meat and fish — but, in Alex’s skilled hands, the flavors were a match made in heaven.
Course after course followed. There were four pasta courses, homemade and handrolled. I paced myself.
The pappardelle with duck ragu was pure comfort. Wide handcut noodles were served with a sauce of duck leg, slow-cooked in white wine, sage, garlic and lemon, finished with fried rosemary and ricotta salata.
A buttery brioche with lemon curd arrived next, a tart interlude between courses. The tortellini in brodo may have been my favorite. The braised pork-filled tortellini rested in an absolutely crystal-clear broth, steeped in flavor.
Then came cacio e pepe,
including just three ingredients: pasta, pecorino Romano, and black pepper. Alex got it right. He cut the spaghetti on a chitarra, a stringed pasta cutter that gives it just the right bite.
The chicken saltimbocca followed, wrapped in prosciutto and sage, cooked in white wine and butter, and finished with gremolata. The name means “jump in the mouth,” and this one did exactly that.
By the time the bistecca arrived — a three-inch Woods Meats T-bone steak cooked over charcoal, with rosemary potatoes. I was well past full, but entirely unwilling to stop. The steak’s crust was smoky and the potatoes crisp. This course was served family-style, and my only regret was not snagging one of the bones everyone else was taking home “for their dog.”
Dessert arrived as a trio: a liquid nitrogen gelato that
Tuscan bean ragù
INGREDIENTS:
• 2 14-oz. cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil (plus extra for drizzling)
• 3-4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 1 small red onion or shallot, finely diced
• 1 tsp tomato paste
• 1 14-oz. can good quality Italian chopped tomatoes
• ½ tsp chili flakes
• 1 tsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped
• 4-5 sage leaves, chopped or whole
• ½ cup chicken or vegetable stock
• Sea salt and cracked black pepper
• 1 tbsp butter
• ¼ cup fresh grated ParmigianoReggiano cheese
• Zest of ½ a lemon
DIRECTIONS:
In a wide skillet or shallow saucepan, warm the olive oil over low heat. Add onion and cook 5–6 minutes until soft and sweet. Add garlic and cook gently until fragrant and just golden (don’t brown the garlic).
Stir in tomato paste and cook 1–2 minutes to caramelize slightly. Add chili flakes, rosemary and sage. Stir until fragrant.
Add the chopped tomatoes and season with salt and pepper. Simmer uncovered on low for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it thickens.
Stir in the drained cannellini beans and stock. Simmer gently for another 15-20 minutes, stirring often, until the beans are creamy and have absorbed the tomato-herb flavors. You can mash a few beans against the pan side to thicken the sauce naturally. Adjust seasoning. Stir in the butter
Alex theatrically fogged for a mesmerized audience, a silken panna cotta (cooked cream) and a tiramisu. It was all crazy good.
Now I know for sure that I need a liquid nitrogen tank for my own home use. Oldest daughter Ryanne thinks that it would be a good replacement for my oversized blow torch (I do have a reputation, though it has never required the assistance of the local fire department). I was thinking more like an addition to the torch. And now, visions of baked Alaska dance in my head (imagine the opportunity to use both apparatuses for one showstopper dessert).
For dinner, I was seated next to Brittany, her mom and her sister, who are restaurateurs, too, running Nadine’s Mexican Kitchen in Athol (more fantastic food, by the way). Between bites, we swapped
kitchen stories and restaurant war tales. There’s a kind of shorthand language between people who’ve lived that life — the chaos, the creativity, the exhaustion. If I was 20 years younger, I would have begged Alex for a shift on the line, just to be part of it once again. Alas, nowadays, I am mostly content to take a frontof-the-house seat — though, I am not passing the (blow) torch just yet. Packing for my upcoming trip to Italy, I’ve been inspired this week to whip up a few of my own Italian dishes.
If you don’t have the time or hankering to roll out some labor-intensive pasta, try Tuscan bean ragù as a delicious alternative. It’s a favorite comfort side dish of my vegetarian offspring (though I add meat stock when I’m preparing it for myself). Either way, give it a try. Buon appetito!
Tuscan-style cannellini beans are a creamy side, and a good alternative to potatoes, rice or pasta. Add depth with the herbs, and a slow simmer to create a rich, garlicky olive oil base. Delicious with roast chicken, braised beef or lamb. Serves: 4
and a drizzle of olive oil. Transfer to warm serving vessel.
Sprinkle on Parmesan, add lemon zest.
MUSIC
Sing out in the face of fascism
By Soncirey Mitchell Reader Staff
Modern protest music owes its existence to centuries of disenfranchised, disillusioned and oppressed minorities sharing stories that unite and strengthen spirits separated by time, place, race, class and nationality. It is, for the most part, music stripped bare — with only a voice and simple percussion or a stringed instrument — leaving raw storytelling that often takes on the well-worn sounds of old folk tunes and spirituals.
As the U.S. continues to politically regress — donning the rags of bigotry, racism, sexism and homophobia as if they are trappings that will “make America great again” — voices sing out around the nation and the world. Protest music has experienced a significant resurgence in recent years, drawing on the power of an old cultural weapon to fight old enemies flourishing under inhuman, despotic regimes.
American protest music, as the world knows it today, rose from the struggles of everyday people living through the Great Depression, the deadly Jim Crow South and the backlash to the Civil Rights Movement. The artists who defined these decades were people like Billie Holiday — whose song “Strange Fruit,” with lyrics by Abel Meeropol, immortalized the images of people of color lynched in the South — and Nina Simone, who catalogued the oppression of systemic racism in songs like “Mississippi
Goddamn” and “I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to be Free.”
At the same time, voices like Woody Guthrie — who famously displayed a “This machine kills fascists” sticker on his guitar — Pete Seeger, Joan Baez and Bob Dylan advocated for racial equality and the rise of the working class — two ideas that were, and are, a threat to a government that relies on a divided and struggling populace to maintain power.
In a song discovered in 2016 that remains depressingly relevant, Guthrie even raged against President Donald Trump’s father (Fred Trump), and his racist business practices, singing, “I suppose that Old Man Trump knows just how much racial hate / He stirred up in that bloodpot of human hearts.”
Historic and modern protest music
Those lyrics could have been written at any time during Donald Trump’s presidency, in which he continues to spread lies about immigrants and people of color, inciting violence while fabricating a scapegoat for the repercussions of his own disastrous policies.
Given that today’s societal and economic upheaval bears a striking resemblance to the rise of fascism before and during World War II — and the convenient ignorance of the ’50s and ’60s — it’s no surprise that protest artists are undergoing a surge in popularity. The most prominent figure to
A
emerge from this trend over the past year is Jesse Welles, who NPR has singled out as a leader in the movement and many consider Guthrie and Dylan’s successor. His simple folk tunes each contain cutting and often satirical narrative retellings of recent news stories, beginning with his early hit, “War isn’t Murder.” In it, he critiques the genocide in Gaza, calling attention to American real estate interests in lines like “If you can’t see the bodies, they don’t bloat when they rot ... So in a short 20 years, when you vacation the Strip / Don’t think about the dead and have a nice trip.”
Songs about Immigration and Customs Enforcement (“Join ICE”) and the assassination of United Health CEO Brian Thompson (“United
Health”) have garnered equal praise for their concise yet powerful messages. Artist Crys Matthews often adopts the lighter, lilting musicality of traditional folk, giving a soft delivery to difficult discussions of the Black Lives Matter Movement, gun violence and LGBTQIA+ rights in songs like “Like Jesus Would” and “Changemakers.” In collaboration with the Resistance Revival Chorus, her rendition of Peggy Seeger’s “How I Long for Peace” is a startling reminder of how long minorities and allies have been fighting for basic human rights. Perhaps the most awarded modern protest artist is Rhiannon Giddens, who has breathed new life into American blues and folk as a solo artist and with the group Carolina Chocolate Drops. Winner of the Pulitzer Prize in Music for her opera Omar, about the life of Islamic scholar, historian and theologian Omar Ibn Said, her folk music is equally as powerful. Songs like “Build a House” and “We Rise” act as both inspiring anthems of unity and resistance and retellings of the historical and current systemic oppression of people of color. Artists like Giddens not only fight for a better future, but also use a traditional art form to ensure America’s history of oppression isn’t forgotten, despite the best efforts of historical revisionists.
Courtney and Co., Connie’s Lounge, Nov. 15 MCS Fall Serenade, Little Carnegie, Nov. 16
Choral music with harp accompaniment sounds like something memorialized in a stained-glass window, but when it’s Courtney Riddle and David Powell harmonizing together, the result is a folk sound that lights up venues across the Inland and Pacific Northwest. Riddle’s classically trained alto voice plays off of Powell’s jazzy style on the harp guitar (which he makes in his local store, Tonedevil Guitars), combining
to produce indie takes on traditional folk, country classics and modern acoustic hits. It isn’t often the duo plays Sandpoint — bouncing between shows in Coeur d’Alene and Spokane — so drop by Connie’s Lounge to hear them before they’re gone.
— Soncirey Mitchell
6 p.m., FREE. Connie’s Lounge, 323 Cedar St., 208-255-2227, conniescafe.com. Listen on courtneyandcompany.net.
The Music Conservatory of Sandpoint is putting its talented faculty on display for the annual Fall Serenade, featuring works by the great masters performed with the highest level of artistic skill and full of passion and heart. This year’s event runs from 5-7 p.m. at MCS’ Little Carnegie Hall, and invites the community to experience the expertise of conservatory instructors while enjoying a dessert auction and no-host bar.
This week’s RLW by Zach Hagadone
READ
Jill Lepore is fast becoming the preeminent public intellectual of the day, whose nationwide speaking tour swung through Boise on Nov. 6. If you don’t have time to read a weighty tome, however, I recommend her recent New Yorker piece, “Trump and the Presidency That Wouldn’t Shut Up,” which argues that historical comparisons don’t really work with Trump. It’s both terrifying and darkly funny, as are the times. Find it at newyorker.com.
Proceeds go toward supporting efforts to teach local youth who wish to learn to sing or play an instrument — potentially creating the next “great masters.”
— Zach Hagadone
5-7 p.m.; $37.25 adults, $16.55 students and seniors, the latter courtesy of the new Avista Seats for Seniors program. MCS Little Carnegie Hall, 110 Main St., 208-265-4444, sandpointconservatory.org/events.
LISTEN WATCH
It would do just as well to “watch” Sandpoint City Council meetings, but it’s really about “listening.” With that, everyone should be listening to what’s going on at City Hall — especially now. Take it from an informed source: There’s a lot of big stuff going down now and in the near future. Go to sandpointidaho. gov/calendar to tune into live meetings or, after the fact, on the city’s YouTube channel.
The AppleTV series Slow Horses has been making critics’ best-of lists since it premiered in 2022, and continues to rack up accolades amid its fifth season, which dropped in October. Based on the novels by Mick Herron, it’s an ensemble spy thriller comedy-drama focused on misfit MI5 agents led by the damaged supersleuth Jackson Lamb, played with flatulent, chain-smoking, alcoholic glee by Gary Oldman, who is worth the price of admission alone. Stream it all on AppleTV, find Season 1 on Amazon Prime or get Seasons 1-4 on DVD at the library.
snapshot of notable live music coming up in Sandpoint
Woody Guthrie and his famous guitar with the words, “This machine kills fascists,” written on the body. Courtesy photo
From Northern Idaho News, November 14, 1916
BOARD DECIDES TO ERECT NEW BUILDING
Superintendent Henderson says smoking of cigarettes by high school boys must stop
At a meeting of the school board held last night, the matter of a new high school building was discussed at some length and it seemed to be the consensus of opinon that Sandpoint was very much in need of a high school building. It was argued that the present building would serve the purpose for a grade school for some time, and with an addition of a high school building Sanpdoint would be among the best as to educational facilities.
It was thought that a high school building containing 16 to 18 rooms with an auditorium and gymnasium would be adequate to the needs for many years. Superintendent Henderson, who has had much experience along the line of planning school buildings, gave it as his opinion that a building of this kind and size should be erected at a cost not to exceed $90,000.
“There is one matter which is going to be looked into,” said Superintendent Henderson, “and that is the high school boys buying tobacco and cigarettes. There is a very stringent law in regard to the selling of tobacco and cigarettes to boys under 18 years of age, and I am going to see that it is enforced in Sanpdoint.” The entire board agreed with the superintendent along these lines and something is going to be done.
A plan was suggested by Henderson, which at once won the cooperation of every member of the board. This plan was for every family or patron of the school to take stock of their outgrown and laid-away clothing, which was yet good, and let their children who attend the different rooms in the schools of Sandpoint bring it to their respective buildings the day before Thanksgiving, and here it would all be assembled together and given to the different charitable organizations of the city for distribution among the needy.
BACK OF THE BOOK Hunting for connection
By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff
I shot a turkey the other day — the first one I’ve ever shot, and really the first bird I’ve ever bagged. Unlike a lot of my country-kid pals back in late20th century Sagle, I could never bring myself to draw a bead on a bird with my BB gun (though I had no qualms shooting my friends).
Next to trees, birds are my favorite living things, followed by fish and most bugs. That said, I love to cut, process and burn wood; and catch, clean and eat fish. I’ve killed more bugs than birds, but I’m still one to capture and release spiders, moths, beetles, and even hornets and earwigs if they get inside the house.
That said, shooting a turkey — especially around Thanksgiving — has been a goal of mine since returning home in 2019. I bought a 20-gauge shotgun and a few boxes of birdshot during the first weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic, and have purchased a turkey tag every year since. In that time, I’d never seen a turkey in the woods when I had a gun, but saw hundreds in people’s driveways and yards.
Many people have told me that wild turkey meat doesn’t taste good, to say the least. My own research, which made its way into a Reader article a few years ago, further informed me that turkeys are not only transplants to the area, but their presence among us dates only to the early 1960s. What’s more, their local population didn’t even stabilize until the 1980s and quickly exploded to problematic levels.
Based on all that, they taste bad, they’re not “from here” and they’re a nuisance. If I was going to shoot a bird and feel OK about it, I suppose
it would be a turkey; though, I have never and will never relish the act of killing something for the sake of it. Rather, I like the idea of eating something that I interact with in a shared environment.
Finally, on a recent Saturday, one of my closest friends organized what ended up basically as a guided hunt on his dad’s acreage outside of town. My friend is a mensch of mensches, and had already scouted the property to note when and where the turkeys moved. I’d already spoken with his dad to get permission, and invited my 13-year-old son to come along.
After cleaning our guns, going over gun safety practices and donning our blaze orange, it took us about 20 minutes of stalking to find the birds — just where my friend said they’d be — and one shot at medium distance dropped the tom whose meat is now resting in my freezer.
That was a success, but doing so with my son turned out to be my favorite part.
We’re both at the age where a solid 40% of what either of us say or do annoys one or the other. But as most all parents know, despite the friction of the teenage years, these are the times when we most crave connection. There is no loneliness quite as cutting as the want for your little one to want to be with you as much as you want to be with them — especially when they’re not so little anymore. This is natural, of course; the process of growing up is also a process of release.
I was thrilled, then, when my son was so enthusiastic about our turkey hunting excursion. He wanted to listen and talk, help and be helped. He wanted to learn and just be a part of it all.
We bagged the turkey and thanked
Sudoku Solution STR8TS Solution
it for what it would provide us, then hung around and shot tin cans with a pellet gun, did a little archery and — when my brother and his partner showed up — spent some time firing a CO2-powered arrow rifle that we got Uncle Jake as a birthday present. It was a good old-fashioned country-kid Saturday afternoon.
To say I was proud of my son — of whom I’m always proud — would be an understatement. Once we got home, he jumped right into the butchering. Having never taken a bird, especially such a big one, I didn’t know what I was doing much more than he did. We figured it out together, though, with the help of YouTube. Realizing we didn’t have some crucial supplies, he rode his bike through the lowering dark to the store and returned with the perfect selections. We plucked feathers, carved and chopped, cleaned and packaged, talked about responsible hunting and worked side by side with 0% annoyance.
At the end of the night, he thanked me and I thanked him, and he hugged me three times before going to bed. I can say, without qualification, that the turkey we took on that Saturday did not die in vain.
Crossword Solution
I don’t think God put me on this planet to judge others. I think he put me on this planet to gather specimens and take them back to my home planet.
Solution on page 26
Laughing Matter
CROSSWORD
By Bill Borders
1.Excerpts
6.G G G
10.Posseses
14.Cowboy sport
15.Coastal raptor
16.Origin
17.Utopian
18.Mark down
19.Snuggle (Br. sp.)
20.Biblical blessings
22.Stiletto or wedge
23.Less damp
24.Brusque
25.Office fill-in
29.Interiors
31.Arithmetic mean
33.Fundamental
37.Ascendant
38.Esprit de corps
39.Flower box
41.Ideal
42.Earwax
Solution on page 26
Solution on page 26
Word Week of the
[noun] archaic
1. the lowest throw at dice, the double ace 2. bad luck; misfortune; something worthless
“I had nothing but ambsace during my trip to the casino last week.”
Corrections: Abandon all hope, ye who enter this correction box, for there is nothing to feast upon this week. Have no fear, child, there will always be flubs for dinner in the future.
