It might seem like prolonged smoky skies in summertime is a normal North Idaho phenomenon, but it wasn’t always this way. Growing up here in the 1980s and ’90s, we would occasionally see wildfire smoke in the form of a haze over distant mountains, but it wasn’t the certainty that it has become in the past 10-15 years. Three out of four summers would remain clear all year, and even the “bad” fire seasons seemed to be mercifully brief compared to what we see today. Now, we all try to cram in as much summer as we can before the smoke descends and sends us indoors. So far, this fire season has been relatively kind, waiting to blow in until mid-July when often we’d be smelling ash and cinder as early as May or June. After our less-than-stellar winter, I had feared the worst for this season. Also, we’ve only had a few days in the red so far — nothing compared to what the East Coast is experiencing. While the smoke is unsightly and annoying, we’ve had it much, much worse. I realize we still have a lot of summer left, so I hope I won’t eat these words. What, pray tell, could possibly be causing this increase? Why do we now see smoky skies every summer? I’ll give you a hint: It rhymes with “blimate mange.” It doesn’t matter how many conservatives plug their ears and shake their heads, proclaiming the warming of our planet a “hoax,” the storms are getting more intense and the fire seasons are starting earlier and lasting longer. Facts remain facts, no matter how much you try to avoid them.
In a functional civilization, we’d have probably spent decades already trying to figure out how to reverse or slow the effects of climate change, but we’re anything but functional at this point. Honestly, if there was a button that suddenly accelerated climate change to a toxic degree, somebody would’ve already pushed it by now just to see something burn in the background while they filmed a TikTok dance.
‘sandpit’
During my final years of high school, I often called Sandpoint “Sandpit,” because, well, I was a young and stupid kid who didn’t know what I had. Among most of my friends, there was a common desire to get out of Sandpoint and stretch our wings — to seek other places, to not “get stuck” in Sandpoint for the rest of our lives. Years later, after living in several different places around the country, I realized that nothing added up to our little shire here in North Idaho. Sure, we have our problems, but I’m glad I came to my senses and returned to spend my adult life here instead of making a real living elsewhere. “All that glitters is not gold,” as the Bard wrote.
quotable
“Sometimes you eat the bear, sometimes the bear eats you.”
— “The Cowboy” played by Sam Elliott in the Coen Brothers’ film The Big Lebowski.
DEAR READERS,
We’re approaching what they call the “dog days of summer,” which got me thinking of the origin of the term.
While it’s easy to think they might refer to the hot days that have you panting like a dog, the roots of this phrase have more to do with stars than canines. Or, rather, both.
The term actually comes from Sirius, the brightest star in our night sky, also known as the “dog star.” In Egypt, ancient astronomers linked the return of the dog star to the annual flooding of the Nile. In Greece, its appearance became associated with the uncomfortably hot days of summer. Homer even wrote about the dog star in The Iliad: “Orion’s Dog they call it, brightest / Of all, but an evil portent, bringing heat / and fevers to suffering humanity.”
The best way to stay cool during these hot days is to jump in the lake and let the soothing water bring everything into balance again. Happy dog days, – Ben Olson, publisher
111 Cedar Street, Suite 9 Sandpoint, ID 83864 208-946-4368 sandpointreader.com
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We hope to provide a quality alternative by offering honest, in-depth reporting that reflects the intelligence and interests of our diverse and growing community. The Reader is printed on recycled paper using soy-based ink. Leftover copies are collected and recycled weekly, or burned in bonfires to appease the gods of journalism. For back issues, contact the publisher. Free to all, limit two per person, please.
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About the Cover:
This week’s cover features Sol, Lydia Welp’s 5-year-old Samoyed, who seems to have this whole dog days of summer thing figured out.
City puts pause on paid downtown parking program to address ordinance changes
By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff
After nearly a month of community furor surrounding the city of Sandpoint’s rollout of a paid parking program in the downtown core and select publicly-owned parking lots on July 1, the on-street kiosks installed in the downtown core from First to Third avenues, and portions of Cedar Street, have been shut off and covered with trash bags.
They’ll remain that way until the City Council’s regular Wednesday, Aug. 5 meeting, when officials are set to address revamping parts of Sandpoint’s parking code to bring it into alignment with the new policy. It remains to be seen whether motorists will continue to be required to log in at a kiosk for two hours of free parking, which can then be reupped for $4 per additional hour.
Councilors voted 5-1 (with Council President Deb Ruehle dissenting) to direct staff to return in August with a proposed, updated parking ordinance that only requires payment by permit or hourly in the city-owned lots — which include the City Lot at Third Avenue and Church Street; City Beach; Jeff Jones Square; and waterfront locations on Bridge Street, the Dock Street Marina and Pend d’Oreille Bay Trail. It would also open the way for revisiting the overall parking management plan, which council adopted in June 2025.
“So we have a couple of weeks of chilling out, build a little bit of trust with some people in the community, educating [and] table to bring back next meeting code that would only apply to the city parking lots and then bring back, concurrently, the parking management plan,” said Councilor Joel Aispuro, summarizing the motion approved on July 15.
The introduction of the paid parking program has been
controversial, to say the least, with Sandpoint Planning and Community Development Director Jason Welker taking time at the July 15 meeting to offer a mea culpa for the angst felt by many community members over the new system.
“As the project manager charged with implementing the city’s adopted parking management plan, I could have done better,” he said, adding that clear information about the two-hour free parking zone should have been more readily available, as well as rules surrounding the city and county resident parking permits, boat launch permits, the number of permits a household could purchase, what types of information are gathered and how, as well as how the different types of permits work with parking and boat launching.
“The absence of clear, comprehensive information created unnecessary confusion. That confusion became frustration and that frustration was amplified through social media and word of mouth,” Welker said.
He added that technical glitches on the day of the rollout exacerbated that frustration, including instances when kiosks defaulted to an all-day paid parking option, rather than the two-free-hour session, several kiosks that lost power and went out of service, and others that failed to communicate with one another to log an existing parking session.
“Those problems have been corrected, but that does not erase the experience of the people who encountered them. To someone standing at a kiosk trying to understand a new system, a temporary technical error does not feel temporary. It feels like the program does not work,” he said.
“I accept responsibility for these implementation shortcomings,” Welker continued. “I was responsible for coordinating this rollout and the rollout should have been clearer, more thoughtfully
tested and better communicated. Accountability however also requires accuracy. It is fair to criticize the implementation. It is fair to oppose the policy. It is fair to believe that fees are too high, the system is too complicated or that the city should take a different approach. It is not accurate to describe this program as corruption, theft, covert surveillance or the product of a backroom arrangement.”
In that statement, Welker alluded to a suite of allegations made by some community members — including both county and city residents — that the parking policy was improperly implemented, extending even to the ordinance level.
According to those charges, Sandpoint should have amended its parking ordinance to align with the policy before it went online in early July and, because it wasn’t, the current policy is unlawful.
Grimm told the Reader in a phone interview that Chapter 6-1-4-2 of City Code gives the city the power to erect signage related to parking regulations and requires motor vehicle owners to comply with them. In addition, Chapter 6-2-11
before installing the kiosks — amended the code.”
Fonda Jovick, who serves as the city attorney as a contractor from Coeur d’Alene-based Lake City Law, said at the July 15 meeting that nothing inappropriate had occurred with the adoption of the plan, implementation of the policy and current updating of the ordinance. However, asked for follow-up by the Reader, she wrote in an email that “our communications with our client, including our legal analysis, is protected communication/advice. Therefore, I must respond, ‘no comment,’ to your inquiry.”
establishes that fees for parking over set time limits are established by resolution and adopted by the City Council.
“The final step is just bringing the code into alignment with the launch of the plan, and that’s what we’re attempting to do during this period, which is to clarify which portions of the code apply here and then delete and strike portions that are in conflict,” Grimm said.
Asked why the ordinance wasn’t reviewed at any point over the past 12 months, since the parking management plan was adopted, Grimm said, “Well, it is being looked at. It has been looked at during this soft launch period and I would contend that it’s going to be addressed and implemented before we actually start putting penalties and enforcement in.
“I’d say that the timing, although it could have preempted all this, is still flowing,” he added.
Councilor Pam Duquette, who has been among the skeptics of the paid parking program, told the Reader that “the order [of the policy adoption and ordinance review] was correct but the timing was unfortunate. I wish we had —
Councilor Kyle Schreiber, who has maintained vocal criticism of the paid parking program for more than a year, also told the Reader that between City Code 6-1-4-2 and 6-2-11, Sandpoint was within its rights to implement paid parking, but “there’s obviously wording in that ordinance that needs to be updated.”
“It’s not a legal thing as much as just a continuity thing,” he added. “It refers to the downtown lot as ‘the free lot,’ and if we’re going to charge there anymore, we probably shouldn’t call it a free lot anymore.”
That said, Schreiber agreed that the program launch was rocky, and is a leading voice on the council for eliminating the two-hour kiosks altogether and limiting paid parking to the lots.
“Let’s just say that the rollout of this paid parking program left so much to be desired, and an ounce of prevention would have saved us a pound of cure on this one,” he said.
Go to sandpointidaho.gov and click on “Current News” or the red banner at the top of the page that reads “City of Sandpoint Updates Downtown Parking Following City Council Meeting” for more detail on specific parking rules, requirements and permits.
The Sandpoint covered its parking kiosks with black trash bags following the July 15 city council meeting. Photo by Soncirey Mitchell
Averill Hospitality files new plan for City Beach resort hotel
Revamped concept would ‘renovate and modernize’ existing Edgewater with addition of condo tower
By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff
Averill Hospitality has dramatically altered its plans for a resort hotel at the current site of the Best Western Edgewater Resort, located adjacent to City Beach, pivoting from a previously envisioned 296,250-square-foot development to a much more modest “redevelopment and modernization” of the existing building.
According to documents filed with the city of Sandpoint in pursuit of a conditional use permit, the Whitefish, Mont.based company wrote that it now plans to renovate and continue to operate the Edgewater structure, which includes 52 rooms, and construct a new five-story wing on the south side of the building to include 27 condominiums.
In addition, the reopened hotel at 56 Bridge St. will feature a lobby bar, coffee venue, retail space, outdoor dining areas, a pool and spa, lawn and terrace space for events and a new restaurant.
Averill representatives did not immediately respond to a
request for comment by press time, so it’s unknown what restaurant might be located in the revamped facility.
In its project narrative, the company wrote that the redevelopment will use existing surface parking and retain the current access from Bridge and Dock streets.
“The intent of the project is to preserve and enhance an important hospitality asset while creating a modern, year-round destination that supports tourism, downtown businesses and public use of the city’s waterfront amenities,” Averill wrote.
“The redevelopment represents a substantial private investment in the City Beach district and provides an opportunity to revitalize an aging property while maintaining its historic role as a gateway between downtown Sandpoint and the waterfront,” the company added.
The alternate concept is a far cry from the prior proposal, which included the demolition of the Edgewater and construction of a much larger building with a mix of more than 120 condos and
hotel rooms, in addition to more parking and a robust suite of amenities including expansive indoor event space, two eateries, a gym, pool, recreational equipment rentals, curated retail spaces and more, with an estimated project cost of upward of $70 million.
As Averill stated in its CUP application narrative, “Compared to previous development concepts considered for the property, the proposed alternative concept significantly reduces the overall scale and intensity of development while retaining the economic viability necessary to support reinvestment in the site.
“The project emphasizes adaptive reuse of existing improvements, efficient utilization of existing infrastructure, enhanced pedestrian connectivity, improved landscaping and public-facing amenities, and architectural improvements designed to complement the character of the surrounding City Beach and downtown environment,” the company continued.
Averill representatives have been repeatedly up front about their struggles with financing and getting the project off the ground, most recently going before the Sandpoint Planning and Zoning Commission in June to seek a continuation of its then-current CUP, which was granted until July 2027.
At that time, the company’s demolition permit had already expired, it had yet to pay the city’s plan check fee of just more than $200,000, its building permit was due to expire on June 29 and the main condition for securing approval of the extension was demonstrating that work toward the development’s completion had been “diligently pursued.”
At that time, local compa-
ny representative Ben McGrann, of Actus Projects, told commissioners that Averill had already invested $1.8 million in the project, including $800,000 on design, engineering and consulting over the previous 12 months. However, he said in June, “We still have pieces of the puzzle that we’re trying to fit in. There is a lot of components that we’re trying to pull together,” citing financing challenges both from investors and rising construction market prices. It was hinted during the June meeting of P&Z that a scaled-down, alternative
Zoning Commission to discuss zone change in Ellisport Bay area
By Soncirey Mitchell Reader Staff
The Bonner County Zoning Commission will meet Thursday, July 23 at 5:30 p.m. to consider a request from Stonehedge Partners, LLC, to rezone more than nine acres along Ellisport Bay from Rural-5 to Recreation. The applicants have yet to submit any proposals for potential future development.
The 9.23-acre property consists of eight lots off Cedar Lane, separated from Lake Pend Oreille by a ninth containing mapped wetlands. The surrounding property is zoned Rural-5 and Recreational.
Rural-5 zoning is intended for low-density residential uses and allows for “scale farming and forestry activities, and tourism and recreation uses that can be supported by rural
service levels and are compatible with rural character.”
Recreational zoning includes similar housing types in a more condensed area, while also allowing for commercial and private resorts and decisions that “enhance the recreational opportunities” of the area. Approved uses include boat storage, docks, marinas, hotels, recreational vehicle parks and campgrounds.
Should the county rezone the property, any future proposed development would still require additional applications and approval. According to the application, any potential development would be served by Ellisport Bay Sewer, Sam Owen First District and private wells.
In a letter included in the county’s staff report, Sam Owen Fire Chief Tim Scofield stated that the district
“strongly requests that the Planning Commission and Board of Commissioners deny the request” to rezone, because Recreation zoning “inherently allows for increased density, which will directly compound existing infrastructure deficits and create severe life-safety hazards.”
Among other concerns, Scofield listed ingress and egress issues on Peninsula Road and Cedar Lane.
“The county should defer any zoning adjustments until a complete, fully engineered traffic, road width and water infrastructure plan is made available for fire district review,” continued Scofield.
Area opposition has also highlighted potential environmental damages from development and increased traffic, including impacts to area wetlands that provide signif-
icant habitat for bald eagles, black crappie and kokanee, according to resident, geologist and geotechnical and environmental engineer Ken Green. Green has compiled a more than 30-page “Environmental Baseline and Ecological Vulnerability Assessment,” which he submitted to the county and includes data outlining the effects of erosion on the bay and catalogs fauna and vegetation, among other research.
“We recognize that reviewing a zone change application naturally invites questions from the Commission and community regarding the scale, density and environmental impacts of whatever might eventually be built on the site,” wrote applicant representative Jeremy Grimm, of Whiskey Rock Planning + Consulting, in the narrative
statement. “However, it is vital to emphasize that this application is solely for a zone change to establish the correct, plan-aligned baseline for the property.”
“We respectfully remind the Commission that approving this zone change does not bypass a single environmental, infrastructure or neighborhood protection. Bonner County’s code is strictly designed to handle the ‘next steps’ of development,” he added.
Attend Thursday’s meeting in person at the Bonner County Administration Building (1500 Highway 2, in Sandpoint), or via Zoom by visiting bonnercountyid.gov/meetings. The public hearing will also discuss the proposed 12-lot subdivision Yoman Bluffs, located off of Sherwood Beach Road on Priest Lake.
A rendering of the southern view of the proposed expansion. Courtesy image
Idaho Supreme Court rules against county in MLD suit
By Soncirey Mitchell Reader Staff
Earlier this month, the Idaho Supreme Court ruled against Bonner County and local developers Tricore Investment, LLC, in a yearslong case regarding two contiguous minor land divisions outside of Coolin. Though the county no longer uses MLDs, the ruling sets a precedent for legal review of additional land use decisions not explicitly outlined in Idaho’s Local Land Use Planning Act.
Tricore purchased three parcels along Priest Lake in 2021, which it later split into 35 lots through a series of 54 quitclaim deeds, transferring ownership “to and from itself,” according to the ruling. Tricore was therefore able to divide the land without triggering the Bonner County Planning and Zoning process or a review under LLUPA. Developers later filed for two contiguous MLDs, which the Bonner County Board of Commissioners approved, creating four lots each. At the time, Bonner County defined MLDs as any “division of land into four (4) or fewer lots or parcels.”
Neighboring property owners appealed both approvals, arguing that Tricore was creating a de facto subdivision without the necessary process or infrastructure, and that the divisions did not meet noticing requirements or environmental standards. The county later enacted code forbidding contiguous MLDs before replacing the process entirely in 2025 with “short” and “long” subdivisions.
“One of those people says it looks as though this developer was trying to avoid the subdivision requirements,” stated county legal counsel Bill Wilson in a public meeting in October 2022. “It doesn’t just look like it, they 100% were.”
Still, according to the ruling, the county’s legal counsel concluded that
Bonner County Code “did not explicitly prohibit deliberate avoidance of county land planning regulations.”
County commissioners denied the neighbors’ appeals, causing them to file for legal review. The district court vacated the MLDs and remanded them to the BOCC because the county’s approvals lacked a “reasoned statement, finding of fact and conclusions of law” and so did not meet procedural requirements. Tricore and the county appealed the ruling, arguing that MLDs were not subject to judicial review under LLUPA because they are not explicitly listed in the code.
Idaho Code 67-6521 gives LLUPA jurisdiction over the “approval, denial or failure to act upon an application for a subdivision, variance, special use permit and such other similar applications required or authorized pursuant to this chapter.”
The court agreed, reversing its previous ruling, and prompting Coolin residents to appeal to the Idaho Supreme Court. Legal counsel for the neighboring property owners argued that MLDs fall under “such other similar applications” and are therefore covered by LLUPA.
The Supreme Court sided with the appellants on July 8, 2026, further ruling that though developers applied for MLDs, the contiguous divisions should be viewed in tandem because they were submitted “simultaneously by the same applicant” and therefore “when taken together, the practical effect of the Applications mirrors that of a full-fledged subdivision.”
The ruling also stated that, though Bonner County did not explicitly prevent developers from circumventing county regulations, Tricore’s actions violated case law as it is not permissible to “do indirectly what ... is prevented by law from doing directly.”
The Idaho Supreme Court has remanded the matter to the lower courts for further proceedings.
Bits ’n’ Pieces
From east, west and beyond
According to the U.S. Joint Economic Committee, Americans have now paid $56.4 billion more for gas since the start of President Donald Trump’s Iran war on Feb. 28, averaging $477 more per household
Trump’s recent primetime address focused on his claim that voting systems are “rigged and stolen,” a theme he’s favored since 2016, regardless of the facts As various media sources have reported, Trump has provided no new evidence to back up repeated claims of widespread voter fraud, or of fraud changing election outcomes. Rather, the documents Trump referenced disputed his claim that China or Venezuela interfered with the 2020 election. What’s more, the documents actually reinforced the reasons to believe Russia worked on Trump’s behalf to see him reelected in 2020. A member of Trump’s election task force, John Solomon, stated the intelligence community has “zero evidence,” going back to 2020, that a foreign power flipped any election results.
CBS was the only major broadcast network to carry the speech live, and Trump said networks that did not air his speech should have their licenses revoked. Trump’s speech called for Congress to pass the SAVE America Act, which contains a raft of voting restrictions.
Last week, the Trump administration ordered Immigration and Customs Enforcement to suspend most vehicle stops after two deadly shootings. This week, Trump said ICE should continue traffic stops to deter “dangerous” criminals, according to the Associated Press.
Jay Clayton, Trump’s nominee to direct national intelligence, had trouble answering Senate confirmation questions last week, various media reported. Asked who won the 2020 election, Clayton repeatedly declined to answer. Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., reminded him it was a job interview, and ended up telling Clayton he was humiliating himself by indulging in the “president’s delusions” that Trump had won (former-President Joe Biden had 7 million more votes and won 51.3% of the electoral college).
The Washington Post reported that Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda said intelligence assessments point to Russia planning potential attacks on critical infrastructure in the Baltic states or Poland.
Trump has imposed a 50% tariff on Canadian goods, citing disputes over autos, alcohol and cheese, the AP reported. At the same time, the president
By Lorraine H. Marie Reader Contributor
has stated he wants to penalize Canada with tariffs over smoke from wildfires that has drifted southward over the border and blanketed portions of the U.S. East Coast.
Hypermasculinity influencers Andrew and Tristan Tate have been arrested in Miami, the AP reported, on charges of rape and human trafficking.
ICE officer David Brouillette, who shot and killed Colombian national Sebastián Durán Guerrero in Maine this week has a history of violent behavior, according to the AP. Even his own “close relatives” said the Army veteran “who has struggled with serious mental health issues since early childhood ... never should have been given a badge and gun to patrol American streets,” the AP reported.
Brouillette told his ex-wife and daughter and at least one other family member that he “acted in self-defense,” the AP reported.
The Guardian reported that ICE has arrested a human rights lawyer who fled Chinese crackdown and was in the U.S. awaiting an asylum decision. Juan Jairo Coronilla Durán was vacationing in Florida from his home in Mexico — with a valid tourist visa — when he was hit and killed by a tractor trailer after attempting to flee from ICE agents, who CNN reported approached him and four other people at a gas station parking lot and apparently prompting Durán to run into a nearby busy street. CNN added that it was “unclear what prompted the encounter,” though the fatal outcome adds to a steadily rising number of deaths connected with ICE interactions — Durán’s death being the third in about a week.
The American Civil Liberties Union provided some tips for protesting, including: If stopped by police, you have the right to remain silent and can decline to answer questions. You don’t have to allow a search. You have the right to record events that are plainly visible in public places. Officers may not confiscate your photos or videos without a warrant, nor may they view or delete data. Remind them that recording is your First Amendment right. If your rights are violated, get badge numbers and witness contact information. File a complaint. Protest laws vary by state. Blast from the past: “When you pray, move your feet.” — U.S. civil rights leader and late-Congressman John Lewis in his book Across That Bridge: Life Lessons and a Vision for Change
Crews continue to fight fires in Bonners Ferry area
By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff
Two blazes burning in Boundary County are filling local skies with smoke in what has so far been a relatively mild fire season, with the Turner Fire and Upper Smith Fire at 79% and 0% containment, respectively, as of press time.
The cause of the Turner Fire, burning on 681 acres about five miles south of Copeland, remains undetermined, while the Upper Smith Fire, covering 970 acres 20 miles northwest of Bonners Ferry, was sparked by lightning.
According to a July 22 update from fire managers, the Turner Fire started July 15 and is being worked by 199 personnel, including seven hand crews, 10 engines, one bulldozer and three water tenders. Crews are “nearing full containment,” according to officials, with efforts now turning to the Upper Smith Fire to reinforce suppression efforts.
Mop-up operations began July 22 and are expected to continue for several more days, including extinguishing or removing burning material near control lines, felling fire-weakened trees and cooling ash pits to reduce the likelihood of the fire escaping.
A temporary flight restriction will remain in place over the Turner Fire, applying to all aircraft, including personal drones.
< AVERILL, con’t from Page 5>
plan could be in the works, but with it would come a full restart of the development process, requiring entirely new permits, public hearings and review.
Early renderings, available at the “Current Projects” page on sandpointidaho.gov, show about 15,650 square feet of existing hotel space, augmented by 14,855 square feet taken up by the condo tower.
That new portion of the building will require the demolition of the current entryway canopy, as well as the lobby, restaurant and bar, and deck. All the trees located on the grass in front of the hotel would also be removed.
Following reconstruction, the current entry would become a secondary ingress/egress, with the main entry directly off Bridge Street and accompanied by new accessible parking.
The check-in desk and associated office space will remain roughly where they are in the current location, as will the main lobby. However, a 1,000-square-foot lobby bar, coffee
A Level 2 “Set” evacuation warning is also in place, with officials asking area residents to visit the Boundary County Sheriff’s Office website at boundarysheriff.org/news for current evacuation information.
The Upper Smith Fire was reported on July 8, and is being fought by 437 total personnel, including one bulldozer, three helicopters, 13 hand crews, nine engines, five water tenders, two masticators, three skidgines and two excavators.
It is burning in “steep, rocky, difficult terrain with heavy fuels and deep duff layers,” officials stated, adding that, “Fire behavior will be active for this time of year, with smoke columns visible from the valley.”
As of press time on July 22, the fire was slow-moving downhill toward Smith Creek and eastward, approaching a north-facing ridgeline.
With weather forecasts showing temperature highs of 97-102 degrees Fahrenheit on July 22, along with winds gusting up to about 10 miles per hour, the Upper Smith Fire was expected to be more active.
Meanwhile, officials reported that increasing “monsoonal moisture” would heighten chances of minimal showers and thunderstorms in the area during the week. Dry and breezy conditions are expected for the weekend, with southwesterly wind gusts of 25-30 mph, according to the most
service area and 3,000-square foot restaurant and associated kitchen will be situated in the south-wing tower, featuring adjoining outdoor dining. An 850-square-foot tiki bar is planned with a patio nearest to the beginning of the beach area, and 1,000 square feet of retail next to the main entrance.
An outdoor pool and hot tub are planned for the space between the hotel and beach, including seating areas, a cabana or landscape feature, pool equipment and rental station, and, finally, an event terrace or lawn on the Dock Street side of the property.
According to Averill’s filings, “The project represents the renovation and modernization of an existing hotel use that has operated on the site for decades and is a recognized component of the City Beach area. The redevelopment improves building aesthetics, site circulation, landscaping and pedestrian connectivity while maintaining the property’s longstanding hospitality function.”
The red line indicates uncontained fire edge, while dotted lines signify road and trail closures. Image courtesy of U.S. Forest Service. recent update.
No structures were reported in danger.
As with the Turner Fire, the Upper Smith Fire has triggered a temporary flight restriction. Smith Creek Road and the Long Canyon Trail are both closed to ensure the safety of fire personnel and the public while crews work in the area. Find the forest
closure order at fs.usda.gov/r01/idahopanhandle/alerts.
Unrelated bridge work has resulted in the closure of Westside Road near Kerr Lake Road and Riverside Street. Officials stated that the public is “strongly encouraged to avoid the Smith Creek drainage area to allow firefighting equipment and personnel to travel and operate safely.”
Panida Theater passes inspections after electrical concerns
By Ben Olson Reader Staff
The Panida Board of Directors announced the historic theater and adjacent Little Theater both passed recent electrical inspections and declared the building safe for patrons, volunteers and staff.
“The process began with an inspection by the state of Idaho DOPL Electrical Inspection Department, covering both the Little Theater and the Main Theater,” the board wrote in a news release. “The Little Theater was cleared with no issues found. In the main theater, the inspection team identified several items requiring correction. These corrections were typical for a building nearly 100 years old and were not life-safety related. All corrections were completed by an independent third-party electrical contractor,
and a final inspection by the state of Idaho on July 7 confirmed the work was complete.”
The board also stated the Panida had a full electrical infrared inspection performed, which detects overheating in electrical equipment. One issue was identified in the Little Theater and corrected the same day of the inspection.
In addition to the electrical inspections, OSHA was notified anonymously about the situation and conducted its own independent audit. The board announced that the OSHA case was closed with no findings on July 13.
“We’re grateful for the diligence of everyone involved in ensuring Panida safety,” the board wrote. “Please feel free to reach out to the board with any further questions, and rest assured that the theater remains a safe space for everyone. We hope you will join us for one of our many upcoming events!”
Bouquets:
• Here’s a Bouquet to all of our readers who help keep us in the loop about local issues. Often, stories that we cover come to us because our readers share important information. Thanks, folks. It’s impossible for us to stay totally abreast of everything going on, so we’re always happy to receive story suggestions. However, please remember that we regularly have an onslaught of story suggestions. There are many that don’t make it to print. It’s not because they’re unimportant, but we only have so much room and space in our newspaper.
• I’d like to echo one of our letters to the editor authors by commending the Sandpoint City Council for considering a preemptive ban on data centers. I’ve seen countless clips from public meetings around the country where constituents are being silenced and sometimes even arrested for speaking out against data centers. We should nip this in the bud now, before it’s too late.
Barbs:
• OK, I’m tapping out. I’m saying, “uncle.” I’m drawing the shades and putting up the “Closed” sign. I just can’t handle one more conversation about the parking policy in Sandpoint. I always enjoy chatting with our readers about any topic; but, in the past two weeks, we’ve been swamped. We hear about it at the grocery store, while having a pint at the bar, while picking up food, while walking down the sidewalk or waiting in line to buy ice cream. I always appreciate your passion about local issues, dear readers, but this is not my monkey and not my circus. The city of Sandpoint is to blame for botching this rollout so badly, so please direct your feedback, criticism or praise about parking changes to the city of Sandpoint itself.
Dear editor, Everyone should listen to and read Jim Jones — especially those of us who live in Idaho. Jim is a true, traditional Idaho Republican, extremely intelligent, experienced and insightful. So different from most those who currently (supposedly) represent us in the Idaho executive and legislative branches of government.
I met Jim briefly when he served on the Idaho Board of Land Commissioners for eight years and as attorney general under two different governors. He was a levelheaded leader then and, at 84, continues to write and deliver a meaningful message for all.
Thanks to the Reader for publishing Jim’s excellent article regarding the SAVE America Act [Perspectives, “Voting rights were a Republican thing, but with SAVE Act, they’re now in the GOP’s rearview mirror,” July 9, 2026].
Stephen A. Smith Sandpoint
Commentator Jim Jones is a ‘true, traditional Idaho Republican’… ‘Really?’…
Dear editor, After the release of musicians coming to the Festival, if I am not familiar with them, I research them and listen to their music. After I saw the information about Aaron Lewis — and a photo of him and his associates posing with dozens of coyotes they shot, then arranged their carcasses to spell “Trump 24,” which is widely available online — I contacted the Festival about why they would contract with such a controversial musician. No response. I wrote again. The response was, “We like to have a variety of music.”
This did not address my question about the musician’s controversial and distasteful act of not only killing dozens of coyotes for no reason, but displaying them in such a degrading way, and his reputation for exiting the stage if he doesn’t appreciate the audience’s lack of rapt attention. In addition, he has led political chants during his shows. Really?
Just an FYI for Festival attendees.
Ann Giantvalley Sandpoint
Dear editor,
A recent Reader writer voiced his opinions on the shameful negligence of the Idaho Transportation Department’s management of the pedestrian bridge [Perspectives, “The Definition of squander,” June 25, 2026].
Something seemed a bit askew in an indignant opinion chewing on our state transportation department that is funded by fuel taxes and vehicle registration fees for not spending more of our highway improvement funds on non-motorized transportation. The pedestrian bridge has long been obsolete because of its structural defects and is slated for eventual replacement with a second vehicle bridge with pedestrian accommodations.
ITD recognizes the pedestrian and emotional value of the old Long Bridge and has spent funds on its preservation for those reasons. Idaho taxes and budgets sparingly for our highway system and the backlog of highway maintenance/ improvement projects is extensive. Ironically, the non-motorized recreational community has been resistant to contributing funding that would enhance infrastructure while boaters, snowmobilers and off-road motorized riders have all opted into funding programs. I applaud off-road cyclists for their fundraising and boots-on-the-ground approach to improving area trails.
When we benefit from community assets that we don’t contribute to, maybe we should reflect on how we might support those assets rather than expect others to provide for us.
Steve Klatt
Sagle
Blowing smoke...
Dear editor, I’ve told friends that I was taking a hiatus from letter writing. I meant it, but recent events have forced me to respond to our president’s latest inanity. As everyone has probably noticed, there’s smoke in the air. This is becoming an annual summer event, exacerbated by drought conditions and, dare I say it, climate change. Tens of thousands of acres have already burned and thousands more will burn in North America before rain and snow comes with fall and winter.
Much of the smoke coming our way in the Inland Northwest is domestic in origin. Occasionally some will come down out of southern
British Columbia and even rarer, Alberta. Wildfires are now a fact of life. We can do very little to stop them or where the smoke goes.
That leads me to the absurd statement our “stable genius” president made the other day regarding the fires in Canada that, thanks to the prevailing winds, are blanketing much of the northeastern and upper mid-western U.S. with smoke. He said that unless Canada does something about the smoke, he’s going to reinstitute tariffs on Canada.
Please explain just how tariffs will stop smoke coming into the U.S.?
Gil Beyer Sandpoint
Comrade Trump…
Dear editor, I’m confused. Our president, on Independence Day, raged against “communists.” They stand for central government control. Yet he is grabbing control of elections from the states, pursuing his political opponents in the courts, and revising American history in our schools and national parks. Those are all 20th-century “communist” actions. He supports the Russian dictator Vladimir Putin against democratic Ukraine. Isn’t that “communist?” In settlements with big corporations, he has demanded that the government become a part owner. Isn’t that the essence of “communist?”
Whatever Karl Marx may have said, the communist governments we have known are centralized, ruthless and controlling. Their laws favor the wealthy, big business and government over individual liberties and equitable legal rulings. The guy at the top has monuments built in his own honor, flexes military might at home and enriches himself at the expense of the nation.
If I could be Top Dog, I’d be glad to be “communist,” too.
Molly O’Reilly Sandpoint
Dear editor, Kaylee Peterson is running to unseat our Idaho District 1 U.S. representative this fall. This is the third time she has run against Rep. Russ Fulcher. In the past three elections, she has invited him to debate the issues in front of voters. Four times. He has refused because he
doesn’t want you to know that there is worthy competition for his seat in Washington, D.C. He thinks you will vote for him because he has an “R” behind his name on the ballot.
I recently attended an online interview between Kaylee and, well, not Mr. Fulcher, but his opinion on issues based on his comments on today’s issues. Here’s the link: youtube.com/watch?v=Yy2huWMuCcg.
Kaylee will be in Sandpoint onTuesday, July 28, in person at Bluebird Bakery at 6 p.m., if you’d like to hear her. I don’t know if Mr. Fulcher is campaigning anywhere other than with the big money donors.
Don’t let him own your vote based on one letter. Come hear about Kaylee Peterson’s platform. If you can’t make it, visit her website at KayleeforCongress.com. My favorite part is her stance on public lands.
David Stroud Sagle
‘Sandpoint drag strip’…
Dear editor, If the city wants to fill its coffers with cash, they only need to police the byway. Living on Sand Creek, it is a constant procession of motorcycles (crotch rockets) and macho trucks using the Sandpoint turnoff lane as a drag strip at speeds of 80-100 mph. It is a tragedy waiting to happen!
Ed Crosby Sandpoint
‘Data center’ ban is good for Sandpoint, and BoCo…
Dear editor, I see that the Sandpoint City Council is considering establishing a possible ban on data centers. Further, the council wisely sees the need to carefully define what is meant by the phrase “data center.” My own concerns with “data centers” are many, and include that they use inordinate amounts of water and would raise the ambient heat of our area. I totally support such a ban and applaud the council for the intent to consider this carefully, and especially thank Councilor Pam Duquette for initiating this process. If such a ban is established I would hope that Bonner County takes this as an example so that a ban of this sort would swiftly extend to the entire county.
Richard Sevenich Sandpoint
Idaho Panhandle Public Lands Initiative reaches landmark agreement
By Brad Smith Reader Contributor
The strong public backlash to congressional proposals to sell public lands last year demonstrated that Idahoans of many backgrounds cherish our national forests and rangelands. Whether for recreation, wildlife, clean water, open space or simply their beauty, these lands are central to our quality of life. Mountain vistas, free-flowing rivers, campgrounds, trails and wild places drew many of us to Idaho, and they’re among the reasons we choose to stay. I prefer to experience public lands through hiking, camping, fly fishing and skiing. Others prefer mountain biking, off-road vehicles or snowmobiling. I don’t hunt, but I know many Idahoans who treasure the opportunity to do so. The ways people value public lands are as diverse as the people who use them.
That diversity, however, can also create conflict over how these lands should be managed. I’ve worked in conservation for more than 20 years, and throughout my career I’ve witnessed — and sometimes been part of — those disagreements.
When the U.S. Forest Service revised the Idaho Panhandle National Forests Land Management Plan, which was finalized in 2015, I found myself on opposite sides of several issues with other recreation groups. As a representative of the Idaho Conservation League, I opposed removing parts of the Upper Pack River from the Forest Service’s proposed wilderness boundary to provide snowmobile access.
Conservation groups were also at odds with many mountain bikers over Long Canyon and the Upper Priest River. For decades, ICL worked to prevent road construction in Long Canyon and neighboring Parker Creek — the last remaining roadless watersheds on the U.S. side of the Selkirk Mountains. Because wilderness designation generally prohibits mountain biking, many riders opposed the protections we sought.
Ultimately, the Forest Service had to decide among competing interests. Many people — including me — were dissatisfied with the outcome. It also became clear that unless those competing interests came together to craft
their own vision, we would simply repeat the same debates every time the Land Management Plan is revised.
That realization led to the creation of the Idaho Panhandle Public Lands Initiative (IPPLI) in April 2024. The goal of the initiative is straightforward: bring together conservationists, recreation groups, hunters, timber interests, local governments and others to see whether we can develop a shared proposal for federal legislation affecting public lands in Bonner and Boundary counties.
The early meetings weren’t easy. Participants arrived with deeply held views and discussions were often contentious. Some people chose to leave the process altogether.
Over time, however, something began to change. Representatives of snowmobiling, off-road vehicle, mountain biking, conservation and hunting interests became more willing to openly discuss their priorities while also looking for ways to accommodate the interests of others. Participants have now spent countless hours studying maps, exploring alternatives and engaging in respectful, good-faith negotiations.
In May, those efforts resulted in a significant milestone. IPPLI reached agreement on a proposal that would designate approximately 39,600 acres of new wilderness in the Selkirk Crest, add approximately 16,900 acres to the Salmo-Priest Wilderness, establish a 32,220-acre National Recreation Area in the Upper Pack River that protects outstanding backcountry landscapes while allowing mountain biking and winter snowmobile use, designate approximately 20 miles of the Upper Priest River as a Wild and Scenic River, and create new recreational access and trail opportunities.
Some readers may notice that the proposal does not include the Scotchman Peaks. Discussions about that landscape are continuing, and there is still potential for the Scotchman Peaks — or other provisions — to be added in the future if agreement can be reached.
Turning this vision into reality will ultimately require an act of Congress. That will not be easy. But if successful, it would provide long-term certainty for public land users and managers
alike. Rather than revisiting the same conflicts every time the Land Management Plan is revised, Congress could establish a durable, permanent framework that reflects years of community dialogue and compromise.
The next phase of IPPLI’s work is to engage communities throughout Bonner and Boundary counties, build broader public support and encourage Idaho’s congressional delegation to sponsor legislation. If you’d like to
learn more about the proposal, view the maps or sign a petition in support of the initiative, visit the Idaho Panhandle Public Lands Initiative website at idahopanhandlepubliclandsinitiative.org.
Brad Smith is interim executive director of the Idaho Conservation League.
Chimney Rock. Courtesy photo
Science: Mad about
tuberculosis
By Soncirey Mitchell Reader Staff
Editor’s note: Regular “Mad About Science” columnist Brenden Bobby is on a well-deserved vacation. He’ll be back next week.
Tuberculosis is a disease that, to most, feels historic. It was (likely) known in ancient Greece as “ phthisis ,” in 19th-century Europe as “consumption” and in more modern times as the “white plague.” Though we imagine TB as a disease of the past, it remains the most deadly infectious disease in the world, killing approximately 1 million people a year — more than HIV/AIDS and malaria combined.
Part of the reason TB is associated with the past is that most modern cases occur in poorer countries in Southeast Asia, Africa and the western Pacific Oceanic region, while Europe and the U.S. have severely limited outbreaks through testing, vaccinations and plenty of antibiotics. In the Western mind, cases of TB are relics of a distant past: Doc Holliday, John Keats, Henry David Thoreau, George Orwell, the Brontë sisters and every other famous person to succumb to TB all lived a lifetime ago or more.
From the 1600s on, increased urbanization and resulting unsanitary conditions led to a marked increase in TB cases, with an estimated one in four of all European deaths in the 1800s attributable to the disease, according to Tuberculosis: Pathogenesis, Protection and Control. Its overwhelming presence inspired (and killed) so many artists, authors, poets and other cre-
atives that it was nicknamed the “romantic disease” and said to inspire the infected before overtaking them.
TB is generally caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, identified in 1882 by Robert Koch, who won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for the discovery, though he was building on research stemming back more than a century. There are other variations on the bacteria, including strains that infect animals or are resistant to treatment. Tuberculosis spreads from person to person — or animal to person — via fluids, which can be aerosolized via coughing, sneezing or even speaking.
Until Louis Pasteur’s discoveries in the 1860s led to widespread pasteurization, many people were infected with a variation, Mycobacterium bovis, through contaminated dairy. (Yet another reason to avoid raw milk.)
The name “consumption” stems from the disease’s symptoms, which leave victims pale, weak and emaciated, as TB seemingly eats away at them. The most common form, pulmonary tuberculosis, begins in the lungs, but TB can attack almost any organ. An infected person may experience loss of appetite and weight loss, fever, fatigue, chest pain and a chronic cough that can famously produce bloody mucus. The disease’s symptoms and prevalence throughout history have led some anthropologists to draw a connection between TB and folklore surrounding vampires.
Hysteria about vampire attacks peaked in Eastern Europe during the 18th century, and most documented “cases” of vampirism went something
like this: Someone would die of an undocumented ailment, then, later, their close family and friends would begin wasting away until they, too, died.
Superstition held that the first to die came back as a vampire, feeding on the life energy of those it was close to. Anthropologists have argued that, in some cases, the socalled “vampire” was likely someone infected with TB who passed it on to the people they interacted with most. The fact that victims became corpselike and coughed up blood — almost like they’d been feeding on the living — would have only spurred superstition.
Today, the majority of people infected with TB will likely never know it. Virologists estimate that approximately one-quarter of the population has latent or inactive TB, which is combatted by the immune system and so never becomes symptomatic. People with suppressed immune systems are more likely to develop active infections, and even successful treatment doesn’t guarantee a full recovery. Pulmonary TB can scar the lungs, leading to lifelong respiratory issues.
Because TB is so often associated with the lungs, historic treatments have emphasized clean air and warm, consistent temperatures to promote recovery. TB sanatoriums were all the rage in the 19th century, ranging from expensive medical spas to veritable prisons for the sick and poor. Many people seeking a speedy recovery moved to Southern California, leading, in part, to the foundations of what is now Pasadena and the surrounding Los Angeles area. In addition to fresh air, doctors would sometimes pre-
scribe the therapeutic artificial pneumothorax technique, which involved purposefully collapsing a damaged lung. This would deprive the bacteria of oxygen and let the lung rest to allow time for lesions to heal properly.
Few people survived the disease for long.
Researchers Albert Calmette and Camille Guérin
successfully created the first TB vaccine in 1906 using bovine TB and testing it on cows. It wasn’t until 1921 that doctors began administering bacille Calmette-Guérin to humans, and it became widely accepted only after World War II. The BCG vaccine remains the only approved TB immunization to this day. Stay healthy, 7B.
Random Corner
• Historians don’t agree on the origins of chess, but most believe it originated in India during the sixth century C.E. It took a millenium to reach southern Europe, with the game gaining popularity in Spain by the 15th century. By the 19th century, the rules of gameplay were standardized and chess tournaments began.
• The first international chess tournament took place in 1851 in London. Howard Staunton, an English chess master, organized the event as a way of bringing together the best chess players in Europe. Adolf Anderssen won the event, beating 15 other players and later going on to be named world champion throughout the 1850s and 1860s.
• Pawns can move either one space or two spaces on their first move. This rule was implemented by the Spaniards in 1280.
• Like Sudoku, crosswords and other puzzle games, chess is a worthwhile hobby to improve
your mind and memory. Patients with Alzheimer’s disease are often encouraged to play, and the game is regularly introduced in schools for young students to jumpstart their intuitive reasoning.
• The queen is regarded as the most powerful piece in the game of chess, but it wasn’t always the case. Initially, the queen could only move diagonally and to only a single square.
• There are 10 to the 120th power possible games of chess, which is more than there are electrons in the visible universe.
• The first folding chess board dates to 1125 and was invented by a priest. At the time, the Eastern Orthodox Church had condemned playing chess and threatened excommunication from the church for any who violated the edict. One inventive priest came up with a way to disguise his board by folding it in half so it looked like two books lying together when carried about.
The property tax promise that’s built to fail
How Scott Herndon turns voter outrage into a fundraising engine, and why that’s the whole point
By Gregory Graf Political Potatoes
Kill the property tax. That’s the pitch.
You own your home. You paid for it. So why keep writing a check to the county every year for the privilege of living in a thing you already bought? Put that way, it sounds like common sense. It feels conservative. It feels like freedom.
Scott Herndon, the former North Idaho state senator who’s been desperately trying to stay in power in North Idaho and recently defeated Sen. Jim Woodward in the May primary, is running on some version of that promise again. Woodward was the kind of Republican who read the budget before voting on it. Herndon devises cunning ways to gaslight voters. There’s a difference, and Idaho is about to feel it.
Herndon is a Christian nationalist with fringe views; he intends to impose them on Idahoans. He is not interested in compromise. His actual agenda goes well beyond taxes: stripping away genuine religious freedom, overriding parental rights that don’t match his ideology, and dismantling local government control in favor of top-down, state-mandated rules that would dictate what parents can and cannot do while enforcing a singular religious viewpoint on everyone else. The property tax promise is the bright, shiny object he uses to get elected. The rest of the agenda is what he does once he’s in office.
The claim that sounds like math but isn’t
Herndon says it plainly: “Idaho has grown state spending $1.2 billion above inflation and population growth in just six years. We don’t need new taxes. We contain that growth and redirect the money to phase out $2.3 billion in annual property tax. The math works over time.”
It sounds precise. He’s counting on you not checking it.
Here’s what he’s omitting. First, the gap. He’s describ-
ing $1.2 billion in what he calls excess spending growth and promising to use it to eliminate $2.3 billion in annual property tax. That’s a $1.1 billion hole he glossed over with the phrase “over time.” “Over time” is doing enormous work in that sentence.
Second, property taxes are not state revenue. Property taxes are collected locally by counties, school districts, fire districts, and cities. The state legislature does not control that money. Herndon is describing a mechanism that does not exist. He cannot “redirect” local property tax revenue by containing state spending growth, because those are two entirely separate pots of money governed by entirely separate legal structures. Saying otherwise is deliberate misdirection, not a misunderstanding.
Third, the $1.2 billion in spending growth includes Medicaid expansion, which Idaho voters approved directly by ballot initiative, school funding increases, public safety costs, and infrastructure maintenance that had been deferred for years. Containing that growth means cutting services that real Idahoans depend on. Herndon never names them because naming them would end the coalition.
Fourth, “phase out over time” is not a timeline. It is an escape hatch. Herndon’s rage bait fuzzy math does not provide any real solutions.
This is what makes the claim manipulative rather than merely optimistic. Herndon uses real numbers to create the impression of a worked-out plan while skipping the part where the
numbers actually connect to each other.
The number they skip right past Property taxes fund your fire department, your schools, and your roads. The Tax Foundation has analyzed property tax repeal proposals, and its conclusion is direct: there’s no good way to pay for property tax repeal. You either replace the revenue with a different tax, meaning your sales tax or income tax goes up, or you cut the services. There is no third door.
So when a candidate says “we’ll just cut government waste to cover it,” ask him for the line items. Ask him which schools. Ask him which fire stations. With Herndon, he pivots to whoever’s blocking him because specifics are the one thing this operation cannot survive. And then, because he has so little faith in voter intellect, suggests that renters don’t pay property taxes and therefore you are carrying that burden. Seriously? Has Herndon never heard of investment properties? Of course, he has. Gaslighting voters is a feature, not a bug, of Herndon’s political machine (Idaho Freedom Caucus).
States tried aggressive property tax limits in the 1970s and 1980s. ITEP’s research found that these limits led to reduced local services, instability in local finances, a heavier reliance on regressive taxes that hit working families hardest, and benefits that flowed primarily to wealthy property owners rather than to young families in starter homes.
Idaho already has a smarter tool: the circuit breaker, a targeted property tax credit for older, disabled, and widowed Idahoans of modest means. The Idaho State Tax Commission runs it. That’s relief that actually works: aimed at the people who need it, with the cost covered.
The playbook underneath the promise
This is classic donut diplomacy: the strategic use of a promise designed to fail, because losing on the right issue is more useful than winning.
The far-right playbook works like this. He tells you what to be angry about, a real grievance, weaponized on purpose. He hands you a demand with no legislation behind it, dresses the vagueness in specific-sounding figures, then gets his white nationalist amplifiers to push out his coordinated narratives on X and Facebook. When nothing passes, as I’d argue was always the plan, Herndon won’t take responsibility. He’ll blame the RINOs and their “conservative” allies who wouldn’t fall in line. Then comes the ask: “re-elect me, send reinforcements, we just need more people like me in that building.”
The absence of passable legislation is the quiet part Herndon won’t say out loud. A bill that passed would end the grievance, and the grievance is the whole business model. When nothing passes, the loop resets: new outrage, new fundraising email, rinse and repeat. This is the operation Herndon is running alongside his Las Vegas campaign operative, Rory McShane, a consultant whose recent winning record is thin.
Let’s look at two recent examples of this in action. Remember all the outrage over the grocery tax? Or the furious fits thrown over legislator pay increases? Nothing happened, but the far-right managed to raise and spend nearly $2 million to try to install their loyalists in office over that outrage in this last election.
This is gaslighting of voters. Herndon uses a popular, legitimate frustration about property taxes to get himself elected, then uses the inevitable failure of an unworkable promise to argue that Idaho needs more Christian nationalists with his particular brand of inflexible, top-down ideology. The tax limitation is the vehicle. The destination is a state where his religious viewpoint is enforced by law, and parents who disagree have no recourse.
and a retiree on a fixed income can get taxed out of a paid-off home. That grievance is legitimate and deserves a serious answer.
A serious answer looks like the circuit breaker, expanded and funded. It looks like homestead exemptions are indexed to real home values. It looks like spending caps that local voters actually control.
It does not look like burning down the majority of your local budget and promising the ashes will pay for the empty fire station.
How to spot the gaslighting
When a candidate runs on outrage with catchy bumper-sticker slogans with math that clearly omits honest context and has no real plan for passing legislation, that’s the tell. Ask them for the line items. Press them on what gets cut. Make them name one school, one station, one road. Ask them to explain, in plain terms, how state spending restraint eliminates a local tax collected by entities the state does not control. If they answer with “waste, fraud, abuse, plus something about guns and liberty,” then pivot to who’s stopping them, that’s when your own eyes tell you that their words are absolute bullshit. Chances are you’ll get blocked on Facebook by them after asking your first question.
Property taxes are worth fixing. Herndon’s let it all burn thinking works for those who are convinced we don’t need schools, healthcare, roads, or police. Unfortunately for him, most Idahoans would strongly disagree with that absurd notion. Backwards thinking hurts us all, so tell your legislator to strongly ignore whatever nonsense policy ideas Herndon is shoveling. He deserves to be made irrelevant, just like the go-nowhere policies he’s preaching.
Gregory Graf is a lifelong conservative Republican living in Star, Idaho. He is the creator of Political Potatoes (politicalpotatoes. substack.com) and the Idaho Voter Guide (idahovoters.com).
Gregory Graf. Courtesy photo
Achieving independence
By Bil Lewis Reader Contributor
As a history teacher who dresses and performs as James Madison, the most important thing in the world for me is that my students gain an appreciation for the times, challenges and people who created this incredible country. The better they understand the realities of human behavior, the less likely they will be to repeat the mistakes of the past. That’s why the Symposium for Civic and History Education at Boise State University was so exciting for me, and for the 100 other Idaho teachers who attended.
It is not merely the sessions (which I shall brag about presently), but the interaction with other teachers, the explorations of different pedagogies and the creation of friendships. I came in costume, of course, and embraced my role as an outgoing, enthusiastic figure, happy to talk, happy to listen, happy to pose for pictures. Everyone was so warm and friendly. I like to think I warmed the place up a bit myself.
My favorite sessions were the ones that combined history and student involvement. Back in the ’60s, our teachers were not so excited about that. History class was kinda dull.
I was richly rewarded with Chris Caban (West Ada School District),
who used hexagonal cards on which he wrote events, people, ideas, etc., and asked us as groups to organize the various topics in some fashion, with adjoining edges indicating closeness. This required us to discuss the topics. Sometimes one of us would need to explain one of them, then decide how they should be related — by time? by individuals involved? by location?
The strength of this was not the organizations themselves, but rather the discussion, thought and compromise required to create them. And it was fun. I like fun.
In her presentation, Kim Lewis (Bear Lake Middle School) led us through some modern, electronic magic that allowed her to plot on a map whatever kind of event she could find. She used Paul Revere’s ride as an example. She has her kids plot their ancestors.
Shaun Nichols (Boise State) led an interesting discussion on Hamilton, Madison and Jefferson, on their presumed views on what independence meant. I think it was supposed to be a lecture, but there was so much to discuss that it broke down into more of a conversation.
But what a discussion! Was Hamilton a rich man’s shill? He certainly worked hard to get them to support our fledgling nation. Was Jefferson’s head lost in the clouds? A
land of yeoman farmers? Buy all our manufactured goods from Europe? I love thinking about such issues.
The second day ended with a wonderful talk by Madison Boynton (Cadwell School District), who commented that as a newer teacher, it has been a challenging but amazing opportunity to institute National History Day into her classroom. My goal heading into the Symposium for Civic and History Education was to introduce fellow educators to NHD and how they might implement it into their own classrooms.
As a history teacher, it was rewarding to share strategies and ideas with fellow educators who are passionate about helping students connect with history in meaningful ways. I enjoyed discussing how National History Day encourages students to think critically, conduct original research and develop skills that extend far beyond the history classroom. Presenting also became a learning experience for me. The thoughtful questions, conversations and feedback from attendees gave me new perspectives and ideas that I’m excited to incorporate into my own classroom.
I enjoy opportunities like the Symposium for Civic and History Education because they encourage connection with teachers from across the state to hear how they approach similar challenges
and build relationships with educators who are equally committed to student success. Beyond my own session, I left the conference inspired by the many presentations I attended, as well as keynote speakers, and the enthusiasm of the educators I met. The experience reminded me that professional growth happens not only by learning from experts, but also by sharing our own experiences with one another.
When not impersonating James Madison, Bil Lewis lives in Priest River. To learn more about the Symposium for Civic and History Education, email sche@boisestate.edu.
An open letter from the Festival at Sandpoint
By The Festival at Sandpoint Team Reader Contributors
To our community,
As we get ready to welcome you back to War Memorial Field this summer, we wanted to take a moment to share what we’ve been working on and where The Festival at Sandpoint is today.
The Festival, like our region, has grown significantly over the years, and we’re proud that people travel from around the country to experience it. But first and foremost, it remains a local event for locals.
We know some of the recent shifts haven’t felt that way to many of you. While most have been driven by evolving legal and safety requirements, many could have been handled more transparently.
When something becomes deeply
connected to a community’s identity, change is felt deeply. Over the past year, we’ve spent a lot of time listening — through town halls, surveys and individual conversations. Thank you to each of you who shared your experience and feedback. We’ve heard you, and while we don’t have all the answers just yet, we want to take a moment to show you some initial steps we’ve taken towards positive change.
First, we’ve implemented a new shared leadership model that has created a more collaborative and intentional approach to decision-making, helping ensure the Festival’s future is guided with greater care and transparency for years to come. (Two of us are Sandpoint-born and raised!)
Secondly, our board has expanded to 13, with seven new members in the past year. Each one is a passionate, local leader who brings a deep appre-
ciation for both the Festival’s legacy and its role in the community.
To keep this event feeling authentically “us,” we have created new opportunities to highlight local partners, such as featuring local nonprofit booths at the series, continuing partnerships and support for community organizations and collaborating with entities that share our goals for our educational programs.
We’ve added more bar locations to reduce lines, with draft pours exclusive to local breweries. Our drink prices are significantly lower than most concert and sporting venues. You’ll also notice other logistical changes that improve the event experience.
It’s a start.
Music brings people together, and our mission is to make music more accessible throughout the region. The Festival at Sandpoint is one of the
ways we do that. We are a nonprofit organization with year-round educational programs, partnerships, instrument access, scholarships and support for emerging musicians.
Thank you to every person who has attended a concert, volunteered, supported the organization, performed on stage, partnered with us, provided feedback or shared what the Festival means to you.
We look forward to sharing more about our future. If you aren’t already on our email list, you can subscribe at festivalatsandpoint.com
Sincerely,
Caroline Hawkins, director of Community and Strategy; Tess Howell, director of Finance and Human Resources; Veronica Knowlton, director of Operations and Programs; and the Festival Board of Directors.
James Madison, er, Bil Lewis catches up on the news in Sandpoint. Photo by Jenn Witte
dumb of the week
By Ben Olson Reader Staff
The Dumb of the Week Desk has been dormant the past few editions — not for the lack of Dumb to cover in the world. Far from it, in fact. At this point, it’s like trying to bail out a boat that’s already sitting on the bottom of the lake. Regardless, we shall proceed.
A couple of weeks ago, Vice President JD Vance’s quote about Watergate wasn’t quite the flex he thought it would be. Speaking at the Richard Nixon presidential library in California on June 25, Vance said, “If Watergate happened tomorrow, it would be a 12-hour news story. ... The idea that it would have taken down a presidency is crazy. ... If you look at the story of how the deep state took down Richard Nixon, it’s not all that different from what the same groups of people, the same institutions, tried to do to Donald Trump in the first administration. There is a parallel.”
There sure is, JD. The parallel is that both Nixon and Trump were and are crooks. Nixon’s downfall was of his own making. It wasn’t the “deep state” that took him down, it was his criminal actions resulting from an insatiable lust for power and control. Sound familiar? Nixon resigned during his second term to avoid almost certain impeachment and removal from office. Trump’s sycophants can attempt to rewrite history on this topic, but facts are stubborn. They don’t submit to the will of egocentric windsock politicians like JD Vance.
The thing that elicited a sharp guffaw from the Dumb of the Week Desk was how Vance’s statement seemed to be engineered to make Nixon out as some type of victim. He wasn’t.
To quote the late-great Hunter S. Thompson on Nixon: “For years I’ve regarded his very existence as a monument to all the rancid genes and broken chromosomes that corrupt the possibilities of the American Dream; he was a foul caricature of himself, a man with no soul, no inner convictions, with the integrity of a hyena and the style of a poison toad.”
I wonder what the good doctor would’ve written about Trump if he’d lived long enough to experience our current national depravity.
Let me explain it for the people in the back of the room: The belief that a Watergate-type scandal in 2026 would go away after a 12-hour news cycle is testament to the fact that we are a broken government and society. When fraud going to the top of the food chain doesn’t elicit more than a few news stories before being quickly subsumed by
the next shiny obscenity or declaration of war means that the Trump years have severely damaged our national psyche. Meanwhile, the slow transformation of the United States into a dictatorship continues, as Trump’s face will now be added to $1 coins. The U.S. joins the following countries who have added living leaders to their currency:
• The Philippines (Marcos)
• Uganda (Idi Amin)
• Malawi (Banda)
• Iran (Shah Pahlavi)
• Iraq (Saddam Hussein)
• Libya (Gaddafi)
• Syria (Bashar al-Assad)
• North Korea (Kim Jong Un)
• China (Mao)
Now we’re keeping some quite distinguished company.
Trump — an adjudicated rapist and 34-time felon — should by all rights be serving time in jail, yet here we are putting him on coins.
In other Dumb news, on July 15, Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., questioned Jay Clayton — Trump’s pick to serve as director of National Intelligence — on who he believed won the 2020 election. Clayton repeatedly declined to answer the question, saying, “I’m not going to do this with you.”
“You refuse to answer a basic question about who won a presidential election, but you ask to lead America’s intelligence community?” Ossoff asked Clayton. “Isn’t it humiliating to be unable to answer this question? To have to indulge in the president’s delusions? We know, you know, everybody in this room knows the truthful answer to this question. Why can you not give it?”
In sports news, Spain won the World Cup, but they unfortunately had to deal with attention-whore Trump lingering on the stage with them while they hoisted the trophy. No worries, though; both FIFA and the Spanish national football team officially cropped the photobomber-in-chief out of their World Cup snaps. If only it were that easy in real life.
Finally, Trump weighed in on the Canadian wildfire smoke blowing into the U.S., writing yet another nuanced take: “Maybe they should pay us some damages or something, or we should do some tariffs.” Sigh.
Instead of addressing yet another one of Trump’s ragebait complaints, I’ll end by honoring Canadian firefighter pilot Nicholas Dale, who lost his life earlier this month while battling a wildfire in Colorado. Dale is a hero who died fighting a fire in our country, and this is the thanks our president gives?
FEATURE
The accidental bakery
Third-generation Sandpointian returns to open The Cakery on First
By Ben Olson Reader Staff
Abby Stolfo’s road to opening a new business led her back home to Sandpoint.
The third-generation Sandpointian recently opened The Cakery on First, located at 323 N. First Ave. Located at Ward Tollbom’s former Hen’s Tooth Studio location, this small-batch bakery specializes in organic ingredients, stunning cakes and pastries, espresso and other delectables.
Though it’s the grand opening of the brick-and-mortar location, Stolfo has sold her creations at the Sandpoint Farmers’ Market since 2023, quietly building up a reputation as a baker who makes treats that are not only delicious, but also that look like they jumped off a glossy pages of a magazine.
After graduating from Sandpoint High School, she attended the University of Idaho in Moscow to study finance before realizing she didn’t want to work in that industry at all.
“I did that for about nine months and I couldn’t handle it anymore,” Stolfo told the Reader
She then attended culinary school in Boise and briefly found work as a pastry cook for a renowned chef in San Francisco, where she continued her education.
A co-worker then told Stolfo about a new opportunity working as an assistant to a food stylist, making and styling dishes for photo shoots.
“I jumped on the job for Eating Well magazine with this food stylist and had the best time,” Stolfo said. “Unbeknownst to me, I had gotten in with one of the truly best stylists in the city.”
After working as an assistant for five years, Stolfo went solo as a stylist and her career really took off.
“I have incredible clients,” she said. “I mean, if you walk in the grocery store, you’ll see a lot of my work. The Lay’s packaging is my work; the Williams Sonoma catalog. It blew my mind. I mean, I’m just a girl from Sandpoint.”
Stolfo probably would’ve stayed in her career if the pandemic hadn’t changed everything.
“When California shut down, I got in a rental car and I drove home,” she said.
She bought a house in Sandpoint before the real estate prices went astronomical, so she moved back into it, thinking it would be a temporary situation to wait out the pandemic.
“’What am I gonna do to keep myself busy?’” Stolfo asked herself. “I’ll just start making cakes out of my house for something to do.”
She spent two years turning her detached garage into a commercial kitchen, still working as a food stylist remotely. She hadn’t fully committed to moving back to Sandpoint.
“Then I realized, wow, I’m so much less angry and stressed out and not hyper-vigilant all the time,” she said, which convinced her she wanted to be in North Idaho again.
Stolfo applied to be a Sandpoint Farmers’ Market vendor and was accepted, so she began creating high-quality works of culinary art with the help of her mother in the home commercial kitchen.
“My mom has done this with me from the beginning whether she really wanted to or not,” she said. “She’s been amazing and it’s a testament to moms who will just help you do whatever ridiculous thing you want to do.”
After establishing a customer base at the market, Stolfo’s selections moved from cakes to a wider range of pastries.
“The funny thing is, I’ve never felt
like I was a natural baker,” Stolfo said. “I’m like a reluctant baker, which might sound terrible, but people sometimes ask if it was my dream to own a bakery and I’m like, ‘No?’ It’s like an accidental dream. But I love it.”
That “accidental dream” took a big step forward when Charlie and Donna Parrish met Stolfo at the market and told her they had a storefront opening up when Tollbom announced his then-upcoming retirement.
“Charlie and Donna are the most exceptional, generous, wonderful people,” Stolfo said, adding that she was enamored by the downtown location, and also thrilled to be among the burgeoning “bakery district” around First Avenue and Cedar Street, which includes the well-established Bluebird Bakery and fellow newcomer Sawyers Bakery.
“People are so funny, they’re like, ‘Oh my gosh, the battle of the bakeries,’” she said. “But everyone has been so kind. [Bluebird Bakery owner] Jill [Severson] has been so generous. I emailed her and told her I was thinking about opening a cakery and she got right back to me and said, ‘What do you need?’ She even sent us flowers on our opening day.”
Opening June 20, the Cakery on First offers a unique selection of items. Some menu selections include banana cardamom cream cheese coffee cakes,
blueberry rhubarb butter crumb muffins, carrot cupcakes, chocolate zucchini bread, lemon curd pound cakes and tarts, to name a few. There will be daily slices and special offerings along with a standard menu of favorites.
“I really want to offer nostalgic baked goods that you want to eat,” she said. “They are like home recipes, but we put a little bit of a twist on things. I’m also working on a selection of savory items. I’m looking for more well-rounded offerings.”
To pair with her sweet and savory selections, Stolfo also offers Doma coffee from Post Falls, specializing in espressos, cappuccinos and lattes, among others.
The majority of all of her ingredients are organic, and every item has that food stylist’s touch making it look almost as good as it tastes.
“This is the accidental bakery,” Stolfo said. “It’s really more of a food stylist creative outlet than a bakery.”
Current business hours are 7:30 a.m.3:30 p.m. Thursday through Sunday, but Stolfo may fine tune this in the near future. She said she’s currently looking for a dishwasher with weekend availability. Visit thecakeryonfirst.com for more info.
Top left: Abby Stolfo outside of The Cakery on First. Photo by Ben Olson. Other photos show various menu items available at The Cakery. Courtesy photos
COMMUNITY
Dana Landale Martin, 79 (Dec.
Dana Landale Martin, 79, passed away peacefully following a brief illness on Saturday, July 11, 2026, at his home in Sandpoint. A celebration of life will be held on Sept. 12 at Beyond Hope Resort.
Dana was born on Dec. 17, 1946, in Roanoke, Va., to Thor and Elsa Martin. He was raised in Ridgewood, N.J. Dana began his love of pole vaulting by riding his bike back and forth, gathering wood chips in plastic bags to bring home to make his own pole vaulting pit. He later attended New Hampton Preparatory School, where he excelled as a pole vaulter. He continued his education at the University of Denver, where he played lacrosse, earned a degree in business and served in the United States Army Reserves. Dana loved coaching youth lacrosse and soccer.
A gifted entrepreneur, designer and builder, Dana owned a successful real estate business in the Ketchum and Sun Valley area before pursuing his passion for designing and constructing marinas and boat docks. His innovative work earned him an American Institute of Architects Architecture
Award for the design and construction of the dock at Redfish Lake in 2002.
Dana made Sandpoint his home in 1972, living here until 1988 before relocating to Seattle to expand his dock-building business and construct foundations for floating homes on Lake Union in Seattle. Never one to stop innovating, he invented a marine fender made by pressing together recycled tires, creating a durable and practical solution for the marine industry. He convinced the Port of Tampa that they needed his product and came back to the West Coast to construct it before having it driven across the country to be installed.
Dana returned to Sandpoint in 1992, where he continued building docks and marine construction throughout the region, including the Hope Marina and Beyond Hope Resort. He was the longtime owner of the Black Rock in Ponderay, beginning the process of buying the property in 1977 — the same day he and his thenwife Janice welcomed their son, Joel. He recently sold the property to the city of Ponderay to ensure it could be
17, 1946-July 11, 2026)
enjoyed by the community and provide public access for the future.
In 2001, he began a 25-year romance and life filled with love and adventure with Jody. They married in 2006. Jody and Dana enjoyed going to Palm Desert in the winter months to play golf, ride their bikes and be in the sun. He recently made his first trip to Hawaii with Jody, having a wonderful time.
Above all, Dana loved people. He had a gift for conversation, enjoyed getting to know others and was a natural storyteller whose tales entertained family and friends alike. Dana was a jokester and had a gift for well-timed puns and one-liners. He also found great joy in golfing, boating, sailing, fly fishing, working crossword puzzles and cheering on his favorite sports teams.
Dana is survived by his beloved wife, Jody Martin of Sandpoint; his children, Joel (Yuan) Martin of Wappingers Falls, N.Y., and Bevan Martin (Rich Wall) of Mountlake Terrace, Wash.; his stepsons, James (Lori) Bopp, Nicholaus Bopp and Joseph (Alicia) Bopp, all of Sandpoint; his grandchildren, Elsa Wall, Lily Bopp, James Bopp, Eli Brewster, Kaila Brewster and Haley Ledford; his brothers, Geoff Martin of New York City and Eric Martin (Julie Gardinier)
photo
of Copake, N.Y.; and his sister, Alix Martin of Brooklyn, N.Y. Memorial donations may be made in Dana’s memory to the Cerebral Palsy foundation (cerebralpalsyfoundation. org) in honor of his beloved granddaughter Elsa, who lives with cerebral palsy, or the American Cancer Society. Lakeview Funeral Home in Sandpoint is handling the arrangements. Please visit Dana’s online memorial at www.lakeviewfuneral.com and sign his guest book.
Submitted by the family of Dana Martin.
Courtesy
Top left: Reader columnist Brenden Bobby and Molly Madrid “brought” the Reader to Area 61 in Grant’s Pass, Ore. “I had a paper copy of the Reader sitting on my desk at work and I am so bummed I forgot to grab it on my way out,” Bobby wrote. “Let your razzing for my forgetfulness commence!” We love you, Brenden, and we’ll only razz you in the privacy of our offices for holding up a cellphone with the Reader cover.
Top right: A peaceful lake moment, as photographed by Ana Kampe.
Middle left: “I found this pic that I took from May 28 that seems to be a good symbol of the state of our democracy right now,” wrote photographer Judy York. “I call it ‘The Impending Storm.’”
Middle center: “Your recent cover reminded me of this pic in the mid1980s during the Summer Sounds series at what was affectionately called the ‘Dumpster Stage,’” wrote photographer Peter Lucht.
Middle right: Jackson and Olivia Collison read the Reader while celebrating the Fourth of July in St. Michael’s, Md., a town famous for fooling the British after Paul Revere’s ride warning that the British were coming in 1813. “Happy 250th birthday, America!” wrote photographer Darra Collison.
Bottom left: “Frisky, playful fawns are out and about,” wrote photographer Al Van Vooren, who took this photo in front of his home east of Sandpoint.
Bottom right: “My friend Tom Prez took this picture of the parking at John Craigie the other night,” wrote Scott McLongstreet. “No kiosk.”
COMMUNITY Chamber celebrates graduation of Leadership Sandpoint class
By Reader Staff
The Greater Sandpoint Chamber of Commerce celebrated the graduation of its newest Leadership Sandpoint class, recognizing a diverse group of people dedicated to strengthening the community.
Throughout the program, participants attended classes on key aspects of the community, including local government, education, healthcare, economic development, natural resources, nonprofit organizations, public safety and civic engagement. The experience provides graduates with insights into the opportunities and challenges facing the region while fostering meaningful relationships across industries and organizations.
The graduation ceremony recognized each participant’s dedication to personal and professional growth as well as the collective achievements of the class, including a fundraising project for Sandpoint Teen Center.
“Leadership is about service, connection and the willingness to invest in the future of our community,” stated Chamber Board Chair Becki Dotson. “This graduating class has demonstrated curiosity, commitment and a passion for making Sandpoint an even stronger place to live and work. We are excited to see how they will continue to lead and serve.”
Applications for the next Leadership Sandpoint 20-student class will open Monday, July 27. See sandpointchamber.org for more information.
‘Unleash your inner lumberjack’ at Timber Days
By Reader Staff
Priest River is about to be awash in checkered flannel, denim and no shortage of axes for the annual Timber Days on Saturday, July 25 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., honoring the area’s timber industry.
The family-friendly festivities will include a parade, log-related feats of athleticism, vendors and more, all centered on Bonner Park West (514
Railroad Ave.).
“Unleash your inner lumberjack and join us for a wild adventure of chopping, sawing and celebrating the spirit of the forest,” wrote organizers.
The day starts at 10 a.m. with a parade of floats, logging trucks and equipment and local businesses and nonprofits driving from Pillar Financial Group (9 10th St.) down to the park to hand out candy. There, food, drink and craft vendors will be waiting alongside a host of lumber-themed activities. As usual, the
star of the show will be the competitive events with cash prizes, including the two-person crosscut, choker run, axe throw, team relay and chainsaw competition.
Cheer on teams or solo athletes for free, or put down a small fee and en ter the competition yourself at visitpriestriver. com/timber-days.
Front row (L-R): Elli Vahrenwald, Elizabeth Nelson, Alisha Kowalski, Rachel Seitz. Back Row: Vanessa Velez, Tess Howell, Rebekah Little, Lacie Brundin-Jordan, Veronica Knowlton, Amy Page, Jennifer Steinbachs.
Not pictured: Ali Baranski, Jayde Cordes, Bryce Egbert, Carrie LaGrace, Jaime Martinez.
Photo courtesy of Sandpoint Chamber
Chamber recognizes July volunteer and business of the month
By Reader Staff
The Greater Sandpoint Chamber of Commerce has recognized Joan Avery as its volunteer of the month for her commitment to the Sandpoint Teen Center, which has spanned nearly two decades.
Avery helped found the Teen Center with a clear purpose: to help keep Sandpoint kids safe. Since 2007, she’s shown up wherever she’s needed most: cooking meals; stepping in to support teens when the staff is shorthanded; and spending meaningful time simply hanging out, listening and building trust.
Avery has not only helped found the Sandpoint Teen Center as a 501(c) (3) nonprofit, but has also volunteered in almost every role at the organization, including in bookkeeping, community outreach, fundraising, administration, volunteer coordination, cooking, teen mentoring and just about any task the Teen Center needed. For the past 18 years, Avery has ensured teens have a safe space, a warm meal and a trusted adult to talk to during after-school hours.
The chamber also honored anoth-
Fantasy becomes reality at Oldtown festival
By Reader Staff
The city of Oldtown is throwing a party straight out of the pages of a storybook from Friday, July 24 through Sunday, July 26 with the first Fantasy of Dreams Festival.
The free, Renaissance Faire-esque gathering will take place from 2-8 p.m. on Friday and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday at the Oldtown Rotary Park (68 Diamond Mill Road).
Also held in Texas, the Fantasy of Dreams Festival is chock-full of food and goods vendors, entertainment and costumed mythical creatures to interact with. Attend in fantasy-inspired costume throughout the day, or don your finest ballgowns, tailcoats and masks for a series of masquerade balls.
Those ticketed events take place twice a day on Saturday and Sunday, serving buffet brunch from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. or dinner from 3:30-6 p.m.
To purchase masquerade tickets or learn more about the event, visit fantasyofdreams.com.
er staple of the community, the Pend d’Oreille Winery, as its business of the month. Founded in 1995 by Steve and Julie Meyer, owners Jim Bopp and Kylie Presta took over the winery in 2017 and have continued to provide a vibrant space for art, music, food and wine that patrons have enjoyed for 31 years.
The chamber highlighted the winery’s commitment to community connection, whether donating to area fundraisers, showcasing local art and music or participating in events like the Summer Sampler, Festival of Sandpoint and Winter Carnival.
Visit sandpointteencenter.com and powine.com for more information.
Rock Creek Alliance hosts annual party
By Reader Staff
The nonprofit Rock Creek Alliance, dedicated to protecting area water quality, will host its annual fundraising party on Wednesday, July 29 at Matchwood Brewing (513 Oak St., in Sandpoint). The gathering runs from 5-8:30 p.m. and is open to all.
Founded in 1996, the small community organization works to conserve the Clark Fork-Pend Oreille Watershed and Cabinet Mountains Wilderness Area, guarding against privatization efforts and potential pollutants, such as the proposed Rock Creek Mine. RCA has halted the progression of the mine for two decades.
Wednesday’s event includes a silent auction with local items, services and artwork donated by area businesses. Complimentary appetizers and a nohost bar will accompany live music with multi-genre trio Headwaters and a presentation on the organization’s ongoing efforts.
Visit rockcreekalliance.org for info.
Top left: Joan Avery with Joan Urbaniak. Top right: Kylie Presta and Jim Bopp with Joan Urbaniak. Courtesy photos
Eight years in the making, new Canfield Mountain trail opens to the public
By Reader Staff
Eight years after the idea took shape, the first phase of the Honey Badger Project is officially complete.
Project partners celebrated the opening of the new 3.2-mile non-motorized trail in Kootenai County south of Lake Pend Oreille with a public ribbon-cutting on July 2, marking a major milestone in one of the largest collaborative trail projects undertaken on Canfield Mountain in recent years.
Built through a partnership between the U.S. Forest Service, Lake City Trails Alliance and Northern Rockies Trail Project, the trail connects the top of Canfield Course to Trail 29, featuring singletrack, sustainable design and views overlooking Hayden Lake, Coeur d’Alene Lake and the surrounding landscape.
Future construction is planned to add approximately 10 additional miles of non-motorized trail, 12 miles of
new motorized singletrack and several miles of 50-inch-and-under OHV trail, creating a more connected and sustainable trail system that serves a wide variety of recreation users.
The ribbon-cutting celebrated years of work that began long before construction crews arrived on the mountain. Lake City Trails Alliance and Northern Rockies Trail Project combined grant funding, volunteers, and professional trail crews to complete the work using North Idaho-based organizations and employees, keeping investment in the local economy while expanding recreational opportunities on public lands.
Northern Rockies Trail Project Board Chair Emily Strizich, of Sandpoint, said the trail represents something larger than a new recreation opportunity.
“It’s easy to celebrate the finished product. It’s a little harder to appreciate everything that happened before
today,” she stated. “Years of environmental review, planning, fundraising, design, permitting and coordination led to months of flagging, clearing, shaping and building on the ground. Every section of this trail represents people who showed up, solved problems and kept the project moving forward. We’re incredibly proud our crew had the opportunity to help build something this community will enjoy for decades.”
As additional phases move forward, project partners ask visitors to help protect the investment by respecting designated trail uses.
The newly opened trail is designated for non-motorized recreation. Visitors are encouraged to stay on designated routes and avoid creating trail braids or shortcut trails, which accelerate erosion, damage vegetation and increase long-term maintenance needs. Motorized users are asked to remain on trails designated for motorized use.
Send event listings to calendar@sandpointreader.com
Sandpoint Summer Music Series: Milonga
6pm @ Farmin Park
Free outdoor music concert with Spokane’s hottest Latin group. Food/drinks
Live Music w/ Sydney Dawn
6-8pm @ MickDuffs Beer Hall
Live Music w/ The Bakerwood Brothers
8-11pm @ 219 Lounge
Live Music w/ Mike Thompson 5pm @ Connie’s Lounge
Live Music w/ Jim Tilden Brown
8pm @ Eichardt’s Pub
Live Music w/ Chris Lynch 5-8pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery
Live Music w/ Chris Paradis
6-9pm @ MickDuffs Beer Hall
Live Music w/ Sadie Sicilia
8pm @ Eichardt’s Pub
Live Music w/ Tomboy
9pm-midnight @ 219 Lounge
Live Music w/ Polly O’Keary and the Rhythm Method
5:30-8:30pm @ Smokesmith BBQ
Live Music w/ The Cole Show
5-8pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery
Live Music w/ Brian Jacobs
5-7pm @ Pend Oreille Shores (Hope)
Live jazz w/ Bright Moments
6-8pm @ Arlo’s Ristorante
Live Music w/ Mobius Riff
6-9pm @ Barrel 33
Sandpoint Chess Club
9am @ Evans Brothers Coffee
Magic with Star Alexander 5-8pm @ Jalapeño’s
THURSDAY, july 23
Live Music w/ Liam McCoy and Friends
7pm @ Eichardt’s Pub
Midland Line Dancing Lessons
6:30-8:30pm @ The Hive By Walk the Line and the Festival, $10
FriDAY, july 24
Live Music w/ Kosta La Vista
5:30-8:30pm @ Smokesmith BBQ
Live Music w/ Sydney Dawn 6-9pm @ Barrel 33 Music w/ DJ Sterling 9pm @ Roxy’s Lounge
Live Music w/ Brian Jacobs 6-8pm @ Baxters on Cedar
SATURDAY, july 25
Live Music w/ BC/DC
8:30pm @ The Hive
Canada’s premier rock ’n’ roll salute to AC/DC. Livefromthehive.com
A Night of Music, Art & Community
5:30-7:30pm @ The Heartwood Center
Jazz with The Hot Club on lawn, creative art activities and a welcoming picnic-friendly celebration with the library and 88.5 KRFY
Live Music w/ Pamela Jean 6pm @ Connie’s Lounge
Sandpoint Farmers’ Market
9am-1pm @ Farmin Park
Live music w/ Sydney Dawn
SunDAY, july 26
Fantasy of Dreams Festival (July 24-26) 10am-8pm @ Oldtown Rotary Park
Live Music w/ Fiddlin’ Red 1-4pm @ Barrel 33
Monday Night Blues Jam w/ John Firshi
7pm @ Eichardt’s Pub
Live Trivia w/ Toshi 7pm @ Connie’s Lounge
Meet your congressional candidate:
Kaylee Peterson
6-8pm @ Bluebird Bakery
Beginner Argentine tango class
6pm @ Embody Center, 823 Main St. No partner needed. $15
Family Night, live music w/ John Firshi
5-7:30pm @ Matchwood Brewing Co.
Festival at Sandpoint: Andy Grammer with Walk Off the Earth
7:30pm @ War Memorial Field
Kickoff to the summer concert series
Anna Tivel in concert
7pm @ Panida Theater
July 23 - 30, 2026
Open Irish jam (host: Seamus Divine)
5:30pm @ Connie’s Lounge
Weekly BCA pool tournament
6pm @ Roxy’s Lounge
Live Music w/ Ian Newbill
5-8pm @ Pearls (Beyond Hope)
Fantasy of Dreams Festival (July 24-26) 2-8pm @ Oldtown Rotary Park
A whimsical fairytale adventure of food, shopping while meeting mystical creatures. fantasyofdreams.com
Live Music w/ Ian Newbill
6:30-9:30pm @ MickDuffs Beer Hall
Meet and greet with John Stegner
10am @ Community Hall
Independent gubernatorial candidate
Historic Walking Tours
11am @ Meet at Cedar St. Bridge
A 75-minute tour featuring a local historian sharing fascinating stories from Sanpdoint’s earliest days. $10/$5 (youth). Register at bit.ly/4aSe60K
Fantasy of Dreams Festival (July 24-26) 10am-8pm @ Oldtown Rotary Park
Live Music w/ Ty Downing 6-8pm @ Idaho Pour Authority
Customer Appreciation Day 4-8pm @ Blue Heron Cafe
Live Music w/ Justin Lantrip 6-8pm @ Baxters on Cedar
Weekly BCA pool tournament 12pm @ Roxy’s Lounge
Live jazz w/ Bright Moments 1-4pm @ Pearls Beyond Hope
monDAY, july 27
Outdoor Experience group run 6pm @ Outdoor Experience 3-5 miles, all levels welcome
tuesDAY, july 28
Open mic/jam 6-8pm @ Idaho Pour Authority
wednesDAY, july 29
Sandpoint Farmers’ Market
3-5:30pm @ Farmin Park
Live Music w/ Jonathan Nicholson 5-7pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery
Benny on the Deck weekly patio concert
5:30-8:30pm @ Connie’s Lounge
ThursDAY, july 30
Open bluegrass jam (host: Jim Rosauer)
5:30pm @ Connie’s Lounge
Weekly BCA pool tournament
6pm @ Roxy’s Lounge
Live Music w/ Liam McCoy and Friends
7pm @ Eichardt’s Pub
What 3 Teenage Girls Can Teach Us About Resistance
4pm @ First Presbyterian Church
Discussion with historian and author Sophie Poldermans
Celtic Folk Jam
3-6pm @ Idaho Pour Authority
East Coast swing dance lesson 7pm @ DanceWorks Studio
Trivia w/ Rob Goldworm 6-8pm @ Idaho Pour Authority
Live piano w/ Rich and Jenny 5-7pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery
Karaoke w/ Big Rock Karaoke 9pm @ Roxy’s Lounge
Rock Creek Alliance annual party 5-8:30pm @ Matchwood Brewing Co. Fundraiser for RCA with live music by Headwaters, a silent auction and an update on their work to protect Lake Pend Oreille from mining
Bubble Palooza: Story Time in the Park 10-11:30am @ Lakeview Park
Hosted by Mountain States Early Head Start. Stories, snacks, kids’ activities and lots of bubbles!
Live jazz w/ Bright Moments 6-8pm @ The District
Will Ferrell’s The Hawk is ridiculously funny
By Ben Olson Reader Staff
There are a variety of excellent films about golf that have been quoted on teeboxes and greens since they came out: Whether it’s Caddyshack, Tin Cup, Happy Gilmore or several others, golfers are always happy to see their obsession portrayed on the big screen.
It’s amazing that it took until 2026 for a TV series to finally tackle the greatest game ever played. Who better to don the spikes than Saturday Night Live alum Will Ferrell? Ferrell’s new Netflix series The Hawk is destined to become a classic in the genre.
Ferrell stars as Lonnie “The Hawk” Hawkins, a PGA golfer whose better days are in the past. At one point in The Hawk’s career, he was on top of the world. He’d won three major pro tournaments and lost the fourth (which would have given him a coveted career Grand Slam) after choking a short putt and losing to his nemesis Golden Fisk, played by Luke Wilson.
The Hawk is one part John Daly, one part Backstreet Boy and one part Florida Man, with a wild blonde scruff of hair perpetually sprouting out of his white visor. He always has a sunglasses tan on his face and, halfway through the series, he has yet to take off his golf spikes for anything.
He’s loud, crude and doesn’t care for the starched-clean stewards of golf who look down their noses at the likes of him. But he’s also a scratch player — when the timing is right, of course.
The Hawk’s ex-wife Stacy is played by fellow former SNL-er Molly Shannon. She’s a foul-mouthed grifter, perpetually trying to sell her hard ice tea products everywhere from funerals to PGA tour events.
Jimmy Tatro plays Lance, The Hawk’s son, who is an emerging PGA golfer on the tour, while The Hawk now plays on the lower tier Corn Ferry Tour, normally a proving ground for ascending PGA golfers, not a rest home for aging stars. Lance is a workout-obsessed Gen-Z golfer whose health influencer girlfriend Natalie (played by Katelyn Tarver) is an empty vessel filled with inspirational flimflam and soulless quotes meant to improve their looks at all costs.
When The Hawk’s longtime caddy Old Henry (played by Keith David) dies mid-round, it throws the aging
golfer into a crisis as he tries to scrape up the remaining magic in his tank to finally win three Corn Ferry tournaments and propel him back to the PGA Tour so he can finally prove to the world — and his perpetually angry son — that he’s still a great golfer.
With Old Henry gone, The Hawk finds his new caddy Sam (Fortune Feimster) rooting around in an abandoned vehicle in a Walmart parking lot. With a Southern drawl and hair that looks hilariously close to The Hawk’s, Sam is a breath of fresh air as a character who doesn’t know anything about golf, but takes the job carrying his bags because, well, she’s broke.
The odd couple sets their sights on winning, and that’s just what The Hawk starts doing. Whether he makes it back to the tour, or flames out is anyone’s guess, but it’s a hilarious ride watching him try.
Ferrell’s character is over-the-top until you dig a bit deeper and realize it’s actually a brilliant portrayal of someone you’d probably despise in real life, but can’t help but love on screen.
Ego-centric and callous to a ridiculous degree, viewers can’t help but root for The Hawk because he’s an underdog and an outsider.
It’s this nuance that really keeps me coming back to the show, along with the fact that the writing is spot-on and the characters are free from obvious stereotypes.
Everyone seems to be having a lot of fun making the show, and each episode adds a new wrinkle to The
Hawk’s personality that makes you root for him even more.
Catch The Hawk on Netflix.
Will Ferrell plays The Hawk, alongside his caddy Sam, played by Fortune Feimster. Courtesy photo
By Marcia Pilgeram Reader Columnist
Living in Sandpoint, we’ve become experts at appreciating what grows well here. Huckleberries and every kind of berry have their season. Then come cherries and apples, and we celebrate each delicious arrival. But when peach season rolls around, we look west. Just across the border in neighboring Washington, orchards begin overflowing with sun-ripened peaches, and one of my favorite summer pilgrimages is to Green Bluff, where roadside stands brim with baskets of fragrant fruit.
Later in the summer we find them locally at our Saturday market or even from the Peachman on Highway 95, but honestly, I think the ones we buy by the bushel taste best; and, truth be told, I don’t make the trip for myself. I go because my family loves peaches.
Fresh peaches disappear from my kitchen almost as quickly as I can unload them from the car. They become pies, crisps, cobblers, jam, smoothies and are eaten standing over the sink with juice running down wrists. My grandchildren — and their mothers — hover nearby, hoping for “just one more.”
Peaches have been delighting people long before my family discovered them. Although we often think of them as a Southern fruit, peaches actually originated in China more than 4,000 years ago, where they were considered symbols of lon-
The Sandpoint Eater Warm and fuzzy
gevity, prosperity and good fortune. From China they traveled along the Silk Road into Persia — modern-day Iran — which is how they earned their botanical name, Prunus persica, or “Persian plum.” European explorers eventually carried peaches to the Americas, where they flourished in many climates, including the sunny orchards of nearby Washington state. Me? I mostly love the aroma. A ripe peach has one of the most intoxicating fragrances in nature. Before you ever take a bite, it perfumes the entire kitchen with the scent of sunshine and late-summer afternoons.
But as I’ve shared before, I suffer from haptodysphoria — an unsettling feeling experienced when touching
fuzz-covered objects, which includes peaches.
Weird, right? I have a peach-fuzz phobia. My family has learned to overlook my quirks; and, as long as they’re there for the peeling, I’m happy to handle the piemaking.
I’ve also discovered that peaches don’t always belong in dessert.
One of my favorite ways to enjoy them now is on the grill. Just a few minutes over hot grates caramelizes their natural sugars while adding a subtle smoky flavor that transforms them into something unexpectedly elegant. Pair them with creamy burrata, tender greens, fresh basil and a drizzle of balsamic glaze, and suddenly you’ve got a salad worthy of
an upscale dinner party — or simply a leisurely lunch on the patio with a chilled glass of crisp white wine.
If you’ve never had burrata, imagine fresh mozzarella that decided to become luxurious. We can thank the cheesemakers of Puglia, Italy for creating my favorite soft Italian cheese. The outside is a delicate mozzarella shell, while the inside is filled with soft, creamy curds bathed in rich cream. Burrata originated as a delicious way to use leftover mozzarella curds. Today it’s beloved around the world, and for good reason.
The first time I paired grilled peaches with burrata, I understood why chefs are so devoted to the combination. The warm, caramelized
sweetness of the peaches melts ever so slightly into the cool, creamy cheese. Accompanied by fragrant basil, peppery greens and tangy balsamic, every bite tastes like summer at its very best. It’s one of those magical combinations where every ingredient makes the others shine.
These days, whether I bring home a box or a bushel of ripe peaches, I make sure there’s a ball of burrata waiting in the refrigerator. Some traditions are worth preserving, and others are worth discovering. As for me, I’ll happily take the warm and sweet... and yes, even the fuzzy. Fire up the grill and let me know what you think. Happy summer!
Grilled peach and burrata salad
Delicious summer salad that pairs nicely with grilled fish, pork or chicken. Serve with crusty warm bread and a chilled, crisp white wine. Serves 4.
INGREDIENTS: DIRECTIONS:
• 2 large ripe and fragrant (but firm) peaches, halved and pitted
Brush the cut sides of the peaches lightly with olive oil. Grill cut-side down for 3-4 minutes until grill marks appear and the peaches begin to caramelize. Turn and grill another minute. Remove and let cool slightly before slicing.
Arrange the lettuce leaves on a large serving platter. Tear the burrata into pieces and place over the greens. Top with the grilled peach slices, basil leaves and toasted pecans.
Drizzle generously with balsamic glaze and a little extra-virgin olive oil. Finish with flaky sea salt and several grinds of black pepper. Serve immediately.
MUSIC
Portland songwriter Anna Tivel to play Panida
By Ben Olson Reader Staff
There are some voices that need to be heard and some songs that need to be sung. Lucky for us, Anna Tivel has both covered.
The Portland, Ore.-based folk singer-songwriter will play a special show at 7 p.m. on Thursday, July 30 in the historic Panida Theater (300 N. First Ave., in downtown Sandpoint).
Advanced tickets are $25 and available at panida.org.
The internationally-touring artist is forever drawn to the quiet stories of ordinary life. Her sultry, expressive vocals pair beautifully with warm, acoustic guitar tones that inject each of her many wonderful songs with
passion, longing and charm. The characters and imagery that populate her songs are full of breath and vivid color. Tivel has been likened to a short-story writer and praised by NPR, Rolling Stone, Billboard and others for her keen observations on the human condition.
“Anna Tivel is just one of my absolute favorite living songwriters,” said Ann Powers of NPR Music. “Her writing on [the album Outsiders] is at the same level as Paul Simon when he wrote ‘The Boxer’ and ‘American Tune.’”
Tivel will play with her trio and Sam Weber will open the show.
This concert is presented by the Panida Theater. Listen to Tivel’s work at annativel.com.
Festival at Sandpoint kicks off with Andy Grammar and Walk off the Earth
By Reader Staff
The 44th annual Festival at Sandpoint kicks off Thursday, July 30 with a double-header show featuring Andy Grammer with Walk off the Earth.
The concert kicks off at 7:30 p.m. at War Memorial Field, with gates opening at 6 p.m.
The pop singer-songwriter Grammer’s debut album spawned singles such as “Keep Your Head Up” and “Fine by Me,” which were followed up by his sophomore effort Magazines or Novels, resulting in the triple-platinum single “Honey, I’m Good.” In 2016
The
he released another platinum hit, “Fresh Eyes,” and has since gathered an energetic fan base.
Returning to the Festival stage is Canadian indie pop band Walk off the Earth, known for its inventive music videos and infectious energy on stage.
The unconventional multi-platinum group has headlined Red Rocks Amphitheater and Wembley Arena, sold out the historic Sydney Opera House and collaborated with everyone from Snoop Dogg to Lindsey Sterling.
WOTE has continued to push the boundaries of what
Hot Club of Spokane,
Inspired by Quintette du Hot Club de France, this Spokane-based group of talented musicians brings the golden age of jazz back to life with each performance, channeling greats like Django Reinhardt and Bing Crosby. The band of singers, strings, pedal steel and sax specializes in classic dance beats, from jazz manouche to Western swing and musette, making concerts a place to pull out the Charleston and dazzle on the dance floor. This
an artist can do, with songs such as “Red Hands,” Rule The World,” “Fire In My Soul” and “I’ll Be There,” all earning platinum status. The band’s most viral single, “My Stupid Heart,” continues to attract about 1 million streams every week.
This show will be a standard
show, with room to dance in front of the stage. Listen to the artists at andygrammer. com and walkofftheearth.com, and purchase tickets at festivalatsandpoint.com.
A snapshot of notable live music coming up in Sandpoint
Heartwood Center, July 25 BC/DC, The Hive, July 25
outdoor community concert is sponsored by the East Bonner County Library District and 88.5 KRFY and will include artistic activities, an interactive mural and a special dance performance, among much, much more.
— Soncirey Mitchell
5:30-7:30 p.m., FREE. The Heartwood Center, 615 Oak St., 208-263-8699, the-heartwood.com. Listen at hotclubofspokane.org.
There are many AC/DC cover bands, but British Columbia, Canada-based BC/ DC rises to the level of “tribute act” in all the ways that matter. Billed as “Canada’s favourite rock ’n’ roll salute,” this outfit doesn’t just rehash the hits — it flips the script to pair impeccable chops and mastery of the source material with a comedic sensibility that wows audiences from Vancouver, B.C. to Las Vegas and Shanghai. The pro-
This week’s RLW by Zach Hagadone
READ
It seems too on the nose to describe my experience of reading Agustina Bazterrica’s novel Tender is the Flesh as “devouring” — though that’s exactly how I consumed it. No matter, the Argentine writer’s 2017 tale of a near-future dystopia in which industrialized cannibalism has become humanity’s main source of animal protein and top business lacks thematic subtlety, but makes up for it with a chasmic depth of profound (and unsettling) truths about humanity’s inhumane nature. Find it anywhere you find books, and please find it.
motional material puts it best: “[T]here aren’t likely many who’ve so successfully branded the Aussie band’s timeless raunch with such epic rock ’n’ roll fury, while also managing to bottle the essence of a wild frontier lifestyle.”
— Zach Hagadone Doors at 7 p.m., show at 8:30 p.m., tickets from $30, 21+. The Hive, 207 N. First Ave., 208-9209039, get tickets at livefromthehive. com. Listen at acdc-tributeband.com.
LISTEN WATCH
As we approach the 2026 Festival at Sandpoint Summer Series of concerts at War Memorial Field, I was revisiting some of my favorite past artists, and Nathaniel Rateliff rated high among them. A headliner in 2019, he and his band The Night Sweats steamed up the tent (metaphorically back when there was a literal tent). I’ve been ear-worming some of Rateliff’s less rockin’ tunes, getting kind of obsessed with “Babe I Know,” which feels like a mental balm on this poor old ink-stained wretch’s rage-exhausted brain. Find it on any and all streamers.
The Netflix series The Boroughs has been alternately praised and derided as Stranger Things with Boomers. Fair enough. Both shows were run by the Duffer brothers and the former pretty much follows the latter’s narrative trajectory: A bunch of misfits in a too-tidy community have to battle a sinister authoritarian organization that harbors a predatory extra/supernatural entity. It’s good enough fun, set in a highend retirement community full of elders who are exactly as old as they feel, for good or ill. It got canceled after one season. Why? Maybe it’s hard to cheer for rich old people. Anyway, it’s worth a watch.
Top left: Andy Grammar. Top right: Walk Off The Earth. Courtesy photos
Anna Tivel. Courtesy photo
From Northern Idaho News, June 25, 1912
CAPARAI ARRESTED ON MURDER CHARGE
The old adage, “murder will out,” was brought into prominence in this county last week when Joseph Caparai, one of the prominent members of the Italian colony at Priest River, was arrested and brought to this city and lodged in the county jail for the murder of Charles Falcone, the muder alleged to have been committed on November 18, 1899. The arrest was made by Deputy Sheriff Henry Riser on a complaint sworn to by Chas Bossio, a brother of Henry Bossio, another prominent Italian of Priest River, who was assassinated in his home at that place only a short time ago. There has been a feeling among the friends of Bossio that Caparai was one of the men who were responsible for the deed and it was in following clues in that case that Detective Eugene Montroy stumbled onto the other evidence. It is stated that Bossio was killed because he knew too much concerning the past life of Caparai. It is stated that Falcone had amassed a goodly amount of money and had arranged to make a journey to his former home in Italy. After leaving Spokane on his trip he stopped in Priest River for a visit with his friends. He visited the home of Caparai and that was the last seen of him. A short time after most ill-mannered a man attepted to sell Falcone’s railroad ticket and it is said that he stated that the ticket had been given him to dispose of by Caparai. It is said that the body of Falcone was buried on the farm belonging to Caparai and it is known that the officers are in possession of information as to the exact spot where the mudered man was lured. It is understood that most of the residents of the colony at Priest River are very much afraid of Capari and they consider him a dangerous man.
Bring back the nondiscrimination ordinance
By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff
It seems like every year or so, The New York Times finds an opportunity to write about Sandpoint and surrounds — sometimes telling everyone in the world they should move here but, more often, examining how stupid some of us are and how that stupidity leaks onto the national scene.
The latest example of the latter was published on July 21, with Pacific Northwest Bureau Chief Anna Griffin’s byline and focused on Sandpoint’s now-defunct nondiscrimination ordinance. Griffin interviewed Mayor Jeremy Grimm, Dist. 1 Sen. Jim Woodward, Matchwood Brewing Co. co-owner Andrea Marcoccio, longtime local artist Doug Jones and others, including yours truly and Reader co-founder and Editor Emeritus John Reuter, who served as Sandpoint City Council president and shepherd of the NDO when it was introduced about 15 years ago.
The story explored how and why the NDO was “amended” out of existence in the fall of 2025, based on what both Woodward and I referred to as a “nonevent” that allegedly took place in the local YMCA women’s changing room.
I assure readers that Woodward and I did not correspond prior to talking with The Times, but I’m glad that we independently agreed on a central theme to that story: Nothing happened at the YMCA. No one was harmed, there was no assault or indecency of any kind. There was no “there” there. Yet the Facebook moral panic mob activated itself and horrifyingly bullied its way into City Code. Such are our times.
Here’s what I told The Times: “I’ve heard people call it an ‘incident.’ It wasn’t an incident. It was a nonevent
that certain people used for their own purposes.”
Here’s what Woodward said: “[It was] a nonevent turned into part of an ideological battle.”
Here’s what the so-called “Jennifer Hook” (an alleged YMCA lifeguard and apparent Facebook account holder) told The Times: Nothing. She declined requests for comment, as she has all along.
Here’s what former-Dist. 1 Sen. Scott Herndon had to say to the most consequential newspaper in the history of the world: Nothing.
Of course, I’m not sure if Herndon was even contacted for an interview, but regardless he’s a proud anti-NDO opportunist, who is alley-ooping this “incident” and its resulting legislation into a campaign plank supporting his bid for a legislative seat in November after somehow beating Woodward in the May GOP primary. (His other campaign hobby horse is the canard of eliminating Idaho’s property tax. I was a student council member from sixth grade at Sagle Elementary until my junior year at SHS, and Herndon’s loaded diaper of a political philosophy is tantamount to a teenage politico promising to put root beer in all the drinking fountains. Read more about that nonsense on Page 11.)
Meanwhile, here’s what current-Dist. 1B Rep. Cornel Rasor had to say about the matter: Nothing. Again, I don’t know if The Times tried to contact him, but he’s the one who carried the putrid water for a statewide push against trans people’s access to public accommodations in House Bill 752 — Idaho’s “bathroom bill,” which has provided a template for other states to also criminalize trans citizens who just want to go to the gym or use a toilet. It’s pretty much the only thing
he’s done in his entire time at the Statehouse in Boise.
And here’s what Mayor Grimm had to say: “Cities should be in the business of water, sewer, parks, police. I thought the easiest solution was to get us back to basics.”
Later, he told The Times, “we maybe threw the baby out with the bath water” by effectively gutting the NDO into oblivion at the insistence of a hostile audience in council chambers that mostly didn’t live in the city but nonetheless got herded into the room to spout transphobic terror-mongering rhetoric at stunned councilors until they got their way.
As Grimm said, “it was swift, and then it was over, maybe not for someone who feels vulnerable now because of that, but it was generally over.”
I believe the mayor’s commitment to the basic functions of city government. In the more than 20 years I’ve known him, going back to his time as city planner, he’s been a steadfast nuts-and-bolts kind of guy. And he’s not dumb. He reads books, and when we talked last about this NDO issue we parsed it out via hypotheticals involving Buddhism and Islam. However, and despite what he told me about his quotes being taken at least somewhat out of context, I hope that if the NDO comes back before council for reinstatement, he won’t break multiple tied votes to block that restoration of rights for people who are overwhelmingly the victims, rather than perpetrators, of any violent crime against anyone of any age or gender. That way, the city can extricate itself from propping up bigoted, cynical political hacks like Herndon, Rasor and their fellow Christo-fascist bums. They’re all opposed in the November election. Vote accordingly.
Laughing Matters
Solution on page 26
By Bill Borders
quaggy /KWAG-ee/
Word Week of the
[adjective] 1. marshy; boggy
“The surveyors struggled to walk through the quaggy wetlands.”
Corrections: If we messed anything up last week we don’t remember what it was, and that’s just about the same as it never happening. See you in the corrections box next week!
When you’re going up the stairs and you take a step, kick the other leg up high behind you to keep people from following too close.
CROSSWORD
ACROSS
1. Beats
6. Not low 10. Mild expletive
14. Large body of water 15. Concept 16. Desire 17. Divvy up 18. Let out 19. Durable wood 20. Redress 22. Possess
23. Itinerary
24. Specified days of the month 25. Bygone era 29. Increase (an incline) 31. Give forth
