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208.263.4005 A SandPint Tradition Since 1994 2 / R / December 21, 2017

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Holiday Gifts!

(wo)MAN compiled by

Molly Balison

DEAR READERS,

on the street

What is your favorite Christmas memory?

“When I was six I wished upon a star out my front door near Priest River. I wished for a Rainbow Bright doll, and my wish came true.”

Lacey McMaster Poet Sandpoint “Going to Montana when I was 12 or 13 to visit my grandma who lives near Glacier. It was a two-week family vacation, and we got to go to Yellowstone.”

Evan Watte Driver Cocolalla

“Having dinner at the Lakeside Motel with my aunt and uncle, Walt and Vera Jones, who owned it. We went there for every holiday. It has since been torn down.

It was near City Beach.”

Judy Farmin Retired RN Sandpoint “Christmas dinner at my mom and dad’s house in Bonners Ferry. All the family and pets were invited. My mom made a ham and a big pan of fried chicken every Christmas.”

Donna Funkhouser Retired hairdresser, insurance agent Valley Vista resident Sandpoint “Spending time with family in Show Low, Ariz. I was one of 12 kids, the first boy and the sixth child. We did something daily for the 12 days leading up to Christmas. For example, a Christmas movie one day, service for people the next day, etc. And we still do that.”

Leo Hunsaker Manager of Carter Country Elmira

We’re open New Year’s Eve! Now taking reservations from 5-9 pm

Show of hands, how many of you are stoked that we finally got a healthy dump of snow? Just in time for Christmas, too!

My legs are burning from a powder day at Schweitzer Wednesday.

Hopefully they’ll be burning all winter. It’s great to finally feel the Christmas spirit and the wind in my face.

Speaking of, I want to take this moment to thank you all for the support you’ve shown the Reader.

In January we’ll be coming up on three years being back in publication (or 11 years since the Reader was first introduced to Sandpoint).

I’ve learned a lot in that time.

We’re hoping to make some tweaks to the paper in 2018 to make it a better product. I’m always available for suggestions or comments for how you think we can serve the community better.

In the meantime, the staff and contributors wish you all a Merry Christmas! Thanks for reading.

-Ben Olson, Publisher

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

www.sandpointreader.com Publisher: Ben Olson ben@sandpointreader.com Editor: Cameron Rasmusson cameron@sandpointreader.com Zach Hagadone (emeritus) John Reuter (emeritus) Advertising: Jodi Taylor Jodi@sandpointreader.com Contributing Artists: Woods Wheatcroft (cover), Ben Olson, US Army Corps of Engineers.

Contributing Writers: Cameron Rasmusson, Ben Olson, Lyndsie Kiebert, Emily Erickson, Matt Nykiel, Herb Weins, Brenden Bobby, Sandy Compton, Jeanette Schendelmeier, Tom Woodward, Adrian Murillo, Marcia Pilgeram.

Submit stories to: stories@sandpointreader.com Printed weekly at: Griffin Publishing Spokane, Wash.

Subscription Price: $95 per year Web Content: Keokee The Sandpoint Reader is a weekly publication owned and operated by Ben Olson and Keokee. It is devoted to the arts, entertainment, politics and lifestyle in and around Sandpoint, Idaho.

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

The Reader is printed on recycled paper using soy-based ink. Leftover copies are collected and recycled weekly, or burned in massive bonfires to appease the gods of journalism.

Free to all, limit two copies per person.

Sandpoint Reader letter policy: The Sandpoint Reader welcomes letters to the editor on all topics.

Requirements: –No more than 400 words –Letters may not contain excessive profanity or libelous material. Please elevate the discussion.

Letters will be edited to comply with the above requirements. Opinions expressed in these pages are those of the writers, not necessarily the publishers.

Email letters to: letters@sandpointreader.com Check us out on the web at: www.sandpointreader.com Like us on Facebook.

About the Cover

This week’s cover features a photograph by Sandpoint’s own Woods Wheatcroft, who caught this special candid photo of Santa during one of his many “pit stops.”

December 21, 2017 / R / 3

Letters to the Editor Climate Change and Mr. Gifford...

Dear Editor, Bonner County should feel privileged to know we have such an outstanding scholar in our midst to enlighten us. Cort Gifford has such a way with words — surely he has some published, peer-reviewed research he could share with us. Perhaps your doctoral dissertation from some accredited university. No? Maybe you adhere to Glen Bailey’s view of universities as bastions of liberal ideology and not to be trusted.

Let me guess: You educate yourself on the web. Let me suggest to you that spending one or two hours a week or night on the internet juke box does not qualify you to debate, much less disavow, men and women that have devoted decades of their lives to study, research and applications of scientific principles for the betterment of society, i.e. scientists.

I can assure it is not for the money. It baffles me that one can have no faith in science yet drive down a highway at 70 mph with no thought as to how the technology of ABS brakes will

4 / R / December 21, 2017

stop them in time, or fly though the air with the greatest of ease at 700 mph with no worries that scientific principles will land them safely! And then there’s the internet, irony of ironies, bringing us from the age of information to the age of disinformation and a “post-truth” world.

As you may tell I have forsaken the gambit of kind, polite discussion as in ‘To Clear the Air.’ But Mr. Gifford, what stakes do have in this debate? Stocks, bonds, personal ego?

At our age, Cort, it can be said we don’t have much skin in the game. My stakes, my skin in the game, are my grand and great-grandchildren, specifically because we may be two or three generations away from a dying planet, making them an endangered species.

Scare tactics? You’re damn right we should all be scared. Scared enough to educate ourselves and do what we can. Blissful ignorance comes with a terrible cost and burden for future generations. And there is much we can do on many fronts. But first, educate yourself, and an excellent start available at our library now is “The Thinking Person’s Guide to Cli-

mate Change” by R. Hansen (a NASA scientist).

Be that thinking person. And as long as I’m alienating some people, here’s a clue for you preppers and Redoubters: You can’t store enough food or buy enough bullets to defend yourselves against a dying planet.

Wouldn’t the Christian thing to do be to light a candle rather than curse the coming darkness? To quote a recent Nobel Prize winner, “Let us not talk falsely now, the hour is getting late.”

Ray Libby Samuels

Mesopotamian Cover Art...?

Dear Editor, If I squint a little bit, the photo on the cover of the 12/14/2017 Reader looks like an overhead shot of the ruins of an ancient skateboard park. In Mesopotamia, perhaps.

Rudi Lebowitz Sandpoint

Say Yes to Post-secondary Education...

Dear Editor, A recent Gallup poll found that 58 percent of registered Republicans believe college has a negative effect on our society. I do not believe this nor do I think most Idaho Republicans, Independents and Democrats believe this. We believe that college education is the principal driver of social and economic growth in our country.

This belief is based on all research on the subject. Coming from a farm background, my affordable education provided me and two more generations access to the middle class.

This Administration and Congress have been and are waging a serious attack on college students.

The latest effort, H.R. 4508, is a rewrite of laws governing higher education and is now working its way through Congress. A short time ago the House Committee on Education passed legislation that would elimi-

nate subsidies for interest payments on federal loans while students are in college. This is not a trivial change as nearly six million borrowers, most of whom are from middle- and lower-income families, would lose interest subsidies without any corresponding benefit in return.

H.R 508 also eliminates the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program. This program promotes new graduates to take teaching jobs in rural and underserved areas. My wife was able to become a nursing instructor with this program.

H.R. 4508 is still a work in progress. If you believe it is important for our society to enable students who are smart and poor to gain postsecondary education, then I urge you to step up and voice your opinion.

Contact our Congressional Representative Raul Labrador (R) at his Coeur d’Alene office (208) 667-0127.

Ken Meyers Sandpoint

OPINION

Emily Articulated

A column by and about Millennials

Selfies

By Emily Erickson Reader Columnist

Picture this: You’ve spent the last 20 minutes clambering over rocks and ducking under fallen trees. You’re racing the plummeting sun to get to the most perfect secret sunset viewing spot on the lake before that beautiful ball of fire descends behind the mountains.

Out of breath, you reach your destination with mere minutes to spare, unrolling your blanket as streaks of color paint the sky, and inhale, absorbing the crispness of the cooling air.

What do you do next? Take out your camera phone and snap pictures, later to be posted on social media, of course.

It’s important to dissect why we feel compelled to document parts of our lives for the world to see. What impact does this continuous and selective documentation have on our identity, especially as it relates to Millennials?

To help understand the “why” in this equation, I will dive back into my dusty social psychology textbook, wherein there is a phenomenon commonly referred to as Social Identity Theory, conceived by Henri Tajfel in 1979. It follows three basic premises: First, it is a natural human tendency to categorize things, especially the world in which we live. We organize ourselves and other people into groups, and take pride in identifying ourselves by the categories to which we belong. Think: Asian, Catholic, agnostic, student, skier, accountant, American, or cat person. These are all social categories we assign to achieve order in our minds.

Next is social identification,

Emily Erickson. or the idea that we adopt various parts of our identity from the groups to which we belong. For example, if you categorize yourself as a hockey player, you will most likely recognize patterns in the behavior, appearance and attitudes of other hockey players, and begin thinking and acting in a similar fashion, like growing your hair out or shortening words and names and ending them in “y” (“I had a breaky sandy with Jonesy”).

Being a part of this group will carry emotional significance for your identity and will impact your self-esteem.

The third premise is social comparison, or our innate tendency to compare our self-selected groups with other groups to which we don’t belong.

Our self-esteem is affected by how we view our group as it compares to others. So, if you identify as a cat person, part of your self-esteem relies on you feeling the same as, or superior to, a dog person. However, if you identify as a cat person, but are forced to conclude that dog people are actually better, your self-esteem would be negatively impacted.

But, how does this all relate

to Millennials and social media?

Before the rise of social media, the categories we established, derived our identity from, and compared to others were not as readily quantifiable.

There was an abstract understanding of the categories to which you belonged, as well as how you and your group compared to other people and their respective groups. But group membership and rank was mostly a matter of personal interpretation.

With sites like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, you actively demonstrate your allegiance to various categories, and your rank within your group and across groups is measured by “likes” and shares.

For example, I derive part of my identity through considering myself a writer. Aspects of my self-esteem are dependent on how good of a writer I am and how being a writer is better (to me) than being, say, an insurance broker.

Before social media, merely believing I was a member of the writer category and thinking that I lead a more fulfilling life than an insurance broker would enable me to have a higher self-esteem and confidence in my identity.

But today, through Facebook and Instagram, I have access to the profiles of real, successful writers at my fingertips, as well as social pages of insurance brokers with pictures of their fulfilled lives, all for me to compare myself to. And my success or failure can be quantified. Merely receiving 50 likes on my last post, as opposed to the 3,000 my competitor received, has greater implications to my self-esteem.

Millennials have come of age, trying to decipher who they

are, in a time when identity and group allegiance can constantly be compared to everyone else in highly consumable and measurable ways. They are regularly bombarded by examples of what appears to be people leading exciting and fulfilled lives, as everyone puts their best foot forward on social media. Millennials not only feel compelled to document all the best parts of their lives to feel relevant, but struggle to achieve the confidence that comes from having a strong sense of identity and secure membership

within a group.

So next time you see a pack of Millennials smashing their faces together to fit into one selfie screen or spending five minutes documenting their sushi, just smile. They are simply trying to feel like their lives are significant and fulfilled. Which isn’t so foreign, after all.

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

Retroactive

By BO

December 21, 2017 / R / 5

COMMUNITY

Infini Gallery celebrates two years Bouquets: • A bouquet goes out to Summit Insurance, who helped steer me through the open enrollment period again this year. This time, they were able to find a plan much lower priced than my former health plan, and saved me from making a big mistake with a provider that didn’t offer much coverage in Sandpoint.

I’ve always loathed insurance – glad Angela and the gang at Summit are there to navigate the pitfalls.

•I’d like to give Mother Nature a bouquet for the recent snowfall. Keep it up!

•Reclaim Idaho has been doing great things to get Medicaid expansion on the 2018 ballot in Idaho. I’ve heard from many members of the community that they support the efforts of Reclaim Idaho. I’m also eager to see if this grassroots action plan enacts real change in our state.

Barbs: •I think the stoplight at Church Street and Fifth Avenue is seriously making me lose my grip on sanity. Waiting for the red light to change to green on Church is the longest one minute and 42 seconds of my life, especially when there isn’t a single car traveling on Fifth. I’m trying to get in touch with my patient side, but please, city of Sandpoint, address this issue.

•It’s fitting that the first real legislation enacted under the Trump Administration is a tax bill that benefits the ultra-rich and corporations. Packaged as some kind of middle-class tax relief, the truth of this tax bill is far different than what its supporters are claiming. It’s simply a way for Trump and the GOP knuckleheads in Congress to thank their donors for the support they’ve been given over the years. To call it anything else is dishonest and downright insulting.

6 / R / December 21, 2017

By Ben Olson Reader Staff

Tired of Christmas parties already? Head over to Infini Gallery, 214 Cedar St., on Friday, Dec. 22 from 5-9 p.m. to celebrate the gallery’s two-year anniversary in style.

There will be live music by The Groove Black, refreshments, party treats and creations from local artists adorning the walls.

Those who want to take part in the donation raffle “In the Holiday Spirit” still have time

today. The raffle ends Dec. 21, so head down from 1-7 p.m. to pick up your raffle tickets.

Christmas gift baskets are filled with treats from locals shops such as Pend d’Oreille Winery, Image Maker, MickDuff’s Brewing Co., Trinity at City Beach and Eichardt’s Pub. Don’t forget to take part in the Community Canvas Project. A large canvas, paint and brushes will be on display for guests and visitors to contribute to this collective artwork by and for the community.

For more information, visit

www.infinigallery.com or email infinigallery@yahoo.com

A creative space inside the Infini Gallery on Cedar St. Photo by Ben Olson.

Another local choice in public education: Forrest Bird Charter School

By Reader Staff

Idaho charter schools, birthed in 1998, offer students and families choice in public education. Many citizens unfortunately don’t understand charter schools, but in order to provide the best education choice for our youth we need to build our understanding.

According to the Idaho State Department of Education, “Charter schools give parents a choice to sending their children to a school that uses innovative methods to provide a quality education.”

The intention is to provide options for families looking for different methods of instruction which might meet their student’s learning style better than traditional methods.

Charter schools are free public schools which (through law) are held accountable for meeting state and federal academic standards. These schools focus on innovative teaching and learning methods as well as specialized goals. For instance, one charter might emphasize certain subject areas and include themebased curriculum while another focuses on art-based curriculum. Charter schools, also by law, are not allowed to discriminate on any basis or selectively chose their student population.

Sandpoint’s Forrest Bird Charter School (FBCS) in-

cludes grades six-12 and accentuates 21st-century literacy with emphasis on the use of technology. Community is a focal point in collaborative learning environments in which students and instructors work together to achieve goals. Last spring, high school students collectively served thousands of hours of community service work throughout Bonner and Boundary Counties while completing studies that correlated with their chosen service.

Post-secondary learning is encouraged at FBCS, and onand off-site North Idaho College classes are offered to students seeking dual enrollment credit.

Individual enrichment lessons are achieved through choice and creativity, such as middle school students creating innovations for the Idaho Invention Convention.

Fun, enriching activities supplement learning regularly, such as Coeur d’Alene Eagle watch cruises and POAC plays.

FBCS also focuses on family involvement: FACE (Family and Community Engagement) offers bi-monthly meetings for all, and families are encouraged to attend numerous functions and help in schools.

FBCS, like all charter schools in Idaho, is funded with state and federal tax dollars like traditional public schools. A common myth regarding charter schools is that they are all for

profit entities. Actually, most charters (FBCS included) are not for profit, placing all governmental funds directly back into the school to cover costs of supplies, personnel, building and other essentials. Idaho law also states that charter schools are not allowed to run local levies to bring more funding to the school. Instead, they rely on donations and/or grants for extra funds. Forrest Bird Charter School, whose name honors the late innovator, Forrest M. Bird, is not funded by the Bird Foundation nor does it receive any funds from local levies. Instead, the school runs off non-local tax dollars and uses fundraisers and grants to help cover additional costs.

Charter schools, usually smaller in size compared to district schools, are limited in enrollment. FBCS is limited to approximately 400 total students, six-12 grades. Enrollment begins with an application process by families the first of February for Fall 2018 admission.

FBCS students bike the Pend d’Oreille Bay Trail for P.E. class. Courtesy photo.

Because enrollment is limited, if the number of applications exceeds the number of openings in each grade level, a lottery is conducted. Students not selected through the lottery process are placed on a waiting list. When a spot becomes available, the first student on the wait list is called.

Currently, there are approximately 11,000 students total on wait lists across the state.

FBCS offers school tours to families and student shadowing where students are given schedules and follow another student for a day. This gives prospective students the best sense if the charter school meets their learning styles and academic needs. Shadowing and tours can be set up at the front office.

For more information about charter schools, visit the Idaho State Department of Education, Idaho Charter School Network, and Forrest Bird Charter Schools websites.

POINT / COUNTERPOINT

the hi-test silicone smelter:

Is the proposed silicone smelter good or bad for Sandpoint?

What’s a breath of clean air worth? Life is a series of trade-offs

By Matt Nykiel Reader Contributor

Just like our health, clean air is priceless. It’s worth a lot to know that our kids, grandparents and those most vulnerable among us are safe from toxic air pollutants. And our slice of North Idaho heaven wouldn’t be possible without clean air. Clean air draws visitors and businesses into our communities, and with it we enjoy crystal clear views of this beautiful part of Idaho.

Clean air is also something we have to fight for and demand from our leaders. And a new proposal for a silica smelter in Newport, Wash., is raising alarms and calling us to action. The smelter, proposed by Canadian company HiTest Sand, is the kind of industrial project that can have far-reaching impacts on our air and on our health, as prevailing winds would likely carry emissions from this smelter into Bonner and Boundary counties.

The pollution from this smelter would contain nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide, particulate matter and other toxic air pollutants, many of which are linked to an increased risk for asthma, lung disease, and environmental impacts like acid rain and regional haze.

Since October, the Idaho Conservation League has been in close contact with state agencies and HiTest itself, and we are concerned that despite HiTest’s best intentions, this smelter could damage air quality and health in North Idaho.

Our region is inherently vulnerable to bad air quality because of our geography and weather patterns, so we don’t have a lot of wiggle room when it comes to new pollution. Local weather patterns make our region vulnerable to air pollution, particularly in the winter when inversions, like the

one two weeks ago, trap pollutants in a layer of stagnant air that can linger for days. In the 1990s, air quality was so bad in Sandpoint that the city instituted local rules needed to meet baseline standards set by the Clean Air Act. There’s also the concerning fact that today, federal and state agencies are budget-strapped and lack the support to hold polluters to the rules on the books. The Environmental Protection Agency has lost 700 employees since the election of President Trump, and Trump has proposed further defunding the EPA by 31 percent. Because of this the EPA is far less able to assist states like Idaho and Washington with the funding, monitoring and technical expertise that would ensure the proposed smelter does not break the rules and pollute our air. Idaho and Washington environmental agencies alone simply don’t have the resources to properly enforce air quality permits and demand the most protective pollution controls from savvy industrial companies.

All this means that we must voice our concerns for our health and communities so that our leaders hear them loud and clear. As a baseline, HiTest should commit to collecting solid, site-specific air quality and weather data for at least one year before they ask the state of Washington for a permit. So we need to demand that our state environmental agencies step up and fight for our clean air and demand this data from HiTest.

Please visit https://bit.ly/newportsmelter to learn how to contact the Washington Department of Ecology and the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality and request HiTest collect and share this data.

Matt Nykiel is a Conservation Associate with the Idaho Conservation League. His work includes protecting North Idaho’s clean air and water and advocating for clean, safe, and reliable energy.

By Herb Weins Reader Contributor There are many reasons why HiTest chose our area to build a smelter. Among those reasons are the availability of a viable ore body, cheap power and a willing workforce. It is about time. We have been exporting high-quality blue collar jobs out of the country for decades. There are some downsides to such enterprises, of course. Life is a series of trade-offs.

The landowners closest to the project don’t want to look at it. So? What do they think that the farmers and ranchers, used to solitude, thought when a housing project was built next door? A developer was receiving a considerable amount of negative feedback over his planned Spokane River housing development from residents directly across the river. They complained that their view would be ruined. His reply shut down the debate when he simply stated: “What do you think the people on the other side of the river thought when you built YOUR development?” The bottom line is that if you never want your view to change, buy everything in your line of sight.

I understand that no one wants a huge polluter moving into the area. Neither do I. Detractors cite acid rain in Canada and a burning river in Ohio. Actually, the Cuyahoga River caught fire 13 times. The last time was in 1969 which led to the Clean Water Act. Canada’s acid rain was caused by unregulated, pollution belching, factories and power plants in almost every town in the Rust Belt and on the Eastern Seaboard. That was the reason for the creation of the National Environmental Protection Agency. Washington’s SEPA has even more stringent regulations. This is not the Rust Belt. This is one modern smelter in the middle of basically nowhere.

People cite death stories from silicosis.

Silicosis comes from breathing dust in many activities such as rock crushing, cement work, sandblasting and pottery. In industry, silicosis can occur from working near or in bag houses. Bag houses are basically large vacuum cleaners used to reduce particulate emissions. Since OSHA’s creation, new cases of silicosis have decreased by 93 percent.

OSHA estimates that there are over two million workers exposed to silica in the mining, industrial and maritime industries. Michigan State University estimates that, along with

undiagnosed cases, there are approximately 2,500-5,000 deaths from silicosis each year in the U.S. That means that a worker has between a .125-percent and a .25-percent chance of dying from it. Most of those cases are from the mining industry. In 2016, OSHA introduced the new Occupational Exposure to Crystalline Silica regulation, reducing worker risk even further.

This smelter is supposedly similar to the United Silicon smelter near Reykjanesbaer, Iceland. That smelter had startup issues due mainly to lower than designed furnace temperatures. An environmental study of that facility was completed last summer by the Norwegian Institute for Air Research. Samples were taken in the plant, bag house, and in the surrounding community. That study states that the Volatile Organic Compound level in the nearby village was 150 ug per cubic meter. An ug is one millionth of a gram. The VOC indoor air quality of a typical residence is between 100 and 250 ug per cubic meter.

The Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAH) emission results were also illuminating. The results and compounds found were virtually identical, according to the EPA, with a common wood stove. If the smelter’s stated nitrogen oxides and sulfuric oxides emissions bother you, let me give you some simplified statistics without getting too far into the weeds.

The last census states that 4.7 percent of Spokane County, 26.2 percent of Pend Oreille County and 33.5 percent of Bonner County residences list wood heat as their primary heating source. That is 15,130 wood stoves.

Using an average of four cords of Tamarack used a year per stove, that is 302,600 tons of wood burnt each year. According to EPA statistics, that would be 424 tons of nitrogen oxides, 61 tons of sulfuric oxides and 110 tons of PAH. That is not counting how many households listed electricity as their primary heat source but really heat with wood. Pellet stoves emit five times more nitrogen oxides and 3.3 times more PAH than regular stoves.

Add all of this to the other pollution sources in the region and the smelter is really of little consequence. I like to compare its impact to a fart in a feedlot.

Herb Weins Graduated from Sandpoint High School. He attended NIC, is a military veteran, spent 20 years in the timber industry.

Weins also worked 12 years in water treatment as a small business owner.

December 21, 2017 / R / 7

NEWS

Snow storm keeps emergency, ‘Christmas Offering’ invites entire community to give utility crews busy

By Reader Staff

By Cameron Rasmusson Reader Staff North Idaho was covered in up to a foot of snow following a storm Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, leaving public works crews and emergency response workers scrambling to keep up.

The heavy snowfall damaged power lines and infrastructure, leaving large areas of North Idaho without electricity for extended periods of time. The weight of heavy, sticky snow snapped tree branches, which obstructed roadways. And hazardous road conditions made driving a risky proposition.

Clearing the snow on Wednesday morning proved as onerous a task as responding to the electrical outages and emergencies. Work began Tuesday with city crews deploying snowplows and graders throughout the day, keeping emergency routes clear. The city reached out to homeowners for assistance in keeping walkways cleared, reminding them it is their responsibility to keep snow and ice off sidewalks.

“Snow removal is a partnership between residents, business owners and the city. We appreciate the help and support of our residents and business owners in keeping our city accessible during the winter months, particularly for seniors, children and those with disabilities,” said Sandpoint City Administrator Jennifer Stapleton.

On Wednesday after a rest, city crews were back on the roads by 2 a.m. in an effort to get streets cleared before downtown workers arrived to start their workdays.

The full 10-person crew went to work, operating three graders, two

8 / R / December 21, 2017

A rollover south of Bonners Ferry. Courtesy of News Bonners Ferry Facebook page. plow trucks, two loaders plus a third equipped with a snow blower, a sander and two skid steers, including one with a snow blower.

Work began in the downtown area, clearing the streets as thoroughly as possible given the cars still parked in the area. The wet, heavy nature of the snow also made it a work-intensive process, according to Stapleton. By 8 a.m., work progressed into the residential areas.

“Thank you to all of our residents and business owners for your patience and understanding,” Stapleton said. “It is appreciated by all of us at the city.”

In this season of giving, 10 local churches are partnering for an extraordinary community-wide Christmas Offering to benefit two faith-based charities that do life-saving work here and in Africa.

At their Christmas services, the churches will dedicate the offerings they collect to be divided equally between The Luke Commission and Freedom House.

And the initiative is by no means restricted to church members, as everyone in the community is invited to join in this special offering to support the two charities.

The Luke Commission brings critically-needed medical care to isolated regions of Swaziland – a country nearly devastated by the HIV/AIDS epidemic. It was founded in 2005 by Sandpoint’s Harry and Echo VanderWal, an MD and PA respectively, who began by single-handedly driving the country with their young children to provide free medical clinics. Today their Luke Commission works from its 30-acre Miracle Campus in Sidvokodvo, last year treating more than 60,000 patients with a team that has grown to more than 100 staff and volunteers.

Right here in Sandpoint, the Freedom House is a Christ-centered, safe-and-sober house that

just this year moved in to the former Sweet Magnolia bed and breakfast downtown to provide temporary housing for women fighting to recover from drug or alcohol addiction. Providing 24-hour staff and serving up to 10 women at a time throughout the year, it is an outgrowth of the jail chaplaincy program at the Bonner County jail and is led by Fred Petteruto, the senior chaplain for the jail.

Eric Rust, pastor of Cedar Hills Church, is one of the organizing pastors of this emphasis.

“During a time of year when the normal thing to do is to spend more and consume more, we wanted to be intentional about turning our eyes off of ourselves and onto others,” he said. “I am convinced that selfless giving is central to the story of Christmas.”

Participating churches for the Christmas Offering are Cedar Hills, Christ Our Redeemer Lutheran Church, First Baptist Church, Harvest Valley Worship Center, North Summit Church, River of Life Fellowship, Sagle

years as Ponderay mayor from 2008 to 2016. During her mayoral service, she is proudest of helping establish the SPOT bus service, expanding the city’s public works and planning departments, renovating Ponderay City Hall rather than spending the money on a new building and acquiring the 50-acre Field of Dreams property that she hopes will be developed into a Ponderay public park. Kunzeman is grateful for the excellent council members who worked with her on those accomplishments.

“I think if you don’t have people ... to go along and help you, you can’t be a good mayor,” she said.

Prior to her life in public service, Kunzeman operated small businesses centered on quilting, child care and wedding and floral sales. In launching those busi-

nesses, she used the managerial skills acquired while rising the ranks in corporate America, first at Volvo of America, then at Hughes Aircraft.

“I’ve always been at the right place at the right time,” Kunzeman said of her career.

Kunzeman decided to re-enter the fray of elections after becoming restless during her short retirement. She hopes to impress upon voters that she is a trustworthy candidate who will talk straight with all her constituents, from Blanchard to Clark Fork.

“It’s not going to be an easy race, and I’m not foolish enough to believe that,” she said. “I’m going to have to work for it.”

The race between McDonald and Kunzeman adds to a packed GOP primary election in local and state races. Voters will also choose

Echo Vanderwal, right, of The Luke Commission with a patient. Courtesy photo.

Victory Baptist Church, Sandpoint Assembly of God, Sandpoint Church of God and Sandpoint Church of the Nazarene.

While the churches are getting the word out to their congregations about the upcoming special offering, everyone in the community is likewise invited to contribute. Contributions can be made during Christmas services at any of the churches, or dropped off at their offices.

Or, you may donate online at: www.cedarhillschurch.com/giving.

Select “Christmas Offering 2017” when prompted for giving type.

Get more information about the offering from any of the churches.

See more about the two charities online, at www.lukecommission.org or www.freedomhousehope.org.

Kunzeman to challenge McDonald in GOP primary

By Cameron Rasmusson Reader Staff

Former Ponderay mayor Carol Kunzeman announced this week her candidacy for the Bonner County Board of Commissioners Seat 3, offering a GOP primary challenge to Commissioner Dan McDonald.

Kunzeman said she intends to run a campaign that listens voter concerns across the entire county.

She hopes to impress upon the electorate her commitment to honesty and high ethical standards.

“I think I am a very good listener and have a lot of common sense,” Kunzeman said. “I like to hear everyone’s point of view, not just those who agree with me.”

Starting her public service as a Ponderay City Council member, Kunzeman then served eight

Carol Kunzeman. between Heather Scott and Mike Boeck for state representative and Danielle Ahrens and Jim Woodward for state senator, a seat being relinquished by longtime state senator Shawn Keough.

NEWS

History makes its debut

By Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Staff Writer

“Destiny” and “fate” aren’t words to be used lightly, but in the case of the Carousel of Smiles story, they might be the only appropriate descriptors.

When Clay and Reno Hutchison went on their second date at a carousel in the ‘90s, Clay admitted he could have never known that Reno’s love for the machines would bring them to where they are today.

The journey to fulfill Reno’s dream of restoring a Golden Age carousel — like the one she loved during her childhood in Butte, Mont., that later burned down — led the couple into a seemingly fateful situation.

In Hutchinson, Kan. — the seat of Reno County — a carousel the same model as the one in Butte lay packed away in two trailers on a sheep farm.

It had been nearly five decades since the complete

machine had seen daylight. Reno purchased it in 2000.

The trailers made the journey to Sandpoint last year, and since then a non-profit, The Carousel of Smiles, has been formed to take over the carousel’s restoration and eventual placement, which Clay and Reno hope will be in Sandpoint.

“What is most exciting to us is when people start talking about this as ‘our carousel, Sandpoint’s carousel,’” Clay said.

“A lot of people know this as ‘Reno’s carousel,’ which is great, but the reality is this needs to become, and is becoming, rapidly, Sandpoint’s carousel.”

The 1920s carousel had its official unveiling last weekend at the Bonner County Fairgrounds.

The Hutchisons reported that about 1,000 people came out to see the carousel spin for the first time since 1952.

Two of those people were Gerri and Jim Daniels, who said they enjoyed learning about the

history of the carousel in the informational exhibits at the fairgrounds, as well as looking at the architectural mock-ups of the carousel in a number of locations, including Sandpoint City Beach.

Gerri said she feels a bit of nostalgia when she considers having a carousel in Sandpoint because she enjoyed them so much as a child.

“I love the idea that they are reviving it and they’re bringing it to such a lovely place,” she said. “The history is fabulous, and the stuff that they’ve all collected is mind-boggling.”

There were opportunities to sign up as a volunteer for the non-profit during Saturday’s reveal, and anyone still interested can sign up on the Carousel of Smiles website under the “Get Involved” tab.

Opportunities to volunteer include the “Gear and Grease Gang” — headed by locals Nate Helms, Ken Keeler and Matt

A family watches as the Carousel of Smiles is unveiled to a large crowd. Photo by Lyndsie Kiebert.

Janssen — as well as through wood restoration, painting and other, less-hands-on facets.

While addressing the crowd just before the unveiling, Clay highlighted and thanked a number of specific volunteers. He also noted that everyone in the

community can do their part in any number of small ways.

“It can be as simple as just being enthusiastic about having the carousel in Sandpoint. That is every bit as important as the work that we’re doing,” he said.

Sen. Crapo announces military U.S. Army Corps of Engineers releases academy nominations master plan for Albeni Falls Dam

By Ben Olson Reader Staff United States Sen. Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) announced Monday the nomination of 44 Idaho students to the nation’s military academies.

The students’ applications are now being considered by four of the U.S. academies where final selections will be made.

“One of the honors of my role as Idaho’s U.S. Senator is nominating distinguished students to the U.S. military services academies,” said Crapo in a statement. “By pursuing higher education in one of these academies, these students demonstrate their strong commitment to service and country.”

Of the 44 students nominated, five were from students from or near Bonner County. Kyle Almeida and Dutton Rogers

from Sandpoint, Victor Rae from Bonners Ferry and Rafael Zamora from Bayview were nominated to the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis, Md. Garrett Moen from Rathdrum and Zamora were also nominated to the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point, N.Y. Each year, U.S. senators and representatives make nominations to four of the service academies.

To qualify for a nomination, each student submitted an application and references and met certain scholastic requirements under a deadline. A nomination does not guarantee acceptance. Those wishing to apply for future nominations should contact Karen Roetter in Crapo’s North Idaho Office in Coeur d’Alene at (208) 664-5490.

By Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Staff Writer The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has released their Master Plan for Albeni Falls Dam, as well as a draft environmental assessment to address the potential environmental impacts of implementing the plan. The public comment period began Dec. 14 and will last through Feb. 14.

In a public notice the Corps said that while the existing Albeni Falls Project Master Plan was completed in 1981, there has been no substantial, needed revision in the last three decades.

The new plan addresses changes in demand for recreation and expansive adjacent population growth. It also takes into consideration contemporary Corps land use classification standards

and federal environmental laws.

Overall, the Corps explained in the notice, the new Master Plan furthers their pursuit of responsible environmental stewardship.

While the purpose of a Master Plan is not to detail specific projects, it is “a planning document that deals in concepts … and it provides guidance for future development and maintenance of recreation opportunities.”

Read the plan, as well as the accompanying draft environmental assessment, at www.nws.usace. army.mil/Missions/Environmen-

An aerial view of the Albeni Falls Dam. Courtesy U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

tal/Environmental-Documents.

The Corps said comments can be submitted to Beth McCasland at AlbeniFalls.MasterPlan@ usace.army.mil or to Planning, Environmental and Cultural Resources Branch, P.O. Box 3755, Seattle, WA, 98124-3755.

Anyone who wants additional information about the plan or assessment can also utilize McCasland’s phone number, 206-764-3641.

December 21, 2017 / R / 9

Mad about Science:

By Brenden Bobby Reader Columnist Can you believe I’ve never done an article on fire?

Surprisingly, fire and rust are similar chemical processes.

They are both the product of oxidation, the changing of state when atoms or ions come into contact with oxygen and a catalyst. In the case of rust (iron oxide), water facilitates the slow and gradual change from iron to a gnarled, rusted state.

In the case of fire, the oxidation is extremely rapid and violent.

Fire is hot because the conversion from O2 to CO2 produces energy, and with enough fuel (generally carbon-based, such as wood, paper, petroleum and other ethanol-based accelerants) and oxygen, it can produce a lot of energy very quickly. The flames themselves are pretty awesome when you really think about it. Flames are the light (visible and infrared) given off by the gases heating and changing state. You’re literally watching gas.

The control of fire is, like the wheel, considered to be one of our earliest and most notable benchmarks as a sentient species. However, there is no scientific consensus as to when this happened, and in fact the “control” of fire seems to have been a process that may have happened on and off for over 200,000 years. We used the heat to cook our meat and morph our tools, we used the light to see in the dark and ward off predators, we’ve used it as a weapon against rivals and much more. Our mastery of fire has exploded in the past

10 / R / December 21, 2017

Brought to you by:

fire

few centuries, but it’s still not a force that’s completely within our control.

Wildfires are a natural part of how our world works, just like disease. When a forest gets to be overpopulated, lightning will naturally cause a conflagration at one point or another and bring much of the forest into a state of ruin, sending fertile nitrogen into the sky to be cycled down elsewhere while new life gets a chance to develop in the remains of the burned-out forest. However, as anyone from the West Coast is aware, wildfires become terrifying and destructive when we’ve built our homes in the overcrowded forest.

As this year has shown us, we can pretend to be the masters of fire all we like, but with enough moving air and enough fuel, all we can do is try to minimize the damage it does.

One of the coolest things about fire is how it acts in microgravity.

Now, keep in mind, our experiments in microgravity are VERY controlled. You’re playing with fire in a multi-billion dollar pressurized tube that is filled with oxygen just waiting to get its Human Torch on.

The potential for catastrophe is huge... but it’s something that’s definitely worth exploring.

We talked about how the flame is the visible light from the changing gas. Where on Earth, you can see the gas moving, dancing around in a distinct shape. In microgravity, the gas isn’t rising above heavier gases, it’s just sitting there in a perfect sphere. It looks really cool.

Seriously, look up “fire in space.”

When talking about fire in space, it’s worth bringing up a more detailed explanation of something we’d talked about recently in our Hollywood Science Fails series. Nuclear explosions in space.

On Earth, if you detonate a nuclear warhead, the fireball is the rapid oxidation occurring in our atmosphere. In space, there’s not enough oxygen to create a fireball, so it would just be a big, bright, spherical flash and sudden bombardment of radioactive particles.

Pieces of debris flung out from the center of the blast make channels and filaments in the blast, so it’s not perfectly uniform, but still looks really cool. The radiation involved can also wreak havoc on our electronic systems and create fantastic auroras. This is called HANE, for High-Altitude Nuclear Explosion, and it produces an Electromagnetic Pulse or EMP. But Brenden, if fire doesn’t burn in space, what about the sun? Isn’t it a giant ball of fire?

You can see huge flames dancing on the surface!

Well, yes and no. The sun is basically a superheated ball of hydrogen gas. Because of its immense size and density, it has a ludicrous gravitational field, and “flames” on its surface would be subject to the ebb and flow of gravity. Its immense size and pressure is what creates the heat, not the presence of oxygen.

Those huge dancing flames you see are actually called corona, and are strands of plasma being manipulated by insane amounts of energy and gravity.

They’re basically like giant

superheated rubber bands, and when they’re pulled too tight … snap!

As anyone that’s ever been hit with a rubber band knows, that energy doesn’t just dissipate. It fires outward many widths of the rubber band. On the sun, this is called a Coronal Mass Ejection.

Certain chemical fires can burn without oxygen, using other chemicals as a catalyst and fuel source. This is one of the reasons that we have different types of fire extinguishers.

Removing oxygen doesn’t help if the fire isn’t using oxygen to burn. Believe it or not, pool chemicals are ridiculously dangerous if not properly maintained. When buying and storing pool chemicals, read the instructions. Seriously.

Next time you’re tossing a log into the fireplace or roasting marshmallows, just marvel at how incredible science is.

You’re warming your house and filling your belly by making wood rust! Dracarys!

Random Corner Don’t know much about skinWe? can help!

• There are more life forms living on your skin than there are people on the planet.

• In an average lifetime human skin completely replaces itself 900 times.

• An average adult’s skin spans 21 square feet, weighs nine pounds, and contains more than 11 miles of blood vessels.

• The skin releases as much as three gallons of sweat a day in hot weather. The areas that don’t sweat are the nail bed, the margins of the lips, the tip of the penis and the eardrums.

• Body odor comes from a second kind of sweat—a fatty secretion produced by the apocrine sweat glands, found mostly around the armpits, genitals and anus. The odor is caused by bacteria on the skin eating and digesting those fatty compounds. Yum! • Breasts are a modified form of the apocrine sweat gland.

• Fingerprints increase friction and help grip objects. New World monkeys have similar prints on the undersides of their tails, the better to grasp as they swing from branch to branch.

• Globally, dead skin accounts for about a billion tons of dust in the atmosphere. Your skin sheds 50,000 cells every minute.

• White skin appeared just 20,000 to 50,000 years ago, as dark-skinned humans migrated to colder climes and lost much of their melanin pigment.

• The Cleveland Public Library, Harvard Law School, and Brown University all have books clad in skin stripped from executed criminals or from the poor. One such volume is Andreas Vesalius’s pioneering 16th-century work of anatomy, “De Humani Corporis Fabrica” (On the Fabric of the Human Body).

OPINION

Bordering on Complete Sanity Slow down and live simply... or else

By Sandy Compton Reader Columnist

A

problem with being a writer is that if you write long enough you begin to repeat yourself. Vonnegut and Heinlein escaped it, but Grisham, King, L’Amour and even Michener became formulaic. The happy part for them was that certain audiences love their formulas, so they became wealthy and famous by writing the same thing again and again.

I’m neither famous nor wealthy. Of course, I’ve been advocating slowing down, living more simply and — here’s the crux of the issue — taking responsibility for our lives, which is not the most exciting or attractive of content. A relatively small minority takes the message to heart, while the majority of the planet insists on going faster and acting stupider.

So, why am I saying it again? Because I still think it needs to be heard.

The cultures of the world are being dismantled by our current velocity. On every continent, the good works done in the 20th century are being undone by the excesses of the early 21st.

Our government seems to be in the clutches of a free-forall of blatant self-interest and calculated groping for whatever can be had for the individual and their friends. Rude, misogynistic, reliably unpredictable and malicious Donald Trump endorses racism during his endless, moronic “tweets.” Secretay of the Interior Ryan Zinke undoes national monuments protecting incredible public lands in Utah. Sen. Steve

Daines introduces legislation to “unprotect” a half-million acres of Wilderness Study Areas in Montana under the ridiculously deceptive and cynical name of “Protect Public Use of Public Lands Act.” House Rep. Greg Gianforte believes that the world was created 4,500 years ago and cops to assault for punching a reporter. And that’s just a very short, somewhat provincial list.

A form of Ronald Reagan’s “trickle down” policy seems to be at work here. We watch our leaders and say to ourselves, “Screw it. If they can get away with that kind of behavior, why bother?” Or, do we elect leaders like that because that’s also who we are: short-sighted, greedy, dishonest, misanthropic, disrespectful bigots?

I drove through a small city last week at 4:45, and it was akin to being in a sci-fi movie; cars of all shapes and sizes zipping around, changing lanes without warning, running yellow lights and red lights, charging wildly into the green; as if the life of the drivers depended on getting to their destination in the next minute.

“Why,” I thought to myself, “are these people in such a hurry?”

There’s something going on that I can’t see, but I can feel; a frenetic response to a disturbance in the Force, maybe. It’s like a beast has stuck its nose in our anthill, and we ants are in panic, running in circles. We know something is wrong, and we are trying to parse it out with limited knowledge and no good leadership. The queen, who we are all genetically sworn to protect, is buried deep inside the nest. All we know

is that something has invaded, and we are to swarm to drive it off or kill it; or die in the attempt.

That’s fine with the beast. It will just lick us up as we come mindlessly to it.

We are not ants, though we act like it some days. We can determine — should we care to take the time — what to do next, but we have to first stop running in circles. The bastards who are trying to lick us up and everything we value — believe me, they won’t quit at national monuments, wilderness study areas or even the basic right to live without fear — aren’t going to desist unless we make a concerted effort to stop them.

The most important means of stopping them is to unite in dislodging them from power, and this has to happen at all levels — city council, county commission and state legislature on up through the Presidency itself. This means getting off our lazy, complacent, apa-

thetic butts and voting on election day. It means understanding who to vote for and why. It means keeping track of what’s going on in Washington, D.C., Boise, Helena, the chambers of the county commission and at city council.

Too busy for that? Self-serving leadership loves that idea, and does their best to make sure it’s true. The fewer people who vote or know who to vote for, the more likely they are to retain office. While you are running a yellow light be next in line at Starbucks, some of your elected representatives are introducing legislation that is against the world’s best interests.

There are great movements out there addressing our future.

You don’t have to join them

all, but you might get involved with at least one of them. And slow down. If we continue to blast along as if there’s no tomorrow, tomorrow will be way ugly.

Sandy Compton, who has lived in “Montaho” since he was a wee boy, has been writing for publications for 35 years. Read more at www.bluecreekpress.com.

December 21, 2017 / R / 11

event t h u r s d a y

Starting Your Sustainable Small Farm in Idaho Thursday Ladies Night $1.00 off all drinks Unique selection of Excellent Wines Local Beers On Tap

Yummy Tapas Menu

Wine $ Cheese Sampling Wine & cheese sampling Saturdays 12-3p.m. p.m.

Saturdays 12-3 Open 5 p.m. - Closing Thurs. - Sat.

Please register by Jan. 6, 2018

Idaho Master Gardener Training Program

f r i d a y

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Live Music w/ Riff Hangers 5-8pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery Swing, country and blues Live Music w/ Marty & Doug 5-7pm @ Idaho Pour Authority Guitar mandolin duo

23

s u n d a y

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t u e s d a y

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

12 / R / December 21, 2017

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Dollar Beers!

8pm @ Eichardt’s Pub Good until the keg’s dry

s a t u r d a y

m o n d a y

‘Streams of Light” 6-8pm @ Embody (823 Main St.) A celebration and nurturing experience to honor the Winter Solstice. Led by a Healing Artist Collective; Shamanic Journey, Dance and Crystal Bowls. Sliding Scale $10-25. moondancermoves.com

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f

Girls Pint 5-7pm @ Cool Chic Dudes! Jo table for food with

Live Music w/ Live Music w/ Adrian Xavier 6-8pm @ Ceda 9pm @ 219 Lounge An amazing jaz Renowned Seattle-based reg- Live Music w gae-inspired. elements of folk, 6:30-9:30pm warm isles of smooth soul, dub, A dynamic m jazz, even rock and hip-hop Edelwagen fo

Live Music w/ Truck Mills Live Music w/ Mike and 5-7pm @ Idaho Pour Authority Shanna Thompson Soulful blues from the master 7:30pm @ Eichardt’s Pub Live Music w/ Beat Diggers An acoustic duo that leaves 9pm @ 219 Lounge you with a smile Bring your dancing shoes and enjoy one of Sandpoint’s favorite up and coming all-local bands as they play your favorite rock and roll tunes. FREE Ugly Sweater Contest 9pm–1am @ A&P’s Tavern The prizes will be bigger and better than ever, plus dance the night away with a D.J. all night while enjoying tasty winter drink specials Sandpoint Chess Club 9am @ Evans Brothers Coffee Meets every Sunday at 9am. All are welcome

Santa Skis at Schweitzer @ Schweitzer Mountain Re Ho, ho, ho! Santa and M Mountain Resort to ski and mas Eve, they will lead a slopes and hear last-minute

Game Night at the Niner 9pm @ 219 Lounge

Santa Ski @ Schweit Santa and balloon pa

Merry Christmas!

Night-Out Karaoke 9pm @ 219 Lounge Join DJ Pat for a night of singing, or just come to drink and listen

Wind Down Wednesday 5-8pm @ 219 Lounge With live music by blues man Truck Mills. Relax together with friends and colleagues at the end of the day Dollar Beers!

8pm @ Eichardt’s Pub Good until the keg’s dry

Intro to 3D Printing for Adults 5pm @ Sandpoint Library A free workshop at 5 p.m. to learn about 3D pri design your own 3D printable object with the libr printer. Pre-registration is required by calling 208-

Live Music w/ the B-Radicals 7:30pm @ Eichardt’s Pub Existential experimental rock-funk, cultivated in the west. Eclectic compositions please the musical palette. your being on a polyrhythmic trip through ethereal rea

ful

December 21 - 28, 2017

Girls Pint Night Out 5-7pm @ Idaho Pour Authority Cool Chicks! Great Beer! No Dudes! Join Vicki at the back able for an evening pairing food with craft beer

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

Reader recommended

The Sadie Sicilia and Desiree Duo: Christmas Party 6pm @ Panida Theater Christmas music, mixed with some originals, jazz, and blues by Sadie Sicilia and pianist Desiree Duo. Tickets are $10 general admission, $4 youth

Men’s Shopping Night Music w/ Denis Zwang and Mike Johnson “Art Tasting Experience” 5-8pm @ Downtown Sandpoint m @ Cedar Street Bridge Wine Bar 5-9pm @ Infini Gallery mazing jazz duo at the Cedar St. Bridge!

Celebrate Infini Gallery’s two- OK, guys, you’ve put it off ‘til year anniversary with live the last minute, so come downe Music w/ Ron Greene music by The Groove Black, town. You’ll get kid glove treat0-9:30pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall refreshments and party treats ment with help selecting the ynamic musical presence. Food by perfect gift, gift wrapping, relwagen food truck freshments and more Teen Writers Club hweitzer 3:30pm @ Sandpoint Library untain Resort Teens who write ... unite! Enjoy collaboration, peer reviews, brainta and Mrs. Claus visit Schweitzer storming activities; writing supplies and refreshments provided. * to ski and hand out treats; on Christ- Held on the second and fourth Friday of every month ill lead a balloon parade down the st-minute wishes in the Selkirk Lodge Organic Seed Saving Cookie Decorating Party 1pm @ Sandpoint Library 3-6pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery Come and discuss organic garden$10 for first glass of wine and as many cookies as ing and seed saving. Bring food you want to adorn! Egg nog, hot cocoa and frosting and seeds to share if you can (if will be provided! Open to all you can’t, come anyway!) Held Cedar St. Bridge Public Market on the fourth Saturday of every 10am-2pm @ Cedar St. Bridge month. More info: 208-263-6248 Indoor shopping on the Bridge Santa Skis at Schweitzer @ Schweitzer Mountain Resort Santa and Mrs. Claus visit Schweitzer to ski and hand out treat.They will lead a balloon parade down the slopes and hear last-minute wishes in the Selkirk Lodge

out 3D printing and th the library’s new lling 208-263-6930

ed in the Northal palette. Inspire hereal realms

Monday Night Blues Jam w/ Truck Mills 7:30pm @ Eichardt’s Pub SFN Movie Night 7pm @ Panida Little Theater Join Sandpoint Film Network for their monthly movie night at the Panida Little Theater. This month’s offering is “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.” Suggested $5 donation

Magic Wednesday 6-8pm @ Jalapeño’s Restaurant Magician Star Alexander amazes guests at the dinner table and in the bar with up-close, interactive magical entertainment for all ages!

Open Mic 5-8pm @ SKåL Taproom Musicians and comedians welcome! Open mic is held every Wednesday

Dec. 29

Brewery Bash w/ Tennis @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall

Dec. 30

Brewery Bash w/ Devon Wade @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall

Dec. 31

Harold’s IGA @ 219 Lounge

Dec. 31

New Year’s Eve Bash w/ Orgone in concert @ The Hive

Purchase online or call for appointment

December 21, 2017 / R / 13

Everything In Store

15% - 20% - 50% OFF

405 N. Fourth Ave. Sandpoint, ID (diagonally across from connie’s)

208.265.2886 OPEN Mon.-Sat. 10AM-6pm • CHRISTMAS EVE 10AM-3pm • Closed Sundays

14 / R / December 21, 2017

LITERATURE

the thursday morning delivery

by Tom Woodward

This open Window

Vol. 2 No. 2

poetry and prose by local writers edited by Jim mitsui

to interview the wind

by Jeanette Schandelmeier I would go back to Lost Canyon, an arroyo so very lost I could never find it again, nothing more than a dip alongside a Mojave Desert road. We stop just over the first rise, leave the Datsun between the sand dunes, hope there will be no rain or flashflood tonight, sleep in a cave above the gulch. No sound but the wind whispering against my ears— of ancient secrets—this arroyo, this cave, others who came before. Unseen life among the rocks, whisperers gathering heat from stones and sand, they move as birds on air.

-Jeanette Schandelmeier, 11.19.17

Just the other day I found a groovy new spot in town in which to savor my morning joe. It is at the north end of Cedar Street Bridge Public Market on the second floor. The setting is sparse with several tables and high-seated matching chairs.

There is a grilled balcony before me, good for propping my feet up. I look straight down the gun barrel of Cedar St. with the 5th Ave traffic light hanging like a red bull’s-eye. The leaden sky lies low and sullen with the promise of more rain.

Bundled up pedestrians brave the cold and scurry about with their morning tasks. Traffic is light. It is a week before Thanksgiving and Sandpoint is at its bucolic best.

On the left below the old Farmin building a flurry of activity commences. Two stark figures can be seen busy with the weekly business of dispensing the Reader. Ben is beside his bicycle stuffing the back panniers with the latest edition. It is a cut-to-the-chase, bare bones operation full of heart. There he is, riding the rusty carcass of a Schwinn with wire baskets, wearing worn baggy jeans and a faded nylon anorak pulled low to his eyes. Publisher, staff writer, deliveryman.

He cuts a curious figure hurtling down1st Ave, ducking into buildings for a drop off and back on his bike just as quick ad infinitum. The profit margin on this local venture appears thin. In my feeble Zen mind, I want to take some of his burden, heft a bundle on my shoulders and walk a mile dispersing them along the way.

Quite suddenly I am overcome by a flash of mild paranoia. What if these guys come to their senses and decide to get so-called real jobs and chuck it all? What would become of our little portal into the sweeter side of Sandpoint? The guide to local arts, culture and entertainment. The quirky talented writing. Mr. Mitsui’s Open Window. I ponder this for a moment. Nah, I think. It wouldn’t happen. These guys are journalists. It is what they do.

Inside below me, the Cedar Street Bistro is buzzing with soft patter and the whirling espresso machine wafts the sweetened scent of caffeine through the air. Before I finish my coffee, I raise my cup high towards the Reader office in a salute to the entire staff. A job well done!

-Tom Woodward Tom is a transplant from New York state. In 1987 he bought 10 raw acres on Gold Creek; he lived in a teepee for three years while building his cabin. Twenty years ago he traded in is passion for high altitude mountaineering for a yoga mat.

on sourdough point, lake pend Oreille, north idaho

by Adrian Murillo

A yarsh of whispering bells lapping rhythmically through my ears, softening the manic chitter-chattering of squirrels, washing out, bleaching out, the stiff competition playing out in my body.

Holy water, holy water, sizzles out the fear in my body, drop by drop, wave by wave.

The tyranny of the brain is diffused.

Lake voice enchants, promising a love that’s all or nothing.

I can dig it. I once had a deep well-spring of that.

But these are the drought years.

I’ve come home to slake my thirsty heart.

Holy Mother, holy water, Baptize the wisdom of my lessons, this child of sound and play I bring to you, this body of stories only you can bring to life.

-Adrian Murillo, Summer 2017 Here’s a poem that showcases the area where we live, and how our landscape inspires what stirs in our thoughts.

Send poems to: jim3wells@aol.com

December 21, 2017 / R / 15

The American Redoubt Series The anatomy of a one-party state: How Idaho has become more conservative since the 1990s

By Ben Olson Reader Staff Editor’s Note: In last week’s political article we discussed some of the factors that contributed to a building of mistrust for the federal government after events like Ruby Ridge and the siege at Waco. This week, we’ll focus on North Idaho and discuss the rightward shift that has occurred since the 1990s, while also taking a look at how the American Redoubt movement has affected politics in the region.

W

hen Cecil Andrus was elected governor in 1970, Idaho’s political complexion was more balanced than it is today. Described as a “lunch-bucket Democrat,” Andrus gained national attention for being one of the first western politicians who sought office on a platform of conservation. He also enjoys the distinction of being the last elected Democrat to serve as Idaho’s governor.

Though the governor’s office would be controlled by the Democrats for 14 years, the House and Senate had been under Republican majority since the early 1960s.

However, legislatures were known to work with colleagues across the aisle on everything from education to infrastructure in those days. All that seemed to change in the 1990s when Idaho began its slow transition from purple to red to the deep red state it is today and the Republican party began dividing on ideological lines.

16 / R / December 21, 2017

What caused the shift?

The short answer: Californians.

The long answer: It’s complicated.

Southern California was beset by a series of disasters in the early 1990s, including a devastating earthquake, the Rodney King riots and a recession that left many scrambling to pick up the pieces. As a result, the state lost 1.8 million more people than it gained between 1992 and 2000. During that same period, Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico and Arizona collectively gained 1.4 million more than they lost. It is estimated over half of the immigrants that settled in Idaho in that period came from California.

Former Democratic lawmaker and Hope resident Kermit Kiebert remembers the good ol’ days when Democrats and Republican worked hand-in-hand on the issues.

Kiebert served in the Idaho Senate for District 1 from 1975 to 1987. He spent six of those years as minority leader. In those days, District 1 usually sent a Democrat to the statehouse, but that all changed in the mid-1990s. Kiebert says it was thanks to an influx of out-of-town conservatives.

“What happened over time is we got a demographic change,” Kiebert said. “We went from being more policy-oriented to more of an ideologue community.”

Kiebert believes people migrating from states like California had a direct impact on the shift in Idaho politics.

“We had very few minorities here

as compared to a lot of other places,” he said. “That seemed to draw a lot of people that were very much more radical in their views with respect to race and politics. A lot of retired policemen and firemen that moved here were very, very conservative and very, very Republican. They took over the Republican party pretty much in total and organized themselves very well.”

As Kootenai and Bonner counties became identified as “resort communities,” more and more retirees flooded the area. High Country News estimated in 2013 that more than 500 California police officers had retired in North Idaho, most notably Mark Fuhrman, who committed perjury during the O.J. Simpson trial.

“It’s amazing,” said Kiebert.

“These people are now anti-government, but they’re all on a government pension. That’s a little bit of hypocrisy there, you know.”

Coeur d’Alene City Councilman Dan English has witnessed the rightward shift first hand. Serving as Kootenai County Clerk for 15 years, English monitored more than 100 local elections and began noticing in the mid-1990s that less and less Democrats were being elected to office.

“It was in 1993-1994 that there had been a lot of Democrats in Kootenai County and North Idaho,” said English. “There was more of a balance. Then, they really took a thumping.”

Like Kiebert, English also attributed the rise of Republicans elected to office to outside influences.

“I don’t think a whole lot of folks who were already here changed their minds too much,” said English.

“We’re a retirement, resort community, so we attracted more folks moving here from Southern California ...

I think it wasn’t so much from the inside out that people were changing, but from the outside.”

English said the Idaho GOP’s decision to close its primaries in 2012 was another reason why the margins between parties widened.

With a closed primary system, voters registered as any other political party would no longer be allowed to vote for GOP primary candidates.

“If you happen to end up as anything but a Republican on the general election ballot, you’re kind of out of luck,” he said. “Our closed party registration had diminished voter turnout in the primaries, therefore it has probably hurt Democratic chances also.”

With a closed primary system,

voters registered as any other political party are no longer allowed to vote for GOP primary candidates. English said he feels Idaho’s primaries should be open to all party affiliations.

“If (the GOP is) going to have a totally closed primary, they ought to have an inter-party process and, most importantly, pay for it,” he said. “But if they’re going to use public funds, and I know they do, it really seems like taxation without representation because every taxpayer pays for that election. ... If they’re not willing to sign up for party registration, they’re being excluded from the process. I think the deliberate point of it was to reduce voter turnout.”

By 2002, English realized he was the only registered Democrat to hold office in Kootenai County. Recognizing he was an endangered species, English decided to have some fun with his campaign.

“We made up some wooden nickels with ‘Save the Last One’ on them,” he said. “I’m the last Democrat who turned out the lights of the Kootenai courthouse back in early 2011.”

English said that while certain parts of Idaho had always strongly identified as Republican, the situation today is too imbalanced.

“The idea is not to reverse it the other way, but to somehow, eventually, get a little closer to the middle,” he said. “There are a lot of people that want to have some middle ground again.”

English said the closed primaries furthered a fracturing of the Republican party into the “main street” or moderate Republicans and the ideologues on the far right. The closed primaries also influenced a term bandied about in Idaho: “Republican In Name Only,” or RINO, which refers to Democrats that switch party registration to Republican in order to vote in the important GOP primaries.

“The ironic thing is, some Republicans are now seen as RINOs,” he said. “Are you Republican In Name Only because you’re to the left of what it used to be, or the right of what it used to be?”

The Rise of the GOP

When Idaho state senator Shawn Keough first ran for District 1 in 1995 as a Republican, she was entering a long-held blue district comprised of lunch-bucket Democrats.

“When I first ran for office, Boundary, Bonner, Kootenai, Shoshone and Benewah Counties’ elected officials were predominantly Democrat,” Keough wrote. “They

were fiscally conservative, looking out for the underdog and considered themselves more as independent and less as affiliated with the Party in my observation.”

The 1996 fall election saw a rush of Republicans take the statehouse, which included Keough.

In 1991, the Idaho State Senate was split evenly between 21 Republicans and 21 Democrats. The Idaho House seated 56 Republicans to 28 Democrats the same session.

Ten years later, Republicans held 32 seats to the Democrat’s three while the House had seated 61 Republicans to just nine Democrats. Though Democrats picked up a handful of seats in the statehouse during the early 2000s and 2010s, the discrepancy continues to this day.

“I was inspired and encouraged to run for office by a number of individuals in our community including folks like Mike Boeck, Erval Rainey, Pete Wilson, Darrel Kerby as well as others,” wrote Keough. “Rep. Jim Stoicheff also was an influence even though he was of the opposite party than me.”

After serving Idaho’s District 1 for more than two decades, Keough believes the term “conservative” encompasses a wider spectrum of ideas today than when she was first elected. “’Conservative’ meant being fiscally responsible, balancing the budget, less government and/or local government closest to the people was a better government than Boise and D.C.,” she wrote. “Today it also means much more and is defined differently and through the lens of the person defining it. For me, conservative remains those items above and being responsible and grounded in common sense.”

One of Keough’s challengers in the 2012 and 2014 primary was Danielle Ahrens, who is currently Legislative District 1 Republican Chairman for Boundary and Bonner County.

Ahrens picked up 30 percent of the GOP primary vote against Keough in 2012, but in 2014 she had increased her vote share to 46 percent — not enough to win the primary, but a sign of the effect Ahrens had on conservative Christian voters.

To Ahrens, being a successful politician means knowing and listening to constituents’ concerns.

“It’s incumbent on leaders in the community to sit down and talk with one another,” said Ahrens. “As the saying goes, ‘If you’re not at the table, you’re on the menu.’ If you’re running for office, it’s incumbent on

< see REDOUBT, page 17 >

< REDOUBT, con’t page 16 >

you to listen.”

Ahrens said the divide in the nation today is not conducive to a productive government.

“The polarization is crippling us,” she said.

“If we’re doing what’s right for our kids and grandkids, it’s incumbent on us to set up a better society.”

Though Ahrens withdrew from the 2016 GOP primary to make way for Republican candidate Glenn Rohrer — who earned 44 percent of the GOP primary vote that year, but lost to Keough — she has again entered her hat in the 2018 District 1 race. “(I decided to run because) I love people, I love serving people,” said Ahrens. “My whole family has been in public service. ...

Our motto was ‘Service Above Self.’ ... I have a matrix of values and ideals I take from the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence and my faith, but I also value other peoples’ ideas coming into the mix.”

Ahrens said she is energized by the Redoubt movement because it shows a resurgence of people becoming involved in their government again.

“Any cultural movement in tribalism is fascinating to me,” said Ahrens, who holds degrees in psychology, business and a minor in cultural geography. “People gravitate where there are other people of the same values, principles and ideals. ... The Redoubt movement is a rebirth of those ideals.”

When asked what impact the Redoubt movement has had on North Idaho politics, Ahrens said it has made “a tremendous difference. My passion is getting conservative Christians in office. Virtually anyone getting into office now is a conservative Christian with Redoubt values – God, family and country.”

Election of the Ideologues

According to the Idaho Transportation Department, 7,356 people surrendered their out-of-state driver’s licenses in Bonner County between 2011 and 2015. Of the total amount of people changing their licenses to Idaho, 46 percent hailed from California and Washington – 3,400 of the 7,356 total.

During this time period, Idaho’s District 1 began saw the inclusion of candidates that were running on platforms of less regulatory government, Second Amendment rights and issues aiming to strengthen state rights over federal influence.

After Sage Dixon edged out incumbent Republican Rep. George Eskridge in the 2014 primaries for House of Representatives District 1B race, he went on to win the general election with over 65 percent of the vote.

“I, and those who encouraged me to run, felt that we needed conservative representation in our State Legislature,” wrote Dixon. “Two primary issues were the State Health Care Exchange and reclaiming Idaho lands for Idaho hands.”

The District 1A seat went to outspoken Heather Scott of Blanchard, who used the 2014 win to bring more conservative values to Boise.

Running on a platform that bespoke of losses to freedoms amid constant overreach of the federal government, Scott gained a loyal following among the conservative mindset.

Her political career rose sharply in 2015 after a North Idaho veteran in Priest River suffered a stroke and found that his name had been added to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) by a health professional. When a person’s name is added to the NICS, they may be in jeopardy of losing the right to own firearms if a mental health inspection deems it appropriate.

Scott urged her followers on social media to gather in front of the vet’s home to stop the VA from confiscating the man’s guns. Dozens turned out, including Bonner County Sheriff Daryl Wheeler, and most marked the protest a victory when the VA announced it would not be conducting an inspection of the vet’s home.

“With your direction and support, I stood as the tip of the spear on the House floor in fights against crony capitalism, special perks for elected officials, the insertion of international code into our state law, and the unconstitutional use of our tax code to legalize gay marriage,” Scott’s bio reads on her website.

While a darling of the conservative right, Scott’s controversial actions and statements have often enraged both Democrats and moderates throughout the state.

In 2015, Scott was photographed posing next to a Confederate battle flag at a Priest River Timberfest event. In 2016, she was removed briefly from her committee assignments after she claimed female members of the Idaho House got leadership positions only if they “spread their legs.” Scott was reinstated to her committee assignments a month later after she wrote an apology to the House.

After armed militants occupied the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge building in Oregon, Scott accompanied Rep. Dixon and other conservative representatives from neighboring states to conduct “a fact-finding mission” in the area. The Bundys were protesting the right of the federal government to own the land in which they had assessed the Bundys grazing fees in the decades before.

More recently, Scott again made headlines after reposting an article defending white nationalism on Facebook in the wake of the white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Va. During the 2016 election, Scott boycotted a candidates forum sponsored by the Sandpoint Reader, telling her followers in a Facebook post that the forum was a “trap” where conservative candidates’ words would be twisted. Scott defeated Democratic challenger Kate McAlister with more than 62 percent of the vote.

Rep. Scott was contacted but declined to comment for this article.

A Sign of the Times

Whether the influx of conservatives from locales like southern California and coastal Washington came as part of a migration identified as the American Redoubt or independently, it’s clear the body politic of North Idaho has shifted right. What’s more, the split within the Idaho GOP — with moderates on one side and conservative ideologues on the other — showed that this shift was not reversing any time soon.

Keough first came into contact with the

A graph showing the amount of Republicans versus Democrats elected to the Idaho State Senate from 1975 to 2015. Graph by Ben Olson.

Redoubt movement in 2015 while running for reelection to District 1. Keough was facing candidate Glenn Rohrer, a conservative with a large following among Redoubt adherents.

“Someone sent me a link to a web page called the Charles Carroll Society that had published ... a piece (that) claimed all sorts of things about me, how I thought, why I picked the colors of my website, what I said and why I said it that were very inaccurate and outright lies,” Keough wrote. “It was – and remains – a very inflammatory piece.”

Keough said she had never been approached or contacted by Alex Barron, the author of the piece and so-called “Bard of the American Redoubt.”

“The piece is accurate commentary from a non-progressive perspective,” wrote Barron when asked for comment. “Shawn Keough is affiliated with the Idaho Republican Party but is rated D by the NRA, F (31 percent) by the Idaho Freedom Foundation and Idaho Chooses Life reports she is not a defender of the rights of unborn children. She represents an Idaho State district that appears to be much more conservative than her voting record.”

“Frankly,” Keough wrote. “It was astonishing and disheartening to me as the map on the page and the writings made it clear that my home area was being promoted as a place to withdraw from the world and to dig in for some inevitable catastrophe. Further, it espoused plans for how to ‘take over’ and reform the governments from local to state by electing people like the authors so that our area could be changed to fit their ideals. ... So much hate, anger, fear, and no wish to find out about us who lived here or to assimilate and become a part of the community as most who move here try to do.”

English sees the Redoubt influx as a sign of further imbalance. He believes when any institution – be it government, the church or a nonprofit organization – only caters to one point of view, many are left out of the process.

“It sounds like a very deliberate move from all over the place to come to one place with the intent that they can take over through the legitimate process and control the body politic,” said English. “For the folks that are getting taken

over, they’re not too wild about that.”

While Dixon agrees that migration has nudged Idaho to the right in statewide politics, he believes the trend began long before 2011.

“However, I think that equal light should be shed upon migration from the left and how it has affected our local jurisdictions and our traditional issues in the state,” Dixon wrote.

“California and Washington are by no means conservative states.”

2018 and Beyond

Whether Idaho will continue its shift to the right in 2018 or, like in the recent races in Virgina and Alabama, will see an increased influence from other parties is anyone’s guess.

Some, like Kiebert, think the wave has begun to break.

“It still is possible (for Idaho to elect a Democrat to the statehouse),” said Kiebert. “Down south where you’ve got better-informed voters like in the city of Boise, I think District 19 will be all Democrats. ... I’m hoping we’re heading back that way. This is really not helpful for a state or a nation the way we’re polarized now.”

For English, the time is ripe for the rightward shift to normalize somewhere closer to the middle.

“I am sensing quite a stream of energy and interest,” he said.

Dan’s wife, Cory English, in fact, just filed with the Secretary of State to challenge Republican state senator Mary Souza in District 4.

“She’s plans to make health care, education and other social justices her main issues in the campaign,” said English. “People, especially those from outside our area, don’t want to think we’re just 100-percent Republican. There’s a whole range of folks who think otherwise.

Even if we don’t win, it’s very important to get the message out there. If you say nothing, it’s pretty much the same as going along with it. I think you’ll see some action this next year.”

Next week’s piece from a guest contributor will try to answer the question of why those who identify with the American Redoubt are moving to North Idaho.

December 21, 2017 / R / 17

FOOD

The Sandpoint Eater

By Marcia Pilgeram Reader Food Columnist

Last week, I packaged up all the goodies I’ve been baking and made my annual sojourn to the Ponderay Post Office, ahead of the rush. This year I mailed more than 20 care packages to my collection of single friends and relatives. While I watch Gail the postmistress weigh and slap metered postage stickers on each package, part of the routine is to display my displeasure with the rising cost of postage. And butter.

As the total cost climbs towards two hundred dollars, I whine aloud, “This is the last year I’m mailing so many packages.” Gail reminds me that I say that every year. She’s right, I love this ritual—probably even more than the recipients.

My Christmas bags are stuffed with homemade treats, too. Along with some clothes and a teensy bit of contraband (shh!), I’m Paris bound! It should be quite an adventure, spending Christmas in the city of romance with a very headstrong (though quite adorable) toddler and her two equally adorable brothers. My carry-on is filled with myriad snacks, crafts and toys to entertain the young ones for 16 hours of air travel. My last and best purchase was a toy pig to join the donkey, cow and sheep in the small nativity set that I’m bringing along. Last week Fern had a major 3-year-old melt down when she learned there’s no pig in the nativity scene to look after baby Jesus. It’s a long flight, and it was the very least that I could do.

Since I’ll be gone, I didn’t bother to decorate the house this year, but I’m still feeling 18 / R / December 21, 2017

mighty festive. There’ve been so many fun events happening downtown lately, and plenty of new eateries to sample. Yes, I’ve already sampled quite a few. Just last week, I had lunch at Fiesta Bonita’s recently opened second location (their chile relleno is equally delicious at both locations), appetizers in a cozy corner at The Back Door (I loved the lobster roll) and a pub-style dinner at The Fat Pig (their burger is amazing). For a town this size, the range of available cuisines is mighty impressive. The time, money and effort that have gone into revitalizing these spaces is impressive too, so let’s show our appreciation and support these local start-ups, which could include picking up some last-min-

Joyeux Noël

ute stocking-stuffer gift cards.

I’ll be searching for some local eats in my Paris neighborhood too, and can barely wait to see (and taste) all the typical favorites. Lucky for me, many of the traditional foods the French enjoy at Christmas are among my favorites too, like oysters, foie gras, pates and terrines. And lobster. And cheese. Shopping for these foods in the little specialty shops is half the pleasure, and it’s a feast for the eyes as well as the palate.

If you’re a foodie, a trip to the La Grande Epicerie de Paris is an experience not to be missed. It’s a proverbial food mecca where you can spend an entire day roaming through one delicious department after another. I’ve

already been planning (scheming) my shopping experience, which necessitates a 10-year-old accomplice, capable of helping me get a few extra bags on the metro and back to our apartment.

Lucky for me, I’ve taught this kid well, and he already has a sophisticated palate, so he can be bribed with Pain au chocolat or another equally delicious pastry.

For starters, I’ll choose a savory terrine and an assortment of hand-sliced and cured meats for my charcuterie tray. A bûche de Noël is on my shopping list, too—the classic French Christmas dessert, shaped and decorated as a yule log, also happens to be our family favorite right here in Idaho. No trip through La Grand Epicerie would be

complete without a tour of the confectionare, a sugar lover’s paradise of beautiful displays filled with chocolate truffles, macarons and crispy meringues (I’m beginning to think a taxi ride home may be in order).

For our Christmas’ grand finale, I’ll serve up the rich chocolate sponge cake, paired with French Champagne, and, far from home, we’ll toast our host, Père Noël (Father Christmas) and his city of love.

You don’t have to go to France to enjoy your own first course of salmon terrine, which is perfect plated as a salad or served as an appetizer for your holiday spread.

Joyeux Noël.

Salmon Terrine Recipe

Serves four as a first course or makes a delicious appetizer for a dozen or so guests. “This classic terrine can be made 1-2 days ahead. Keep chilled and wrapped until you’re ready to serve. It also freezes beautifully, well wrapped, for up to a month. Our access to delicious Pacific salmon makes this a perfect regional dish - it’s equally (almost) delicious with Atlantic salmon.”

INGREDIENTS: •1 oz butter •4 tbs water •2 leeks, washed and chopped •1 ½ pound fresh salmon, skinned and boned •7 oz smoked salmon, skinned •2 eggs •4 oz heavy cream •1 tbs fresh parsley •1 tbs fresh chives •Salt and pepper

Merry ! as Christm

DIRECTIONS: •Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

•Line a 9” loaf pan with cling wrap. Leave plenty to cover the terrine for baking.

•Put the butter and water in a pan and fry the leeks, don’t allow to brown. Season with salt and pepper and cover loosely with lid. When the leeks are soft, drain them in a sieve and leave to one side.

Dice the fresh raw salmon and coarsely chop the smoked salmon.

•Put 1⁄3 of the fresh diced salmon into a food processor, along with the eggs and cream and mix until smooth. Pout into a bowl and add the remaining fresh salmon and the smoked salmon. Mix and add the salt, freshly ground pepper and herbs and leeks.

•Pour into the cling wrap-lined pan pressing the mixture and giving it a couple good raps on the counter to remove any air pockets.

•Place loaf pan in a roasting tin filled a quarter of the way with boiling water.

•Cook in oven for about 40-50 minutes until the terrine is nicely set. Uncover from the cling wrap and brown on top for a few minutes.

Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack. When semi-cool, place in the fridge overnight.

•Turn out gently onto a serving tray, garnish with

chives and serve with cucumber slices and small rye bread squares.

•For plated salads, with a sharp knife, cut into 2” slices and serve on a bed of arugula. Garnish with lemon zest and red pepper strips

STAGE & SCREEN

Live at the Hive: Orgone

The 4th annual New Year’s Ball benefits Angels Over Sandpoint

By Ben Olson Reader Staff

What better way to ring in the new year than with one of the funkiest bands around.

The Fourth Annual Hive New Year’s Eve Ball features Orgōne, an eight-person band that delivers dirty, organic funk and soul with heart. It’s music that grabs you by the collar, pulls you to your feet and shoves you right to the dance floor.

Best of all, a portion of each ticket goes to benefit the Angels Over Sandpoint, a local nonprofit organization that is dedicated to helping those in need in the community.

Based in Los Angeles, Orgōne’s sound has been drawn from the funk and soul era of the ‘60s and ‘70s. Members of the octet have been playing together since the early 1990s, and the band has backed and opened for many of the top hip hop

musicians in the world.

“We intend our music to have an inhibition-canceling effect,” said founding guitarist Sergio Rios. “It speaks to those who may have wallflower tendencies encouraging everyone to own the freakiness that lives inside them, and enjoy the spotlight for a little while. Sometimes it takes a nudge to let go and get on the dance floor. And sometimes it takes a big ol’ push... a love shove, if you will. And we’re well versed in those.”

Vocalist Adryon de León elevates the band’s soulfulness to intoxicating new levels on Orgōne’s latest studio album, “Beyond the Sun,” which can be accessed via Soundcloud or Spotify.

The New Year’s Eve Ball is the biggest production of the year at the Hive, complete with electrifying countdown, balloon drop and a confetti blizzard. Tickets are available for $30 in advance or $35 at the door. Doors open at 9 p.m., show starts at

‘The Greatest Showman’ comes to the Panida for the holidays

Little Theater

Orgōne, a soul and funk octet based in Los Angeles, will play the Hive on New Year’s Eve. Courtesy photo.

Thursday, dec. 21 @ 6pm

THESadieSADIE SICILIA & DESIREE DUO: CHRISTMAS PARTY Sicilia on vocals, accompanied by classically trained piano player, Desiree, playing

By Ben Olson Reader Staff To trace the birth of show business, one inevitably lands on the figure of P.T. Barnum, who astonished the world with his “Greatest Show on Earth.”

The Panida Theater will feature multiple showings of “The Greatest Showman” starring Hugh Jackman at Barnum throughout the holidays.

Although Phineas Taylor Barnum was also an author, publisher, philanthropist and passionate anti-slavery politician, he is best remembered for the excitement, pageantry and thrill of his famous Barnum & Baily Circus.

“The Greatest Showman” is an original musical that celebrates the birth of Barnum’s then-unique concept of “show business” and tells of a visionary who rose from nothing to create a worldwide sensation.

Hugh Jackman brings to life the inner

10:30 p.m. V.I.P. Booths are available for this show – contact VIP@livefromthehive.com for more information. This is a 21 and up show. More information available at www.livefromthehive.com.

Christmas music, mixed with some originals, jazz, and the blues

Dec. 21 @ 7:30pm | Dec. 22 @ 5:30pm Dec. 23, 26, 27, 28, 29 @ 3:30 & 7:30pm Dec. 24 & 31 @ 1:30pm | Dec. 30 @ 3:30pm | Jan. 1-3 @ 7:30pm

“The Greatest showman” friday, Jan. 12 @ 7pm

DAVID RAITT, PETER RIVERA & THE BAJA BOOGIE BAND spark of Barnum, his frustrations and dreams and his boldness in giving a place and a voice to all who are unapologetically unusual or different. “The Greatest Showman” is his first musical since “Les Miserables” and has been his dream project since 2009. The cast also features Anne Wheeler as Zendaya (doing all her own stunts), and Rebecca Ferguson as Jenny Lind, Zac Efron, Michelle Williams as his wife.

Tickets are available online at www. panida.org or at the door starting 30 minutes before showtime. Dates and times are listed in the advertisement to the right. This film is rated PG.

ater Jan. 12 & 13 @ 6pm | Jan. 15 @ 7pm

Little The

‘The florida project’

saturday, Jan. 13 @ 7:30pm

FRIENDS OF SCOTCHMAN PEAKS 13TH ANNIVERSARY Celebrate 13 years of FSPW, with a conversation with Rich Landers, an outdoor reporter and editor for the Spokesman-Review for 45 years

tuesday, Jan. 16 @ 7pm

smooth hound smith in concert Presented by Mattox Farms, this Nashville duo produces a folksy rhythm & blues sound all of their own creation Coming this January: “death of a small town in the west” play December 21, 2017 / R / 19

ART

Local Artist Spotlight: Samuel Gentz, woodworker

By Ben Olson Reader Staff When Samuel Gentz looks at an old piece of wood, he doesn’t see junk. He sees treasure.

Potential. A creative medium that takes a little finesse and love in order to repurpose it into something useful and beautiful.

The Wisconsin-born woodworker first moved to Sandpoint with his family in 2004 when he was 16 years old, but he got his start in the shop much earlier than that.

“I come from a long line of woodworkers,” he said. “My dad and both my grandfathers were woodworkers.”

Gentz said he first started working with wood when his grandparents used to babysit him before school.

“From about five in the morning until I had to go to school, I spent every day with my grandpa in his woodshop,” said Gentz. “My dad’s dad, Roy, made furniture, but his main thing was clocks. Very intricate stuff.”

Gentz developed a keen interest for woodworking, which he turned into a career about five years ago when he was hired at rustic furniture shop Northwest Handmade in Sandpoint.

“I worked there for two years for Dan (Mimmack) and learned a lot of good stuff,” said Gentz.

It was after a friend mentioned Gentz’s creative woodworking to the owners of Misty Mountain Furniture that he was asked to join the crew on Fifth Avenue.

“They came to me,” said Gentz. “They happened to need somebody and left a note on my door.”

Gentz currently works part time as shop manager at Misty Mountain, producing high-quality pieces of furniture utilizing his rustic, off-the-wall style that redefines itself with each new project. He creates unique pieces built to order as well as creative pieces that stem directly from his imagination.

“We hired Samuel because we needed a skilled craftsman. We really had no idea how motivated, creative and skilled he was,” said

20 / R / December 21, 2017

John Edwards, co-owner of Misty Mountain Furniture. “He really is the full package from Google sketch-up to CAD drawings to incredible craftsman skills and innovation.”

While each project offers a new set of parameters, Gentz finds the most joy in working with reclaimed, distressed materials.

“It’s really fulfilling working with reclaimed materials,” he said. “I feel like I’m giving new life to something old that no longer serves its original purpose.”

For a showing in ArtWalk last summer, Gentz produced several pieces that epitomized the nature of reclaimed work. One was a corrugated reclaimed bookcase, with old corrugated metal pulled from the Grainary and reclaimed wood used from an old mine.

Another piece is a rustic coat rack made with pine that was blowtorched to bring out the old saw marks in it. Gentz added a vintage gold pan along the bottom to serve as an umbrella holder and wrapped a distressed piece of metal around the base both for stability and aesthetics. The end result is a coat rack that would be equally at home in a rustic cabin as it would a luxury lake house.

Gentz said he enjoys hunting for materials just as much as producing furniture.

“Most of my materials I get for free,” he said. “It’s either wood someone doesn’t want, or rusty metal. I find a lot just driving around and rooting around in trash piles.”

One odd creation of Gentz’s is a banjophone, complete with vintage horns and sound boxes repurposed from old Gramophone record players.

“I saw a gas can banjo on YouTube some years ago where somebody basically stuck a banjo neck on a metal one-gallon gas can,” said Gentz. “They’re not really loud, and I didn’t want to deal with pickups and electricity so I thought about how I could amplify it acoustically.”

Gentz struck gold at a garage sale when he found three vintage Gramophone players for $20.

“Two of them were in a house fire and nothing worked on them still,” he said. “But the soundboxes were intact. Over the course

of the year I added all three soundboxes to the banjo and now it has volume.”

Gentz said he always tries to go into a project with a plan, but leaves room for improvisations.

“I usually have a general idea of how I want the design to go, the profile, the curves,” he said “Sometimes you just step back and it kind of changes directions.

I find that I’m able to be more creative when I have some limitations. If I only have a blank piece of paper and a pencil, nothing happens. But with wood, there are limitations. The board is only so wide, it’s only so long, it can only withstand so much weight. If I have these parameters, I can be more creative.”

Many of Gentz’s pieces on display at Misty Mountain speak to his unique style, with a combination of old and new wood, metal and leather pieces and other creative flair.

He can take a 100-year-old pile of junk and turn it into a work of art. But it’s not an easy, quick process.

“I’d say I spent about 30 hours on that corrugated bookcase, not including dreaming about it and putting it in AutoCAD and getting the wood,” said Gentz.

Gentz said he utilizes the age old technique of trial-and-error for many of his projects, which often don’t have examples to pull from because they haven’t been done before.

“I like just messing around, having fun,” he said. “That’s the fun part: doing something new every time. That’s why I really like making one-off pieces, because everything about it is different.”

Top: Samuel Gentz with his oneof-a-kind banjo. Photo by Ben Olson.

Right: A corrugated bookcase built by Gentz.

Bottom left: A hutch built by Gentz out of reclaimed materials. Courtesy photos.

To view Samuel Gentz’s pieces, head over to Misty Mountain Furniture at 502 Cedar St. in Sandpoint or check out his Facebook page under Samuel Gentz.

COMMUNITY

This week’s RLW by Ben Olson

‘These are working Idahoans’

READ

Medicaid for Idaho rallies Sandpoint support in statewide quest

By Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Staff Writer

Founders of the political movement Reclaim Idaho spent last weekend in Sandpoint to officially launch their initiative to get Medicaid expansion on the 2018 state ballot.

Through gatherings both in Sandpoint and Hope, Garrett Strizich and Luke Mayville — along with a swath of volunteers — brought awareness to their Medicaid for Idaho campaign.

Strizich and Mayville flashed through Sandpoint before traveling south over this past week, collecting signatures from Wallace to Lewiston and beyond. The group is in Coeur d’Alene Saturday.

Political initiatives in Idaho must gather signatures from six percent of all registered voters statewide and also from six percent of voters in 18 districts.

This is somewhere in the ballpark of 56,000 signatures. The tentative deadline to collect all these names, Strizich said, is sometime in April.

And there’s another big number: 78,000. That’s how many Idahoans fall into the “Medicaid gap,” according to the Reclaim Idaho founders.

“These 78,000 people — these are working Idahoans,” Strizich said. “These are people we see everyday while we go about our daily business. These are the people that are going to be helped by this.”

As people streamed in and out of the Sandpoint Community Hall Saturday afternoon, signing petitions and sharing healthcare stories, Strizich addressed a full house.

“And this is going to save money,” Strizich said, noting that the most recent data shows that Bonner General Hospital has already spent $3 million in 2017 from treating unin-

sured patients — a cost that is ultimately passed on. “We’re already paying for this.”

Hope resident Ellen Lizotte attended the gathering and signed the petition as soon as she arrived.

“I have a deep concern,” she said about the Medicaid gap.

“It’s important for me now, and it’s also important for me to strive for better healthcare for my kids.”

Before leading the charge in the Saturday afternoon door-todoor petition quest, Mayville spoke to the Community Hall crowd about how they are pursuing Medicaid expansion in the spirit of a “government for the people” belief. He asked people in the crowd share their personal stories of healthcare woes, then encouraged them to share those stories as they went around asking for signatures in the coming months.

“The most effective thing is if you just go out and tell your story and why you care about this,” Mayville said.

He shared stories of people across the state taking the lead in their counties to gather signatures. He said people both directly and indirectly affected by the Medicaid gap are becoming leaders in their regions.

In Bonner County, that’s Linda Larson. Anyone looking to help gather signatures or spread awareness can contact her at larson.linda.f@gmail. com. Theresa Renner is also helping mobilize local Medicaid expansion activists, and can be reached at theresarenner@ gmail.com.

Cynthia Dalsing, NP of Women’s Healthcare located at 1215 Michigan Street Suite C, has offered to be the Sandpoint business location for Reclaim Idaho. Stop in anytime Monday-Thursday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. to sign the Medicaid Expansion petition.

Hold onto your butts, it’s time for Christmas RLW. The first thing I ever read from Truman Capote was “In Cold Blood,” which blew me away.

As I read more and more of his work, I realized that he didn’t really have a genre or style - he seemed to write whatever he thought of.

One of my favorite Christmas stories is his 1956 “A Christmas Memory,” which follows the relationship between a 7-year-old narrator and his elderly cousin and best friend. The story captures rural life well, with emphasis on the giving nature of the season, but it’s also a lonely book underneath. Highly recommended.

LISTEN

To learn more about how to help collect signatures, submit signatures or to make a donation, visit www.reclaimidaho. org. To keep up with Strizich, Mayville and the rest of the team while they’re on the road, follow Reclaim Idaho on Facebook.

Reclaim Idaho co-founder Luke Mayville speaks with a crowd at the Hope Cafe last week about the movement’s initiative to get Medicaid expansion on the 2018 state ballot. Photo by Ellen Lizotte.

The vision of panelized, realized.

www.mehomes.net (208)264-6700

This whole “let’s start playing Christmas music” after Thanksgiving thing is atrocious. I do not want to tire of these songs, but the way they pump them out so early, by mid-December I’m already worn out.

One song, on the other hand, I could listen to any time of year. You can find it in “Heartworn Highways” featuring Townes Van Zandt and others. There’s a version of “Silent Night” at the end of the album that sounds like a bunch of old cowboys sitting around a campfire. Best. Christmas. Song. Ever.

WATCH

I like unexpected Christmas movies, which usually are set during Christmas, but aren’t filled with cheesy sentiment that rots your teeth. I’m talking about movies like “Die Hard” and “Lethal Weapon.”

One other that fits this category is “Big” starring Tom Hanks.

There are so many classic lines from this film, and the scene with them playing the stand-up piano should be inducted in the “everyone remembers that scene” hall of fame.

Can anyone sing the entire special ice cream song? “Shimmy shimmy coco pop, shimmy shimmy ro-ock...”

Dan McMahon, Gen. Contractor dan@mebldg.com December 21, 2017 / R / 21

Crossword Solution I think a good scene in a movie would be where one scientist tells another scientist: “You know what will save the world? You’re holding it in your hand.”

And the other scientist looks, and in his hand are some peanuts. Then, when he looks up, the first scientist is being taken away to the insane asylum.

It’s REINDEER DAYS @ Petal Talk…

22 / R / December 21, 2017

Copyright www.mirroreyes.com

CROSSWORD ACROSS 1. Stockpile 6. Group of two 10. Taps 14. Seaweed 15. Pearly-shelled mussel 16. Leisure 17. Prevaricators 18. Adriatic resort 19. A pouch in some birds 20. Prognosticator 22. Maize 23. French for “Summer” 24. Anagram of “Wanes” 26. Relating to cows Dec. 31 30. Plank 9pm-12am 32. Blatant 61. _____ in = aware 33. Complex system of paths 62. Anagram of “Sees” New Year’s 63. Historical periods 37. Den Eve Party!

64. Labors 38. An area of Great Britain 39. Old stories 40. Supposedly 42. Site of the Trojan War DOWN 43.

Bottoms of shoes $10 cover per person 1. 50 percent 44. Breathes noisily 2. Hodgepodge during sleep 3. Food thickener 45. Thread holder /klak/ 47. “___ the season to be jolly” 4. Unusual [noun] 5. A movement 1. a group of persons hired to applaud an act or performer. 48. Iridescent gem e downward h of t 49. Half of a sphere 2. a group of sycophants.

6. Coarse edible 56. Mentor “Here comes our fearless leader and his noisy claque.” red seaweed 57. Portent 7.

Module Corrections: We’re pretty sure there were no terrible mistakes in this 58. Consumed issue. A Christmas miracle! Looking forward to seeing this box empty 8. Assistant 59. Modify through 2018. -BO 9. Thresholds 60. Enumerate

Word Week

claque

Solution on page 22 10. Indiscretion 11. Moses’ brother 12. Russian emperors 13. Stitched 21. Consumed food 25. Mistake 26. South American weapon 27. Egg-shaped 28. Head covering 29. Indecisive 30. Spherical toys 31. Comply with 33. Stow, as cargo 34. French for “Black” 35. Not false 36. Skirt lines 38. Shaft of a well

41. Slime 42. Scrutinize 44. Female sib 45. Potatoes 46. City in France 47. Shades 48. Curved molding 50. Arab chieftain 51. Plateau 52. Angel’s headwear 53. Decorative case 54. Bobbin 55. Terminates

December 21, 2017 / R / 23

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