It’s safe to say that my earliest memories of Bonner County are roughly contemporaneous with my earliest memories of Canada — specifically, British Columbia. On a weeklong Spring Break trip to Nelson, B.C. last year I walked with my wife and kids at Kokanee Creek Provincial Park and had strange, fuzzy recollections of certain spots along the shoreline of the West Arm of Kootenay Lake. When I mentioned it to my dad, he reminded me that we camped there when I was 3 years old, and had visited several times throughout my early childhood. The only other thing I can reliably remember from 1983 is playing with marbles poured from a purple Crown Royal whiskey bag on the yellow shag carpet of our house in Sagle. This is all to say that I returned to Nelson last weekend for an overnight visit with my family and, despite a three-hour drive over an international border, it felt like home. In some ways, more like home than home. We stayed in a hotel on Baker Street; which, I realized during a walk along the shops with my son, is about as familiar to me as First Avenue in Sandpoint. Like any longtime local, I remembered what stores were where “back then,” and noted changes to the streetscape. I recalled the times I’d come to the place as a kid, including treks across the big, orange bridge and up the road to Ainsworth Hot Springs and riding the ferry from Balfour to Kootenay Bay; as a teenager in the SHS Jazz Band, getting my first shoeshine near the corner of Baker and Ward streets and seeing my first bagpipers marching from the courthouse up the hill past the Hume Hotel; as an adult, fishing Kootenay Lake with my dad and brother (like my dad did with his dad), and all the times I’ve visited with my wife and kids ever since. We have our favorite restaurants and pubs, our favorite shops — Mike’s Pub and Otter Books are personal favorites — and we can’t pass through without a walk up to Gyro Park. Our most recent quick trip came at an uncomfortable time. We’re technically at “war” with Canada, as regards trade, and our president has threatened to turn our dear neighbors to the north into the “51st state.” I expected to be thrown at least a little shade once Nelsonites saw our Idaho license plates or heard us pronounce “out” and “about” without the long “oo.” True to form, everyone we encountered was warm and friendly. The whole place felt calm and collected, as it always does — a stark contrast to the Sturm und Drang of the Trumpian U.S. No stupid bumper stickers, no dumb flags, no strutting assholes draped with guns in the coffee shops. It felt like escaping an asylum to mingle among normal people for the first time this year. Best of all, we stopped into the museum on Vernon Street and, while paying our ticket price, the attendant asked if we were “local.” We told her we were up from Sandpoint — with a little shrug of embarrassment — and she said, “Well, then you identify as Canadian.” I blurted out, “Please!” and I hope she knew how much it meant to us to hear that.
DEAR READERS,
In case you haven’t noticed, we’re continuing our spooky-themed covers the whole month of October with this week’s contribution coming from one of my favorite vintage graphic design publications, Craphound. Halloween may not be for another few weeks, but it’s alive (alive!) here at Reader HQ.
There are a lot of great events on the calendar this week. Bonner Community Food Bank is hosting a 45th anniversary fundraiser and I encourage anyone who is able to support this organization (see Page 16). Sandpoint Oktoberfest is back for its third year at the Granary Arts District (see Page 17) and music lovers will find a wide assortment of concerts to choose from. See the calendar on Page 18 for a full list of events.
Thanks for reading the Reader. Give our advertisers some love when you can, as they help us ensure this rag remains free for the people — always.
– Ben Olson, publisher
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Sandpoint City Council continues debate over legal counsel
By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff
High tension has animated Sandpoint City Hall proceedings since the Oct. 1 regular meeting of the City Council, when councilors walked out of the chambers in protest over the dismissal of Lake City Law attorneys following the Sept. 30 expiration of their legal services contract.
Councilor Joel Aispuro said at the top of the Oct. 1 meeting that “our actual legal counsel” had not been provided with a Zoom link to the meeting. Meanwhile, Sandpoint Mayor Jeremy Grimm brought on former-Sandpoint City Attorney Will Harrington to serve as interim city attorney, which didn’t sit well with several councilors.
“With all due respect, Mr. Harrington, we didn’t appoint you as legal counsel and, according to State Code, Lake City Law is actually still our legal counsel,” Aispuro said, going on to ask City Clerk Melissa Ward to send a Zoom link to LCL attorneys, including Fonda Jovick, who has held the position of city attorney since 2023.
“I don’t feel comfortable moving forward with the meeting without our actual legal counsel, and if we’re not going to have our actual legal counsel, I will walk out and I would encourage all my council members to do the same thing, because Mr. Harrington was not appointed in any way, shape or form,” Aispuro said on Oct. 1. “And I found out about this this morning.”
Grimm said Oct. 1 that the city had a contract
with Harrington, to which Aispuro responded, “You do, not we as a city.”
Council President Deb Ruehle argued that Jovick and her firm served under the appointment of the mayor and confirmation by the council, and, “their appointment does not expire” with the lapse of the legal services agreement.
The Oct. 1 meeting ended fewer than 45 minutes after its 5:30 p.m. start time, as councilors left the chambers.
A subsequent special meeting on Oct. 3 failed to reach a quorum, with Councilors Aispuro, Ruehle and Schreiber not attending, according to reports.
Yet another special meeting on Oct. 8 began as normal at 5:30 p.m. with only two action items on the agenda addressing a legal services agreement with Harrington and revising the contract with Lake City Law.
Though fully attended by councilors and the mayor, no legal counsel at all was seated at the customary desk
in chambers during the Oct. 8 meeting. A motion to enter into executive session followed votes on approval of bills and the consent agenda. Aispuro moved to amend that motion to include Jovick during executive session deliberation, saying it was in the interest of “transparency and clarity.”
Grimm refused to refer to Jovick as the city attorney, repeating the motion while stating, “I’m not going to use the title because I think that’s under question.”
Councilor Pam Duquette questioned why Jovick should be included in the council’s executive session.
“I see that we have ended that contract; as I see it, on the 30th [of September],” she said. “And, as I see it, that’s not necessary [to include Jovick in the executive session].”
Both Aispuro and Ruehle called for the vote, with Ruehle saying the issue needed to be discussed in private before receiving fuller public deliberation,
and responded to Duquette’s question that the expiration of the legal services contract is “just the monetary part of the legal contract.”
Grimm said that, “The city has not received a legal opinion that Ms. Jovick is the city’s legal representative,” after which the council voted 4-2 in favor of including Jovick in the executive session, with Councilors Duquette and Rick Howarth in opposition.
The council had not returned to regular session as of press time on Oct. 8; however, Grimm told the Reader in an interview on Oct. 6 that he hoped “cooler heads will prevail and whatever the question is, regarding the current status of the former city attorney’s appointment, can be resolved through impartial third-party legal analysis. And that we can move on as a city from this small hiccup and prioritize and focus on the most important issues.”
According to Idaho Code 50-204, Harrington wrote,
“Once a vacancy exists, such as by the expiration of a contract, it falls to the mayor to propose a successor for council confirmation. The position cannot be self-extended by the prior contractor or by implication.”
Grimm told the Reader that, in addition, I.C. 50-602 “makes it quite clear that the city manages the city and that includes the management of staff.”
“So it’s essential that the mayor — the Executive Branch — have the ability to run the city, and I would suggest that anyone look at Idaho Code and look at the authorities and powers granted the Executive Branch in 50-602,” he said. “The Legislative Branch is authorized to set and adopt a budget, to establish ordinances within a city, to approve and review contracts over a certain dollar amount, and to act
Sandpoint City councilors at the Oct. 8 meeting at Sandpoint City Hall.
Photo by Ben Olson
Local election forum scheduled for Oct. 20
Sandpoint City Council candidates, area ballot measures to be featured
By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff
Though it’s still a little less than a month from the Tuesday, Nov. 4 election, voters in Bonner County can submit their absentee ballots until 5 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 24.
Meanwhile, the Sandpoint Reader, KRFY Panhandle Community Radio and SandpointOnline.com will host a candidates’ forum on Monday, Oct. 20 — just in time for early voting, which begins Oct. 20 and ends Friday, Oct. 31 from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. at the Bonner County Elections Office (1500 Highway 2, Suite 124, in Sandpoint).
The forum is scheduled for 5:30-7 p.m. at the com-
< COUNCIL, con’t from Page 4 >
in a quasi-judicial capacity to act on land use hearing matters. But it’s clear that they have no — and I repeat no — statutory authority to direct staff or related functions of the administration of the city.
Some councilors argued that the confirmation of Lake City Law and Jovick supersedes the legal services agreement, which establishes a fee schedule. However, according to Grimm and a legal opinion from Harrington, Idaho Code 50-204 gives the mayor wide latitude to govern appointments and contracts.
“To suggest that the mayor’s ability to contract with legal services doesn’t represent the interest of the city is preposterous,” Grimm added.
Councilors Aispuro, Dick, Howarth and Ruehle did not respond to a request for comment. Schreiber
munity room in the Sandpoint Center (414 Church St.) and will focus on the race for three open seats on the Sandpoint City Council, which has drawn four candidates: incumbent Councilors Joel Aispuro and Rick Howarth, as well as Joshua Torrez (listed on the ballot as Torrez Joshua) and Joe Tate.
Those seats carry a term of four years, and are “at large,” meaning there are no specific districts or seats representing those districts. Rather, those who win the most votes across all of Sandpoint’s voting precincts win the seats.
In addition, the cities of Sandpoint and Ponderay have been invited to provide presentations on their respective ballot measures — a $130
responded, but was unclear what information he was legally allowed to disclose related to the issue. Jovick, likewise, declined to comment prior to the meeting.
Duquette told the Reader, in part, in an Oct. 6 email that, “Yes, [Grimm] is the mayor and has rights/obligations, but I do remind him that we are not a big city and including council on things he may not think [are] needed, and I believe they are, and I see that as part of the problem in communication.
“He did start corresponding to council members on the first of October about the expired contract with LCL as he saw it happen and that he acquired a temporary legal counsel,” she added. “I at that time was expecting that to be a topic on the dais.”
Grimm told the Reader that he learned of the contract expiration on Sept. 18, though that coincided
million bond for Sandpoint’s wastewater treatment plant reconstruction project, and 1% local option sales tax in Ponderay.
Participating candidates will be given the opportunity to describe their backgrounds and qualifications, and explain their reasons for run-
with the emergency medical leave of the Central Services director, and was complicated further by the migration of contract data from an in-house repository to the cloud, which resulted in expiration dates being pushed “many years out.”
“I acknowledge that due to some software issues we’re having at the city, our knowledge of the expiration of this contract was less than optimal,” Grimm said, later adding, “Council members were completely unaware of the expiration date, as well as Lake City Law appears to have been unaware of the expiration date
“Ideally, we would have all been aware of the expiration date and been proactively addressing that a month or two in advance of that expiration,” he said.
However, Grimm told the Reader that he “tried to remedy [the situation] with a short-term, three-month
ning. In the case of the ballot measures, city representatives will be invited to make their case and provide details. Following that portion of the event, the forum will proceed into moderated questions from the audience, directed at both candidates and cities on their ballot measures. The forum will be broadcast live on the air at 88.5 FM and streaming at krfy. org. A recording of the entire forum will also be made available later at krfy.org.
contract retaining Lake City Law, until the end of the calendar year. The response to that by Lake City Law was the proposal of a contract that seemed somewhat unfavorable to the city; and, as a result, I made the determination to allow the Lake City Law legal services agreement to expire.”
Regardless, he said, “There’s nothing in state statute or code that requires the mayor to inform the council of every contract that is pending expiration. The city has hundreds, if not thousands, of contracts live at any given moment — some are appropriate for renewal and others are appropriate for expiration.”
Furthermore, he said, “No council members reached out to me that day regarding questions [about the replacement of Lake City Law with Harrington]. ... I was in the office all day and available, had council had any questions.”
All that said, Grimm told the Reader that he felt it was time to part ways with Lake City Law based on cost, as the firm’s billings “have ranged from $8,000 and change a month to almost $16,000 a month.”
The Reader was unable to verify those figures in the budget by press time, though Grimm added: “Upon my investigation, it appeared that the city was bearing a significant legal cost for the simplistic legal opinion of the roles of government — Executive vs. Legislative — which is frustrating, because the Idaho Association of Cities has a very simple and clear publication outlining the roles, clarifying that the mayor — the Executive Branch — has supremacy over all city affairs: all contracts, all employees and the budget once adopted by the council.”
Voters attend an candidates’ forum at Sandpoint Community Hall in 2019.
Photo by Ben Olson
NEWS Legislature intervenes in H.B. 93 lawsuit
By Ryan Suppe IdahoEdNews.org
The legal defense of House Bill 93 is taking shape after a recent series of court orders decided who can participate in a lawsuit challenging Idaho’s new private education tax credit.
The Idaho Legislature will defend the tax credit alongside the State Tax Commission. House Speaker Mike Moyle and Senate President Pro Tem Kelly Anthon hired private attorneys from Givens Pursley, a Boise law firm, to represent the Legislature. Attorney General Raúl Labrador’s office is representing the Tax Commission.
On Oct. 2, the Idaho Supreme Court granted the Legislature’s request to join the lawsuit and defend the program it enacted earlier this year. But the court denied a similar motion to intervene from two national groups that advocate for private school choice and represent Idaho families hoping to qualify for the tax credits.
Moyle, a Republican from Star, said Oct. 6 that the Legislature intervened because legislative leaders want to ensure “all the information gets out there,” and the attorney general’s office sometimes “misses stuff.”
Anthon, R-Rupert, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
“We want to be involved, since we passed it,” Moyle said. “I wish we didn’t have to go through a lawsuit on this, but hopefully we can get it resolved soon and move on.”
The lawsuit seeks to block a $50 million tax credit program that’s scheduled to take effect Jan. 15. The first of its kind in Idaho, the program offers nonpublic school students up to $5,000 — or $7,500 if they have special needs — in tax credits covering private school tuition and other education expenses.
The GOP-dominated Legislature narrowly passed H.B. 93 in February, and Republican Gov. Brad Little signed it into law in March.
Last month, a coalition that includes the Idaho Education Association and Moscow School District asked the Idaho Supreme Court to declare the program unconstitutional. Spending taxpayer funds on private education violates the Idaho Constitution’s requirement that the Legislature “establish and maintain a general, uniform and thorough system of public free common schools,” the coalition argues.
The coalition hired Hawley Troxell, a Boise-based law firm, to argue its case. Legal fees will be divided among the petitioners, except the Moscow School District, which is not contributing financially.
It’s unclear how the Legislature plans to pay its attorneys. Legislative leaders in recent years have tapped the state’s “Constitutional Defense Fund” to cover legal fees when a new law faces a court challenge. But there may be other funds available to pay for this lawsuit, Moyle said.
“As of right now, I’m not sure where it’ll come from yet,” he said.
The Idaho Supreme Court issued two other notable orders on Oct. 2:
• The court denied a request from the Partnership for Educational Choice — a joint effort between the Institute for Justice and EdChoice — to intervene in the lawsuit. The partnership hoped to defend H.B. 93 on behalf of three Idaho families that plan to apply for the tax credit.
• An order signed by Chief Justice G. Richard Bevan said the families could file a brief in support of the program, but their attorneys will not be allowed to participate if the court asks for oral arguments.
Thomas Fisher, executive vice president and director of litigation at EdChoice Legal
Advocates, plans to file an amicus brief, an EdChoice spokesperson said on Oct. 6.
“We’re grateful for the opportunity to stand with Idaho families and make sure their voices are heard,” Fisher said through the spokesperson. “This program represents real opportunity for parents and students across the state, and we remain deeply committed to defending their right to choose the education that works best for them.”
The Supreme Court also approved a request from the attorney general’s office to extend a filing deadline. Justices had directed state attorneys to respond by Friday, Oct. 10.
After Labrador’s office said the deadline was “not practicable,” the court agreed to push it back by a month.
Idaho Education News is a nonprofit online news outlet based in Boise and supported by grants from the J.A. and Kathryn Albertson Family Foundation, the Education Writers Association and the Solutions Journalism Network. Read more at idahoednews.org.
Bits ’n’ Pieces
From east, west and beyond
The extended Congressional recess delays the swearing in of U.S. Rep.elect Adelita Grijalva, D-Ariz., Politico reported. Grijalva is expected to provide the final signature required to force disclosure of files related to the late-sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
According to various news sources, President Donald Trump said he’s open to a health care deal with Democrats, claiming there were negotiations “right now with the Democrats that could lead to very good things.” However, congressional Democratic leaders said there have been no such negotiations, although they’d be glad to “be at the table.”
Prior to the shutdown, 78% of Americans wanted health insurance tax credits extended — a top goal of Democrats for ending the shutdown. A new memo indicated the White House may not provide back pay for furloughed workers, which dovetails with Trump Budget Director Russell Vought’s plan to use the federal shutdown to further Project 2025’s dismantling of the government via cutting programs and employees.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth recently brought together 800 military generals and admirals, who were told by Trump that a new “war from within” is more dangerous than any foreign war zone, Axios reported. Hegseth said the military would “untie the hands of our warfighters to intimidate ... hunt and kill the enemies of our country.”
Trump also said cities like Chicago should be “training grounds for our military,” which Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker called “frankly, inane.”
According to The Lever, a new Trump national security directive titled NSPM-7 expands the list of terrorism indicators and includes behavior deemed anti-American, anti-Christian, anti-capitalist, extreme on race and hostile toward “traditional American views” on family, religion and morality.
The Associated Press reported that federal agents sent there by Trump have become increasingly aggressive Complaints following an Oct. 1 early morning raid by ICE on a Chicago apartment building included use of helicopters, chemical agents and brutal military-style tactics against people awakened from sleep after their doors were knocked off their hinges. Requests to see warrants and lawyers were ignored. Children were separated from their parents and zip-tied. The result: 37 arrests. A Chicago alderperson was handcuffed at a hospital after asking
By Lorraine H. Marie Reader Contributor
agents to show a warrant for a man who broke a leg when chased by ICE agents. Local media reported that 27 city officers were injured by federal tear gassings, and that federal allegations that city police ignored calls for help on Oct. 4 were false. A state representative said, “ICE acted like an invading army in our neighborhoods.” Trump’s Department of Homeland Security claimed it was looking for gang-connected people, and offered no details about the arrests.
Meanwhile, The Lever reported that after the raid Apple removed apps that allowed communities to share ICE sightings at the request of Attorney General Pam Bondi.
According to the AP, a Trump-appointed federal judge temporarily blocked the administration from sending National Guard troops to Portland, Ore. to control protests at an ICE office. The judge stated, “This is a nation of Constitutional law, not martial law.” Trump deployed the troops anyway, various media reported. Trump said the judge should “be ashamed of herself” because “Portland is burning to the ground.” He talked to Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek and was told there was no “insurrection.” In response, Trump asked, “Am I watching things on TV that are different from what’s happening? ... They are literally attacking and there are fires all over the place.”
Historian Heather Cox Richardson and others are saying Trump’s reference to reports that differ from realities on the ground suggests he is being manipulated by others in the White House. An Oregon lawsuit seeking to stop Trump from sending troops alleges the president was shown Fox News video clips from 2020, a contrast to recent resistance of up to 20 people at a time. The judge stated that a social media post Trump relied on was inadequate justification for sending the National Guard, and called it “untethered to facts.” Veterans planned a Portland City Hall event to urge the National Guard to uphold their oath to the Constitution and refuse unlawful orders
Blast from the past: “‘Go back?’ he thought. ‘No good at all! Go sideways? Impossible! Go forward? Only thing to do! On we go!’ So up he got and trotted along with his little sword held in front of him and one hand feeling the wall, and his heart all of a patter and a pitter.” — J.R.R. Tolkien, from The Hobbit.
Stakes are high in Idaho as government shuts down over health care
Thousands likely to cancel insurance plans as premiums set to double without action
By Kyle Pfannenstiel Idaho Capital Sun
Idahoan Bob McMichael and his wife only pay $50 a month for their health insurance premium.
That’s deeply subsidized by tax credits Congress created in 2021.
But a couple weeks ago, they got a letter from their health insurance company that said their premiums would be hiking. It would be $400 a month with the same enhanced tax credit, or more than $2,200 without.
The full price is almost how much the retired school teacher, who lives in Council, and his wife earn each month.
“If we spent that much on health care — which we won’t be able to do — we wouldn’t be able to buy groceries, or gas, or pay our utility bills or anything else,” McMichael told the Idaho Capital Sun in an interview.
Unless Congress extends them, the enhanced premium tax credits that let people buy cheaper health insurance on exchanges will expire at the end of this year. Without those credits, 25,000 Idahoans are likely to cancel their insurance policies — as average premiums are expected to double, said Pat Kelly, executive director of Your Health Idaho.
The federal government shutdown came after weeks of partisan disagreement over this health policy issue.
Republicans — who control the White House and both chambers of Congress, but need bipartisan support for most legislation — have blamed Democrats for the government shutdown. Congressional Democrats insisted on extending the health insurance tax credits and repealing Medicaid cuts as part of the stopgap funding bill.
But the vast majority of Americans — more than 78% — say Congress should renew the enhanced credits, according to a poll by health policy research group KFF released Oct. 3. Even most Republicans, 59%, say they want the credits extended.
If the credits end, the rate of uninsured Idahoans will “sky-
rocket,” said Idaho Supports Medicaid Policy Associate Ivy Walker.
That’ll likely trigger a ripple effect that strains the entire health care system, she said, forcing hospitals to take on more uncompensated care that private insurance companies will offset — by raising premiums for people still insured.
“This is all going to feed into a very vicious cycle. And families are going to essentially have to choose between getting health care or feeding their families or paying rent,” Walker said.
How the enhanced premium tax credits for health insurance work
The enhanced premium tax credits ensure people don’t pay more than 8.5% of their income on health insurance for benchmark plans.
The credits only apply for health insurance people buy through the federal government’s marketplace created by the Affordable Care Act, and statebased insurance exchanges, like Idaho’s Your Health Idaho.
Exchanges are a common place for people to buy private health insurance when their jobs don’t offer any, their employer’s policies are unaffordable, or people don’t qualify for public assistance like Medicaid or Medicare.
In Idaho, the enhanced credits reduced average monthly premiums by more than $400 — knocking down $636 payments down to $179, Walker said.
Smaller credits already existed for insurance through exchanges. The enhanced credits offer two key new types of help, according to KFF: boosting aid for people already eligible and expanding eligibility to people who earn more than 400% of the federal poverty level, which is $106,600 for a family of three.
After the credits were created, more than twice as many people got insurance through the federal marketplace, according to KFF. Since 2022, enrollment in Idaho’s exchange is up by 84%, Kelly said.
In 2021, Congress created the enhanced tax credits discount in the American Rescue Plan
Act. Then Congress extended the enhanced credits through the Inflation Reduction Act in 2022. Former President Joe Biden signed both bills into law.
Extending the credits permanently would cost $350 billion over the next decade, and lead to 3.8 million more people having health insurance, the Congressional Budget Office estimated in September.
Why was this part of the federal government shutdown?
As the federal government was about to run out of money set aside by Congress at the end of September, GOP lawmakers crafted their own temporary funding bill to keep the government running before addressing the next year’s full budget.
But Democratic lawmakers largely voted against Republicans’ bill, calling for extending the enhanced tax credits and repealing Medicaid cuts made through the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act.”
In mid-September, Republican U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson said he viewed negotiations over the enhanced tax credits as “a December policy issue, not a September funding issue,” States Newsroom reported. But open enrollment for the federal marketplace — when people can pick or change health insurance plans — starts Nov. 1 and ends Dec. 15.
Walker said waiting until December to take up extending the credits “would be far too late.”
The policy positions of Idaho’s congressional delegation, made up of four Republicans, are not immediately clear.
Idaho Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Simpson does not support extending the enhanced tax credits, a spokesperson told the Idaho Capital Sun.
“This has nothing to do with a Sept. 30 funding measure — it’s purely a distraction from the Democrats,” Simpson’s spokesperson, Lexi Hamel, said in a statement.
Amanda Critchfield, a spokesperson for Idaho Republican U.S. Sen. Mike Crapo, who chairs the Senate Finance Committee, said, “Crapo welcomes conversations with
his colleagues on both sides of the aisle about policies to lower health care costs for all Americans once the federal government reopens.”
In a statement, Idaho Republican U.S. Sen. Jim Risch criticized Democrats.
“Democrats, not Republicans, set the expiration date on the Biden administration’s enhanced Obamacare credits,” Risch told the Sun in a statement. “These are temporary, COVID-era subsidies. If Democrats wanted to extend them beyond the pandemic, turning them into a de facto entitlement program, they had every opportunity to do so during the Biden administration. They did not. Now, they are using it as a ploy to shut down the government and extort nearly $1.5 trillion in federal spending increases.”
Idaho Republican U.S. Rep. Russ Fulcher could not be immediately reached for comment.
Idaho Democratic Party Chair Lauren Necochea said Democrats pushed for the health care policies as part of the stopgap funding bill “because they know how dire this is going to be for regular American families.”
“Huge health care price hikes are being shoved down the throats of the American people, and Democrats are saying, ‘We’re not going to be part of this. We’re going to fight this,’” she told the Sun in an interview. “And this is the only lever Democrats have to try to stop those huge health coverage price hikes before they happen.”
In Idaho, Walker said the enhanced health insurance credits potentially expiring would pile onto a range of Medicaid cuts — to doctor pay rates, reforms from a state law this year, and federal cuts from the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” — that are priming the state for a health care crisis.
“Idahoans will have such a hard time finding access to health care all over the state. And it won’t matter whether you have insurance or not. It’s going to affect everyone,” she said.
Open enrollment for health insurance is approaching in Idaho
Open enrollment for Idaho’s insurance exchange, Your Health Idaho, starts Wednesday, Oct. 15 and ends Dec. 15.
Kelly, who leads the exchange, stressed the importance of working with an insurance broker or agent on plans for next year.
“It is more important than ever for 2026 that you work with those professionals. There’s about 1,200 agents or brokers all across the state,” he said. “... They are the experts when it comes to health insurance. So, they can help you find a plan that still meets your needs even with these increases.”
McMichael, 63, retired three years ago. After retirement, he said he and his wife were on Medicaid expansion — until she tapped into Social Security early, and they earned too much to qualify. Then they got on an insurance plan through the exchange.
McMichael said he’ll have to wait until open enrollment to see if there’s other insurance that’s affordable.
“Like the 10s of millions of other people in our situation ... we will not have health care. And if one of us gets really sick, then the options are pretty bleak,” he said.
He said he and his wife are pretty healthy; they aren’t on routine prescriptions, and don’t have serious illnesses.
A few years ago, he had back surgery. Issues have popped up again, but he can’t afford to fix them.
“But I just kind of live with pain. Because trying to get a treatment plan and all the other hoops you have to jump through, like an MRI and physical therapy, is just — even with the health plan that we have, the out of pocket costs are too much,” he said.
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.
Bouquets:
• Here’s a Bouquet to my good friend Matt Kinney, whose birthday was Oct. 8. Kinney, who owns Sunshine Goldmine with his wife, Darian, is one of those guys who would give you the shirt off his back. He and Darian were among the first to advertise with the Reader when I resurrected this newspaper in 2015 and they’ve been solid supporters ever since. Here’s wishing you a happy birthday, Matt.
Barbs:
• Another week, another punch in the face. I really don’t enjoy documenting the downfall of the United States; but, as someone who is committed to recording the “first draft of history,” here we go:
President Donald Trump — while speaking to the U.S. Navy and amid sending the National Guard into “blue” cities and a government shutdown that he has repeatedly (and falsely) blamed on Democrats — said, “We have to take care of this little gnat that’s on our shoulder called the Democrat. They want to give all of our money to illegal aliens that pour into the country.” Yikes.
Trump also claimed he’ll speak to the Department of Justice about giving convicted sex trafficker Ghislane Maxwell a pardon. This while Republican leadership has repeatedly delayed swearing in newly elected Democrat Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva (D-Ariz.) who would become the 218th vote that would finally release the so-called “Epstein list.”
Meanwhile, a South Carolina judge has been receiving death threats after issuing a temporary injunction on the release of the state’s voter files in relation to an executive order issued by Trump to target “non-citizen voter registration.” The judge’s home was completely engulfed in flames after a reported “explosion” on Oct. 11, sending three to the hospital. Mainstream media barely covered it, just like when Democratic lawmaker Melissa Hortman and her husband were assassinated and later ridiculed by Trump’s followers.
Something is rotten in D.C.
Democrats are holding out for Medicaid coverage…
Dear editor, Rep. Mike Simpson is really in lockstep with President Donald Trump. He, and other MAGAs, cite Medicaid as the reason for the government shutdown. Republicans are blaming Democrats for holding out to get Medicaid funding added. It’s not for illegal immigrants, and never was.
Folks on Medicaid are going to lose health insurance or pay a much higher cost and will not be able to afford insurance.
Not losing Medicaid, for those who need it the most, is what the Democrats are holding out for.
Sue Koller Sandpoint
Vote ‘yes’ for Northside Fire funding…
Dear editor, Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 4, and I’m sure that all the precincts will be busy. But what about the precincts out in the hinterlands? I checked my precinct and the only issue on the ballot for this election is increasing the funding for the Northside Fire District. I suspect that there are other precincts with only one item on the ballot.
This usually means low turnouts for those affected precincts. Low turnout usually gives the edge to the older, more conservative voters who don’t want their taxes increased for any reason — even if it might mean saving their homes in the event of wildfires.
Witness the results of the May 2025 election. Three out of four levies failed because of low turnout. In the Oden Precinct, just a hair over 28% of registered voters showed up with the majority voting “no” on the Northside Fire District levy request.
If people are concerned about losing their homes, they need to vote in favor of these levy requests. As wildfires become more frequent, we must improve the equipment and numbers of personnel needed to fight them. This is a participatory republic, and voting is the way to make our voices heard.
Gil Beyer Sandpoint
Is Portland ‘burning’? Not quite…
Dear editor, I just returned from five days in Portland, Ore. I was ready to take
SHS students participate in coral restoration programs in the Dominican Republic
By Reader Staff
Since 2019, retired environmental science teacher
John Hastings has been traveling with student groups from the Sandpoint area to work on coral restoration projects in the Caribbean.
The idea originated during an Advanced Placement environmental science class at Sandpoint High School. Students had been studying the impacts of climate change, specifically on coral reefs, and were deeply moved and wanted a hands-on opportunity to help.
Hastings then organized a trip to the Caribbean to work with small NGOs that needed help restoring the fragile underwater ecosystems.
To date, Hastings has spearheaded three trips to the Dominican Republic and one to Belize, making a difference for the reefs, the people in the local communities and participating students.
The Kinnikinnick Native Plant Society will feature a presentation by Hastings on his work in the Caribbean on Saturday, Oct. 18 at the East Bonner County Library (1407 Cedar St.,in Sandpoint).
Attendees are invited to so-
pictures of all the “burning and chaos.” The only “burning” I could find was the locals’ frustration that their city is being described as chaotic, and the wick of the candle on my friend’s birthday cake.
Must be some other Portland they’re all talking about.
Bonnie McDade Sandpoint
‘Shakespeare’...
Dear editor, Obviously against his wishes, the Grifter-in-Chief will inevitably shuffle off this mortal coil; seems like he plans to take the country, maybe even the world, along with him.
Ted Wert Sagle
cialize beginning at 9:30 a.m. with the program at 10 a.m.
Hastings also taught horticulture for the University of Idaho, and today he and his wife are the owners of All Seasons Garden and Floral. Hastings is also an advanced certified diver and a member of the boards of directors of KNPS, the Idaho Conservation League and Panhandle Trout Unlimited. In 2015, he was named Idaho Environmental Educator of the Year.
Hastings’ love of diving and environmental science background feeds his interest in coral reefs, which are under great threat of extinction from stresses including climate change, pollution and overfishing.
While most of the world’s hard corals have seen declines from 30-40%, some sections of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef have declined by 70%.
Ninety percent of the heat generated by rising emissions has been absorbed by the oceans, causing the greatest impact. Initially, reef restoration projects focused on cultivating corals in their natural environment. Newer efforts seek to selectively breed corals better able to withstand rising sea temperatures, a process known as assisted evolution.
Hastings will provide details on the restoration work being done to ensure the survival of coral reefs at the Oct. 18 presentation, while highlighting the contributions of SHS students.
KNPS programs are open to the public and co-sponsored by Sandpoint Parks and Recreation, with support from the East Bonner Library District. For more info, go to nativeplantsociety.org, sandpointidaho.gov/parks-and-recreation or ebonnerlibrary.org.
SHS students building artificial reef structures for ocean placement. Courtesy photo
By Emily Erickson Reader Columnist
My living room is softly lit, the orange lamplight casting a latticed shadow from the child gate propped in its entry. Two puppies are snuggled up beside me, looking like a yin and yang, or a cinnamon roll, but one made from two different kinds of dough. Their breathing is synced, chests rising and falling as they draw in the air of their new home — the smells of me and coffee and the couch on which their predecessor — the dog before these two dogs — also lay. They aren’t chewing on my laptop. It’s a rare moment of peace, but one that feels particularly well earned.
I spent exactly two weeks with the nine puppies of the rescue litter I was tasked with fostering and finding homes for. It was a task I brought upon myself and prepared for by building indoor and outdoor pens, gathering supplies — crates, food, blankets and toys — printing flyers and creating nine adoption profiles online. I knew it would be overwhelming, fulfilling and completely consuming, and I felt ready (as ready as one can be, anyway).
Although I felt equipped for the load of caregiving, I underestimated, or perhaps couldn’t have known, the taxing nature of promoting and facilitating their adoptions. For every eager, decisive person excited and prepared to take on the role of puppy parent, there were 20 spammers, flakers and wishy-washy “interested” commenters who seemed
Emily Articulated
Rescued
to have no real intention of adopting.
As the days went by, the enthusiasm faded, the A+ families grew thin and I became more attached to the remaining pups — more determined to find them the best possible homes. It felt like a game of escalating consequences, one in which each new level got harder.
I was swinging my sword against a field of trolls; and, after a week of exhaustion (and impending despair), my psyche increasingly battered and bruised from the effort — it happened. I won.
And what a sweet victory it was. As the last two pups were lovingly loaded into their cars, I felt the weight of all those little lives I’d been carrying lift. I could finally reflect on all the precious moments without the tinge of anxiety about who might be left behind.
There were moments of pure magic — watching people fall in love with their new dogs, a lifetime of mutual devotion unfurling in real time. I watched a puppy leave his pack of wriggling siblings, excited tails whapping his face
as he climbed into a visitor’s arms as if to say, “I’ve been waiting for you.”
I saw a woman smooth the forehead wrinkles of a sleepy pup and whisper, “Are you my dog?” just for him to blink a slow and certain “yes.”
I saw the excited glint in people’s eyes as they prepared for the roller coaster ahead: the first car ride home, the first night of uncertainty and joy. I watched the puppies trust that wherever they were headed, it would be a place full of love.
Between the highs and lows, the exhaustion and the overwhelm, there were people and organizations lifting me up. The Luna Project, a private rescue group in Coeur d’Alene dedicated to saving abused, neglected and homeless dogs, was there offering guidance, sharing the burden and doling out encouragement. Better Together Animal Alliance donated food and equipment and provided free on-site vaccinations.
Local businesses like Idaho Pour Authority and Evans Brothers Coffee let the pups wear “Adopt Me” bandanas on their patios, their employees taking on pup promotion like it was a part of their job description, too.
Friends volunteered to take shifts in puppy piles so my partner and I could get each one face time with the community, and my poor followers on social media didn’t just tolerate my puppy spam — they cheered me on.
It was only two weeks. But experiences like these shed light on the incredible work being done quietly
every day — the people and organizations who give so much of themselves to do what needs doing. They’re often underpaid, underfunded and overworked; yet, they show up, advocating for those who can’t advocate for themselves.
This small brush with that world reminded me how good it feels to be useful. To show up and turn “hang in there” into “here’s how I can help.” It was an expe-
rience and a reminder that I’ll carry with me into the months (and years) ahead, and one I intend to continue to act upon. But, perhaps after a few more peaceful mornings first.
Emily Erickson is a writer and business owner with an affinity for black coffee and playing in the mountains. Connect with her online at www.bigbluehat. studio.
Retroactive By BO
Emily Erickson.
Science: Mad about
porcupines
By Brenden Bobby Reader Columnist
I’ve lived in this area for my entire life and I have never seen a porcupine outside of a zoo. Perhaps I’m lucky, in that I’ve never had to endure the bitter sting of a porcupine’s quill. However, I’m an animal person, and I love to see the wonder of nature in all its splendor, so it has made me a little sad that I’ve never seen one of these odd creatures in its natural habitat.
Porcupines are the third-largest rodent in the world, just behind the capybara and the beaver. Being rodents, their behaviors mimic many of their smaller kin, like squirrels. Porcupines will stand upright and eat with their forepaws like squirrels and rats. Their diet includes a wide range of vegetation like nuts and berries during the spring and summer, but they will devour the inner bark of trees during winter while resources are scarce. This is detrimental to many tree types and can lead to the death of the tree, particularly in fragile orchards, where they can be the bane of orchardists around the world.
The most recognized feature of the porcupine is certainly its quills. Humans spotting porcupines may be rare, but it’s not uncommon for dogs to discover them through a keen sense of smell and discover for themselves that the third-largest rodent is not to be trifled with. Their quills are modified hairs formed from keratin. Keratin is a protein that exists naturally in the hair, skin, organs and scar tissue of most mammals,
though it has been adapted by evolution to provide a more potent sting, in the case of the porcupine.
Keratin is insoluble in water and resistant to many chemicals, giving it protective qualities from rain and other environmental factors. Its rigidity and structural strength is what forms the foundation for the syringe-like hairs that coat the animal.
The nature of porcupine quills means mating is a tricky affair. Porcupines need to make more porcupines after all, so one is inevitably left to wonder: how does this occur when one is covered in a series of spikes?
Porcupines have a mating ritual to signal their readiness for making and raising porcupettes, that is, baby porcupines. The female will often climb a tree and call out to male porcupines, attracting them to her. The strangest part to humans is that the female porcupine will then urinate on the male she has selected to signal to him that she is ready to mate. The female will then use her own tail to cover the spines along her back and give the male something to grab onto during the act.
From that point, copulation is much the same as it is with any other rodent, only with the added pressure of the male not slipping and accidentally skewering himself.
The gestation period for a North American porcupine is astoundingly long at 210 days. This long gestational period is difficult on the mother, but imperative to the porcupette’s survival. Unlike most rodents, porcupettes are born with their eyes open and able to function almost immediate-
ly after birth. They are also born soft, with their quills only hardening after they have entered the world. Often, a mother will only give birth to a single porcupette at a time, which is another strange trait for a rodent.
Porcupettes will nurse from their mothers just like most other mammals. The porcupette is reliant on its mother for several months until it is large enough to be independent. Adult porcupines are largely solitary creatures, but they have been observed creating and sharing dens for warmth in the winter.
Sharing a one-bedroom underground apartment with two of your spiky neighbors seems like a miserable prospect — especially if you’re paying Sandpoint rent prices.
There are two evolutionarily distinct groups of porcupine in the world: Old World porcupines found primarily in Europe and Asia, and New World porcupines found throughout the Americas. They are surprisingly not very closely related, having shared a common ancestor roughly 35.4 million years ago. North American porcupines tend to occupy forests and grasslands, even claiming the upper limbs of trees as homes from time to time, while many Old World porcupines will prefer rockier environments. The quills of the two groups and the subspecies within these groups may vary wildly in size, shape and composition.
Porcupines have been the subject of human research, particularly in the study of their quills. The quills are rigid but flexible and extremely sharp. Some have specialized barbs that make removal extremely difficult and painful,
something that has been studied for both weaponization as well as medicine. Their quills have been studied to develop more effective syringes and needles, which is a bit of a horrifying prospect.
Porcupines are a dietary staple in southeast Asia. The Malaysian porcupine has suffered population decline
due to its use in cuisine. The North American porcupine has been described as malodorous and not fit for human consumption. To be fair, most North American rodents aren’t very appealing to eat. Stay curious, 7B.
Today’s topic was suggested by Molly. Thanks, Molly!
Random Corner
• Some tire manufacturers use walnut shells to make winter tires. The shell of a walnut is one of the hardest natural substances in the world, which makes it great for gripping icy roads.
• Those sliced lines you see going laterally across a tire are called sipes. They help tires grip the road surface and channel water out from under the tire when driving on wet or snowy roads. Siping was invented in a slaughterhouse in 1923 by a butcher who was tired of slipping on bloody floors. He cut lines in the soles of his workboots, discovering that it gave him better grip.
• Tire rubber is naturally white. If manufacturers didn’t add carbon to the rubber, which increases tensile strength 10-fold, tires would be white.
• The world’s largest tire manufacturer isn’t Goodyear, Michelin, BFGoodrich or Firestone. It’s actually LEGO. The mini toy maker manufactures 308 million little LEGO wheels every year, far exceeding any other tiremaker across the globe.
• The world’s largest tire is 80 feet tall and weighs more than 12 tons. The Uniroyal Giant Tire is located at Allen Park, Mich. It was once used as a Ferris wheel at the 1964-’65 New York World’s Fair and was relocated to Allen Park a year later. More than 2 million people rode the tire during the fair, including Jacqueline Kennedy and the shah of Iran.
• Race cars use smooth, treadless tires to increase grip and acceleration. National Hot Rod Association Top Fuel racing teams are known for going through multiple racing “slicks” because the overpowered vehicles burn through the rubber. The tires need to be changed every four to six passes around the track, which means they only last about two miles.
• Many new car manufacturers are lessening the weight of their vehicles by not including a spare tire — opting instead for a tiny compressor and green ooze that, when used, destroys the chance to ever reuse a tire.
A new baby porcupine, also called a porcupette. Courtesy of Zoo New England
Rhinos Are Winos book reading at the Pend d’Oreille Winery
By Reader Staff
Spokane author Kevin Capuchin wants to take readers on a “booze cruise” through the zoo with his picture book Rhinos Are Winos, which guides wine connoisseurs on their “first ABC adventure.”
Styled like a kids’ alphabet primer, it features lively illustrations by Riley Helal that guide readers 21-and-older through the ins and outs of wine culture, science, history, practice and etiquette in a playful way, with animal characters Alba Rhino and Oxanne the Oxpecker leading the way.
Monday, Oct. 13
during a special event from 5-7 p.m. at the Pend d’Oreille Winery (301 Cedar St., in downtown Sandpoint), which features six wine tastings and six food pairings inspired by the book — think charcuterie snacks and a sweet bite — along with signed copies available for attendees.
Learn about winemaking, wine tasting and get some wine facts for the $50 ticket price, available at powine.com. Learn more about Rhinos Are Winos at scbwi.org and paperboundbooks.com.
Capuchin will read from his work
Loose Ends weaves together life stories
Local knitter completes project left unfinished after death of beloved matriarch
By Soncirey Mitchell Reader Staff
Whether expected or sudden, when people pass on, they often leave behind unfinished projects — be it an unpainted room or a sweater still on its knitting needles. Those half-done jobs can become a tangible representation of loss for loved ones, which is where the nonprofit Loose Ends comes in.
The organization helps to ease grief by connecting more than 34,000 craftspeople with families that have unfinished textile projects, from needlepoint to crochet. Local knitter Vicki Reich is one such volunteer, who recently received her first project: An afghan begun by Maria “Mary” McDonnall for her great-grandchildren.
socks for the whole family, because they took them [the clogs] off at the door, and put them on when they went out again.”
it was that she intended.”
“I signed up to volunteer with Loose Ends two years ago, and then I signed up again because I hadn’t heard anything. I just figured that I was never going to have anyone contact me,” said Reich.
With a 10-1 ratio of volunteers to projects, it’s harder to find the work than it is to gather the volunteers to finish it. Meanwhile, a short drive away in Naples, McDonnall’s daughter, Anne Armstrong, had been searching for more than a decade for someone to finish her mother’s work. Loose Ends united Armstrong and Reich in June; and, by mid-September, the afghan was complete.
“[For] 14 years, I’ve been hauling this around all the different places we’ve lived, and I almost was going to donate it,” said Armstrong.
Armstrong remembered her mother as a voracious knitter, who made everything from bedspreads to hats to slippers for every child, grandchild and great-grandchild.
“She had been knitting since she was 5 or 6 years old. She was born in the Netherlands,” said Armstrong. “They wore wooden shoes. Have you ever had a pair of wooden shoes on? I mean, they hurt. She was knitting
McDonnall moved with her parents and eight siblings from Holland to Canada, where she enrolled in school at the age of 8 to learn English. She was quickly fed up with her education; and, since her parents were cattle wheat farmers who needed all the help they could get, McDonnall soon found herself staying home to knit and help with the farm.
She didn’t pass on her talent for knitting to her children, who Armstrong says have all dabbled unsuccessfully in the art.
With McDonnall around, no one else needed to take up the needles.
“The last six months of her life, she called me and she said, ‘Will you knit me a scarf?’” said Armstrong. “It’s butt-ugly. My brother took a picture of it, and she died about a couple of weeks later. I still have the scarf. Do I wear it? No. But I have it because she begged me.”
Shortly before her death, McDonnall began working on the afghan, inventing the pattern as she went with only a few notes to guide her. She was also in the beginning stages of dementia, which meant she left behind a beautiful but tricky puzzle for Reich to solve.
“I sort of took some liberties and came up with something that looked very similar,” said Reich. “It took me a little while to figure out exactly what
“In defense of my mother, my father forbade her to speak Dutch in our home,” Armstrong said. “She would get confused counting in English, so she would probably switch right over and start counting in Dutch.”
No one but an expert would be able to tell that either knitter had any issues with the afghan — and Reich clearly matched McDonnall’s expertise. She’s had her own decades-long love affair with yarn, beginning in the ’80s when she first attempted to learn to crochet. That’s easier said than done when you’re left-handed in a right-handed world. She eventually moved to Moscow, where she took up spinning and, after accumulating her share of yarn, found a left-handed knitter who offered to teach her. The rest is a history of hundreds of hats, sweaters and other useful art that decorates her home and the homes of her loved ones.
Now, her work will bring warmth and comfort to a new family.
It was clear from their reactions when Reich unveiled the finished afghan that the project was a gift to both women, bringing as much joy to the knitter as it did to the family.
“More people should know about Loose Ends. There are
so many unfinished projects out there and it’s such a cool organization,” said Reich.
To volunteer or submit a project to Loose Ends, visit looseends.org.
Disclosure: Vicki Reich is Reader Editor-in-Chief Zach Hagadone’s stepmom.
Top left: “She is watching over us,” said Anne Armstrong (right) upon first seeing Vicki Reich’s (left) finished work. Photo by Soncirey Mitchell. Top right: Maria “Mary” McDonnall. Courtesy photo.
FOOD & DRINK
Foods from afar
By Ben Olson Reader Staff
I don’t know what it is about fall, but it sure makes me hungry. This time of year I find myself thinking of all the wonderful dishes I’ve eaten, most of them consumed while traveling internationally. Below is a short list of my favorites, with brief instructions for where to find the best recipes.
Bún bò Nam bộ (Ha Noi, Vietnam)
During a whirlwind onemonth tour of the entire country with my partner Cadie, I encountered many wonderful meals. Pho soup is hearty and filling, bánh bao are steamed dumplings filled with meat and other vegetables, and every entree or noodle dish has its own vibe. However, I nearly fainted with pleasure when we stopped into a little noodle restaurant near the St. Joseph’s Cathedral in Ha Noi. This was my first time experiencing bún bò Nam bộ, or Vietnamese beef noodle salad.
The dish masterfully incorporates the five elements of Vietnamese cuisine: spicy, sour, bitter, salty and sweet. The five fundamental tastes correspond to five organs (gallbladder, small intestine, large intestine, stomach and urinary bladder) and ensure that a dish is never too spicy, sour, bitter, salty or sweet because each element balances the others.
Bún bò Nam bộ is packed with fresh herbs, tasty beef, lime fish sauce dressing called nước chấm and vermicelli noodles, topped with fried shallots and roasted peanuts. The overall flavor is strong with lemongrass and is among one of the best things I’ve ever eaten. In the six days we spent in Ha Noi, I ate this dish at least seven times. It’s that freaking good.
The recipe that comes the closest to the original I ate
Some of the best dishes I’ve eaten in the world
in Ha Noi is from the website delightfulplate.com. Just search bún bò Nam bộ and your taste buds will thank you.
Curry chicken or goat roti (Falmouth, Antigua)
I can still hear the voice of the young British toddler with his sailing family as they sat down to eat lunch next to us at a clapboard shack near Falmouth Harbor in Antigua. “I want the roti, mummy,” he said. I thought, “What the heck is roti?” and tried it also.
Most Caribbean cuisine is a fusion of tastes and dishes from the islands’ many colonizers and inhabitants over the centuries. As a result, island food is a literal melting pot, with elements from Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America and the Middle East all playing an important role.
Roti itself is flatbread that originated from the Indian subcontinent and is popular throughout Africa, the Caribbean and Southeast Asia. It is made of stoneground wholewheat flour and is unleavened, unlike naan from India, which is leavened with yeast. Roti is close to a tortilla texture, but thicker and more flavorful.
Roti is most often served as a street food item in the Caribbean, folded around a savory filling in the form of a wrap. The roti is cooked on a tawa, a slightly curved iron pan in which the concave side is used as a wok and the con-
vex side for cooking flatbreads. You can fill a roti wrap with anything from chicken to goat to conch, but the most popular methods are to create a curried stew and either eat it with pieces of roti, or wrap it in a roti and eat it like a burrito.
There are a lot of different recipes available online, but the one that best captures the essence of this dish is found at cookingwithria.com.
Fasule/groshë/pasul me suxhuk (Theth, Albania)
Albania features a lot of rustic, hearty cuisine that is heavy on soups, meats, simple vegetables and fried cheese. One dish we ate at several locations was fasule, or Albanian beans and sausage. The name might change, depending on where you are, but it’s either a brothy soup or more closely resembles baked beans (again, depending on where you get it). But the flavors are earthy and satisfying, making this dish easy to make, especially during autumn.
If you want to be super authentic, serve it with kulaç (pronounced “kulach”), a type of Albanian soda bread that is fairly simple to make.
Find a good recipe for fasule as well as kulaç at mediterraneanlatinloveaffair.com.
Chilaquiles (Bacalar, Mexico)
When we seek comfort breakfast food in the U.S., we might whip up a batch of
biscuits and gravy or a corned beef hash. In Mexico, there is the wonderful world of chilaquiles. It’s a popular breakfast dish all across Mexico, where green or red salsa is poured over crisp tortilla triangles, along with chicken, refried beans, crema, queso fresco, onions, avocados or anything else the chef wants to include. It’s essentially fancy breakfast nachos and I’m all for it.
Find a great recipe at rickbayless.com.
Oaxaca hamburguesa (Oaxaca, Mexico)
It’s a little odd that one of the best cheeseburgers I’ve ever eaten came from a street vendor in Oaxaca, Mexico (and
cost about $1). This isn’t your typical cheeseburger. They start with thin burger patties and top them with ham or bologna, add American cheese, Oaxacan string cheese (called quesillo), salsa fresca, diced or ring pineapple, lettuce, tomato and serve it all on a potato bun that has been buttered and toasted. They cook the whole thing on a griddle together and wrap it tight, making it the perfect snack after drinking cervezas all night. The recipe speaks for itself.
Top left: Bún bò Nam bộ from Ha Noi, Vietnam. Top right: A street vendor prepares a Oaxacan hamburgeusa in Oaxaca, Mexico.
Above left: A chicken curry roti prepared in Falmouth, Antigua.
Above right: A hearty fasule with sausage from Theth, Albania.
Left: Chilaquiles prepared in Bacalar, Mexico.
Courtesy photos
Kaniksu Land Trust purchases Aster Garden Center
Retail space becomes KLT’s new home
By Reader Staff
The Kaniksu Land Trust has purchased Aster Garden Center, transforming the local nursery into a “mission-driven venture that supports conservation, education and community stewardship,” according to a news release.
The acquisition marks a new chapter for KLT, which has conserved thousands of acres, built many miles of community-access trails and brought hundreds of children outdoors each year, largely from an office tucked away in a business park. By relocating to Aster, KLT is moving its operations into the center of the community, making its mission more visible and accessible.
“This is where conservation and community meet every single day,” stated KLT Executive Director Katie Egland Cox. “Aster embodies our values of caring for the lands and people of the Kaniksu region, today, tomorrow, and forever.”
Aster will provide an income stream to support KLT’s programs, diversifying revenue sources and adding stability and growth to existing programs.
The purchase also offers a permanent home for the organization’s staff and operations. The existing 1,200-square-foot building on the site will also undergo a remodel in order to accommodate staff offices.
With a focus on pollinator-friendly, drought-tolerant, perennial and native plants, the garden center aligns directly with KLT’s mission, the nonprofit stated.
“Customers can support biodiversity and reWild their own backyards, extending conservation efforts from wild landscapes to private lands,” according to a news release. “KLT plans to continue to offer the same high-quality products and knowledgeable staff that Aster customers have come to expect, while building onto that foundation with even more opportunities for community engagement.”
KLT envisions Aster as a “third space” outside of home and work where people can gather, learn and connect. Plans include workshops, seasonal events and opportunities for volunteers and partners to contribute.
“The longtime shop cat, Kitty, will remain a fixture,” organizers promised.
For Paul and Karen Oleson, founding Aster was as much about creativity
and community as it was about plants. The couple purchased two overgrown lots on Superior Street in 2015, envisioning a fresh start for both the land and themselves. What began as a 30-by-40-foot machine shop building used for storage became a vibrant garden center, developed almost entirely by their own hands.
“Stepping back after the landscaping was finished, with the vines climbing, the walls in place, the trees and greenery full, that was the most gratifying moment,” Karen stated. “It was like living inside a sculpture.”
When Aster officially opened in April 2020, just as the world shut down for COVID-19, gardening surged in popularity as people turned to their yards for comfort.
“In some ways, the timing worked in our favor,” Paul stated. “People were home, improving their living spaces, and we became a place they wanted to be.”
For the Olesons, the heart of Aster was never just about selling plants.
According to Karen, “People came not only to shop, but to talk, to connect. It mattered to us that they felt cared for.”
The Olesons’ granddaughter even painted small rocks to hand out to customers — a simple gesture that became a cherished memory.
“When we put it on the market, there were other offers, but some wanted to turn it into a dance studio or a van-lifer court,” Paul stated. “We couldn’t imagine that. We wanted Aster’s values to live on.”
The public is invited to a soft opening on Saturday, Oct. 25 during Kaniksu Folk School’s
Harvest Festival gathering on site at Aster. Event details are posted on the Event page at kaniksu.org.
Aster Garden Center will reopen to the public on April 14 — coinciding with National Gardening Day — with a grand reopening celebration. More details about that event will be released in the future. For more information, visit kaniksu.org/astergarden for more info.
Aster Garden Center’s front gate in full bloom. Photo by Nikki Lancaster.
‘We’re here helping our neighbors when life gets hard’ Food Bank hosts 45th anniversary fundraiser
By Soncirey Mitchell Reader Staff
The Bonner Community Food Bank is celebrating 45 years spent taking care of this ever-growing community with a fundraising dinner on Saturday, Oct. 11, from 5-8 p.m. at the Bonner County Fairgrounds (4203 N. Boyer Ave., in Sandpoint).
Tickets are $45 each or $360 for a table of eight to enjoy dinner, drinks, raffles and auctions, all of which further the Food Bank’s goal of raising $75,000.
“That number helps us meet the growing need in our community; it supports food purchases, transportation and the programs that help us feed over 3,000 individuals every month,” said BCFB Executive Director Debbie Love. “Every dollar helps us keep shelves stocked and respond when families need us most.”
The casual event will include small plates from Beet and Basil, Marigold Bistro, Spuds, the Klondyke Cafe and Tavern, Arlo’s, Flavors of Phoenicia, 113 Main, the Pack River Store, Sweet Lou’s, The Little Spoon and Joe’s Philly Cheesesteaks, as well as a signature cocktail, local beer samples and a no-host bar.
There will also be a live and silent auction with local art, gift certificates, gift baskets, dining experiences, out-
door getaways, a hockey suite package, boat rentals, Gonzaga tickets, a dinner with a private chef and more.
Guests can mingle and look over everything on offer before the bidding starts, all while tasting local favorites.
The nonprofit has seen a steady uptick in users over recent years — even before the busy holiday months — and proceeds from the event will help support its increasing operations.
“Typically, when the weather starts to get colder, we see an increase in need. Right now, we’re signing up new families almost every day — averaging about 30 to 40 new households each month,” said Love. “During the holidays, both our Sandpoint and Priest River pantries grow busier; but, thankfully, so does the generosity of our community. We plan to have turkeys again this year, along with bags filled with all the traditional fixings. ...
“We’re also seeing more working families and larger households — people doing their best to make ends meet — turning to the food bank for a little extra support,” Love added.
Anyone unable to attend the anniversary fundraiser but still looking to support the food bank can donate or volunteer by visiting bonnerfoodbank. org/donate-volunteer. According to Love, the nonprofit always needs more volunteers during its busiest times: Mondays from 1-3:30 p.m. and Friday
Leadership Sandpoint now accepting applications for 2026 class project
By Reader Staff
Leadership Sandpoint is accepting applications from local nonprofits for its 2026 Spring Class Project, with a deadline of Nov. 1.
A program of the Greater Sandpoint Chamber of Commerce, Leadership Sandpoint participants select, plan and implement a community project each year in partnership with a local nonprofit. Projects may include physical improvements — such as building structures or beautification efforts — or fundraising initiatives.
All projects must be completed by May 16, 2026.
“Keeping our community vibrant and healthy requires strong, insightful leaders who can work effectively with
a variety of groups,” stated Leadership Sandpoint Chair Alisha Kowalski in a news release. “This project provides participants with hands-on leadership experience while making a lasting impact in Sandpoint.”
Eligible nonprofits must propose a project that can be scaled for completion — or partially completed — within the program’s timeframe. Up to five organizations will be invited to present their proposals in a 20-minute presentation on Nov. 19.
Interested nonprofits can apply directly through the online form: bit.ly/ LeadershipSandpointApplication.
For organizations wishing to ensure their application has been received, follow-up emails can be sent to Olivia@sandpointchamber.com
mornings.
“We’re here helping our neighbors when life gets hard,” said Love. “Every day, we’re helping families stretch their budgets, seniors get meals, and
kids and teens have enough to eat through snacks and over weekends and school breaks.”
Local chapter of Idaho Master Naturalists wins awards
By Reader Staff
The Pend Oreille Chapter of the Idaho Master Naturalists took home top honors at the statewide Idaho Master Naturalist Rendezvous, held Sept. 21-Oct. 1 in Boise.
The local group won Chapter of the Year, as well as Master Naturalist of Year for Volunteer and Citizen Science Chair Perky Smith-Hagadone. Smith-Hagadone’s award was one of only six given throughout the state. (Disclosure, Smith-Hagadone is the mother of Reader Editor-in-Chief Zach Hagadone.)
More than 65 master natural-
ists from around the state attended the gathering in Boise, including six members of the Pend Oreille Chapter: Smith-Hagadone, Debbie Crain, Amanda Flynn-Stach, Mary and Dan Haley, and Pat Meyers.
The Idaho Master Naturalist Program’s mission is to develop “a corps of well-informed volunteers to actively work toward the stewardship of Idaho’s natural environment,” according to the organization.
Those looking to get involved are invited to contact imn.sandpoint@ gmail.com. The local chapter will host new classes in early 2026.
Food Bank volunteers prepare supplies for the community. Photo by Ben Olson
Top left: Frankie Curet, left, presents the Chapter of the Year aware to Debbie Crain, right. Top right: Curet, left, presents the Master Naturalist of the Year award to Perky Smith-Hagadone, right. Photos by Sara Focht
Sandpoint Oktoberfest returns to Granary Arts District
By Reader Staff
Hoist your steins, don your lederhosen or dirndls, and ready yourselves for a good time — the Sandpoint Oktoberfest is returning for its third year from noon-6 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 11 at the Granary Arts District (513 Oak St.).
This year, Sandpoint Oktoberfest is partnering with Litehouse YMCA to raise funds for affordable access to local health and wellness programs.
The festive day offers live music, Bavarian food, local brews, games and even a best-dressed contest. Litehouse YMCA will offer a variety of family-friendly kids’ activities.
The biergarten will feature beers from Matchwood Brewing Co., MickDuff’s Brewing Co., Utara Brewing, Timbertown Brewing and Vantage Point Brewing. Attendees are encouraged to bring their own steins.
Traditional German sweets will be available from Blackforest Bakery. Matchwood will also offer bratwursts, sauerkraut, schnitzel and beer pretzels, while Bluebird Bakery will feature fresh brotchen (that is, “bread”).
Games will include a stein race, stein-holding contest, best dressed, cornhole, hammerschlagen and more. There will be a bounce house, face-painting and a flower crown-making station for kids.
Live music will kick off with Waterhouse at 2 p.m., featuring multi-instrumentalist Chris Paradis playing a mix of jazz, folk and world music. The main act, Thrown-Out Bones, will start at 4 p.m. on the Silo Stage outside, featuring a San Carlos, Calif.-based trio playing swanky rock
and a mixture of blues and jazz with a surreal, flirty edge that has gained them a following across the West.
A raffle will benefit Litehouse YMCA, which will also give away a few free annual memberships during Oktoberfest to encourage increased community participation and awareness.
“We’re honored to be part of this year’s Sandpoint Oktoberfest,” stated Heidi Bohall, branch executive with Litehouse YMCA.
“The funds raised will help ensure more kids, families and seniors in our community can access life-changing health and wellness programs, regardless of ability to pay. When we come together for events like this, we’re not just celebrating — we’re investing in a healthier, stronger Sandpoint.”
Pend d’Oreille Winery to feature birch bark artist Kristina Ludwig
By Reader Staff
When some artists run out of paint, they’ll pop out to the store or order more online. When Kristina Ludwig runs out of her preferred medium, she takes a walk in the forest.
An artist reception for Ludwig is scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 9 from 5-7 p.m. at the Pend d’Oreille Winery (301 Cedar St., in downtown Sandpoint), showcasing her creations using birch bark, leaves, twigs, fur, berries
“Rain or shine, we’ll fill your stein,” added Andrea Marcoccio, co-owner of Matchwood Brewing Co. “Here is to another exciting Sandpoint Oktoberfest. Prost!” and anything else she finds in nature.
Born in San Francisco, Ludwig began living and traveling internationally, which greatly influenced and inspired her love of nature and all of its beauty.
After moving to North Idaho in 2013, she began spending countless hours in the forest, gathering materials and creating unique mixed media pieces that celebrate art and nature.
See more of Ludwig’s work at woodandeye.com.
Artwork by Kristina Ludwig
Send event listings to calendar@sandpointreader.com
IPAC Sandpoint Movie Night Fundraiser
5pm @ MickDuff’s
Drinks, giveaways for IPAC
Line dancing lessons ($10)
6:30-8:30pm @ The Hive
Live Music w/ Chris Paradis
6-8pm @ Idaho Pour Authority
Music w/ DJ Miss Blü
9pm-midnight @ 219 Lounge
Live Music w/ Weibe Jammin’
5-8pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery
Live Music w/ Hot Cheetohs
5:30pm @ Connie’s Lounge
Live Music w/ Sammy Eubanks
6-8pm @ Smokesmith BBQ
Live Music w/ Kevin Dorin
6-8pm @ Baxters on Cedar
Live Music w/ Abe Barber
6-8pm @ Idaho Pour Authority
Live Music w/ Harold’s IGA
9pm-midnight @ 219 Lounge
Live Music w/ Mike Wagoner and Sadie Sicilia
5-8pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery
Live Music w/ Marcus Stevens
5:30-8:30pm @ Barrel 33
Live Music w/ Justyn Priest
6-8pm @ Smokesmith BBQ
MCS presents: Winds of Expression
7-8pm @ Little Carnegie Hall, MCS
Featuring soloist Jennifer Slaughter, flutist with Spokane Symphony
Sandpoint Chess Club
9am @ Evans Brothers Coffee
THURSDAY, october 9
Live Music w/ Frytz 8pm @ The Tervan
Live Trivia w/ Toshi 7pm @ Connie’s Cafe and Lounge
FriDAY, october 10
Live Music w/ Babes in Canyon 7pm doors @ The Hive
The New Loud album release party U-Pick Pumpkin Patch 10am-5pm @ 26 E. Shingle Mill Rd. Hayrides, cider, kids’ activities and more
A festive day of live music, Bavarian eats, local brews, games and a bestdressed contest. Face painting and other kids’ activities led by YMCA Sandemonium X 10am-4pm @ Matchwood Brewing Co. The 10th annual convention for all things nerdy: all-ages sci-fi, fantasy and gaming con, with tons of fun
Money Empowerment Workshop, Part 1 10am-noon @ The Yellow Room
A two-part series to help create financial clarity. bit.ly/moneysandpoint
Live Music w/ Justin Lantrip 6-9pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall
Live Music w/ Kerry Leigh 3-5pm @ Idaho Pour Authority
monDAY, october 13
Book Reading w/ Kevin Capuchin 5-7pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery Capuchin will read from his book Rhinos are Winos. Learn winemaking facts and enjoy a tasting of 6 wines paired with 6 bites. $50 includes signed book, reading, tasting and pairing
Bale Breaker Fresh Hop Tap Takeover
6-8pm @ Idaho Pour Authority
Anchors of Freedom: Celebrating America250 6:30pm @ Panida Theater
Celebrate the U.S. Navy’s 250th birthday. See Page 19
Live Music w/ Frytz Mor
8pm @ Roxy’s
Live Trivia w/ Toshi
7pm @ Connie’s Cafe and Lounge
BCA 8-Ball Tournaments ($10) 12pm @ Roxy’s, 215 Pine St.
Polka Dot Powerhouse chapter meeting 2-4pm @ Eichardt’s Pub Samantha Kelly will talk about taxes
Trivia Monday 6-8pm @ Idaho Pour Authority
wednesDAY, october 15
Live piano w/ Jennifer Stoehner
5-7pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery
Benny on the Deck season finale w/ BTP
5:30pm @ Connie’s Lounge
Taste of Tango • 6pm @ Barrel 33
Argentine tango lesson at 6pm followed by guided practice at 7pm. $15, no partner needed
Film: Pressue Drop • 7pm @ Panida Theater
New Teton Gravity Research film spanning decades of ski and snowboard adventure
Rock ’n’ Roll Bingo • 6:30-8:30pm @ Tervan Tavern
$5 to play, prizes for winners. A DJ will shuffle songs and players must guess song to see if you have it on your game board.
Panida to host film and discussion on Idaho’s ‘Sagebrush Navy’
By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff
Idaho might be a long way from the ocean, but it has played an outsized role in the history of the United States Navy, which is celebrating its 250th birthday on Monday, Oct. 13.
The Gem State’s contributions to U.S. naval development will be on display with a special discussion and screening Tuesday, Oct. 14 of the documentary Anchors of Freedom: Celebrating America250 and America’s Sagebrush Navy at the Panida Theater (300 N. First Ave., in downtown Sandpoint).
Similar events will take place in Moscow on Oct. 13 and Coeur d’Alene on Wednesday, Oct. 15 — all part of an ongoing nationwide sesquicentennial celebration culminating on July 4, 2026, marking 250 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
The Navy predates the actual founding of the country, with its creation on Oct. 13, 1775 as the Continental Navy. Fast-forward to more recent history, and Idaho has served as a critical laboratory and testing site for the United States’ seaborne fighting vessels — from the nuclear programs in the deserts of southeast Ida-
ho to the Farragut Naval Base in North Idaho.
Today, the USS Idaho is the nation’s most advanced nuclear attack submarine.
The Virginia-class submarine, dubbed SSN-799, launched in 2024 and is currently being outfitted for commissioning, expected in 2026.
The North Idaho events are hosted by organizations including, Idaho Public Television, the Idaho State Historical Society, the USS Idaho Commissioning Committee, the University of Idaho, the Museum of North Idaho, the Coeur d’Alene Public Library and the West Bonner County Library District, and presented by Friends of Idaho Public Television.
Avalanche center hosts ski movie fundraiser
By Reader Staff
The Idaho Panhandle Avalanche Center is already preparing for those snowy winter days with a fundraising party Thursday, Oct. 9 at MickDuff’s Brewing Company (220 Cedar St., in downtown Sandpoint).
Beginning at 5 p.m., the event will feature brews, educational information, raffle prizes and a series of international skiing movies.
Grab a drink and mix and mingle with other snow-lovers, including the IPAC team and
U.S. Forest Service Avalanche Center Director Chris Bilbrey. Beginning at 6 p.m., IPAC will screen the short films Cold Calls, One Step Ahead, The Edge of Reason and Into the Wild South from the Quality Ski Film Tour by Salomon. Each film documents intense skiing adventures with harrowing and heartwarming stories woven throughout, exploring grief, injury and the sport’s incredible highs.
Partygoers have a chance to win Salomon skis and other cold-weather gear while they learn about area avalanche education programs, safety
photo
resources and forecasts for the upcoming ski season.
For more information, visit idahopanhandleavalanche.org.
Teton Gravity film Pressure Drop to screen at the Panida
By Reader Staff
Acclaimed extreme sports multimedia and apparel company Teton Gravity Research is bringing its 30th annual film, Pressure Drop, to Sandpoint on Wednesday, Oct. 15 with a screening at the Panida Theater (300 N. First Ave.), signaling the run-up to this year’s snow season.
The film features some of the world’s best skiers and snowboarders as they encounter stacked pillow lines, massive cliffs, giant couloirs, deep powder and insane jumps from Norway to British Columbia, Alaska, California and Wyoming.
Doors open at 6 p.m. and the show starts at 7 p.m., promising a thrilling spectacle that “captures that fleeting space between calm and chaos — when breath slows, vision sharpens and the mountain demands everything. It’s the moment before gravity takes over.”
Aside from showcasing the skills of world-class snow sports athletes, Pressure Drop also explores the history of Teton Gravity’s mission of celebrating and continuing “the tradition of what it means to dedicate your life to the fall line,” according to organizers.
Tickets are $10 for youth 15 and under and $20 general
Admission is free, and segments from documentarian Ken Burns’ forthcoming series The American Revolution will be shown following the program.
Meanwhile, members of the America250 in Idaho Advisory Council and Task Force, elected officials and members of the USS Idaho Commis-
sioning Committee will provide remarks. Audience members will also be invited to participate in a question-and-answer session. According to organizers, proceeds from the event will support the bringing Idaho’s Sagebrush Navy to national audiences.
Doors open at 6 p.m., and the event starts at 6:30 p.m.
Madcap murder mystery at Circle Moon Theater in Newport
By Reader Staff
Northwoods Performing Arts returns to the Circle Moon Theater in Newport, Wash., with six performances of its annual play, this year featuring Attack of the Lake People.
photo
admission (plus fees), available at the door or panida.org. Get more info at tetongravity.com/ movies/pressuredrop.
Directed by Terri Caldwell, the play will feature on the main stage Fridays and Saturdays, Oct. 10-11, Oct. 17-18 and Oct. 24-25. Tickets are $35 for dinner and a show — with food provided by a rotating selection of Newport area eateries — and $14 for general admission. Senior and kids’ tickets cost $12, with doors open at 5:30 p.m., dining service at 6:30 p.m. and showtime at 7:30 p.m.
Attack of the Lake People is
a slice of eccentric rural life, chock full of oddball characters, funny lines and a few unexpected twists, as a family reunion turns into an upside down adventure in which everyone is a suspect following an unexpected death.
Written by Pat Cook, who also penned Barbecuing Hamlet, Attack of the Lake People is produced by special arrangement with Eldridge Publishing Co. Make reservations and get tickets by calling 208-4481294, or visit northwoodsperformingarts.com or Seeber’s Pharmacy (336 S. Washington Ave., in Newport).
The Circle Moon Theater is located at 3645 Hwy. 211, about three miles north of Highway 2.
The USS Idaho. Courtesy photo
Courtesy
Courtesy
‘Immerse yourself in nerd culture’
Sandemonium celebrates its 10th anniversary
By Soncirey Mitchell Reader Staff
Assemble your Pokémon, grab your phaser and brush up on your Rainbow Road maps, because Sandpoint’s own Sandemonium is back for its 10th anniversary with a mini-con celebrating all things nerdy.
This year’s Sandemonium will include the event’s hallmarks, such as crafts, cosplay, tabletop roleplaying games and more on Saturday, Oct. 11, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Sandpoint branch of the East Bonner County Library (1407 Cedar St).
“The event started as a library program 10 years ago and was an instant success!” said Sandemonium President Michael Nickerson. “So much so, in fact, that at the time, the event’s hosts believed a bigger venue might be in order.”
Bonner County’s only comic con (though it’s about much more than just comics) continued to grow and thrive until, like most things, the COVID-19 pandemic put the party on hold. Since then, Sandemonium’s dedicated fans and organizers have been steadily building it back up, hoping to offer “as much fun and engagement for that community as possible.”
Saturday’s event will include plenty of all-day activities like video and card games, minifigure painting, an improv performance and a Pokémon search around the library. Scheduled events begin at 11 a.m. with video free play, a writing workshop and the Rubber Duck Cosplay Contest.
By Soncirey Mitchell and Zach Hagadone Reader Staff
Halloween has a definitive sound; but, each week in October, we’re offering a few suggestions to freshen (or deaden) up your spooky season playlist.
King Luan
of the Silverlake Conservatory of Music Children’s Choir to make eerie songs like “In The Room Where You Sleep,” “Werewolf Heart” and “My Body’s a Zombie For You.” Jam out on Spotify.
Screamin’ Jay Hawkins
The videogame tournament begins at 1 p.m., followed by the minifigure painting contest at 2:30 p.m. and, for the grand finale, the 3 p.m. Sandemonium cosplay contest.
“I think it’s important to share and celebrate all-inclusive and wonderful cultures in our community, but nerd culture specifically has, traditionally, been a marginalized group,” said Nickerson. “I know ‘geeks’ have gone pretty mainstream these days, but I think there’s still plenty of people out there that don’t realize it, and this is a wonderful opportunity to connect with them and with each other.”
“Also, it’s fun. And it’s always wonderful to have another excuse to celebrate fun,” he added.
The nonprofit organization will host an ongoing bake sale with cookies and bao throughout the day to support the con, which is also sponsored by Keokee and Sandpoint Gaming, LLC.
For a full schedule of events, or to volunteer to help make Sandemonium possible, visit 7bcon.com.
“If you’re not sure if Sandemonium is your thing or not, come find out,” said Nickerson. “Come immerse yourself in nerd culture; we bet you find something to connect with. Whether it’s video gaming, painting your own 3-D miniature or chatting about which era of Star Trek you enjoyed most, chances are you’ll find something fun to do at Sandemonium.”
A certain Reader senior writer stumbled across King Luan’s work while looking for gnome-related music (don’t ask why), only to discover a talent that blends indie-rock band Tally Hall’s nonsense with the wild and wacky sounds of Oingo Boingo. The band’s album There Are No Gnomes in Sweden includes several worthy additions to any Halloween party playlist, including the eponymous song and “No Vampires Remain in Romania,” which fall under a genre the group calls “adult abstractia.” “Abstract” is one word for these synth-pop, electro-dance jams, which would go just as well in an underground German nightclub as they would in a Phineas and Ferb episode. Listen at kingluan.com.
Mother Mother
Canadian indie-rock band Mother Mother sounds like a demon-possessed elementary school music class that, at any moment, could choose to reignite the dancing plague of 1518. Most any song off of O My Heart — “Hayloft,” “Burning Pile,” “Body” — includes a ghostly, high-pitched chorus sandwiching disturbed and sometimes risqué storytelling. Despite the ominous lyrics where singer Ryan Guldemond spins tales of dismemberment, arson and deadly liaisons between young lovers, the songs are catchy and downright gleeful, which adds layers to their eerie quality. Listen on mothermothersite.com.
Dead Man’s Bones
Before he was an Oscar nominee, Ryan Gosling was one half of the macabre duo Dead Man’s Bones with musician Zach Shields. The two set out to make a creepy musical that would have united the goths and the theater kids; but, sadly, they only ended up with one self-titled album. The dark folk-rock record combines soft, distorted singing — as through a ’90s landline — a disco synthesizer and the talents
It’s more than safe to say that an artist like Screamin’ Jay Hawkins couldn’t exist today. Born in 1929 in Cleveland and died in 2000 in Neuilly-sur-Siene, France, he was a classically trained pianist and operatic singer, boxer, U.S. Army veteran, romancer, fabulist and theatrical powerhouse. He was also Black, which should have been irrelevant to his boundless talent; but, because of the times in which he lived, led him to becoming what some might call a horror-funk-rock novelty act. They would be wrong. He often put a bone through his nose and wore extravagant quasi-African/Voodoo costumes that no one would dare sport in 2025, regardless of ethnicity. However, look past the vaudeville-esque persona and you’ll find a singular voice and mind daring to satirize stereotypes, and delving into real-life terrors through their parody. “I Put A Spell on You,” “Whistling Past the Graveyard,” “Little Demon,” “Voodoo” and “The Whammy” are just a few of his many gems. Hawkins was no novelty — he was the real deal, and probably the most scandalously underappreciated geniuses in music history. Listen, if you dare, on YouTube.
Rachmaninoff
The painting “Isle of the Dead” by Swiss artist Arnold Böcklin (born in 1827, died in 1901), was the symbolic inspiration for artists ranging from Salvador Dali to H.R. Giger (the guy who designed the Xenomorph aesthetic in the Alien horror films). Its influence extends to the original King Kong movie’s “Skull Island” in 1933, while V.I. Lenin hung a copy above his bed and Hitler had an original in his Bavarian mountaintop retreat. Russian composer Sergei Rachmaninoff wrote the definitive sonic homage to the piece in 1909, with all its turgid-yetdour and despairing majesty, which stands today as the ne plus ultra of its deathly expression. Brood over it on YouTube.
Attendees at Sandemonium 2022 gather at the Sandpoint library. Courtesy photo
MUSIC
By Ben Olson Reader Staff
Babes in Canyon has a definite vibe, and Sandpoint music lovers can experience the Seattle-based duo Friday, Oct. 10 at 7 p.m. with a special show to release their new album The New Loud at The Hive (207 N. First Ave.).
Husband and wife Nathan and Sophia Hamer are eloquent in their mission to defy genres, blending elements of synth-folk and moody pop in a cool, subterranean soundscape that celebrates heavy beats, electronic elements, lyrics that tell stories and instrumentation
Synth-folk duo Babes in Canyon to host album release show Conservatory showcases flute festival and soloist Jennifer Slaughter
By Ben Olson Reader Staff
The Music Conservatory of Sandpoint will dedicate Saturday, Oct. 11 to one of the oldest instruments in the world: the flute.
The day will begin with the North Idaho Flute Festival from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 11 at MCS (110 Main St., in downtown Sandpoint). The festival features a flute competition, performance and master class. All ages are welcome for the competition, which is open to anyone whose principal livelihood is obtained from non-musical work. All selections must be limited to 12
that always feels fresh.
Born during a spontaneous writing session during a blackout caused by a storm, the group has been gaining ground ever since, releasing two EPs and a single and finally releasing their first fulllength album, The New Loud, in September 2025.
Their show at The Hive will feature support from Camp Bedford, a contemporary folk-pop band from Brooklyn, and Spokane singer-songwriter Erin Parkes.
Tickets are $10 in advance or $15 the day of the show, and are available at livefromthehive.com.
minutes in length.
The competition will feature guest artist Jennifer Slaughter, flutist of the Spokane Symphony, and guests Alisha Dawson, Gosia Szemelak-Pellant and Hannah Nordlie. Competition judges include Slaughter and Maestro Jan Pellant. Go to sandpointconservatory.org for full participant guidelines and information about the master class, including a breakdown of divisions for competition.
Awards and closing will take place at 1 p.m. and will be followed by a master class from 2-4 p.m. with Slaughter.
The price for competing and the master class is $50.
As the sun grows low in the
sky, the competition and master class will give way to a performance in Little Carnegie titled Winds of Expression, starting at 7 p.m. Slaughter will perform with Szemelak-Pellant and Melody Puller. Tickets to the showcase performance are $35 for adults or $15 for students. Participants in the competition and master class may purchase tickets for only $10.
Visit sandpointconservatory.org to purchase tickets or learn more about the North Idaho Flute Festival.
Sammy Eubanks, Smokesmith BBQ, Oct. 10 Benny on the Deck, Connie’s Lounge, Oct. 15
It’s not every day that an Inland Empire Blues Society Hall of Famer comes through Sandpoint, which is why it’s doubly important to catch Sammy Eubanks at Smokesmith BBQ on Friday, Oct. 10. Eubanks blurs the lines between blues, Americana and country, crafting a classic sound that goes straight back to the ’50s. His voice is just as timeless, with a wide and varied range, and that sails
smoothly from one vocal run to the next. See why Eubanks has won countless accolades in Memphis, Tenn., and throughout Washington state, including 12 wins for best male vocalist.
— Soncirey Mitchell
6-8 p.m., FREE. Smokesmith BBQ, 102 S. Boyer Ave., 208920-0517, smokesmithidaho.com. Listen at sammyeubankslive.com.
If Benny Baker isn’t Sandpoint’s hardest-working musician he’s damn close, though his jam-packed schedule of gigs is about to get a little more open with the season closer of his Benny on the Deck series on the back patio at Connie’s. Ringing out the eighth summer of Benny on the Deck — in which Baker plays while also hosting a rotating selection of local musicians — will be BTP.
This week’s RLW by Ben Olson
READ
I’ve always enjoyed the works of Bill Bryson, so when Brent and Gretchen Lockwood came into the Reader office to renew their mailed subscription and dropped off a copy of Bryson’s book At Home: A Short History of Private Life, I was excited to start it. In short, it’s a history of domestic life, as only Bryson could write it. This book covers everything from foundational architecture to how the kitchen was developed. After several chapters, I can easily recommend this one to others, as well. Get it where you get books.
LISTEN
That’s appropriate, as it’s one of the many bands in which Baker performs, alongside Ali Thomas and Sheldon Packwood kicking out crowd-favorite classic rock staples. Goodbye summer, and thanks for the tunes, Benny.
— Zach Hagadone
5:30 p.m., FREE. Connie’s Lounge, 323 Cedar St., 208-2552227, conniescafe.com.
Sometimes great outcomes stem from small efforts. When Tim Rutili’s band Red Red Meat dissolved, he began a solo project called Califone that can generally be described as “experimental rock” with a pinch of folk and pop. Their album All My Friends are Funeral Singers was released in 2009 and accompanied a feature film of the same name. Califone is what some would call a “musician’s band,” which you can interpret however you like. I like it. Listen on Bandcamp.
WATCH
I was stoked when my partner said she’d never seen any episodes of Northern Exposure, the 1990s television show that showcases the weird, loveable characters in the small town of Cicely, Alaska. Since then, we’ve been tearing through the first season and enjoying every minute of it. If you can stomach the fabulous early ’90s vibes throughout, the show is one of the best written and best cast I’ve ever experienced. The best part? After you finish the show, you can travel to Roslyn, Wash. to see the town where they actually filmed it. Stream it on Amazon Prime.
Sophia and Nathan Hamer are Babes in Canyon. Courtesy photo
Jennifer Slaughter. Courtesy photo
From Northern Idaho News, November 6, 1903
OBJECTS TO SHOWER BATH
Mrs. Jacobi, the lady barber, objects to Mrs. A. Rogers’ method of emptying the slops. Mrs. Jacobi and Mrs. Rogers live in adjoining places on First street. Mrs. Jacobi removes the stubble beard with delicate touch at her place of business and Mr. Rogers, who is Mrs. Rogers’ husband, keeps a billiard and pool room. The Rogers live over their place and a stairway from below communicates with their living rooms. This stairway passes over Mrs. Jacobi’s rear door. Mrs. Jacobi claims when she goes into her back premises is just the time when the Rogers empty their dirty waters.
The other day, she claims, she received a shower bath and that she then made up her mind forbearance would be no longer a virtue with her.
Mrs. Jacobi Monday told Judge Whitaker her tale of woe and asserted that the spray from Mrs. Rogers’ slop bucket had fallen upon her, but not like the gentle dews from heaven. Rather, it was like some other sort of a deuce from some other place. She prayed for Mr. and Mrs. Rogers’ arrest for committing a nuisance, and Judge Whitaker was not pleaded with in vain. Accordingly, a warrant was issued and the Rogers arrested.
When brought into court Wednesday, Mr. and Mrs. Rogers’ attorney asked for a continuance, and the case will be tried tomorrow afternoon before his honor, when, it is expected, many neighbors will gather to hear the story of Mrs. Jacobi’s shower bath.
It is claimed the trouble between the parties arises over Mrs. Jacobi’s failure to move from her premises. It is claimed she bought her building from Rogers and that Rogers wants her out of it so he can move it with his building off the place, the real estate not belonging to him.
The controversy between the parties has been going on for some little while and the outcome of the case tomorrow may not end it.
BACK OF THE BOOK
Harley and Me
By Soncirey Mitchell Reader Staff
When women show an interest in nerdiness, it’s constantly challenged. Someone — usually a man, but sometimes another woman with internalized sexism — will give us a pop quiz on whatever it is we like. We have to name five superheroes that aren’t “mainstream” or answer incredibly specific questions about Game of Thrones lore to prove ourselves.
The first time I took the “nerd test,” I was 9 years old. My older cousin and his friends didn’t want me to play Xbox with them, so they told me I had to name the main trio in Pokémon. To their credit, when I said, “Ash, Misty and Brock,” they actually did give me a turn on the game.
That was when I first encountered LEGO Batman: The Videogame, which would become my obsession for years to come.
I love video games — from my first session of Rayman 2: The Great Escape in my cousin’s trailer to my most recent Baldur’s Gate 3 binges. LEGO Batman was special, though, because it was the first game I owned with playable female characters. I was especially entranced by Harley Quinn, with her magical, Italian commedia dell’arte-inspired costume, acrobatics and giant cartoon mallet.
I even dressed up as her for Halloween in fourth grade (in her original suit, not the Suicide Squad sex doll outfit), despite the fact that I attended the Sandpoint Waldorf School and no one in my class even knew who Batman was.
I wanted to know everything there was to know about Harley Quinn and her morally questionable, if not down-
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right evil, companions: Poison Ivy and Catwoman. My mom was so excited that I’d shown an interest in reading that, when we passed my first-ever comic book store on the way to Spokane, she didn’t need any convincing to make a U-turn at a busy intersection.
The store was located in one of those rundown “shopping centers” off the truck routes, where half of the buildings were permanently closed, and only the Navy recruiters’ office looked clean. When we walked in, the man behind the counter — who looked oddly similar to Comic Book Guy from The Simpsons, if memory serves — was immediately ticked off. Moms and 10-year-old girls were not his preferred clientele; and, though he invited us to browse, he hovered behind me as I walked around, hoping that if he scowled hard enough, I wouldn’t touch anything.
would have told me that. It wouldn’t have been much of a comfort, anyway, since her third comic featured a sexy pillow fight with Poison Ivy and Cat Woman.)
I put away my interest in comics after that visit. It wasn’t until I saw Peggy Carter in Captain America: The First Avenger in high school that I had any hope things were changing. Still, I didn’t pick up a comic until college, when I found books like Superman Smashes the Klan, which honor and center marginalized groups.
I wasn’t going to touch anything, because in those few minutes I discovered the truth that bulky LEGO bricks had hidden: The badass women I idolized were, to most of the world, mere sex objects. Around the shop, all my favorite characters were plastered on pinup posters and sculpted into figurines that were 50% breasts and 100% anatomical tragedies. It was clear to me, then, that comic book culture was not made for girls. We were not wanted.
As quickly as I’d come in, I made for the door, only to hear my mom ask, “Do you have any Harley Quinn comics?”
“They don’t make those,” said Comic Book Guy.
(Quinn got her own comic run in 2000, beginning with #1 All Aboard the Roller Coaster of Love, not that he
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Over the years, I’ve slowly regained the joy I found playing LEGO Batman, bolstered by the fact that more and more women, people of color and LGBTQIA+ people make it into writing rooms to create stories that truly speak to the human experience — not just a hypersexual, chauvinistic, white worldview.
I’d like to don Quinn’s red-andblack diamonds again in a more accepting world and fulfill the dreams of little me, who just wanted to be a geek and a girl, not just a “geek girl.”
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Too bad there’s not such a thing as a golden skunk, because you’d probably be proud to be sprayed by one.
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Laughing Matter
CROSSWORD
By Bill Borders
/kuh-KOG-ruh-fee/
Week of the
[noun] 1. bad handwriting; poor penmanship
“The patient received the wrong medication because of the doctor’s stereotypically sloppy cacography.”
Corrections: This is not technically a correction, but more an omission: In “The good, bad and ugly of film trilogies” in the Sept. 25 edition, I completely neglected to mention the Indiana Jones trilogy, one of my all-time favorite series of films. The fourth one was garbage, but the three originals are some of the best to come out of Hollywood. Kali MA!—BO
ACROSS
1. Goat antelope
6. Worry
10. Plum variety
14. Drama set to classical music
15. Environs
16. Dogfish
17. Stage
18. Clothespins
19. Big laugh
20. Causing desolation
22. Litter member
23. Grin
24. Nascence
25. Bristle
29. Embodiments
31. Fall apart
33. Two-wheeler
37. Car safety restraint
38. “Maple leaf” country
39. Declination
41. National
42. Not excessive
44. Greek district
45. Not dirty
48. Scottish hillsides
50. Suggestion
51. In a frightening way
56. Style of hairdo
57. African sheep
58. Embankment
59. Stratum
60. Angry outburst
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Dross
Pauses
DOWN
61. Sporting venue 1. Traded 2. Type of sword 3. Guns an engine 4. Black-and-white cookie 5. Room dividers? 6. Prisoner 7. Area around a nipple 8. Sorrows
10. Stationed, as troops 11. Illicit sexual relationship 12. Colossal 13. Our planet
