Reader_Oct17_2019

COUNTY FORMS MUSIC FESTIVAL COMMITTEE SANDPOINT CITY COUNCIL CHOOSES ARTIFICIAL TURF ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE FIELD OF DREAMS IN PONDERAY MATCHWOOD BREWING CELEBRATES ONE YEAR IN SANDPOINT NEW APP BRINGS REGIONAL BREWERIES TO YOUR FINGERTIPS SELKIRK FIRE CHIEF RON STOCKING RETIRES THE LARAMIE PRO.JECT MAKES A RARE SANDPOINT PRODUCTION NORTHWEST HANDMADE LOOKS BACK AT 25 YEARS IN SANDPOINT HEIDI'S BREAD RISES IN BONNERS THE REAL FOLK HOROSCOPE, FARMERS' MARKET MOVES INDOORS FOR THE SEASON, HARVEST FESTIVALS AND MORE INSIDE.••

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(wo)MAN compiled by

Susan Drinkard

on the street

‘Do you prefer natural grass or artificial turf for Memorial Field? Why?’ “What about an ecological study before making a decision?”

Susan Schaller Author, ASL instructor Sandpoint

DEAR READERS,

Well, the people spoke. And the Sandpoint City Council didn’t listen.

I am disappointed that the council voted to approve synthetic turf on Memorial Field.

Whichever side of the issue you fall on, it’s confusing to me why the council even bothered asking the opinions of Sandpoint residents if they were going to ignore them.

During the open house presentations on the proposed changes to Sandpoint’s parks, synthetic turf at Memorial Field was ranked among the lowest priorities for residents among all other proposals. All other proposals. It seems like the council was only interested in going along with what GreenPlay teed up for them. Why did GreenPlay only present an option with synthetic turf instead of one with both options?

The council was split, with Councilmembers Shannon Williamson, Joel Aispuro and Bill Aitken voting “no” to synthetic turf, while Councilmembers Deb Ruehle, Tom Eddy and John Darling voted in favor. Mayor Shelby Rognstad cast the tie-breaking vote in favor of synthetic turf. The vote should have been tabled until more data was collected.

Kudos to those who listened to the will of the people and barbs to those who ignored the voice of the people. This town, man... I just don’t know anymore.

-Ben Olson, Publisher

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

www.sandpointreader.com Publisher: Ben Olson ben@sandpointreader.com Editorial: Zach Hagadone zach@sandpointreader.com Lyndsie Kiebert lyndsie@sandpointreader.com Cameron Rasmusson (editor-at-large) John Reuter (emeritus) Advertising: Jodi Berge Jodi@sandpointreader.com

“I like the natural grass. I have played on Astroturf; it is composed of rubber from recycled tires, so you get the black rubber pieces all over your socks and shoes.”

Contributing Artists: Ben Olson (cover), Susan Drinkard, Bill Borders, Dan Gold.

Dave Braun Carpenter Sandpoint

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“It depends upon whether or not they are using chemicals on the grass. If the children are sliding through toxins then they might as well have turf.”

OPEN 11:30 am

GAME ROOM UPSTAIRS

Sadie Johnston Culinary consultant Sagle

“As a player I would like to see turf for state championship tournaments; I have played on it and it is pretty nice, but I believe the deciding factor would be what generates the most revenue — sports events or the Festival at Sandpoint? After all, we have to consider this is a tourist town.”

Nathan Blagrove 10th-grader at SHS Sandpoint “I want to keep it natural grass so we can have the Festival there in August.”

Noah Jackson 10th-grader at SHS Sagle

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

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

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

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About the Cover

This week’s cover was designed

by Ben Olson, using some vintage imagery gathered in a graphic designer magazine called Craphound.

A SandPint Tradition Since 1994 October 17, 2019 /

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NEWS

County music festival committee to form ‘backup plan’ in case of Festival closure

By Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Staff Bonner County commissioners passed a resolution Oct. 15 to form the Music Festival Feasibility Study Committee — a group meant to conduct a study to “determine whether it would be in the public interest for Bonner County to sponsor a summer music festival that complies with Idaho law, including Idaho laws protecting the rights of its citizens to bear arms,” should the Festival at Sandpoint cease operations.

“Contrary to what some folks believe, we like and enjoy the Festival and see it as a good event for the County,” Commissioner Dan McDonald told the Reader in an email Oct. 11.

“With the recent information coming out about the Festival at Sandpoint’s instability, we felt it might be good to explore the County stepping up to help assure the tradition continues.”

Bob Witte, vice president of the Festival Board, told the Reader that the Festival has no plans to fold.

“I can assure you that we have every intention of continuing the Festival this year and into the future,” Witte said. “We have been meeting as a board and in committees tirelessly since the conclusion of last season to work through all of the challenges that we are being faced with at this time.”

The resolution forming the committee cites former Festival Director Dyno Wahl’s Aug. 11 drunken driving arrest, the recent mass resignation of Festival staff and comments from Festival Board members in the Bonner County Daily Bee about the Festival’s financial struggles as reasons for concern that the annual event might not happen in 2020.

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The commissioners did not cite the county’s ongoing lawsuit against the city of Sandpoint, in which Davillier Law Group is representing the county as it argues that the city is violating state law by allowing the Festival to ban guns from publicly-owned War Memorial Field during the event.

While the city maintains that it is within the law to allow a private lessee such as the Festival to determine its own weapons policy — even on public property — the Festival Board said allowing guns into the concert series would jeopardize its ability to book musical acts.

“The Festival at Sandpoint believes in the 2nd Amendment,” according to a statement Oct. 3 from the board. “However the artists we work with demand a venue free of guns and knives. We work hard with law enforcement to ensure the safety of the audience. If firearms are allowed, the Festival could not exist.”

Serving on the committee will be McDonald, Bonner County Deputy Prosecutor Bill Wilson, and county residents John Maio, Glen Mercurio and Tina Johnson. When asked by an audience member Oct. 16 about the committee members’ “roles in the community and how long they’ve been here,” McDonald said, “that’s irrelevant.”

George Wentz, of Davillier Law Group, will serve as pro bono legal counsel for the committee. McDonald said Wentz is not licensed to practice law in Idaho, but that he can “still interpret the law for us and advise us.”

McDonald told the Reader that the committee would explore options for hosting a festival that would have “zero effect on tax dollars.” In the resolution approved Oct. 15, the committee is allowed up to

Commissioner Dan McDonald.

Commissioner Steve Bradshaw.

Commissioner Jeff Connolly.

$5,000 from the county Parks and Recreation fund in order to do things like hold hearings, consult with experts and travel.

McDonald told the Reader that the money was put in the resolution as a “placeholder,” and that there will be “no travel or expenses associated with the exploratory committee.”

“In retrospect, I probably should have just taken that $5,000 out,” McDonald told the Reader. “As we discussed, we are firm on this not using any taxpayer dollars. If need be, we will find a benefactor should there be the remote chance that some minor expenses should occur.”

Regardless, the issue of taxpayer dollars related to the Festival gun ban has been a subject of widespread public concern and discussion.

Specifically with regard to the county’s lawsuit against the city over the Festival’s weapons policy, many members of the public have raised concerns that the suit will cost taxpayers on both ends.

Amid questions about the cost of county legal counsel in the case, McDonald posted on Facebook in early September that Davillier was charging

$150 per hour. However, the contract for Davillier’s work on the case, obtained via a public records request Oct. 1 and shared with the Reader, stipulates much higher billings than initially indicated by McDonald.

Under the terms of the contract, Wentz will bill at $250 per hour while lawyers D. Colton Boyles and Mauricio Cardona, who McDonald said would be performing most of the work on the case, will each bill at $175 per hour. If Davillier sees fit to employ paralegal assistance, that would bill at $95 per hour, though McDonald told the Reader that the county will rely on in-house paralegal work.

McDonald said he had been quoting numbers from an unfinalized version of the contract when he put the billable rate at $150 an hour — a number that he emphasized in multiple public postings on Facebook.

Beyond the billable hours, the contract with Davillier stipulates, “The County will be charged for travel, meals and lodging expenses of attorneys for file related trips that the County has pre-approved in writing,” as well as costs associated with experts and consul-

tants, “which services shall not be engaged without the County’s prior written approval.”

Those latter costs are to be paid directly to service providers.

Proceeding with the Festival committee, if it’s determined the county could feasibly facilitate it, members would solicit proposals for a new music festival “at War Memorial Field each year during approximately the first two weeks of August.”

“I want to make sure that it is clear that we are not looking to put the Festival out of business, in fact, I would much prefer the Festival work through their issues and get back to business as usual,” McDonald told the Reader. “Our action is a response to those who have read the coverage and comments on the Festival and are concerned about the economic impact of the Festival choosing to close.”

Wentz repeatedly identified the committee’s job as creating a “backup plan” during the Oct. 15 meeting where commissioners McDonald and Steve Bradshaw passed the resolution.

Commissioner Jeff Connolly was not present.

NEWS

Council narrowly approves Memorial Field design including synthetic turf Mayor Rognstad in tie-breaking vote

By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff Calling it “probably the most difficult decision I’ve made in four years, and I think it is too for this council,” Sandpoint Mayor Shelby Rognstad cast the tie-breaking vote in a decision Oct. 16 to approve a design concept for War Memorial Field that would replace its grass surface with artificial turf, and authorize a request for quotes for engineering services to do the job.

City Council President Shannon Williamson joined Councilmembers Joel Aispuro and Bill Aitken in voting against the RFQ, all three citing the need for more time to consider alternatives — including, in Williamson’s case, pressing for a separate data set illustrating the comparative costs of retaining a grass field.

“I’m trying to find a middle ground where we can pursue any opportunity to gather more information,” she said.

According to City Administrator Jennifer Stapleton, that would require an entirely new design concept, as consultant firm GreenPlay, which the city has contracted to formulate the designs in its Parks and Recreation Master Plan, only presented an option including synthetic turf. Coming up with a new concept would require a substantial expenditure and push back any improvements to Memorial Field to 2021.

“This design is based on artificial turf. It’s the only way this design works,” she said. “This would have to be redesigned.”

Councilmembers John Darling, Deb Ruehle and Tom Eddy voted in favor of the RFQ, with Ruehle stressing that, “None of the decisions we

make up here are easy.”

While there are “infinite shades of gray” in the considerations around the field surface, “the decision is black-andwhite,” she said.

“We’ve kicked this can around a lot. … I think we need to stop kicking the can down the road,” Ruehle added.

As presented by GreenPlay, the Memorial Field concept includes a combination soccer/ football/lacrosse field as well as new baseball and softball fields — all with synthetic turf and overlapping one another at various points. The parking lot would also be increased in size and boat launch area altered to include a boardwalk or stepped concrete water access.

Other elements include a new restroom and east entry plaza, new softball grandstands, a batting cage and bullpen.

Though by design only one team could play a game on the field at a time, proponents of the concept cited the ability for multiple teams to practice at once, as well as extend playability into the spring and even winter, when wet weather renders the grass playing surface unusable.

“I’ve thought long and hard and what it boils down to for all the years I’ve been working for Parks and Recreation — and I’ve been doing this for 33 years — is that in the spring kids have no place to play,” said Sandpoint Parks and Rec. Director Kim Woodruff.

According to Stapleton, the city is prepared to submit the RFQ for engineering services as early as Oct. 17. The proposal would then come back to the council at its Wednesday, Nov. 20 meeting, at which time it would select an engineer who would move forward with construction design, phasing construction and establishing

largest-magnitude costs. The final design could come forward at the beginning of February 2020, including different artificial turf options and selections.

A construction bid would be selected by the council on March 18, 2020 with the first phase of construction proceeding from April 1-July 31, 2020 — a timeline, Stapleton said, that accommodates the Festival at Sandpoint, which typically hosts its summer concert series in the first and second weeks of August.

“This is our best-case scenario,” she said.

Testimony was split almost as evenly as the council vote, with a packed audience expressing pro and con opinions within a margin of about five individuals.

How the new synthetic turf design would affect the Festival was a prime concern for a majority of those who spoke against the proposal.

Festival Board Vice President Bob Witte offered his testimony on behalf of the non-

profit, telling the council, “It’s no secret that we’re in favor of natural turf there. We’re very proud of the field.”

He went on to describe Sandpoint as a “natural town, and we feel this takes away from the aesthetics of the field.”

As with many others who testified against approving the RFQ, Witte said that the suggested benefits to playability and multi-use offered by synthetic turf might be put to better use at Travers Park or the Great Northern Sports Complex, leaving Memorial Field as it is.

That said, he added, “We are willing to give it a try. We just don’t know. We’ve never done it; it could turn out to be fine. …

It could turn out that we have to go somewhere else because it’s not economically feasible and we can’t work it out.”

For the Festival, much will depend on the timing of construction. This time of year is when the organization locks in its booking for the season, and it’s already about a month

A concept drawing depicting the new Memorial Field featuring artificial turf and expanded parking. Courtesy City of Sandpoint. behind on that. As it is, the Festival “needs some sort of guarantee that if you go artificial, it’s going to be done,” Witte said.

Otherwise, if the organization books acts and the field isn’t ready on time, it may be forced to pay back contract deposits to artists running into the hundreds of thousands of dollars.

For others who testified, Memorial Field has always been a sports facility first, and a concert venue second.

“The field is meant to be a field. For Sports,” testified Sandpoint resident Amelia Boyd.

As Rognstad said near the close of the discussion, which lasted about three hours, the overall benefits of synthetic turf “far outweigh” the drawbacks put forward by some.

“It would take many fields to accomplish this level of playability,” he said.

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Court rejects Trump administration attempt to dismiss challenges to Rock Creek Mine’s threat to Montana grizzly bears

By Reader Staff A federal district court in Montana on Oct. 11 rejected the Trump administration’s efforts to dismiss key claims in a lawsuit challenging federal approval of the first phase of the Rock Creek Mine.

The suit says the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and U.S. Forest Service failed to comply with the Endangered Species Act in approving Rock Creek Mine. The proposed copper and silver mine would be beneath, and adjacent to, the Cabinet Mountains Wilderness in northwest Montana.

“The Rock Creek Mine would do major damage to endangered grizzly bears and bull trout in the Cabinet Mountains,” said Andrea Santarsiere, a senior attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity. “This decision means the Trump administration can’t hide its legal violations in approving the project. We’ll keep fighting to stop this wildlife-wrecking mine.”

Earthjustice is representing the Ksanka Kupaqa Xaʾⱡȼin, Rock Creek Alliance, Earthworks, Montana Environmental Information Center, Defenders of Wildlife, Sierra Club and Center for Biological Diversity in the lawsuit.

“An industrial mine would devastate the

cultural and ecological values of the Cabinet Mountains Wilderness,” said Katherine O’Brien, a staff attorney at Earthjustice.

“We’re glad the court has allowed our challenges to proceed.”

The Endangered Species Act requires federal agencies to consult with the Fish and Wildlife Service when a proposed project may hurt listed species, and to reinitiate consultation when new information reveals effects not previously considered.

New information on the mine’s threats to imperiled grizzly bears required reinitiation of the Forest Service’s and Fish and Wildlife Service’s consultation process. The agencies’ decisions regarding impacts on bull trout also violate the Act. “The Ktunaxa (Kootenai Nation) are fortunate to have a voice of reason at the federal level. As protectors of these lands, Kupaqa Xaʾⱡȼin will continue to challenge unnecessary destruction of Klawala (grizzly bear) habitat and fisheries,” said Wilbert Buckskin of Ksanka Kupaqa Xaʾⱡȼin. “Our ancestors respected wildlife and that’s why we exist today.”

The court’s ruling allows the full array of legal challenges advanced by Ktunaxa cultural leaders and conservation groups to proceed.

ICL applauds Avista settlement Agreement lowers rates while supporting energy conservation

By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff Avista Utilities customers in Idaho can perhaps ease back on worries about winter-time energy bills, as the Spokane-based power company announced Oct. 11 that it has reached a settlement with the state public utilities commission to lower customers’ electric rates.

If approved by regulators, residential electric customers using an average of 900 kilowatt hours per month would see their bills go down by 86 cents per month, or 1%, effective Dec. 1. That’s a reversal from Avista’s initial request, which sought to raise electric revenues by $5.3 million, which would have increased residential bills by 3.5%, or $2.89 per month.

The Idaho Conservation League, which challenged Avista’s original filing, applauded the settlement — in particular, pointing to a new fund of $1.6 million established by Avista under the terms of the agreement that will support energy savings projects for the utility’s 133,000 Idaho customers.

“More efficient use of electricity means less reliance on fossil fuels at Avista’s Colstrip coal-fired power plant,” ICL Sandpoint 6 /

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Conservation Associate Matt Nykiel stated in a news release. “Not only will rates go down for Avista customers in North Idaho, they will have more options to save even more energy.”

As part of the settlement negotiations, ICL pressed Avista to earmark at least $5 million to support energy conservation in Idaho. That money, according to ICL, should come from a $103 million windfall received by Avista in the form of a termination fee from Canadian energy company Hydro One, which paid the fee following the failure of a proposed merger last year.

“We’re pleased to pass the benefits of this settlement agreement to our customers during the heating season. This settlement agreement will provide new rates in Idaho that are fair and reasonable for our customers, the company and our shareholders,” Avista President and CEO Dennis Vermillion said in a statement announcing the agreement. “This outcome provides us the opportunity to continue to earn a fair return in Idaho and supports Avista’s efforts to invest in and maintain our infrastructure so we can continue to provide the reliable energy our customers expect.”

Bits ’n’ Pieces From east, west and beyond

East, west or beyond, sooner or later events elsewhere may have a local impact.

A recent sampling: Which do you prefer? Being lied to or subjected to swear words? According to Business Insider, Facebook has adopted a policy that allows lies in political ads but does not allow profanity or swearing.

Lyme disease breakthrough: A study in the journal Antibiotics looked at the use of 35 essential oils from plants or fruits and found that 10 “showed strong killing activity against dormant and slow-growing ‘persister’ forms of the Lyme disease bacterium.” The study was limited to the use of the oils to fight non-growing “persister” Lyme bacteria cells. Additional study is expected, with applications speculated to be suitable for both humans and animals.

A Russian-born woman living homeless in Los Angeles had a big break when a police officer recorded her singing at an L.A. subway stop. When the officer turned the video loose on the internet, offers poured in to help Emily Zamourka with her career, as well as donations totalling $77,000. In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Zamourka suggested people help the homeless because, “Everyone deserves a chance.”

Whether or not you’re touched by climate change appears to depend on where you live, according to a recent paper in Science. The southern states are expected to be hit the hardest, while agricultural yields are estimated to fall 30% to 90% in parts of the Midwest, Texas and California.

But yields may rise in the Pacific Northwest and the Northeast will not experience the climate suffering of the South.

With the sudden order by President Donald Trump to pull the U.S. military from Syria, the State and Energy departments were unexpectedly working on plans for evacuating about 50 U.S. tactical nuclear weapons stored 250 miles from the Syrian border at an Air Base in Turkey, The New York Times reported.

Forbes magazine has listed the nation’s wealthiest citizens: Jeff Bezos ($114 billion), Bill Gates ($106 billion), Warren Buffett, ($80 billion) and Mark Zuckerberg ($70 billion). Americans for Tax Fairness says the wealthy pay a 20% rate on their investments, in contrast to the top tax rate on wages and salaries being 37%. “Since most of their income comes from investments, not salaries or wages, they pay relatively little federal income taxes each year,” AFT notes.

By Lorraine H. Marie Reader Columnist

University of California Professors Emmanuel Saez and Gabriel Zucman say that last year the overall tax rate on the 400 richest households was 23% — less than a quarter of their total income. In contrast, they say the rate was 70% in 1950 and 47% in 1980.

More than 700 scientists have signed a declaration of support for those using civil disobedience to push leaders to get busy on climate change. In an interview with the Reuters news agency, one signatory said scientists can no longer print studies and hope the information will be noticed — they also need to be activists.

Children’s Hospital in Boston has announced a breakthrough in treating autoimmune multiple sclerosis after researchers successfully prevented and reversed MS in mice. The scientists have filed a patent and created a company with equity ownership with the hospital, and will move forward with the research.

Green-washing: When electrified travel became popular in Los Angeles, a fossil fuel advocacy group began a campaign to classify natural gas-powered buses as “zero emissions” vehicles. But, says Earthjustice, natural gas does generate carbon dioxide and also emits methane during its production. L.A. has voted to transition to an electric bus fleet by 2030.

Every year almost 42,000 U.S. women develop breast cancer. A 2013 study in the journal Food and Chemical Toxicology, stated that glyphosate, in “low and environmentally relevant concentrations,” causes breast cancer proliferation by stimulating hormone-dependent cancer cell lines. Worldwide, 9.4 million tons of glyphosate were used in 2016, according to the Organic Consumers Association.

Germany has joined Austria in banning glyphosate, but in the U.S. efforts remain under way to obscure information pointing to health problems associated with glyphosate, the main ingredient in the herbicide Roundup. Sans government protection in this country, the Environmental Working Group is testing products for glyphosate presence and is urging companies to stop using the toxic weed killer.

Blast from the past: Civil war? “If we are to have another contest in the near future of our national existence, I predict that the dividing line will not be Mason’s and Dixon’s, but between patriotism and intelligence on one side, and superstition, ambition and ignorance on the other.”

— Ulysses S. Grant, U.S. president from 1869 to 1877.

PERSPECTIVES

Mayor’s Roundtable: United by our values

By Mayor Shelby Rognstad Reader Contributor Sandpoint is a community characterized by engaged citizenship. With more than 300 registered nonprofits, ours is a community of people who care. This is something to be proud of and celebrate. We are a community characterized by innovation. There are more than 1,000 business licenses in Sandpoint. This speaks to our collective entrepreneurship, independence and can-do attitude.

There are numerous companies unique to Sandpoint that have invented products and produced goods that advance their industry and are used all over the world.

Engaged citizenship also shows up in our shared values.

Sandpoint residents value environ-

mental preservation.

We choose to live here because we enjoy nature, wildlife, open space and outdoor recreation. We understand that water quality is critical to our collective well-being.

That’s why I support a wastewater facility plan that goes above and beyond our permit requirements reducing the amount of pollutant discharge into the river.

Sandpoint residents value a responsive government that protects our human rights.

Through the decades we have repeatedly been threatened by white nationalism and have banded together to protect our region from hate and have driven

Discover a winter wonderland:

By Reader Staff The Friends of Scotchman Peaks Wilderness doesn’t shut down when the snow falls. Wintertime is a chance to experience our wild backyard in a whole new way. And that’s where hike leaders come in.

The Friends are looking for people with a passion for wild places to lead winter hikes. It’s the perfect chance to connect both with nature and the people who love it. All it takes is a little experience on your trail of choice and the desire to share it with others.

The Scotchmans have trails for everyone. You could lead a hardy group up Goat Mountain, or meander down Lightning Creek Road when the snow is deep, or check out the views leading to the Ross Creek Cedars. Outings for children or adults of varying skill levels mean everyone can experience the winter wonderland of our region. And a chance to fall in love with the Scotchman Peaks.

Whatever the case, a guided hike should involve a little planning. Submitting your hike well ahead of the intended hike date is key to recruiting participants. A hike leader should also be aware of their responsibilities by going over the leader packet. Find it online at www.scotchmanpeaks.org/hiking/ leading-hikes/.

Lead a hike

these movements and their leaders out of our community. I have championed human rights issues, challenging racism and bigotry in North Idaho, and will continue to be a strong voice for social equity and justice. This is one area where we must take a stand and not allow ourselves to be bullied and misrepresented.

Sandpoint residents value quality of life. We look each other in the eye and say “hi” when passing on the sidewalk.

As neighbors, we help each other because we recognize that we are in this together.

We know that kindness is where quality of life starts. We value arts and culture and a community that supports family and friendship. We value recreation and the freedom to live life as you choose.

We value health and safety. We value the contents of our character more than the contents of our pockets.

Together, we stay engaged to ensure quality of life for all residents. When we are not engaged, we literally pay the price. The U.S. Census Bureau reported that Idaho loses $20 million per year in federal dollars because 20% of the Idaho population does not participate in the Census. When we are not engaged our wisdom is lost, our abundance is not realized, our love and joy is replaced with discontent, malaise and scorn.

Now is the time for us to remember

our values, to remember that we all care about our community and we want the best for Sandpoint. We all want the best for our children and our grandchildren.

We may have different ideas about how to get there, but we all have a piece of the solution.

Now is also the time to stop spreading lies and divisive rhetoric on social media. Misinformation posted online can be propagated without correction or recourse.

There are those who intend to do our community harm, who actively use online forums to divide us amongst ourselves for the purpose of destroying our sense of commonality. This division prevents us from solving big problems that require consensus and partnership. This toxic behavior is inappropriate and un-civil and it tears at the social fabric of our community.

It threatens our very nation.

That is why it is critical that we come together around our shared values and remind each other of our commonality and our humanity. Let’s remember why we love our community and why we choose to live here.

Please join me at the Mayor’s Roundtable Friday, Oct. 18 at 8 a.m. at Cedar St. Bistro in the Cedar Street Bridge where we discuss our shared values and community engagement.

Laughing Matter

By Bill Borders

Hikers celebrate atop Star Peak.

Photo by Jim Mellen.

Also keep in mind that there are size limits to FSPW hikes and outdoor education field trips. Limiting group sizes reduces the impact to the trail and on the hike leader.

Depending on the trail, the max group size is either eight or 12 people.

Have a great idea for a hike that isn’t in the Scotchmans? No problem! Just email us at info@scotchmanpeaks.org, and we’ll work out the details.

Be sure to submit your hike soon. If you get the details in before the end of October, it will make the next newsletter! Submit your hike today at www.scotchmanpeaks. org/hiking/leading-hikes/ Visit www.scotchmanpeaks.org to learn more about outdoor opportunities this winter.

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How to argue…

Bouquets: • None.

Barbs: • The Bonner County Commissioners earn the Barb of the week this issue. The commissioners, led

by Dan McDonald (minus Jeff Connolly, who was absent), voted Tuesday to establish a “Music Festival Feasibility Study Committee,” stating “that a possibility exists that the non-profit that has held the summer music festival in Sandpoint in the past will not be able to do so in 2020.” The commissioners have tasked the committee to “determine the nature, best music genres, ancillary services and scope of such a festival.”

Let’s take a moment to examine what is going on here. McDonald and his band of bullies are now attempting to completely replace the Festival at Sandpoint with a county-sponsored event that seeks to be “net zero” cost to taxpayers.

McDonald, who is leading the charge in a taxpayer-funded lawsuit against the city of Sandpoint — among the very actions putting the Festival in jeopardy — now wants his own government-sponsored pro-gun festival in its place.

This may be the biggest troll move yet by the commissioners.

On the committee, McDonald has placed himself, along with John Maio, William S. Wilson, Glenn Mercurio and Tina Johnson.

I know I’m speaking for many in this community when I say to the commissioners: Just stop. Back off already. You are leading a lawsuit that has the potential to take millions away from Sandpoint’s economy, and now you are trying to install your own festival in its place? The nerve of some people is astounding.

Commissioners, you have done enough to jeopardize this beloved event. A ham-fisted effort to replace it is so disrespectful — to the community that loves the Festival, as well as the many people who have spent the past 37 years making it one of our town’s best cultural events and largest economic drivers. For shame.

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Dear editor, A recent “News” article in your paper made me go back and find your two part series titled “How to Argue” [March 22 and March 29, 2018].

The series was appropriately in the Perspectives section. Setting aside the fact that you used all center right political figures as examples of “slippery slope,” “ad hominem fallacy,” “straw man fallacy,” red herring fallacy,” “false dilemma,” “circular argument” and “hasty generalization,” I thought the piece was quite informative. I don’t know why you didn’t use any examples of center left politicians in your article but I do find it curious.

A recent article in your “News” section put many of these tactics on display. Your reporter’s focus was on the tool (attorneys) instead of the topic which was the lawsuit filed by Bonner County against the City of Sandpoint. Instead of contacting the clients in Utah to get first hand information on the job performed by the Davillier Law Group you went straight to the media whose reporting was biased and in large part untrue.

I’m not going to accuse your paper of a racist smear of an primarily owned African-American law firm, that twice ran President Obama’s campaign in Louisiana, when you used the “silk suited” remarks but it does make one wonder.

Why are you attacking the tool instead of arguing the issue? It’s akin to blaming the gun instead of the person who pulls the trigger.

Mr. Olson, as the Publisher of the Reader I expected more of you. I would suggest that you pull out your articles referenced above and have your reporters read it. Perhaps even test their knowledge after they have done so. Or, in the alternative, simply print these hit pieces in the “Opinion” section. That way your integrity would stay intact and you wouldn’t be accused of hypocrisy.

Steve Youngdahl Sandpoint

I stand by our coverage 100%.

-Ben Olson, Publisher

LPOSD needs community support...

Dear editor, I’m writing to urge voters to vote “yes” on the school levy on Nov. 5.

Our students, teachers and staff in the Lake Pend Oreille School District need a stable foundation of funding and the security of knowing that educational and sports programs are going to continue into the future. In a state that doesn’t adequately fund public schools, it comes down to the local community to make this happen.

That said, this vote does not increase

our taxes — it just extends the current levy rate for our school district into the future. Any increase to this rate would require another vote.

My daughter was fortunate to grow up at a time when our community strongly supported public schools. But in recent years, support for public education is eroding while the need for highly skilled workers grows. We need to keep our schools well-funded for the sake of our children’s future — and our local economy. Businesses will not locate here and provide well-paying jobs if we do not have good schools, and we cannot have good schools without solid and reliable funding.

Vote “yes” for schools on Nov. 5.

Susan Drumheller Sandpoint

Barbs to the Reader...

Dear editor, I attended the Owen Benjamin show at the Panida. Based on the write-up in the Reader, I was expecting a ranting jackball on stage, with a minimal audience consisting of hecklers. Why did I go? It’s Sandpoint, and we’re starved for entertainment.

Surprise, surprise. The Panida was at least 75% filled, and Owen put on a pretty good show. There was very little political commentary, very little foul language and no hecklers in the crowd. Owen performed a professional, observational humor based show, and dare I say he was funny most of the time. The crowd was cheering for an encore for five minutes after he finished, and while Owen declined, he did greet everyone in the lobby as they exited the Panida.

So what’s the Barb to the Reader for? Rereading your “promo” article on his show, it’s fairly obvious that the Reader is not a fan of Owen’s as a comic, based simply on his politics.

Then, as his show was obviously well attended and a success, the Reader decided to double down and chastise the Panida for allowing Owen into its facility, because “hate speech.”

I was under the impression that the Reader was a community newspaper, and not trying to be the Ministry of Truth. If Owen’s show was boring, offensive and vulgar, then I can’t wait for your next review of The Follies. Oh wait, never mind.

The Follies seems to better align with your politics, and is therefore, good.

It’s stand-up, folks. Sooner or later someone is going to say something that you don’t agree with, or that may even offend. Get past it or don’t go.

You may not agree with Dennis Miller or Bill Maher, but they make their points with well-crafted humor, and that has to be appreciated. The Reader really owes the Panida an apology for calling them out simply because they allowed Owen a venue to perform in.

One last pro-tip for the Reader, if you’re going to write a review of a performer, at least have the courtesy to attend the show.

Jim Baldree Sagle

Again, I stand by our words. I also refuse to fund hate with my dollars.

-Ben Olson, Publisher.

Your vote for McAlister counts...

Dear editor, The Sandpoint City Council needs someone who knows the city and this area very well and has demonstrated a commitment to making this great community even better.

Kate McAlister is this person. A 27-year Sandpoint resident, Kate has been president/CEO of the Greater Sandpoint Chamber of Commerce for the past 10 years — being an advocate for small business owners and prospective entrepreneurs.

Since 2001 she has served Angels Over Sandpoint as a board member and president, has been on the International Selkirk Loop Board of Directors from 2011 to the present and on the city of Sandpoint Human Relations Commission from 2012 to the present.

She has also served on the Panida Theater Board of Directors, the Sandpoint Airport Planning Advisory Board, and the Sandpoint Urban Renewal Agency.

Supporting education, with better funding, is vital for growing our economy and qualifying the workforce for better-paying jobs, she feels. Also, providing affordable housing options for those to purchase or rent a home is high on her agenda.

“This is about coming together and creating solutions based on broad input from all concerned parties,” she says. And she stresses leadership — listening to all sides — based on common sense solutions, as being key to our progress.

So vote for Kate McAlister on Nov. 5 for Sandpoint City Council. Your vote counts.

Pat Ramsey Sandpoint

A vote for the levy assures school support...

Dear editor, Please join me in assuring support for our schools. Vote for continuing the funding of Lake Pend Oreille District schools at present dollar amounts. Our schools are doing well; a vote in favor of the levy maintains the current level. A later increase would require another vote.

We all benefit from successful students, let’s keep it up!

Steve Lockwood Sandpoint

Love your neighbors, Sandpoint...

Dear editor, During election time, those of us who live outside of the city watch in hopes of seeing fresh leadership that will continue to improve and revitalize Sandpoint. Many of us tend to avoid the town because it seems so misguided. Visitors to the area just see a cute little town — and that it is. Locals, however, know about the streets that are barely functional and businesses that are treated as an extension of local government to raise money to make up for poor budgeting and planning. The empty storefronts say, “This is not a business friendly town.”

As beautiful as some of the artwork is, the amount of it shows misplaced priorities. This summer it gave itself a black-eye when a town put convenience and the fears of a few over the Constitution in denying law abiding citizens their right to protect their families. Let’s not forget the outgoing mayor who is ginning up division where none exists and calling anyone who disagrees with him an extremist.

Make Sandpoint a welcoming town to business and residents far and wide. Many of us in and out of the city limits are throwing our support behind Ken Lawrence, Jacque Guinan and Shannon Mitchell because we believe they will work hard and have the vision to continue to make Sandpoint a welcoming town to all comers.

Thomas Leo Cocolalla

We the working people…

Dear editor, Shame on Representative Fulcher for holding his town halls on a weekday during the work day [News, “Fulcher, Ybarra address N. Idaho constituents,” Oct. 10, 2019]. This is just another example of how our democracy is no longer of the people but of the rich. The Republican Party no longer even pretends to listen to the working class but hides behind money and lobbyists. It will only be a matter of time before town halls themselves are a thing of the past.

Rachel Castor Full-time working person Sandpoint

Got something to say? Write a letter to the editor. We accept letters under 400 words that are free from libel or profanity.

Please elevate the discussion.

Send letters to: letters@sandpointreader.com

PERSPECTIVES

Emily Articulated

A column by and about Millennials

Connecting to process

By Emily Erickson Reader Columnist

Grocery stores are magical places, with brightly colored goods presented in tantalizing perfection. I often start my shopping in these stores by walking down the produce aisle. With rows of vibrant greens, oranges, yellows and reds, it’s as if the fruits and vegetables are in the early stages of courting — vying for that special place in my heart, erm... shopping cart. They’re washed, polished, strategically trimmed, well lit and, well, you get the idea.

After piling my cart high with ripe Peruvian avocados, Florida oranges, Mexican blueberries, Chilean grapes and Michigan asparagus, I’ll cruise down the store’s center aisles.

Plucking cereals, grains, nuts and assorted snacks off the shelves, my mind will swim with the meals I’ll concoct, assembling ingredients with little regard to where they’re from or how they’re made.

Finally, if I’m feeling particularly inspired, I’ll finish my grocery store trip with a stroll down the beer and wine section, grabbing a can or bottle to compliment one of the meals I’d been planning to prepare throughout my excursion. Thumbing the label, I’ll read the name of the brewery or winery without stopping to think about the incredible operations and systems necessary to bring that bottle to my store aisle and into my cart.

Emily Erickson.

I’m nearly always so caught up in the magic of the store and my fantastical feasts that I don’t consider the remarkable processes behind all the marketing.

Every now and again, however, I participate in something that reminds me of the things I consume being the product of other people’s energy; a culmination of seasons, sunshine, rain and hard work. They’ve been developed, recipe tested, prepared, packaged and delivered, plopping like little presents into my local grocery store, just for their journey to end inside my shopping cart.

This past weekend, I got to participate in one such perspective-shifting event by working a grape harvest and press at a hobby vineyard in Wenatchee, Wash.

Waking early, we unclipped and unnetted the rows of perfectly ripe grapes, all nearly bursting off the vine. Operating in teams, we tackled one varietal at a time, starting at the top of the row with personal shears and a shared bucket. Once our buckets were filled with large

bunches of grapes, we transferred that bucket into an even larger bin to be transported to the pressing team.

From there, the pressers would dump the heaping pile of grapes into the press, which was essentially a basket with a crank. The grapes used for making white wine would be squeezed of their juice and separated from the compressed skins, stems and insides. The juice of these grapes would then begin their primary fermentation, for which yeast is incorporated with the liquid, turning sugars into alcohol.

Once we finished the white wine grapes, we continued down the rows of merlot and Shiraz, cutting the clusters of deep purple orbs at the base of the bunch and filling our buckets and bins once again.

Unlike white wine grapes, red wine grapes are pressed into a pulp, with their skins remaining an integral part of their processing.

After every row was cleared and double checked for missed fruit, we began to wrap up the day’s harvest. We removed the nets from the high vines, coiling them into their labeled boxes, storing them away for next season, and waiting for the process to begin again.

The wine that would result from the many other steps beyond the ones in which I participated would never be available for retail sale. Each year, after months of growing, preparing and processing, this wine is bottled, stored, sipped and shared among family and friends of the vineyard.

So much more than merely selecting a bottle off of the shelves, we’re personally connected to the wine that we helped make. With every sip, we’ll think about that day of harvest, laughing about the stains on our fingers that took days to wash off. We’ll reminisce about the crisp morning air and the joy of coming together to participate in the process. That connection to what

I’m consuming, where it came from and the work that went into making it, well, that’s the real magic, isn’t it?

Emily Erickson is a freelance writer and bartender originally from Wisconsin, with a degree in sociology and an affinity for playing in the mountains.

Retroactive

By BO

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Mad about Science:

Brought to you by:

21st century agriculture

By Brenden Bobby Reader Columnist North Idaho is just a little bit country. It’s not unusual to see someone trotting a horse through most of our towns as though it were a rented scooter in downtown Seattle. We’ve got a lot of agriculture for work and for play. We also live at a time when it’s never been easier to get the information we need to perfect our farm game to a molecular level — but agriculture, an art as old as civilization itself, keeps on advancing.

While some of the breakthroughs we’ll be looking at might not be headed to your farm right away, they are definitely some cool concepts our plough-pushing grandparents never dreamed of.

When you think about a farm, you probably think about a farmer with a tractor.

I bet you don’t think about a Terminator planting seeds and harvesting crops, but it’s happening. Farmers have been using drones to scan entire fields for damage and productivity, as well as getting a bird’s-eye view to track those pesky weeds. When they find a patch deep in the field, rather than trek all the way out there, they can deploy an autonomous agriculture robot equipped with targeted herbicides to knock out those weeds. If weeds aren’t the problem, this robot can instead be equipped with liquid fertilizer and tasked with following a daily schedule and route, saving the farmer valuable time in their day.

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frequently used for harvesting crops. Despite the huge variety of headers you can slap onto a harvester, there are just some plants that you don’t want to drive over. Berry plants take a long time to develop a viable crop and will continue to do so year after year, so they’re something you don’t want to uproot with a machine. To avoid damaging their investment, some farmers are turning to small robots with grasper arms that harvest the berries but leave the plant intact.

Speaking of conundrums, have you ever wanted to eat a tasty burger, but recoiled at the thought of harming an animal to get it? Abuzz in the news a few years ago, scientists created a meat patty made exclusively from cells that were fostered, fed and bred without having to slaughter an animal to make it.

While this may sound stupid, expensive and gimmicky, it makes sense to me and I’m a voracious carnivore. Cattle production is one of the largest contributors to greenhouse gas emissions in the world. A cow farts a lot, which means it releases methane into the atmosphere. Methane reacts with hydroxyls, a group of molecules made of oxygen and hydrogen, to create all manner of molecules, including CO2, which is the primary driving factor behind rising atmospheric temperatures.

Under optimal conditions, trees draw in CO2, break it up with photosynthesis and spit out the O2 as waste, but a tree can only do so much at a time.

Imagine trying to use a vacuum

cleaner to suck up a puddle of water. Easy, right? Now try using that same vacuum cleaner to suck up all the water in Pack River during spring runoff to prevent a flood.

What I’m getting at with that weird climate change metaphor is if we don’t have an overpopulation of cattle farting up a storm because we can create perfectly tasty meat in a controlled area, what’s the drawback? It might sound excessive and wasteful, but did you know that Americans waste an estimated one pound of food per person per day?

A 1,200-pound steer only has about 490 pounds of harvestable beef, so if someone’s diet is only beef, they’d effectively waste two-thirds of an entire farting steer every year.

Another cool, equally flatulent technology coming to agriculture was showcased in a Pauly Shore movie. Remember Bio-Dome? It turns out that movie was actually rooted in real science, and that science is making a comeback now.

As billionaire dreamers have their eyes pointed towards Mars and beyond, it becomes apparent that humans need a place to live. Everything that we consume and release from our bodies can be reused and recycled, which becomes a survival imperative on the surface of an inhospitable planet like Mars.

Scientists have begun building biospheres in some of the harshest places on our planet, carefully monitoring the life inside and using a network of sensors to monitor things like the quality of the

Bird’s eye view of a combine cutting through the final strip of wheat during a summer harvest. Photo courtesy @cloudvisual.

atmosphere and water while humans tend to the plants and animals that act as their food source. This isn’t really new technology — humans have been doing this for as long as we’ve been hitting the ground with tools — but achieving the technologies to do this on other planets for extended periods of time with no external help?

That’s brand new.

Are you looking to create

your own biosphere, or maybe just an awesome greenhouse? I would highly recommend The Back To Basics Handbook, by Abigail Gehrig, or any of her other books on the subject.

Best of all, free is never out of anyone’s budget, and you can and should check this bad boy out from the Sandpoint or Clark Fork libraries.

Random Corner ?

Don’t know much about wheat • Wheat was first planted in the United States in 1777 as a hobby crop.

• The Roman goddess, Ceres, who was deemed protector of the grain, gave grains their common name today – “cereal.” Wheat, used for white bread, pastries, pasta, and pizza, has been the principal cereal crop since the 18th century.

•Wheat is currently grown in 42 of the 50 states in the U.S. About half of the total wheat crop grown is used domestically.

• In 2008, the state of Kansas was the largest wheat producer in the United States with North Dakota a close second.

• Kansas produces enough wheat each year to bake 36 billion loaves of bread and enough to feed everyone in the world, over six billion people, for about 2 weeks.

An acre of Kansas wheat produces enough bread to feed nearly 9,000 people for one day.

We can help!

• The first bagel rolled into the world in 1683 when a baker from Vienna Austria was thankful to the King of Poland for saving Austria from Turkish invaders.

The baker reshaped the local bread so that it resembled the King’s stirrup. The new bread was called “beugel,” derived from the German word stirrup, “bugel.” (side note: never refrigerate bagels or any bread product. Bread products go stale up to 6 times faster in the refrigerator. Leave these products at room temperature or freeze them.

• The Palouse region is a large wheat-production area in Eastern Washington and parts of North Idaho characterized by gentle rolling hills. The hills were formed over tens of thousands of years ago from wind blown dust and silt, called “loess,” from dry regions to the southwest. Farmers had to develop special leveling tractors to avoid tipping their machinery when harvesting on uneven ground.

FEATURE

‘Planting our crop’

By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff When Ponderay voters go to the polls on Nov. 5, among the items they’ll be asked to consider is whether the city should institute a local option tax — levying 1% on all sales subject to taxation under Idaho Code “with the exception of hotels/motels and any sales receipts that exceed $999.99 in aggregate.”

Remaining in effect for five years from its effective date, the LOT is geared toward two specific projects: the Field of Dreams park and regional recreational facility and a bike and pedestrian crossing beneath the Burlington Northern-Santa Fe tracks separating Ponderay from the Lake Pend Oreille shoreline.

“It’s the best option that the state allows for us,” Ponderay City Planner Eirk Brubaker said of the LOT. “It’s an opportunity for Ponderay to be a leader in Idaho — to show that we can do more with one penny than the state can with six, though that’s just my own opinion, not the city’s.”

Speaking at an Oct. 15 open house on the projects, Brubaker said revenue gathered from the tax would be used to support development of Phase I of the Field of Dreams — a long-talked about yet long-deferred multi-use sports and recreation complex envisioned on a 50-acre parcel east of U.S. Highway 95, west of McGhee Road and south of Bronx Road.

The project received a major boost in March 2018, when the LOR Foundation awarded the Field of Dreams a planning grant of $100,000, along with the potential for another $400,000 in support as its development progresses.

Now, Brubaker said, the time is right to start making the dream a reality with an incremental approach, developing the project in three phases.

“If Phase 1 is all that even happens — say there’s an economic downturn — Phase 1 has to be able to stand on its own,” he said.

Based on the current concept, Phase 1 includes four U11-U12 soccer fields/ multi-purpose sports fields, six U6-U8 soccer fields/multi-purpose sports fields and one full-sized soccer field, as well as a large grassy open space on the southern half the property. In the center would be a structure containing restrooms, storage space, an area for concessions, offices and eventual locker rooms, as well as a pond and open space accompanied by picnic areas. The northern portion would consist mostly of nature and multi-use trails as well as a pavillion and wetland pond.

“This is not grandiose,” Brubaker said in reference to Phase 1, underscoring that

site planning includes flexibility between phases, depending on the availability of funding.

“It’s really something we could grow into as people buy into it,” he added.

Area resident Christie Coskie is skeptical. She lives in a municipal gray area — while she has a Sandpoint address, she lives within the Kootenai area of impact. Her neighbor across the street lives in Ponderay.

“It’s frustrating because it’s going to be right down my street and I can’t really do anything about it,” she said. “I’m not against it, but I feel like it’s poorly planned. … It feels premature to be voting on it right away.”

Coskie’s big beef has more to do with the size of the proposed development and how much it will cost to maintain going forward.

“From what I’ve seen, people in general think, ‘Oh, it’s going to be this little park for the kids.’ They don’t realize the scope of the project. The scope seems very out of proportion with how many people live in the area even with projected growth,” she said. “They’re planning on 11 soccer fields. Do we really need 11 soccer fields in Ponderay — how many of these facilities already exist in the area?”

Brubaker said there’s a need for more soccer fields, pointing to instances in the past where tournaments have been turned away for lack of space and field conditions have made early-season play impossible.

That’s part of the reason why initial plans call for artificial turf on the sports fields.

Brubaker said the consultants who are working with Sandpoint on its parks plan toured Ponderay’s parks to advise on what facilities are needed in an area-wide context. What’s more, he added, regional planning was a condition of securing the LOR grant last year.

“This is a regional facility that provides something new,” he said. “It’s an opportunity for Ponderay to have something very unique.”

According to the plan, the Field of Dreams will build in complexity over the course of its phases — a process that Brubaker said is better thought of as a 20- to 30-year plan.

Phase 2 would add baseball fields, an amphitheater, tennis court, four pickleball courts, two sand volleyball courts, a play-

The city of Ponderay makes its case for the Field of Dreams

Ponderay City Planner Erik Brubaker at a recent open house. Photo by Zach Hagadone ground and indoor turfed field house. By Phase 3, the project would grow to include additional picnic areas, an expanded field house and event center as well as an indoor hockey and pool.

“Not only is Phase 3 kind of grand, it fully utilizes that 50-acre site,” Burbaker said, while noting that “the city has no commitment to funding this” in its entirety.

Rather, user groups and other area municipalities would help share the burden of development over the years — a burden that Ponderay has had to bear disproportionately due to the state formula for disbursing sales tax revenue to cities.

According to Brubaker, while Ponderay is a major generator of sales tax revenue to the state, it receives only a fraction of the benefits because it is reapportioned based on population.

“While we may send $20 million to Boise, we get back $120,000,” he said. “The system disproportionately burdens a city with our kind of makeup.”

That makes it hard to invest in capital projects like the Field of Dreams without dispersing the source of funding regionally and growing it over time, which Brubaker said is exactly what the LOT is intended to do.

“This 50 acres is planting our crop,” he said.

The city of Ponderay and Friends of the Pend Oreille Bay Trail will host an open house on the proposed Field of Dreams and railroad underpass projects on Thursday, Oct. 24 from 5-7 p.m. at the Ponderay Event Center, 401 Bonner Mall Way.

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COMMUNITY Lois Wythe Native Plant Grant application period opens

By Reader Staff The Kinnikinnick Native Plant Society is offering a grant of up to $300 for a Bonner County group, class or individual to complete a project that is designed to promote the awareness of native plants. Funds will be awarded based on originality and the potential effectiveness of the project.

The project should be essentially completed by June 30, 2020, at which time a final report outlining the accom-

forms at nativeplantsociety.org. Interested parties should mail completed applications to the KNPS Grant Committee no later than Dec. 15. Send to P.O. Box 1092, Sandpoint, ID 83864.

plishments, including a plan for maintaining the project over time, must be submitted to the Kinnikinnick Native Plant Society.

The grant recognizes Lois Wythe as the founder of the organization and developer of the Native Plant Arboretum in Lakeview Park.

Download application

SHARING A VIEW

Lois Wythe passed away in 2011. Courtesy photo.

KNPS to discuss the interior Columbia Basin

By Reader Staff From the highway, the Columbia Basin scablands look bleak and empty, but they are actually quite full of life.

Native Americans in the region consider the wheat fields to be a desert and the scablands to be the breadbasket.

Find out why indigenous people so valued the seemingly barren landscape with a presentation hosted by the Kinnickinnick Native Plant Society and Sandpoint Parks and Recreation Department.

Diane Stutzman, owner of Desert Jewel Nursery in Spokane, will talk about “Plants and Plant Communities

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The Drumheller channels near Othello, Wash. Courtesy photo. of the Channeled Scablands” on Saturday, Oct. 26 from 9:45-11:30 a.m. at the Sandpoint Community Hall.

The presentation is free and open to

the public. For more information, contact Preston Andrews: prestonkandres@ gmail.com.

Sandpoint’s Doug Clarke shares his, uh, view at the White House in Washington, D.C. Thankfully, he had a Reader with him.

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event t h u r s d a y

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Dollar Beers!

8pm @ Eichardt’s Pub

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Live Music w/ Red Blend 9pm-12am @ 219 Lounge Sing along to those guilty pleasure tunes with Brian, Meg and Chris Live Music w/ Harold’s IGA 8-11pm @ Eichardt’s Pub Indie rock and folk from this multi-instrumental trio Live Music w/ Ponderay Paradox 5-7pm @ Idaho Pour Authoritypm

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w e d n e s d a y t h u r s d a y

Open Mic Night w/ KC Carter 9pm-12am @ A&P’s Bar & Grill

Girls Pint Out 5-7pm @ Idaho Pour Authority Cool Chicks! Great Beer! No Dudes! Vicki will be tasting and talking about Fresh Hop beers

Live Music w/ Vanna Oh! and the Any’s 9pm-12am @ 219 Lounge Rock, with a modern feminine twist. Soaring vocals and bluesy guitar riffs Live Music w/ Devon Wade Duo 6:30-9:30pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall Devon and his father Mac are back for this independent country night

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m o n d a y

More Than a Woman Trivia 6:30-9pm @ The Back Door A night of laughter and female-focused trivia

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Sandpoint Chess Club 9am @ Evans Brothers Coffee Meets every Sunday at 9am Monday Night Blues Jam w/ Truck Mills 7:30pm @ Eichardt’s Pub Night-Out Karaoke 9pm @ 219 Lounge Join DJ Webrix for a night of singing, or just come to drink and listen Wind Down Wednesday 5-8pm @ 219 Lounge With live music by blues man Truck Mills and guest musician Carl Rey

f

Sip and Spook Open 5-8pm @ Pend d’Ore Settle in with a glass listen to or share lo tales. Tell your own or listen to others

Live Music w/ Mike and Shanna Thompson 5-7pm @ Idaho Pour Authority Live Music w/ Bright Moments Jazz 5-8pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery Arthur and Peter save the day

Live Music w/ John Daffron 5-8pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery Surf, Irish, rock and folk

Matchwood One-Year Anniversary Party 12-9pm @ Matchwood Live music all day with Alex Cope and Chad Patrick 12-2pm, BareGrass from 3-6pm and The Powers 6-9pm. Special beer release and community toast at 4 plus a beer-to-farm-table pig roast! Come celebrate!

Piano Sunday w/ Peter Lucht 3-5pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery A local favorite pianists playing jazz, blues

Lifetree Cafe 2pm @ Jalepeño’s Mexican Restaurant An hour of conversation and stories. This week’s topic: “Loving Those with Cancer” Trivia Night 7pmi @ MickDuff’s Show off that big, beautiful brain of yours

Hickey F 10am-5:3 Festive fa Jacobs an

Outdoor Experienc 6pm @ Outdoor Exp A chill, three-mile(is tional beverages to fo

Djembe class 5:45-7:30pm @ Music Conservatory of Sandpoint Join Ali Thomas for this djembe (drum) class

Magic Wednesday Live Music w/ John Firshi 6-8pm @ Jalapeño’s 8-11pm @ Eichardt’s Pub Enjoy close-up magic Innovative guitar loops and riffs shows by Star Alexander right at your table

Pints for Polio 5pm @ Matchwood Brewing Co. Join Rotary Sandpoint in raising awareness, funds and support to end polio.

Matchwood will donate a portion of all beer and wine sales to help end polio.

Trivia Takeover Live Bonner Co. Fir 6-8pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery 6pm @ Bonner C Create a team with friends or play The Bonner Co solo. Prizes for winning teams EMS findings to Walking Dead Party • @ A&P’s Bar and Grill Prizes for best Walking Dead costume. Sponsored

ful

Oct. 17-24, 2019

ook Open Mic end d’Oreille Winery h a glass of vino and share local spooky our own ghost story others

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

Reader recommended

Edgar Cayce Study Group 9-11am @ Gardenia Center Meditation, prayer, dream discussion and discussion of Edgar Cayce, the father of holistic health. Meets every Thursday

Hickey Farms Pumpkin Patch 2-5:30pm @ 674 Hickey Rd. Festive family fun!

DJ Skwish 9pm-close @ A&P’s Bar

Third Thursday Women’s Meetup 7:45pm @ Matchwood Brewing Co. Make connections with other local women. Open to all.

Mission43 Happy Hour 5-8pm @ Matchwood Brewing Co. Mission43 is a southern Idaho based organization that helps veterans find employment.

Mindful Living Retreat (Oct. 18-20) 6-8pm @ The Heartwood Center Quiet the mind and open the heart - mindful living meditation retreat. Sandpointsangha.com for info The Zombie Nest haunted house (Oct. 18-19) 5-8pm @ 30784 Highway 200 in Ponderay Presented by students at LPOSD to raise money for their educational trip to D.C. and NYC in summer

Indoors Farmers’ Market Hickey Farms Pumpkin Patch 9am-1pm @ The Bonner Mall 10am-5:30pm @ 674 Hickey Rd. Sandpoint Farmers’ Market brings it indoors Festive family fun! Star the Magician from for seasonal produce, arts and crafts and more 11-2 and Suzuki String Academy at 2:30 Northside Harvest Dinner Conversations on Living & Dying Well 4:30-6:30pm @ Northside Elementary School 6:30pm @ The Panida Theater d Patrick from Northside PTA hosts its 67th annual Harvest Presented by BGH Community Hospice, Powers from Dinner. $10/adult, $5/child. Full turkey dinner the capstone event of a weeklong series of toast at 4 p.m., Karaoke DJ Exodus conversations about Living & Dying Well ebrate!

8-close @ Tervan 9pm-close @ A&P’s Bar Garden Harvest Party and Salsa-Making Competition Hickey Farms Pumpkin Patch 2-5pm @ Sandpoint Library 10am-5:30pm @ 674 Hickey Rd. Join us for garden games, competitions, crafts, food and enterFestive family fun! Live music with Brian tainment. Celebrate the end of the library’s garden season Jacobs and Chris Lynch from 12-3pm

Experience Monday Night Run tdoor Experience ee-mile(ish) group run with oprages to follow

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Monday Night Football Party with KPND and host Bob Witte 5:30pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall Every Monday at 5:30 p.m.

Sandpoint Teen Center Open House 4:30-6:30pm @ Sandpoint Teen Center The community is invited to check out the Sandpoint Teen Center at 221 S. Division Ave. Ballot Measure Open House 5-7pm @ Ponderay Events Center Come learn about the Field of Dreams and lakeshore access, the recreation access projects to be funded by the city’s proposed o1% local oiption tax on the Nov. 5 election ballot. City officials on hand to answer questions

r Co. Fire Chief’s Assoc. Presentation of EMS Findings @ Bonner Co. Admin building. (downstairs) onner County Fire Chief’s Association will present their findings to the public. Open to the public d Grill Dollar Beers! ponsored by Dead Guy Ale 8pm @ Eichardt’s

Oct. 26 Southside Community Harvest Festival @ Southside Oct. 26 Halloween Costume Bash @ Eichardt’s Pub Oct. 26 219 Lounge’s 85th Anniversary Party @ 219

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FOOD & DRINKS

‘Inland Northwest Ale Trail’ app brings area breweries to your fingertips

By Ben Olson Reader Staff An estimated 10 million people visit more than 4,100 craft breweries each year. These impressive numbers point to a rising trend among hop-lovers: beer tourism.

For the past decade, the Inland Northwest Craft Brewers Association have been brewing up an idea to connect all the great breweries, beer culture and local communities in the region. The result is “The Inland Northwest Ale Trail,” an app available for free download that helps beer aficionados explore, plan trips and receive rewards on all of their visits to all the great breweries around the Inland Northwest.

The app, which can be downloaded free on Apple’s App Store and the Android market by searching “Inland NW Ale Trail,” uses location services to list breweries closest to you while traveling, and even gives rewards for every patron’s visit.

“Our intent is to say, ‘There are a lot of great breweries in the Northwest, but Seattle and Portland are getting most of the attention,’” said Dave Kosiba,

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president of the Inland NW Craft Brewers Association and owner of Utara Brewing Co. in Sandpoint. “This app helps us band together and promotes the industry in the Inland NW.” For Andrea Marcoccio and Kennden Culp, owners of Matchwood Brewing Co. in Sandpoint, the app is another way to promote beer tourism in Sandpoint.

“We signed up to partner on that app during the development,” Marcoccio said.

“We are in support of beer tourism. From the beginning, we’ve been saying that, ‘Beer floats all boats.’ The more people that come into town to check out all of our breweries — not just one of them — the more support comes to the beer industry.”

Kosiba said the app will replace a printed “Ale Trail” map, a popular guide for craft beer lovers to find new breweries around the region when traveling.

While the printed maps were popular among customers and brewers alike, the app will contain more features for customers, including a rewards system for each visit.

“You get 10 points per visit, per brewery,” Kosiba said.

“When you reach 120 points, you get a free grunt [a two-pint growler].”

Another benefit of the app over the map is that when a new brewery opens, it won’t have to wait until the next printing of the map to be listed since it’ll be updated right away.

Kosiba hopes the app will help connect the craft beer community in North Idaho, in turn benefiting local brewers by giving them yet another way to bring the beer to the people.

“The whole idea is to have them have a really great craft beer experience and know where to go,” Kosiba said. “It’s functional and really cool.”

Top: A screenshot of the Inland Northwest Ale Trail app.

Inset: one of the prizes for rewards members - a two-pint “grunt.” Courtesy photos.

To download the app free, search “Inland Northwest Ale Trail” on Google Play or the Apple Store.

FOOD & DRINKS

Sip, sip hooray

Matchwood Brewing Co. celebrates one year in Sandpoint

By Ben Olson Reader Staff

and handhelds, Matchwood’s food offerings are great for a bite with friends or a full-blown When Matchwood Brewing Co. owners dinner with the family.

The change of season Andrea Marcoccio and Kennden Culp opened their doors a year ago in Sandpoint, brings a new fall menu for Matchwood, with they had dreams that their brewery would several new items based be more than just a place to grab some on feedback from the great craft beer and tasty food, but a hub community. for the community.

“We’re looking to “I think it’s been everything we expectfeature more soups and ed,” Marcoccio said. “Exciting, energizing, more comfort warm exhausting, but also really engaging and fun.” winter food, as the locals Marcoccio said she’s been humbled by have requested,” Marcocthe support Matchwood has received in its cio said. first year.

Another new addition “Sandpoint is a community that shows is the Sunday Brewery up for folks that put themselves out there Brunch, which Matchand we feel lucky to have that local base,” wood hopes to launch in she said.

The aesthetic at Matchwood is open, airy, November.

“It has been very sucnon-pretentious. Solid wood tables and bars greet customers, with an open-concept kitch- cessful in other communities,” Marcoccio said. en to the left and larger rooms on either side Kennden Culp and Andrea Marcoccio, a few days before open“We noticed people like of the building on the second floor. Outside, to come in on Sunday afing the doors at Matchwood in 2018. and Courtesy photo. a covered patio and outdoor firepit area wrap ternoons — maybe they were really producthis treasure in a warm, North Idaho emtive on a home project or had just gone on a event of its own: A one-year anniversary brace. The staff greets you with a smile and celebration will take place Saturday, Oct. 19 big hike. … It will include the very popular always seem genuinely happy to see you. from noon-9 p.m. There will be live music do-it-yourself mimosa bar we launched at There’s a reason the Spokane-based the K9 Keg Pull last year and couldn’t keep from noon-2 p.m. with Alex Cope and Chad Pacific Northwest Inlander recently voted Patrick, 3-6 p.m. with BareGrass and Coeur up. Sandpoint has spoken.”

Matchwood North Idaho’s “Best New d’Alene-based group The Powers from 6-9 Along with craft beer and food, MatchBrewery.” Matchwood’s beer runs the gamp.m. Matchwood will host a brew-to-table wood also offers its space as a community ut of flavors, with everything from its crisp Makers Long Acres pig roast, raised on the center for a variety of functions. sparkling ale to the dark chocolate milk brewery’s spent grain and smoked outside “We’ve held well over 300 events in porter. All varieties are brewed with care for 24 hours. Matchwood will also be our first year,” Marcoccio said. “Maybe and attention, using local ingredients when releasing a special anniversary beer, with a even closer to 350. Sometimes it’s two or possible, as with the spruce tip pale ale, community toast scheduled for 4 p.m. brewed with hand-picked spruce tips from a three events a day. It’s been women knitWhile Matchwood is a big building ting and saving seeds from the garden to local Sandpoint farm. full of life, Marcoccio said it’s important nonprofit fundraisers, birthday parties — Marcoccio said Matchwood is currently to cherish the small things that make the it’s been the gamut.” working on partnerships to place special.

Marcoccio said the distribute its beer at a few Matchwood one-year “Last year, we decided to be open on locations around the region, anniversary celebration community center aspect Christmas Eve,” Marcoccio said. “It was of Matchwood is important including Schweitzer MounSaturday, Oct. 19; noonKennden and I and folks that wanted to to her and Culp, since it’s a tain and Eichardt’s Pub. 9 p.m.; FREE. Matchwood show up. I think we were the only place great way to connect with “We’ve got a tap in Brewing Co., 513 Oak St., open in Sandpoint that night around 8 p.m.

Eichardt’s, which was our 208-718-2739, matchwood- the community on a daily and there was this family that came into basis. first tap handle in town,” brewing.com. town to see their daughter. All they wanted “A good example is she said. “They’re the soul was a Christmas tree, so we pulled ours this Thursday’s Mission43 of Sandpoint when it comes off the display and gave it to them. It was event, which is a nonprofit organization in to the pub vibe, so we were honored to put Christmas Eve, so we didn’t need it anysouthern Idaho whose mission is to help that beer on there.” more. They walked out the door with two veterans get employed,” Marcoccio said.

Another leg of Matchwood is its eatery, growlers, a tree and a smile and they were which features homey, comforting food done “We’ve already got 115 people who have in tears. You’re not expecting to solve some RSVP’d to that one. We love events like right. Whether it’s shareables, like snack huge crisis, but it’s nice to reach people like that one.” boards, or the sinfully good deep-fried mac that. That’s what we’re doing this for.”

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PARKS

Parks of the future: City Beach City Beach • initial concept

By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff Steering the ongoing Sandpoint Parks and Recreation Master Plan, city officials and consultants GreenPlay have hosted several rounds of public outreach and collected a wide range of feedback on several large-scale projects to improve various public amenities — from War Memorial Field to the Great Northern Sports Complex, Downtown Waterfront along Sand Creek and City Beach.

As the master planning proceeds apace, the Reader will provide a brief synopsis of each project, including renderings produced by the consultants. Next week, we’ll profile the Downtown Waterfront concept.

All the information contained in the Parks and Rec. Master Plan, including GreenPlay presentations, public feedback and commentary on site-specific projects, is available at opentownhall.com/7920.

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public and city planners for City Beach center on broadening the types of recreation supported at the site. Expanded parking and dedicated event space also figure prominently in the prospective plan.

Planners highlighted the event staging area, located west of the existing restrooms, which could feature a hard-surfaced area capable of hosting large concerts, community events and movies in the park. Envisioned as the size of an NHL hockey rink, the preliminary concept notes that chilling components installed beneath the surface could enable ice skating in the winter.

Another major change envisioned in the conceptual plans is the addition of more than 130 parking spaces — as well as boat launch parking — on the property immediately east of Cafe Trinity and the Best Western Edgewater Hotel. Currently used as an RV park, that property can only be developed for parking and new boat launches/lanes if the city is able to negotiate a land swap with Sand-Ida, which

owns both the RV park and the Edgewater property. The city could trade the grassy area in front of the hotel for the RV park, giving Sand-Ida room to expand its new hotel while opening the way for more beach parking.

Other components of the plan include a splash pad, larger playground and a possible site for the Carousel of Smiles, which could also be included in the Downtown Waterfront redevelopment.

PROFILE

Selkirk Fire Chief Ron Stocking retires Looking back on more than five years of fires — both structural and political

By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff Ron Stocking is growing a beard. The outgoing Selkirk Fire, Rescue and EMS chief, who officially retired Oct. 11, said his days are over in the fire service — a career that began on Dec. 31, 1981 in Orange County, Calif. — and so are his days of worrying about whether his facial hair will impede the proper sealing of an air mask.

“I’m growing it right now,” he told the Sandpoint Reader.

In addition to retiring his razor, Stocking also plans to spend the next six months building a house — “our final home,” he said, underscoring that he and his wife intend to remain in Sandpoint, which the family adopted as its hometown in 2014.

“I’ve been vacationing up here with my family and owned property up here since ’03,” Stocking said. “When the opportunity for fire chief opened up — and it was a nationwide search for fire chief — I applied and I believe it was with 44 other people and they selected me for the position, which I felt very fortunate that they gave me the opportunity.”

Looking back on 38 years in the fire service, Stocking said his five and a half years as chief in Bonner County have been among the most exciting — in part because of the natural environment and the ever-smoldering politics.

“I went from basically having no seasons [in Southern Califor-

nia] to having seasons, and having to deal with the interesting aspects of weather-related incidents here where, you know, it snows a foot and we have a structure fire; when our hoses freeze to the pavement. It actually brought a renewed excitement for the job,” he said, adding, “I thought I’d seen everything, but the politics in Bonner County are unlike the politics I’ve seen anywhere else. I don’t think I ever got used to it. It made the job interesting.”

Unique among many communities, fire and emergency medical services have long been a hot-button issue in Bonner County, centered on whether EMS should be rolled into local fire services or operated independently as Bonner County EMS. Stocking in his former position as head of Selkirk Fire, was a strong supporter of bringing EMS under the wing of area fire departments — an organizational structure that he said is mirrored by close to 70 percent of EMS providers across the United States.

“Why Bonner County needs to be different … is beyond me,” he said. “Why can’t we get more bang for our buck by having dual-trained people [in both EMS and fire] instead of a single group of people doing one thing, and another group of people doing another thing?”

Stocking said he’s hopeful that the incoming interim Chief Dale Hopkins, who previously served as assistant chief, can join other local chiefs in working with the

county on its EMS system, and added that collaboration across fire departments was among the biggest accomplishments during his tenure.

“I was a strong advocate for improving the services in this county and we did that by joining together the fire departments. It’s a better system when you have more people able to deliver services,” he said. “It’s just economy of scale. It’s eliminating duplication of services.”

Among the other big accomplishments, he recounted lowering the insurance service rating for Sandpoint and surrounds, enabling some property to reduce the amount they have to pay for fire insurance.

“That’s one of the proudest things,” he said.

Under his watch, Stocking said fire services were also improved with the addition of a fire station in Careywood staffed 24/7 by firefighters trained in advanced EMT, as well as a successful levy in the West Side District that will enable another 24/7-staffed station at Wrenco, which is due to open after Jan. 1, 2020.

Asked about the most difficult or dramatic incident he faced while leading Selkirk Fire, Stocking didn’t hesitate to point to the fire on First Avenue in February, which resulted in the loss of several businesses and buildings “I’ve had an opportunity to be exposed to a lot of structure fires in my career, but when I pulled up to that fire I thought if there’s a fire that I could lose a firefighter in, this is that fire,” he said. Yet,

his crews and those who came from further afield to help beat back the blaze, which occurred amid freezing temperatures, did so with no injuries — a testament to their training and abilities.

Looking ahead, Stocking stressed that Selkirk Fire is in good hands with Hopkins in the lead, if only on an interim basis.

He sees multiple opportunities to improve fire and EMS service in the county, provided they’re approached in a spirit of collaboration.

Ron Stocking stands next to the grill of the historic 1946 fire engine once used by the Sandpoint Fire Department. The engine still runs and is used often in parades. Photo by Ben Olson.

“I hope the response partners will embrace the regional approach to eliminating duplication of services,” he said. “There are lots of opportunities left in the county and if people could put politics aside and their egos, I think the sky’s the limit for what could be accomplished in Bonner County.”

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ARTS

‘Community over competition’

Northwest Handmade celebrates 25 years of supporting artists in downtown Sandpoint

By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff

I often get to interview people about their passions: what they do for fun, on the side, extra.

A question I tend to ask during such interviews is, “What’s your day job?”

Usually the answer goes something like, “Well, my almost-full-time job is [insert job here], but I also [insert another gig here] and on the weekends I [insert yet another obligation to help pay the bills].”

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, about 5% of Americans held two or more jobs in 2017 — about 5.3% of women and 4.6% of men. As for how those stats hold up in Bonner County, I’d bet our tourism economy and lack of affordable housing hike those numbers way up. It’s become a joke among those of us who hold multiple positions around town: Working several jobs is a sure sign you’re a local.

We’re dealing with a systematic shift — some call it a “gig economy” — and while larger problems like lack of full-time positions and low pay might be causing it, I’ll be the first to say that we’re rocking it.

I’m one of the lucky ones. My gigs are largely flexible, and I enjoy all of them deeply. Not everyone can say that, but rarely do I hear a complaint.

So to those of you commuting between places of employment midday, everyday: I salute you. To everyone taking more than one check to the bank at a time: I see you. To anyone who thought they were the only one working three jobs to make ends meet: Congrats.

You’re officially a local.

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Artists have a reputation for toiling alone, pouring their creative energies into their work in a solitary struggle between their vision and ability to bring it to fruition. While that may often be true when it comes to sitting down at a canvas or workbench, it’s equally true that it takes a community to support the artistic process in its entirety.

That’s been the central philosophy to develop at Northwest Handmade Furniture Gallery, which celebrates its 25th anniversary Saturday, Oct. 26 in downtown Sandpoint.

“This is such a community-type of business,” said Laurie Huston, who took over the store at 308 N. First Ave. when her mother and stepfather, Pamela and Dan Mimmack, retired in February 2015.

Huston said the business started with Dan selling his hand-crafted log furniture through a downtown artist’s cooperative. Finding success, Northwest Handmade soon needed to establish its own space. That happened with another collaboration — partnering with a T-shirt shop to share space.

“It worked well for us at the time,” Huston said. “We all worked full-time jobs and then worked the store as it grew.”

While Dan was the primary builder at first and Pamela ran the store, it came to pass that a local artist brought in some hand-painted magnets and asked if they could be put up for sale in the store.

“It just grew from there,” said Huston, who came aboard to help bring in and support more and more artists.

Today, far more than a simple furniture shop, Northwest Handmade is a co-op featuring the work of 130 creators from throughout the region who sell their work on consignment to customers from as far afield as England.

“It’s huge, it’s a lot to manage,” Huston said.

While the member artists contribute the products of their labor — everything from chairs and tables to custom decor and objets d’art drawing on a range of media including wood, metalwork and more — Northwest Handmade handles the ordering, shipping, advertising and sales tracking. “Anything that’s needed to help support getting that artist’s work sold,” Huston said.

“That’s been my passion, bringing in all that art. Celebrating that creativi-

ty,” she added.

To celebrate 25 years worth of that creativity, Northwest Handmade invites all comers to attend a party Saturday, Oct. 26 from 4-7 p.m., featuring food and drink from a to-be-determined downtown restaurant, live music from Kelly McTavish and Shanna Thompson, and prizes and giveaways from member artists, including artwork and small furniture pieces.

“It’s about celebrating them and community,” Huston said, adding that she chose this time of year to host the anniversary because the tourists are mostly gone and, amid ongoing street construction, downtown merchants can use as much foot traffic on First Avenue as they can get.

Mutual support among fellow businesses is also something Huston wants to celebrate with the anniversary.

“There’s this really neat cohesiveness,” she said of the Downtown Shopping District. “This is the most people that have ever participated, just supporting each other. In the past, there would be feuds among some of the stores — now, it’s more community over competition, and that’s been a huge shift.”

As for how downtown street work has affected business, Huston said “it hasn’t been as bad as we anticipated. People are making

a point of coming down.”

That’s part of a larger trend toward buying local — both among area residents and out-of-towners.

“More and more people are becoming conscious of that; they want to support community,” she said. “People are realizing the value of how they spend their money and how it impacts everyone else.”

On the occasion of the 25th anniversary, Huston said she has reason to be optimistic about the next 25 years — and the near

Owner Laurie Huston stands in the cavernous display room at Northwest Handmade on First Avenue. Photo by Ben Olson. future, as well.

“Even though downtown’s torn up right now, it’s kind of like this cocoon phase. There’s so much going on underneath, not just infrastructure. Once the veil comes down, you’re going to see all these new stores,” she said. “It feels pretty good. I’m excited. I’m happy downtown.”

STAGE & SCREEN

‘It’s about acceptance’

Sandpoint hosts rare Idaho production of The Laramie Project

By Ben Olson Reader Staff

Memorial Productions, which produces two plays each year to honor the life of her son while promoting the arts and supporting In 1998, University of Wyoming local nonprofits. student Matthew Shephard was brutally It was a connection to a specific line she murdered in Laramie, Wyo. — a murder read in The Laramie Project that convinced that was denounced as a hate crime since Prophet it was the next show to produce.

Shephard identified as gay. He was robbed, “There’s this speech given by Dennis pistol-whipped, tortured, tied to a fence Shephard that talks about the death of his and left to die — all because of his sexual son, and it struck me,” she said. “He talks orientation. about how his son was left tied to a fence Shortly after the murder and during the overnight in the wilderness, but he wasn’t trial of perpetrators Aaron McKinney and alone. He had his lifetime friends with him; Russell Henderson — both convicted and the stars and wind and nature. So he wasn’t serving two consecutive life terms — the really alone. For me, that made me feel New York-based Tectonic Theater Co. begood, because it took them 24 hours to find gan conducting interviews with citizens in Cade, and even though I knew he was gone Laramie about the murder. The interviews when he hit the rocks, those 24 hours he were compiled and written into a criticalwas there — I’d like to believe he was with ly-acclaimed play, The Laramie Project, his friends, too.” first produced in 2000 by Moisés Kaufman.

The Laramie Project is an example of Dorothy Prophet, of Cade Prophet verbatim theater, which draws from the Memorial Productions in Sandpoint, chose hundreds of interviews and diary entries The Laramie Project to produce at The conducted by the theater company in LaraHeartwood Center on Friday, Oct. 25 and mie. It’s only the third time this play has Saturday, Oct. 26 at 7 p.m., been produced in the state with a matinee showing on The Laramie Project of Idaho.

Sunday, Oct. 27 at 2 p.m.

“It’s a snapshot of what Friday, Oct. 25-Saturday, Oct. Tickets are $15 for generLaramie was like at the 26, 7 p.m.; Sunday, Oct. 27, 2 p.m.; $10 for seniors and students, time and the various beliefs al admission and $10 for $15 general admission. The seniors and students. and views of the people,” Heartwood Center, 615 Oak St., Prophet knows the Prophet said. “It’s really 208-263-8699. For more info, heartbreak of losing a son. search Cade Prophet Memorial interesting to me, because In 2017, her 25-year-old son Productions on Facebook.

I see it very much as a Cade was killed after falling reflection of what Sandoff loose rocks on a ledge overlooking the point could be like. There are those people Palouse Falls in Washington. Following the who are accepting and embrace alternate tragedy, Prophet established Cade Prophet lifestyles, there are those who tolerate it

The cast of “The Laramie Project.”

Courtesy photo and then there are those who are adamantly against that.”

Prophet said a range of viewpoints are expressed in the play. Since each of the eight actors play a minimum of eight roles, Prophet said some found it challenging when their lines preach hate or intolerance.

The cast for The Laramie Project features a who’s who of Sandpoint theatrical players, including Michael Bigley, Becky Campbell, Mike Clarke, Nicole Burrato, Bronwyn Toth, Bailey Hanson, Cory Repass and Eric Fulgenzi. The play will be directed

by Prophet, with special sponsorship help

by Chris and Kathy Chambers and Scott and Susan Bourn.

Prophet hopes that the play reaches people sitting in the “middle ground.”

Welcome to the Zombie Nest

By Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Staff

the Hoot Owl Cafe in Ponderay, the Zombie Nest is a fundraiser for Wilhelm and six students to take a trip to Washington D.C. When learning to create art with papiand New York City next summer. er-mâché, most recall building piñatas in “Wendy at the Hoot Owl has been phegrade school. Randy Wilhelm’s art students nomenal with her generosity to let us put it at Lake Pend Oreille High School have there,” Wilhelm said. taken the medium to a new level, using the He said Idaho Forest Group donated lummedium to build gorey, awesome zombies ber to help build a handicap-accessible ramp with which to populate their for the haunted house, and Zombie Nest haunted house. other community members The Zombie Nest Wilhelm said those have stepped in with mateFriday, Oct. 18-Saturday, Oct. 19; rials to ensure the Zombie creations, which students Friday, Oct. 25-Saturday, Oct. 26; worked on all through SepNest could become a reality.

Thursday, Oct. 31; Friday, Nov. tember, will be on display Wilhelm also said a 1-Saturday, Nov. 2 (tentatively); as the Zombie Nest opens key player in making sure 5 p.m.-8 p.m. each night; $5.

Located on the north side of its doors Friday, Oct. 18. students would be able to Hoot Owl Cafe, 30784 ID-200 “The kids have been make the East Coast trip in Ponderay, 208-610-5020. working hard,” he said, was local artist and longtime “coming out after school LPOHS volunteer Leata working on it.”

Judd. Wilhelm said that through all the hard Located in a donated trailer home beside work and stress it took to raise funds for the

“I’m hoping we can persuade some of them that acceptance is more important than tolerance,” she said. “It’s about acceptance.

Maybe we can help them get there.”

Prophet will donate half of the show’s proceeds to the Sandpoint chapter of PFLAG, a support organization for Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays. She plans to earmark the other half to fund the spring stage offering from Cade Prophet Memorial Productions, which is to be announced.

“We do two shows each year — one in May on the anniversary of Cade’s death and another in October,” Prophet said. “The one in October will always be a little scary or maybe a little real. This one is both real and scary.”

LPO High School haunted house to raise funds for a trip to NYC and D.C.

trip, Judd’s enthusiasm and donations of art kept him going. She passed away last month on Sept. 24 at 90 years old.

“If it hadn’t been for Leata, I would have pulled the plug on the whole idea,” Wilhelm said, “but she was just so motivated.”

Now, with about $2,000 left to raise before reaching their $12,000 goal, Wilhelm and his students hope the Zombie Nest will push their funding over the top. Those brave enough to enter the Zombie Nest pay a $5 admission fee while snacks and refreshments will also be available for purchase.

Wilhelm is also seeking volunteer “live” zombies. He said he has plenty of makeup, but the wouldbe undead should come up with their own costumes.

Those unable to hazard a visit to the Zombie Nest but who would still like to donate to the students’ travel fund should call LPOHS at 208-263-6121 or Wilhelm at 208-610-5020.

One of the zombies featured at the Zombie Nest, created by LPOHS student Amanda Baker. Courtesy photo.

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FOOD

Rising in the bread biz Heidi’s Bread, the one-person bakery in Bonners Ferry

By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff

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The first bread Heidi Dinning ever made was in the fourth grade in Sandpoint, when her class learned what happens when you combine yeast, flour, salt and sugar, butter and warm water in a resealable plastic bag.

That project, which of course involved some oven baking, was once a staple of early-elementary education in Bonner County and it stuck with Dinning.

“That was the first time I remember making bread. I have always baked bread since then and I used that same recipe for ages,” she said.

Almost 30 years later, Dinning is still baking — more so than ever since February, when she almost by accident founded her one-person bakery, Heidi’s Bread, which operates out of her kitchen in Bonners Ferry.

At first, it was all for fun and rooted in a desire for really good sourdough. Dinning was searching for just the right recipe and found her starting place in a cookbook written by a baker she follows on Instagram.

That crust was too hard, though, so she started experimenting.

“It took lots of loaves of bread to get it where I wanted,” Dinning said. “If I added up the number of loaves of bread I’ve made since February, it would be a little insane.”

Her experimentation and hard work was to the benefit of her friends and family, though, as they received a steady supply of her practice loaves. It turned out Heidi’s Bread was good. Really good. So much so, that her bread recipients started to turn into customers.

“I didn’t think people would buy it,” she said, though her husband, Bonners Ferry Middle School Principal Kevin Dinning, kept telling her they would.

Turns out he was onto something — as was she.

“I started making sourdough in February, and in June it was like a real business,” Dinning said. “It was a lot faster than I thought it would be.”

Today, Dinning keeps baker’s hours, rising as early as 3 a.m. on Mondays and Tuesdays to add flour and water to the dough prepared on Sundays, then knead and knead and knead.

She does everything by hand, kneading in batches of six or seven loaves, which takes between 15 and 20 minutes per batch.

“I count it as my workout,” Dinning said.

After letting the dough rise and rest, she bakes all day Tuesdays, typically turning out around 20 loaves, which will sell for

$8 each. In the meantime, she breaks to pack lunches for her kids — a 5-year-old daughter and 2-year-old son — and get them to kindergarten and preschool/daycare, respectively.

“For her lunch, [my daughter] always wants mom bread for her sandwich: turkey and spinach and cheese and mayonnaise and mom bread. She’s a weird child. If I was her, I’d ask for cake,” Dinning said.

On Wednesdays, she hits the road, typically with her son as driving partner, for between 10 and 20 deliveries — about half in Bonners and half in Sandpoint, though she tends to have more stops in the latter. Each loaf comes wrapped in crisp white paper and tied up neatly with red-and-white-striped string. A tag provides order information.

The rest of the week is spent volunteering at her daughter’s school, spending some down time with her family and getting things prepped for another round of baking.

It’s a schedule that works.

“From when I get up in the morning to when I’m baking, it’s usually like a 12- to 15-hour process. From when I start the dough the day before, it’s about a 24-hour

Heidi Dinning stands with one of her picture perfect loaves of sourdough. Courtesy photo.

process,” she said.

“It’s more than I thought but it’s also in the realm of what I’m willing to do. I definitely keep it on my terms.”

Dinning posts every week on Facebook (facebook.com/heidisbread) and Instagram (@ heidisbread), where customers can leave comments or send a message to order their loaves.

Delivery is available “within a reasonable area” of Sandpoint and throughout Bonners.

Though she laughs when she says “this is such an accident that I’m even doing this,” Dinning agrees that Heidi’s Bread is carrying on a multi-generational tradition.

While her kids aren’t allowed to help — or even be in the kitchen — on commercial bread days, they do get to lend a hand when making bread for the family. It’s an experience that harkens back to her own childhood and the days of bread-in-a-bag.

“I remember my mom making bread for our lunches,” she said. “We grew up cooking together.”

COMMUNITY

McLongstreets named volunteers of the month

By Reader Staff The Chamber names yet another husband and wife duo as their Volunteers of the Month. Please join them in applauding the volunteer efforts of Scott & Barbara McLongstreet; the Greater Sandpoint Chamber of Commerce October Volunteers of the Month.

If you don’t know the McLongstreet’s head down to Idaho Pour Authority on a Wednesday night where you will find them sipping on a beer and chatting with the other regulars. When they are not at IPA, they are busy living up to the volunteer culture of Sandpoint. For their family members: this means helping one niece with yard work and helping the other by babysitting her three children.

Outside of their family, there is no end to their acts of generosity. For the chamber alone, they have helped assemble hundreds of Beerfest Pretzel necklaces, directed traffic during the Winter Carnival parade, painted walls at the Visitor Center, boxed t-shirts for the Paradise Fire survivors, served food and made a trophy for the inaugural Mac &

Cheese event, and volunteered at the Cinco de Mayo fundraiser for Leadership Sandpoint.

Around the community they have organized a BBQ and silent auction for a child fighting cancer, collected Christmas donations for a women’s shelter, and helped with the Selkirk Association of Realtor’s Giving Tree. In addition, they have participated in events benefitting Kanisku Land Trust’s Pine Street Woods, Friends of Scotchman Peaks Wilderness, Angels Over Sandpoint, Panhandle Animal Shelter, the Flower Basket Sponsorship campaign and so many more!

The McLongstreet’s personal volunteer philosophy is: “If we see someone in need of help, and we have the ability to do so, we should lend a hand. Whether it be friend, family member, neighbor, a stranger, a group or organization, or even an animal.

Help shovel a driveway, rake up leaves, fix things that need fixing, pick up apples, watch the kids, help with a move, clean gutters…. it’s the little things.”

Their motto: Be kind to one another.

Try to live your life like Mr. Rogers would.

We couldn’t agree more. The Great Sandpoint Chamber of Commerce is honored to recognize Scott & Barbara McLongstreet as the October Volunteers of the Month. Thank you for your service to the Sandpoint Community.

Chamber Membership Specialist and Office Manager Ricci Witte presents Scott and Barbara McLongstreet with Volunteer of the Month at the General Membership Luncheon on October 10. Courtesy photo.

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COMMUNITY

Sandpoint Farmers’ Market Southside Community Harvest brings it indoors Festival back for its second year

By Ben Olson Reader Staff

The chilly season has officially descended on North Idaho. But have no fear, fans of Sandpoint Farmers’ Market, the season isn’t quite over yet.

In response to popular demand, the Sandpoint Farmers’ Market will hold two indoor markets at the Bonner Mall in Ponderay on Saturday, Oct. 19 and Saturday, Oct. 26 from 9 a.m.-1 p.m.

“We decided to extend the market season because we had such an amazing turnout at our Holiday Market last year in the Bonner Mall,” said Market Manager Kelli Burt. “People were practically begging us to move indoors to the mall after our season ended in Farmin Park.”

The indoor market will feature all the same booths you know and love, with a wide selection of locally grown and produced plants, fruits and vegetables; artisan crafts; fine art; and more. John Firshi will play live music from 10 a.m.-noon on Oct. 19 and Bright Moments Jazz will play from 10 a.m.-noon on Oct. 26.

Burt said Bonner Mall has been the ideal

location to host the two indoor markets.

“The manager at the Bonner Mall and the store owners have been amazing to work with and so accommodating that we jumped at the opportunity to use the beautiful space,” said Burt. “Farmers this year still have plenty of produce and are excited to be able to continue providing their vegetables to the community.”

While crafters are often busy during the holiday season, Burt said these indoor markets fall close enough to the regular Sandpoint Farmers’ Market season that many are able to attend.

“We will have an excellent variety of crafters and food vendors,” she said.

The two indoor markets lead up to the big Holiday Market, set for Saturday, Nov. 9 from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. at the Bonner Mall.

“This will be the final market of the season and a great time to stock up on winter storage crops, get some vegetables for your Thanksgiving dinner and maybe set up a CSA with a farmer for the off-season,” Burt said. “Crafters will have holiday-themed gifts so it will be a great opportunity to get unique gifts for friends and family.”

By Ben Olson Reader Staff There is some dispute over the origins of the word “Cocolalla.” Most area historians believe it is derived from a Coeur d’Alene Salish phrase meaning “very cold” or The Southside Community Church will host the Southside “deep water.”

Community Harvest Festival Oct. 26. Courtesy photo.

Either way, there is no confusion about the community south of Sandpoint. crafters and community organizations.

It’s an unincorporated town with three The Cocolalla Bible Camp will also host churches, a post office, an elementary an open house. school and just under 1,000 residents. As There will be a pre-festival Contra of last year, this community also has its Dance and hoedown on Friday, Oct. 25 own gathering: the Southside Community from 7-10 p.m. at the Barn Again barn, Harvest Festival.

54 Cocolalla Loop Rd. All dances will be Back for its second year, the festival taught and called to live music by Arvid will take place Saturday, Oct. 26 from 9 Lundin and Deep Roots. There is free a.m.-4 p.m. at the Southside Community admission to this dance.

Church, 251 Cocolalla Loop Road. AcThe festival got a big boost its first cording to organizers, the goal of the event year with a $5,000 grant provided by is to create opportunities for residents to TransCanada Pipeline’s Community interact and get to know their community.

Investment Foundation, which Clemens “Cocolalla doesn’t have a lot of places intends to use to fund the first five years for people who live here to meet up,” festi- of the event at $1,000 per year. The festival Director River Clemens said. “I see my val is sponsored by the Southside Comneighbor at the grocery store in Sandpoint munity Church and the Cocolalla Lake more often than I see them in person.”

Association.

The festival will offer live music from There are still spaces available for local performers, including a recital by vendors and volunteers are always needdancers from Heather’s Dance Studio. ed. For more information, contact River There will also be a bounce castle, mini Clemens at southsideharvestfestival@ golf, face painting and a craft area for the gmail.com or visit the event page on kids, as well as booths with local artisans, Facebook.

Northside Elem. celebrates 67th Harvest Dinner

By Reader Staff

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Northside Elementary School is celebrating its 67th annual Harvest Dinner.

The Harvest Dinner, which this year takes place Saturday, Oct. 19, has been a success since 1952 because of community support and the work of Northside staff and family volunteers. An average of 350 to 400 guests are served a traditional turkey dinner with all the time-honored side dishes. Dessert tables filled with an assortment of pies and cakes spread the length of the gym. Good cheer and delicious smells fill the air as the community gathers to enjoy this festive meal.

The doors are open to the public from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Tickets can be pur-

chased at the door for $10 for adults and $5 for children. Kids 4 and under are free.

All proceeds go to Northside Elementary.

The school will be accepting any packaged food donations on behalf of the Bonner Community Food Bank upon admission. Attendees are encouraged to harvest from their homes and hearts to help neighbors in need.

Northside Elementary is located at 7881 Colburn Culver Road. If you have any questions, or would like further information on ways you can help donate to Northside Elementary, contact the school at 208-263-2734 or the Northside Parent Teacher Organization at northsideid.pto@ gmail.com.

MUSIC

How to listen to live music

By Ben Olson Reader Staff If you’ve read the headline and thought, “Duh, you just listen to it, bro,” you’re missing the point. Furthermore, this article is probably going to be particularly beneficial to you.

Sandpoint’s live music scene ebbs and flows throughout the years. Right now, in my opinion, we are in a flow, with so many talented local bands playing at a variety of different venues scattered throughout North Idaho.

Some places are loud and boisterous, others cultivate a quieter “listening room” vibe. Whatever the case may be, here are a handful of etiquette tips for those of you who frequent live music shows in Sandpoint.

If you come to talk, don’t sit at the table up front I get it, not everyone goes out intending to listen to live music.

That’s fine. But, if you came out to meet with your crew and get caught up on the latest dish about Brad and Becky, maybe pick a table that isn’t right in front of the stage. You’d be surprised how much we musicians can actually hear. You’d also be correct in assuming we don’t exact-

A helpful primer on being a good audience member

Photo by Dan Gold. ly want to hear all that information about Brad and Becky.

Bantering can be great.

Heckling? Not so much Comedians have a rough job.

There are actually people who attend comedy shows and think it’s part of the fun to heckle a comedian in the middle of their set. Luckily, most people don’t heckle a band when they’re on stage. But I have seen some questionable interactions over the years. When we were playing at Eichardt’s years ago, a former acquaintance of mine walked in the front door and saw I was on stage in the middle of a song. He leaned on the wall next to the stage and began conducting a conversation with me. I was so confused, since I was actually playing and singing during

our “conversation.” You can yell out requests, shout something funny, voice your support of a song choice, but conversations and heckling should be saved for after the show.

It’s best to talk after a show instead of before Sometimes bands have an hour or more to set up the stage and conduct a sound check. Sometimes it’s compressed into 20 minutes. Either way, it takes a bit of concentration to hook up all those cords and set the stage just right in a short amount of time. If I ever want to talk with a band, I’ll keep it to a simple hello before the show and save any indepth conversation for afterward so they can concentrate on making the sound just right.

Don’t touch the

instruments. Ever.

It happens quite often, actually. Someone will ask if they can bang on the drums or hold your guitar. Listen, most musicians are two steps away from poverty.

Often their guitar or keyboard is the only expensive item they own, sometimes worth thousands of dollars. Just don’t ask, please.

You can potentially endanger their source of income if you damage an instrument.

Don’t come onto the stage, please If a band wants you on stage, they will ask you on stage. There’s a lot of equipment and cords laying around, so most of the time it’s a safety hazard. But it’s also super annoying when someone thinks they can just grab the mic or a tambourine and join the band.

Don’t do it. Don’t be that guy.

“Free Bird!”

This is probably the bane of every live band’s existence. Eventually, someone will yell “Free Bird!” at a show, as in they want you to play it. The joke needs to be retired.

Don’t forget to tip the band!

A snapshot of notable live music coming up in Sandpoint Devon Wade Duo, Oct. 18, Mickduff’s Beer Hall

Vanna Oh! and the Anys, Oct. 18, 219 Lounge

Prediction: When Devon Wade plays the MickDuff’s Beer Hall, you’ll be hard pressed to make it from the bar back to your table without bumping into someone in boots and Wranglers tearing up the dance floor to some down-home country.

Originally from Sandpoint but now known to frequent venues throughout the Inland Northwest, Wade and his father Mac make up the Devon Wade Duo. Wade’s classic country voice and uncanny ability to turn a low-key hangout into a honky tonk make him a regional favorite.

Whether it’s a country cover or one of his many originals, Wade brings the big energy of country radio to Sandpoint every time he plays.

— Lyndsie Kiebert

Combine Blondie’s feminie edge and aesthetic with the modernized blues rock of The Black Keys, and the result is just a taste of the powerhouse that is Spokane-based rocker Vanna Oh! Along with her band, the Anys, Vanna Oh! uses driving electric guitar and vocals that slip and slide from growls to playful falsetto to create a rock sound reminiscent of the old but made new by her subject matter: sharing the female rock ’n’ roll experience.

Her debut EP Samples dropped in September and if the energy on the recordings is indicative of Vanna Oh!’s live shows, shake out those neck muscles — headbanging is a must.

—Lyndsie Kiebert

6:30-9:30 p.m., FREE, 21+. Mickduff’s Beer Hall, 220 Cedar St., 208-209-6700, mickduffs.com. Listen at facebook.com/devonwademusic.

9 p.m. to midnight, FREE, 21+. 219 Lounge, 219 First Ave., 208263-5673, 219.bar. Listen at vannaoh.com.

This week’s RLW by Lyndsie Kiebert

READ

While substitute teaching in the Hope Elementary library recently, I found myself perusing the shelves for a quick read. One book in particular — Squashed

by Joan Bauer — caught my eye. I vaguely recall writing a book report on the witty coming-of-age story about an Iowa girl on a mission to grow the state’s largest pumpkin.

With characters that jump off the page and a premise that truly sucks you in — gigantic vegetable growing is serious business, OK? — Squashed was a pleasure to revisit this harvest season.

LISTEN

David Bazan is back and better than ever as he and his band, Pedro The Lion, released Phoenix earlier this year. After several years on the road as a solo act, Bazan was losing steam — until he decided to take a breather and spend a few days in his hometown.

Phoenix had changed, but some things remained the same, like his grandparents’ kitchen floor tiles.

That inspiration led to what would become an album about home, growing up and finding peace with it all. Plus, any Pedro the Lion fan will agree that the track “Black Canyon” is Bazan at his best.

WATCH

Looking for something cutthroat as hell but narratively complex enough to keep your attention? Yellowstone is for you.

Kevin Costner does what he does best playing John Dutton, a widower, father and owner of the largest ranch in Montana. As conflicts unfold with both the neighboring tribe and several land-hungry developers, there’s no telling how Dutton and his ragtag gang of adult children and ranch hands will fend them off. Hint: people will probably die.

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HOROSCOPE

The Real Folk Horoscope

Little reminders for re-realizing who you may or may not be From Pend d’Oreille Review, Friday, Oct. 24, 1913

BOTH LEGS OFF UNDER WHEELS About 7 o’clock this morning Clarence Mathews, a stranger in the city with residence at La Grande, Ore., while stealing a ride on a freight train, slipped as he attempted to alight in front of the Northern Pacific depot and fell under the wheels. Both legs were cut off.

The right leg was cut off below the knee and the left leg above the knee.

Mathews did not lose consciousness and was picked up from the depot platform by two young men who were on the train with him.

Alfred Lablance, with the Pacific Transfer wagon, was at the depot at the time and he took the young man to the City hospital. Mathews begged Leblance to shoot him. When Mathews was placed on the operating table at the hospital be begged the doctors to make as quick work of it as possible.

One leg was cut clean off by the car wheels and the other had to be amputated.

The shock was too great for Mathews to tell much about himself or where he was going.

The young man has a wife and children and a mother residing at La Grande and a brother in Spokane who was informed of the accident and who was expected to arrive here this afternoon.

Mathews was well-dressed but had but a small amount of money. He is about 26 years of age.

His recovery is doubtful.

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By Cody Lyman Reader Columnist

Libra

Your mask will not come off. The costume is permanent.

Scorpio

Looking both ways before crossing the street won’t save you this time.

Sagittarius

You shouldn’t be concerned about selling your soul to a sinister entity accidentally. Yours is past its sell-by date.

Capricorn

If you think you’re ahead of the curve, you are playing a Mesoamerican ballgame.

Aquarius

It is the greatest irony when you, the water-bearer, get lost in the desert and drown in a mirage.

Pisces

Freedom isn’t free. You will learn to appreciate this after you get pulled over for driving without a driver’s license.

Aries

Is that a bald spot on top of your head?

Taurus

You tend to forget that you’ll never be young again.

Gemini

When boarding the airplane, check the pilot for the smell of schnapps.

Virgo

There’s lead in that water, by the way.

Cody Lyman was chemically engineered in a lab with orange walls to bring frustration and/or good fortune within your reach. Which will it be?

It’s anybody’s guess. Check back next month for another peek into the void.

Crossword Solution

Cancer

Avoid railroad crossings at all costs.

Leo

When you go out, you’d be wise to sit in the corner booth, with your back to the walls.

I hope that after I die, people will say of me: “That guy sure owed me a lot of money.”

Copyright www.mirroreyes.com

CROSSWORD ACROSS

Woorf tdhe Week

gaslight

/gas-LÎT//

[verb] 1. manipulate (someone) by psychological means into questioning their own sanity.

“The Trump official just gaslighted his way through another presser.”

Corrections: In last week’s story about the cougar sightings in the north part of the county, we were given incorrect information from the Bonner County Sheriff’s Office’s Nixle alert. According to Idaho Fish and Game, the cougar never did attack and kill alpacas or deer. IFG representatives wrote that these alpaca killings may refer to attacks reported earlier in 2019.

1. Good person 6. Potato 10. Gala 14. Channel selector 15. Gambling game 16. Lazily 17. Possible 19. Equipment 20. Baby slipper 21. Tavern 22. Part of an ear 23. Gave out 25. An alloy of copper and zinc 26. Does something 30. Edict 32. Ripped off 35. Loftiest 12. Thick slices of 66. Picnic insects 39. Haphazard something 67. Once more 40. A Native American tent 13. Beginners 68. Vestibule 41. One of the Great Lakes 18. Born as 43. Ancient Greek mistress 24. Append 44. Skin pattern DOWN 25. Give birth to 46. Bambi was one 26. Hairdo 1. Knife 47. Not a consonant 27. Family group 2. Car 50. Journeys 28. Canvas dwelling 3. Within 53. Press 29. Solemnity 4. Tidy 54. Put clothing on 31. Liturgy 5. Attempted 55. Pass by 33. Reef material 6. Calypso offshoot 60. “Your majesty” 34. Send forth 7. Little rock 61. Unify 36. Type of sword 8. Open a gate 63. Throw 9. One who accomplishes 37. Arid 64. Figures 38. Rip 10. Front man 65. Corrupt 11. Swelling under the skin 42. Footstool

Solution on page 26 43. Furrow maker 45. Showy 47. Panorama 48. Heavenly hunter 49. Most bad 51. Beer barrel 52. A person who is owned by someone 54. 20th-century art movement 56. So be it 57. Breathe hard 58. Sun 59. Evasive 62. Legislation

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SATURDAY, OCTOBER 19 �n�

BREWING .,, COMPANY �.?pb/N1, ,��

1 YEAR ANNIVERSARY

CELEBRATION 12-2pm Alex Cope & Chad Patrick 3-6pm

Baregrass

6-9pm The Powers

Anniversary Beer Release and4pm Community Toast!

Brew to Table!

A Makers Long Acres pig raised on Matchwood spent grain smoked outside for 24 hours!