In all my 30-plus years of driving in Bonner County, I can barely remember more than a handful of crashes or other incidents on the bridge until fairly recently, and I’d never actually been held up by one. That changed on May 3, when Reader Publisher Ben Olson and I were almost at the end of an eight-hour drive from Boise. With about five minutes to go before reaching home, we saw black smoke rising above the north end of the bridge and found ourselves ground to a halt just as we entered the span from the southern end. Choice words were spoken, Nixle alerts were checked, texts were sent, more choice words were spoken. Stopped and beginning to swelter, cars started passing us going the other way after about 20 minutes — initially giving us hope that traffic was moving again. Pretty quickly we realized the southbound traffic came from people turning around rather than waiting. We inched forward. As the minutes ticked by and we reached the 30- and 45-minute marks, the trickle of quitters turned to a steady stream. We continued to inch forward, reckoning that it made more sense to stay put and wait it out rather than gamble on a backroad sortie to Priest River and homeward trek on U.S. 2 being faster. The exodus was compounded by one driver who — without any evidence or apparent knowledge — turned around and told all the other still-waiting drivers that they’d be there for at least three hours. That person should never be a reporter, and obviously we didn’t listen to her. Regardless, after spreading her irresponsible hearsay, the number of drivers giving up on the northbound lane created its own traffic jam and commensurate crash risk going southbound, which was further complicated when emergency vehicles headed northward had to push through the snarl that impatience and ignorance had made. Ultimately, we only had to wait about an hour before the incident was cleared. According to Selkirk Fire, it was a vehicle fire and we’ve received no notification of injuries; though I consider my faith in people’s ability to functionally maintain themselves through even a minor inconvenience injured enough for one week.
‘Protection’ racket
Senate Dist. 1 candidate Scott Herndon posted on his campaign Facebook page May 6 that, “Only 28% of Bonner County residents were born in Idaho. The rest came here for a reason,” suggesting that it’s because Idaho is “the last safe state for conservatism” and “they know what they found here is worth protecting.” As one of the 28% of Bonner County residents who were born in Idaho — indeed, born in Bonner County — “what they found here” were people already living here, like me, who were doing just fine without them. Presuming Herndon actually speaks for 72% of county residents (highly unlikely), I’d suggest they go “protect” someone somewhere else, thankyouverymuch.
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About the Cover:
This week’s cover features a watercolor painting by Jean Spinosa of the Cedar Street Bridge.
Clark Fork community discusses dangers of limited egress
By Soncirey Mitchell Reader Staff
Residents in and around the Highlands and Liberty Heights developments north of Clark Fork are working to improve and add an additional egress route to the more than 88 mountainous lots following severe December flooding, which separated dozens from their homes.
Excessive precipitation and logjams led to Spring and Lightning creeks breaking their banks; washing out the community’s only public access, East Spring Creek Road; and underscoring the need for alternative access.
“When they meet, creeks — water — have a habit of spinning,” resident Iris DeMauro told the Reader “You can imagine a tornado being created or a tsunami, and it will just take out anything in its way.”
Emergency responders evacuated residents through Fireweed Lane, a one-way, private emergency egress route; however, that road, too, washed out shortly thereafter.
Clark Fork Fire Chief Mike Schacht and DeMauro, owner and creator of Fireweed Lane, held a public workshop April 29 to discuss potential improvements to existing roads and possible routes for new ones.
Schacht called the 15-footwide lane “barely sufficient”
for emergency egress, indicating that neither road is accessible for conventional firetrucks thanks to the steep, winding terrain.
“Had [Fireweed Lane] been needed for higher volume traffic, or for a much longer time, it would have quickly become unusable to all but the most ruggedly capable vehicles,” Schacht stated in the meeting announcement.
DeMauro called the flooding “totally unexpected” — a consideration that complicated Fireweed Lane’s intended limited use for forest fire evacuations. Though the road would help to save lives in such an emergency, it can only support one-way evacuation, and will likely not alleviate the destruction of property.
“If there’s a fire, you’ll be getting out, but your homes
are going to go up in flames, because the fire trucks will not be able to help you, because they can’t get in,” DeMauro told the Reader DeMauro created Fireweed Lane in 2021 following negotiations with Bonner County, during which she requested that the county relinquish the historical right-of-way on her property. Though marked in county records, the road had fallen into Spring Creek decades earlier and therefore existed only on paper. As part of the agreement, DeMauro built the road, and the county funds and maintains it every three years and after each use. The private route is locked for most of the year and can only be opened by emergency services following an official declaration of emergency by the Bonner County Board of
What to know about voting in the May 19 primary
By Reader Staff
Early voting in the 2026 primary opened May 4 and will run Monday-Friday from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. through Friday, May 15 at the Bonner County Elections Office (1500 Hwy. 2, Ste. 124, in Sandpoint).
The deadline for pre-regis-
tration and to request a mailin absentee ballot is Friday, May 8 at 5 p.m. Requests for mail-in absentee ballots can be dropped off, emailed or faxed to the Elections Office. Polls will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, May 19 for in-person voting. Voters may register at the polls on
Election Day. Contact the Bonner County Elections Office at bonnercountyid.gov/elections-home. To register in advance or for all other election-related questions and information (including to identify your polling precinct and location) go to voteidaho.gov.
Commissioners. DeMauro has long advocated for additional, community-funded two-way egress to protect residents, as well as a county-issued moratorium on construction until such safety measures are in place.
“We’re not talking about replacing Fireweed Land and substituting something else for it,” said Schacht at the April 29 meeting. “I’m looking for something in addition to that.”
Not only is Fireweed Lane limited by a canyon on one side and Spring Creek on the other, but the current operating contract means residents cannot use the road when East Spring Creek Road is cut off for extended periods due to fallen trees or downed power lines. To make it public yearround, DeMauro has said that the community will have to purchase the road.
In an effort to determine other possible routes through the rocky terrain, Schacht, DeMauro and other residents turned to neighbors, historical records and the Bonner County Geographic Information System. They mapped out historic — but long-abandoned — roads, U.S. Forestry Service Access trails, private roads not registered with the county, and potential breaks in the steep terrain to see where to connect existing roads leading into Hope or
down to Highway 200.
“We’ve identified a number of possibilities. Some are promising, some are long shots that would require significant work,” stated Schacht. “All will require the cooperation of the community and for some cases the civic minded commitment of a few individual property owners.”
Over the course of two hours, more than 40 attendees discussed and informally ruled out the suggested routes, mostly due to terrain constraints, and suggested several more that Schacht promised to look into. Several residents volunteered to form a committee to address funding road construction and improvements, as well as contact other area property owners who may be amenable to road easements.
Residents hope to partner with nearby authorities, such as the USFS and the city of Hope, to connect to and improve existing roads; however, the community’s consensus was that work will be completed and funded by local homeowners. Several residents volunteered their time and heavy machinery, though no official decisions had been made as of press time.
Additional reporting by Ben Olson.
Fire Chief Mike Schacht presents alternative egress routes to Clark Fork residents.
Photo by Soncirey Mitchell.
Transgender Idahoans sue over ‘bathroom bill,’ citing 14th Amendment violations
By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff
Less than a month after Gov. Brad Little signed into law House Bill 752, criminalizing transgender people using bathrooms according to their identity, the legislation is going to court.
According to the Idaho Capital Sun, the suit filed in federal court April 29 names six transgender Idahoans as plaintiffs against Attorney General Raúl Labrador and statewide county prosecutors, including Bonner County Prosecuting Attorney Louis Marshall.
According to the class action suit, H.B. 752 “carries harsh criminal penalties including imprisonment for up to one year for a first offense and up to five years for a repeat offense. H.B. 752 presents transgender Idahoans with an impossible choice: use a restroom that does not align with their gender identity and
risk severe physical and psychological harms, or continue to use restrooms in public in accordance with their gender identity and risk a criminal record and imprisonment.”
Sponsored by Rep. Cornel Rasor, R-Sagle — and crafted with Scott Herndon, who is seeking the Dist. 1 Senate seat in the May 19 primary — H.B. 752 passed the House 54-15-1, and the Senate on a vote of 287. Rep. Mark Sauter, R-Sandpoint, and Sen. Jim Woodward, R-Sagle, both supported the bill, which is scheduled to go into effect July 1.
Represented by lawyers from the American Civil Liberties Union, ACLU-Idaho. Lambda Legal, Alturas Law Group and Munger, Tolles & Olson, the plaintiffs’ suit argues that H.B. 752 is “part of a broader assault on the lives of transgender Idahoans” and calls it “ill-conceived and counter-productive.”
“This law upends public life not only for transgender
Idahoans but for everyone who uses public restrooms in Idaho,” according to the suit. “It creates confusion, increases suspicion and surveillance and disrupts the status quo ante without any demonstrated need to do so.”
Ultimately, the lawsuit contends that H.B. 752 represents a violation of due process and equal protection rights under the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
In floor testimony, Rasor said the bill “prevents discomfort” and safeguards “privacy, safety and dignity, especially for women and girls.”
Rasor, who is running for reelection to the Dist. 1B House seat in the May 19 primary, did not respond to a request for comment from the Reader on the current litigation.
The roots of H.B. 752 are in Sandpoint, when a lifeguard at the Litehouse-YMCA alleged in October 2025 that a transgender woman had used the women’s locker room at
the facility.
While no police report was filed nor any evidence ever produced to substantiate the claim — or that any such “incident” occurred — the public furor whipped up on Facebook made its way to the Sandpoint City Council, which after two emotionally charged meetings voted in November 2025 to amend the city’s longstanding non-discrimination ordinance, removing from the definition of protected classes, “gender related identity, appearance, expression or behavior of an individual regardless of a person’s assigned sex at birth.”
At the time, Herndon testified before the council that multiple bills would come forward in the 2026 Legislature addressing transgender people’s access to multi-use facilities. One of those ultimately turned out to be H.B. 752, which Herndon worked on with Rasor and which both are currently using in their May 19
GOP primary campaigns.
Meanwhile, statewide law enforcement opposed the bill, with the Idaho Chiefs of Police Association stating H.B. 752 “would create unnecessary law and place Idaho law enforcement in impossible situations,” including placing “an unrealistic and absurd burden on Idaho law enforcement officers to somehow know, or be able to readily identify visually [the] biological sex of another human being.”
Speaking to the Reader following news of the lawsuit, Herndon said he’s “not concerned about that. I think we’ll be fine with that in the long-run.”
“Lawmakers pass laws and, if we do it right, we pass laws that will withstand judicial scrutiny,” he said, later adding, “I don’t mind things going to court. ... Literally that’s exactly what the court system is for. The first purpose of government is to have just criminal laws.”
PHD prepares to submit budget proposal, institute clinic changes
By Soncirey Mitchell Reader Staff
In preparation for their upcoming Fiscal Year 2027 budget proposal, representatives of Panhandle Health District met May 5 with the Bonner County Board of Commissioners to discuss anticipated expenses and changes to area clinics. Due to previous negotiations with the BOCC, Bonner County reduced its funding contributions by $41,481 in FY ’25 and has indicated it will request further reductions if certain clinical and policy changes aren’t met.
The five northern counties — Benewah, Bonner, Boundary, Kootenai and Shoshone — fund and benefit from the health district, which, among other functions, hosts clinics five days a week at its headquarters in Hayden, once a week in Sandpoint, and once
a week divided between Kellogg and St. Maries.
During recent negotiations, the BOCC argued that Bonner County does not receive enough clinic days, given the $472,317 it paid into the district in FY ’26.
PHD anticipates total expenditures for FY ’27 to be $12.299 million, funded through taxes, medical bills and public health application fees.
“Taking a 10-year look back, there have been a couple of years where we have asked for additional funds, but if you look overall, we’re asking for less than we were asking for 10 years ago,” said PHD Director Erik Ketner at the May 5 meeting.
Going forward, the district must also contend with reduced funding from state and federal health and welfare sources following budget cuts from The One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
“Costs go up, but the amount of funding that we see in grants and subgrants reduces,” said Ketner. “So, we’re trying to make more with less.”
Large anticipated expenses include a 2% cost-of-living adjustment for employees, salaries for new hires — including a social worker, two medical assistants, a nurse practitioner and a public information officer — and repairs to the Hayden office’s 20-year-old roof.
PHD is still negotiating with distributors, applying for bids and altering fees — beginning with septic system applications — in an attempt to move toward “more budget neutrality.”
“They obviously make money in the private sector,” said PHD Medical Director Gregory Pennock. “I don’t know why we can’t do it in
public health. So, you should hold me responsible. You should hold these guys responsible for this budget. If I come back next year and we haven’t made good progress in this regard, then you should get rid of me.”
Following Pennock’s comprehensive audit of PHD’s clinical services, the Board of Health has proposed policy and practice changes intended to “solve the chronic disease epidemic” by incorporating naturopathic medicine while preserving “data-driven scientific medical approaches that
you might see with more traditional allopathic medicine.”
“We’re trying to solve access to care and physician shortages, gaps in health care services, and an image problem with the health district, maybe a marketing problem, where we need to get the word out of what services we actually provide to the counties and to the people,” said Pennock.
< see PHD, Page 6 >
PHD Medical Director Gregory Pennock presents the results of his clinical audit to the board of commissioners.
Photo by Soncirey Mitchell
NEWS Utilities Commission accepting comments on Northern Lights wildfire plan
By Reader Staff
Local electric utility Northern Lights Inc. is seeking approval from state regulators for its 2026-’28 wildfire mitigation plan, which details how the nonprofit power provider is working to reduce the risk of fires in its service area.
Based in Sagle, Northern Lights provides service in Kootenai and Bonner counties, as well as members in Pend Oreille County in Washington and Lincoln and Sanders counties in Montana.
Before the plan can be approved by the Idaho Public Utilities Commission, it must go through a public comment period, which is open until Wednesday, June 10.
Comments are required to be filed through the IPUC’s website or by email unless computer access is not available. To submit comments through the website, visit puc.idaho. gov and click on the “Case Comment Form” link on the upper left side of the page. When filling in the form, include Case No. C10-E-26-01.
Investor-owned utilities around the state must submit plans to the commission under the Wildfire Standard of Care Act, which the Idaho Legislature enacted in 2025.
The Act stipulates that if a wildfire results in a lawsuit against an electric utility, that utility is presumed to have acted without negligence — but only if
< PHD, con’t from Page 5 >
Commissioner Ron Korn — a frequent PHD meeting attendee — argued that, in addition to these changes, the district must develop protocols to ensure informed consent for all patients, going beyond the information PHD provides from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“I’m drawing a hard line here, guys, that I want to see informed consent if you want me to pass off on any budget,” said Korn, citing vaccine ingredients, side effects and clinical trial lengths as crucial information for the clinics’ patients.
Pennock agreed on the importance of informed consent, and said that, in addition to information from the CDC, PHD would like to develop a “generalized consent packet” with relevant background information chosen
it secured and implemented a commission-approved wildfire mitigation plan.
Municipal and cooperative electric utilities are not regulated by the commission, but may choose to submit wildfire plans for review.
According to the IPUC, Northern Lights’ plan “addresses the unique features of its service territory, such as topography, weather, infrastructure, grid configuration and areas most prone to wildfire risks. The plan includes information on the maintenance of the utility’s transmission and distribution assets as well as the management of vegetation, among other items.”
Comments submitted through email should be sent to secretary@puc. idaho.gov, kristin.burge@nli.com or sweeks@jvwlaw.net.
To comment by mail, send to the IPUC commission secretary at P.O. Box 83720, Boise, ID 83702-0074; Kristin Burge at Northern Lights at P.O. Box 269, Sagle, ID 83860; and Susan P. Weeks, of James, Vernon and Weeks P.A., at 1626 Lincoln Way, Coeur d’Alene, ID 83814.
Comments sent by email or standard mail must include the sender’s name, address and Case No. C10-E-26-01.
For more info on Northern Lights’ application, go to puc.idaho.gov/case/ Details/7702.
Bits ’n’ Pieces
From east, west and beyond
The Department of Justice indicted former-FBI Director James Comey for an Instagram post of seashells arranged to spell “86 47.” Numerous media reported that “86” is well known — especially in the service industry parlance — to mean “get rid of or remove.” However, the DOJ argued the “86” message threatened mortal harm to President Donald Trump, the 47th president. Legal authorities predict the case will be dismissed.
To comply with the War Powers Act, Trump was required to end Iran hostilities May 1 or get congressional approval to continue the war, various media reported. That has been evaded by the White House saying the U.S. is observing an indefinite ceasefire, then that it “terminated” hostilities. Meanwhile, the U.S. is maintaining a naval blockade against Iran, which is regarded as an act of war, according to various experts. Recently, the U.S. sank six small Iranian boats.
Former-Labor Secretary Robert Reich suggested that with midterm elections nearing, Republicans are resisting going on record to support an unpopular war. For the public, the question remains: Why is the U.S. in Iran, if, as the administration previously stated, the U.S. destroyed Iran’s nuclear capability last year?
by the board.
“I want to make a very important point — and my staff always gets on me when we have these discussions with commissioners and so forth and they’re absolutely correct — we are practicing informed consent in our clinics right now — we are,” added Pennock. “So, the nurse practitioners that are seeing patients are describing potential risks, benefits and alternatives. What we don’t have is a formalized process to do that.”
Commissioners from all five northern counties will meet with PHD at a to-be-determined date to formalize the FY ’27 budget. Regular PHD meetings are every second Thursday of the month, beginning at 1 p.m. Watch online on Panhandle Health District’s YouTube page.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was quizzed in recent congressional hearings on a historic defense budget request and the Iran war. Most Republicans appeared to support Hegseth, while Democrats questioned war costs of $25 billion so far, a school bombing that killed children, the firing of top military leaders and the large drawdown of U.S. munitions. One lawmaker asked why Hegseth cut 90% of the division that was supposed to help avoid targeting civilians. Legal critic Robert Hubbell said if the Strait of Hormuz opened “tomorrow,” it would take six months to clear mines and make industry repairs.
Using Louisiana vs. Callais, the U.S. Supreme Court’s conservative majority recently gutted the Voting Rights Act restrictions on racial gerrymandering and its ban on discrimination in voting. Trump issued a demand that states cancel elections so they can rig electoral maps to ensure Republican dominance.
A Georgetown University political scientist said there are ways to ensure voters are represented, but “none will work without Supreme Court reform.” Certain states are rapidly pursuing the newly authorized racial gerrymandering, including suspending scheduled primaries until new gerrymandered maps are in
By Lorraine H. Marie Reader Contributor
place. Democrats are responding with their own gerrymandering efforts. Both parties see the ability to significantly increase their power in Congress — depending on who out-gerrymanders whom
Why the push to shore up Republicans? Ipsos polling shows that 67% think Trump fails to carefully consider important decisions and 59% say he lacks the mental sharpness required to lead the country.
The Southern Poverty Law Center is under fire from the Trump administration, which accuses the organization of aiding racists by hiring informants. A quick look at their typical cases: When Alabama tried to criminalize ballot assistance for people with disabilities, SPLC protected their voting rights; SPLC successfully defended naturalized Americans who were unfairly purged from Alabama’s voter rolls; SPLC stopped an Alabama AG who tried to criminalize people helping pregnant patients traveling for abortion care; SPLC and ACLU defended voters who’d been denied their registration in Oconee County, Ga., restoring their voting rights.
SPLC’s paid informants have exposed racist plots, informed law enforcement of dangerous extremist activities and aided in bringing down extremists.
International media reported that U.K. King Charles III subtly jabbed at Trump in a historic address in Washington, D.C. in April, while also calling for closer cooperation. However, the White House quickly posted a photo of Trump and the king, captioning it, “TWO KINGS.”
The U.S. passed a law to resume Department of Homeland Security funding and end a partial government shutdown, though it excludes ICE funding, per Democrats’ original push for enacting ICE reforms, NBC News reported. Republicans have proposed that $1 billion in a $72 billion immigration enforcement bill be earmarked for Trump’s White House ballroom project, despite the president promising that it would be funded by private donors, not taxpayers, Politico reported.
Blast from the past: May Day took root in the 19th century with workers’ demands for an eight-hour workday, instead of 12 hours or more per day. It took until 1938, under President Franklin D. Roosevelt, for a 44-hour workweek to be signed; that became 40 hours in 1940. According to NPR, the recent May Day protests were an extension of “No Kings,” with the rally message of “focusing on workers over billionaires.”
North Idaho lawmaker pours $250K into new PAC backing legislative candidates
By Sean Dolan IdahoEdNews.org
Rep. Jordan Redman, R-Coeur d’Alene, has contributed $250,000 of his own money to a new political action committee and has spent nearly $200,000 in independent expenditures to support like-minded Republican primary candidates running for the Idaho Legislature.
Registered on April 26, the “36-181 Inc. Political Action Committee” has spent $199,393 to buy advertisements to support 20 candidates from around the state. The name appears to reference the 36 House votes, 18 Senate votes and one governor’s signature needed to pass legislation. Redman’s father, former state Rep. Eric Redman, is the PAC’s treasurer.
The $250,000 donation was reported on April 30. Redman did not immediately respond to a phone call
or email from EdNews on May 4.
According to Redman’s campaign website, he is an entrepreneur who in 2005 purchased his parents’ insurance agency, Redman & Company Insurance in Coeur d’Alene. He has also been involved in real estate development since 2018 and purchased several local pharmacies in 2021.
While direct contributions to legislative candidates are capped at $1,000 per election, there are no limits on independent expenditures in Idaho. But PACs cannot coordinate with campaigns when making independent expenditures.
Election Day is Tuesday, May 19.
Idaho Education News is a nonprofit online news outlet based in Boise and supported by grants from the J.A. and Kathryn Albertson Family Foundation, the Education Writers Association and the Solutions Journalism Network. Read more at idahoednews.org.
Bouquets:
• Last week, I had to drop my truck in Ponderay for some mechanical work. Instead of bothering a friend to give me a ride back to town, I hopped on the SPOT bus. I don’t often ride our free community transportation, but whenever I do I’m always thankful it exists. The drivers are courteous and helpful, the buses are clean and the routes are pretty easy to figure out. Also, their website has a live map feature that tracks where the bus is so you don’t have to worry about missing it. Finally, I didn’t know this until I checked their website, but SPOT also provides on-request service to the Bonners Ferry area. Learn more at spotbus. org. Happy riding.
GUEST SUBMISSION:
• “I’d like to give a Bouquet to our library, which is wonderful year-round, but this spring gifted us with hundreds of tulips.”
— by Cynthia Dalsing Barbs:
• If you’ve ever attended a candidates’ forum that I’ve moderated, you’ll know that I have very little patience for people in the audience shouting insults, booing, heckling or otherwise acting a fool because they don’t like the candidate speaking on stage. Politics is a bloodsport now, with people wearing their “colors” and screaming vitriol every chance they get. This isn’t anything new. Politics was nasty even before it turned craven and dumb. But we seem to have erased the basic respect and civility that once existed beneath all the meanness and replaced it with... whatever this is that we see today. It’s important to have passion about the issues, but it’s even more important to maintain a level of decorum. Nietzsche wrote: “Beware that, when fighting monsters, you yourself do not become a monster.” Amen.
‘Who benefits by switching parties?’...
Dear editor,
Many Democrats temporarily register as Republicans — not because their values have changed, but to influence Republican primaries by supporting more liberal candidates. Then, after the primary, they switch back to vote Democrat in the general election.
The real question is: Who are they trying to help?
Stop Idaho RINOs is an organization that tracks and scores legislative voting records. According to their published data, Mark Sauter voted with Democrats 83.9% of the time in 2025 and 74.3% in 2026. While he disputes these numbers, the data is publicly available. Review it for yourself at VotesWithDems.com and see exactly how the scores are calculated.
This is why Jane Sauter is running.
Jane believes District 1 deserves clear, consistent, conservative representation, not someone whose voting record aligns so frequently with the opposing party. A lifelong Republican, Jane has spent over 30 years actively serving in the party and standing for its principles. Jane is not driven by power or personal gain. She is grounded in integrity and committed to doing what’s right for the people she represents.
If you want a representative who reflects Idaho’s conservative values, the choice is clear: JaneSauterforIdaho.com.
Vote Jane on May 19.
preserve or enhance those elements important to so many of us.
It is important to remember that quality of life is many things to many people. It is not only water and recreation, but it is also the many facets of health care, education and the economic opportunities to achieve a livable income for young families. Mark Sauter gives serious consideration to how decisions made in Boise affect the many aspects of our quality of life and is quite worthy of our votes to reelect him.
Please vote for Mark Sauter, House of Representative, District 1.
Steve Klatt
Sagle
Herndon
is the candidate to lower taxes…
Dear editor,
My property tax bill has doubled in the last several years, even though I’m not living in a bigger house or using more services. The government simply decided my home is worth more and sends me a bigger bill each year.
After living in this community for 21 years, I am finally seeing some movement and taxpayer advocacy.
Scott Herndon is the only candidate for Senate District 1 who voted to override the governor’s veto on H.B. 292 — a $317.4 million property tax relief bill that is now, finally, saving homeowners money through the Homeowner Tax Reduction program.
Scott’s opponent is not so concerned about the financial welfare of his constituency. He voted against the $253 million income tax cut this year, and he was one of only two Republicans out of 90 to do so.
right here in Sandpoint.
During debate, Jim Woodward said he didn’t support the “punitive measures” in the bill. The punitive measures are what protect our daughters and granddaughters. As a mother, I want legislators who take women’s safety seriously, not ones who worry about being too tough on men who walk into girls’ locker rooms.
Vote Herndon and Rasor on May 19.
Kathryn Barlow Spirit Lake
Veterans group endorses Jim Woodward and Mark Sauter…
Dear editor, Veterans for Idaho Voters is proud to endorse Jim Woodward and Mark Sauter. V4IV stands for: the Constitution and rule of law, civil rights and individual privacy, free speech, and we advocate for veterans benefits and health care. Both candidates serve their constituents, not special interest groups, and have consistently voted to support veterans.
We are especially concerned that Woodward’s opponent, Scott Herndon, does not appreciate the role veterans have played in assuring the freedoms he and we enjoy. In 2023 and 2024, Scott Herndon voted against funding Idaho’s Division of Veterans Services. He was one of only nine senators voting against veterans. This division supports Idaho’s veterans homes and assists county Veteran Service officers in helping veterans in their area obtain the benefits they need.
Gray Henderson, board member, V4IV Bonners Ferry
‘Don’t
Durst were recalled by a 60% majority. Scott Herndon gave those board members money to support them in resisting their potential recall.
Taking no accountability for the disruption, Herndon later told his supporters he had “literally nothing to do with” what happened there. Jim Woodward was raised here. He understands the importance of education and the community that our schools build. I encourage you to vote for Jim Woodward on May 19.
Barbara Fournier
Sandpoint
Dear editor,
At a Proposition 1 debate in 2024, a man stood up and admitted on camera that he is a lifelong anarchist who registered Republican solely to vote against conservative candidates in the primary. He said he agrees with nothing the Republican Party stands for.
Idaho voters crushed Prop 1 by a 70-30 margin. But people like this man are still registered Republican, and they are still voting in our primary.
Only one Democrat has filed for the Legislative District 1 race. The May 19 Republican primary is the election. If real Republicans don’t show up, we are handing our representation to people who openly oppose our values.
Defend your values and your future. Vote on May 19. Bring a friend.
Kristen Dodd Priest River
‘Mark
Sauter is the right Republican Sauter’... ‘May 19 urgency and infiltration’...
Mark Sauter’s efforts are ‘exemplary’ in Boise…
Anette Thompson Hope Dear editor, I would like to encourage all voters in Legislative District 1 to reelect Mark Sauter to the Idaho House of Representatives. Mark is quite exemplary in his efforts to represent us — he studies legislation for its impacts upon his constituency and makes a commendable effort to reach out to affected parties for input. A trait of Mark’s that is even more rare in elected officials and I respect a great deal: He truly listens to and thinks about what people are saying to him. Mark is a thoughtful, reasonable person sincerely interested in the panhandle’s quality of life and what can be done to
If property taxes matter to you and if you want a champion who will vote to lower your taxes, vote Scott Herndon on May 19. The May 19 primary is the election. Vote for the candidate that has proven that he believes in lowering taxes through his voting history.
Anita Aurit Sandpoint
Herndon
and Rasor deserve support for ‘bathroom bill’…
Dear editor, Idaho became the first state in the nation to pass a bathroom safety law this year. H.B. 752 makes it a crime for biological males to enter women’s restrooms, locker rooms and showers. Rep. Cornel Rasor and Scott Herndon co-authored the bill in response to an actual situation
ever forget the Durst disruption’...
Dear editor,
I was the music director for the West Bonner County School District for 17 years. I watched good teachers arrive and stay because they loved their community. I watched what happened when politics invaded a school district.
Scott Herndon talks about education freedom and parental rights, yet he personally endorsed Branden Durst to our district. Durst did not have the proper state qualifications, yet Herndon called Durst a personal friend and praised him publicly.
I had retired by this time, but remained in contact with parents and teachers. It was devastating to watch the West Bonner County situation unfold. A third of the teaching staff quit and the junior high closed. The board members who voted to hire
Dear editor, Mark Sauter is the right candidate for right-thinking residents. Mark makes time to listen, works hard to resolve issues, and promotes thoughtful legislation that balances small government and protections for freedom and quality of life. He promotes local control and “live and let live.”
Mark actually engages with all of the residents, returns phone calls and text messages. I’m afraid that certain caucus candidates simply vote to score high on an index. I have had zero response from members of that caucus. Being a representative is more than just voting an ideology. Mark puts the work in and is not owned by anyone.
Mark’s opponent pledges allegiance to a caucus platform that includes: 1. repeal of property taxes with no real plan to fund
< LTE, con’t from Page 8 >
public schools, 2. elimination of the PUC that protects consumers from utility monopolies, and 3. drastic statewide regulations including personal choices and prescribed ideologies.
Mark has worked hard the past two terms and is respected in the Capitol as an honest, principled and realistic representative who advocates for his constituents. Let’s keep the momentum going with the right Sauter. Mark Sauter — state representative for District 1A.
David Frohnen
Bonner County
Mark Sauter: a ‘level-headed and logical’ choice for House 1A…
Dear editor,
Mark Sauter deserves your vote. I am a Sandpoint native and local physician, and I have followed Mr. Sauter’s work in Boise as our District 1A representative over the last four years. He has voted to promote education and support local and rural health care in Idaho. He supported S.B. 1453 (the bill that establishes the Idaho Rural Health Transformation Fund of $186 million for our state). He has been an available lawmaker who makes time to listen to voters. His goals to work efficiently and for the people are evident in his work as representative.
I strongly encourage the re-election of Mark Sauter, who is a level-headed and logical representative for Bonner and Boundary counties. I encourage you to do the same.
Sincerely,
Jillian Klaucke, M.D. Sandpoint
‘Use
your voice in the May 19 primary’...
Dear editor,
Why does May 19 matter? Idaho’s primary determines which candidates in contested races are in the general election. Yet, in 2024’s presidential/statewide primary, only slightly more than 34% of Idaho registered citizens participated, meaning one elector spoke for every 66 non-voters.
What’s more deafening? As of February 2026, 6,200-plus Bonner County registered voters are “unaffiliated” — not aligned with any political party. Although unaffiliateds cannot vote in the closed Republican Primary unless registered as such, any registered voter can request an open Democratic primary ballot. Your homework: See your precinct’s Democratic ballot and get the very best candidates into the Nov. 3 election.
Your voice matters in the primary: 1. register or confirm your voter registration is current at voteidaho.gov; 2. designate as Democrat before or on May 19, or request the Democratic ballot at the County Clerk’s voter office or your polling place; 3. research all candidates and vote.
Need more voting information? Visit grassroots One Million Rising Sandpoint’s table on Saturday, May 9 and 16 at the corner of Oak and Fourth streets during Farmers’ Market
hours: 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Enter their drawing for a chance to win a La Chic Boutique gift card.
Arleen Lothian, acting chair, Bonner County Democrats
Dover
In opposition to Rasor for Dist. 1B House seat…
Dear editor,
I read all of Rep. Cornel Rasor’s news of his legislative work of the session and thanked him for providing them in a timely fashion.
Ironically, because of his reporting, I am more opposed to him representing District 1 than ever before.
He has consistently supported the Idaho Freedom Foundation, which pushes bills I find either unnecessary, divisive, inadequate or financially useless for meeting the needs of everyday Idahoans.
Since this is 21st-century Idaho and the advantage always is with the incumbent, I suggested that he give future constituents detailed reasons why he supported or voted against bills. Also, tell us why he ignores voters’ objections to bills he has decided to vote for or against.
His “bathroom bill” is the worst. He sponsored it because one woman fearfully and ignorantly believes women in society are endangered by mannish-appearing women, some of whom are not even trans.
From a human needs (and rights) perspective, because I care about those things, I’m truly appalled by the harm that will be done to such folks as a result of this new law. Also more statewide, nationwide and international humiliation for Idahoans.
Sincerely,
Clarice M. McKenney Bonners Ferry
‘Vote for honesty: Jim Woodward’...
Dear editor,
We don’t agree with every opinion of any candidate running for office. However, we highly value the truth and will support a person who is honest and ethical — a prerequisite for anyone seeking public office. For this reason, we are voting for Jim Woodward to represent us.
He is honest, even in the face of opposition. His opponent often responds in half-truths, as evidenced by the information he shares with voters. This behavior is not acceptable when representing the people of your community.
A vote for Mr. Woodward is a vote for honest and ethical behavior. It is that simple.
Diane and Dick Cvitanich Sandpoint
‘When will we ever learn?’…
Dear editor,
Way back in 1970, dressed in uniform, I participated in a peace march opposing the war in Vietnam. At that time, I felt that we as a nation were beginning to wake up. Yester-
day, I saw a woman wearing a new, black T-shirt emblazoned with a large American flag above the word “Victory” in large white letters. The lyrics from an old song came to me: “When will we ever learn?”
Mark Reiner Bonner County
‘Character witness’…
Dear editor,
What kind of man is Scott Herndon? His wife (a very good lady) loves him and thinks well of him. What better character witness than one who sees him in every type of situation? They are a very sweet couple.
The Herndons have been dedicated for many years to serving Idaho.
Yours in Christ,
Jenn McKnight Sandpoint
Mark Sauter serves his constituents, not an ‘out-of-state agenda’…
Dear editor, I’m endorsing Mark Sauter for re-election. We’ve known Mark for years and have watched him contribute to our community in many ways. With 30-plus years in the fire service, he worked with our local department to visit rural homes to help owners plan for wildfire mitigation and protection. He built and donated the Chuckwagon, where you buy burgers at many sporting events. He volunteers at the Catholic soup kitchen and for the CHAFE 150 ride — all long before public office.
He and Jim Woodward have worked tirelessly to get the Corps of Engineers to allocate $20 million dollars toward repairing the flood gates at Albeni Falls Dam. This is completely outside of state control, so they had little leverage to apply — in my opinion, harder than pulling teeth.
Mark and Jim, along with Gov. Little, made a huge effort to work to open the Springy Point campground last summer. They offered funding and staffing, but when the Corps doesn’t want to budge, the state has little influence.
We feel that Mark represents us very well in Boise. He takes time to listen to our community and supports us, not an out-ofstate agenda. Please join us in re-electing Mark Sauter.
Rob Harrison Sandpoint
‘Vote yes on the fire levy’...
Dear editor,
My family consists of the skilled middle class: firefighters, paramedics, nurses and law enforcement. The donor class and libertarian wing of the Republican Party see us as expendable.
The Bonner County Republican Central Committee, under the leadership of Scott Herndon, worked tooth and nail against the last levy sponsored by the Northside Fire
District. The BCRCC said we needed more volunteers instead of paid firefighters.
In January, I had the pleasure of watching a friend sworn in as a fire commissioner in a neighboring county. I went on a group tour of the station. During the tour, I asked how many of their firefighters were volunteers. “None,” according to our tour guide.
Then he gave three reasons why: “1. our goal is to be out the door in 60 seconds from the time we are dispatched; 2. volunteers are exposed to harmful chemicals when they keep their turnouts in their personal vehicles; 3. if a volunteer is injured on the scene of an incident, we might not be able to financially cover their entire injury.”
That made complete sense to me.
Vote yes on May 19 for the Northside Fire levy.
Diane Wheeler Sandpoint
‘Mark Sauter for Idaho and Bonner County’...
Dear editor,
Mark is a rare exception in the political arena. Whether you agree with him on certain viewpoints, legislation or ideologies, he carefully weighs the pros and cons of a topic while obtaining all the information available to make an informed decision. He’s not afraid to comment and give his opinion on a subject, which takes courage when your views may be contrary to others on an issue.
Equally important is listening and then following up with steps to effective change, while simultaneously eliciting additional feedback, support and collaboration between groups. This results in a practical and realistic approach to solving problems based on real conditions rather than theories or ideals.
Examples of his commitment include working with other legislators to establish and expedite a plan and timetable for the Albeni Falls Dam gate replacement, advocating for a longer summer pool on Lake Pend Oreille, supporting Idaho LAUNCH and his commitment to public safety and schools.
Mark is a lifelong public servant, having served 30 years as a firefighter and fire chief. It’s easy to criticize and critique when you are sitting in the stands; Mark has been on the field making the tough calls for Idaho and Bonner County.
Vernon Roof Sandpoint
Got something to say? Write a letter to the editor. We accept letters up to 200 words in length that are free from libelous statements and excessive profanity. Please elevate the conversation. Letters are published first come, first served. Send to letters@sandpointreader.com.
Science: Mad about
Toilet paper
By Brenden Bobby Reader Columnist
One of the worst feelings is having to rush to the bathroom after making a poor dietary decision, then realizing the only thing waiting for you in the stall is a rough cardboard tube. Toilet paper is a necessity we can’t live without, so it may surprise you to know that it’s a relatively new invention.
Sanitary paper wipes that we recognize as toilet paper were invented in 1857 by Joseph Gayetty. These were paper squares soaked in aloe vera and packaged for sale as a luxury item. Apparently, the squares felt right to consumers, because toilet paper rolls were patented not long after. In 1871, perforated wrapping paper was patented by Seth Wheeler.
I know what you’re thinking: Why are people rubbing random papers on their butts and calling it sanitary paper? I wish I could tell you, but it’s going to be one of those great unsolved mysteries of our world.
Regardless of the intentions, this perforated paper led to the development of proper toilet paper through the 1870s and into the 1890s, when it really took off. The Scott Paper Company began selling toilet paper to hotels and general stores through the 1890s. It was acquired by Kimberly-Clark in 1995 and contributed to the company’s $4.16 billion earnings in the first quarter of 2026. That’s a lot of paper from paper.
You’ve probably wondered at some point how your toilet paper is made. How many trees had to die just to be flushed down the toilet?
Most toilet paper isn’t actually made from fresh tree pulp. Hold onto your seat, because it might shock you to know that most toilet paper is manufactured from recycled paper. Manufacturers aren’t incredibly picky when sourcing recycled paper. While they largely won’t source from household recycled paper, they will often pull from office buildings, schools and grocery stores. The types of paper don’t really matter, as corrugated cardboard and standard office paper will likely end up as part of the final product. It begins with literal tons of baled paper being shipped to a factory. These bales are retrieved by a forklift and loaded into a processing line, which mechanically sorts out anything you don’t want touching your sensitive bits, like plastic, chunks of metal and staples.
Once free of debris, the paper is loaded into a huge vat called a pulper. The pulper mixes the paper with water and applies a churning mechanical motion to beat the paper back into loose cellulose fibers. During this stage, the pulp is subjected to centrifugal force and pushed through filters to remove anything plastic or metal missed during previous filtration steps.
Paper with a lot of ink has to be de-inked. Chemical agents are added to the pulp to cause the ink to separate and rise to the top of the mixture where it can be filtered away. The paper is also likely to be bleached to both kill any unwanted microorganisms and give it a pristine, alabaster appearance.
The pulp is fed through a refiner, which rolls the pulp, pressing the cellulose fibers and making them bond
together better. More water is added to the pulp during this stage, increasing the water amount to more than 95% of the pulp’s total composition.
A paper machine further refines the pulp into paper, pressing it between rollers and over a wire mesh that allows excess water to drain from the cellulose fibers. This is where it becomes a huge continuous sheet of paper. The sheet is fed into a vacuum chamber that helps gently remove water and further strengthen the bond of the fibers. Huge, heavy machines press the wet, pulpy sheet and squeeze the water out of it. It’s a lot like trying to juice an orange at this stage, but instead of orange juice you get toilet paper water.
Removing the last of the water occurs through thermal drying. Big metal cylinders called Yankee dryers use a combination of heat generated by internal steam and external pressure evaporate the water. As much as 90% of the water used during toilet paper production is reused, though much of it likely escapes as evaporation during this phase.
The nearly finished product is spun around rollers to form a huge rolled sheet that can be up to 50 miles long and weigh more than three tons. These are called parent rolls, and it’s pretty funny watching them get carried through the factory on massive cranes.
Parent rolls are fed into a rewinding machine that unrolls and rerolls the paper so that it can be cut down to size for consumer use. Despite the rising popularity of the giant rolls of toilet paper we’ve been seeing in stores, three tons is a bit too much for the average household.
The paper is embossed during this stage, creating the texture pattern you recognize on every sheet. This serves two main purposes: first, it helps multi-ply sheets to bond together; second, it helps wipe away persistent waste while performing its assigned duties by creating an uneven and textured surface.
The cardboard core is manufactured in the same
facility, and the embossed paper is wound onto the tube. It is tightly controlled to maintain uniformity and comfortability before being sent off to another area to be cut down into smaller handsized rolls by high-speed saws. At this point, it is sent off to be packaged and sent to distribution centers and store aisles near you.
Stay curious, 7B.
Random Corner
• The earliest reference to an ice house built for food preservation comes from Zimri-Lim, the former king of Mari, who built an ice house in the ancient Middle Eastern city of Terqa. The details of his construction were found on a cuneiform inscription from 1780 B.C.E. Ice was harvested and used in human-created pits, which were later found in Greece, China and other Asian countries.
• By 400 B.C.E., the yakhchāl, an ancient type of ice house, was used for refrigeration in Persia. These advanced ice houses were also capable of making their own ice, saving the task of harvesting from lakes, rivers and mountains.
• William Cullen, of the University of Glasgow, delivered the first known public demonstration of basic refrigeration in 1748, but no uses were found for the process at the time. Sixty years later, American inventor Oliver Evans designed a blueprint for the first refrigerator, but it never got off the ground. It wasn’t until 1835 when the “father
of the refrigerator,” Jacob Perkins, collaborated with Evans to develop the first practical fridge utilizing vapor compression technology.
• The first domestic electric refrigerator came in 1913 with American engineer Fred W. Wolf’s creation, later improved by William C. Durant’s first self-contained domestic fridge. Kitchens would never be the same again. These early models from the 1920s were quite expensive, with price tags equivalent to between $4,000 and nearly $6,000 in today’s dollars.
• One of the dirtiest parts of every household are the fridge handles, which everyone touches and rarely get cleaned.
• The world’s largest fridge is the Large Hadron Collider, which weighs 11,106 tons.
• Friday, May 29 is Put a Pillow on Your Fridge Day, when some people literally put a pillow on top of their fridge, believing it brings wealth and good luck.
Candidates for contested LD1 and Bonner County seats tackle issues at primary forum
By Zach Hagadone and Soncirey Mitchell Reader Staff
Ahead of the Tuesday, May 19 primary election, candidates in contested races for Idaho Legislative District 1 Senate, Dist. 1 House and Bonner County offices gathered at the Sandpoint High School auditorium May 4 and May 5 to answer questions and make their cases to voters.
Sponsored by 88.5 FM KRFY Panhandle Community Radio, sandpointonline. com, the Bonner County Daily Bee, Selkirk Association of Realtors and the Sandpoint Reader, at total of about 150 attendees turned out for the two-hour forums.
The first, which featured LD1 candidates, was moderated by Clint Schroeder, president and executive editor of the Hagadone Newspaper and Media groups, which owns the Bee. The second forum was moderated by Reader Publisher Ben Olson.
To listen to full recordings of both forums, go to krfy.org.
LD1 House and Senate
All six candidates for contested Dist. 1 legislative seats are Republicans, providing plenty of opportunity for drawing internal party distinctions. After introductory remarks, candidates were asked about tax cuts, education funding, public lands, the influence of groups like the Idaho Freedom Foundation and their views on local control.
Incumbent House 1A Rep. Mark Sauter pointed to the challenges faced by the 2026 Legislature in backfilling revenue lost from previous tax cuts, as well as conforming to the Big Beautiful Bill Act. He said that while difficult, the expenditure cuts this year mean “it’s going to work out OK,” so long as legislators “watch our tax cuts very closely.”
Jane Sauter (no relation), who is challenging Mark Sauter for the 1A House seat, argued for further spending cuts, pointing to programs from the COVID-19 pandemic, saying, “If they’re not effective, then they should probably just be nixed.”
Incumbent House 1B Rep. Cornel Rasor said while Idaho’s income tax rate has fallen from 7.4% to 5.3%, General Fund receipts from income tax have risen from $1.6 billion to $2.7 billion.
“When you leave money in the hands of people who are providing jobs, infrastructure, housing and those kinds of things, they will invest it back,” he said.
He also argued for more cuts, including eliminating “hundreds” of state-level fulltime employee positions that are vacant but still funded.
Chuck Lowman, who is challenging Rasor, cautioned against “willy-nilly cutting things off.” He questioned removing Idaho property tax, saying it would result in counties asking Boise to meet their needs. He suggested “a local option sales tax or a blended sales tax where we have a property tax amount coupled with a 1/4% sales tax that pays down on good years, [and] it pays it off on bad years.”
Incumbent Sen. Jim Woodward said he voted for many of the income tax cuts referred to by Rasor, but the
reduction to 5.3% meant “we took away our ability to maintain those basic public services,” including taking about $250 million out of the transportation budget and “we had to play games” with the Idaho Department of Lands budget, which means money hasn’t be pre-allocated to pay for fire suppression this summer.
“I voted for multiple tax reductions, but I still believe we have to take care of those basic services,” he said.
Former-one-term Dist. 1 Sen. Scott Herndon, who is challenging Woodward, has made eliminating property tax a central plank in his campaign, and said health care is one of the biggest budget concerns facing the state — specifically Medicaid expansion, which he called “way more expensive than we were told.”
“We’re going to have to decide how much of our time we want to give away each year to fund it in government. Are we going to have to decide whether we want free markets?” he said. “I prefer free markets and lower taxes.”
All the candidates expressed their support for public education funding, and to varying degrees agreed that the funding formula needs to be revamped — including related to how urban vs. rural schools are allocated support.
Herndon claimed 79% of public education funding comes from the state, rather
than property taxes, suggesting that it could be fully funded by the Legislature. He also proposed that enrollment, rather than attendance, should be the basis for allocating dollars. Mark Sauter agreed that funding should be based on enrollment, but attendance should count as well. In addition, he said that costs for special education have not kept pace with funding and need to be addressed in the formula. Jane Sauter especially expressed support for state funding for public education alternatives and suggested eliminating the LAUNCH Program to free up $80 million for K-12 education.
The remaining questions about public lands, outside influence and local control revolved around similar themes: how candidates would balance the various interests pressing on their offices.
On public lands, Herndon pointed to his work in the Senate on maintaining public access to Lake Pend Oreille at Camp Bay. Meanwhile, on public lands generally, he said, “I don’t think after 50 years, 100 years, 250 years that the right solution is to give that away.”
Woodward underscored the importance of public lands to Idahoans and questioned Herndon’s stance on the issue, saying, “a couple years ago, he was ready to sell them. ... [H]e campaigned open-
ly on selling public lands.” Woodward also pushed back at Herndon’s criticism of his vote on a bill that would have criminalized trespassing on closed federal land, saying, “[I]f you’re trespassing, you’re actually trespassing, whether you’re on public ground or private land.”
Lowman and Mark Sauter came out strongly against selling public land, with both pointing to the Good Neighbor Authority as a tool to leverage local management of federal land, particularly with fire risk reduction.
“I support keeping our public lands. Hands down. Full stop,” Sauter said, while Lowman warned that selling public lands would mean “you and I would never see them again.”
Rasor said that all land under federal control in Idaho should be managed by the state, while Jane Sauter said that while she’s “all about” keeping public lands in public hands, “if it’s going to cause a strain on people who are sitting on the other 37%, I say it’s time to expand [development].”
< see FORUMS, Page 12 >
Top left: Dist. 1 legislative candidates participate in a forum May 4. Photo by Zach Hagadone. Top right: Bonner County commissioner and clerk candidates speak on May 5.. Photo by Ben Olson
ELECTION
< FORUMS, con’t from Page 11 >
All the candidates resisted the idea that they would legislate according to the scoring systems employed by organizations like IFF, though those rankings have been prominent in campaign materials. Herndon, Rasor and Jane Sauter all said they approach legislation from a purely constitutional standpoint, while Lowman, Mark Sauter and Woodward emphasized legislating both on the Constitution but also the interests of Dist. 1 residents.
On local control, Lowman, Mark Sauter and Woodward were again in agreement, repeating that they believe in devolving as much authority to the local level as possible — with all three opposing the deregulation of short-term rentals as an example of state-level overreach. Herndon, Rasor and Jane Sauter said to varying degrees that the state must step in on various issues to supersede local authority, specifically citing the “bathroom bill,” legislation related to what can be displayed on municipal flagpoles and the STR bill as appropriate uses of state power.
Herndon and Rasor pointed to Idaho as a Dillon’s Rule state, meaning
the powers of cities and counties come from the Legislature and statute, therefore superseding those authorities when necessary, to which Jane Sauter agreed.
Lowman, Sauter and Woodward, however, were firm in their support for local control, with Woodward summing up their shared perspective: “I trust you at the local level to be able to make your own decisions, but the trend in the Legislature right now is taking it away.”
Bonner County
The four Republican candidates for contested county seats — two for clerk and two for Dist. 2 commissioner — responded to questions on property rights, county finances and election security, among other topics.
Clerk candidates Roger Rudd and Spencer Hutchings agreed that Idaho — especially Bonner County — does not experience “significant voter fraud.”
“We have lots of checks and balances put in place to make sure that there is no voter fraud. One of them is purging the voter rolls every two years,” said Rudd, explaining that purging the records ensures that
“people that are on the voter rolls are actually living where they’re supposed to be living, are registered to vote and that they have residency to vote in the precinct that they’re in.”
Hutchings said the county “has had some pretty clean elections,” but questioned the security of electronic vote tallies and the accuracy of Idaho voter rolls.
“The feds have asked us to turn over our voter rolls, and for some reason, we’ve decided we’re not gonna do that,” said Hutchings. “I don’t know if we feel like we have something to hide, or if we’re just doing it to be obstinate, but if the feds want to look at our voter rolls ... let them look at them.”
Rudd disagreed, saying that voter rolls contain “sensitive information” entrusted to the Clerk’s Office.
“[The] personal, sensitive information that you have given to your county office as a voter in Bonner County has no business just being sent willy-nilly to the federal government,” said Rudd. “I love the current administration, but they are not allowed to just come in here and bully voter rolls out of any county, much less the state.”
The question of weighing personal property rights against public health came up in multiple forms, with incumbent Dist. 2 Commissioner Asia Williams and challenger Jeff Roberts agreeing that private property rights have limitations.
“I believe your land is your kingdom,” said Roberts. “Anything within those borders of your property should be free for you to utilize as you see fit, as long as you don’t impact your neighbor in a negative way [or] create an extra tax burden or additional burdens on county resources.”
He further cited strain on area emergency services and light, noise and dust pollution as considerations when ruling on land use. Williams added that it is the commissioners’ job to follow Idaho’s Local Land Use Planning Act, the county’s Comprehensive Plan and sub-area plans when considering land use applications, as well as to take into account all public input.
“When you look at the decisions I have made when it comes to property rights, you will see that I have paid attention to the impacts to every last one of your properties that have come through my review, to ensure that one person doesn’t benefit greater than another person when they’re coming and requesting to do something that’s different than what their property is zoned as,” said Williams.
Candidates in both races were asked
about accepting federal grant money. Rudd and Hutchings both clarified that the Clerk’s Office has no say in whether the county accepts or applies for grants, but, if elected, they would ensure all money is properly stewarded and spent. Williams and Roberts agreed that the county shouldn’t be “dependent” on grants, but Williams conceded that some grants are necessary to maintain county infrastructure.
Roberts argued that Bonner County should not have accepted American Rescue Plan Act funds, as, “We saw such an infringement on constitutional rights” by the federal government through the COVID-19 pandemic. He further disagreed with a May 5 vote by Williams to open bids for a heated building to house airport snow removal equipment — a project to be 97.5% paid for by a Federal Aviation Administration grant.
“The county only had to pay a small portion of that, but that’s still taxpayer money, that’s still growing government and spending money here locally, and giving a nod to the feds, saying, ‘Yes, continue to tax American citizens. Can you just send that money to Bonner County?’” said Roberts.
Williams clarified that she also opposed ARPA, but that the previous board voted to accept funds before she took office. Further, she maintained that institutions like the airport “unfortunately” require grants so the burden doesn’t fall solely on county taxpayers.
“The moment that Bonner County decided that we wanted an airport, that meant that you were going to be accepting grant funds,” said Williams.
“I actually studied and became a grant writer and grant writer consultant so that I could make sure that Bonner County doesn’t get entangled in things that we don’t want as a community,” she added.
Commissioner candidates also weighed in on the future of the Bonner County Fairgrounds, both emphasizing the importance of public input. Williams added that the Fair Board requested her as its liaison, and that she is currently working to help create the fair’s five-year plan, ensure that all meetings are streamed via Zoom and elect new board members with financial experience.
The primary election will be held on Tuesday, May 19. For all things election-related, visit idahovotes.gov.
By Emily Erickson Reader Columnist
We’ve grown accustomed to sharing the minutiae of our lives — the small (and smaller) details that make up our day-to-day. We capture steam rising off a morning mug of coffee and record the sunrise spilling over a placid lake. We share sleeping puppies and kid snuggles and date night selfies. We add videos to our stories from our run club, happy hours and the weekend concert — our faces illuminated with the flashing colors of the band’s light show.
We’ve also made a habit of sharing the bigger moments — the view from the airplane window or holding the keys to a new car, a new home, a new apartment. We raise signs to the camera, with canned milestone slogans, like “I Said Yes!”; “Little Brother Coming Soon”; “Graduating Class”; and, “I Passed!” We ask others to celebrate our wins and commemorate our deepest losses, seeking camaraderie in the experience of living and being seen.
But what can speak louder than all the things we share are the things we don’t — either intentionally withholding or because we’re too thick in events to think to share them.
We often don’t capture the details behind our biggest or shared moments: the skipped nights out to save money, the strain of juggling life’s relationship logistics, the generalized anxiety and sleepless nights, and the quietest moments of not knowing how to make it through while looking at everyone else’s big and little wins — or the losses they’re handling with so much grace.
These gaps in sharing create a particular kind of unease; the sense that we’re the only ones without it figured out,
Emily Articulated
Sharing
that we’re somehow behind or that the “right” stage is passing us by (all while scrabbling to redefine what stages are still left available).
The effect is often referred to as “Millennial Imposter Syndrome,” or the persistent feeling of being off-track compared to generations before us, of not quite feeling like a “real adult” despite being well into our 30s and 40s.
Of course, this sense of unease is well earned — not simply a feeling, but a statistically sound reality. Millennials have reached traditional milestones later (if at all), with lower rates of moving out, buying homes, getting married and having children than previous generations at a comparable age.
Each of our steps has been delayed by a mix of economic pressure and changing norms. Wages have stagnated while housing, child care and everyday living costs have climbed. Even financial independence has shifted, with more people relying on some form of family support longer than generations before.
This, despite what our unflinching critics might suggest, is not for lack of trying or moral failure, but rather the result of impeccably bad timing at every turn — entering the workforce during the 2008 recession; navigating the economic fallout of COVID-19;
and building careers in an environment shaped by instability, inflation and rising costs. For many of us, it has been less a winding path and more a prolonged, uneven start.
Already, millennials are pushing back against these feelings of imposter syndrome in the only way we know how: We add radical transparency to the list of things we feel compelled to share by calling out into the void, “This sucks for you, too, right?”
Although it’s not ubiquitous, there has been a noticeable uptick in sharing the unglamorous, behind-thescenes details — influencers “de-influencing” with unedited selfies beside polished ones, messy houses before the clean version and exasperated snapshots of kids’ meltdowns (usually packaged in self-deprecating humor, our favorite brand of armor).
This trend will surely cement us as the generation of authenticity, perhaps to the point of being, as the kids would say, “cringe.”
Call it excessive earnestness (and throw in a side of Disney/Harry Potter fanaticism and nostalgiacore), and you can define a generation.
Yet, there are still things we tend to hold close to the chest. The biggest gap isn’t struggle; it’s context — the subtle or not-so-subtle legs-up that shape outcomes. Maybe that’s because these are often the hardest things to acknowledge, even to ourselves. Parents with the means to help. Homes to move back into. Safety nets that make risk survivable.
I’ve felt that tension personally. I recently wrote about building a house without sharing how that was possible: luck, circumstance and privilege. We bought our current house before the COVID boom, and our mortgage pay-
ments have been a fraction of local rent costs, allowing us to save money. We have parents who gifted land and family support that would catch us, even if we fell completely on our faces. These are advantages many people don’t have (that I married into) and that I’m still learning to accept without apology.
Perhaps we don’t actually need to share every qualifier. Maybe that instinct — to contextualize, to soften, to make sure we don’t come across as out of touch — is its own kind of millennial guilt. But if sharing doesn’t always carry the full
picture, then consuming has to. Because what we’re seeing is never the whole story.
If we can be sure of anything, it’s this: We’re doing great (even if that’s just OK). Everyone is a mess a lot of the time. Some people get lucky and others have support that makes everything possible. And most importantly, we’re not alone in our circumstances, even if it feels like we are.
Emily Erickson is a writer and business owner with an affinity for black coffee and playing in the mountains. Connect with her online at www.bigbluehat.studio.
Retroactive By BO
Emily Erickson.
By Sandy Compton Reader Columnist
I‘m writing from Maui, where, as I do at home, I generally ignore the news, but some things beg speaking to.
Donnie has managed to piss off the whole world — again — by starting a war with Iran. And posting the Jesus meme. Now, another “sick person” has tried to kill him, though Cole Allen seemed much saner than other attackers, until he wasn’t any more.
On trouble in paradise
maladjusted spider, but the anchor of the web is close by. All roads seem to lead to Ma’alaea Harbor — sooner or later.
Factoid: There have been 17 documented plots and attempts to kill DJT, a new record.
This is my fifth visit to the island. I’m able to find my way around without much assistance from Google Girl. The road system seems designed by a
However, if you want to drive around the southeast corner of the island, you first have to drive to the north side, where the road to Haleakala National Park begins. There once was a connection of a few miles between the Kula and Wailea at the far southern end of Ma’alaea Bay, but it has been closed for reasons not clear. One thought is that residents of upcountry Kula don’t want hordes of Haleakala-bound tourons driving through. Can’t blame them.
Maui’s climate is paradisical, but it’s also a place with complicated, conflicting cultural values. The population is roughly 30% Asian, 33% white, 13% Indigenous Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, and 24% mixed ethnicity. Add to this the dichotomy of extreme wealth and extreme poverty living just across the fence from each other.
The wealthy, of course, built the fences. The lower class seems one missed paycheck from living in their car, while quarter-acre lots on the beach sell for millions. Wailea and Kapalua resorts charge $500 a night — and more for oceanside views. Mediocre bread is $5. Romaine is $3.50 a head (but it’s good romaine). Two bags of groceries and a 2.5-gallon container of water cost $130. Only my shopping acumen (I’m pretty good at it) saved me from paying $160.
There is sometimes a not-so-subtle show of resentment toward visitors (about 55,000 on any given day). In spite of my friendly approach, the Safeway checker who took my $130 was just short of rude. One of their fellows stood in my way as I moved the cart through the station, and they gabbed about an acquaintance’s eye problems. They seemed annoyed that I would interrupt such an important conversation.
As I walked to the beach yesterday, I encountered a Maui Pest Control officer who had trapped a feral rooster, whose sins likely include beginning to crow at three in the morning — along with hundreds of others, island-wide.
As I walked to the beach today, I encountered a flock of chickens chowing down on freshly spread feed next to a herd of feral cats breakfasting on a buffet of dry cat food; both delivered, I assume, by the same well-meaning person. Though there are prohibitions against it, they’re being fed.
The feral people (of which there are many) have to fend for themselves, though I suspect there’s a symbiotic relationship between cats, chickens and the homeless that I don’t want to think about too much.
One of the bright spots of this visit was stargazing with PacWhale boat tours. We went out at sunset and spent two-and-a-half hours watching stars come out. As Venus appeared in the western sky and the moon and Jupiter above, astronomer Harriet Witt began a two-hour presentation on the heavens, including the way the Polynesians made use of stars navigating from Marquesas and Tahiti to discover Hawaii — only about a thousand years ago.
Their reasons for looking for new places are familiar: overcrowding, depleted resources, religious differences — and the human compulsion to explore. They found Hawaii in a primal state — the volcanoes rose from the sea fewer than 150,000 years ago — with little in the way of native creatures or plants. The waters were fish-rich, though, and it didn’t take long to find that the soil would grow just about anything.
The couple of centuries after the initial discovery brought a new ecosystem. Cargo carried from Polynesia in double-hulled canoes included taro, pigs, chickens, dogs, sweet potatoes, bananas and coconuts. The 2,600-mile trip from Tahiti to Hawaii took about six weeks; paddling and sailing roughly 60 miles a day in open ocean. When Captain Cook arrived in 1778, the Hawaiian culture — heavily influenced by Polynesian mores — was eight or nine centuries old.
The coolest thing I learned on the stargazing tour was that the three stars of Orion’s belt are directly above and in alignment with the equator. I was also able — for a precious little while — to turn off the rest of the world, which gets crazier every day.
Sandy Compton. Courtesy photo
‘I dealt with the aftermath’...
By Kim Keaton Reader Contributor
I spent 15 years as the Sandpoint Middle School principal. I retired proud of what we built. Our students felt safe and parents trusted us to look after their kids.
One day after the school ended, Steve Herndon’s group positioned themselves outside our school with large graphic signs displaying dismembered fetal images.
I spent many hours on the phone with my parents that afternoon. They were calling because their 12- and 13-year-old children had walked past those signs on the way out of school and were frightened and confused. I had no good answer for them. I had not chosen this for our students.
I contacted the appropriate people about the graphic displays. The response from Herndon’s side was not concerned. It was a reminder that they had legal rights and intended to use them on the public sidewalks leading out from our school.
I want to be clear about something. I am not making a political argument about abortion. I am telling you what I witnessed as a school administrator: A man deliberately chose the entrance of a middle school as the location for graphic imagery designed, by his
own admission, to elicit reactions. He called the disruption necessary. Our school staff and the parents of these children spend countless hours working with our children on an age-appropriate education. We don’t want them exposed to graphic pictures of things that they don’t understand. Most parents want childhood to be an age of innocence. Many people who move here want that also. Growing up in Sandpoint, I had that opportunity. I still want that for my young grandsons. That man is now running for the Idaho Senate for the fourth time. He is asking District 1 to trust his judgment and his character.
I watched Scott Herndon exercise both his judgement and his character outside my school. I am voting for Jim Woodward on May 19 — truly a person of character and decency. God bless our troops and those that spend every day protecting our children.
Kim Keaton is a retired principal in the Lake Pend Oreille School District.
Kim Keaton. Courtesy photo
COMMUNITY
Reader takes home 20 Idaho Press Club awards
Staff earned seven first place plaques and took second in general excellence
By Reader Staff
There are two important events that occur every first Saturday in May. One is the Kentucky Derby, which Sandpoint Reader staff members always celebrate in fine style. The other is the Idaho Press Club Awards Banquet in Boise, which honors the best journalism to come out of the state each year.
Reader staff members cleaned up at both events this year. The Reader took home a total of 20 awards in the Publication-Weekly Division for statewide media, including second place for general excellence (for the third year in a row).
Editor-in-Chief Zach Hagadone earned two first-place plaques; one in the Watchdog Report category for “Sandpoint City Council votes to amend non-discrimination ordinance,” and the other in Editorial for “A profile in cowardice.”
Hagadone took home four second-place awards in Data Journalism, Column, Political Report and Outdoor Feature categories. Finally, he earned two third-place awards for Spot News
Coverage and Business Report.
Hagadone also serves on the Idaho Press Club board and was one of the presenters this year — to our knowledge the first time a North Idaho journalist has had this honor.
Senior Writer Soncirey Mitchell earned two first-place awards in the Weekly Division; the first in the Health/Medical Report for “Theory of Unknown Origin: The Fog,” and the other in the Crime Report category for
“AG’s office rules that Korn did not violate state criminal law.”
Mitchell also won a third-place award in the Agriculture Report category.
Publisher Ben Olson took home three first-place plaques; one in Light Feature Report for “A dying cause: Local nonprofits and philanthropy clubs sound the alarm over declining membership,” one in the Series category for “Backpacking the Balkans” and one in the Sports Story category for the article “Casting for a cause.”
Olson earned two second-place awards in the Serious Feature Report and Data Driven Journalism categories, and four third-place awards in the Outdoor Feature, Arts/Entertainment Report, Serious Feature Report and Column categories.
“This annual awards banquet is always a reminder that I am lucky to work with two very talented journalists here at the Reader,” Olson said. “I’m proud of what they have accomplished.”
The Reader isn’t the only North Idaho newspaper to earn state awards. The Bonner County Daily Bee also won two first-place awards in the Publication-Daily Division.
Caroline Lobsinger, Chloe Cochran, Max Oswald and Jack Freeman won first place for General Excellence-Printed, and Oswald took first place for Special Purpose Publication-Printed for Fall Sports 2025.
The Idaho Press Club provides training opportunities, lobbies the Legislature on issues of press freedom and access, and assists members with communications related to everything from media law and public records requests to changes within the news and P.R. industries.
(L-R): Soncirey Mitchell, Ben Olson and Zach Hagadone at the Idaho Press Club awards banquet in Boise
Date set for Long Bridge Half Marathon
By Reader Staff
Priest Lake Race will once again host the Long Bridge Half Marathon, taking runners along the shores and up over the waters of Lake Pend Oreille on Saturday, May 9. Online registration closes Friday, May 8 at 6 p.m., and racers will begin the long trek at 8 a.m. sharp the following day.
Attendees can sign up for the half marathon, 10-kilometer and 5K courses, with all distances starting and ending at Sandpoint City Beach. Arrive at 6 a.m. to pick up packets and prepare for the staggered start time for the various distances, beginning with the half marathon at 8 a.m. All races must end by noon.
The paved, flat course is accessible to all skill levels and is USA Track & Field-certified, meaning serious
athletes can run their official personal records or qualifiers.
Runners, friends and family can enjoy a post-race meal and celebration at City Beach following the race, when the fastest according to distance and age group can collect their finishing medals.
Entry costs are $89 for the half marathon, $65 for the 10K, and $55 for the 5K. Register in advance at priestlakerace.com or arrive early for on-site, day-of registration.
Courtesy photo
COMMUNITY
Community volunteers to build fences to keep people and pets together
By Reader Staff
As part of Cedar Hills Church’s “Serve Sandpoint” day on Sunday, June 14, volunteers from the congregation, along with other members of the Sandpoint community, will head out across the area to complete a variety of service projects — including building three fences at no cost to community members in need of secure outdoor spaces for their pets.
Applications for the fencing projects are open now through Friday, May 15.
Interested individuals and families can apply online at bettertogetheranimalalliance.org or in person at the Bonner Community Food Bank (1707 Culvers Drive, in Sandpoint), or during business hours at BTAA’s Animal Care Center (870 Kootenai Cutoff Road, in Ponderay).
Selected applicants will be notified by Monday, June 1. To qualify, applicants must reside in Sagle, Dover, Sandpoint, Ponderay or Kootenai.
“The last time we held this event in the summer of 2024, we had almost 400 volunteers working on about 18 service projects,” stated Michele Murphee, of Cedar Hills Church. “For our 2024 event and this event, our service projects are primarily with our local nonprofits and schools. Again this year, we have about 18 projects and we’re really excited about getting the opportunity to work with BTAA on three of them.”
BY THE NUMBERS
By Ben Olson Reader Staff
$1 billion
The amount of taxpayer money included in a long-term immigration and border patrol funding bill introduced by Republicans for “security improvements” accompanying the overall ballroom project at the White House. For months, President Donald Trump has claimed the ballroom he’s building on the White House grounds (after demolishing the East Wing) is a “gift to the nation” courtesy of “patriotic private donors.” Trump first claimed the project would cost $200 million and all the money would come from private donors. Then the projected costs increased to $300 million, then $400 million — again claiming all funds would come from non-taxpayer money.
The fence-building projects are intended to help pet owners ensure their furred friends aren’t lost, surrendered or injured while roaming unsupervised. In 2025 alone, BTAA took in 177 stray dogs, many from situations where a safe, enclosed space could have made a difference.
“This type of collaboration is what makes our region such a wonderful place to live,” stated BTAA Executive Director Mandy Evans. “We’re launching this project during Live Give 7B, a countywide campaign that celebrates and supports local nonprofits. And while a generous donor is matching contributions up to $10,000 made to BTAA during the Live Give 7B campaign, this fencing project is made possible through dedicated partnerships with Cedar Hills and Humble & Black Real Estate. These fences are more than just materials. They’re peace of mind for families and a way to keep pets safe at home, where they belong. ...
“Keeping people and pets together is the core of our mission,” she added.
BTAA is a nonprofit animal welfare organization based in Ponderay but serving Bonner, Boundary and Kootenai counties.
Learn more at bettertogetheranimalalliance.org, cedarhillschurch.com and humbleandblack.com.
“These are all private individuals that put up a lot of money to build the ballroom,” Trump said in November 2025. “Not one penny is being used from the federal government.” If the Republicans’ funding bill passes, all $1 billion will come from taxpayer funds, and might include hundreds of millions more dollars for “renovations and repairs” to the presidential residence.
100%
The percentage of new vehicles in the U.S. that would be required to include impaired-driving detection technology by 2027 under a federal safety mandate. The rule would shift auto safety toward active monitoring systems — including cameras and sensors to assess driver alertness and potentially disable vehicles — even as regulators acknowledge the technology is not yet fully reliable for real-world use.
Applications are open for the BTAA Good Neighbors Fencing Project. Courtesy photo
Top left: Robyn Yeary, a 50-year resident of Sandpoint, brought the Reader to Edinburgh Castle in Scotland. Yeary just finished a seven-country, four-month trip.
Top right: Arborist Paige Belfry demonstrates how to correctly plant a tree at the Sandpoint library with help from an attendee. With 20 people attending this workshop, the bur oak was planted at the north end of the library’s parking lot as part of Earth Day events sponsored by the library. Photo by Susan Drinkard.
Middle: Opening day at the Sandpoint Farmers’ Market. Photo by Olivia Gonzales.
Bottom left: Spring daffodils opening their petals to the sunshine. Photo by Ron Bedford.
Bottom second from left: Cynthia Dalsing and Mark Coburn brought the Reader to Cartagena, Colombia.
Bottom center: “My granddaughter’s first morel,” wrote photographer Don Crawford. Pictured is Rosemary Ball.
Bottom right: Kathryn Larson brought the Reader along to Puerto Rico.
To submit a photo for a future edition, please send to ben@sandpointreader.com.
COMMUNITY
Celebrating Mother’s Day in Sandpoint
By Reader Staff
May 10, 2026, marks 121 years since Anna Jarvis began her campaign to make Mother’s Day an official U.S. holiday, and 112 years since President Woodrow Wilson signed the proclamation that secured her goal. Jarvis spoke out against the later commodification of the holiday, arguing that it was a day to honor and spend time with mothers above all.
Nowadays, it’s hard to separate the presents from the holiday, which most mothers don’t mind. Still, there are a few events in Sandpoint that go beyond the traditional cards and chocolates, allowing families to connect and celebrate the important women in their lives.
Saturday, May 9
• The day before Mother’s Day, Barrel 33 will celebrate the holiday with brunch and a fashion show featuring styles from Bella Terra Boutique. Tickets include one drink or
bottomless mimosas, one item from the brunch menu and front-row seats to the fashion show, so everyone can enjoy the latest styles. The event, held in the main room at Barrel 33 (100 N. First Ave., in downtown Sandpoint), will run from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., with tickets available at bit.ly/33Brunch for $35 per person.
Sunday, May 10
• Aster Garden Center (924 Superior St., in Sandpoint) will host Mother’s Day Tea and Flowers, an afternoon gathering amid the organization’s blooming garden. Running from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., attendees will enjoy tea, coffee and treats while taking advantage of the one-day specials on dahlia bulbs, potted dahlias and everything else in bloom.
Experienced grower Freya Jesen will also lead a hands-on workshop on how to properly plant and care for flowers in the garden. Visit astergarden.org to learn more about this free gathering.
• Over in Pine Street Woods, the Mothership Collective encourages moms and families to come together from 2-5 p.m. for Pedals > Petals. Find community while walking or biking the extensive trail network, or hang out and chat by the Outdoor Recreation Center (11915 W. Pine St., in Sandpoint). The area will be set up with snacks, music and glittery crafts for hours of fun for all ages. Visit bit.ly/PineStreetPedals for more information.
Photo by Guille Pozzi
Kaniksu Community Health welcomes new pediatrician Lakes Commission hosts spring meeting May 8
By Reader Staff
Kaniksu Community
Health has hired pediatric nurse practitioner Debra Freund to join its pediatric care team. Freund has more than 30 years of experience caring for children and adolescents across a wide range of communities and clinical settings.
“I enjoy building longterm relationships with patients and families and supporting children as they grow,” stated Freund. “It’s incredibly meaningful to walk alongside families through both everyday milestones and more complex health needs.”
Freund began her health care career in rural Wisconsin, working in community hospitals, including in a
neonatal intensive care unit. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Marian College in Los Angeles, followed by a master’s degree in nursing with a specialization in maternal and child health from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a Doctor of Nursing Practice from Rush University in Chicago.
Throughout her career, Freund has provided pediatric primary care in rural, urban and suburban settings. She also brings experience in pediatric specialties, including urology; ear, nose and throat care; lactation support; feeding and growth concerns; bleeding disorders; and diabetes care.
The Heartwood Center hosts stand-up comic Liz Miele
By Reader Staff
New York-based stand-up Liz Miele is coming to Sandpoint with a doubleheader at 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. on Saturday, May 9 at the Heartwood Center (615 Oak St.).
Miele has appeared on Comedy Central, FOX, AXS TV, Hulu, NPR’s Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me and CBS’s After Midnight. She recently appeared in FOX’s Best Medicine and has been featured in The New Yorker, New York Times, Runner’s World, Psychology Today and The Guardian. She regularly tours internationally and has six albums with a combined 8 million views
To learn more or to schedule an appointment with the pediatric care team, visit kchni.org. on YouTube.
Her newest special “Space Camp” is out now and her book, Why Cats Are Assholes, is available wherever you buy books. Finally, her new live show/podcast, First Draft Feelings, is available on YouTube and wherever you listen to podcasts.
The Sandpoint show will be hosted by Kaleb Keaton, featuring an opening set by Josh Wainwright. Tickets are $25 and doors open 30 minutes before showtime. The Eichardt’s Bar will be open, so attendees are asked not to bring outside drinks, though outside food is welcome.
Elks Wednesday morning women’s golf league begins May 20
By Reader Staff
The Wednesday morning ladies’ golf league at the Sandpoint Elks Golf Course will tee off Wednesday, May 20. All participants should meet at the course’s clubhouse at 30196 ID-200, in Ponderay, to kick off the season. Activities begin at 7 a.m. sharp, so
By Reader Staff
The Lakes Commission will host its regular spring meeting on Friday, May 8 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Ponderay Events Center (401 Bonner Mall Way). The overview of operations regarding Idaho’s waterbodies will include presentations on invasive mussels and the recent Lake Pend Oreille Economic Impact Study, among other topics.
The first presentation, by Steven Peterson and Timothy Nadreau of the University of Idaho, will discuss the methodology and findings of the impact study, which determined that Lake
Pend Oreille’s short recreation season results in millions in lost revenue for area communities. Next, members of the Idaho Water Resources Research Institute will present a study on adaptive reservoir management for Lake Pend Oreille, followed by an update on ongoing efforts to remove invasive mussels from the Snake River. The day concludes with presentations on the Kalispel Tribe of Indians’ water rights claim on the LPO and Priest River Basins, and updates on the Albeni Falls and Priest Lake Outlet dam operations.
For more information, visit lakescommission.org.
VFW to install memorial benches on the Long Bridge
By Reader Staff
The Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2453 announced the upcoming installation and dedication of veteran memorial benches on the Long Bridge, honoring the local veterans by offering a place of reflection for the community.
“These benches stand as a lasting tribute to the men and women who have served our nation and as a symbol of the strong partnership between local veterans and the Sandpoint community,” stated organizers.
Volunteers will install the benches on Monday, May 18 at 10 a.m., and the official dedication ceremony will take
place on Monday, May 25 at 1 p.m. on the Long Bridge walking trail. Following the dedication, the VFW will host a luncheon at its Sandpoint location (1325 Pine St.) celebrating the Sandpoint High School welding class of 2026, whose craftsmanship and effort made the construction of the benches possible.
The benches mark the culmination of a community-driven effort to recognize and commemorate the contributions of veterans in the Sandpoint area. Both the dedication ceremony and luncheon are free and open to the public.
For more information, contact the VFW at 208-263-9613 or post2453vfw@gmail.com.
Revel in the Renaissance at Newport fair
By Reader Staff
To the delight of lords and ladies, peasants and magicians alike, the Newport Renaissance Faire will return Saturday, May 9 to the Newport Rodeo Grounds.
Costumed merchants, entertainers and attendees will flood the fairgrounds’ fields at 1101 W. First St. from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. for a day of good, old-fashioned merriment.
The day’s festivities include sword-
fighting, jousting and horse-riding events; live music; comedy; dancing; and food and shopping galore. Regional artisans will show off the best in handmade jewelry, costumes, treats and other treasure, so there’s something for everyone.
The event is free, though the faire will accept donations to fund next year’s festivities.
For more info, visit therenlist.com/ fairs/newport-ren-faire.
participants are asked to arrive at the course no later than 6:40 a.m. to sign in and hear morning announcements. All women, from seasoned golfers to beginners looking for community, are welcome. For more information or to join the league, leave a message with Linda Gibbs at 208-946-8662 or email her at lcdgbbs@yahoo.com.
Send event listings to calendar@sandpointreader.com
Open Irish Jam w/ Seamus Divine
5:30pm @ Connie’s Lounge
Sip and Shop: SHS Grad Night
4-8pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery
Support the class of 2026
Live Music w/ Liam McCoy and friends
7pm @ Eichardt’s Pub
Live Music w/ Sleeyboy & The Easy Sleezys
8-11pm @ 219 Lounge
Live Music w/ The Cole Show
5-8pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery
Live Music w/ One Dog Down
6:30-9:30pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall
Live Music w/ Angel Urrea
5-7:30pm @ Matchwood Brewing Co.
Live Music w/ Oak Street Connection
5:30-8:30pm @ Barrel 33
Live Music w/ Nick Wiebe
5pm @ Connie’s Lounge
Live Music w/ Acoustic Fix
6-8pm @ Idaho Pour Authority
Live Music w/ Angel Urrea
6-9pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall
Live Music w/ Sammy Eubanks
6-8pm @ Smokesmith BBQ
Live Music w/ Spokane is Dead
8pm @ Eichardt’s Pub
Spokane Grateful Dead tribute band playing a rare acoustic show at the pub
Live Music w/ Ian Newbill
5:30-8:30pm @ Barrel 33
Sandpoint Chess Club
9am @ Evans Brothers Coffee
Magic with Star Alexander
5-8pm @ Jalapeño’s
Weekly pool tournament 12pm @ Roxy’s Lounge
THURSDAY, May 7
Jeffrey Martin, Ltl Wlf in concert
7pm @ Idaho Pour Authority
Portland, Ore.-based folk artist Jeffrey Martin with a magic touch, playing with local duo Ltl Wlf. $20 sliding scale
FriDAY, May 8
Live Music w/ Homebrew String Band 5-8pm @ Smokesmith BBQ
No Man’s Land Film Festival
7pm @ Panida Theater
An inspiring night of adventure films curated to celebrate diverse athletes. With a live talk with Ammi Midstokke and pro skier Lindsey Anderson
Music w/ DJ Sterling 9pm @ Roxy’s Lounge
Long Bridge Half Marathon More info at priestlakerace.com
SATURDAY, May 9
Crossing Paths (tribute music to Billy Joel)
7:30pm @ The Hive
With Carson Rhodes, playing the music of Billy Joel. livefromthehive.com
Live Music w/ The Van Stone Band
8-11pm @ 219 Lounge
Live Music w/ Tom Catmull
5-8pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery
Live Music w/ Carl Rey and Truck Mills
6-8pm @ Create Arts Center (Newport)
Live Music w/ Meat Sweatz
8-11pm @ Roxy’s Lounge
SunDAY, May 10
Mother’s Day celebration: Tea & Flowers
10am-4pm @ Aster Garden Center
Hands-on dahlia workshop with pro grower Freya Jenson and more
Monday Night Blues Jam w/ John Firshi
7pm @ Eichardt’s Pub
Cribbage tournament
6pm @ Connie’s Lounge
Live piano w/ Jennifer Stoehner
5-7pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery
Beginner Argentine tango class
7pm @ Embody Center, 823 Main St.
No partner needed. $15
Open mic night hosted by BioBeat
7pm @ Eichardt’s Pub
The one-year anniversary!
Trivia w/ Toshi
7pm @ Connie’s Lounge
May 7-14, 2026
Weekly pool tournament 6pm @ Roxy’s Lounge
PSNI Tap Takeover
5:30-8pm @ Smokesmith BBQ
Celebrate the final day of Idaho Gives
Live Music w/ Frytz Mor 8pm @ Roxy’s Lounge
Spring plant sale
9-5pm @ Ponderay Event Center
Hosted by the Bonner Co. Gardener’s Association. Sale in the parking lot
Oden Hall barn dance
6pm @ Oden Hall, 143 Sunnyside Rd.
Instructional line and swing dancing, games. $3/person or $10/family
Sandpoint Contra Dance
7-10pm @ Sandpoint Community Hall
Intro lesson at 7pm followed by general dancing. $8-10 donation suggested
Live Music w/ Mason Van Stone
6-8pm @ Idaho Pour Authority
Newport Renaissance Faire 10am-5pm @ 101 W. First St. (Newport) Admission is free. See Page 21
Mother’s Day Brunch and Fashion Show 11am-1pm @ Barrel 33 barrel33sandpoint.com for more info
Sandpoint Farmers’ Market 9am-1pm @ Farmin Park
Live Music w/ Justin Lantrip 6-8pm @ Idaho Pour Authority
Live Music w/ Mason Van Stone 6-8pm @ Idaho Pour Authority
Pedals > Petals (Mother’s Day ride/hang)
2-5pm @ Pine St. Woods
Ride, hang, snack and repeat. Flexible, come-and-go afternoon
monDAY, May 11
Outdoor Experience group run 6pm @ Outdoor Experience
Trivia w/ Miranda 6-8pm @ Idaho Pour Authority
tuesDAY, May 12
Geezer Forum: Fraud prevention in daily life 2:30pm @ Marigold Bistro
wednesDAY, May 13
California Honeydrops in concert
7:30pm @ Panida Theater
Infectious, improv retro-soul, with a setlist that is always unique. This virtuoso Oakland ensemble has shared the stage with B.B. King and Bonnie Raitt, among others. Panida.org for tix
ThursDAY, May 14
Live Music w/ Liam McCoy and friends
7pm @ Eichardt’s Pub
Live Music w/ Hot Cheetos
5-8pm @ Connie’s Lounge
Weekly pool tournament
6pm @ Roxy’s Lounge
Live Music w/ Kerry Leigh 6-8pm @ IPA
Jitterbug Swing Class w/ Muffy Nye
6pm @ Barrel 33
Call 406-599-5696 to RSVP
Karaoke w/ Big Rock Karaoke 9pm-midnight @ Roxy’s Lounge
Sandpoint Farmers’ Market 3-5:30pm @ Farmin Park
Live piano w/ Peter Lucht 5-7pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery
Family night and live music w/ John Firshi 5-7:30pm @ Matchwood Brewing Co.
Live Music w/ Amber Mae 8-11pm @ 219 Lounge
Solo storyteller playing a unique set
Friends of Scotchman Peaks Wilderness launches Hike-a-Day-May challenge
By Reader Staff
As part of Mental Health Awareness Month, Friends of Scotchman Peaks Wilderness has launched Hikea-Day-May, a monthlong walking challenge intended to foster community and get people outside. Participants register and log their walks online, hoping to become “Hike-a-Day-May royalty.”
“After a long, dark winter, we could all use a little fresh air and a reset,” stated FSPW Programs Manager Savannah Willison. “Hike-a-DayMay is about building healthy habits, reconnecting with nature, getting our trail legs ready for a long summer of hiking and trail stewardship, and having fun outdoors together.”
Participants can track their hikes throughout May by visiting the Hikea-Day-May tab on scotchmanpeaks. org. Registration will remain open for the entire month. At the end of May, the person who hiked the most days will earn the title of “Hike-a-
Day-May Royalty” and be featured in FSPW’s newsletter and on its website.
“Whether it’s a short evening jaunt, a weekend summit, a trail run or a stroll with friends, every hike counts as long as it’s on a trail,” wrote organizers.
Participants can also join free FSPW hikes to rack up hours on the trail with fellow outdoor enthusiasts. Events include the Wildflower ID Hike in Kootenai Falls, Mont., on Tuesday, May 12; Swamp Creek Fire
History Hike in Trout Creek, Mont., on Sunday, May 17; and Big Spar Trail Hike in Montana on Saturday, May 23.
FSPW will celebrate the end of the challenge in the first week of June with a National Trails Day celebration at Utara Brewing Co. (214 Pine St.), with a date and time to be announced.
Women in the Woods field day supports local outdoor enthusiasts
By Reader Staff
Landowners, professionals and outdoor enthusiasts will come together Friday, May 8 for the newest Women in the Woods field day at Pine Street Woods (11915 W. Pine St., in Sandpoint).
The all-day event welcomes anyone interested in forest stewardship, land management and connecting with like-minded individuals.
Hosted by the Kaniksu Land Trust, the educational, hands-on session runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and includes an outdoor lunch. Attendees will spend the day in the woods, discovering local resources, gaining hands-on experience with essential equipment, and learning the ins and outs of ecology and forest management and assessment.
The event is sponsored by the Idaho Department of Lands, the University of Idaho and American Forest Management.
Tickets are $10 per person at bit.ly/ clearwater_events.
Friends of Scotchman Peak hikers enjoying a view of the Lightning Creek drainage. Photo by Juli Thurston.
No Man’s Land Film Festival challenges norms in outdoor adventure storytelling
By Reader Staff
Now in its 11th year, the No Man’s Land Film Festival will mark a third time coming to Sandpoint, with a Friday, May 8 screening at the Panida Theater (300 N. First Ave.).
Billed as “the premier adventure film festival celebrating women, transgender and genderqueer athletes and storytellers of all ages, abilities and ethnicities,” all ticket and raffle proceeds will benefit the Sandpoint Alliance for Equality and KRFY Radio Underwriting Grant.
“All thanks to the ongoing and generous support from Matchwood Brewing Company, Claire Anderson and local business sponsors,” organizers stated.
Entries in the No Man’s Land Film Festival focus on stories that “highlight and connect women and gender-nonconforming communities in pursuit of the radical.” Films span across landscapes and adventures, from icy peaks to ocean waves and rugged trails traversed on foot or by wheels.
All the while, those stories challenge norms, celebrate courage and amplify voices too often left unheard.
The evening begins at 6 p.m. with a live conversation between local author and SAFE Board Member Ammi Midstokke and professional freeride skier Lindsey Anderson, exploring what it means to create space in the outdoor community and sports, the behind-
the-scenes resilience that takes, and pushing boundaries on the mountain and beyond.
“I look forward to sharing my experience as a freeride coach and athlete to help empower women in sports and in life,” Anderson stated.
Showtime is at 7 p.m., and the evening concludes with a raffle featuring prizes donated by local businesses.
“It’s really so great to see the community fill the room with joy and a shared love for adventure and nature,” stated Midstokke, “and to see how that energy comes full circle to support our local nonprofits.”
Based in Denver and founded as a service-minded, community-oriented arts and advocacy nonprofit, No Man’s Land Film Festival describes itself as “a collaboration of humans who are deeply engaged in enhancing the feminine presence in the outdoor adventure arena. The goal of this festival is to connect like-minded individuals who are action-oriented, wish to support a shared vision of gender equality, have a desire to experience their passions and environments through a uniquely feminine lens — and above all, love adventure.”
The festival is open to all in the community, including all ages. Tickets are $20 and available at the box office or panida.org.
For more info, visit nomanslandfilmfestival.org/full-tour.
David DaVinci and family embark on full season of Silverwood performances
By Reader Staff
David Womach and his family have to be some of the hardest-working performers in the region. Under the stage name David DaVinci and with the Thrillusionist and ParrotFX stage shows, the Sandpoint-based performer, his wife Jamieleigh and their 13-yearold daughter Capri are gearing up for a packed 2026 season of appearances at Silverwood Theme Park.
Friday, June 5, with multiple shows almost every single day of the week through Sept. 7.
According to daviddavinci.com, the schedule adds up to a demanding 415 shows over the season. That follows last season, when the family performed more than 60 shows at Silverwood, earning them this year’s full-season contract, which puts them at the center of Silverwood’s live entertainment lineup.
Starting Saturday, May 9, the Thrillusionist, ParrotFX or both will perform at least once a day throughout every weekend of the month — including some Fridays — then, from
“We got thrown in mid-summer last year, and they liked it enough to bring us back for the full run,” said DaVinci. “Now we get to build something bigger — and do it as a family.”
MUSIC
Billy Joel tribute group to play seated show at The Hive
By Ben Olson Reader Staff
After selling out “A Night of Joel” at the Bing Crosby Theater in Spokane, Carson Rhodes is bringing a brand new experience to The Hive with “Crossing Paths: The Songs of Billy Joel and the Artists that Influenced Him.”
The show will start at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 9 at The Hive, 207 N. First Ave., in downtown Sandpoint. This will be a fully seated show.
The tribute group led by Rhodes features a host of
talented musicians flawlessly recreating some of Joel’s most known hits, including iconic songs like “Piano Man,” “Uptown Girl,” “We Didn’t Start the Fire” and more.
Rhodes will lead the audience on a musical journey, sharing insights and experiences on how some of these great compositions came into existence, while also recounting direct conversations he’s had with Joel and his original band members. In addition to Joel’s songs, Rhodes and his band will perform songs from Joel’s favorite artists such as
Ray Charles, The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix and more.
Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and tickets are $25. Learn
more and purchase tickets at livefromthehive.com.
Retro-soul group The California Honeydrops to play Panida
By Ben Olson Reader Staff
There’s something about soul music from yesteryear that hits just right.
Exemplifying that, Oakland, Calif.-based ensemble The California Honeydrops will play a special concert at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, May 13 at the Panida Theater (300 N. First Ave.). Doors open at 6:30 p.m.
Formed in the subway systems of Oakland, the retro-soul group electrifies every stage they stand on. They’ve become mainstays at festivals like Byron Bay Bluesfest in Australia, Outside Lands, Monterey Jazz, Lighting in a Bottle and more. They’ve toured with greats like
King, Dr.
Led by enigmatic frontman Lech Wierzynski and drummer Benjamin Malament, each member of the band is a virtuoso in their own rite. There’s Yanos “Johnny Bones” Lustig on sax, Lorenzo Loera on keyboards and guitar, Beaumont Beaullieu on bass, Oliver Tuttle on trombone, Leon Cotter on sax and clarinet, and Miles Lyons on trombone and sousaphone.
With gusto, these warriors launch through a vast repertoire of original songs and timeless classics, always leaving open space for improvisation — a skill they’ve so finely honed that they have
completely abandoned the use of setlists. This means that no two shows are ever the same.
With more than 200 million streams online and a variety of TV and films using their music
(Dead to Me, Alaska Daily, Blackish and more), this ensemble is
one you don’t want to miss.
Tickets start at $38 and are available at panida.org. Listen to The California Honeydrops at cahoneydrops.com.
A snapshot of notable live music coming up in Sandpoint
Homebrew Stringband, Smokesmith BBQ, May 8 Sammy Eubanks, Smokesmith BBQ, May 9
From swaying ballads to rollicking bluegrass bangers and old-timey ramblers, Spokane-based Homebrew Stringband has that special sound making listeners want to party like it’s 1926. The trio of Alyse Read, Gary Read and Brad Keeler bring the bass, banjo, guitar, mandolin and a host of other instruments to play with an infectious mix of oldies, bluegrass and mountain roots
that the band likes to describe as “twisted bluegrass.” Kick back on a warm May evening at Smokesmith BBQ and catch Homebrew Stringband for a timeless good time.
— Zach Hagadone
5-8 p.m., Smokesmith BBQ, 102 S. Boyer Ave., 102 S. Boyer Ave., 208-920-0517, smokesmithidaho.com. Listen at reverbnation. com/homebrewstringband.
Inland Empire Blues Society Hall of Famer Sammy Eubanks has a voice that would have fit perfectly in a smoky nightclub during the Golden Age of the Blues. Gravely, then smooth, effortless-sounding, yet clearly expertly honed over the years, Eubanks has some once-in-a-generation pipes that make his covers and original music soar. Whether he’s accompanied by his band, the
This week’s RLW by Ben Olson
READ
I’ve had a copy of the National Audubon Society’s Field Guide to North American Birds in my truck for years, always ready when an interesting specimen flitters by. Thanks to a lucky thrift store mission, I was able to find a few more of their field guides. My favorite one at the moment is the Field Guide to Weather, which helps identify clouds, weather patterns and other meteorological phenomena. Find yourself a copy and get your head in the clouds.
Work’in Class, or performing solo with his acoustic guitar, it’s impossible not to tap your feet to Eubanks’ blues, country and rock ’n’ roll hits. He has too many awards to list, so just stop by Smokesmith and hear for yourself.
— Soncirey Mitchell
6-8 p.m., FREE. Smokesmith BBQ, 102 S. Boyer Ave., 208920-0517, smokesmithidaho.com. Listen at sammyeubankslive.com.
LISTEN WATCH
Somehow, I missed the band Portishead in the 1990s and 2000s and I’m now making up for lost time. The trip-hop trio from England has a unique vibe that sounds like the atmospheric backdrop of a spy film. It’s industrial, melancholy and infused with a mix of analog and digital samples, culminating in something different in your headphones. I like the album Third, released in 2008. Listen on your favorite streaming site.
If you’re a fan of Zach Galifianakis and gardening, I have the perfect show for you. This is a Gardening Show, on Netflix, is a refreshing new take on gardening, hosted by Galifianakis in his unique style. Each episode is only about 16 minutes long, but they’re crammed full of hilarious interviews with farmers, kids and characters. Somehow, between all the laughs, the show manages to educate the viewer on gardening. My only complaint is that there aren’t more episodes.
Crossing Paths live in concert. Courtesy photo
The California Honeydrops in concert. Photo by Mark Raker Photography
B.B.
John, Bonnie Raitt, Buddy Guy and Allen Toussaint.
From the Pend Oreille Review, May 6, 1910
GOT FOUR MONTHS IN JAIL
Joe Constance and Joe Coffee, two Italians who have been in jail the past two months awaiting trial on a charge of larceny for implication in stealing shoes from a Great Northern box-car, pleaded guilty to petit larceny yesterday and were sentenced to serve four months in the county jail. D.G. Lorenzi, who was here from Spokane, interviewed the prisoners and after a long talk with them in their native language succeeded in getting them to plead guilty.
KILLED BY TRAIN AT NEWPORT
Louis Dunn, a teamster, was killed by a Great Northern train at Newport, Idaho, Wednesday morning. He had been drinking in an old town saloon with a companion named Gott and the two men had started for their home west of town. They lay on the track to sleep and were struck by a west-bound train. Dunn’s body was badly mangled, both legs and one arm being severed. Gott’s head was crushed but he will recover. He was taken to Vane’s hospital on the Idaho side. Gott claims he and Dunn were doped in the Idaho saloon and were overcome by the drug.
BACK OF THE BOOK
Love enduring
By Soncirey Mitchell Reader Staff
Everything in this universe grows and changes in conjunction with and response to something else, metaphorically and literally. Humans are products of their environment, and whether that means personal idiosyncrasies or skin color, we build our bodies and minds around where we are and who or what we meet.
When talking about evolutionary adaptation, the obvious example is the Galápagos finches cataloged by Charles Darwin in 1859’s On the Origin of Species. Over millions of years, the birds evolved from one common ancestor into more than a dozen species, which slotted themselves and their offspring into ecological niches. Some developed sturdy, blunt beaks to crack nuts, while others grew long, skinny beaks to catch bugs.
Plants, on the other hand, have a far more direct and mutually beneficial relationship with their evolutionary partners, developing specialized fruits that attract and nourish specific animals. Plants that have learned to spread their seeds via bird droppings have evolved to become smaller, with thin, breakable skin to ensure birds can easily eat them. They also adopt bright shades that tetrachromats — animals that perceive red, green, blue and ultraviolet — can easily spot, such as bright red, blue or purple.
Adapting to mammals requires a different approach. Most have worse vision than birds and, therefore, rely on strong smells. These plants’ fruits develop in muted brown, yellow and green tones, and invest energy in strong protective skins and substantial, indigestible seeds that can pass through
STR8TS Solution
larger animals without being digested. Peppers are an example of a fruit that adapted to suit the tastes of birds, yet, unwittingly, attracted mammals — i.e. humans — who spread their seeds in large quantities through agriculture. It’s the same desired outcome, just not the path peppers intended. Over the course of their evolution, peppers developed the bright colors that attract birds alongside capsaicin — the compound that gives them their spice — to which avians are immune. This was meant to deter mammals from eating them, but humans are odd creatures and like a bit of pain with their food.
These plants all have clear trajectories, but where do odd fruits like avocados fit in? Who, besides humans, spreads their unwieldy pits? Avocados, along with many other tropical fruits, are examples of evolutionary — or ecological — anachronism. They adapted to conditions that no longer exist, yet their evolution halted, rendering them relics of the ice age and beyond.
Such plants coevolved with now-extinct megafauna — shaping themselves to benefit, and benefit from, those long lost partners. Though the rest of the world moved on, the ghosts of ancient elephant-, sloth- and turtle-like beasts still haunt the genetics of their former foods. Without their partners, these fruits now fall to the ground and rot, with minimal dispersal, or are carried by water to less-than-ideal locations.
The theory of evolutionary anachronism stems from the work of ecologist Stanley Temple, later solidified by ecologist Daniel Janzen and paleoecologist Paul Martin, in the work “Neotropical Anachronisms: The Fruits the Gomphotheres Ate,” published in Science. (Gomphotheres are an ancestor of modern elephants.)
Sudoku Solution
It was Martin who coined the term “megafaunal dispersal syndrome” to describe how these once great animals spread large seeds. He based the idea, in part, on elephants, which continue this ancient relationship with plants in Africa and, to a lesser extent, Asia.
In the natural world, it’s striking to see relative stagnation for thousands of years. The world these plants grew into is long gone, though they haven’t moved on from the beings around which they once molded themselves. In that sense, evolutionary anachronism feels like a tangible representation of love, and ultimately, grief. Even plants fighting to survive hold onto the past, growing in the same, inefficient way over thousands of years, carrying the dead into the present.
How beautiful, to be remembered in the descendants — in the very DNA — of someone you once cared for, and who cared for you. Even in nature, where every day is a struggle, bonds can transcend mere utility and become something lasting, despite the weight of ages.
I think Superman and Santa Claus are actually the same guy, and I’ll tell you why: Both fly, both wear red and both have a beard.
Laughing Matters
Solution on page 26 Solution on page 26
By Bill Borders
CROSSWORD
ACROSS
1. Not rural
6. Old Jewish scholars
11. Nigerian money
12. Shelf support
15. Bigger
16. Midday
17. Be in debt
18. Commercials
20. Excluding 21. Chits
23. Pledge
24. Initial wager
25. Acid related to gout
26. Cone-bearing trees
27. Run for it
28. Bristle
29. Commercials 30. Sows
31. A studio apartment 34. Operatives 36. Sticky stuff
Solution on page 26
Week of the
[adjective] 1. yielding or diffusing an odor.
“He took a seat on the subway car, dismayed to find himself again seated next to one of New York’s more odoriferous commuters.”
Corrections: No mess-ups to fess up this week.
37. Russian emperor 41. Stiletto or wedge 42. Unfreeze
