Reader_April2_2026

2 / R / April 2, 2026

DEAR READERS,

The week in random review

By Soncirey Mitchell Reader Staff

The big chop

I had hair down to my lower back, right up until the middle of high school. I wanted short hair, but I was always too terrified to cut it, even though it was unstyled, unruly and a massive pain to maintain.

When I finally cut it to my shoulders, I felt so much lighter (emotionally and physically), and from then on, it just kept getting shorter. In the time since I’ve had bobs, pixie cuts, wolf cuts, grown-out mullets and whatever Great Clips gives every 12-year-old boy. Not only do I feel most like myself with short hair, but I’ve also discovered that anything beyond shoulder-length is a sensory nightmare for me. Some people can’t wear turtlenecks because of the sensation on their sensitive skin — I feel the same way about long hair. The feeling of strands brushing against my back and shoulders is like taking a shower in spiders, and the way they stick to me in the summer, when I swim or sweat, makes me want to peel my skin off (not to be dramatic).

At my last professional haircut, I went incredibly short, and since then, I’ve been letting it grow out.

When it reached my shoulders, and I didn’t freak out, I thought, “Let’s see how long I can get this.

Maybe this time it won’t bother me.” I knew I wasn’t going to last long when I started telling my boyfriend that I’d like to “take my hair off like a hat” when I sleep and threatening to shave my head every time my hair got caught in his beard. It came to a head on the first warm, sunny day I walked to work. In light clothes, with the sun beating down on me, I felt the full weight of my hair. I couldn’t stop thinking about it, and when I thought about it, I had to touch it.

When I touched it, I thought about it more, and on and on. I walked home, determined to jump in the shower and scrub my scalp raw, only to see myself in the mirror and remember, “Oh right, I have free will and scissors.” This year’s big chop was only about three inches, but it feels like it’s added years to my life. I spent an hour in the bathroom, making successful and unsuccessful cuts until I was left with a blunt bob. Seeing my reflection was like seeing an old friend I’d lost touch with.

Later, when my boyfriend called, I snapped out of my hair hypnosis and remembered that other people exist and might have a thing or two to say about me hacking my hair off like an unsupervised toddler.

Hello, anxiety.

“I’ll be home in a few.”

“I got overwhelmed and cut off all my hair,” I said, apropos of nothing.

“Oh, okay.”

With that, all the tension left my body. Yeah, it is okay. It’s just hair — my hair — and I can chop it and dye it and cover it in glitter if I want to, so long as I feel like myself. It’s always scary staring down the scissors, but in the end, the risk is worth the reward.

Buried somewhere in the headlines about war in the Middle East, the president’s unconstitutional executive order attempting to end mail-in voting and nationalize elections, and the U.S. Supreme Court weighing whether people born in the U.S. are actually citizens, NASA launched Artemis II, bound for the Moon for the first time in 53 years.

It reminds me of when, just a few years ago, the U.S. government came out and acknowledged that UFOs — or Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena, actually — were real. With the world recovering from the pandemic and political division taking all the oxygen out of everything, this story barely had enough legs to last the week.

We’re so conditioned by the henpecking and infighting in front of our noses that we often ignore the big moments. Launching a spacecraft to orbit the Moon is, indeed, a big moment, and I’m excited for the four astronauts on board: Godspeed and good luck.

– Ben Olson, publisher

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

Publisher: Ben Olson ben@sandpointreader.com Editorial: Zach Hagadone (Editor) zach@sandpointreader.com Soncirey Mitchell (Senior Writer) soncirey@sandpointreader.com Editors Emeriti: Lyndsie Kiebert-Carey Cameron Rasmusson John Reuter Advertising: Ben Olson ben@sandpointreader.com Contributing Artists: Judy Minter (cover), Ben Olson, Woods Wheatcroft, Timothy Bangle, Bill Borders Contributing Writers: Zach Hagadone, Ben Olson, Soncirey Mitchell, Lorraine H. Marie, Brenden Bobby, Kyle Pfannenstiel, Lauren Necochea, Georgia Earley, Marcia Pilgeram Submit Stories To: stories@sandpointreader.com Printed Weekly At: Tribune Publishing Co. Lewiston, ID Subscription Price: $200 per year The Sandpoint Reader is a weekly publication owned by Ben Olson, Zach Hagadone and Soncirey Mitchell. It is devoted to the arts, entertainment, bluster, politics and lifestyle in and around Sandpoint, Idaho.

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

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

Letter to the Editor Policy: We welcome letters to the editor on all relevant topics. Please, no more than 200 words, no excessive profanity or libelous statements and no trolls. Please elevate the discussion and stay on topic.

Letters will be edited to comply with the above requirements. Opinons expressed in these pages are those of the writers, not necessarily the publisher. Send to: letters@sandpointreader.com About the Cover: This week’s cover is a painting called “Sara & Paper” by Judy Minter. See Minter’s work at the POAC Gallery (see Page 12).

April 2, 2026 / R / 3

NEWS

Woodward, Critchfield talk to constituents at town hall Event focused heavily on education, budgets

By Ben Olson Reader Staff More than 100 people attended the third and final District 1 town hall gathering March 28 at Sandpoint Community Hall, hosted by Sen. Jim Woodward, R-Sagle and Rep. Mark Sauter, R-Sandpoint. Idaho Superintendent of Public Instruction Debbie Critchfield took the stage alongside Woodward; however, Sauter was absent due to attending a funeral.

Fellow Dist. Rep. Cornel Rasor, R-Sagle, was again absent, missing all three Sandpoint town halls held this primary season.

Woodward, Sauter, Rasor and Critchfield are all running for reelection.

“Friday was the 75th day of the 2026 legislative session ... and we’ve had some successes, and we’ve had a few pieces of legislation that we would have really liked to have seen go through that didn’t quite make it,” stated Woodward.

He further spoke on House Bill 561 — a bill that calls for fines against local and state governments for flying flags that aren’t on the Legislature’s pre-approved list — saying he attempted to amend the bill to allow cities such as Bonners Ferry to continue to fly the Canadian flag, as they have for many decades.

“We didn’t get it, so then it had to get a little bit uglier and we did manage to get that bill to the amending order from the floor,” stated Woodward. “The shocking part about this is that while in the Senate State Affairs [Committee] ... Scott Herndon, was at the same time, texting members of that committee, telling them that it was ‘Just fine’ — that Bonners Ferry could lease that ground to the chamber of commerce, and the chamber could fly that flag. Now, do you see the hypocrisy in that, when you think of the Festival 4 / R / April 2, 2026

[at Sandpoint]?”

Herndon was at the forefront of a yearslong lawsuit against the city of Sandpoint, which had leased War Memorial Field to the Festival at Sandpoint. Herndon argued that the Festival could not ban weapons at its summer concerts under the lease agreement. The courts ruled against Herndon, and the lawsuit ultimately failed before he could appeal the Idaho Supreme Court’s decision to uphold the ruling. At the same time, Bonner County filed a similar lawsuit against the City of Sandpoint, which Kootenai County District Judge Lansing L. Haynes ultimately ruled was “speculative” and lacked the standing to bring the case before the court. Both lawsuits cost area taxpayers more than $300,000.

“That’s speaking out of both sides of the mouth,” said Woodward. “We won on that, and we’ll continue to push for doing the right thing for public policy in the state of Idaho.”

Critchfield — who introduced herself as an Idaho resident of 35 years — began by discussing her educational background. Beginning as a parent volunteer at her children’s schools, she served for 10 years on a local school board before moving to the Idaho State Board of Education and, in 2022, winning the race for Idaho Superintendent of Public Instruction against Brandon Durst. She is currently running for re-election and will face Democrat Becky Sundin Mitchell and Constitutionalist Teresa Roundy in the general election.

Critchfield spoke of her early interest in boosting literacy rates in Idaho schools.

“The literacy efforts that our state had been involved with had stalled a little bit in my view,” she said — a reduction that she believes the state caused by straying from a phonics-based curriculum.

“We’ve got the highest reading levels in our K-3 readers that we’ve had since 2007,” she said. “My focus has really been about getting back to basics.”

Critchfield has also pushed for schools to continue to teach cursive, claiming that, according to teacher feedback, cursive instruction has improved literacy and even helped students with dyslexia.

Next, she highlighted her advocacy for career technical education and vocational training, citing the expansion and creation of 170 new programs statewide. She further championed financial literacy classes, claiming that “60,000 students” have now graduated from Idaho high schools having taken a personal management or finance course.

Critchfield called 2026 a “challenging year” for Idaho schools due to recent budget constraints.

“My goal was to put as much of a barbed wire, electric fence around the public schools’ budget as we could,” she said. “That we will be able to at least maintain the budget that we had last year was a win for us this year.”

When asked by a member of the public how the Trump Administration’s downsizing and restructuring efforts in the Department of Education have affected her job,

Critchfield stated, “I hope this won’t disappoint you, but I’ve also been a proponent of the dismantling.

“Our state has their fingers in too many things at the local level and so does the federal government,” she added.

In her opinion, dismantling the Department of Education should be a “model for what needs to happen at the state level,” as it eliminates bureaucracy and allows for local decision-making.

Over the course of the

Debbie Critchfield speaks to constituents on March 28 while Jim Woodward looks on at the Sandpoint Comunity Hall.

Photo by Ben Olson town hall, Critchfield also addressed issues like remote learning; H.B. 93, which provides tax credits for students attending private, charter and religious schools; and the impending closure of the Lake Pend Oreille High School building. Listen to a recording of the full town hall event at krfy.org/podcast.

City of Sandpoint announces branch pickup dates

By Reader Staff The City of Sandpoint has scheduled its annual branch pickup week for Monday, April 20 through Friday, April 24. All residents must have branches ready by 7 a.m. on April 20, as crews will only pass through each block once.

Homeowners should plan to trim tree overhangs to a minimum of 7 feet above sidewalks and 14 feet above streets. When they’re ready for pickup, residents must stack branches parallel to the curb on the edge of the street.

Branches can be no more than 4 inches in diameter and 6 feet in length.

Courtesy photo Trucks will not collect large branches, lawn clippings or other yard debris mixed into the stacks. Piles that do not meet these requirements or are not set out by the deadline may not be collected and may be subject to enforcement, including citation, under Sandpoint City Code. Visit sandpointidaho.gov/news to learn more.

NEWS

‘No Kings’ protest draws 1,100 people

By Ben Olson Reader Staff The third “No Kings” demonstration, held March 28, was recognized as the largest single-day protest in U.S. history, with a reported 8 million people gathering at more than 3,300 separate rallies across the nation in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. Local organizers Sandpoint Indivisible and Sandpoint 50501 reported 1,100 people attended the event in Sandpoint, which took place along First Avenue from Superior Street to Pine Street.

The collective “No Kings” protests are a series of political demonstrations against what organizers describe as the “authoritarian policies” of President Donald Trump and “corruption” within his administration. An MS NOW reporter reached out to the Trump administration to ask their take on the growing demonstrations, claiming that one senior White House official responded, “We do not think about the protests at all.”

The second “No Kings” protest last October saw more than 7 million people attend approximately 2,700 rallies, and the first in June 2025 racked up 2,100 “No Kings”

events, which saw more than 5 million attendees.

The Sandpoint demonstration was peaceful, with many holding signs critical of the Trump administration and the war in Iran. Local activist group 1 Million Rising hosted a community forum, and local

band Lights on the Water and the Sandpoint Resistance Revival Choir played live music and protest songs, respectively.

Organizers also gathered 223 pounds of food at the event and nearly $370 in cash, all of which benefitted the Bonner Community Food Bank.

“Thank you to the peacekeepers for once again ensuring a safe, peaceful event,” organizers wrote after the protest. “Thank you to the Sandpoint Police Department for working to protect our First Amendment rights and keep us safe. Thank you to all the

All photos by Ben Olson except lower right, which came as a courtesy photo local groups who participated in the community forum. ...

And most of all, thank you to everyone who came out to rally to protect our democracy!”

Early spring runoff ‘unusually high’ into Pend Oreille/Clark Fork Watershed Lakes Commission: ‘Very unlikely this will be a flood year’

By Reader Staff The Pend Oreille Lakes Commission reported that the Pend Oreille/ Clark Fork Watershed is “experiencing an unusually high runoff for this time of year,” resulting in a projected lake level above 2,055 feet in the first week of April.

Snow water equivalent and forecasts throughout the basin are varied, but the current forecast is 90% into September.

Approximately 90% of all inflows to Lake Pend Oreille come from Montana, and, “Keep in mind that when our local tributaries are flooding, that doesn’t directly correlate to flooding on the lake,” the commission stated.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which regulates lake levels at Albeni Falls Dam, cannot intention-

ally keep the lake elevation above the flood control level of 2,056 feet during the onset of spring runoff — as measured in Hope — “so it is possible full spring runoff is occurring now,” the Lakes Commission stated, adding, “We may see several flushes, but with the overall low snowpack throughout the basin, chances of that are lower.”

What’s more, according to the commission, the public has a common misconception that the winter drawdown on Lake Pend Oreille is intended to reach its lowest elevation to prevent flooding or protect kokanee spawning. Rather, the seasonal

< see LAKE, Page 7 > A map showing snow water equivalent percentages in the Lake Pend Oreille watershed. Courtesy image April 2, 2026 / R / 5

NEWS

Idaho gov. signs bill to criminalize trans people using bathrooms that align with their identity The bill, described by advocates as the most extreme trans bathroom ban in the nation, makes Idaho one of few states with criminal bans

By Kyle Pfannenstiel Idaho Capital Sun Idaho Gov. Brad Little signed into law a bill that criminalizes transgender people using bathrooms that align with their gender identity, including in private businesses.

House Bill 752 will create criminal charges for people who “knowingly and willfully” enter a bathroom or changing room designated for the opposite sex, with some exceptions. The bill would apply in government-owned buildings and places of public accommodations, like private businesses.

A first offense carries a misdemeanor, punishable by up to one year in prison. A second offense within five years is a felony, punishable by up to five years in prison.

Only three states — Utah, Florida and Kansas — have criminal bans on trans people using bathrooms that align with their gender identity, according to the Movement Advancement Project, an LGBTQ+ advocacy group.

Planned Parenthood Alliance Advocates — Idaho called the bill “the most extreme anti-transgender bathroom ban in the nation.”

Little signed the bill into law Tuesday afternoon — just as people rallied on the Capitol steps in Boise for Transgender Day of Visibility. The law takes effect July 1.

In the Republican supermajority-controlled Legislature, the bill had support from only Republicans — and was opposed by all 15 Democrats and eight Republicans.

After the governor signed a bill Tuesday morning to fine cities for flying the LGBTQ+ pride flag, the city of Boise removed an LGBTQ+ pride flag that flew in front of City Hall. Boise Mayor Lauren McLean said the city had been flying the pride flag for a decade.

“Do I feel like going to jail today, or do I feel like being attacked?” trans man testifies The transgender bathroom ban bill builds on a wave of anti-LGTBQ+ bills that the Legislature and the governor have approved in recent years.

In 2020, Idaho became the first state to ban transgender girls and 6 / R / April 2, 2026

A person holds a sign at a Transgender Day of Visibility rally on March 31. Photo by Kyle Pfannenstiel for Idaho Capital Sun women from competing on sports teams that align with their gender identity. In 2023, state lawmakers made it a felony for doctors to provide gender-affirming health care to transgender youth. In 2024, lawmakers expanded the ban to apply to taxpayer funds and government property, which forbids Medicaid from covering gender-affirming care.

The Legislature also just passed a bill this year that would require teachers and doctors to out transgender minors to their parents, or face lawsuits.

And for more than a decade, efforts to add anti-discrimination protections for LGBTQ+ people to state law have failed.

“Over the last several years, legislators have gone from refusing to protect us to actively targeting us,” Nikson Mathews, who serves as chair of the Idaho Democratic Queer Caucus, said at a news conference in February.

Mathews, a trans man with a beard, told a House committee earlier this year that the bathroom bill would force him to use the women’s restroom.

“Every single day when I’m out in public, I have to decide: Do I feel like going to jail today, or do I feel like being attacked,” Mathews told lawmakers.

A 2025 study by the UCLA School of Law’s Williams Institute found “no evidence of increased harms to people who are not transgender when transgender people are allowed to use restrooms and other gendered facilities according

< see BATHROOM, Page 7 >

Bits ’n’ Pieces From east, west and beyond

An 8% fuel surcharge will be added to all package costs due to rising fuel prices, according to the U.S. Postal Service. A new Bloomberg study found that last year, electric vehicles avoided the use of 2.3 million barrels of oil per day worldwide.

Tax code changes in President Donald Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill have resulted in major disparities between rich and poor. Example: in Montana, for every $10 the poorest household saves on its tax bill, the richest household saves $21,940: the Lever.

A survey from the non-profit Public Religion Research Institute shows 61% disapprove of Trump’s handling of immigration; 67% like their local police officers. Only 36% want more funds for ICE. The third “No Kings” rally, March 28, was observed by over 8 million people in the U.S. and abroad. No Kings’ dissent centers on the Trump Administration’s violations of the Constitution, higher prices, threats to voting rights, Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents’ violence and illegal aggression against foreign countries. A sampling of “No Kings” signs: “Imagine being scared of diversity, but not dictatorship”; “How much death and destruction will make them feel rich enough?”; “Drop prices, not bombs”; and “War crimes don’t hide sex crimes.”

In early March, millionaires stopped paying into Social Security for the year due to the payroll tax cap of $176,100 — those making more stop paying earlier.

The National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare points out that, without Congressional action, the payroll tax cap prevents billions of additional dollars from going into the Social Security Trust Fund. Sans Congressional action, Social Security payments will be reduced to 83% of benefits in early 2035.

Before Social Security was enacted, half of seniors lived in poverty.

Today, fewer than 10% do, according to Social Security Works.

Various media: Most Transportation Safety Administration workers have been paid for the unpaid hours they put in during the partial government shutdown, helping end long airport security lines. Trump ordered the Department of Homeland Security to pay after he

By Lorraine H. Marie Reader Contributor

rejected bipartisan efforts to address the issue. The partial shutdown was triggered by a failure to reach a bipartisan agreement on Democrats’ demand for ICE agents to wear cameras and identification, not use masks, obtain warrants from judges and to stop ICE raids at “sensitive places” like schools, hospitals and churches. ICE agents may remain at airports.

A group of Florida’s Republican sheriffs has asked Trump to end mass deportations of undocumented immigrants who have not committed crimes, the Florida Phoenix reported.

War headlines: Pope Leo XIV rejects claims that God justifies war in Palm Sunday Mass message [He said Jesus does not listen to “the prayers of those who wage war” and to “lay down your weapons. Remember that you are brothers and sisters.” U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth regards the war in Iran as a Christian holy war]; Hegseth’s broker looked to buy defense fund before Iran attack, FT reports; Most say the United States’ recent military actions against Iran have gone too far; Trump tells aides he’s willing to end war without reopening Hormuz; Iran warns U.S. against ground invasion as regional diplomats seek an end to the war [A top Iranian official said U.S. troops would be set “on fire”]; Pentagon considers diverting Ukraine military aid to Middle East [The U.S. is running out of munitions]; Republicans eye health care cuts to pay for U.S. war in Iran; ‘So Ashamed’: American Conservative co-founder says he’s ‘embarrassed’ that he voted for Trump 3 times [Scott McConnell said the Iran war was the last straw]; and New U.S. missile hit Iranian sports hall and school, analysis shows [It and nearby strikes killed at least 21 people, including children].

Various media: Trump threatened to commit war crimes, saying if war negotiations with Iran are slow, their power plants, oil wells and desalination plants will be blown up and “completely obliterated.”

Blast from the past: The Pentagon wants $200 billion more for war: $1,400 per household. In 2003, the George W. Bush Administration requested $40 billion for the Iraq War, but the final tally was $3 trillion.

That administration said invading Iraq wouldn’t cost anything — Iraq’s oil would cover costs.

NEWS

Audits find little fraud in Idaho child care providers.

But budget panel rejects child care grants A day after Idaho Department of Health and Welfare releases audits, Legislature’s budget committee rejects $16M in child care expansion grant funds

By Kyle Pfannenstiel Idaho Capital Sun The Idaho Legislature’s budget committee on Tuesday rejected allowing the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare to spend $16 million in federal funds to expand child care access.

In that vote, the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee also effectively rejected adding five new jobs to investigate issues in the Idaho Child Care Program. The program gives child care subsidies to families of nearly 6,500 children, and the department has stalled doling out grants to expand access to child care providers in Idaho.

The Legislature has been mulling additional fraud prevention measures to the program this year on the heels of concerns about fraud in Idaho’s program after viral allegations in Minnesota prompted the Trump administration to crack down on child care funds.

The vote came a day after the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare released a report that found few instanc-

< LAKE, con’t from Page 5 > drawdown is intended for Bonneville Power Administration to generate power.

“The storage space between 2,056 feet (mid-) and 2,062 feet (normal summer pool) is the space needed to capture flood waters; anything below 2,056 feet does not reduce flooding impacts in a flood year,” the Lakes Commission stated. “It is very unlikely this will be a flood year.”

The Corps will host a public meeting on Thursday, May 7 from 5-7 p.m. at the Sandpoint Center (414 Church St.), and the next Lakes Commission meeting is scheduled for Friday, May 8 from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. at the Ponderay Event Center (401 Bonner Mall Way).

es of suspected fraud or other issues with nearly 800 providers that participate in the program.

Budget committee co-chair Rep. Josh Tanner, an Eagle Republican, said he appreciated the department’s report but said he had concerns.

“Idaho is a very low – without a lot of fraud, we have not found a lot. But ... we have found some within it. And that’s something the department is actually taking action on,” Tanner told lawmakers. “... I do think it’s concerning. ... With the amount of fraud you see through this country, still I think there’s always concern with that.”

Since the allegations in Minnesota, Idaho’s program has been thrust into the national controversy by state lawmakers. In December, two Republican lawmakers, including Tanner, asked the state to freeze funds in the program meant to expand child care provider access.

Public records obtained by the Idaho Capital Sun show that the letter appeared to prompt state health officials to indefinitely pause their plans to post applications for the grant opportunities, which were set to open in January.

The budget committee’s vote to not appropriate the funds for fiscal year 2027 will

< BATHROOM, con’t from Page 6 > to their identity.” But when trans people are refused access to facilities that align with their gender, the study found that trans people report verbal harassment and physical assault.

In debate, Republicans cast the bill as protecting women’s spaces. A Democrat called it discriminatory Last week, Coeur d’Alene Republican, Sen. Ben Toews, who sponsored the bill, told senators that the bill protects “common sense realities.”

“The Legislature has a fun-

State audits found issues with 3.6% of providers State audits recently found issues with a small portion, 3.6%, of all 776 providers that are part of the program, according to a report that the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare released Monday.

The audits spurred the state to take administrative action against 28 providers — which can range from decertification to being banned from the program, depending on the severity of issues providers had.

“We hope that this demonstrates to Idahoans and to our partners here in the Legislature that Idaho does not have the level of challenges that other states have seen,” Idaho Department of Health and Welfare Director Juliet Char-

ron told reporters Monday.

And she previewed what the agency could do with more resources, like the extra staff to do program integrity work that the budget committee rejected.

“If we are given the resources to really kind of ramp up this work on a more yearround basis, I would expect that number to maybe even diminish further, which would be great,” Charron said.

Charron said that the issues with child care providers ranged between minor problems, like not correctly keeping paperwork, to “blatant fraud.”

The 16 providers that the state terminated, which bans them from being part of the program for five years, were in the Treasure Valley, and many were in Boise, according to termination letters the agency shared with reporters.

“Concerns such as our staff showed up on an in person, on site, review during normal business hours, and there were no children on site, no children being served,” Charron said. “It was not spring break.

It was not holidays. It should have been a time that children should have been there.”

Two providers with more minor issues have since resolved their issues and are back on the program, agency Deputy Director Monty Prow

told reporters.

In the past, the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare hasn’t had the capacity to do full provider audits, Charron told reporters. To do the reviews after lawmakers requested more oversight, the agency dedicated 10 staff — including all four on the child care program, and another six program integrity staff that handle all programs besides Medicaid — to the reviews full time, she said. That has meant other work has piled up for them, she said.

“We’ve just had to basically freeze everything else for the last several months, which means that now we’re going to have to pick up the backlogs of other work,” Charron said.

At least nine child care providers that the Department of Health and Welfare terminated had allegedly committed suspected fraud at times when the agency was led by Alex Adams, the Idaho Statesman reported.

Adams, a former budget chief for Idaho Gov. Brad Little, was nominated by President Donald Trump to lead the Administration for Children and Families in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Adam has been part of the agency’s efforts to crack down on Minnesota following child care fraud allegations.

damental duty to protect the bodily privacy and safety of Idaho citizens,” Toews said.

“House Bill 752 provides a clear, proactive tool to secure sex-separated private spaces in our state, while accommodating common-sense realities.”

Sen. Ron Taylor, a Democrat from Hailey, said the bill is about discrimination. He said constituents told him that they’d move out of Idaho if it passed — because it would throw their transgender children in jail.

“Now maybe that’s what some of us want, is to chase a

population that’s marginalized out of Idaho,” Taylor said.

“But that’s not Idaho. Idaho was founded by a population that was marginalized.”

The bill was opposed by some law enforcement groups and several transgender Idahoans.

The bill outlines several exceptions, including to give medical assistance, law enforcement assistance, and if someone “is in dire need of urinating or defecating and such facility is the only facility reasonably available at the time of the person’s use.”

The Idaho Fraternal Order of Police flagged that exception as concerning.

“Officers responding to a complaint would be placed in the difficult position of determining an individual’s biological sex in order to enforce the statute,” Idaho Fraternal Order of Police President Bryan Lovell wrote.

“In many circumstances, there is no clear or reasonable way for officers to make that determination without engaging in questioning or investigative actions that could be viewed as invasive and inappropriate.”

likely prevent the agency from spending the funds to expand child care availability. But a separate budget bill headed to Gov. Brad Little, Senate Bill 1435 would set aside $64 million for subsidies for families next fiscal year.

Last week, the Senate rejected a bill to shift the program from rules to state law, lower the income eligibility threshold and implement a range of fraud-prevention efforts, like giving the Attorney General’s Office jurisdiction to prosecute cases.

April 2, 2026 / R / 7

Voting by mail — not just for presidents…

Dear editor, Donald J. Trump voted by mail because he is president. I vote by mail because I am an American citizen.

Bouquets: • Every time I ride by the Sandpoint United Methodist Church on Main Street and Boyer Avenue, I am pleased to read their sign out front, which says, “All are welcome,” and right beneath, a colorful handmade sign reads, “All means all.” In a time when many organized religions use their faith to exclude, this is a heartwarming message. Good job.

Barbs: • Last week, when asked about calls for public hearings on decisions made by the Trump Administration during the war in Iran, U. S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations Chair Jim Risch (R-ID) said, “I have decided that we will not have public hearings because I do not believe the administration’s decision-makers should be subject to public questioning by senators.” Ah, how very American of you, Sen. Risch. Everyone knows darkness and obfuscation are the best disinfectants, right? Sen. Risch turns 83 in May, which means he’d be nearing 90 years old at the end of his next term if reelected. Perhaps it’s time for Sen. Risch to find an easy chair and a crossword puzzle book to occupy himself with, because this uselessness doesn’t serve the people who have to live in the world that politicians like him are actively destroying.

• This week, Idaho Gov. Brad Little signed a bill that officially criminalizes transgender people using bathrooms that align with their gender identity, which includes private businesses. This comes after another bill requiring teachers and doctors to “out” transgender minors to their parents or face lawsuits. Let’s face it, the Idaho Legislature no longer cares about bettering the lives of Idahoans. They are now mostly concerned with leveling hate at the LGBTQIA+ community.

Shame on Gov. Little and all the bigots who voted for this.

8 / R / April 2, 2026

Molly O’Reilly Sandpoint

‘Politics above people?’...

Dear editor, I was disappointed to see all three of our legislators vote to reduce Medicaid disability services.

The decision puts at risk roughly $44 million in federal funding, along with about $21 million in state support for programs that many Idaho families rely on.

This isn’t about party labels. It’s about impact.

Medicaid disability services help some of the most vulnerable people in our communities live with dignity and give their families the support they need. When funding is reduced, those costs don’t disappear. They shift to families, local providers and already stretched community resources.

I don’t pretend to know all the factors that went into this vote.

These decisions are complex, and our legislators carry real responsibility in balancing budgets and priorities. But this is one of those moments when it’s worth asking whether we got that balance right.

Our region has a long tradition of practical, community-minded leadership. That includes taking a hard look at decisions that may have unintended consequences close to home.

If I have the opportunity to serve, I hope to bring that same approach — looking past politics and focusing on what works for the people of North Idaho.

Karen Matthee, Democratic candidate, House Seat 1A Sandpoint

‘Vote for thoughtfulness’…

Dear editor, I thank Mr. Herndon for explaining some issues he supports in last week’s Reader. Mr. Herndon did not mention that he also: • Sponsored the law that went into effect and resulted in our loss of OB-GYN services at Bonner General and caused our doctors to leave the state, threatening women’s and babies’ lives.

• Introduced failed legislation to remove rape and incest exceptions from Idaho’s criminal abortion ban.

• Sued to allow guns into the

Festival. Hundreds of thousands of dollars were spent, and much time wasted — the result? More partisanship.

I will vote for his opponent, Sen. Jim Woodward, because he listens and then represents our — not necessarily his — opinions. I also like Woodward’s thoughtfulness on budgets: “I do not think it is realistic to expect our budget will be the same dollar amount when our population has doubled again. … I will continue to push back on this short-sighted, politically motivated budget process where we are passing large bill packages, instead of considering all agency budgets individually, and I will do it because it matters to you.”

When we disagree, he explains why. I trust his thoughtfulness in voting for laws that protect us, rather than divide us.

Nancy Gerth Sagle

‘Bravo’...

Dear editor, Bravo to Zach Hagadone’s “The death of comedy” article [Back of the Book, March 19, 2026]. That was a very poignant article. I find myself lately with my head lowered in shame, and my heart filled with remorse and confusion, and your words were strangely comforting. I am not alone.

Thank you, Lynne Whitaker Sagle

‘Republican-endorsed candidates’...

Dear editor, The Bonner County Republican Central Committee consists of seven board members and 30 Precinct Committee Officers. For the most part, they are hardworking, dedicated, compassionate people who are passionate about your freedom. They dedicate their free time to protecting your rights.

The Elections Committee has a thorough vetting process for each candidate running for state and local office. The committee asks written questions (which can be found on their website, bonnergop. org) and conducts multiple in-person interviews to determine who should be recommended to the whole body as their “endorsed Republican candidate.” The whole body then takes a vote to approve or disapprove the recommendation of the Elections Committee, and a candidate is endorsed. Beware of any other organization’s mailer you receive claiming an endorsed candidate. They have

not been vetted by the Republican Party using the Republican Party’s platform values.

Jane Sauter is the endorsed candidate of the Bonner County Republican Central Committee. She is running for state representative in District 1. She is the true grassroots candidate. Vote for Jane on May 19. Visit her website, JaneSauterforIdaho.com, to learn more about why she’s running and what she stands for.

Scott Thompson Hope

‘The new reality of war’...

Dear editor, We often think of war as the ultimate way to settle disputes. When diplomacy fails, war is supposed to decide the outcome. But that world no longer exists — modern technology has made traditional war obsolete.

War today destroys more than ever, but it no longer resolves. It creates neither stable outcomes nor lasting political order, and yet we continue to act as if it does.

Modern conflicts involve advanced weapons, drones, cyberattacks and long-range missiles.

Entire regions — not just battlefields — become war zones. Civilians are no longer separate from soldiers.

Infrastructure, economies and daily life all become targets.

What remains is not resolution, but widespread destruction, instability and cycles of vengeance.

Violence cannot create stability, and lasting order cannot arise from devastation, yet we keep relying on war as a solution.

If war can no longer settle disputes, we must rethink how we engage with the world and with each other. We need a different kind of power — not the power to destroy, but the power to unite: to cooperate, build institutions and sustain a shared world, despite deep disagreements.

Until we accept that reality, we will continue mistaking destruction for solution — and paying the price for it.

Kari Saccomanno Sandpoint

‘No Kings 3’...

Dear editor, Sandpoint had an invigorating and joyful No Kings 3 rally.

We expect cities to have massive marches, but not small towns in Idaho and Montana. Dissent is not

popular here. It is a lonely act of declaration. We risk making our politics known to our neighbors. We don’t want to be a target. Yet more than 1,000 of us came last Saturday. That took courage. We came with our signs, walkers and chairs.

We sang Woody Guthery songs. We had a feeling we were fighting for our democracy.

I swore an oath to the Constitution when I was a government employee, a lifetime oath that has gotten stronger through the years.

I recognize the difference between a republic and a king’s court. I am not alone. When I see this across America’s small towns, I realize that we all recognize that power has become enamored with itself. I don’t like it.

I recognize that politicians come in three colors: red, blue and yellow. “Reds” have some good points, as do “blues.” The “yellows” should leave office. They do not represent me or so many people in small-town America. Where do you see your Congressional delegation?

Betty Knight Sandpoint

‘Jane Sauter champions children’s needs’...

Dear editor, Children’s care needs to be left to their families and churches. In 2025, Senate Bill 1206 appropriated funds to Health and Welfare for early learning and development programs for the developmentally disabled. Giving money to the state to handle our children’s care can easily cause corruption, like what we have seen in Minneapolis. The wrong Sauter voted for this last year. Jane Sauter would have the foresight to see that children’s care needs to stay firmly under the control of their family. These are taxpayer-controlled federal dollars that can create a dependency on government instead of strengthening families. Vote for families to have control of their own children’s needs. Vote May 19 for Jane Sauter.

Maureen Paterson Priest River

We accept letters to the editor up to 200 words. No libelous statements or excessive profanity. Please elevate the conversation. Send submissions to letters@sandpointreader.com.

PERSPECTIVES

GOP proposal could bury ethics complaints — including sexual assault allegations

By Lauren Necochea Reader Contributor With great power comes great responsibility. We should expect our elected leaders to conduct themselves according to the highest ethical standards. Sadly, a Republican proposal would make it easier to cover up serious allegations against the lawmakers who represent you.

The Idaho House Ethics and Policy Committee responds to ethics complaints against its members. Under the current rule, if four-fifths of the committee agrees there is probable cause of misconduct, the complaint becomes public and an open hearing follows. Now, a proposed rule change passed out of committee by Republicans would

Lauren Necochea. File photo keep ethics complaints under wraps unless the committee vote is unanimous.

That proposal is especially troubling after watching legislators dismiss a serious report because the alleged perpetrator was a political ally.

I served in the House in 2021, when it held public ethics hearings related to allegations that then-Rep. Aaron von Ehlinger sexually assaulted a teenage intern. Idahoans

could hear testimony, evaluate the evidence and watch the process out in the open.

When the House was poised to vote on sanctions, von Ehlinger resigned. A jury later convicted him of rape and von Ehlinger was sentenced to 20 years in prison.

The process brought the truth into the open, and justice ultimately prevailed.

But the truth had to overcome disgusting tactics by von Ehlinger’s far-right political allies, who tried to discredit his victim. Former-Rep. Dorothy Moon, now chair of the Idaho Republican Party, testified about the intern’s body language, suggesting that because she touched her hair one day, von Ehlinger was entitled to sexual acts. Former-Rep. Priscilla Giddings publicized

the intern’s identity, posting a link with her photo on social media — an act that is hard to interpret as anything but victim intimidation. Rep. Vito Barbieri, who is now sponsoring the current push for secrecy, wrote a character letter for von Ehlinger in his criminal case, calling him “an upstanding person” who “conducted himself as a gentleman.” Former-Rep. Mike Kingsley also wrote in support.

Under Barbieri’s proposed rule, if von Ehlinger had just one ally like them on the committee overseeing ethics complaints, that person would have the power to keep the public from learning of the allegation.

We know where the instinct to conceal the misconduct of allies and powerful people can lead. The cover-up surrounding

the horrific crimes of Jeffrey Epstein and his associates is a stark reminder.

No survivor of sexual assault, no whistleblower and no citizen should be asked to trust a process concealed behind closed doors. Investigating credible reports out in the open is how we hold leaders accountable and, hopefully, deter harmful, unethical behavior. Idaho deserves leaders who will shine a light on darkness, regardless of the political ramifications.

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

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

‘Might makes right’ is wrong for the U.S. and the world

By Georgia Earley Reader Contributor During a CNN interview with Jake Tapper in January, Steve Miller, top adviser to the current administration, stated while discussing the potential U.S. annexation of Greenland and other military actions: “We live in a world in which you can talk all you want about international niceties and everything else, but we live in a world, in the real world, Jake, that is governed by strength, that is governed by force, that is governed by power. These are the iron laws of the world that have existed since the beginning of time.”

“Might makes right” has in fact ruled among all animals, including humans. Writings from 5,000 years ago show that civilizations practiced human sacrifice of conquered enemies to maintain political

Georgia Earley. Courtesy photo power and as a show of military strength; and, until more recently, all had institutionalized some form of slavery.

The past couple of centuries however — and especially after WWII — democratic ideals began to restrain that darker side of human nature. De-

spite periodic relapses into the “law of the jungle,” societies learned a fundamental truth: that people prosper more in times of peace and stability under a shared rule of law.

In the past century, our leaders have sought to uphold these principles through our Constitution and through international agreements, most notably the U.N. Charter, signed in 1945 by 50 countries in the aftermath of Hitler’s violent pursuit of “manifest destiny” in Europe.

These post-war leaders realized that friends make the most reliable allies. Since then, though, there have been localized military actions against U.S. forces or assets, while none of the original signees of the U.N. Charter has initiated a direct, declared war against the U.S. For 80 years, the U.S. has benefited enormously from the

relative global stability of the now 193-member U.N. Charter. We became a prosperous nation and our democracy, a beacon of hope for people living under authoritarian regimes that rule through fear, coercion and repression.

As for President Donald Trump’s “Board of Peace,” roughly 28 official members had signed up by early March — 18 are authoritarian or authoritarian-leaning countries, and eight are very corrupt or failing democracies.

History gives us little reason to believe those leaders will suddenly champion democratic values. So what values will they promote? And how will they pursue them? Intimidation? Threats? Extortion? And if that becomes the norm, will the U.S. truly be immune?

Five millennia of written history shows a clear pattern: leaders who view the world

through the nihilistic lens of “might makes right” ultimately lead their countries into civil discontent and war, not peace. And war is costly for everyone — except for those in power.

If we value our democratic republic, we need to pay attention and speak up now. Our nation’s continued prosperity, its strength and even its democratic existence depends on adherence to the constitutional rule of law, the protection of our international friendships to secure strong alliances and the preservation of our freedoms through democratic processes.

If our leaders refuse to uphold these values, it’s our responsibility to vote for those who will.

Georgia Earley is a Bonners Ferry resident.

April 2, 2026 / R / 9

Mad about Science:

Brought to you by:

horses

By Brenden Bobby Reader Columnist Dogs have earned the moniker of “man’s best friend,” but it may be more accurate to relabel them as “man’s oldest friend.” Dogs were domesticated around 14,500 years ago, becoming the first willing animal companions to humankind. However, horses, though domesticated sometime around 2200 B.C.E., have proven themselves among the most capable and empathetic animals humans could ask for.

Among all domesticated animals, horses are some of the most recent, albeit most useful, to humans. They have vastly increased human mobility, serving as the primary mode of transportation over land until the invention of the steam engine, the locomotive and the automobile.

Thoroughbred horses are capable of running at sustained speeds of 45 miles per hour. Some horses were specifically bred to run, though the species as a whole comes with a number of genetic benefits that make them exceptional runners. The first and most obvious is the presence of four legs over a human’s two. However, as the tortoise has shown us, four legs are not universally better than two — instead, it’s everything supporting the legs that makes a horse great at running.

Horses are very muscular and have a strong cardiovascular system, even for their size. Paired with their ability to breathe exclusively through their nose, this gives them an immense amount of oxygen to circulate in their bloodstream, which helps fuel every aspect of their body, from the spe-

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cialized springy tendons to the huge muscles in their legs.

Another unique adaptation is the presence of hooves.

Ungulates such as horses and deer essentially run on their tippy-toes. This would be wildly impractical for humans because of the way our bones are arranged and the amount of weight we can put onto our toes — even highly trained ballerinas are prone to breaking their phalanges during performances and training. A horse’s hoof encases the end of its toe — essentially making it a big toenail — providing a strong foundation and structure, while also allowing the toe and the bones that make up its foot to elongate its leg. This helps horses have a much longer stride and withstand the immense forces their legs must carry.

This is also why owners often kill horses when they break a leg. Horses live on their feet, and if the leg won’t heal, the horse won’t live a very pleasant life and may even be prone to re-breaking its leg. When someone decides to euthanize their horse after an injury, it’s not just a matter of cost, but a consideration for the horse’s quality of life in the long-term.

Having broken a leg, I can tell you that the way humans evolved is much more conducive to healing a broken limb.

If I had to keep walking on a compound fracture, I’d never be the same, but I would also have the ability to live a more decent life as an amputee than an animal that requires all four limbs to move.

Like all animals, horses have a long and complicated evolutionary history. One of the horse’s earliest known ancestors is Eohippus, or the “dawn horse.” It was a strange

Photo by Cadie Archer little creature that existed 55 million years ago and was about the size of a dog. It had four toes on each front foot and three toes on each rear foot, with every toe ending in a small hoof. Even stranger, Eohippus had very pronounced, sharp canine teeth, which is a massive departure from the modern equus.

Every aspect of a horse’s evolution occurred in conjunction with its environment.

The multiple, spread toes worked well in moist, primeval forest environments where a solid grip was required to survive. As Earth’s temperature changed and grasses began to proliferate around the globe, these multiple toes began to coalesce into a single toe and hoof. The shape of horses’ teeth also changed to shear and consume grass, and they became bigger and faster to evade predators.

Horses today are peak herbivores. They have very few natural predators, especially when they are being cared for by humans. Wild horses are sometimes vulnerable to predation by large carnivores such as mountain lions and wolves. Mountain lions in the American West have been found to ambush wild horses, though this behavior is somewhat rare due to the danger posed to the mountain lions.

Wolves are more likely to prey upon wild horses by attacking from multiple vectors and isolating a horse in terrain favorable for the pack.

Foals are the most vulnerable to predators and are often targeted by mountain lions, coyotes and bears. Adults are fully capable of defending themselves, as they are able to deliver up to 1 metric ton of force per square inch with

a single kick — more than double the force of the most powerful heavyweight boxers.

That amount of force can easily break human bones, cause a concussion or skull fracture and dent car doors.

Throughout most of their domestication, horses have been used for combat. In antiquity and the medieval period, horses were seen as an immense investment — they were essentially the main battle tanks of the age. Knights

and lords wanted their investments protected, so they armored them up. Barding — body armor for war-horses — came in many forms, from light to full-blown Milanese plate mail. A horse lost in combat could end a very carefully curated bloodline, both for the horse and its rider, which made the armor as valuable and complex as the beast it shielded.

Stay curious, 7B.

Random Corner ate?

Don’t know much about chocol !

We can help

• Aztecs used cacao seeds as a form of currency.

• Montezuma II, an Aztec emperor, drank over 50 cups of chocolate per day.

• Along with milk, dark and white chocolates, there is a rare fourth type called ruby chocolate, made from the unfermented cocoa beans of Brazil Lavados, which can have a natural red-pink color.

• Joseph Fry, of the British J. S. Fry & Sons, invented the first chocolate bar in 1847. It was named Chocolat Délicieux à Manger or “Delicious Chocolate to Eat.” • Milky Way bars aren’t named after the galaxy; they’re named after the malted milkshakes the bars were supposed to taste like.

• Three Musketeers bars were originally three pieces: chocolate, vanilla and strawberry. They switched to just one bar after strawberry prices increased.

• Andes chocolates were origi-

nally called “Andy’s Candy’s” after the creator, George Andrew Kanelos, but it was changed because men didn’t want to buy their partners chocolates with another man’s name on it.

• Brussels Airport is the world’s largest chocolate seller, moving over 800 tons of chocolate a year.

• In 1930, Ruth Wakefield mixed Nestlé chocolate pieces into her cookie dough after running out of baker’s chocolate while making chocolate cookies. She ended up creating chocolate chip cookies and later sold the idea to Nestlé for a lifetime supply of chocolate.

• In the famous shower scene during the film Psycho, the blood was actually chocolate syrup.

• Americans consume about 50% of the world’s chocolate.

• Hershey’s Kisses are named after the kissing sound the deposited chocolate makes as it falls from the machine on the conveyor belt.

PERSPECTIVES

Independent and local — always

By Ben Olson Reader Staff When the Reader was founded in 2004, it was owned by three college friends who wanted to provide an alternative voice in North Idaho. When Zach Hagadone, John Reuter and Chris DeCleur owned the newspaper, their main mantra was to offer an independent, local newspaper free to the people. This paper wouldn’t write down to the audience, instead offering nuanced, long-form journalism that gave a different perspective on the local issues that we all care about.

Before the paper went out of print between 2012-’14, Zach asked me if I’d run it with him, but I was in a different place then. I didn’t have any interest.

I believe, as the story goes, I laughed in his face.

I was just a writer for the Reader then, contributing frequent diatribes and travelogues from my wayfaring days. To be stuck behind a desk doing this yeoman’s work was not how I saw my life playing out.

Zach had a few individuals interested in taking over the paper then, but he wisely decided to shutter the press instead of handing off nearly eight years of blood, sweat, ink and tears to someone who might tarnish the original mission.

So, as is the case with many small newspapers in the U.S. during the past couple of decades, the Reader went dark — quite literally, as the cover of the last edition on March 29, 2012 carried a full page of black ink. Thursday mornings no longer saw that familiar masthead on the racks around town.

Zach, John and Chris moved on to actual jobs that paid them real money. The Reader was just a memory. Or so it seemed.

Meanwhile, I returned to my hometown of Sandpoint and fell in love. As the line goes in the film Goodwill Hunting, I had to see about a girl, so I moved into a small apartment and worked odd jobs for a few years until a crazy thought popped into my head while sunbathing on a stretch of sand on the lakeshore: What if I brought the Reader

back from the dead?

Everyone I shared my idea with thought I was insane. Several told me it would end badly, that the paper would never make any money and I would go broke in the process.

Nonetheless, I continued forward with a plan. A couple of months before the relaunch, Keokee owner Chris Bessler approached me and asked if I would be interested in taking on a partner.

We met, and I realized Bessler’s intentions were to help this paper get off the ground and assist in giving it the legs it needed to stay around for good this time.

We entered into an agreement and owned the paper together. We brought in Cameron Rasmusson as the first editor of Reader 2.0, and quietly put out the first edition in January 2015. Shortly after, Lyndsie Kiebert-Carey began interning with us and ultimately took a full-time job as a reporter after she graduated from college. We were off to the races.

Those were wild days back then. The Reader faced an uphill battle. We fought for our existence every week, fending off droves of haters who filled our inboxes and voicemail with threats and intimidation.

I worked long hours, often going without pay. My staff was incredible all along the way, churning out the news stories, the opinion articles, the little bits and bobs that make this paper what it is. We leaned into it, and the community leaned right back. You accepted us, brought us into your weekly routine, and many of you refused to let us die. To this day, there isn’t a week that goes by when someone doesn’t send a donation or drop by the office with a present, a note or a contribution for our efforts.

It has meant the world to me how much this community has embraced the Reader’s return from the dead.

When Zach moved back to Sandpoint in 2019 and expressed interest in rejoining the paper’s staff, it felt like things were really entering a new phase. He resumed his duties as

editor-in-chief starting in July 2019 and immediately augmented the quality and purpose of the Reader. He is one of the top journalists in the state and we’re damn lucky to have him.

Then, a few years later, Lyndsie announced she would be having her first child, and we said goodbye to one of our favorite people only to luck out in hiring Soncirey Mitchell to fill her shoes as a reporter.

From the start, we realized Soncirey was going to be a perfect fit. She is wise beyond her years and has added so much character, charm and wit to our weekly effort.

It was around this time when I began exploring options to restore Zach as an owner of the paper. It seemed like the logical next step after he helped create it back in 2004. When Bessler announced last year that he would be retiring soon, it became the perfect time.

After this lengthy preamble, I’m pleased to announce that Zach is again a co-owner of the Sandpoint Reader.

What’s more, because she represents the future of this paper when Zach and I become burned out husks, we offered ownership shares to Soncirey as well.

Zach and Soncirey both now own 15% of this newspaper each, and I have the remaining 70%. Bessler graciously sold his ownership shares at a reasonable rate and we completed the paperwork a couple of months ago.

After news dropped last week of Bessler selling Sandpoint Magazine, SandpointOnline, Keokee Books and the Town Crier to Hagadone Media Group, corporate owner of the Bonner County Daily Bee, several of our readers reached out to ask what that means for the Reader, since Keokee once co-owned it.

Allow me to dispel any rumors here: The ownership transfer of Keokee’s shares occurred months ago and the Reader is entirely owned by Zach, Soncirey and me.

We have always been independently owned and operated and we always will be.

I am thankful for Bessler’s assistance in getting the Reader off the ground and helping us grow all these years. I also wish him a happy retirement. He has certainly earned it.

(And, once and for all: Just because Zach’s last name is “Hagadone” doesn’t mean he or we have anything whatsoever to do with Hagadone Media Group or any of its products, past or present.)

All this is to say that nothing will change for us at the Reader.

We are in the best place we’ve ever been, and we look forward to many more years of providing you with a free glimpse of the small world we live in, each and every Thursday morning.

While it’s always a struggle keeping a newspaper alive in this digital world, we come to work each day with purpose and

Ben Olson, Zach Hagadone and Soncirey Mitchell. Can you believe these yahoos own a newspaper? Photo by Woods Wheatcroft drive, and a morbid desire to prove all the haters wrong.

I’m thankful to have two new business partners in Zach and Soncirey who share my ethos about journalism and running a newspaper in a dynamic place like Sandpoint.

We really couldn’t do this without you, our dear readers. You contribute excellent slice-of-life articles, intriguing letters to the editor, entertaining photographs, impactful art and insightful commentary. You are the reason for this paper’s existence. Don’t ever forget that.

We are thankful to our many columnists, who contribute their words to the Reader free of charge. You help breathe life into this rag, and I’m so grateful to have your columns in our pages.

We are also indebted to our many advertisers over the years who have helped keep the lights on around here. If you really want to know how to help our newspaper, look at those who advertise on our pages and consider giving them your business.

For now, Zach, Soncirey and I will continue our work as we have before, now as co-owners. They don’t work for me; we all work for each other, hopefully for many more years to come.

Thanks for reading.

April 2, 2026 / R / 11

Second Life: Art from the Unexpected returns to POAC Gallery

By Reader Staff The Pend Oreille Arts Council will display the second installment of Second Life: Art from the Unexpected, an exhibition featuring art made from “upcycled, recycled, repurposed and found materials,” beginning Friday, April 3. The collection will be free to view at the POAC Gallery (313 N. Second Ave.) until Tuesday, April 28.

“This show is always exciting because it pushes both artists and viewers to think differently,” stated POAC Arts Coordinator Claire Lutz. “There’s something really inspiring about seeing how creativity can transform the ordinary into something meaningful and beautiful.”

The exhibition opens with a public reception on April 3 from 5-7 p.m. at the gallery, where attendees can enjoy light refreshments and speak to the featured artists about their work, creative process, inspiration and more.

Second Life includes work by Judy Baird, Barry Burgess, Julie Ellis, Molly Gentry, Gerri Harvill, Will Harrison,

“Becoming” by Elle Summer and Holly Pennington Kathryn Larson, Judy Minter, Sheila Newenham, Holly Pennington, Teresa Rancourt, Jan Rust, Amy Stephensen and Elle Summer.

“Each artist brings a unique perspective to the concept of transformation, turning unexpected materials into compelling works of art,” wrote organizers in a recent news release.

“Visitors can expect to see a wide variety of creative approaches, where discarded, overlooked, or everyday items are reimagined into pieces that are both visually striking and conceptually rich.”

For more information, visit artinsandpoint.org.

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COMMUNITY ‘Revolutionary Spuds’ bring America 250 to Sandpoint and Bonners Ferry

By Reader Staff In preparation for the United States’ 250th anniversary Saturday, July 4, the “Revolutionary Spuds” — founding father- and mother-themed Spuddy Buddy dolls — are touring the state.

“Thomas Jefferspud,” “Alexander Hamiltater,” “Spuddy John Jay” and “Molly-Tot Pitcher” will make an appearance Wednesday, April 8 at the Boundary County Museum (7229 Main Street, in Bonners Ferry) from 10-

11 a.m. and the Sandpoint branch of the East Bonner County Library (1407 W. Cedar Street) from 1-2:30 p.m. State Treasurer Julie Ellsworth will accompany them, collecting signatures from “ambassadors” for the America 250 celebration. All signatures will be added to Idaho’s replica of the Declaration of Independence, hung in the Idaho State Capitol rotunda in Boise.

For more information about America 250 in Idaho, visit bit.ly/4bHi5y2.

April 2, 2026 / R / 13

COMMUNITY

Museum to host short film about ‘America the Beautiful’ author

By Reader Staff The Bonner County Historical Society and Museum will present From Sea to Shining Sea, a film about Katharine Lee Bates and her poem “American the Beautiful,” on Thursday, April 2 at the Sandpoint Branch of the East Bonner County Library (1407 Cedar Street). The free event begins with a reception at 4:30 p.m., followed by the film and a question and answer session with the director.

Bates lived from 1859 to 1929. She was a professor of literature at Wellesley College at a time when women rarely achieved academic standing. She was also a social activist who wrote extensively about the need for social reform. Though the movement did not exist at the time, she would now be described as a feminist who championed the rights of immigrants, people of color and the poor.

“While ‘America the Beautiful’ is often treated as a patriotic anthem, it

14 / R / April 2, 2026

is perhaps one of our most misunderstood national songs,” state organizers in a recent news release. “The film invites audiences to reconsider the song as a civic vision — one rooted in moral courage, inclusion and democratic responsibility.”

Her biography highlights her love of travel, including her trip by prairie wagon to Colorado’s Pikes Peak in 1893, which inspired the poem that would become “American the Beautiful.” It explores the major historical events that shaped her worldview, including the American Civil War, the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair, Spanish American War, the women’s suffrage movement and World War I. Following the screening, director and filmmaker John DeGraaf will entertain questions about the film and Bates’ life and vision for her country, alongside museum staff and volunteers.

Visit seatoshiningseafilm.org to preview the film or bonnercountyhistory.org to learn more.

COMMUNITY

Idaho Trails Association auction supports trail stewardship

By Reader Staff The Idaho Trails Association’s annual “Pack Your Summer” online auction, a community-driven fundraiser supporting statewide trail maintenance and outdoor stewardship, remains open until Thursday, April 9. The catalog features a curated collection of outdoor gear, Idaho experiences and getaways for individuals and groups.

Bidders can choose from 26 different packages that include everything from cookware and jewelry to flyfishing and camping essentials. All proceeds go directly to ITA to support

its mission to keep hiking trails open, accessible and well-maintained. Funds will benefit the volunteer trail projects, youth programs and partnerships that help maintain hundreds of miles of trails each year.

“This auction is a fun and impactful way for our community to come together,” said ITA Communications Director Kelly Hewes. “Every bid helps ensure Idaho’s trails remain a place for connection and stewardship for generations to come.”

To browse offerings and place bids, visit bit.ly/ITAbids.

ID Dept. of Commerce brings Community Connection event to Sandpoint

By Reader Staff Representatives from the Idaho Department of Commerce are coming to Sandpoint on Thursday, April 9 with the state agency’s “Bridging Resources” Community Connection event.

Scheduled for 8:30 a.m.-noon, registration is limited to 48 participants at the Community Resource EnVision Center (130 McGhee Road).

The Commerce Department has brought similar Community Connection programs to other communities in the state, intended to connect with community leaders, businesses,

experts, professionals and otherwise involved citizens.

“At the event, you’ll hear from industry leaders, engage with speakers on key trends and network with potential partners,” the department stated.

“Discover valuable tools, funding opportunities and events to benefit your business or community. Get inspired by success stories and innovative ideas to spark new initiatives.

Local businesses, economic developers, elected officials and community leaders are encouraged to attend by registering at CommerceRegistration.

Saturday Easter egg hunts in Sandpoint, Clark Fork

By Reader Staff Easter might fall on Sunday, April 5, but that doesn’t mean the egg hunting can’t extend through the rest of the weekend. Two egg hunts are set for Saturday, April 4 in Sandpoint and Clark Fork, inviting community members of all ages to take part in the tradition.

First, the Sandpoint Lions Club

will kick off its event at 9 a.m. sharp, open to kids of all ages at 609 S. Ella Ave. A firetruck will signal the start, then it’s a fun-filled mad dash.

In Clark Fork, the annual egg hunt begins at noon at the ball field on Cedar Street and 10th Avenue.

“Whistle blows at noon. Don’t be late, it’s over quickly,” organizers wrote on social media.

April 2, 2026 / R / 15

COMMUNITY

Janou Scherb, 79 (Dec. 23, 1946-Feb. 23, 2026) Janou Scherb, 79, passed away peacefully in her home on Feb. 23, 2026. We are heartbroken to lose her so suddenly.

Janou was born on Dec. 23, 1946, in the south of France to Thérèse and Pierre Lagé. Janou was born following her father’s return from a German prisoner of war camp.

The post-war French economy made it difficult to run the family business and, after much hesitation, they decided to move to the United States when Janou was 6 years old. The family settled in Southern California, where a relative had recently moved, seeking the promise of better opportunities.

Janou graduated from college in Los Angeles. She spent more than 35 years as a primary school educator guiding and positively impacting the lives of countless students, many of whom still live in the Sandpoint area and remember her well.

During Janou’s youth, she spent a portion of each summer visiting her sister Elisabeth O’Meara in Sandpoint.

She fell in love with the area and made her husband promise to move there before agreeing to marry him.

She married David Albert Scherb in 1969 and lived in

16 / R / April 2, 2026

Janou Scherb. Courtesy photo

Pasadena, Calif., where they had two children, Tyson and Elisa.

In 1980, they relocated to Hope, Idaho to raise their family.

Janou’s loving warmth, strong hugs and easy smile were infectious. She was a tenacious, steady and loving friend, mother and grandmother. Janou cherished her friendships by developing them at each stage of her life.

She also cared genuinely for her community. This was obvious in the respectful and conscientious way she interacted with people.

Janou lived a vibrant and full life. She was often traveling, spending time with her grandchildren, dear friends and family. She enjoyed flower gardening, cooking and playing a competitive game of cards. She had a fascination with words and an appreciation for nuance.

Janou was strong, hardworking and a doer of many things.

She was artistic, a lover of nature and the outdoors. She always looked forward to the first signs of spring, especially seeing the snowdrops in bloom.

Janou would welcome you into her home with ease, often hosting parties, game nights and

dinners. She was the ultimate hostess and will always be remembered for having fresh flowers on the counter and something delicious cooking on the stove. Her home was an expression of her character: warm and inviting. It was a place where people could relax and feel free to be themselves. She delighted in shared celebration and the gathering of friends and family.

She was preceded in death by her mother, Thérèse; father, Pierre; and her husband David.

Janou endured life’s challenges with strength, tenderness and fortitude. She moved through life with a joie de vivre like no other.

Janou is survived by her loving children Tyson and Elisa, her son-in-law Mitch, her two grandchildren Griffin and Reid, her partner Tom Zacche and her sweet dog Bisou. She will be deeply missed by her two grandchildren who affectionately called her “Mémère.” Janou is also survived by sisters Elisabeth O’Meara and Anne Finer and brother Phillip Lagé.

Janou touched the lives of so many and will be remembered for her kindness, warmth and joyful presence.

We would love those who knew her to remember her life with us and to carry forward the lessons she lived by. A community gathering will be held at B’s Beacon in Hope, Idaho in May. This will be a time to remember Janou and share in her loving memory.

Lakeview Funeral Home in Sandpoint is handling the arrangements. Please visit Janou’s online memorial at lakeviewfuneral.com and sign her guest book.

Submitted by the family of Janou Scherb.

COMMUNITY

Registration deadline nears for Lou Domanski Chess Festival

By Reader Staff Registration for the annual Lou Domanski Chess Festival closes Thursday, April 9, after which this year’s crop of competitors will be solidified for the Saturday, April 11 competition at Community Hall (204 S. First Ave.).

The one-day tournament is separated into three divisions: Elementary (first through sixth grade), Middle and High School (seventh through twelfth grade), and Open — a category made up of both youth and adults. Online registration is free at bit.ly/LouDomanski, but participants will have to pay a small fee on the day of, with prices varying by division. Elementary participants pay $7; Middle and High School players pay $10; and anyone in the Open category pays $12.

The chess festival’s namesake Lou Domanski, who taught thousands of Bonner County elementary school students the game of chess during his life. Courtesy photo The tournament will begin promptly at 9 a.m. and run until 5 p.m., abiding by the Swiss system.

For more information, visit the Sandpoint Parks and Recreation Facebook page.

April 2, 2026 / R / 17

events

April 2-9, 2026

Send event listings to calendar@sandpointreader.com THURSDAY, april 2

Open Irish jam night 5:30pm @ Connie’s Lounge Hosted by Seamus Divine. All welcome

Free film: From Sea to Shining Sea 4:30pm @ Sandpoint Library, Room B Katharine Lee Bates and the story of “America the Beautiful,” a film sponsored by the Bonner Co. Museum

Live Jazz w/ Bright Moments 6-8pm @ Baxters on Cedar Live Music w/ Double Shot Band 5-7pm @ Connie’s Lounge Live Music w/ BTP 5-8pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery Live Music w/ John Daffron 5:30-8:30pm @ Barrel 33

Live Music w/ Angel Urrea 6:30-9:30pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall

Live Music w/ RCA & The Radicals 9pm-midnight @ 219 Lounge

Sandpoint Lions Club Easter Egg Hunt 9am @ Lakeview Park, 609 S. Ella Ave. Kids of all ages welcome. A firetruck will signal the start at 9am sharp

Live Music w/ Mike Wagoner 5:30-8:30pm @ Barrel 33 Live Music w/ Justin Lantrip 6-8pm @ Baxters on Cedar Live Music w/ Ian Newbill 5-8pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery Live Music w/ The Wow Wows, Minot and Billy Caveman 7:30pm @ Idaho Pour Authority No cover for this triple banger live music night. Psychedelic rock, garage rock, surf pop, doo-wap. Yeppers Sandpoint Chess Club 9am @ Evans Brothers Coffee

FriDAY, april 3

A Midsummer Night’s Dream 7pm @ Panida Theater LPO Repertory Theatre production Live Music w/ Idaho Shining Star of Shakespeare’s iconic play blending 6:30pm @ Idaho Pour Authority English folklore with classic mythology The duo consists of Kjetil Lund and Charlie Powell. CD release show with Live Music w/ Jay Snow & The Tone Keepers 6-8pm @ Smokesmith BBQ openers Ltl Wlf. CDs $10, show is sliding scale. All are welcome

SATURDAY, april 4

Old Time Fiddlers jam 2-4pm @ Sandpoint Senior Center Free to attend, and if you play an instrument, come and join the fun Friends of the Library book sale 10am-2pm @ Sandpoint Library April is poetry month and will be featured. Also featured are gardening and summer sports books. Large selection of sci-fi fantasy and specially-priced books. Come support the library Live Music w/ Tim G. 6-9pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall

Clark Fork Easter Egg Hunt 12pm @ Ball field at Cedar and Tenth St. Don’t be late! Starting at noon sharp Hands on History 10am-2pm @ Bonner Co. History Museum Historically-inspired activities for curious kids. Come see the new “For the Record” exhibit and make your own beaded bracelet Live Music w/ Jason Perry 6-8pm @ Connie’s Lounge

SunDAY, april 5

Magic with Star Alexander 5-8pm @ Jalapeño’s

Live Music w/ Fiddlin’ Red 1-4pm @ Barrel 33

monDAY, april 6

Live Music w/ Blue Krawdad 3-5pm @ Idaho Pour Authority

Monday Night Blues Jam w/ John Firshi 7pm @ Eichardt’s Pub Trivia night w/ Davey Mullen 6-8pm @ Idaho Pour Authority

Outdoor Experience group run 6pm @ Outdoor Experience 3-5 miles, all levels welcome

Bridge 12:30pm @ Sandpoint Senior Center

Live Music w/ Jonathan Nicholson 5-7pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery

Open mic night hosted by Vance Bergeson 5-8pm @ Idaho Pour Authority

Live Piano w/ Peter Lucht 5-7pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery Trivia w/ Toshi 7pm @ Connie’s Lounge

Family Night w/ John Firshi 5-7:30pm @ Matchwood Brewing Co. Acoustic tunes, chill vibes, good food and delicious beer

Beginner Argentine tango class 7pm @ Embody Center, 823 Main St. No partner needed. $15 Pinochle 9:30am @ Sandpoint Senior Center

tuesDAY, april 7

wednesDAY, april 8

Idaho Commerce Connection 8:30am-noon @ Community Resource Envision Center An event hosted by the Pend Oreille Economic Partnership for the Idaho Dept. of Commerce’s “Bridging Resources” community connection.

Registration limited to 48 people. Learn more and register at bit.ly/4cdseT7 18 / R / April 2, 2026

A Midsummer Night’s Dream 7pm @ Panida Theater

ThursDAY, april 9

Lou Domanski Chess Festival registration deadline Register at bit.ly/47ApUmK The chess festival takes place April 11 from 9am-5pm at the Sandpoint Community Hall.

Elementary, Middle/High school or Open divisions

Bunco 12:30pm @ Sandpoint Senior Center

Cribbage tournament ($5/person) 6pm @ Connie’s Lounge

A Midsummer Night’s Dream 7pm @ Panida Theater

Open bluegrass jam night 5:30pm @ Connie’s Lounge Hosted by Jim Rosauer Artist reception: Maia Leisz 5-7pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery Meet the artist, have some wine!

STAGE & SCREEN

‘We need to laugh, and we need to love’

LPO Rep debuts Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream

By Soncirey Mitchell Reader Staff Debuting their tenth production — and first play by William Shakespeare — the Lake Pend Oreille Repertory Theatre will put on six performances of the popular comedy A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Tickets for this twoand-a-half-hour, PG-13 production are $17.50 for youth 17 and under and $28 for adults at panida.org.

Shows will take place at the Panida Theater (300 N. First Ave.) at 7 p.m. on Friday, April 3; Saturday, April 4; Thursday, April 9; Friday, April 10; and Saturday, April 11. The final performance will be a 2 p.m. matinee on Sunday, April 12.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream is one of Shakespeare’s most famous comedies, weaving English folklore and Greek mythology into a chaotic, romantic story with three interwoven plots.

Four young lovers’ lives are thrown

into disarray when they cross paths with Oberon, Titania and their fairy courts while attending the wedding of Theseus and Hippolyta. The fantastical storyline — with love potions and a donkey-headed actor — celebrates and pokes fun at the nature of love.

LPO Rep’s modern adaptation includes ballet, musical numbers and an updated setting in New York City.

“I think the New York culture lends itself nicely to the hierarchy that’s naturally built into the script; you’ve got the Athenians, the Mechanicals and the fairies,” said Director Tim Bangle.

“The Athenians are the upper class, Wall Street, stockbroker people. The Mechanicals are blue-collar workers, so we’ve got them dressed as dock workers and apartment complex superintendents. For the fairies, we disguised

them with what we’ve called ‘street personas.’” These personas include buskers, clowns, reporters and mobsters. The visually elaborate production also includes pre-recorded videos projected behind the actors to give certain scenes a dream-like quality while revealing the characters’ pasts and buried emotions. Overall, LPO Rep’s unique spin seeks to make the 430-year-old story more accessible and entertaining for modern audiences looking to add some joy to their lives.

Top left: Aiden Phillips and Tobey Jensen as Helena and Demetrius. Top right: Andrew Sorg and Nikki Luttmann as Oberon and Titania. Photos by Tim Bangle.

“We need to laugh, and we need to love,” said Bangle. “There’s a lot of sarcasm and anger and hate in the world right now, and this show is just a real laugh. I’ve gone home after every rehearsal with a headache because I’ve laughed so hard throughout the show.”

For more information, visit lporep. com.

April 2, 2026 / R / 19

FOOD

The Sandpoint Eater M&Mmms

By Marcia Pilgeram Reader Columnist

Earlier this week, in great anticipation of juvenile house guests arriving for Easter, I made a pilgrimage to Costco.

As I perused the cereal aisle, the sweetest little family rolled by. The oldest of two boys, accompanied by his dad, was practicing highly animated free throws, tossing wadded-up sample cups into a trash receptacle.

Determined, but missing most of his shots, he kept at it while his dad gently tried to move him along. I reassured him I was one of the few shoppers in that frenzied crowd who was in no hurry. Meanwhile, the younger — and equally adorable — sibling, riding in the cart, caught sight of the edible treasures in mine. His eyes widened as he spotted the motherlode: a four-pound container of plain M&M’s.

He licked his lips and said, “Mmmmm, M&M’s.”

Just like that, I was transported back more than 60 years.

Back then, a young girl named Marcia Martin would spy a package of M&M’s and feel certain they had been made just for her. I was as enchanted by the candy as I was by the packaging.

Sometimes, I carefully cut out “my” letters and pasted them onto the doorway of my homemade cardboard Barbie Dreamhouse. I shared the M&M’s with Barbie and Ken, too — brown ones became burgers, yellow ones eggs, green ones vegetables, 20 / R / April 2, 2026

and orange ones transformed into ripe, luscious fruit.

It seems safe to say everyone loves M&M’s. Mars, Inc. produces about 400 million every day — nearly 100 billion a year. Still privately held, the company began as a family business in the early 20th century and has grown steadily ever since. In 1923, they introduced the Milky Way bar, one of the first candy bars (and one that’s still around today).

In 1940, Forrest Mars, the founder’s son, was living in Europe when he noticed soldiers eating chocolate candies with a hard shell that didn’t melt easily in

the heat. Inspired, he partnered with Bruce Murrie, the son of Hershey’s president, and together they created a similar candy for the American market. They named it M&M’s — “M” for Mars, “M” for Murrie — and, I like to think, “M” for Marcia.

Since their creation, more than 50 flavors and just as many colors have come and gone. You can even order custom M&M’s online, printed with names, dates or photos for weddings, graduations and baby showers (Yes, I’m guilty). You can also visit one of their retail stores around the world — London’s is the largest, with over

35,000 square feet and more than 100 varieties.

For me, M&M’s are still the best part of any trail mix, perfectly complementing peanuts, pretzels and sunflower seeds. (Raisins, in my opinion, belong strictly in oatmeal cookies.) My personal snacking favorites are peanut M&M’s, but they’re a little large as a baking ingredient, so instead, I enjoy popping them into my mouth, savoring the candy shell, then the chocolate and finally the peanut. Occasionally, for a themed party, I am still a sucker for a particular, overpriced, colorful shade or two. Still, mostly, I

am content with the original plain brown wrapper, adorned with my initials and filled with chocolatey goodness in primary colors.

They’re omnipresent in my baking pantry, and when little helpers show up, we bake the most delicious cookies with them. Funny thing, though: Even when we are not baking, the M&M’s seem to disappear with alarming speed.

Eighty years after their creation, they continue to be a favorite confectionery, and it still holds true: They melt in your mouth (and, maybe, your heart) but not in your hands.

M&M Cookies

These kid-approved cookies are loaded with chocolate chips and M&M’s. They’re crispy on the edges, soft and chewy in the center, with plenty of chocolatey, peanut-y taste and texture throughout. You can substitute part of the chocolate chips with peanut butter chips. Yields 3 dozen large cookies.

INGREDIENTS:

DIRECTIONS:

• 1 cup butter, room temperature • 1 ¼ cup brown sugar, packed • 1/2 cup granulated sugar • 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter • 3 large eggs • 1 tbsp vanilla extract • 3 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour • 1 tsp salt • 1 tsp baking soda • 1 cup salted Virginia roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped • 1 cup chocolate chips • 1 ½ cups M&M’s candies, divided

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheet trays with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter, peanut butter and both sugars. Add the eggs and vanilla. Mix well, then scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, salt and baking soda. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture until just combined, about 1 minute.

Add the peanuts, chocolate chips and 1/2 cup of the M&M’s. Mix gently on low speed (or fold in by hand) until just combined, about 30 seconds.

Scoop 1 ½ oz (2 tbs) cookie dough balls and drop onto a dish of the remaining M&M’s. Press down so candies stick to the top, then place onto a prepared baking sheet about 3 inches apart.

Bake at 350˚F for 10 minutes or until the edges are just barely starting to brown. Allow to cool, then transfer to

a wire rack to cool completely. Don’t overcook.

Once cooled, if any cookies remain,

place them in an air-tight container and store for up to a week, or wrap well and freeze for up to a month.

MUSIC

The Festival at Sandpoint adds Portugal. The Man, Switchfoot to summer lineup

By Reader Staff The Festival at Sandpoint has announced two new additions to its 2026 summer concert series lineup: Portugal.

The Man and Switchfoot. The alt-rock band Portugal. The Man will perform Saturday, Aug. 1, and alt-rock band Switchfoot will play Friday, Aug. 7. Both shows will start at 7:30 p.m. and will include dancing and standing room reserved directly in front of the stage.

Portugal. The Man — made up of John Baldwin Gourley, Zoe Manville and a group of touring musicians — is that rare Alaskan rock group that became a mainland American institution. The Grammy

Award-winning group is Platinum-selling in 10 countries, with independent honors such as the Legend Award from the Native American Music Awards and the Public Sector Leadership Award from the National Congress of American Indians. The group’s dedication to pushing boundaries and creating idiosyncratic records, even on a major label, has earned them a dedicated cult-following.

More than a decade deep into their discography, Portugal. The Man landed a pop hit with “Feel It Still.” Rather than churn out music that sounded just like it, the band made more diverse records, like 2025’s SHISH, the tenth album and first since Gourley

moved from Atlantic Records to his own label, KNIK. Listen at portugaltheman.com.

In addition to making music, the band’s foundation, Pass The Mic, promotes “community resilience, empathy and awareness through music, stories, art, education and connectivity,” according to its mission statement.

Portugal. The Man launched the organization in 2019 and has raised and donated over a million dollars to Indigenous communities. Its second nonprofit, Frances Changed My Life, seeks to raise awareness and funds for research into children’s neurodegenerative diseases, such as DHDDS. Tickets go on sale Friday, April 3 at 7 a.m. for $79.91,

including taxes and fees.

Find them at festivalatsandpoint.com.

Switchfoot — ­ consisting of Jon Foreman, Tim Foreman, Jerome Fontamillas and Chad Butler — has sold over 10 million copies worldwide of their thirteen studio albums. The group has racked up a string of alternative radio hit singles, which they perform on soldout tours, selling more than 5 million concert tickets across 40 countries worldwide. They play a unique blend of emotionally intelligent and uplifting alternative rock that has earned them a global fan base.

Tickets are $67.67, including all taxes and fees, at festivalatsandpoint.com.

Five bands. Two nights. One helluva good time Idaho Shining Star CD release show April 3, triple pack of bands April 4

By Reader Staff It’s going to be a fun weekend at Idaho Pour Authority.

On Friday, April 3 starting at 6:30 p.m., Idaho Shining Star will play an album release show with openers Ltl Wlf. Idaho Shining Star is the moniker for the duo Kjetil Lund and Charlie Powell, playing clever and thoughtful original songs peppered with humor and wit along the way.

The night also serves as an al-

bum release show, with Idaho Shining Star’s new album, True Love’s Prayer, selling for $10 each. The cover for the show is on a sliding scale.

Opening the night is Ltl Wlf, the indie-folk duo with Josh Hedlund and Justin Landis playing Hedlund’s raw originals that have floated above this town for years.

Saturday, April 4 will feature a triple pack of banging regional music with The Wow Wows and Billy Caveman

from Coeur d’Alene joined by Missoula, Mont.-based Minot.

The Wow Wows play an energetic psychedelic rock, with nods to the surf pop sound.

Billy Caveman is the project of Thomas Mudrick, a one-man band that sounds as full as a quartet. Pay extra attention to Mudrick’s throat singing, as it could possibly transport you to another realm where the world makes sense again.

Finally, Minot is a trio hailing from Missoula, Mont.

and self-described as “lo-fi garage punk muffins,” whatever the hell that means.

They embrace their primitive roots with “train wreck” influenced rock ’n’ roll molded together with a reminiscence of punk, ’60s garage, pop and tremolo country blues.

The entire three-band lineup is offered at no cover charge, so spend your extra bucks on a few beers and join the fun at IPA.

A snapshot of notable live music coming up in Sandpoint Jay Snow & The Tone Keepers, Smokesmith BBQ, April 3

RCA & The Radicals, 219 Lounge, April 4

If reporting on the live shows around Sandpoint has taught us anything, it’s that when a band swings into town from western Montana, it’s more than likely to be a stellar show. Based in Libby, Mont., Jay Snow & The Tone Keepers are an honest-to-goodness blues-infused powerhouse.

Helmed by Jay Snow — who started gigging at 15 and was mentored by Frank Chia-

Coming out of Spokane, RCA & The Radicals are brand new to the 219 music calendar, but elsewhere well known as up-and-coming funk stars with influences like James Brown, Michael Jackson, Lawrence and Vulfpeck.

That’s a recipe for a helluva Saturday night of kickass grooves that couldn’t be a better soundtrack for kicking

verini — The Tone Keepers are Calen Williamson, John Ague and featured guest Keirsi Leigh, and they’re sure to set the perfect Friday night tone at Smokesmith — Zach Hagadone 6-8 p.m., FREE. Smokesmith BBQ, 102 S. Boyer Ave., 208920-0517, smokesmithidaho.com.

Listen at jaysnowandthetonekeepers.com.

off the spring season. RCA & The Radicals’ dynamism and passion guarantee that audiences won’t resist the dance floor as they, “Witness the funk revolution up close.”

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

This week’s RLW by Soncirey Mitchell

READ

If you’re anything like me, you enjoy a random, digestible scientific escapade with the potential to spark a new hyperfixation. National Geographic’s “Can this medieval shipwreck rewrite ancient history?” is one such article. Despite the Buzzfeed-esque title, writer Roff Smith gives a fascinating look at a Byzantine-era archaeological find and how it might change our understanding of Mediterranean trade relationships in the “Dark Ages.” Find it at nationalgeographic.com.

LISTEN

Spring is prime frolicking time, and no one inspires a gleeful jig like Lo & the High Road.

The Canadian duo describes their sound as “Folk music for your woodland high tea party,” which is especially true of their 2023 album, Jackalope Tales.

Through a mix of ethereal singing, bodhrán and lute-playing — as well as many other instruments more familiar to western audiences — the band evokes the joy and wonder of childhood. Listen at loandthehighroad.com.

WATCH

National Geographic’s Secrets of the Bees miniseries premiered on April 1, starring professor, entomologist and bee-expert Sammy Ramsey and wildlife filmmaker Bertie Gregory. The documentary tracks various colonies of bees over a period of three years, exploring their daily lives, from how bees communicate to how they prepare for winter. Through it all, Ramsey educates audiences on colony collapse caused by varroa mites and new solutions to save dwindling bee populations.

April 2, 2026 / R / 21

BACK OF THE BOOK

Fool me once...

By Ben Olson Reader Staff

From Northern Idaho News, April 4, 1916

SHOOTS WIFE AND KILLS SELF Shortly before noon today Amos Watters, a barber employed at the shop of Frank Springer, attempted to kill his wife and, failing in this, shot himself through the head, after his wife had escaped to the home of a neighbor.

The trouble arose over the four year old daughter of the couple who had separated last year. Stories told

by Watters, who arrived in the city last fall and by his wife who came here in search of the child about two weeks ago, do not agree, Watters claiming that his wife deserted him and the child and Mrs. Watters stating that Watters had left her and then, stealing the child, had disappeared.

Searching over the northwest for the child she located them here.

The couple rented a house at 512 Pine street and since that time have quarelled several times. Yesterday Mrs. Watters prepared to take the child away but threats from the husband led her to abandon the plan.

This morning further quarelling led to a statement from Watters that he would kill himself. Upon Mrs. Watters endeavoring to stop him Watters went into a closet off the bedroom and drawing a revolver, pointed it at his wife. Grappling with the would-be murderer, Mrs. Watters managed to divert the first bullet which pierced the closet wall, passed through the outside wall and lodged in a beam on the porch.

Breaking away from her husband, Mrs. Watters started to run from the house, during the scuffle, receiving one shot through the left breast and another in the arm, the latter merely grazing the flesh.

Running to a neighbor’s residence, Mrs. Watters told her story and the sheriff was hurriedly summoned by the neighbors, arriving at the Watters home just in time to hear the fifth shot which killed the husband.

One officer entering through the front door and one through the back, investigation showed the man lying on the bed with the revolver grasped in his hand. He had died instantly.

22 / R / April 2, 2026

​​It’s been five years since Editor-in-Chief Zach Hagadone almost broke the town.

In the history of the Sandpoint Reader, only one publication date has ever lined up perfectly with April Fools’ Day: April 1, 2021.

We’d been chomping at the bit for years to fill an April Fools’ edition with satirical stories (these, of course, were the days when satire was still alive and well).

I contributed a story called “Space aliens invade North Idaho to escape ‘galactic tyranny,’” but no one paid any attention to it after reading Hagadone’s piece titled, “Officials: Lake will be mostly dry in summer 2021.”

Written under the byline “Clayton Rau,” Hagadone wrote what I considered to be his most hilarious satire yet. The deadpan story began with the line: “Sandpoint residents are about to become reacquainted with the community’s namesake sandbar, as government officials prepare for a once-in-a-lifetime dramatic drawdown of Lake Pend Oreille this summer.”

He shared how government officials decided to drain the lake entirely, save for a small amount needed to power regional dams. The reason was to both “combat rampant aquatic weed growth, as well as implement a public health effort to tamp down summertime visitors amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.”

Reading over the story again, the ingredients are all perfectly established to point to this article being a satire. Instead of the Army Corps, Hagadone referenced the “U.S. Engineering Corps,” whose leader, “Col. Arnold Benedict,” complained about a so-called “Evergreen Sludge” that was “transplanted to northern Idaho by boaters primarily from Washington state.”

The sludge, Hagadone wrote, stemmed primarily from “pontoon boats purchased in the Spokane-Coeur d’Alene area since 2016.”

Then there was a water biologist named “Katherine Quagga-Smythe,” who said the Evergreen Sludge was stimulated by “loud music and powerful boat engines.”

When “Col. Benedict” said it wasn’t so much “draining the lake” as an opportunity to give the near- and midshore waters a ‘good scrub, like your toilet bowl,’ I thought no one in their right mind would believe this.

Hagadone then quoted from the “Center for Epidemiological Control” spokesperson, “William Hamhand,” and concluded with a quote from a “Karen Becks, owner of Alpine Mountain Cascade Moose Panhandle North Country Selkirk Tree Eagle Action Speed America Motor Sports,” about how the Long Bridge would be torn down and rebuilt from the bottom up to incorporate “six lanes ... with two roundabouts and an emergency midspan helipad for crash response.”

Hagadone even ended the article with “*April Fools’!” but the damage had already been done. Almost immediately after we sent the paper to the printer and began enjoying our weekly libation at the 219 Lounge, our phones began ringing. A week later, they were still ringing. It seems a lot of our readers fell hook, line and sinker for the joke.

They were not amused.

I can remember one specific lady who called and screamed every pejorative she could think of after we told her the article was a joke.

“How dare you?” she bellowed over the phone. “We own property on the lake. This is our summer. How dare you? This was not funny.”

It was, in fact, very funny to us.

The best part of an April Fools’ joke

is when it’s so well done that people actually fall for it.

I can still remember in 1996 when Taco Bell announced it was purchasing the Liberty Bell. They even spent $300,000 on full-page newspaper ads nationwide. The National Park Service eventually held a news conference to deny the reports and assure the public that the Liberty Bell wouldn’t be known as the “Taco Liberty Bell.”

Even after learning it was a joke, the public was pissed.

This year, with a publication date of April 2, we briefly discussed whether to include any April Fools’ content.

Then, our shoulders hunched together, remembering the fury we unleashed in 2021 and decided, “They just aren’t ready for it again.”

In an age when every headline seems like it was written for The Onion, it’s kind of difficult to pull one over on people.

Long ago, when former President George W. Bush was the patron saint of fools occupying the White House (my, how far we’ve come), he was famous for issuing so-called “Bushisms,” which were nonsensical gaffes.

One I still chuckle at is when he said, “There’s an old saying in Tennessee — I know it’s in Texas, probably in Tennessee — that says, ‘Fool me once, shame on... shame on you. Fool me... you can’t get fooled again.’”

The saddest part for me was finally giving in and writing a disclaimer at the top of the web version of Hagadone’s article in all caps: “FOR THOSE WHO HAVE NO ABILITY TO DETECT A JOKE, OR WHO CANNOT READ PAST A HEADLINE, THIS IS AN APRIL FOOLS’ ARTICLE ...”

Maybe someday we’ll try our hand at April Fools’ articles again, but how could we possibly top that one?

STR8TS Solution

Sudoku Solution

Crossword Solution

By Bill Borders

CROSSWORD

Copyright www.mirroreyes.com

Laughing Matters

Solution on page 22

Solution on page 22

ACROSS

expiscate /EK-spuh-skeyt/

Woorf tdhe Week

[verb] 1. to find out by thorough and detailed investigation

“After a thorough review, investigators expiscated the origins of the missile that struck the children’s school in Iran; it came from the United States.”

Corrections: We don’t need no stinkin’ corrections.

If you want to be the popular one at a party, here’s a good thing to do: Go up to some people who are talking and laughing and say, “Well, technically that’s illegal.” It might fit in with what somebody just said. And even if it doesn’t, so what, I hate this stupid party.

1. Lion’s share 5. Rewrite 9. Sorrow 14. 2.53 centimeters 15. Assistant 16. File 17. Streak left by tears 19. Feudal lord 20. Medieval sword 21. Chiropody 23. Run-down apartment houses 25. Associate 28. Regret 29. Back of the boat 32. Pilings 33. Adult males 34. Talon 35. Rear end 36. Not 1st or 2nd 38. Employ 39. Prevaricates 40. Young boy 41. Each 43. Male adult 44. Large 45. Rendered unconscious 46. Singers 48. Cowboy 50. Barrel part 54. Meadow 55. Pertaining to the skin 57. Licoricelike flavor 58. Garden tool

Solution on page 22 59. Asian nurse 60. In shape 61. Large number 62. Game on horseback

DOWN 1. Small amount 2. 1 1 1 1 3. “Go away!”

4. Constrains 5. Consume food 6. Baby underwear 7. Dialect 8. More affectionate

9. Denounce (archaic) 10. Leaves out 11. Lascivious look 12. Debauchery 13. Deli loaf 18. Fragrance 22. Flood 24. Chick 25. Sacred hymn 26. Skylit lobbies 27. Above the horizon 29. Extraterrestrial 30. Madcap comedy 31. Thick woolen fabric

33. Central 34. Football helmet part 37. Bargainers 42. Pocketbook 44. Stuck to 45. Work stoppage 46. Mud volcano 47. Floral leaf 48. Drunkard 49. Harness part 51. Ammunition 52. Medicine bottle 53. Reflected sound 54. Not thin 56. Morning moisture April 2, 2026 / R / 23