“Obscenity is what happens to shock some elderly and ignorant magistrate.”
— Bertrand Russell
We have a weekly ritual after sending the paper off to our printer Wednesday night. We celebrate with a drink or two at a bar downtown. Last week, a group of locals were gathered around telling stories about “retrospective drunken detective work,” which is when you wake up after tying one on and try to figure out what you did the night before. I remembered a story from college when I woke up with a huge red stain on my stomach. I gasped, thinking the stain was blood, until I peeled a perfectly flattened ice cream cone from the mess. It looked like Wile E. Coyote after he’d fallen off a cliff. I Iay there scratching my pounding head, applying some retrospective drunken detective work and surmised I must have gotten home from a party, made myself an enormous strawber ry ice cream cone, gone to bed and fallen asleep while eating in bed, eventually rolling over onto the cone, flattening it perfectly. Not my finest hour, but definitely a memorable one.
You’ve likely seen motor cyclists passing one another, each of them dropping their left arms and extending two fingers toward the ground. The so-called “biker wave” is a form of etiquette when you ride a mo torcycle — one I was intrigued by when I first got my bike about 15 years ago. At first it felt silly, then it became natural. Now, it’s just something you do when passing other motorcyclists. I grew curious about where this tradition originated from. I know military salutes supposedly came from when two knights would pass each other and raise the visors from their armored helmets as a courtesy to identify themselves, but the origins of the biker wave are a bit murkier. Some claim that William Harley and Arthur Davidson once waved to each other in 1904 from passing bikes and the habit continued, but that theory is lacking evidence. What’s more likely is that the wave is nothing more than a common practice among all motorcy clists because of the unique bond they share as riders. It’s like the wave is a benediction, a friendly wish for each other to keep the dirty side down. Riding a motorcycle, after all, is a unique experience that most people probably don’t under stand — especially if they don’t ride. It’s probably the same reason why, every time I run out of gas or have bike trouble, another biker always stops to lend a hand.
How many times have you purchased something — or not purchased something — at the grocery store just because you wanted to avoid talking to someone you saw in an aisle? I’m guilty (and I’m still out of toilet paper).
I had a thought while backpacking in the mountains last weekend. Talking with my friends about how disappointed we were that people were actually banning books in this supposedly advanced age, I decided to do something about it. I have no polit ical power or ability to convince the hoopleheads to think differently, but I do have this little weekly newspaper that reaches thousands of you every week.
In the Sept. 22 Reader, we included a list of 25 books that have been banned this year in Idaho. I’ve decided to read every single one of those banned books and write an article about each one, highlighting the storylines, plots and what might have con tributed to the closedminded seeking to ban them.
It’s going to take a while, but I believe it to be a worthy endeavor. When those ignorant few with closed minds try to take us down to their level, the only response is to continue taking the high road. Keep reading, keep learning and shove it in their face. History has never been kind to those who ban books and neither will I.
It’s on.
–Ben Olson, publisher111 Cedar Street, Suite 9 Sandpoint, ID 83864 (208) 946-4368
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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 alterna tive by offering honest, in-depth reporting that reflects the intelligence and interests of our diverse and growing community. The Reader is printed on recycled paper using soy-based ink. Leftover copies are collected and recycled weekly, or burned in massive bon fires to appease the gods of journalism. Free to all, limit two cop ies per person
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This week’s cover was painted by Val Iva.
The Army Corps of Engi neers has announced plans to revoke its permit for the Trestle Creek Marina, citing changes to the proposed project and “signif icant objections to the authorized activity that were not earlier considered” — in particular, objections to possible impacts on vital bull trout habitat.
The Corps permitted the marina — proposed by property owner The Idaho Club and parent company Valiant Idaho II, LLC — in 2019, but suspended it in 2021 to obtain updated Endan gered Species Act consulting with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Ser vice. In a Sept. 15 letter to Valiant managing member William Haberman, the Corps announced its intentions to revoke the
permit by Sept. 26 unless Valiant requested a meeting “to present information on this matter.”
“The Army Corps made the right call by pulling the plug on its permit for this highly destruc tive development,” said Whitney Palmer of the Center for Biologi cal Diversity, which, in conjunc tion with the Idaho Conservation League, sued the Corps and US FWS on Aug. 25 on the grounds that the permit and biological opinion were legally deficient.
“We have to protect bull trout habitat from any project that forever alters the lake and stream these treasured fish depend on,” Palmer continued. “We expect nothing less for the crucial area around Trestle Creek.”
Palmer told the Reader that federal officials informed the Center for Biological Diversity Sept. 27 that Valiant had request ed a meeting with the Corps and
the Sept. 26 permit revocation date had been extended to Oct. 12.Specifically, Palmer relayed, “the Corps anticipates taking action on the proposal to revoke the 2019 Permit” on Oct. 12.
In the meantime, the permit’s suspension remains and work cannot occur on the marina, which is proposed to feature more than 100 boat slips, a large parking lot, several residential homes and more.
According to a media release from the conservation groups opposed to the project, “once the Corps revokes the permit, any new permit for this development would need to go through proper environmental review.”
“This would require the Corps to complete an environmental impact statement, a public inter est review, full notice and com ment process and new consul tation with [USFWS] under the
Endangered Species Act to en sure threatened and endangered species wouldn’t be harmed,” the statement continued. “The Corps would also need to determine the effects the project would have on wetlands and could potentially require the developer to purchase credits through a wetland mitiga tion bank.”
Bull trout were listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act in 1999. In 2010,
The proposed project location for the Trestle Creek Marina. The Army Corps of Engineers recently announced plans to revoke the permit for the project due to possible impacts on vi tal bull trout habitat. Courtesy image.
USFWS designated critical habitat for bull trout, including Trestle Creek.
Haberman of Valiant Idaho II, LLC declined to comment on the Corps’ decision to revoke the marina’s permit.
First District Court Judge Cynthia K.C. Meyer remanded the vacation of Camp Bay Road back to the Bonner County Commissioners for a second time on Sept. 20, ruling that the board should once again consider whether vacating a portion of the road would be “in the public interest.”
M3 ID Camp Bay, LLC, the company behind a large develop ment at the end of the road, filed the petition for judicial review in March after the board reversed its earlier decision to vacate the road, citing what commissioners believed to be inconclusive evi dence as to whether Camp Bay Road provided public access to Lake Pend Oreille.
According to the ruling, in an additional motion filed in early August, M3 “stated that it had formulated a proposal concerning the Application in which Petition er would create and dedicate a public pathway to provide public access to the Lake in exchange for the Application’s approval.”
“The court determines that good cause exists to allow the BOCC to consider Petitioner’s Proposal, which is material to the BOCC’s public interest determi nation regarding public access to the lake,” Meyer’s ruling reads. “Good cause also exists for judi cial efficiency, mitigating costs for the litigants, and would allow the BOCC to review its factual determinations regarding the legal status of Camp Bay Road, if it so chooses.”
Fred and Jennifer Arn, who successfully litigated to have the
vacation remanded back to the commis sioners in 2021 and intervened in M3’s petition this year, have led the movement advocating for recogni tion of public access to the lake at Camp Bay Road.
“As I read the judge’s opinion, it seems to me, now is the time for the citizens of North Idaho and all people who enjoy the lake to let the com missioners know how they feel,” Fred told the Reader on Sept. 26. “The one thing this all hinges on is the term ‘in the [public] interest’ and to let the commis sars decide what’s in our interest probably isn’t going to work.”
Fred said he’d like to see an
“overwhelming response” from the general public.
“We will try to present [the] clear evidence that the viewer’s report is very clear and proves there is public access to the lake,” he said, “but it’s the people who speak for the people.”
M3 and its legal representa tives did not reply to a request for comment before press time.
The view of Lake Pend Oreille from Camp Bay. Photo by Dan Eskelson.A minor land division ap plied for by the Bonner County planning director saw major modification on Sept. 21, with county commissioners approving a change from a four-lot split to a two-lot split, and neighbors to the property expressing both grati tude and concern at the outcome.
In June, before being hired as Bonner County’s new planning director, Jacob Gabell applied for an MLD — known as the Wood View Acres MLD — to split his private 6.27 acres into four: one 3.49-acre lot, one 1.06-acre lot and two one-acre lots. The pro posal prompted vocal pushback from Wood View Road neighbors, who took issue with the county interpreting “urban services” as “publicly or privately maintained water supply and distribution sys tems,” allowing for Gabell to drill a single well to service all three of the smaller lots.
Neighbors appealed the decision and, in August, Bonner County commissioners upheld their original approval of the MLD. While MLDs are typically approved administratively by the planning director, Gabell’s position as both director and applicant dictated that the file go before the board.
On Sept. 21, commissioners approved a modified version of Gabell’s MLD which request ed splitting the parcel into two — one 3.49-acre lot and one 3,08-acre lot — rather than the original four.
“After receiving the initial approval last month, I contract ed with some outside sources to help meet the conditions of approval that were outlined by the staff. After receiving some reports back and doing my own personal analysis on it, I didn’t feel I could meet the conditions
in a timely manner for myself, so I decided to apply for this mod ification,” Gabell said, adding later: “It shifts, a little bit, my goals for the property, but I think I can make it work.”
Elizabeth Iha, who represented the Wood View Road appellents during the August hearing, said on Sept. 21 that she was “grate ful” for the modification to the file, but that “there are still issues to discuss.” She said Gabell’s decision to amend his MLD came just two days after her group filed a reconsideration request for the board’s second approval, “along with $330 to do so.”
“Because of this, I sent an email to the Planning Depart ment on Sept. 16 asking if we were eligible for a refund, since the application would not be go ing to judicial review,” she said. “I have received no reply.”
Commissioner Dan McDon ald interrupted Iha’s comments to tell her that if she couldn’t keep her remarks related to the modified file before the board, he would “ask [her] to sit down.”
When she continued, he said: “Now you’re out of order. You have a choice: you can sit down or you can leave.”
“What we’re tasked with, and what the law states, is that you can talk about the application,” added Commissioner Jeff Con nolly.” We can’t get off on all kinds of different things. It really doesn’t matter. I’d be happy to have this conversation with you outside of this meeting about whether or not you should have a refund or not. I think there’s a validity to it.”
Reg Crawford, of land use watchdog nonprofit Project 7B, addressed the “many flaws with in the MLD process.”
“Mr. Gabell’s failure to acknowledge that this split-wellas-urban-water [scenario] is not consistent with the code, and the
fact that he will be in the unique position of administratively ap proving other MLDs which may try to use this same erroneous interpretation — that’s problem atic,” she said.
McDonald warned Crawford to “stick to the file,” after which she concluded her remarks.
“I appreciate all the neigh bors who opposed the file, because they were berated and ignored and denied due process, as they were again today when
they were speaking,” she said. “I hope this board considers mak ing changes that return transpar ency and integrity to land use here in Bonner County.”
Asked Sept. 26 whether his neighbors’ reconsideration request played any part in his decision to alter his minor land division from four lots to two, Gabell told the Reader, “no.”
“I’d already contacted my surveyor to combine the lots when that reconsideration re
quest came in,” he said.
Iha told the Reader Sept. 28 that she had yet to receive a reply to her original email to the Planning Department inquiring about a refund. She said she spoke with Gabell following the Sept. 21 hearing, during which he told her that a refund would only be possible if the reconsid eration request was withdrawn.
Iha and the other neighbors involved have not yet decided if they will do that.
The Idaho Transportation Department has spent August and September stopping traffic on North Idaho highways in the name of rockfall mitigation, with specialized rock scaling crews out of Oregon starting on the project’s final phase at the Tres tle Creek section of Highway 200 on Sept. 26.
Rock scaling — which also took place along Highway 200 near Clark Fork and Highway 2 between Laclede and Priest River — involves removing rock that has potential to fall on the roadway. To complete the work, traffic is stopped for 20 minutes at a time while contractors propel down the roadside rock walls and pry loose unstable rock, letting it fall into the ditches and roadway. The rock is then moved with heavy equipment and traffic is allowed to pass for a time before it is stopped again for the same process.
Project Manager Josh Nis son told the Reader on Sept. 27 that this is the first time this spe cific type of mitigation work has been used in the district, and the locations were prioritized after an outside consultant iden tified 18 locations susceptible to rockfall in 2020. The scaling at two locations in Trestle Creek is expected to be completed around Friday, Oct. 7.
— Words and photo by Lyndsie Kiebert-Carey.
East, west or beyond, sooner or later events elsewhere may have a local impact. A recent sampling:
By Lorraine H. Marie Reader Columnist By Kelcie Moseley-Morris Idaho Capital SunWhite House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre issued a statement Sept. 27 calling Idaho’s abortion laws “extreme and backwards” in response to a memo issued by the University of Idaho cautioning em ployees not to provide reproductive health counseling to students, including abortion, or risk losing their jobs or face criminal prosecution.
“To be clear, nothing under Idaho law justifies the university’s decision to deny students access to contraception. But the situation in Idaho speaks to the unaccept able consequences of extreme abortion bans,” Jean-Pierre said in the statement. “The overwhelming majority of Americans believe in the right to birth control, as well as the right to abortion, without government interference.”
The university’s general counsel sent the memo to all employees on Sept. 23, advising that Idaho law prohibits university employees from promoting, counseling or referring someone for an abortion, and prohibits the institution from dispensing drugs classified as emergency contraception except in cases of rape.
The memo was intended to help UI staff understand the complexity of a law passed in the 2021 session of the Idaho Legislature dubbed the No Public Funds for Abortion Act. The University of Idaho and other pub lic schools across Idaho are subject to the law since they are state-funded institutions.
University of Idaho spokesperson Jodi Walker said the memo was intended to help employees understand the legal significance and possible ramifications of the law, which includes individual criminal prosecution.
“While abortion can be discussed as a policy issue in the classroom, we highly recommend employees in charge of the classroom remain neutral or risk violating this law,” Walker said in an email to the Sun. “We support our students and em ployees, as well as academic freedom, but understand the need to work within the laws set out by our state.”
White House official: U.S. Supreme Court decision created a runway for birth control bans
University officials were told in the guidance not to dispense birth control un less it comes from student health facilities
that are contracted through Moscow Family Health, and not to provide condoms except to prevent the spread of sexually transmitted diseases.
An official with President Joe Biden’s administration told the Idaho Capital Sun the university’s memo is indicative of a larger trend across the country of Republi can officials expressing support for contra ception bans, including banning Plan B.
At the time the bill passed the Idaho Legislature, one of the state’s leading anti-abortion organizations — the Idaho Family Policy Center — supported it as a way to ensure “abortion providers do not have unfettered access to students at public schools, colleges and universities,” accord ing to a statement from 2021.
“Our hard-earned tax dollars should never be spent on promoting abortion,” said Idaho Family Policy Center President Blaine Conzatti in a statement at the time.
“[The act] will help create a culture of life in Idaho by making sure taxpayers do not subsidize something as morally problematic as abortion.”
Conzatti told the Capital Sun in July that he supports banning Plan B and other types of emergency contraception as well as IUDs, because he said anything that can end life after conception is problematic.
The White House official said the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v.Wade in June paved the way for more restrictions.
“We’re seeing similar efforts pop up in various states across the country, and it’s part of a very disturbing trend that the Supreme Court created a runway for, and Republican officials are taking advantage of to go even further than some of the laws we’ve already seen,” the official said.
The official pointed people concerned about the issue to a website launched by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services summarizing reproductive rights across the country with links to resources and updated information.
“It’s important (for people) to identi fy medical professionals that have all the information about their reproductive rights and reproductive choices,” the official said.
This story was produced by Boise-based nonprofit news outlet the Idaho Capital Sun, which is part of the States Newsroom nationwide reporting project. For more information, visit idahocapitalsun.com.
The United States ranks 41st in the world for “sustainable development goals,” defined as good health and education, gender equality, clean air and water, reduced inequali ty, and absence of poverty and hunger, accord ing to the United Nations. Some countries that did better: Cuba, Croatia and Estonia.
Senate Republicans successfully blocked the DISCLOSE Act recently, which aimed to name donors giving more than $10,000 per election cycle, the Washington Post report ed. Donor secrecy remains.
Former-President Donald Trump claimed on Fox News that he could de classify government documents by verbal declaration, or “even thinking about it.” That has been declared inaccurate. Trump’s handling of classified material remains under investigation.
After Iran’s “morality police” detained a 22-year-old woman for allegedly wearing her headscarf too loosely, she died in custody, triggering protests. Dozens were killed by authorities, and internet restrictions were im posed, according to Vox. Protesters chanted “Women, Life, Freedom,” and Iranian wom en have been burning their headscarves. In recent decades Iranian women have strug gled for abortion and divorce rights, and the right to “have a say about who her husband’s second wife is going to be.”
Climate watch: Hurricane Fiona recent ly pounded the Atlantic coast of Canada. The storm is now regarded as “unprec edented” for the area. No deaths were reported, NPR reported. Prior to Canada, Fiona hit Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, resulting in 17 deaths.
Three migrants on the flight to Martha’s Vineyard filed a class action lawsuit against those who arranged the journey: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Secretary of the Florida Department of Transportation Jared W. Per due and yet-to-be identified defendants who were in direct contact with the migrants. Popular Information reported allegations are that the defendants “executed a premedi tated, fraudulent and illegal scheme.”
The Federal Reserve, led by Trump appointee Jerome Powell, has promised a series of interest rate increases from 3.7% to 4.4% that the Central Bank warned will result in 1.2 million more unemployed peo ple — typically minorities and the less-edu cated. The Fed’s goal is to lower inflation by slowing the economy and reducing demand.
According to ABC, economists who op pose Powell’s strategy noted that interest rate hikes have failed to significantly reduce
prices, leading some to propose other ways to dodge a possible recession — such as expansion of U.S. production to address supply shortages and price controls. Those controls were used during WWII. Former Labor Secretary Robert Reich testified to Congress last week about inflation, ex plaining the difference between wage-price inflation and profit-price inflation. He said that during the past two years some com panies have raised their prices beyond their own increasing costs, worsening inflation. Reich told Congress that the Fed’s plan to sacrifice workers to lower inflation should be replaced by enforcement of antitrust laws, windfall profit taxes and price con trols to stop gouging.
President Joe Biden ditched “trickle down economics” for addressing the econ omy. Results so far, reported by various media: manufacturers experienced a net gain of 67,000 workers above pre-pan demic levels; the American Rescue Plan of 2021 aided the recovery of manufacturing jobs; the real net worth of the bottom 50% of U.S. households is up 60%; and more companies have committed to build ing and expanding their manufacturing in the U.S., since the policy environment now makes that more attractive.
Japan has banned the export of chemical weapons-related goods to Russia, the AP re ported. Japan commented: “As the world’s only country to have suffered a nuclear attack, we strongly demand that the threat or use of nuclear weapons by Russia should never happen.” Russian military enlistment centers are attempting to force more people to become soldiers — a goal of 1 million more soldiers is sought, according to some reports. Protests have led to 1,300 arrests, and there are long lines at the Finnish border of people leaving Russia.
The BBC reported that four Russian-oc cupied regions of Ukraine would hold an illegitimate referendum vote on joining Russia, while many residents of those areas have already fled. An annexation would allow Russia to claim it was under attack by a foreign power. A similar “vote” occurred when Crimea was annexed to Russia in 2014. At that time, Russia claimed 96.7% supported annexation, but a leaked human rights report showed the voter turnout was 30%, with possibly only half voting to annex.
A Russian security official “made clear” that nuclear weapons would protect annexed Ukrainian territories.
Blast from the past: “Be yourself. Well, maybe someone a little nicer.” — Barbara Bush, 1925-2018, former first lady, wife of President George H.W. Bush.
Press secretary says situation speaks to unacceptable consequences of abortion bans
The estimated number of citizens who have been killed in Ukraine due to the on going invasion by Russia, which started in March 2022. More than 382 of those deaths have been children.
The number of U.S. senators (all Re publicans) who voted against the Honoring Our Pact Act, which passed the Senate with a vote of 86-11. All Democratic senators voted in favor of the act, which protects American veterans who were exposed to toxic burn pits in the post 9/11 era, along with veterans who were exposed to chemi cals such as Agent Orange during the Viet nam War. Idaho Sens. Mike Crapo and Jim Risch are among the 11 GOP senators who voted against the legislation.
The total acres burned in the Kootenai River Complex fire as of Sept. 28. The fires were started by lightning on Aug. 13 and have been burning steadily since, with higher temperatures and wind negatively affecting firefighters’ efforts to fully contain the blaze.
The amount of large wildfires burning in Idaho — the most in the nation — as reported by the National Interagency Fire Center. The agency reported 27 large fires burning in Montana, 13 large fires in Washington and six large fires in both Cal ifornia and Oregon. According to the Idaho Department of Lands, 347,871 acres have burned in Idaho wildfires.
The median listing home price in Bon ner County, according to realtor.com. Other sites report the median listing price closer to $800,000.
The number of people who have been charged with crimes related to the Jan. 6 in surrection so far. The longest sentence hand ed down yet is 10 years in prison for Thomas Webster, found guilty of assaulting a Capitol Police officer and engaging on violence in a restricted area with a dangerous weapon.
•“A big ‘Thank You’ to Bran don of ‘Good Job Handyman’ for his beautiful work on the hand rails into our home, both from the garage and the front entry. It’s wonderful to see a person take pride in their work.”
— By Gail and Michael Har melin
•A Bouquet goes out to the Sandpoint Rotary Club and all the CHAFE 150 volunteers, riders and organizers. It’s always heart warming to attend a club meeting and watch as the club gives a huge check to support education in LPOSD. This year they donated $80,000 to support the Book Trust program. Way to go, Rotarians.
Dear editor, I wanted to talk about our hospice here in Sandpoint. My husband had been very ill with cancer. After a very long fight we were advised to turn to hospice. We live in Sagle and I can’t tell you how much our lives became more at peace with their help.
It’s so very hard to lose a loved one, but the care and kindness we received from these sweet young ladies was amazing. There’s not enough words to say how grateful we were with all they did to help us day or night.
These ladies never missed a day coming and helping in every way possible. They always had kind words for my family without any criticism, only encouragement. I re ally believe we were always in their thoughts even if they were not here.
It has now been six lonely months since my husband said good bye, and hospice has not forgotten me. They have written letters just to see how my family and I are doing. So thanks to all the sweet young ladies [from Bonner Community Hospice] who have helped us at such a painful time. We don’t know what we would have done without you.
This occurred at the Eastgate Drive crossing near Highway 200 in Ponderay. I’ve seen other people (in cluding adults) crawl under trains at this location before, as trains do block this crossing regularly.
When I was a lad, if my parents would have seen pictures of me doing this, I would have had to donate my bike to Goodwill and I would not have been able to sit down for a week.
Gene Koschinski SandpointDear editor,
from Hope Elementary and getting to watch Trestle Creek turn red with the bull trout spawning every year. Thank you to the Army Corps of Engineers for allowing future gen erations to experience this. Thank you to the Center for Biological Diversity and the Idaho Conserva tion League for fighting for these delicate creatures that are unable to defend themselves from human development.
Brenden Bobby HopeRepublican Central Committee and he spread numer ous falsehoods about Jim Woodward, an honest, decent man who worked effectively and tirelessly as our senator.
Any candidate who lies will not get my vote and that is reason enough to vote for Steve Johnson. But a visit to Johnson’s website, stevejohnson foridaho.com, is a welcome surprise as it reveals that we have a quality candidate in Steve Johnson.
Dear editor, To ensure that our lovely region does not become the laughingstock of Idaho (and probably further) write in Steve Johnson for District 1 state senator.
Ted Wert SagleGas-lighting?…
Steve Johnson’s priorities are reducing property taxes, supporting quality education and preserving our rural lifestyle. All goals that are important to voters.
Johnson is ethical and he puts the interests of District 1 ahead of ideology. Please join me in writing in Steven Johnson for District 1 Senate. Request an absentee ballot at voteidaho.gov, vote early or show up in person on Nov. 8. But above all, vote for ethical representation by writing in Steve Johnson for District 1 Senate.
•I was out at the U-Pick blue berry farms on Shingle Mill Road a couple weekends ago, taking advantage of a sunny afternoon to stockpile blueberries for win ter. I always love my time picking berries. It’s a quiet, meditative experience that is so satisfying when you see the bucket filled af ter only an hour or so. However, I was a bit frustrated during this particular picking session be cause someone a few rows over decided to bring their portable speaker and blast horrible hair metal from the 1980s, which ev eryone at the farm had to endure. I don’t know why some people think it’s cool to blast their music in shared public settings — es pecially ones where people are picking berries and enjoying the quiet sounds of nature. It shows that you have no regard for oth ers. Can we just enjoy the sounds of the farm instead of the sing er of Twisted Sister screaming through the hills? I really don’t care if this officially makes me an old man (what’s more of an old man move than yelling at some one to turn off their music?). I just want people to start thinking of how their lives impact others.
Sincerely, Shirley Holt and the Holt family SagleI am voting for Scott Herndon, come Nov. 8, for many reasons. I appreciate the high value he places on family, consistent involvement in his community and Christian conservatism, to name a few. Being deeply pro-life myself, I highly respect that he has been vocal, for years, about the very real rights of pre-born children. Scott is willing to stick his neck out and say the un popular thing that many may want to say, but are afraid to alienate or anger others by doing so. He has shown courageous leadership skills already, during his campaign, and I can’t wait to see what he could accomplish for conservative North Idahoans, in our state senate. Vote Scott Herndon on Nov. 8!
Dear editor,
What does hope look like?
Watering a freshly planted tree. Waiting for the school bus. A crocus in the spring snow. The determined lady with crutches going to physical therapy. A prayer circle for children in Ukraine. Cars stopped for the moose and calf crossing the road. Graduation hats flung in the air.
Buying suntan lotion in February. AA meeting at the Gardenia Center. Pouring a new concrete foundation. The 4-H leader encouraging a child’s project. The first sonogram. Tying flies three weeks before opening season. Standing in line to vote.
Hope looks like each of us, like all of us-working together, support ing each other, respecting each other. Let’s keep hope alive.
Steve Johnson SagleDear editor,
On Saturday, Sept. 17 at 3:15 p.m., I observed two kids pass their scooter and bike through a stopped train, then crawl through to the other side.
Faith Brenneman SandpointDear editor, Scott Herndon is running for Senate and he has a really sweet family. His wife is so nice and friendly. She always has a smile for me, and always makes time to chitchat. You’ll notice in some of the pic tures of Scott, he is wearing a nice date-night looking shirt, looking like his wife dressed him. (I recognize it because I have favorite shirts I like on my husband.) Anyway, they are a really cute couple, and she is really sweet on him. It really says something about a person’s charac ter when his wife likes him. In my experience with them, they have always been down-to-earth people. Also their kids are nice.
Jenn McKnight SandpointDear editor, One of my fondest childhood memories was riding the bus home
Dear editor, One should not poke the Sand point gas price gouging cartel, as one letter last week did [“What’s the excuse for Sandpoint’s high gas prices?”..., Sept. 22, 2022]. I see this morning (Sept. 23), the price jumped 30 cents a gallon overnight from $4.30 to $4.59 the day after the letter appeared, even though the price of a barrel is the lowest it’s been in quite a while, closing at $78.25 per barrel on Sept. 23 — the lowest since January. As of Sept. 24, gas went up again to $4.75 a gallon here in the ’Point. Apparently two stations at the southern and another at the western approach to town didn’t get the message — yet — they still had it at $4.60. Must just be a coincidence. Uh huh, yeah...
Lawrence Fury
Sandpoint
Write in Dist. 1 Sen. candidate Steve Johnson for ethical representation…
Dear editor, Character counts! When I go into the voting booth to select someone who will represent me, I want a per son of character. Steve Johnson’s announcement to run a District 1 Senate write-in campaign against Scott Herndon is welcome news, as voters now have a choice between someone of character and someone who goes as low as possible to win.
Scott Herndon lied about being endorsed by the Boundary County
Dear editor,
8 / R / September 29, 2022 Krista Eberle SandpointWe would like to thank the fire fighters who cut a perimeter around an acre fire not far above our house on Sand Mountain, that was started by the recent lightning storm. We just hiked up the steep trail they cut and were impressed with their work and diligence to make sure it was really extinguished. Living outside of the fire district we are deeply appreciative of their efforts to keep our neighborhood safe.
Gabrielle and Tom Duebendorfer ElmiraGot something to say? Write a letter to the editor. During election season, we will accept letters under 200 words which are free from excessive profanity, untruths and libelous statements. Please elevate the conversa tion. After the general elec tion in November, we will revert back to the 300-word limit for letters to the editor.
Steam ripples off my coffee mug, fogging the glass of the large window in front of me. I use my shirt sleeve to wipe my view clear. A bustling pedestri an crossing in the foreground gives way to a broad plaza and, further still, to an elegantly sloping opera house before a moody, gray waterway. The waterway, or inner Oslofjord, will eventually connect with the outer Oslofjord, before joining with the North Sea. It’s a picture of glass and cement and wood and water, of slop ing angles and the confluence of man-made and earth-made beauty — as if everything in front of me is of the landscape, not apart from it.
I arrived in Norway fewer than 24 hours ago; and, al though my impressions have been fast, and made in a whirl wind of jet lag and positive expectations, they continue to be affirmed in every new thing I witness. From the Oslo air port’s use of raw materials in its design to the interspersed trees within its parking lots and, now, the city architecture’s undeni able homage to the landscape around it, there’s an undercur rent of thoughtfulness here — of how the things we create can be both useful and beautiful, manmade and natural.
Several years ago, I found myself in tears at the Vancou ver Museum of Anthropology while standing in front of a display case of Tlingit-crafted
tools and painted vessels. The Tlingit are Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast of North America who share a common cultural heritage, and the exhibit display I read described their perspective on craftsmanship.
In the Tlingit language, Łingít, there is no direct trans lation for our Western concept of “art,” as the Tlingit tradition of creating art is intrinsically tied to function, context and many facets of folklife, like his tory, spirituality and ceremony. To create something artistically was to consider its function and impact both in the present and across generations — a spoon is both a utensil and an homage to ancestry and spirituality. To make something useful was also to make something beau tiful, with every act of creation being intertwined with rever ence and consideration.
I feel that same reverence and consideration in craftsman ship here in Norway, with the natural world seeming to influ ence all that’s been built within it. The infrastructure isn’t
determined strictly by conve nience or economy but, instead, seems to have been designed for its current and future impact and an ability to inspire people across time.
This foresight and con sideration has felt striking in juxtaposition with the pace and style of development in Sandpoint — in another swath of trees clear-cut to make way for another lot of storage units — and in the United States in general. Core to our Ameri canness is the value we place on economy and growth — our ability to create things as cheaply and quickly as possi ble. We strike at opportunities with ferocity and recklessness, capitalizing on “hot markets” and high profit margins, with out consideration for impact, and certainly not for inspira tion. We prioritize efficiency, often at the expense of quality.
There are so many instances in which I’m grateful for this American efficiency, which propels us to the forefront of innovation and get things done when they need doing. But, right now, as I sit at a roughhewn countertop and witness the seamless lines between the water and the building emerg ing from it, I can’t help but think of what we could create if we slowed down long enough to consider its impact and its potential in tandem with its use fulness. Or, if we understood the act of making something as the act of making something beautiful and timeless.
On the wall behind me, there’s a quote inconspicuous
Norwayly written into the pattern of the wallpaper, as if only to be seen when taking an appro priate pause enough to do so. It reads, “The glimmer of the bay is barely noticeable in the distance. Silence reigns over the lake. A whisper lurks be tween the trees. My old garden listens mildly entertained to the breath of night.”
I wish you the stillness to
witness beauty, and the inspira tion to create meaningful, last ing things from all that inspires you. Greetings from Norway!
Emily Erickson is a writer and business owner with an affinity for black coffee and playing in the mountains. Con nect with her online at www. bigbluehat.studio.
By BO Emily Erickson. Retroactive
Editor’s note: Brenden Bobby was unable to contribute a column this week, so Reader Publisher Ben Olson is filling in for him.
It’s a beautiful thing to be curious. Sure, it killed the cat, but curiosity has guided many import ant scientific advancements over the centuries.
Since I’m filling in for Brenden this week, I thought I’d structure this column a bit differently and answer some everyday scientific questions you might have pon dered a time or two.
Does blowing on hot tea real ly cool it down?
Even though your breath is warmer than the surrounding air, blowing on a cup of hot tea does actually cool it — a little. It all comes down to convection and evaporation.
As water molecules evapo rate from the surface, it drops the average kinetic energy of the tea as well as the temperature. The evap orated molecules condense into steam over the cup, which lowers the liquid’s evaporation rate from the surface. Blowing replaces the hot, moist air with cooler, drier air, which helps to increase evapora tion. Stirring will also help cool the tea by speeding up the convection process, bringing the hottest liquid at the bottom of the cup to the top.
This is a reason why it’s often best to leave a lid on a pan while boiling water, which traps more hot, moist air on the surface and results in the water reaching a boiling point faster.
How often should I reboot my computer?
This depends on what kind of computer you operate. A Windows computer should be shut down or,
even better, restarted once a week or so with “fast startup” turned off to ensure it properly shuts down all processes and cleans up. Mac computers, on the other hand, tend to be a little more stable and may only need to be restarted with system installs or upgrades. Linux machines usually don’t need restarting very often.
One major benefit of restarting your computer is that it clears everything from memory, which might resolve problems like hav ing applications crash.
Why do I feel my phone vibrating when it’s not?
This one actually has a name: “phantom vibration syndrome.”
According to a study, nine out of 10 undergraduates said they felt their phone buzz in their pocket, but pulled it out only to see no one called or texted them.
Scientists aren’t 100% sure why these hallucinations happen to so many of us.
One theory claims that our excessive smartphone usage, and the creeping sense that we need to make ourselves available 24/7, have conditioned our brains to overinterpret sensations such as clothing moving against our skin. The result is a lot of false alarms.
Why is leftover pizza so good?
After devouring a few slices of ’za, you might remark the follow ing day that it’s even better eating it for leftovers. This is because a night in the fridge gives the pizza flavors time to merge and mellow with one another. The pizza keeps its structure when cold, which helps the tomato layer prevent fat in the cheese from seeping into the dough base.
Food temperature also has an effect on taste perception. Warmer foods encourage heat-sensitive channels in the tongue’s sweet and bitter taste receptors to open wide, which sets off a chain reaction to
send strong signals to the brain.
With colder food, the channels are barely open and the signals weaker. Salty and sour taste recep tors are not affected by tempera ture like bitter and sweet, so cold pizza can taste a bit saltier and oftentimes, quite tasty.
Can you just cut the mold off of food and eat it safely?
It works with cheese, after all. But it’s not quite that simple.
Molds are fungi, some of which produce poisonous sub stances called mycotoxins, which may cause serious health effects, including tremors, fever, muscle fatigue and vomiting. Aflatoxins, produced by molds in cereals, spices and tree nuts, are some of the worst. They have been discov ered to damage DNA and cause cancer, while large doses can dam age the liver (this is why it’s never good to eat rancid nuts).
Molds thrive in moist, soft foods, like peaches. They also spread quickly through porous foods like bread, creating a network of roots invisible to the naked eye. If you think cutting off a moldy corner of bread makes the rest good to go, think again.
It’s only advisable to eat moldy foods that are designed to be that way, like blue cheese. But, there are some exceptions when you can safely slice away the mold, includ ing with hard cheese, hard salami and firm vegetables like carrots. If you’re brave enough to eat moldy food, make sure you slice away a good margin for safety.
Are paper towels or electric hand dryers more hygienic?
Sometimes this depends on where you’re using the bathroom; but, overall, scientists have failed to come up with a decisive answer for this question. What matters most, however, is washing hands regularly with soap and water for 20 seconds.
Do animals give each other names, or is that just a human trait?
Believe it or not, research suggests that other social species actually do give out and respond to particular “names” from fellow animals.
Green-rumped parrot parents give their chicks a “signature call” or “name,” which is learned in the nest. Dolphins learn their own idiosyncratic “signature whistle” from their mother, and they can recognise and remember
the “names” of other dolphins, too. One study found that male dolphins respond more strongly to the whistles of consistently helpful allies than to those of more erratic friends, showing that not only do they recognize names, but also know who’s a better friend.
Researchers also found that domesticated pets such as cats and dogs recognize their own names, and furthermore, can discern their owners’ voices from others.
Stay curious, 7B.
•The highest point in Idaho is Mount Borah, at 12,662 feet. The lowest point is on the Snake River, which various sources give as between 710 and 738 feet above sea level.
•Idaho’s state song is called “Here We Have Idaho.” Sallie Hume-Douglas composed the tune for a song called “Garden of Paradise,” which she copyrighted in 1915. University of Idaho students McKinley Helm and Alice Bessee in 1917 composed a new verse and adapted the tune for a song titled “Our Idaho,” which won a campus song contest in 1917. Later, Boise Public Schools Director Albert J. Tompkins penned two additional verses, which were combined with Helm’s verse to form “Here We Have Idaho,” which was became the state song in 1931.
•The state fruit of Idaho is the wild huckleberry, which grows in mountainous areas between 2,000 and 11,000 feet above sea level. While researchers and farmers keep trying to domesticate huckleberries, these wild plants generally do not
like to be tamed, so the best place to find them is in the hills.
•Idaho’s state tree is the western white pine. A tall and slender tree, the western white pine is native to forests of the Pacific Northwest from British Columbia to Montana, and as far south as California. It has blue-green nee dles, slender cones and can grow more than 100 feet tall. Until about 50 years ago, western white pines were the most abundant forest type in the Northern Rockies. The trees have since declined due to out breaks of mountain pine beetle, fire suppression and harvesting. The primary agent of change, though, is the white pine blister rust, which kills most trees that regenerate naturally.
•Idaho’s state bird is the mountain bluebird, adopted in 1931. These beautiful birds prefer to build their nests inside old woodpecker holes or natural cavities in hollow trees. A collective group of moun tain bluebirds is referred to as a mutation.
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By Jennifer Ekstrom Reader Contributor
What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Fernie, British Columbia? Perhaps skiing those amaz ing steep, deep powder runs? Or is it hiking or relaxing at crystalline alpine lakes… or maybe shopping and dining on delicious international fare in a quaint mountain town? All of these ideas stack up as a lovely vacation destination just a few hours drive to our north, and one that also draws adventurers from further afield.
But hidden just beyond the beauty strip in those rugged Rocky Mountains is British Co lumbia’s dirty little secret — or rather, huge catastrophe.
Just up the valley from Fernie, enormous mountaintop removal coal mines are generat ing pollution that flows down the Elk River, into Lake Koocanusa and ultimately into the Kootenai River in Montana and Idaho.
The B.C. provincial and Cana dian federal governments refuse to take action while the mines continue to pollute the waters of their U.S. neighbors and the Ktunaxa people. Unless adequate wastewater treatment facilities are installed and operate effec tively, this pollution flowing from the Elk River Valley will continue for centuries.
Selenium and other contam inants leaching from the B.C. coal mines endanger fish and drinking water in both Canada and the U.S. Selenium becomes toxic at high concentrations, causing reproductive and growth problems for fish and other liv ing beings. It affects certain fish species more than others, and the endangered Kootenai River white sturgeon is highly suscep tible to selenium poisoning.
These fish are some of the largest in North America and have been around since the time
of the dinosaurs. The Kootenai Tribe of Idaho is undertaking ex traordinary efforts to revive this unique population of sturgeon, as well as the burbot fishery, but selenium pollution threatens to undermine their efforts. It would be a shame if these fish perished on our watch.
Under the Boundary Waters Treaty of 1909, which estab lished the framework that neither Canada nor the U.S. can pol lute the waters of the other, an international joint commission (IJC) was created to resolve transboundary water quality disputes. The group is composed of three U.S. and three Canadian commissioners. Upon referrals from the U.S. Department of State and Global Affairs Canada, these commissioners convene to resolve such disputes.
Despite a recent referral from the U.S. Department of State, along with requests from the Biden-Harris administration, the Environmental Protection Agency, and Tribes and First Nations on both sides of the border, Global Affairs Canada has stonewalled the IJC from convening. They are stalling due to resistance from the Province of British Columbia under the leadership of B.C. Premier John Horgan. It’s very likely that Pre mier Horgan’s reticence is due to the fact that the mines are an economic driver for the prov ince, and Horgan places a higher value on economics than on public health, the environment, Indigenous nations or interna tional relations.
Even the mining company, Teck Resources, despite plans to expand their Fording River mine and extend those operations for decades, seems open to a referral to the IJC. Their website espous es their environmental sustain ability ethic and commitment to Indigenous peoples.
So, along with our part ners from Montana, Idaho and British Columbia, the Idaho
Conservation League wrote to Teck Resources asking them to support the IJC referral, the es tablishment of an Indigenous-led watershed board and to table their Fording River mine expan sion plans until the dispute is settled. Although their response was vague, it did not decline to support any of the requests.
While the current government and regulatory framework have done nothing to prevent the un folding environmental crisis, hope is in the air. The political land scape in British Columbia is set to shift this winter — Premier John Horgan is stepping down and the candidates running to replace him are both considered to be friends of the environment. Either David Eby or Anjali Appadurai will be elected as the new premier of British Columbia on Dec. 3, and only then will we know for sure if the stonewalling will stop.
The new premier will have the opportunity to begin repair ing relationships with First Na tions and Tribes; with their allies in Montana and Idaho; and to be gin to heal the lands, waters and fisheries that are suffering. They can do this by simply joining the other parties in asking the Cana
dian federal government to agree to the IJC referral. Once this pollution is stopped at its source, we can better enjoy the moun tains around Fernie knowing that clean water flows through and from the region, and we can breathe easier knowing that the B.C. government is acting in our shared best interest.
For more information contact Jennifer Ekstrom, North Idaho Lakes Conservation associate with the Idaho Conservation League, at 208-318-5812 or jek strom@idahoconservation.org.
The Elk River Valley coal mines, located upriver from Lake Pend Oreille. Photo by Garth Lenz.
By Ben Olson Reader Staff
Harvest is a special time in North Idaho. After a summer of toil and sweat, we finally reap what we’ve sown and enjoy the fruits of our labor. At Hickey Farms, harvest also means throwing a month-long party with their annual Harvest Festival.
The farm, located about seven miles east of Sandpoint on Hickey Road, features u-pick pumpkins, local crafts and produce, live music, a corn maze, tons of kids’ activities, food, drinks and more. The farm will greet visitors Wednesdays and Fridays from 2 p.m.5:30 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. throughout the month, starting on Saturday, Oct. 1 with “Family Day.” The last day will be Saturday, Oct. 29.
There is no charge to visit the farm. While hayrides and live music are free, patrons seeking pumpkins or to partici pate in kids’ activities will be charged a nominal fee.
Co-owner Dean Holt, whose farm has been in the family for four genera tions since 1923, said the farm produces more than 30 varieties of pumpkins each year — some ideal for baking, oth ers multicolored and uniquely shaped, and others that are more traditional for carving Jack-o’-lanterns. Pumpkins are available on a u-pick system, in which customers load their finds onto wagons
and pay by the pound.
This year features more vendors and food options than previous years, with barbecue chicken and ribs by Bruno available from noon-4 p.m. on weekends or un til gone. There is also live entertainment on weekends, with live music from noon-3 p.m. both days. Star the Magician will perform on Oct. 1 and Oct. 9.
The live music schedule is as follows:
Sat., Oct. 1: Chris Lynch and Lauren Kershner
Sun., Oct. 2: Harold’s IGA
Sat., Oct. 8: BTP
Sun., Oct. 9: Oak Street Connection
Sat., Oct. 15: The Other White Meat
Sun., Oct. 16: Miah Kohal
Sat., Oct. 22: BTP
Sun., Oct. 23: Brian Jacobs
Saturday, Oct. 29 will be the last day of the Har vest Festival and will feature the annual Crosstob erfest Bike Race all day, sponsored by Pend Oreille Pedalers.
Hickey Farms is great for kids. Courtesy photo.The Festival at Sandpoint Youth Orchestra Classes started Monday, Sept. 26. If you know of a student who is looking to broaden their skills and knowledge in orchestral strings instru ments, this may be the class for them.
The Festival offers free orchestral strings classes for students of any age. There is a Beginning Orchestra Class for students who are still getting started but have a basic knowledge of their instrument. The Continuing Orchestra Class is for students looking to broaden their skills and knowledge and have pri or experience playing in a group setting. Students in the Beginning Class typi cally move to the Continuing Orchestra Class after one year. Both groups are open to any orchestral string players including the violin, viola, cello, bass and more.
Classes are held weekly on Monday evenings. There will be concerts and
performances held throughout the year that are open to the community.
If students are in need of or are looking for instrument rent als, please contact the Festival at Sandpoint’s office to see if they have any in stock. Instrument rentals are available to students of all ages and are at a firstcome-first-serve basis. The Fes tival currently has a wide variety of instruments including violins, basses, cellos, electric guitars, bass guitars, trumpets, horns and much more. Contact their office if you are looking for a specific instrument or have questions about rentals.
If you would like to learn more about joining the Youth Orchestra or renting an instru ment, please contact paul@ festivalatsandpoint or call 208265-4554.
The Festival Youth Orchestra. Courtesy photo.Winter Ridge Neighborhood Fair features samples, vendors, music and more
By Reader StaffWinter Ridge is throwing its annual Neighborhood Fair on Saturday, Oct. 1 from 11 a.m.-4 p.m., where there will be vendors providing free food samples, live music, excellent food, a beer garden and more. The best part? It’s 100% free and open to anyone who’d like to attend.
“We’re bringing all of our local and regional vendors and purveyors,” said Winter Ridge Marketing Manager Katie Smith. “These are the people who help supply the store with goods, and we love sharing it with the community. We’re here because of our community and we want to give them an experience to meet the people where we get the products from.”
The highlight of the Fair is a row of vendors supplying free samples to all in attendance. These vendors offer every thing from snacks to sips of wine to hors d’oeuvres from the many vendors who supply Winter Ridge with their products.
“There are a lot of samples,” Smith said. “Plus, we are providing a free meal to all attendees.”
The samples will be available throughout the block party, but the free German-themed meal cooked by Winter Ridge will be available from 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m.
Kaniksu Land Trust will offer some demonstrations and the Better Togeth er Animal Alliance will be on hand to promote their organization. There will also be a raffle, games in each department with prizes and live music by Starcourt, an ‘80s cover band.
To wash down all the free food, Mick Duff’s Beer Hall and Matchwood Brew ery will provide a beer garden, which will also feature several Idaho beers.
Join the fun and stop by Winter Ridge, 703 W. Lake St. in Sandpoint.
Pend Oreille Arts Council will host an opening reception for Resolve, a solo exhibition of works by local artist Teas carlet, on Friday, Sept. 30, from 5-7 p.m. at the Columbia Bank Community Plaza.
Pieces from Teascarlet’s flower, tree and abstract series will be on display and available for purchase. From the artist’s statement on Resolve: “Her ab stracts are dynamic, provocative, maybe even rough. The delicate details of her flowers are captivating and sensual. Her trees are ethereal, peaceful, both tangi ble and dream-like.”
Resolve showcases Teascarlet’s range as an artist. Although style and subject matter vary, the show maintains cohesion. Her work is balanced and tranquil, yet evocative. The representa tional botanicals take hours of careful consideration and planning to complete, while her abstracts seem effortless.
“I am so grateful to continually hear of how my work inspires hope, healing and passion in others,” Teascarlet wrote to 9B News. “I love the power of art! I look forward to your thoughts on my expressions of the beauty I find in life,
in both its gravity and glory.”
Visitors will have a chance to meet the artist, enjoy complimentary wine and purchase artwork. The opening re ception starts at 5 p.m. at the Columbia Bank Community Plaza, 231 N. Third Ave., in Sandpoint. For more infor mation, visit artinsandpoint.org or call 208-263-6139.
Claire Christy is the arts administra tor for the Pend Oreille Arts Council.
By Lyndsie Kiebert-Carey Reader Staff
The days are getting shorter, the air cooler and the gardens emptier. It’s har vest season, and Dover knows just how to celebrate.
The city of Dover will host a Har vest Festival on Saturday, Oct. 1 from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. in the field located off Fourth Street and Roosevelt Avenue
“The inspiration for the festival is to help bring our community together,” said Dover Finance Manager Robin Pilkington, who is organizing the event.
The festival will give local farmers a chance to sell their crops, and artisans, food vendors and local organizations will also be present with booths of
their own. Among them will be Origin 7B Lemonade, Mountain Crown Wire Works, Wire Idaho, Dover Historical Committee, Indigo Hills Crafts, Iva no’s Catering, Wild Sky Creations, Big Wake Coffee, Ann’s Fresh Corn, Cabin View Winery, Crazy Creek Gallery, Dodie Glass Crafts, Dover Community Church, the East Bonner County Li brary District’s Bookmobile, It’s Poppin Kettle Corn, Maker’s Long Acres and Twilight Fiber & Yarn.
“The city of Dover is so excited to be able to kick off the season with this fun-filled day,” Pilkington said.
For more information on the Dover Harvest Festival, contact City Hall at 208-265-8339. Dover City Hall is open Monday-Friday 9 a.m.-4 p.m.
Teascarlet will showcase her work at the Co lumbia Bank Community Plaza starting Friday, Sept. 30 from 5-7 p.m. Courtesy photo. Courtesy photo.The Sandpoint Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces Department will be offering the following programming in October:
•Youth coed volleyball. Grades three-six. Play is split into third- and fourth-grade and fifth- and sixth-grade teams. All play will be Saturday mornings at Sandpoint Middle School (310 S. Division St.). Teams will not have individual practice at local schools. In stead, there will be a practice/ clinic each Saturday prior to scrimmage play. Players will show up for two hours on Sat urday to get their practice and scrimmage/games in. The focus is on “fun and fundamentals.”
Pending gym availability, the season will begin with a volleyball clinic Friday, Nov. 4 and play will begin Satur day, Nov. 5, running through Saturday, Dec. 10. There will be no play during Thanks giving week. Times are to be determined.
A red-and-white nylon mesh reversible sports jersey is required and may be purchased online or at the Parks and Rec reation Department if players do not already have one. Jer
seys cost $14.50. To purchase online, open the catalog tab titled “Merchandise” and add a jersey to your cart prior to check out. Parks and Rec. also allows red-and-white reversible jerseys from other organiza tions to be used in its leagues.
Volunteer coaches are need ed. There is a coaches meeting scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 20.Parents will hear from coaches the week following the meeting with specific schedules. Register by Sunday, Oct. 16.
The Sandpoint Parks, Recreation and Open Spac es Department also acts as a clearinghouse to connect the public with other recreational
opportunities in the commu nity. Visit the online activity catalog to view listings in this category. Outside organizations and individuals wishing to list their activities are encouraged to contact Parks and Rec. with their program information at recreation@sand pointidaho.gov.
Register for any Parks and Rec. program at secure.rec1.com/ ID/city-of-sand point/catalog, visit the office at Sandpoint City Hall (1123 Lake St.) or call 208263-3613.
Courtesy photo.
Horror films are notorious for being written off as the dregs of the cinematic arts. Yet, by multiple metrics, the genre is both insanely popular and profitable. Ac cording to Nautilus, horror films captured a bigger chunk of the box office in 2020 than at any other time “in modern history.” Meanwhile, Screenrant reported that while blockbusters struggled in 2021, the horror genre remained “alive and well,” posting enormous returns on investment compared to bigger-budget fare.
For example, according to American Film Market — billed as “the most efficient film acquisition, development and networking event in the world” — 15 horror films from 2000 to 2018 earned from 1,000% to almost 8,700% of their budgets, which ranged from $500,000 to $5 million. As for the market share for horror films: It rose from 7.1% in 2018 to a whopping 12.74% in 2021 (num bers for 2022 are still preliminary).
All this is to say that the appeal of horror films far outstrips the importance often credited to them by critics and viewers alike. However, in downplaying the so cio-political resonance of cinematic horror, we ignore a penetrating glimpse into the broader anxieties of the age and what they can tell us about the culture at large.
That’s the gist of the analytic framework at play in the 2022 book White Terror: The Horror Film from Obama to Trump, by University of Idaho Professor Russell Meeuf, who specializes in popular media and culture in the School of Journalism and Mass Media.
Meeuf, 41, is also the author of John Wayne’s World: Transnational Masculinity in the Fifties (2013) and Rebellious Bodies: Stardom, Citizenship and the New Body Politics (2017), but it’s with White Terror — published by Indiana University Press — that he keys into the most critical issues facing contemporary politics, society and economics.
While the titles of Meeuf’s books might sound intimidating, and academically rigorous they are, his writing style is lively, approachable and dosed with humor even as it makes deadly serious arguments about the insidious prevalence of white racial anxiety in animating the kinds of horror that U.S. viewers consume with such relish.
Meeuf argues that “mainstream horror” produced from the election of President Barack Obama in 2008 to the 2016 elec
tion of President Donald Trump has fixated on a handful of fears: outsiders upending the stability of family (“almost always white,” he writes); loved ones being transformed by evil forces or ideas; the younger generation rejecting the norms of their elders; and the uneasy feeling that the world and its technology is growing too complex to manage.
These very fears, Meeuf argues, are those “that helped propel Trump to office in 2016,” and have been repre sented in a number of “cycles,” as he calls them, including the haunted house, home invasion, possession/exorcism/ horrific child, horrific technology and nostalgic horror remake.
All these cycles unite a theme: “The supposed declining fortunes of white folks in an era of white guilt and perceived white victimization.”
This is a different trajectory for the hor ror genre, which Meeuf juxtaposes against the output of 1960s and ’70s, which re sponded to the political climate surrounding the Vietnam War and scandal surrounding President Richard Nixon.
“Against the backdrop of a conservative president elected to office despite wide spread protests and calls for progressive changes, low-budget horror filmmakers in the late 1960s and 1970s created a wave of gritty, gory films that exposed the violence, brutality and depravity of the bourgeois mainstream.”
Looking ahead to the Obama years, Meeuf writes, “As a popular genre, horror bends just as much to conservative fears around a changing world as it does to a lib eral critique of social power,” going on de scribe the underlying assumption of many horror films in the Obama-Trump years as “life is harder for white folks today.”
In a particularly evocative set of para graphs, Meeuf writes:
“Horror films have always been con cerned with white guilt and the histories of white corruption. This book has probably
too often highlighted U.S. horror’s more conservative tendencies to cater to the fears of privileged white folks. …
“In the age of Obama, however, hor ror primarily seized on white paranoia: sanctity and stability of the white family home, authority of white men, failures of white motherhood, fear of surveillance that exploits rather than protects white folks, the fears that whites are worse off than they were in the past.”
Meeuf gathered the evidence for his analytical conclusions the old fashioned way: By watching a ton of horror movies. He viewed every major U.S. horror film produced between Jan. 1, 2008 and Dec. 31, 2016, defining “major U.S. horror film” as those tagged “horror” by film info clear inghouse website IMDb, those produced by a U.S. company or international co-pro ductions, and those that grossed at least $1 million in theatrical release. The result was 147 films that Meeuf writes represent “the core of mainstream U.S. horror.”
There are some pitfalls to this method
ology, of course, which Meeuf addresses — specifically that “thriller” isn’t the same as “horror” (though they often blend together), and the $1 million gross receipts criteria leaves out small-budget indie horror.
Yet, the detail with which he decon structs the plots of all 147 of those films and places them within his cycles and themes is as intuitive as it is insightful — made more compelling by his prose, which often feels less professorial than like talking about a movie with an enthusiastic and especially intelligent friend.
And Meeuf’s conclusions are convinc ing — despite the inevitable, predictable and frankly boring criticisms of his work being a monument to “wokeness” — simply by listening to the doomstruck rhetoric of white people who fear everything from a housing recession to gas price inflation to “illegals” at Martha’s Vineyard to “porn” on the library shelves to… you name it. It all comes down to, as Meeuf summarizes, an uneasy feeling that whiteness isn’t a super power. Or any kind of power at all.
“While many films mined this paranoia to critique those who exploit their power, such attempts were overshadowed by an ob sessive concern with the idea that whiteness isn’t as privileged as it once was. As the specter of a popular, upwardly mobile Black family living in the White House haunted the cultural imagination of White America, the horror film became preoccupied with the dread of white people that they might not be as special as they thought,” he writes.
“When the White House was occupied by a bombastic white president who openly espoused the perspectives and conspira cy theories of white supremacists, horror filmmakers were handed an opportunity to explore a new set of fears.”
Other reviews have found Meeuf’s work similarly incisive. Murray Leeder, author of Horror Film: A Critical Intro duction, wrote that White Terror “makes a strong contribution to the scholarship on horror films in general and race in horror in particular. Its focus on whiteness is something long overdue.” Lisa Henry, of Library Journal, wrote: “Meeuf provides evidence of underlying social and politi cal themes in an often-dismissed genre in this thought-provoking work that will be appreciated by fans of the format and by scholars studying the cultural effects of the first Black presidency.”
It’s an essential read.
Find White Terror at the Indiana Uni versity Press (iupress.org) or on Amazon.
UI Professor Russell Meeuf’s book White Terror un packs the racial anxieties behind contemporary horror The cover of Russell Meeuf’s book White Terror. Courtesy photo.
By Lyndsie Kiebert-Carey Reader Staff
Local author Sharon Kreider is ready to share her story — at least a portion of it — from years of her life that formed the foundation for how she’d approach all the years to follow.
“It really transformed my whole life,” she told the Reader. “It was my comingof-age experience.”
That experience was leaving her small, Canadian hometown at 22 years old to travel, solo, across Europe and Asia in the late 1970s. She tells the story of those three years in her forthcoming memoir Wandering: A long way past the past. The first copies of the book — limited-edition hardcovers — will be available during a book signing at Sandpoint Hot Yoga on Saturday, Oct. 1.
“It was a conscious decision that I made on my own; but, truthfully, I was very naive and I didn’t know what I was doing,” Kreider said of her choice to travel the world at such a young age. “I landed in England without a plan. I took a one-way ticket and just went from there.”
Kreider released her first book, a work of fiction titled Sylvie, in 2021. She’s been planning to tell the true story of her travels her entire life, but only began writ ing Wandering about a decade ago. While those close to her encouraged her to write about her globetrotting as soon as her adventure had concluded, she held off.
“I still had a lot of important growing up and growing into myself that I needed to do,” she said.
She’s led a full life since then, working as a mental health therapist and suicide prevention trainer, and leaning into writ ing and poetry in her retirement. Kreider is the kind of author who can hear stories asking to be written; her creations often originate as a sort of voice, compelling her to give it written life. Wandering was one of those voices.
“That voice got louder and louder until I had no choice — I had to write down that internal flood of story and memory,” she said.
Writing down her own memories proved to be more complex than she originally thought. The world’s boundar
ies and place names have changed much in the four decades since her travels, so accurately identifying the settings of her stories proved to be an interesting hurdle.
“There were a lot of challenges,” Kreider said, “but that was a big one for sure.”
While Wandering primarily tells the sto ry of Krieder’s three years abroad, she inter twines snapshots of her childhood, painting at least a partial picture of the circumstances and experiences leading up to her early 20s. The result is a book that Kreider said “is a story of courage, love, overcoming adversi ty [and] forgiveness.” She said her travels, and the interactions she had with people from various cultures, showed her that peo ple are “more similar than different.”
Asked about the level of vulnerability that it requires to share such a personal sto ry, Kreider admitted that releasing Wander ing to the world can, at times, feel “scary.” She said that imposter syndrome — that is, an urge to ask herself “who do you think you are?” — has crept up on her several times since becoming a published author.
“That sinister voice, questioning whether I’m a worthy enough writer or
author or poet … The more I’ve been thinking about it, ‘who do you think you are?’ is a great question that I should be asking myself more and more often,” she said, “because that question keeps me awake to the truth, and to the infinite possibilities of my creativity.”
She said that she keeps a quote from poet Amanda Gorman above her desk that reads: “There is always light, if only we’re brave enough to see it. If only we’re brave enough to be it.”
“For me, that really embodies what this whole book is for me,” Kreider said. “It’s taken me a long time to write this book, and it is vulnerable to my core; but, at the same time, I think it unites me to the world. All of us go through hardship. All of us go through difficulty. All of us are unique.”
Kreider will be signing limited edition hardcover copies of Wandering: A long way past the past on Saturday, Oct. 1 at Sandpoint Hot Yoga (1243 Michigan St.) from 1-4 p.m. The yoga studio will also be running a 50% off punch card special during the book signing event.
To learn more, visit the author’s web site at sharonkreider.com.
Left: Author Sharon Kreider. Above right: The cover of Kreider’s book, Wandering. Courtesy photos.Queen Bonobo album fundraiser gig
7pm @ Bluebird Bakery A fundraiser for Maya’s upcoming album
Live Music w/ Ian Newbill
6-8pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall
Live Music w/ Doug Bond & Marty Perron
6pm @ The Blue Room Nights of Neon live at Arlo’s 5pm @ Arlo’s Ristorante $20 includes dinner!
Live Music w/ Son of Brad
6:30-9:30pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall
Hickey Farms Harvest Festival
2-5:30pm @ Hickey Farms
Karaoke
8pm-cl @ Tervan
Live Music w/ Kevin Dorin
7-9pm @ The Back Door
Live Music w/ Ben Vogel
Live Music w/ Chris Paradis
6pm @ The Blue Room
The Importance of Being Earnest play
7pm @ The Panida Theater
The Oscar Wilde classic, presented by Lake Pend Oreille Repertory Theater. $20
Friends of the Library Book Sale
Lake Pend Oreille Repertory Theatre will finish its four-show run of Oscar Wilde’s iconic play The Importance of Being Earnest with two final shows Friday and Saturday, Sept. 30-Oct.1 at the Panida Theater. Showtimes both nights are at 7 p.m. Tickets are $20 and available at the door while available or online at panida.org.
5-8pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery Originals and covers of your favorites
Live Music w/ Truck Mills
6pm @ The Blue Room
Live Music w/ Ken Mayginnes
5:30-8pm @ Drift (in Hope)
Hoptoberfest and live music
1-9pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall Try this season’s fresh hop beers, Opa food truck serving German food, patio games and live music! Bright Moments Jazz playing from 1-4pm, Chris and Lauren duo playing from 6-9pm
Winter Ridge Neighborhood Fair 11am-4pm @ Winter Ridge
Block party with live music from ‘80s cover band Starcourt, tons of free samples, free German meal, vendors and more!
The Importance of Being Earnest play
7pm @ The Panida Theater
Closing night! Don’t miss it. $20
Live Music w/ Bright Moments Jazz 7-9pm @ The Back Door
Sandpoint Chess Club
10am-2pm @ Sandpoint Library
A monthly book sale, with a great selec tion of books and DVDs. This month, they’re selling 6 oak chairs for $48
Live Music w/ Bright Moments Jazz 7-9pm @ The Back Door
Sandpoint Farmers’ Market
9am-1pm @ Farmin Park
Fresh produce, artisan goods, live music by BOCA
Priest River Oktoberfest
3pm @ Main St. in Priest River
Live music, beer and food vendors, corn hole board raffle, brewery tours, stein-holding competition and more!
Dover Harvest Festival
8am-4pm @ 4th & Roosevelt (Dover field) Produce, artisans, food vendors and more
Hickey Farms Harvest Festival 10am-5:30pm @ Hickey Farms
Karaoke
8pm-cl @ Tervan
9am @ Evans Brothers Coffee
Karaoke
8pm-cl @ Tervan
Hickey Farms Harvest Festival 10am-5:30pm @ Hickey Farms
Magic with Star Alexander
5-8pm @ Jalapeño’s
Monday Night Blues Jam w/ John Firshi
7pm @ Eichardt’s Pub
Lifetree Cafe • 2pm @ Jalapeño’s “Living Right Here, Right Now”
Group Run @ Outdoor Experience
6pm @ Outdoor Experience 3-5 miles, all levels welcome, beer after Last day to register for POAC Art Class
Realistic flower painting artinsandpoint.org/jds-studio to register
Benny on the Deck • 6-8pm @ Connie’s Featuring guest Ben Olson Open Mic w/ Frytz
6pm @ Tervan
Hickey Farms Harvest Festival
2-5:30pm @ Hickey Farms
Sandpoint Farmers’ Market
3-5:30pm @ Farmin Park
Masters of Hawaiian Music concert 7:30pm @ Panida Theater
Featuring multi-Grammy winning Hawai ian musicians George Kahumoku, Daniel Ho and Tia Carrere (also famous for her role in Wayne’s World)
Last day to register for POAC Art Class Basic impressionism in soft pastel artinsandpoint.org/jds-studio to register
The LPO Repertory Theatre produc tion features some of Sandpoint’s beloved local actors, exquisite costume design and a crew of professionals who understand what it takes to put on a good show.
The play, first per formed in 1895, can best be described as a case of mistaken identity gone wrong. With a madcap wit and characters full of life,
Wilde’s play can be described as “more accessible” Shakespeare. When two women are in love with the same mythical suiter — a gentleman named Earnest — two men both attempt to woo the women, posing as Earnest and bluffing their way into the ladies’ hearts. Or so they think.
Friday-Saturday, Sept. 30-Oct. 1; 7 p.m.; $20. Panida Theater, 300 N.First Ave., panida.org. More info at lporep.org.
LPO Repertory The atre’s Keely Gray noted that even though this play was written more than 200 years ago, the writing is good enough to make it relate to the modern era.
Courtesy photo.The Panida Theater is once more bringing a slate of films from around the world to local audienc es, relaunching the Global Cinema Café series in October.
Sponsored by internet pro vider Ting, the series kicks off Sunday, Oct. 16 with the 2006 German-language drama Lives of Others.
In November, the Panida will show Millions, from acclaimed British director Danny Boyle, followed by British director and actor Kenneth Branagh’s comingof-age film Belfast in January, World War I documentary They Shall Not Grow Old from New
Zealand director Peter Jackson in February, drama Dear Frankie by British filmmaker Shona Auerbach in March and concluding in April with 2017 Best Picture Oscar-win ner Moonlight, from director Barry Jenkins.
“Global Cinema Café supports our vision and values by cultural ly enriching our community and providing diverse programming,” according to Panida Managing Director Veronica Knowlton.
“Global Cinema Café offers inter national and independent produc tions and we are proud to show them in a big screen venue.”
Each entry in the series will feature a matinee and evening showings. Tickets range from $5
Empires by definition are so huge that they bend reality to their shape — so much so that their subjects often forget they live in one. People are especially good at “getting on with it,” and will toler ate, simply ignore or even exploit conditions that they’d otherwise reject. Imperial structures are so big, what’s the point of resisting?
That’s true of earthly empires as much as it is of a certain empire located in “a galaxy far, far away,” and an operative principle that makes the newest Star Wars pre quel series, Andor, so much more sophisticated than its many smalland big-screen counterparts.
In its first three of 12 episodes, released Sept. 21 on Disney+, Andor opens in a red-light district on the industrial backwater planet Morlana One — part of a “corpo rate sector” with private security management contracted by the Galactic Empire.
There we find the titular Cas sian Andor (Diego Luna) skulking through the side streets. He’s not on rebel business, though, he’s looking for his missing sister.
One thing leads to another, and a couple of security goons enjoying their after-hours in the brothel pick a fight, resulting in both of them dead in an alley and Cassian on the lam.
There is little in this setup, or the subsequent episodes, to directly connect Andor to the wider Star Wars universe. There are no Sky walkers, no stormtroopers, no Star Destroyers or protocol droids, no Siths or Jedis. Being set five years before the destruction of the first Death Star at the end of Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope (1977) — and therefore before Cassian’s participation in the events of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016) — there’s not even any direct refer ence to the Rebel Alliance.
Unlike any other Star Wars spinoff, prequel or sequel, Andor goes its own way, choosing to center its narrative on the billions (probably more like trillions) of nobodies whose insignificant lives provide the grist for the Imperial mill. Cassian might be the “hero,” but he’s more than a few parsecs from “heroic” in his opening acts. He owes everyone money. He apparently spends a lot of time with people of low character. In a desperate move, he commits a theft
that brings him into contact with Luthen Rael (Stellan Skarsgard) and sets him on his reluctant path to becoming a spy against the Empire.
Star Wars can reasonably be described as the safest intellectual property in entertainment histo ry. Not only is it as lucrative as it is culturally powerful, but its contours are anything but com plex. There are heroes and villains who fight an archetypical battle of good and evil, with the latter conquering the former to bring about balance and peace.
Andor doesn’t play that way. Cassian is objectively a shiftyeyed criminal — though to what degree a person might be consid ered a criminal in an evil empire is a moral dilemma mostly avoided in other Star Wars offerings. Likewise, Star Wars characters are typically important on a galactic scale, even (and especially) if they don’t know it. They also come to their respective roles in the strug gle more or less without internal conflict. Meanwhile, the rebellion against the Empire is most often depicted as a foregone conclusion.
A notable departure from this pat formula was Rogue One, which helps explain why it is generally re garded as among the best Star Wars
films and why Andor creator Tony Gilroy — who was also a writer for Rogue One — would try to recap ture some of the subaltern grit for his prequel-of-a-prequel series.
Critics have been mostly enthusiastic about Andor, calling it things like “mature” and “literary” in comparison to the rest of the canon. It has an 86% on Rotten Tomatoes, 9/10 on IGN, and 8.2/10 on IMDb. Of course, there are many who have criticized the show as slow, thinly written and just plain not Star Wars-y enough. As one negative reviewer put it: “Anyone can break the rules and call it creativity. Being able to create within the boundary is the best kind of challenge.”
Aside from that being one of the lamest descriptions of the artistic “challenge,” it can be roughly translated as: If it doesn’t have lightsabers and TIE fighters, it’s boring.
Not so with Andor, which provides a compelling, nuanced interpretation of what life might really be like under an empire of galactic oppression, and just why an average person might really join an effort to overthrow it.
Stream new episodes each Wednesday on Disney+.
for Panida members to $10 at the door. For full event listings and tickets, visit panida.org. Look for more info on the individual films in the Reader as the series progresses. A screenshot from the Ger man-language drama Lives of Others, showing on Sunday, Oct. 16 at the Panida Theater Andor streams new epi sodes every Wednesday on Disney+. Courtesy photo.A curious thing happens around this time of year. The nights contain an extra chill in the air. Mornings are often shrouded in mist and fog, which burn off quickly with the still-warm sun in the middle of the day. After a summer filled with barbecues, days on the lake and dinners on the town, the change of temperature ushers in a new season of comfort foods, during which we start to crave warm, hearty meals again.
Below are a couple of recipes I like to make around this time of year. Here’s hoping your comforts are warm and plentiful this fall.
This is my sister’s favorite dish, which she made frequently when we were kids. Originally a Hungar ian meal, goulash is one of those dinners you make once and eat a dozen times, as it keeps getting better every time you heat up the leftovers. The traditional recipe calls for beef, but you can make it a vegetarian option if you don’t mind losing some of the essence. Cook ing the macaroni directly in the goulash is recommended because it soaks up more flavor.
Ingredients:
•2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
•1 medium yellow onion, chopped
•4 cloves of garlic, minced
•1 lb. ground beef
•Kosher salt
•Fresh ground black pepper
•1 tbsp. tomato paste
•1 ¼ c. beef broth
•1 (15-oz.) can tomato sauce
•1 (15-oz.) can diced tomatoes
•1 tsp. Italian seasoning
•1 tsp. paprika
•1 ½ c. elbow macaroni, uncooked
•1 c. shredded cheddar cheese
•Fresh chopped parsley for garnish
Directions:
In a large skillet over medium heat, heat oil. Add onion and cook until translucent (about 5 min utes), then add garlic and cook for another minute.
Add ground beef and cook until no longer pink (about 6 min utes). Drain fat and return to the pan, season with salt and pepper.
Add tomato paste, stir to coat and pour in broth, tomato sauce and diced tomatoes. Season with Italian seasoning and paprika, then stir in uncooked macaroni. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally until pasta is tender (about 15 minutes).
Stir in cheese and remove from heat. Garnish with parsley before serving. Serve with white rice and a green salad for a fantastic fall meal.
You can’t get much more sa vory than a shepherd’s pie. Hailing from merry ol’ England, shepherd’s pie is usually made with ground lamb, but I just use ground beef or bison in this Americanized version (the recipe is technically called “cottage pie” when beef is used).
With a metric ton of vegetables inside, a hearty layer of mashed potatoes on top and a unique purplish hue due to the beets, this dish is another that is great fresh, but even better for leftovers.
Ingredients:
For potatoes:*
•1 ½ lb. russet potatoes, peeled
•Kosher salt
•4 tbsp. melted butter
•¼ c. whole milk
•¼ sour cream
•Fresh ground pepper
*You may make the mashed po tatoes in advance, or use leftover mashed potatoes from a previous dinner.
For filling:
•1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
•1 large yellow onion
•3 carrots, peeled and chopped
•4 cloves of garlic, minced
•1 tsp. fresh thyme
•1 ½ lb. ground beef or bison
•1 c. frozen peas
•1 c. frozen corn
•2-3 large beets, roasted and chopped
•1 c. kale
•2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
•2/3 c. chicken broth
•Fresh chopped parsley for garnish
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400º Fahrenheit.
Clean raw beets with water and dry with a towel, then stir with oil, salt and pepper to coat. Add beets to a cast iron pan or baking pan (line with foil for easy cleaning).
Roast at 400º until fork-tender (anywhere from 30-60 minutes, depending on the size of the beets). Remove from oven and let cool, then remove stems and skins, chop into bite-size pieces.
Place chopped and peeled potatoes in a pot and cover with water, add salt and bring to a boil. (For added flavor, boil potatoes with a whole garlic clove.) Cook until totally soft — usually about 20 minutes. Drain and return pota toes to pot.
Use a masher until potatoes are smooth, then add melted butter, milk and sour cream. Mash until incorporated and season with salt and pepper.
Place a large skillet over medium heat and add olive oil. Cook onions for a minute, then add carrots, garlic, thyme and cook all until softened (about 5-6 minutes). Add ground beef and season with salt and pepper, cook until no longer pink (about 5-6 more minutes). Drain fat and return everything to the pan.
Add peas and corn, cook until warmed through (3-5 minutes).
Add cooked beets and kale, then cook another minute to incorporate. Don’t worry — the kale will cook down. If you’re not into healthy greens added to the recipe, skip the kale. Sprinkle mixture with flour and stir to distribute, cooking 1 minute until adding chicken broth. Bring to a simmer and let the filling thicken for about 5 minutes.
Spoon mixture into a glass baking pan, then top the mixture with an even layer of mashed po tatoes. Bake until mashed potatoes are golden (about 20 minutes). Finish with a broil. Garnish with parsley and serve!
Goulash is a hearty fall dish. Courtesy photo.
In its colloquial use, “aloha” is known as something Hawaiian people say when greeting or part ing ways. The word actually has a deeper meaning, loosely inter preted as “I give to you the breath of life,” according to Hawaiian actress and vocalist Tia Carrere.
Carrere, along with fellow Grammy-award winning Hawaiian musicians George Kahumoku and Daniel Ho, hope that the people of North Idaho will share in this deeper aloha when the trio — known professionally as the Mas ters of Hawaiian Music — plays the Panida Theater on Wednesday, Oct. 5 at 7:30 p.m. as part of the Pend Oreille Arts Council’s annual Performing Arts Series.
Kahumoku — who both Ho and Carrere affectionately refer to as “Uncle George” — has been playing traditional slack-key Hawaiian guitar music since his childhood in South Kona.
“Besides being ranchers and cowboys and fishermen … we always celebrated through music,” he said. “I learned all the music stuff at home from my family.”
Through his music, Kahumoku aims to share the “aloha spirit,” which he called “a connection to each other, a connection to family, a connection to community.”
The Masters of Hawaiian Music play a mixture of traditional and original songs about “our love for our environment, our love for
the land, for the sea and for places that are dear to us … in Hawaii and as well as the places we travel to,” he said.
Ho has been playing music with Kahumoku since the late ’90s, and with Carrere for even longer, as the two met as aspir ing musicians in high school in Hawaii.
“We cover the gamut of Ha waiian music,” Ho said. “Uncle Goerge, he plays a lot of tradi tional songs because he grew up with them. He played with all these composers who wrote the music. He’s a part of the cul ture. Tia and I, we do original music. We’re trying to move the tradition forward, as well, with contemporary songs about life and love as we live it today.”
Carrere, who made a name for herself as both a singer and actress with the release of cult classic Wayne’s World, said the slack-key set being showcased on the trio’s current tour “comes from love,” and she feels like she’s visiting “back home when I’m hanging out with Daniel and Uncle George.”
“I’ve been acting for almost 40 years,” she said. “I’m putting on someone else’s clothes, I’m putting on their words and their whole world. I infuse it with part of me, but with singing — if done correctly, it’s your soul being put into sound.”
The Masters of Hawaiian Mu sic take pride in putting their souls on display through their music, and look forward to the opportu nity to share their passion with a
Above left: Daniel Ho and Tia Carrere pose after winning a Grammy award. Above right: George Kahumoku. Courtesy photos.
North Idaho audience.
“They [will] share in what it’s like to visit Hawaii with us,” Carrere said. “Just that laid-back, chill, aloha spirit — that’s what we like sharing.”
Tickets to see the Masters of Hawaiian Music at the Panida Theater on Wednesday, Oct. 5 at 7:30 p.m. are $28. Purchase tickets online at artinsandpoint. org/performing-arts or at the door. Doors open an hour before the show. Those with questions can reach POAC at 208-263-6139.
Maya Goldblum, who plays under the stage name Queen Bonobo, has a unique style developed from living in Ireland for several years. Originally from North Idaho (her father is Arthur Goldblum, who plays with Bright Moments Jazz band), Goldblum’s music has been inspired by inces sant roaming about the world, im mersing herself in many different traditions and cultures.
A singer-songwriter at heart, Goldblum shares her craft with
several other talented musicians to present a sound that lands a bit different from all the rest.
This gig is a fundraiser to help raise $6,000 to purchase a van to tour the Pacific Northwest this fall, ending up in Anacortes, Wash., to record, mix and master her next album, Embellished Truths.
— Ben Olson 6-9 p.m., suggested $10. Bluebird Bakery, 329 N. First Ave., 208-265-8730, fundraiser info at bit.ly/QueenBonobo.
Add some hops to pumpkin spice season Saturday, Oct. 1 with Hoptoberfest at MickDuff’s Beer Hall. Along with beer specials; sea sonal tasters of new fresh-hopped IPAs; games; and warm pretzels, brat specials and more from the Opa food truck, will be six hours of live music from a handful of Sandpoint’s favorite artists.
First up is the Bright Moments Trio, bringing energetic classic, cool and swing jazz from veteran players led by Arthur Goldblum from 1-4
p.m. Follow that with powerhouse songstress Lauren Kershner and resident piano man Chris Lynch laying down classic pop, rock and folk from 6-9 p.m. Bonus: You can also catch Bright Moments at the Back Door (downstairs at 111 Cedar St.) from 7-10 p.m. We’d call that a hopping Saturday night.
— Zach Hagadone
1-9 p.m., FREE. MickDuff’s Beer Hall, 220 Cedar St., 208209-6700, mickduffs.com.
There is some sordid history scat tered across the state of Idaho. The Other Idahoans by Boise-based histori an and author Todd Shallat, which I happened upon in a thrift store, shines a light on the his tory that falls between the cracks. There are chapters on whorehous es, mob riots, hard-luck miners, the struggles of farmers during dust storms and more. There’s even a driving tour of down-and-out plac es in the state. It’s an entertaining, educational book. Read it before someone decides this history needs to be banned, too.
I get nostal gic for music from my teenage years, which took place during the ’90s. One punk band I listened to relentlessly through that decade was NOFX, led by Fat Mike, whose songwrit ing skills are evident with his witty turns of phrase and thoughtful ru minations on life from a punk point of view. A lot of people think punk music is just counterculture kids screaming about nonsense, but there are some poignant lessons we can learn from the punk world of yesteryear. Hands down, NOFX’s best album is their 1994 release Punk in Drublic.
It takes a lot for me to watch a whole series through to the end. I usually end up losing interest well before the stories are conclud ed. However, with Hulu’s Only Murders in the Building, I’m hanging in there. Of course, it’s easy with comedic geniuses Steve Martin and Martin Short leading the way. Their interactions with much-younger co-star Selena Go mez make this show more than just appealing to true crime enthusiasts, but anyone who enjoys good writ ing and acting.
This week’s RLW by Ben Olson
Masters of Hawaiian Music to bring traditional, original slack-key tunes to the Panida as part of POAC series
From Northern Idaho
26, 1911
The safe of the Citizens State bank at Priest River was blown by robbers early this morning and about $2000 in silver, gold and cur rency taken. Some county warrants and paper belonging to the bank was also taken. No trace of the bandits has been found although of ficers are today scouring the coun try north and east of Priest River. The border towns are also being closely watched and it is thought that the bandits will be captured.
The robbery took place about 3:30 o’clock this morning and it is thought that only two men were im plicated in the deal. Three charges of dynamite was used in wrecking the safe. The building and furniture was not damaged. About $1000 of the money taken was in cur rency and the other $1000 was in gold and silver. Descriptions of the county warrants and bank paper was today sent to all of the banks in this section of the country and if the bandits attempt to realize on any of hte paper it will sure lead to their arrest.
As far as is known only one man, Sam Porter of Priest River, saw the bandits. Mr. Porter de scribes one of the them as being short and heavy set and the other as being a small and slender built man. At the time that the men were seen, they were headed toward Newport. Deputy Sheriff Riser left this morning for Priest River where he will direct the search for the robbers from that point. Sheriff Kearns went to Eastport where he will watch all suspicious parties crossing into Canada.
There’s a sense of awe surrounding North Idaho’s demographics.
“Where have all the young people gone?” you ask, and then blame this anomaly on lack of affordable housing and job opportunities.
The answer is actually much sim pler: You told us to go.
The post-high school path for Bon ner County students is either explicitly or implicitly “anywhere but here.” As a semi-recent product of the local school system, I can confirm that the adults in my life — whether they meant to or not — made it clear that in order to make anything of myself, I had to leave the comfort of my hometown, and to look back was a weakness.
I listened, and after earning my de gree, set my sights on the great beyond: Missoula, Portland, maybe even the East Coast.
Chance — a couple of local jobs, a new relationship, little to no mon ey — kept me home, sleeping on the bottom bunk while my baby sister slept above me. For every bit I enjoyed this time, I also felt guilty. Wasn’t I moving backward?
I’ve since traded the bunk bed for a rental and the new relationship for a marriage, and those local jobs have turned into careers both in journalism and coaching. I also since realized that moving “backward” was actually a homecoming worth celebrating.
I am proud to be from here and, after
some soul-search ing, I am proud to be someone who stayed. I am thank ful to the people who made my up bringing an enrich ing experience, and I want to carry on that tradition.
The people of North Idaho raised me, and I aim to be among the ranks who raise the next generation.
Of course, millennials aren’t being pushed out entirely by the “anywherebut-here” rhetoric. Housing and jobs are legitimate roadblocks, and I count myself among the fortunate with connections and the capability to piece together enough gigs to pay the bills.
But without my generation able to remain local, who will solve these issues for future North Idaho kids? Who will fight for this place — a place where people live and let live, trust one anoth er and treat the natural environment as the hallowed ground that it is — if the only people left are those who could afford to buy their way in?
These are my thoughts as I drive down my childhood road, slowing down and swinging wide to give bikers, joggers and dog walkers plenty of room. These days it seems I’m braking and moving over three times as often as I did when I first got my license. I don’t recognize most of them, but I still wave at every single one. We share this road and, for me, that is enough to call them a neighbor.
Of every five people, maybe one
waves back. Most often, they look down at their phones, up the hill at some imaginary spectacle to avoid eye contact or they stare back at me blankly, either unintentionally rude or — worse — too good to offer a simple wave to acknowledge our shared existence in this awesome place.
I set aside my annoyance at this real ity and resolve to do something about it. If North Idaho is to keep any semblance of what makes it special, there have to be residents with local roots willing (and able) to lead the way.
We need to give local kids reasons to stay, and we need to ask them to do so.
Here’s a tip: If you ever de cide to take apart a bird’s nest, to see how it’s made, first make sure it’s not somebody’s bas ket they got in South America.
Courtesy photo.Corrections: We’re not even going to mention the stupid little error in last week’s Back of the Book. If you noticed it, you win. —ZH
1.Absorbed 5.Undue speed 10.Alumnus 14.Biblical garden 15.An aromatic flavorful vegetable 16.Depend upon 17.Soft spot of a baby’s head 19.Curved molding 20.Chapter in history 21.Young lady 22.Drills 23.Set free 25.Female ruff 27.Play a role 28.Times of reaping 31.Quick and energetic 34.One cent coin 35.Between FAH and LAH 36.Breezy 37.Support 38.Bingo relative 39.Dung beetle 40.Wear away 41.Chain of hills 42.Forever and a day 44.Snake-like fish 45.Donor 46.Intimidated 50.Examine 52.Utilizers 54.Hearing organ 55.Retain 56.Corrupt 58.By mouth
chew
them
literary composition
of “Sent”
DOWN
1.Direct (to) 2.Love intensely 3.Prison-related 4.Explosive 5.Truthful 6.Bless with oil 7.Threshold 8.Leeway 9.East northeast
10.Furrow 11.Relapsed 12.Away from the wind 13.Colors 18.By surprise 22.Assemblage 24.Not difficult 26.Sea eagle 28.Intoxicating 29.Chinese dynasty 30.Footwear 31.Commanded 32.Violent disturbance 33.Out of the ordinary 34.Sticks out
Solution on page 22
37.French cheese 38.Pottery oven 40.Covet 41.Employ again 43.Enigma 44.Ribald 46.Triangular formation 47.Josh 48.Consumed 49.Clothe 50.Fired a projectile 51.Fat cut of tuna (Japanese) 53.Litigates 56.Consumed 57.Furrow
September 29, 2022 / R / 23 By Bill BordersOpening Saturday October 1st.
Open Saturday & Sunday 10am to 5:30pm. Wednesday & Friday 2pm to 5:30pm.
Last Day Sat Oct 29 (POP Crosstoberfest)
