I abandoned my co-workers on our deadline the week of March 1 to make the six-hour drive to Seattle for my annual nerd pilgrimage to Emerald City Comic Con.
With my car full of homemade cosplays and a bag full of snacks, I pointed my headlights west and made it as far as Spokane before I met with an ill omen — a magpie.
In the British Isles, seeing a single magpie at the start of a journey heralds bad luck on the road, as memorialized in the nursery rhyme, “One for sorrow / Two for joy / Three for a girl / Four for a boy / Five for silver / Six for gold / Seven for a secret never to be told.”
To ward off the bad luck, I gave it the traditional salutation, “Good morning, Mr. Magpie,” and continued with my drive, wary of potential road hazards. Depending on your views, the greeting either succeeded or failed, because shortly after that I parked at a rest stop and had perhaps the strangest experience one can have in a public restroom: I walked in and made direct eye contact with a woman playing the electric keyboard.
“We know it’s weird,” said a second woman standing across from her as the keyboard sounded out a final, straggling note.
It’s safe to say I was flabbergasted, bewildered, dumbfounded and somewhat delighted. My brain couldn’t process the situation fast enough, so, with a look of what must have been shock and awe, I blurted out, “I’ll use the other one,” while walking backward toward the door.
“We’re happy to wait,” said the musician.
The thought of a pianist listening to me pee was far too much, though, and I only managed to repeat, “I’ll use the other one,” in a slightly more panicked tone. I hesitated outside when I heard the music resume, the young woman accompanying herself, singing an original composition. After relieving myself, I couldn’t help but return and press my ear against the door, listening to the soulful ballad of the bathroom pianist.
bird by bird
The superstition surrounding magpies (and other corvids like ravens and crows) is a remnant of ancient ornithomancy or augury — the act of reading omens from the calls, actions and appearances of birds. The practice dates back at least to the 13th century B.C.E. among the Hittites in modern-day Turkey and was later attested to by Aeschylus and Hesiod. In Roman augury, interpreting bird omens was referred to as auspicium, which evolved into the English words “auspicious” and “inauspicious.”
DEAR READERS,
Happy last week of winter, everyone. On this, our deadline day, I saw sunshine, rain, snow, high winds, clouds and overcast skies out my office window. Or, just another late winter/early spring day in North Idaho.
St. Patrick’s Day is Tuesday, March 17, so be sure to check the ads and our event calendar for a breakdown of happenings.
A special thanks goes out to the Angels Over Sandpoint for hosting the final Follies last weekend. Valarie Moore did a fantastic job as director and all the performers and stage crew were top notch. It’s always a lot of fun taking part in the festivities, as Editor-in-Chief Zach Hagadone and I — along with Cadie Archer sitting in for Senior Writer Soncirey Mitchell — brought the satirical SNEWS to the masses one final time.
It’s tough to recognize satire anymore, but we hope to have brought some smiles to your faces. Be well, everybody.
– Ben Olson, publisher
111 Cedar Street, Suite 9 Sandpoint, ID 83864 208-946-4368 sandpointreader.com
Editors Emeriti: Lyndsie Kiebert-Carey Cameron Rasmusson John Reuter
SATURDAY, MARCH 21
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Contributing Artists: Ben Olson (cover design), Jim Healey, Forrest Schuck, Tom Woodward, Lisa Cirac, Marlene Rorke, Sara Knaggs, Bill Borders, Ron Bedford
Contributing Writers: Zach Hagadone, Ben Olson, Soncirey Mitchell, Lorraine H. Marie, Brenden Bobby, Laura Guido, Emily Erickson, Jane Fritz, Mark Sauter, Lauren Necochea, Stephanie Peterson, Mike Wagoner, Willie Wittezehler
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The Sandpoint Reader is a weekly publication owned by Ben Olson, Zach Hagadone and Soncirey Mitchell. It is devoted to the arts, entertainment, bluster, politics and lifestyle in and around Sandpoint, Idaho.
We hope to provide a quality alternative by offering honest, in-depth reporting that reflects the intelligence and interests of our diverse and growing community.
The Reader is printed on recycled paper using soy-based ink. Leftover copies are collected and recycled weekly, or burned in bonfires to appease the gods of journalism. For back issues, contact the publisher. Free to all, limit two per person, please.
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Letters will be edited to comply with the above requirements. Opinons expressed in these pages are those of the writers, not necessarily the publisher. Send to: letters@sandpointreader.com
About the Cover:
This week’s cover by Ben Olson.
City provides new info site on downtown parking system Kiosks and permit system rolling out by the summer
By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff
After more than a year of planning, deliberation and consultation, the city of Sandpoint took the final step toward implementing a new parking management system for downtown.
In a 3-2 vote on March 4, city councilors approved working with IPS Group to install 43 kiosks throughout downtown and at select cityowned lots, where motorists will pay to park their vehicles based on an hourly fee schedule. In addition, a range of permits will be available for residents for extended time limits and options in various locations, while visitors will pay hourly.
Councilors Joel Aispuro, Joshua Torrez and Council President Deb Ruehle voted in favor, with Councilors Pam Duquette and Kyle Schreiber opposed. Councilor Joe Tate was absent.
Sandpoint Mayor Jeremy Grimm called the vote “momentous,” though Duquette and Schreiber worried that full-scale implementation of the plan would overwhelm residents, preferring a phased rollout.
Following the March 4 decision, the city unveiled a new page on sandpointidaho.gov devoted to the parking plan, including a map of the zones, detailed instructions and information on how to use the new system, frequently asked questions and an informational video posted to the city’s YouTube channel.
According to the site, onstreet parking will remain free up to the posted time limits in the two-, three- and four-hour zones — “a key priority expressed by local businesses and residents during the planning process.” However, under the new system, which is expected to be in place around July 4,
those parking in the downtown street zones will check in at the nearest kiosk by entering their license plate number. They can also check in via text-to-pay or by using the ParkSmarter mobile app.
Once checked in, the initial two, three or four hours are free. If more time is needed, users can extend their time either at the kiosk, by text message or through the app and pay an hourly rate established by City Council.
“This approach maintains free customer parking while providing flexibility for those who need to stay longer,” the city stated.
The two-hour parking zone encompasses 275 spaces in the immediate downtown core on First and Second avenues, and portions of Cedar and Main streets, where no permits will be valid for overstaying the limit. Outside of those areas, a variety of permits will be available to provide longer-term parking.
City residents can pay $15 and county residents pay $30 for an annual permit to park for eight hours a day in publicly owned lots at City Beach, Sand Creek, Dock and Bridge streets, the Pend d’Oreille Bay Trail, and the city lot at Third Avenue and Church Street. Non-permit holders will pay the established hourly rate. Those lots cover 505 spaces.
For $40 per month, street parking permit holders will be given 24-hour parking at downtown city lots and in the three- and four-hour street zones (encompassing 490 spaces), though not at the public waterfront lots.
“The city appreciates that not all downtown business employees can afford the monthly street parking permit; therefore, the city or county resident permit — at just $15 or $30 per year — is an option for those who are willing to walk from a city parking lot to their place of employment,”
the city stated. “The street parking permit — $40 per month — provides anyone who wishes to park all day on downtown streets the ability to do so without fear of getting ticketed or towed.”
Downtown residents can purchase a permit for $80 per month to park for 24 hours in all off-street lots and in the three- and four-hour zones.
Finally, Windbag Marina slip-holder permits will be available for $100 a year, granting unlimited parking — overnight and multi-day — at the City Beach and Dock Street lots.
No time limits will be in
place on 279 spaces in the outlying downtown area.
Permits will be purchased, renewed and managed online, where applicants’ residency and permit eligibility will be verified. Once that’s done, a window sticker will be mailed to permit holders’ homes to be displayed in the windshield of their vehicle. With a displayed, valid permit, drivers will not need to check in at a kiosk in city lots.
All permits will be linked directly to a vehicle’s license plate and verified electronically for enforcement. Those who wish to cover multiple vehicles will need to purchase a permit
for each.
“The guiding principle of the new system is simple: Locals first. Convenient options for residents, downtown workers and downtown residents, while ensuring parking remains available for customers and visitors,” the city stated.
To learn more about the system, go to bit.ly/ParkingPlanInfo. Find the instructional video at youtube.com/@ CityofSandpoint.
A map showing updated downtown parking zones in Sandpoint after the passage of the new parking plan. Learn more at bit.ly/ParkingPlanInfo
Bill deregulating short-term rentals heads to governor’s desk
Mayor Grimm: House Bill 583 is a ‘significant step’ away from ‘local control’
By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff
The bill to effectively eliminate almost all powers of counties and cities to regulate short-term rentals is headed to Gov. Brad Little’s desk following a 23-12 vote March 9 in the Idaho Senate.
House Bill 583 cleared the House on a 54-16 vote on Feb. 12, with Rep. Cornel Rasor, R-Sagle, in favor and Rep. Mark Sauter, R-Sandpoint, opposed. Sen. Jim Woodward, R-Sagle, was also against the legislation.
The Idaho Vacation Rental Association applauded passage of H.B. 583, having pressed for the bill along with international vacation rental company Airbnb, Idaho Realtors and others. The organization described it as “a measure designed to clarify the treatment of short-term rentals as a lawful residential use while maintaining local governments’ ability to address community impacts through existing enforcement tools.”
However, critics of the bill such as Sandpoint Mayor Jeremy Grimm feared H.B. 583 would result in out-of-control proliferation of STRs while stripping municipalities of the ability to manage their impacts on neighborhoods — especially in resort communities.
“With the passage of House Bill 583, Idaho has taken a significant step away from one of the state’s longstanding principles: local control over land use and neighborhood planning,” Grimm told the Reader in a statement following the Senate vote.
“While the debate over vacation rentals is complex, the broader issue raised by H.B. 583 is straightforward,” he added. “Decisions about how residential neighborhoods function have historically been made locally through comprehensive plans and zoning
ordinances developed with community input. H.B. 583 overrides that local authority.”
According to the text of H.B. 583, “A county or city may enact or enforce such reasonable regulations as are necessary to safeguard the public health and safety as long as the reasonable regulations do not impose different restrictions or obligations on short-term rentals than are imposed on single-family dwellings or similar structures not used as short-term rentals, or unless the regulations are permitted by this section.”
Based on that language, municipalities are prohibited from applying regulations to STRs based on owner occupancy, nor can they require professional property management, additional insurance, reporting of use or other statistics, additional fire protection, additional or improved means of access, additional parking, structural modifications or inspections.
On top of that — and among other regulatory prohibitions — H.B. 583 would bar local governments from requiring that STRs obtain a license, permit or certification, or pay fees or register in order to operate.
H.B. 583 only allows municipalities to require that all STR sleeping areas be equipped with smoke alarms; properties have a functioning fire extinguisher and a carbon monoxide detector on each floor; include removable escape ladders for rooms above the ground floor; abide by occupancy limits as outlined in the International Building Code; and make available a handout to tenants describing the locations of exits, fire extinguishers and first aid kits, as well as provide a phone number to be used to contact an owner or manager in case of emergency.
Critically for Sandpoint, H.B. 583 expressly eliminates
the ability of municipalities to put any kind of cap on the number of STRs allowed in a given area. That was a major issue for City Hall, when representatives of the vacation rental industry made it clear in 2025 that they would sue the city because of its limitation on the allowed number of STR permits.
up the bill, which he can either approve with his signature or veto.
“Cities now have no ability to determine where short-term rentals should operate and how they should be managed. That decision has effectively been centralized at the state level.”
— Sandpoint Mayor Jeremy Grimm
That threat, and the desire to get ahead of any potential state legislation, spurred the city to repeal and replace its former STR ordinance — removing the cap while putting in place a number of new policies related to establishing occupancy categories, permitting, parking requirements and administrative tweaks.
Councilors voted unanimously on Feb. 4 to put the new STR ordinance in place, though if Little signs H.B. 583, all that work will be undone.
“Staff will wait and see if the governor signs the bill and, if he does, get to work on rewriting our STR ordinance to reflect only what is allowed under the new state law,” Sandpoint Planning and Community Development Director Jason Welker told the Reader Welker warned the council in past statements that if H.B. 583 became law, Sandpoint’s ordinance would need to be rolled back sometime after it goes into effect on July 1.
Despite the concerns of local officials, Idaho Vacation Rental Association President Spencer K. Bailey stated that the legislation “does not remove local tools or diminish community protections. What it does is reinforce the idea that existing rules should be applied consistently across housing types, focusing enforcement on behavior rather than labeling one category of homeowner differently from another.”
Rep. Sauter told the Reader that he voted against H.B. 583 because he viewed it as “a local control issue.”
Citing Sandpoint’s rewrite of its STR code earlier this year as an example of how local control works, Sauter added, “I got a lot of emails about it saying how important it was, saying we don’t need the state to gut this or step in and take over that local control, and I’ve tried to stick with the local control and respect that.”
“I got a lot of emails about it saying how important it was, saying we don’t need the state to gut this or step in and take over that local control, and I’ve tried to stick with the local control and respect that.”
— Dist. 1A Rep. Mark Sauter
It was unclear as of press time when Little might take
differ dramatically in their housing markets, infrastructure capacity and neighborhood patterns.”
What’s more, he added that the Idaho Legislature’s approval of H.B. 583 contrasts with the national conversation surrounding housing — specifically referring to President Donald Trump’s executive order seeking to limit the amount of residential housing stock bought up by large investors.
“The concern raised in that executive action was clear: Homes should primarily serve families and communities, not simply function as investment vehicles,” Grimm wrote. “Yet, H.B. 583 moves Idaho policy in a direction that accelerates a similar dynamic — opening the floodgates to speculators to profit from converting neighborhoods to seasonal short-term rentals.”
IVRA stated that the bill instead is an “opportunity for Idaho to demonstrate that property rights and strong communities are not competing priorities.”
Again, Grimm pushed back.
Sen. Woodward and Rep. Rasor did not respond to a request for comment by press time.
Meanwhile, Grimm worried that, “Cities now have no ability to determine where short-term rentals should operate and how they should be managed. That decision has effectively been centralized at the state level, even though communities across Idaho
“When residential homes are removed from the longterm housing market and converted into short-term rentals, the supply of housing available to local employees shrinks,” he wrote. “The pressure on prices increases, and employers struggle to recruit and retain workers who simply cannot find a place to live in the communities where they work. ...
“The risk is not theoretical. If housing continues to shift away from long-term residents toward short-term visitors, communities like Sandpoint could lose the very economic diversification that state leaders and local officials have spent decades trying to build,” he added.
Filing deadline approaching for county, local and district candidates
By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff
The filing deadline for candidates running for county, local and district offices in the Tuesday, May 19 primary election is fast approaching, with materials required to be submitted by 5 p.m. on Friday, March 13.
Candidates for county commissioner, clerk, treasurer and coroner, as well as political party precinct committee seats, can find all the relevant materials — as well as additional information on running for office — at run. voteidaho.gov.
As of press time on March 11, nine candidates had filed for county offices, including for Dist. 1 and Dist. 2 commissioner positions. Meanwhile, a total of 46 candidates had filed for precinct committee seats in the local Democratic and Republican parties.
The deadline to file as a write-in candidate closes at 5 p.m. on Friday, March 20.
Candidates seeking statewide and legislative offices have already seen their filing window close. As of March 11, nine candidates are seeking Legislative Dist. 1 seats.
Challenger Scott Herndon and incumbent Jim Woodward will be on the Republican primary ballot for Dist. 1 Senate, while Jane Sauter and incumbent Mark Sauter (no relation) will face off for the GOP nomination for Dist. 1A House. Chuck Lowman will go up against incumbent Cornel Rasor in the Dist. 1B House Republican primary.
Karen Matthee will run unopposed on the Dist. 1A House ballot for the Democrats.
Steve Johnson is seeking the Senate seat and Kathryn Larson has filed for Dist. 1B House, but because both are running as Independents they won’t appear on the ballot until the general election in November.
Review all the candidates who have filed to run at voteidaho.gov and select “Search Filed Candidates List.”
Jalon Peters resigns from school board
LPOSD Trustee Zone 2 seat open for applications
By Reader Staff
Following his recent move outside of Trustee Zone 2, and Bonner County altogether, Lake Pend Oreille School District Board Member Jalon Peters submitted a letter of resignation on March 4. The Board of Trustees officially declared the seat vacant on March 10 and will have until Monday, June 8 to fill the position.
Following the loss of a member, the school board has 90 days from the declaration of vacancy to choose a replacement from residents within the school zone.
“After ninety (90) days, if the board of trustees is unable to appoint a trustee from the zone vacated, the board of trustees may appoint a person at large from within the boundaries of the school district,” according to Idaho Code 33-504.
If the board cannot select a can-
Bits ’n’ Pieces From
east, west and beyond
President Donald Trump said he won’t sign any bills unless the SAVE Act, which could disenfranchise many women voters, passes. NPR reported that if Congress advances a bill and remains in session, it can become law within 10 days, without the president’s signature.
Trump has fired Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and said she will have a role as “special envoy for The Shields of America,” battling drug cartels.
Federal judges recently ruled that “third country” deportation policy is unlawful — people cannot be sent to countries with which they have no connections. During Operation Metro Surge, not only were people unlawfully arrested and detained, but personal belongings crucial to their safety, wellbeing and ability to earn a living, such as phones and documentation, were not returned
Congressional Republicans are blocking a bill that would fully fund several agencies under DHS, which, if passed, would resolve bottlenecks at airports, fund the Coast Guard, FEMA, Secret Service and other entities, various media reported.
didate within 120 days, the responsibility falls to the Bonner County Board of Commissioners. The chosen candidate will serve the remainder of Peters’ term, which ends Dec. 31, 2029.
The next LPOSD election will take place in November 2027 for Zones 1 and 4.
The board is now accepting applications for the Zone 2 seat, which encompasses the area south of the Pend Oreille River, west of Highway 95 and south of Sagle. Interested parties must submit applications to the school board clerk’s office at 365 North Triangle Drive in Ponderay by Monday, April 6, at 4 p.m. Interviews will take place during the open session at the following board meeting on Tuesday, April 14.
Visit lposd.org for more information or to download the application.
The Department of Justice released documents about the 2019 FBI interviews with a woman who claimed she was sexually assaulted by Trump and the late-convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein while a minor in the 1980s. According to NPR, there are still 37 pages of missing records.
Federal lawmakers, primarily Republicans, rejected a war powers resolution in a 47-53 vote that would have forced the U.S. to withdraw from operations in Iran until Congress granted approval. Democrats who backed the war on Iran are bankrolled by the Israel lobby, AIPAC, the Lever reported.
According to Axios, “this isn’t WWIII,” but the Iran war has drawn in at least 20 countries that are either shooting, shielding or supplying in the conflict. Qatar’s energy minister told the Financial Times the war could “bring down the economies of the world.” Political backlash is predicted from rising energy costs, implying electoral “disaster” for U.S. parties in charge. Trump said Iran would like to settle with the U.S., but, “We’re not looking to settle.” The U.S. has an abundance of weaponry, according to Trump, but has met with defense CEOs, who agreed to quadruple production. Six days into combat
By Lorraine H. Marie Reader Contributor
operations, the U.S. struck approximately 2,000 targets in Iran, including multiple hospitals. Axios reported that the war’s first 100 hours cost $3.7 billion. Trump also said he should help select Iran’s next leader, but Iranian clerics ignored him and selected the son of late-Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in the first U.S.-Israel strikes.
The AP reported that Russia provided Iran with information to help with strikes against the U.S. military According to The New York Times, Iran’s strategy seems to be to expand the war, increase the costs, endanger the world economy and outlast Trump. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., told Fox News that when Iran’s regime goes down, “we’re gonna make a ton of money.” Graham is a key decision-maker for approving supplemental defense funding. Since the war’s start and as of press time, seven U.S. soldiers have died and 140 U.S. service members have been wounded.
Meanwhile, Trump said the Iran war is “pretty much complete”; but, according to Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, “it’s only just beginning.” An Iranian military spokesperson said “Iran will determine when the war ends,” The New Republic reported. Trump’s grasp on the realities of the Iran war has been questioned, following a recent statement that, due to Iran, people who died from roadside bombs “are right now walking around with no legs, no arms.”
The Times reported that a U.S. Tomahawk missile hit an Iranian naval base next to a school, resulting in the death of 175 people — “most of them children” — contradicting Trump’s claim that Iran was responsible.
NPR reported that the U.S. military killed six men in a March 8 strike on an alleged drug boat in the Eastern Pacific.
In the Caribbean, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida Jason Reding Quiñones is considering criminal investigations against Cuban leadership as Trump has suggested a “friendly takeover” of the island nation, CBS News reported.
Blast from the past: “The longer I live the more convinced I am that this planet is used by other planets as a lunatic asylum.” — George Bernard Shaw, recipient of the Nobel Prize for Literature (1856-1950)
Jalon Peters. File photo
House passes bill requiring police, sheriff’s offices to sign agreements with ICE
By Laura Guido Idaho Capital Sun
The Idaho House of Representatives passed a bill March 6 that would require all local law enforcement to enter agreements with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, ICE, in the federal 287(g) program.
The bill faced opposition from associations representing county sheriff’s offices and local police departments, who said the 287(g) program should be optional, mainly because of costs associated with forcing agencies to enter into them.
House members voted 41-27 to send House Bill 659 to the Senate, where it may come up for another public committee hearing.
Bill sponsor Rep. Dale Hawkins, R-Fernwood, stressed that immigration enforcement was a top issue.
“The people in Idaho want answers, and they want action,” Hawkins said.
Supporters of bill say police concerns about cost are unfounded
The debate on the bill lasted about half an hour, with opponents arguing that local law enforcement is already
cooperating with ICE but not all departments can absorb the costs of backfilling for officers while they complete federal training with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the parent agency of ICE.
Supporters said that law enforcement wasn’t doing enough in this area, and countered the idea that local law enforcement couldn’t afford to enter the agreements because ICE would reimburse some costs and cover training.
Rep. Chris Mathias, D-Boise, said he thought the bill would compromise law enforcement’s trust in the Legislature. He said he’d support the requirement that agencies explain why they cannot participate if it were on its own.
“Because then we would be in a position to be able to address their pain points and incentivize cooperation, rather than forcing it,” Mathias said.
Reps. Kyle Harris, R-Lewiston, and Clint Hostetler, R-Twin Falls, supported the bill and both cited the costs to the state and counties for housing inmates who are undocumented. Harris said that ICE reimburses at a higher rate for detaining people who will be deported than the state pays counties for housing state
inmates in county jails.
In most cases, if an unauthorized person is convicted of a crime in Idaho, that person must serve their sentence in the county jail or state prison before deportation proceedings may begin.
Rep. Lori McCann, R-Lewiston, called the bill an “unfunded mandate.”
She noted that other bills have been rejected in the Legislature because they came with acceptance of federal money. H.B. 659 would also require local law enforcement to participate in “any future program or successor to an existing program.” McCann questioned why the Legislature would bind law enforcement to future federal programs without knowing what they may be.
Republican Reps. Erin Bingham of Idaho Falls; Rick Cheatum of Pocatello; Ben Fuhriman of Shelley; Dan Garner of Clifton; Grayson Stone (a substitute for Twin Falls Republican Don Hall); Dustin Manwaring of Pocatello; McCann; Stephanie Mickelsen of Idaho Falls, Steve Miller of Fairfield; Jack Nelsen of Jerome; James Petzke of Meridian; Mike Pohanka of Jerome; Britt Raybould of Rexburg; Jerald
Raymond of Menan; Michael Viele, of Soda Springs; Jon Weber, or Rexburg; Josh Wheeler, of Ammon, and Mark Sauter, of Sandpoint, joined all House Democrats to vote against the bill.
What are Idahoans’ perspective on immigration enforcement?
Hawkins in debate said repeatedly that immigration was a top issue among Idahoans statewide.
The group Secure Idaho, which has supported H.B. 659 and the rest of a slate of immigration bills brought by Hawkins and other legislators, has said on its “Idaho Immigration Watch” website that 81% of Americans want more action to stop illegal immigration. Secure Idaho cites a March 2024 poll from Rasmussen Reports that found 81% of likely U.S. voters said “it is important” that the government stop illegal immigration, and 55% found it “very important.”
In Idaho, the annual Boise State University Public Policy Survey only asked two questions about immigration in its 2026 survey — it found that 53% of respondents thought it would harm Idaho’s agriculture economy if ICE were to increase its presence in
Idaho. Around 56% of Idaho respondents “strongly” supported, and 29% “somewhat” supported, a pathway to legal working status for dairy workers and their families who have lived in Idaho for over 10 years and have no criminal record.
A poll of Treasure Valley and Magic Valley residents commissioned by ACLU of Idaho in 2025 found that 44% of respondents favored local law enforcement cooperating with federal immigration authorities. The survey also found that 64% of respondents believe deportations “should apply only to serious crimes.”
The Boise State public policy survey released in 2025 reported that 27% of respondents felt it was solely the federal government’s responsibility to enforce immigration in Idaho, around 30% said the state should be responsible, and nearly 28% sailed “all” levels of government.
This story was produced by Boise-based nonprofit news outlet the Idaho Capital Sun, which is part of the States Newsroom nationwide reporting project. For more information, visit idahocapitalsun.com.
ID House approves request to SCOTUS to overturn ruling that legalized gay marriage
By Laura Guido Idaho Capital Sun
The Idaho House of Representatives passed a resolution March 10 to ask the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn its 2015 landmark ruling that legalized gay marriage nationwide.
Post Falls Republican Rep. Tony Wisniewski sponsored House Joint Memorial 17, which calls on the nation’s high court to reverse Obergefell v. Hodges and “restore the natural definition of marriage, a union of one man and one woman.”
The resolution is a declaration of the Legislature’s desire, but does not affect the law.
Wisniewski said the nearly
11-year-old ruling has “ultimately resulted in a violation of religious rights of individuals and companies.”
Idaho’s Constitution in 2006 was amended to declare marriage between one man and one woman; but, in 2014, a federal judge ruled the amendment was unconstitutional, legalizing gay marriage in Idaho a year before it was legalized nationwide.
The U.S. Supreme Court in November had an opportunity to revisit the Obergefell decision amid a challenge from former-Kentucky Clerk Kim Davis, who refused to issue same-sex marriage licenses, but the court declined to
take up the case.
House members on March 10 approved the resolution 4426 after limited debate. HJM 17 will go to the Senate for consideration.
[Editor’s note: Rep. Mark Sauter, R-Sandpoint, opposed HJM 17.]
House Minority Leader Ilana Rubel, D-Boise, said the right to marriage has long been upheld by courts, and the resolution was “at best, a waste of time and money.”
“But I think it is much worse than that,” Rubel said. “It is, affirmatively, very harmful and hurtful to Idahoans. It’s harmful to the thousands of same-sex married
couples in Idaho, many of whom have been married for 10 years or more.”
Grayson Stone, who has been serving as a long-term substitute for Twin Falls Republican Rep. Don Hall, after Hall stepped down due to health issues, said that his marriage to his wife “is completely inseparable.”
He argued it was inconsistent to apply parts of the Bible as a reason to overturn the ruling.
“If we’re going to follow one verse of the Scripture, we should follow the other and look at Leviticus,” Stone said. “What’s it tell us in Leviticus? Thou shalt not shave thy head
or thy beard. I just don’t understand why we have to apply the Bible to specific aspects of our life, but not all of it. So I will be voting against this bill.”
The House last year approved a similar memorial in a 46-24 vote, the Idaho Capital Sun previously reported. That memorial did not advance in the Senate.
This story was produced by Boise-based nonprofit news outlet the Idaho Capital Sun, which is part of the States Newsroom nationwide reporting project. For more information, visit idahocapitalsun.com.
Bouquets:
GUEST SUBMISSION:
• “A bouquet to the amazing members of the Sandpoint community who enthusiastically supported the Empty Bowl event for the Bonner Community Food Bank on Friday, March 6. Thanks to the generous art students at Sandpoint High School for creating an assortment of lovely bowls. Also, thanks to Marigold Bistro, Spuds Waterfront Grill, Selkirk Association of Realtors, Winter Ridge Natural Foods Market, Super 1, All Seasons Garden and Floral and Evans Brothers for supporting this event.”
— By Jim Healey
Barbs:
• Boy, I sure feel great this time of year when I see how much income tax I pay the federal government and for what those dollars are used. Take recently ousted DHS Secretary Kristi Noem. To be vile, inept or incompetent enough for President Donald Trump to fire you is a special category of human failure. Setting aside all the downright evil actions Noem promoted in her crusade against immigrants and allegations of her sleeping with an underling at DHS, her fiscal responsibility was, in a word, disastrous. A day before she was fired, Noem was grilled by senators about spending $220 million on a TV ad campaign in which she cosplayed on horseback, wore bulletproof vests, drove boats and other activities. Noem testified that the campaign was approved by Trump, which led to her being fired. What’s worse, the firm that received the contract for this taxpayer-funded campaign is run by Noem’s former chief DHS spokesperson, who has personal and business ties to Noem and her aides. We’ve gutted so many vital national programs in this country, only to have grifters like Trump, Noem and all the rest continue to pick our pockets. What a waste of taxpayer dollars.
Campaign finance claims…
Dear editor,
In the March 5 edition of the Reader, Jay Omundson claimed that I funded my campaign “significantly by out-of-state contributors” [Letters, “‘An unapologetic RINO’...”]. With Google AI, it is easy to examine whether Omundson’s claims are true.
According to Google, “In the 2024 primary election cycle, Scott Herndon raised the vast majority of his campaign funds from within Idaho.” In-state contributions were over $96,000 (approximately 96%). Most funding came from individual donors within Idaho. Out-of-state contributions were $4,400 (approximately 4%). These funds came from a small number of contributors located outside of Idaho.
Of these, individuals donated $90,300, or 89.5%. Companies donated $7,600, or 7.5%. Political action committees donated $3,000, or 3.0%.
Omundson ignores the fact that my opposition has always significantly outspent me.
Boundary and Bonner counties are horrifically expensive. Housing is out of reach for most of our young people, and seniors on fixed incomes also face significant threats by rising property taxes and price inflation on everyday necessities.
I hope Omundson and others will join with me in finding solutions to these real problems that affect quality of life in North Idaho. I also am committed to debating policy with facts and respect.
Scott Herndon Sagle
‘Say what?’...
Dear editor, Trump stated that he would end the war between Russia and Ukraine on his first day in office, commenting that he and Russian President Vladimir Putin were good friends. That war is still ongoing.
Trump campaigned that the U.S. would not get involved in conflicts in other countries, that’s proven to be a lie. Has he really put the U.S. in a war scenario to avoid exposure of the full Epstein files and his involvement? Trump has put America in harm’s way — exactly the opposite of what he said while running for office.
Now, his “good” buddy Putin is working with the Iranians against the U.S. Say what? And China simply sits on the sidelines waiting to see what shakes out between the U.S. and Iran, U.S. and the drug car-
tels, U.S. and Russia, U.S. and South America, U.S. and Mexico.
Congress needs to get off its ass and reign in this kneejerk-reacting idiot before there’s no U.S. of A. There are enough problems within our own country to be resolved, before ever even thinking of going to war with so many countries at the same time.
Michael Harmelin Vietnam veteran Sandpoint
‘I have a vision’...
Dear editor,
I am just an average person who believes in the rule of law, honest communication and cooperation. My vision is really very satisfying. I see an orange-haired, pompous, lying, cheating, self serving, insane and traitorous president being led away in handcuffs. He is wearing an orange jumpsuit with “Super Maximum Federal Prison, Florence, Colorado” printed on the back.
This vision continues as I see our beleaguered nation taking a long, deep, satisfying sigh of relief. I see the frowns and furtive looks being replaced with smiles, friendly nods and a light step in people’s strides.
I see the contentious and vile discourse being replaced with courteous, sincere and positive discussion. I see a huge wave of mutual cooperation sweep across our nation in a way we have not seen in years.
This one, single act of putting an end to the relentless crimes, lies and deceit will have a profound positive effect on our country. My vision can become a reality if we vote out the Republicans in the midterm elections.
Impeach Trump and send him to prison!
Don Moore Sagle
Wider faith conversation needed on Christian nationalism…
Dear editor, I attended a presentation and panel discussion at the United Methodist Church this weekend, where several church leaders spoke with elevated and lyrical energy on the importance of separation between church and state and the dangers of Christian nationalism as an unaffiliated, unaccountable challenge to rights codified in the Constitution. Where were the other leaders? Who is having dialogue with church leaders from organizations complicit through their silence, placation or
implied messaging? It falls on the leaders of all churches to manifest and maintain the dialogue with those leaders, not only in a room of safety and alliance. We as citizens do not have the same power of influence or the privilege of being seen as peers. I posit to those pastors, preachers, fathers and reverends: If your conscience is as you have stated, your work is not just with your followers, but with your colleagues in all walks of Christian faith.
Ammi Midstokke
Sandpoint
‘Stop Trump now’...
Dear editor,
Since before the last (and I hope it’s not the last) presidential inauguration, Donald Trump has done even more damage to this country, our Constitution, our populace, worldwide economics, every ally the U.S. has ever had, world hunger, medicine and disease, world peace (Nobel Prize… seriously?), election integrity, civil unrest and assault, and God help any Democratic state or city that didn’t vote for him.
It hasn’t stopped and it never will as long as he is in office.
Afflicted with a serious case of sociopathic, malignant narcissism — and very possibly a rapidly progressing case of Alzheimer’s disease — it is most unlikely that he will change for the better.
We can’t afford the time to wait for the midterm elections, he’s much too capable of finding a way to stop them and the further damage he can do in the meantime is unacceptable. The best thing we can do is impeach Trump, his vice president, his cabinet, any other accessories to his criminal behavior and hold all of them to account.
If we want to regain one iota of respect from the rest of the world, throw the bums out, apologize and get to the work of trying to fix it.
Jay Omundson Cocolalla
Thoughts on local dumps…
Dear editor, We all appreciate the dump. I mean, if we didn’t have one, boy, we would be a mess! My family used to live in Sagle and we went to the Dufort dump every other week. I enjoyed the trip there and back, but I never took much notice of how it was run. Recently, we moved up north of Sandpoint and now go to the
Colburn dump. The two sites are managed very differently. I think the Colburn transfer station should be operated and managed more like the Dufort station.
It takes five people to operate the Colburn site, while Dufort only takes two. Less taxes and more self-service. In turn, self-service makes the process of using the dump quicker.
It requires more machinery to scoop and pick up trash on the ground at Colburn (Dufort uses dumpsters). At Colburn you get your shoes all covered in trash juices because you dump your trash on the ground.
Even though I would make some changes, I very much appreciate our dumps.
Thank you,
Ivan Patterson
Student (11 years old)
Bonner County
‘What are the “anti-initiative” proponents afraid of?’...
Dear editor,
The purpose of the Reproductive Freedom and Privacy Act is to let Idahoans decide who gets to make their personal reproductive decisions: a woman and her doctor/family, or the Legislature? The initiative says let the people decide.
The Legislature decided that women and their families can no longer make their own decisions about pregnancy options in Idaho. The Legislature decided that individuals in our state aren’t allowed to follow their own religious beliefs about reproductive options.
Idaho allowed these choices for 50 years. The people did not ask their legislators to make these personal reproductive decisions for them after the Supreme Court reversal of Roe v. Wade. This initiative’s intent is to let the people of Idaho make this choice, not the Legislature.
Why are the anti-initiative proponents against the voters deciding this issue? Are they afraid most of the citizens disagree with them and believe choices should be legal? Are they afraid the majority doesn’t agree with their continuous “abortion is murder” mantra?
Nobody is forced to have an abortion, however current legislatively mandated laws force women and families of Idaho to follow someone else’s religious beliefs, not their own.
Kam Majer Sandpoint
PERSPECTIVES Emily Articulated
The score
By Emily Erickson Reader Columnist
In 2014, psychologist and author Bessel van der Kolk published The Body Keeps the Score, a nonfiction work exploring how traumatic experiences reshape the brain and body. Since its release, the book has spent more than 350 weeks on The New York Times nonfiction bestseller list and sold nearly 2 million copies worldwide.
Van der Kolk’s central thesis is that trauma is not just a mental event but a physiological one. Traumatic experiences reshape the brain and nervous system, and the body can store these memories long after the original danger has passed, producing chronic, present-day distress.
Like many effective popular psychology books, he explains this through simple metaphors. The amygdala functions as the brain’s “smoke alarm,” while the frontal lobes act as “watchtowers.”
In a dangerous situation (real or perceived) the smoke alarm goes off, activating the autonomic nervous system and flooding the body with stress hormones. This prepares us to run, fight or freeze. The watchtowers observe the situation from “above,” helping determine whether the threat is real and, if it isn’t, shutting the alarm back down.
But when someone experiences repeated trauma or never fully processes a past event, these systems can become stuck. The watchtowers grow hyper-vigilant. The smoke alarm fires at smaller and smaller stimuli. A system designed to protect us begins reacting to everything as if it were the original danger. The result is a pattern of recurring emotional reactivity that eventually takes a toll on the body (“the score”).
I began reading about this a few months ago after starting therapy, hoping to better understand how earlier experiences shape my relationship to stress and anxiety today. But alongside a helpful framework for my own life, I found myself thinking about something larger: the state of the world.
The idea that unresolved trauma creates cycles of stress and reactivity feels just as relevant beyond the counselor’s office. It maps surprisingly well onto our collective consciousness and onto the story of the United States itself.
The notion that our country might benefit from therapy feels morbidly accurate. When you consider our origin story and long history of conflict, injustice and division, the tensions of today feel less surprising (if not inevitable).
The U.S. began in conflict, as colonists wrested land and resources from the Indigenous peoples who already lived here. Those tensions escalated into the Revolutionary War, wherein independence was the outcome, but what it took to achieve it — violence, sacrifice and existential struggle — became part of the country’s founding identity.
In the centuries since, the U.S. has returned to war with a steady cadence. From the War of 1812 to the Spanish-American War, the World Wars and later conflicts in
Korea, Vietnam, Afghanistan and Iraq, combat has become part of our national rhythm.
We fund a military larger than that of the next several countries combined, maintaining a system built for response — so much so that it might, at times, reach for something to respond to. It’s hard not to see echoes of the brain’s trauma circuitry in that position: watchtower-like vigilance, a smoke alarm primed to sound and the sense that the largest possible response is the safest one.
Just as the body’s protective systems can become stuck in patterns, firing at smaller and smaller perceived threats, perhaps nations can fall into similar habits. What once served survival begins to shape identity, and reactivity becomes precedent.
The same echoes appear in our political life and social systems. A two-party system hardened by the trauma of the Civil War carries a legacy of otherness so deep that violence once seemed like the only resolution. The language of today’s politics — name-calling, demonization, existential framing — still carries traces of that wound.
And then arguably, there’s the deepest trauma of all: a foundation of systemic inequality. Generations of injustice have carved grooves into our national life, shaping who benefits, who suffers and how we respond to attempts at change.
Like unprocessed trauma in an individual, these patterns tend to recreate themselves.
We normalize enormous reactions, like loss of life in the name of war, civic breakdown in the name of political victory and social division in the name of identity.
In my 20s, I wore the consequences of my own unprocessed trauma like a badge of honor. My hyper-independence felt like something
to be proud of. My inability to trust people to show up for me became justification for avoiding stability — something I rebranded as “vagabonding.”
But in my 30s, I’m beginning the slower work of examining those experiences more honestly. I’m learning that my reactions rarely begin in the present moment, instead drawing from the entire archive of what came before. Sometimes those reactions sabotage the life I’m trying to build.
Our country, in all its youth, feels caught between the two, wearing our scarred history like patriotism itself, with half the population being
proud of that identity and half wanting to examine the ways it perpetuates outcomes that don’t serve them at best, and causes harm at worst.
Like the therapist in the chair, I’m left questioning whether we’ll ever decide to examine our past in the ways that demand recourse or beg for repair, or if we’re doomed to forever live with the smoke alarm ringing — and the ever-escalating toll it’ll surely take.
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.
Science: Mad about
By Brenden Bobby Reader Columnist
If you can read this, congratulations! You experienced a global pandemic that began in December 2019. Up until that point, the most recent pandemic the world had endured was the HIV/AIDS pandemic that began in 1976 but hit its peak around 2005. Unlike COVID-19, HIV was spread exclusively through contact with infected blood and bodily fluids, primarily through sex and communal drug use.
The estimated death toll of COVID-19 to date is somewhere around 7.1 million, according to the World Health Organization; though, due to myriad global issues ranging from political misinformation to the massive supply chain disruptions of the pandemic, that number could well be higher. The estimated death toll from AIDS and AIDS-related illnesses is around 44.1 million over the past 50 years, UNAIDS reported.
Today, we will be looking at a few other pandemics that struck the globe (or the places on it that were recording them at the time). We will be including an estimated population in addition to the death toll, to give a proper perspective of the lethality of these specific diseases.
Influenza, 1918. World Population: 1.8 billion. Death toll: 20-50 million.
The most lethal strain of influenza in recorded history struck the world in 1918. It earned the moniker “the Spanish Flu” after a newspaper in Madrid first began reporting on the disease. Other nations had largely suppressed information of the flu strain during
pandemics
the end of World War I, but not by neutral Spain. Despite the disease not originating on the Iberian Peninsula, its name carried a heavy weight that transcended borders. The U.S. and Germany both saw a rise in xenophobia related to the flu, particularly in areas that were hard hit by the disease.
Another name given to this disease was “the Purple Death,” due to its mechanism for suffocating its victims and causing them to turn a bluish-purple as their lungs filled with fluid. Unique to this strain of flu, it disproportionately affected young and healthy adults when past strains had primarily reaped the young and the elderly.
Interestingly, similar to COVID-19, the Purple Death variant activated something called cytokine storms, where the immune system overreacted to the disease and laid waste to healthy tissue in a dire bid to eradicate the infection. This led to inflammation and fluid in the lungs that would effectively suffocate the afflicted individual over the course of a few hours.
The Justinian Plague, 541 C.E. World population: ~200 million. Death toll: 25 million.
The first recorded instance of the bubonic plague was Justinian’s plague, which wiped out as much as half of Europe’s total population. A variant of this plague would resurface in 1346 and earn the moniker of the Black Death, which wiped out as much as half the human population of Europe, Asia and Africa.
While Justinian’s plague may not have been quite as numerically lethal as the Black Death, it struck the highest population concentration in Europe and Asia at the time,
the city of Constantinople — a city that had been considered impregnable by any army but uniquely vulnerable to a disease of this nature.
The bubonic plague spreads through the bacterium Yersinia pestis, which lives in the gut of fleas. These fleas would drink the blood of humans and rats, spreading the bacteria in the process. This created a vicious cycle in dense populations like Constantinople, where the death toll reached as high as 5,000 people a day.
Justinian’s plague had far-reaching consequences for the Byzantine Empire. More than just killing millions, it caused massive economic ripples by crippling trade, triggering famine, decimating the military and critically damaging Emperor Justinian’s ability to rule. By many accounts, 541 C.E. was considered the worst year to live in recorded history.
Antonine plague, 165 C.E. World population: ~200 million. Death toll ~10 million.
Traveling back nearly two millennia, our understanding of disease begins to break down. The Antonine plague is a bit of a mystery, with historians speculating it may have been a smallpox outbreak that ended up becoming a fullblown pandemic.
It was brought back to Rome by soldiers who had been fighting in the Roman-Parthian war in Mesopotamia. The war was part of a conflict that lasted for 270 years, though this was actually part of a much larger series of massive conflicts between the Roman and Persian empires that went on for 684 years.
The plague was detailed by Galen of Pergamon, a Roman and Greek physician who studied the effects of the
disease on the Roman population. Among the symptoms were sore throat, diarrhea and pustules that ran down victims’ backs — a trait that led historians to believe this was an early outbreak of smallpox. Rome was so heavily affected by the disease that Emperor Marcus Aurelius was forced to recruit new soldiers from “undesirable” stock such as captured bandits, slaves and
gladiators ahead of his incursions into Gaul.
In Ridley Scott’s historical fiction epic Gladiator, starring Russel Crowe, this campaign is referenced at the beginning of the movie. Though the plague isn’t referenced in the movie, it would have waned during the period the film was taking place.
Stay curious, 7B.
Random Corner
• Aquamarine is the official gemstone of March. In ancient Rome, aquamarine was given to sailors to protect them at sea, as they believed the gem to be the treasure of mermaids. The name comes from aqua marina, which means “sea water.”
• Decorative jewelry and protective amulets containing aquamarine have been found as far back as 500 B.C.E.
• Aquamarine is formed from a mineral called beryl and found in granite pegmatites, as well as in the veins of metamorphic rocks mineralized by hydrothermal activity.
• Aquamarine comes in various shades of blue, ranging from pale blue to dark teal. The tones change due to the differing iron levels in the stone. Some rockhounds will treat aquamarine with heat to deepen its natural color.
• The most vibrantly colored
aquamarine gemstones come from Brazil.
• Aquamarine is one of the few gemstones with very few inclusions, or materials that get trapped inside the mineral when formed, causing imperfections. This makes aquamarine one of the clearest-looking gemstones.
• Colorado adopted aquamarine as its state gem in 1971.
• Due to its abundance, aquamarine is relatively affordable compared to other gemstones. However, it’s more expensive than blue topaz. Generally speaking, the deeper the shade of blue, the more expensive the gemstone.
• Some believe aquamarine to be a powerful meditation tool that promotes calm. In the Middle Ages, this gemstone was used to reduce anxiety and the toxicity of poisons.
Top left: Sandpoint High School art students and the bowls they created for the Empty Bowl fundraiser for the Bonner Community Food Bank.
Top right: “Local moose readying the county for spring.” Photo by Forrest Schuck.
Middle left: Dave Hussey and Marilyn Haddad brought the Reader to Western Australia’s Cape Leeuwin, where the Indian Ocean and Southern Ocean converge. Photo taken by Tom Woodward.
To submit a photo for a future edition, please send to ben@sandpointreader.com.
Photo by Jim Healey.
Middle right: The Reader aboard a boat to Palancar Gardens scuba diving site in Cozumel, Mexico with Lisa Cirac, Craig Hinman and Shawnee Hinman. Photo courtesy of Lisa Cirac.
Bottom left: The Knaggs kids soaking it all in. Photo by Sara Knaggs.
Bottom center: A passing train and reflection, photographed by Marlene Rorke.
Bottom right: A brisk day on Lake Pend Oreille. Photo by Ron Bedford.
‘We all took these trees for granted’
By Jane Fritz Reader Contributor
For 48 years, every time I drove east down Oak Street in Sandpoint, I thanked the resplendent heritage Norway maple on the corner of Fourth Avenue for its remarkable beauty and its towering presence in any season.
So full of life, it was a close friend to me and so many others. Gail Lyster, who served on the City’s Tree Commission, had even hung a chain necklace around it that said “Heritage Tree.” Greg Flint and Jeff “Sprouts” Rich would sit below it humbly selling their gleaned dried plums, cherries and apples. More recently, the Bonner County Human Rights Task Force volunteers handed out “Love Lives Here” signs and visited with passersby on their way to the Farmers’ Market. The fruitful mountain ash tree that stood nearby would bring hundreds of birds every winter to feast on its brilliant orange berries.
But ever since the city of Sandpoint expanded the sidewalks in that part of town without regard for any of the tree root systems, these trees began to slowly die. When STCU acquired the corner property, they added more concrete and stone. The food court parking lot of gravel replaced grass, and suddenly these trees had no soil, water or room to grow, let
alone survive.
These past two years, every time I traveled east down Oak Street, I noticed the trees’ decline and begged forgiveness and promised to do something.
Time passes, life priorities change and it wasn’t until last summer that I started speaking out and asking arborists I know about what could be done to save these trees. I spoke my three public minutes at City Council meetings to no avail, and finally in October, I found STCU facilities manager Doug Koch in Spokane, who promised to bring our local certified arborist, Paige Belfry, rather than the usual commercial Spokane tree people, to determine from her expertise and education if these trees could be saved.
I asked to be involved as well and alerted those other friends of the maple asking them to support saving them. Then I had a difficult winter and, although I left a couple of voicemails for him, I didn’t connect with Mr. Koch until March 3, when he called to say that the trees were being cut down.
I’ve lost a lot of friends lately, but this maple tree marking 48 years of my life in Sandpoint has created a deep and unbearable grief. I don’t know how I will be able to drive down Oak on my way to the post office or the bank across the street without weeping. We all took these
trees for granted. All life dies, but our human negligence caused these early deaths. Gail’s necklace was likely tossed in the trash. The hardwood hauled away or chipped where it could have been crafted into art or bowls or even a monument in memory of these trees. Where do the birds now find their winter food with such habitat loss? But what really hurts is that none of us got to say goodbye. So much for STCU’s “Here for Good” motto. Not in our community. The company’s insensitivity stings instead. Have we learned anything with this incredible loss? There are two more areas regarding trees in our city that we need to save on city property, not on private land as in this case. Most imminent is the native cottonwood grove at the end of Cedar Street past the library and near Lincoln Street, part of a reconstruction project and considered “junk” by the city. They are slated to be cut down soon, even though they are critical perch trees for the nearby osprey nest — especially juvenile birds who fledge — as well as more than 200 species of moths and butterflies feeding songbirds like yellow warblers, chickadees and vireos.
The other is Farmin Park, where many of the maples are dying because of the same expanded sidewalks, along with soil compaction and exposed
roots trampled by thousands of human feet every summer, whether at the Farmers’ Market or music events.
We need to make some changes if these trees are to be saved, but with no budget for caring for these or any trees in the city, part of the “Tree City USA” accolades we’ve received in past years has become ironic.
What can you, dear citizen, do? Contact Mayor Jeremy Grimm or the Urban Forestry Commission and speak out. Tell them how you feel about our Heritage Trees and do it now.
The red maple on the corner of Oak St. and Fourth Ave.
Photo by Jane Fritz
By Rep. Mark Sauter, R-Sandpoint Reader Contributor
Greetings from Boise — I hope all is well. Last week, H.B. 659 was heard on the House floor. The bill requires our local law enforcement agencies to apply for a memorandum of agreement with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). After careful consideration, I did not support the bill.
Immigration is an issue that is of concern in Idaho. We live in a country with a system of laws, and I believe we should follow them. I recently supported legislation requiring employers to use the E-Verify system when hiring new employees. This made sense to me; we have agricultural businesses in the Kootenai Valley that use the H2A program. It would be unfair to their farm operations to allow others to work around the immigration process. I heard something about
H.B. 659 a few weeks ago, during a conversation with Bonner County Sheriff Daryl Wheeler about other law enforcement issues.
The sheriff was concerned about committing staff and deputies to training and enforcement duties for the federal government that were not their primary duty.
He mentioned his deputies were already busy doing the work necessary to protect our community — immigration work included. He voiced his concern about his budget, noting the funding available with the federal program wasn’t a full reimbursement of costs or to “backfill” the staffing vacancies caused by sending deputies to training. Keeping a full roster of deputies and having them on patrol is central to good law enforcement.
At the end of February, I called Sheriff Travis Stolley
Harms of single-party rule spur Idaho Democrats to run for office Legislative update
By Lauren Necochea Reader Contributor
Competition is the heartbeat of representative democracy.
Idaho shows what happens when one party faces no real check. The Republican supermajority has turned the Legislature into a pipeline for extremism, pushing policies that don’t solve real problems and don’t reflect what most Idahoans want. While Democrats fight to protect public schools, health care, fire prevention, public safety and other essentials, Republican lawmakers pick fights that play on cable news but do nothing to lower rent, expand child care or keep rural hospitals open.
Democrats are responding, stepping up in record numbers to offer a better path.
In 2026, 117 Idaho Democrats are running for federal, statewide and legislative offices, with candidates on the ballot for all three federal offices and all seven statewide constitutional offices. One hundred Democrats are running for the Legislature, and we’re competing in all 35 legislative districts — outpacing the Idaho Republican Party, which filed candidates in 34.
Competition forces accountability. It makes officials answer to voters. It gives Idahoans a real choice.
Reasons for voting against the Idaho ICE bill
in Boundary County as part of my preparation for voting on H.B. 659. He expressed the same concerns as Sheriff Wheeler. He added that his department regularly works with Customs and Border Patrol and has a great working relationship with them.
After speaking with the two sheriffs — both elected by our local voters and respected by their peers — I found myself questioning why I should support H.B. 659. What is the problem we are trying to fix?
Our local law enforcement professionals didn’t believe the bill was necessary. They thought it would cost our taxpayers extra money. They also opined it would take away from the sheriffs’ primary mission: protecting the people in Bonner and Boundary counties.
There were other issues with H.B. 659 as well. It struck me as odd for a state that values our self-reliance and doesn’t typically appreciate many of the federal programs, we were volunteering to do something for the federal government and adapting to their system — and taking on unknown costs and
commitments.
In the halls of the Capitol, I repeatedly hear about the “strings attached to federal funding.” H.B. 659 has strings, too. In the heart of the bill, it provides, “[participating law enforcement agencies] shall participate in any future program or successor to an existing program.” That language is written by Idaho legislators, not our federal government. That language binds every Idaho law enforcement agency to an unknown future commitment to our federal government.
The bill directs law enforcement agencies “unable to enter into a 287(g) agreement” to publish a statement declaring the reasons for their inability to enter an MOA and any efforts made to establish alternate cooperation with enforcement and removal operations with ICE. The bill does not give any direction regarding where such a statement is required to be posted.
After speaking with our sheriffs and listening to their concerns about H.B. 569, forcing them to defend their judgement
on this issue felt like a burden they didn’t need to have.
A handout was provided during the debate with a list of participating Idaho law enforcement agencies. Six Idaho sheriff’s departments — 14%, of the 44 statewide sheriff’s departments — participate. The Idaho State Police is involved as well. No municipal police departments were listed.
H.B. 659 passed 41-27 and now will be considered on the Senate side of the Capitol.
It is a humbling task to represent our district. I do my best to listen to our residents and to those who provide our local services. It’s an honor to meet and work with so many dedicated people who provide their time and effort for our community.
Feel free to share your thoughts and interests by emailing me at msauter@ house.idaho.gov.
Rep. Mark Sauter is a second-term Republican legislator representing District 1A. He serves on the Agricultural Affairs; Education; and Resources and Conservation committees.
Idahoans are noticing.
Our candidates come from every corner of Idaho: teachers, nurses, firefighters, small
business owners, and parents balancing work and child care. They support a fairer tax code that makes the wealthy pay their share so Idaho can invest in thriving communities. They’re focused on strong schools, home accessibility and reducing the costs squeezing working families. They believe freedom means making your most personal decisions without politicians interfering.
You’ll also see candidates who once identified as Republicans. Far-right activists and Christian nationalists have targeted Idaho because they see the Idaho GOP as a vehicle for their agenda. Their radicalism is driving longtime Republicans who value common sense, local control and minding your own business to look for something better.
This moment is urgent
because margins matter.
The Idaho Senate approved 4% across-the-board budget cuts by a single vote. The governor’s agency directors warned how damaging these cuts will be. A Republican senator called them what they are: arbitrary and lazy.
The bill passed 18-17. Every Democrat voted against taking a chainsaw to Idaho’s budget. A majority of Republicans voted for it. [Editor’s note: Dist. 1 Sen. Jim Woodward, R-Sagle, voted against the budget bill, S.B. 1331.]
If Sen. Rick Just, D-Boise, had been reelected last cycle, that bill would have died. Lawmakers would have had to budget responsibly, weigh priorities and consider Idaho’s $1.3 billion in reserves instead of punishing schools and essential services with blunt cuts.
Instead, Just earned 48.2% and lost to Codi Galloway with 51.8%. Galloway cast the deciding vote.
That’s what one election can do. That’s what a handful of votes can change. Your vote matters. Who you elect matters. When officials are self-serving, shortsighted and harmful, they should be voted out — because when there are no consequences for bad decisions, the people pay the price.
Lauren Necochea is chair of the Idaho Democratic Party and a former District 19 legislator. Necochea spent a decade leading nonprofit programs dedicated to research and advocacy in tax policy, health care and children’s issues.
Lauren Necochea. File photo
Rep. Mark Sauter. File photo
Community Writing Contest slated for March 14
By Reader Staff
The annual Community Writing Contest will kick off at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday, March 14 at the Sandpoint Branch of the East Bonner County Library (1407 Cedar St.).
There, writers from age 5 and up
are invited to read from their favorite five-minute work of fiction, nonfiction, memoir or poetry for cash prizes, with judging by audience members.
Sponsored by Sandpoint Writers on the Lake, the 2026 contest features the addition of a fourth category — dividing the growing adult category into two sections (Adult I, ages 20 through 49) and Adult II (ages 50 and up).
“The fact is, this category has grown over the past two years, and we recognize that ‘with age comes more experience,’ which equates to more fodder for exciting writing,” stated Writers on the Lake President Bonnie McDade. “We felt there needed to be more opportunities in this expansive category.”
The other change is the addition of four short, three-minute reads from Sandpoint Writers members.
The other two categories are Youth, ages 12 and under, and Teen, ages 13 through 19. Winners in each category take home $50 and second place wins $25. Registration is from 8:30-9:20
a.m. and the program starts at 9:30 a.m., with the first readings at about 9:50 a.m. Latecomers will have to wait
in the hallway if a presenter is in the middle of reading.
Audience judges are given notetaking sheets, color-coded ballots and evaluation sheets to choose first and second place in each category.
Each of the presenters may choose one of the books by published members of Writers on the Lake as a gift and thank-you for participating. Currently the published member-authors have more than 40 works among them, most of which will be available to choose from at the event.
Members of the community are invited to attend, and complimentary snacks and beverages will be available during the contest.
For more information, contact sandpointwriters@gmail.com.
North Idaho CASA hosts free Ray of Hope luncheon
By Reader Staff
North Idaho Court Appointed Special Advocates invites the community to its Ray of Hope luncheon on Thursday, March 19, where attendees will gather to learn more about the organization’s work advocating for children in the First Judicial District.
Doors open at 11:30 a.m. for a complimentary lunch at Marigold Bistro (414 Church St., in Sandpoint).
Sponsored by Finan McDonald, the program begins at noon, when par-
ticipants will share a meal and hear a presentation on CASA’s role in the district, helping on behalf of children in legal settings ranging from foster care and child protective services to the juvenile justice system and more.
Attendees will also have the opportunity to connect with the organization and find out how they can become involved.
RSVP for the Ray of Hope luncheon by emailing kristin@northidahocasa.org. To learn more about North Idaho CASA, go to northidahocasa.org.
Photo by Ben Olson
A new lease on life
By Stephanie Peterson Reader Contributor
My dad, Brett Peterson, was born and raised in Sandpoint and spent his later years working for B.F. Redi-Mix. Like many people in our community, he built his life around hard work, family and the outdoors. Everything changed in November 2021, when he contracted COVID-19 and became critically ill.
He was admitted to Kootenai Health, where his lungs began to fail, eventually requiring a ventilator to keep him alive. There were moments during that time when we truly did not know if he would survive. Watching someone you love fight for every breath is something that stays with you.
He did survive, but the road forward was long and difficult. After months in the hospital, he spent nine more months in a rehabilitation facility before finally returning home in July 2022. From that point on, oxygen became a constant companion as pulmonary fibrosis continued to progress. Everyday activities that once felt ordinary became exhausting. In the spring of 2025, his pulmonologist delivered news no family is ever ready to hear: he likely had only one to two years to live. But instead of giving up, the doctor encouraged him
to pursue a lung transplant.
In January, my parents temporarily relocated to Phoenix so he could be evaluated at St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center. The transplant evaluation process is extensive and emotionally exhausting; but, on Feb. 4, he was officially placed on the transplant list.
Just 11 days later, we received the call that changed everything.
On Feb. 15, my dad underwent a double lung transplant. The hours during the surgery felt endless. My sister Katie and I were on a flight to Phoenix during the procedure, but when the doctors came out and informed my mom, Sally, that everything had gone well, it felt like our family could breathe again, too.
What has happened since then has been nothing short of remarkable.
Within a week, he was walking the halls of the ICU with his new lungs. His doctors shared that his recovery was among the top transplant recoveries they had seen. Shortly after, he was discharged from the hospital to continue healing outside those walls.
Since then, we have watched him slowly reclaim pieces of life that once felt lost.
What began as cautious walks around the neighborhood turned into something we thought might never
happen again. Recently, we walked three miles together, and the following morning another mile and a quarter. After more than four years on oxygen, he is now breathing completely on his own.
There is still a long road ahead. Recovery from a transplant takes months of monitoring, medications and rebuilding strength. But today we are simply grateful for the progress he has made and the second chance he has been given.
Throughout this entire journey, the support from the Sandpoint community has carried our family in ways that are difficult to describe. We read messages from home to him during the hardest days, and those reminders of community gave him the strength to keep fighting.
Above all, we hold deep gratitude for the organ donor and their family who, in the midst of unimaginable loss, gave the gift of life to someone they will likely never meet. Because of their generosity, my dad gets to breathe freely again.
For those who would like to follow his continued recovery, our family has been sharing updates, photos and videos on his GoFundMe page at bit. ly/PetersonGoFundMe.
Top left: The Peterson family just 16 hours after Brett’s double lung transplant. Top right: Brett Peterson walking around in Arizona after his surgery. Courtesy photos
COMMUNITY
Museum hosts history tour on Pend d’Oreille Bay Trail
By Reader Staff
With the lake at its annual lowest level, the Bonner County Historical Society and Museum is hosting a walking tour of the Pend d’Oreille Bay Trail to explore Sandpoint’s history and the remnants of industry along its shores.
The tour runs from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. on Saturday, March 14. Tickets are $30 for adults and $15 for ages 18 and under, available at bonnercountyhistory.org.
The group will meet at the south end of the Best Western Edgewater Resort (56 Bridge St.) and walk the
four-mile trail, following the lead of environment historian Steve Gill, a retired Brownfields Analyst for the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality who helped establish the trail.
Gill’s family history in North Idaho stretches back to his great-grandparents, who moved to Sandpoint in 1886 while employed by the Northern Pacific Railroad. His grandfather — born in 1909 — went on to work for the Forest Service in Priest River before moving on to the Pack River Lumber Company, giving Gill generational ties to Sandpoint’s industrial past.
“Regarding the POBT, from 2006-
2025, as DEQ’s project manager for the project, I was responsible for overseeing the extensive assessment of the historic sites along the shoreline, numerous environmental site assessments, and the upcoming Panhandle Smelting and Refining Company contamination remediation,” Gill stated in a recent news release.
Gill’s presentation will cover the Humbird Lumber Mill, past smelting operations and recent efforts to restore the shoreline after decades of industrial pollution.
LPO Rep hosts open house in new space
By Reader Staff
Lake Pend Oreille Repertory Theater has moved into its new home in the EnVision Center (130 McGee Road, in Ponderay). To celebrate, the local acting group will host an open house on Saturday, March 14, from 2-5 p.m. The rare tour will also offer a sneak peek into the company’s newest production.
Over the three-hour open house,
audiences will take in three scenes from the upcoming production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare, premiering in early April. The modern adaptation combines metropolitan visuals with the mythical landscape of fairies and lush gardens envisioned by the Bard.
Between scenes, the local improv troupe Mediocre At Best will put on several skits, and organizers will give
presentations on the history and future of LPO Rep.
Stop by anytime to participate in discussions about local theater and the company itself, and to learn about volunteer opportunities — or stay for the full three hours to experience a bit of everything.
For more information, visit lporep. com.
PERSPECTIVES
By Mike Wagoner Reader Contributor
you gotta love a small town
I live out in Sagle and, when I’m leaving Sandpoint, I sometimes stop at the Chevron station to get a sixer of PBR and, if needed, fossil fuel. A couple weeks ago I stopped and paid for both... talked a little with the girl behind the counter... went out to my rig... got in and drove off. I was pretty much across the bridge when it occurred to me... I spaced gettin’ the gas. Well, days passed before I went into town again. I got some groceries and just as I was approaching the Chevron I remembered... the gas. I went in, talked with a different lady behind the counter and told her what had happened. She came back with, “So... that was you. We’ve
been wonderin’ if you’d ever show.” I told her how much I had paid for the gas the other day and she said, “That’s right... we’ve got a note upstairs stating the same amount.” She called up to the manager, he came down with the cash, handed it to me, I handed it to the cashier across the counter, went out and pumped the gas. Probably about halfway across the bridge it dawned on me... I forgot the six pack. I smiled and said to myself, “I’m surprised she didn’t remind me.”
You gotta love a small town... Sandpoint has changed some since the ’70s, but sometimes it still feels the way it used to.
BY THE NUMBERS
By Ben Olson Reader Staff
$93.4 billion
The total amount of money spent on grants and contracts by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth in September 2025, the largest single-month total ever recorded by any federal agency, according to Newsweek. Data analyzed from Open the Books revealed the Pentagon’s jaw-dropping spending, which included the following expenditures: $2 million on Alaskan king crab and $6.9 million on lobster tail; $15.1 million spent on ribeye steak; $1 million on salmon; $225.6 million on furniture, including nearly $100,000 for a Steinway & Sons grand piano to outfit the home of the Air Force chief of staff; $5.3 million for Apple devices, including new iPads; $124,000 on ice cream machines; $26,000 on sushi preparation tables; $139,224 spent on donuts; more than $60,000 on high-end furniture maker Herman Miller recliners and others, all spent in September 2025 alone.
The spending surge is thought to have been the result of the Pentagon’s “use-it-or-lose-it” budget deadline, a longstanding feature of the federal budget process that requires most government agencies to use their annual discretionary funding by the end of the fiscal year on Sept. 30, or return any unspent money to the U.S. Treasury.
6,393
The number of teachers’ salaries that could have been funded by the Pentagon’s September 2025 expenditures on ribeye steaks, lobster tails, salmon, donuts and ice cream machines alone.
97%
The share of public comments opposing President Donald Trump’s White House ballroom, according to an analysis of more than 35,000 submissions reviewed ahead of a hearing by the National Capital Planning Commission. Officials delayed a vote on the proposal until April, citing the unusually large volume of public feedback.
Conservation League begins search for artist in residence
By Reader Staff
Idaho artists with a love of Idaho’s environment — from emerging talents to established names — are encouraged to apply for the Idaho Conservation League’s artist in residence program.
Beginning more than a decade ago with Boise landscape artist Rachel Teannalach, the annual residency program explores the confluence of artistic expression and environmental conservation. The 2026 selection will be the 10th honoree, helping ICL speak to new audiences about the power of artistry in considering the places, resources and species that the organization works to protect throughout Idaho.
The 2026-’27 artist in residence will join ICL in June and complete their residency with an exhibition at the conservation group’s annual conference Wild Idaho! in May 2027. The selected artist will receive a stipend to cover materials and travel expenses.
Throughout the residency, the artist is expected to collaborate with ICL in developing works relevant to the organization’s mission of pro-
tecting Idaho’s air, water, land and wildlife. In exchange, the artist will benefit promotionally from regular presence in ICL’s digital and print communications and at ICL-sponsored events.
Applications open on Monday, March 16. Those applying should work in two-dimensional mediums and are asked to submit five examples of past work that best demonstrate their relationship to Idaho’s environment (approximately 10x14 inches at 72 dpi in JPEG format) and short written responses to application questions, all of which can be found at idahoconservation.org/ artist-in-residence. Applications are due by Tuesday, March 31.
A selection committee will review the applications and choose an artist with whom to work. Selection will be based on artists’ work quality, artistic relevance to ICL’s work and commitment to Idaho’s environment. Artists will be notified of the committee’s decision by mid-May 2026.
Submit applications to Community Engagement Associate Lexi Black-Spalding (lblack@idahoconservation.org) at bit.ly/ICLGoogleForm.
Send event listings to calendar@sandpointreader.com
Community open house:
Cedar Street Restoration Project
Noon-2pm & 4-7pm @ Sandpoint Library
Learn more about this upcoming project in Room B at the library
Line dancing lessons
6:30pm @ The Hive
Live Music w/ BTP
THURSDAY, march 12
Artist reception for SHS art students
5-7pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery
See art pieces from SHS art students, with a live string instrument musical performance during reception
Live Music w/ Liam McCoy & Friends 7pm @ Eichardt’s Pub
Weekly pool tournament 6pm @ Roxy’s Lounge
FriDAY, march 13
6:30-9:30pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall
Live Music w/ Waterhouse
5-7:30pm @ Matchwood Brewing Co.
Live Music w/ Mike and Sadie
5-8pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery
Live Music w/ Hot Cheetos
5pm @ Connie’s Lounge
Live Music w/ Accidental Harmony
5:30-8:30pm @ Barrel 33
Live Music w/ Carl Rey & Truck Mills
6-8pm @ Smokesmith BBQ
Live Music w/ Ian Newbill
8-11pm @ St. Bernard (Schweitzer)
Live Music w/ Frytz Mor
6-9pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall
Live Music w/ Tom Catmull
5-8pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery
Live Music w/ Philosophers Daughter
5:30-8:30pm @ Barrel 33
Live Music w/ Adam Watson
6pm @ Connie’s Lounge
Live Music w/ Justyn Priest & Ron Greene
6-8pm @ Smokesmith BBQ
Live Music w/ Mostly Harmless 7-10pm @ Eichardt’s Pub
Sandpoint Chess Club
9am @ Evans Brothers Coffee
Monday Night Blues Jam w/ John Firshi
7pm @ Eichardt’s Pub
Cribbage tournament ($5)
6pm @ Connie’s Lounge
MickDuff’s 20th anniversary party and live music w/ The ElectroKelts
5-8pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall
Locos Tacos food truck on site all day
Beginner Argentine tango class
7pm @ Embody Center, 823 Main St.
No partner needed. $15
CASA ‘Ray of Hope’ luncheon
Noon @ Marigold Bistro
Learn more at northidahocasa.org
Derina Harvey Band in concert 8pm @ The Hive Celtic rock group. Presented by POAC
Contra dance
7-10pm @ Sandpoint Community Hall
Live music and a lively caller. All dances taught and called. $5-10 donation. Intro for new dancers at 7pm
She Stoops to Conquer (play) 7pm @ Sandpoint High School auditorium
Live Music w/ Picked up Pieces
6-8pm @ Idaho Pour Authority
Live Music w/ Mason Van Stone
6-8pm @ Baxters on Cedar
SATURDAY, march 14
St. Patrick’s Day fundraiser, SASi 6pm @ First Presbyterian Church Traditional corned beef and cabbage dinner to raise funds for Senior Center. RSVP required: 208-263-6860
Music w/ DJ Crooze 9pm-midnight @ Roxy’s Lounge
Live Music w/ Sydney Dawn 6-8pm @ Idaho Pour Authority
Live Music w/ The Van Stone Band
9pm-midnight @ 219 Lounge
Live Music w/ Mason Van Stone 6-8pm @ Baxters on Cedar
SunDAY, march 15
Magic with Star Alexander 5-8pm @ Jalapeño’s
monDAY, march 16
Outdoor Experience group run 6pm @ Outdoor Experience
St. Patrick’s Day themed trivia night
6-8pm @ Idaho Pour Authority
tuesDAY, march 17
St. Patrick’s Day karaoke party 9pm-midnight @ Roxy’s Lounge
wednesDAY, march 18
Live Piano w/ Bob Beadling
5-7pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery
Live trivia w/ Toshi ($5)
7pm @ Connie’s Lounge
ThursDAY, march 19
Live music w/ Picked up Pieces
8-11pm @ Roxy’s Lounge
Line dancing lessons
6:30pm @ The Hive
March 12-19, 2026
Open bluegrass jam night
5:30pm @ Connie’s Cafe
Hosted by Jim Rosauer. Come to listen, or bring an instrument and join
Amateur Hour Racing screening
7pm @ Panida Theater
With Q&A with filmmakers
Coffee and Conversation: ICL 10am-2pm @ Evans Brothers Coffee
Swing by Evans Bros. for coffee and a chat about conservation with Idaho Conservation League’s Caitlyn Embree
Train Dreams screening at the Panida 7pm @ Panida Theater
After the film, stay for a discussion with Chris Bessler, Jack Nisbet and Barb Rawlings (friend of the author)
Check out Woods Wheatcroft’s new strip work (some pieces rated-R)
LPO Repertory Theatre open house
2-5pm @ Envision Center, Ponderay
Get a sneak peek of the upcoming production of A Midsommer Night’s Dream and laugh with improve troupe Mediocre at Best. All are welcome
Museum hiking tour of Bay Trail
10am @ Meet at south end of Edgewater Join historian Steve Gill for a four-mile tour of the Pend d’Oreille Bay Trail
She Stoops to Conquer (play) 7pm @ Sandpoint High School auditorium
Far and Away film screening 7pm @ Panida Theater
Live Music w/ Traveling Huckleberries 3-5pm @ Idaho Pour Authority
St. Paddy’s Day party
4-8pm @ Smokesmith BBQ
Pastrami reubens, bangers and mash, Guinness and live Irish music
Open mic night hosted by Kjetil Lund 5-7pm @ Idaho Pour Authority
Family night, live music w/ John Firshi
5-7:30pm @ Matchwood Brewing Co.
Open Irish jam night
5:30pm @ Connie’s Cafe
Hosted by Seamus Divine. Come to listen, or bring an instrument and join
Weighing the head and heart for 2026 Oscars picks
By Willie Wittezehler Reader Contributor
For me, the Oscars are basically the Super Bowl. My family has treated them that way for years. We dress up in tuxes and gowns, walk a makeshift red carpet down my aunt and uncle’s hallway, and spend the evening sprawled across the living room watching the ceremony in full formalwear. The real competition, though, is the betting pool. I do not win every year, but I am usually in the running, which requires paying a slightly embarrassing amount of attention to the long march known as “awards season.”
The Oscars are not really a one-night event — they are the grand finale of months of precursor awards. If you follow those closely enough, Oscar predictions can start to feel less like guesswork and more like a science.
Except not this year.
The precursor results have been all over the map, leaving many categories looking like genuine coin flips. What has become clear is that this year is shaping up as a heavyweight bout between two extraordinary films: One Battle After Another (which I’ll shorten to OBAA from here on) and Sinners — two films that seem destined to live on in longterm cinema canon.
To frame my predictions, I’m splitting my ballot in two: the pick my head says will win, and the one my heart is rooting for. And yes, that conveniently gives me two guesses in every category. Let’s get into it.
Best Supporting Actor
My head says Sean Penn for OBAA. He has swept most of the key precursor awards with the kind of big, bold performance the Academy loves to reward. My heart, however, is with Delroy Lindo for Sinners. Lindo brings a depth and gravitas that quietly anchors the film’s most powerful mo-
ments. The dark horse here is Stellan Skarsgård in Sentimental Value, whose quietly devastating performance could sneak in if the vote splits.
Best Supporting Actress
My head and heart are in complete agreement: Amy Madigan for Weapons. Her performance as the nightmarish matriarch at the heart of the film feels like the creation of a new cinematic icon. That said, the competition is fierce. Wunmi Mosaku is mesmerizing in Sinners and Teyana Taylor delivers an electric performance in OBAA.
Best Actor
My head says Timothée Chalamet for Marty Supreme He has been circling an Oscar for years, and this charismatic high-wire performance feels like the role that could finally push him over the line. My heart, though, is with Michael B. Jordan for Sinners. His performance as twin brothers is remarkably subtle, distinguishing the two characters through small shifts in posture, tone and energy. A dark horse worth mentioning is Wagner Moura in The Secret Agent.
Best Actress
My head confidently says Jessie Buckley for Hamnet. The emotional depths she reaches practically burn through the screen, and the final sequence is devastating. My heart goes out to the rest of the field. The effortless charisma of Kate Hudson, the emotional complexity of Renate Reinsve, the gonzo swings we’ve come to love from Emma Stone and the rawness of Rose Byrne make this a truly stacked lineup.
Best Original Screenplay
Both my head and heart are with Sinners. Ryan Coogler has built a career on something very few filmmakers can pull off: creating massive crowd-pleasing movies that remain rooted in deeper ideas about history, identity and
culture. If the Academy wants to reward a fresh cinematic voice, this feels like the place to do it.
Best Adapted Screenplay
My head says OBAA, written by Paul Thomas Anderson. Anderson will go down as one of the great filmmakers of our time, but his writing in particular may be his real superpower. My heart goes to Train Dreams, with a screenplay by Clint Bentley and Greg Kwedar. Denis Johnson’s novella is such a quiet, perfect piece of writing that adapting it almost feels impossible, and the filmmakers did an admirable job.
Best Director
My head says Anderson for OBAA. The scale, confidence and precision of this film feel like the work of a filmmaker at the peak of their powers. My heart, though, is with Coogler for Sinners. Coogler has shown remarkable deftness within genre, from elevating superhero storytelling in Black Panther to bringing emotional depth to the sports drama in Creed, and now turning horror into American folklore.
Rapid fire predictions
KPop Demon Hunters should take both Animated Feature and Original Song for the infectious anthem “Golden.” Sinners looks strong in Original Score. OBAA feels like the favorite for Cinematography and Editing, while Frankenstein could dominate Production Design, Costume Design, and Makeup and Hairstyling. Visual Effects seems like a safe bet for Avatar: Fire and Ash, and Sentimental Value is my pick for International Feature Film.
Best Picture
This year the race really comes down to two giants: OBAA and Sinners. My head says OBAA. Its steady run through the precursor awards suggests it may have just enough momentum to carry it across the finish line. But
my heart is firmly with Sinners. Either way, both films represent the best of this movie year, and this choice is going to be debated for years to come.
I would also be remiss not to mention Train Dreams. It may not have a real shot at the trophy, but seeing a film rooted in North Idaho history
standing shoulder to shoulder with Hollywood’s biggest contenders is pretty special.
However the awards shake out, this has been an incredible year for movies. If you haven’t caught some of these yet, track them down. The Oscars air at 4 p.m., Sunday, March 15 on ABC.
Courtesy image
COMMUNITY Grants available to support military veterans
By Reader Staff
Veteran-serving organizations in Bonner and Boundary counties are invited to apply for funding through the Junior Garnier and Bud Ashford Military Veterans Fund, a permanent endowment of The Idaho Community Foundation that provides annual grants to support local military veterans.
Established in 2010 by Marti (Garnier) Ashford and the late-Jim Ashford, of Sandpoint, the fund honors their fathers — Junior Garnier and Bud Ashford — and was created to ensure lasting support for veterans living in North Idaho.
Grants range from $250 to $1,500,
and must be used for charitable purposes that directly benefit veterans in the region. Priority is given to programs and services that meet immediate, local needs, including food and basic necessities, emergency assistance such as rent or utility support, medical equipment distribution and outreach to homeless or underserved veterans.
Eligible applicants include veteran organizations located in Bonner and Boundary counties. Completed applications are due Friday, May 1 and should be emailed to grants@idahocf.org.
For questions about the grant opportunity, visit Grants and Scholarships at idahocf.org or contact grants@ idahocf.org, 208-342-3535.
COMMUNITY Leadership Sandpoint launches campaign to preserve Bonner County history
By Reader Staff
The Sandpoint Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership Sandpoint program recently announced a new community fundraising campaign, “Protect Our Story,” in support of preservation efforts at the Bonner County Historical Society and Museum.
The museum currently cares for more than 400,000 historical objects, from Indigenous artifacts to family heirlooms passed through generations. Together, these artifacts represent the shared story of Bonner County, but many are vulnerable to damage due to aging materials and limited archival storage.
Funds raised through the campaign will help provide proper archival storage and preservation to protect these irreplaceable pieces of local history for generations to come.
“Bonner County’s story lives on in these objects,” stated Leadership Sandpoint member Willie Wittezehler, who is helping organize the campaign. “Each piece represents a story from our community’s past. This campaign is about making sure those stories remain protected and accessible for future generations.”
The campaign is led by participants in Leadership Sandpoint, a program of the Sandpoint Chamber of Commerce that brings together local professionals to collaborate on community service initiatives.
As part of the campaign, the Leadership Sandpoint team will partner with local
By Ben Olson Reader Staff
dumb of the week
‘Oceania had always been at war with Eastasia’
businesses and community members to raise funds through sponsorships, donations and a community event. Early lead sponsors supporting the campaign include Bonner General Health and Idaho Forest Group.
The ongoing fundraising effort will culminate in a Local History Trivia Night and Celebration of North Idaho History on Saturday, May 2 at the Sandpoint Organic Agriculture Center (10881 N. Boyer Road). The event will feature refreshments, a silent auction and a trivia competition between teams representing local businesses. The event will be ticketed and open to the public, with ticket information to be announced soon.
A campaign video introducing the initiative will be released soon on the Bonner County Historical Society and Museum’s YouTube channel as part of the public launch of the effort.
Community members can learn more about the campaign and event at bit.ly/LocalHistoryTrivia.
For updates, follow the Sandpoint Chamber of Commerce and Leadership Sandpoint on social media.
As news came that President Donald Trump attacked Iran alongside Israel, I readied myself for another remarkable transformation by Republicans as they abandon their yearslong rhetoric about “America first” and Trump being a “peace” president to that of supporting yet another war in the Middle East. Sure enough, it came like clockwork.
Trump’s biggest sycophants posted messages of support for the combat actions, in many cases directly contradicting earlier posts about the topic without a hint of awareness.
As George Orwell wrote in 1984: “Oceania was at war with Eastasia: therefore Oceania had always been at war with Eastasia.”
Because I care about history and facts, here’s a brief rundown of Trump and his legion of ass-kissers on the topic of Iran.
Before he held office, Trump postulated many times that former president Barack Obama would attack Iran as a method to gain favor:
• Jan. 17, 2012: “@BarackObama will attack Iran in order to get re-elected.”
• Aug. 16, 2012: “I always said @BarackObama will attack Iran, in some form, prior to the election.”
• Oct. 9, 2012: “Now that Obama’s poll numbers are in tailspin — watch for him to launch a strike in Libya or Iran. He is desperate.”
• Oct. 22, 2012: “Don’t let Obama play the Iran card in order to start a war in order to get elected--be careful Republicans!”
• Sept. 16, 2013: “I predict that President Obama will at some point attack Iran in order to save face!”
• Sept. 25, 2013: “Remember what I previously said — Obama will someday attack Iran in order to show how tough he is.”
• Nov. 11, 2013: “Remember that I predicted a long time ago that President Obama will attack Iran because of his inability to negotiate properly — not skilled!”
Or how about Trump’s campaign statement in 2020: “We’ve spent $8 trillion in the Middle East and we’re not fixing our roads in this country? How stupid. How stupid is it? And we’re not fixing our tunnels, our bridges, our hospitals, our schools? It’s crazy.”
My thoughts exactly.
Then there is Vice President JD Vance, who, before he held federal office, wrote: “If you want your kid to go and fight in some stupid globalist war, vote for Joe Biden.”
Trump Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller wrote on Nov. 1, 2024: “To anyone still gullible enough to fall for scummy media hoaxes: Trump said warmongering neocons love sending your kids to die for wars they would never fight themselves. Liz Cheney is Kamala’s top adviser. Liz wants to invade the whole Middle East. Kamala = WWIII. Trump = Peace.”
Trump apologist and rightwing activist Laura Loomer’s about-face was blunt. On Nov. 19., 2024 she wrote: “The Democratic Party is the party of war,” followed up on Feb. 25, 2026 with the tweet: “BOMB IRAN.”
Then there’s Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, who wrote prior to the 2024 election: “A vote for Kamala Harris is a vote for Dick Cheney and a vote for war, war and more war. A vote for Donald Trump is a vote to end wars, not start them.”
On and on the sycophantic parade goes. Where it stops? Nobody knows.
Trump has now bombed seven countries in less than a year (Iran, Venezuela, Nigeria, Somalia, Yemen, Syria and Iraq, not to mention the boat strikes in Latin America), which is remarkable for a president who campaigned
on keeping the country out of “needless foreign wars.” In classic up-is-down fashion, Trump still claims he deserves a Nobel Peace Prize for “ending eight wars in one year.”
Just so everyone is clear on the facts about Iran: Obama already had a nuclear deal with Iran, but Trump discarded it in 2018 during his first term, choosing a “maximum pressure” policy instead. Now he’s saying we’re going to war with Iran to... *checks notes*... get an Iran nuclear deal.
Seven U.S. soldiers have already died so far (that we know of) and Trump acknowledged that “there will likely be more before it ends. That’s the way it is. Likely be more.”
Except it’s not Trump’s kids fighting these wars.
When Trump attended the dignified transfer of slain U.S. soldiers’ remains on March 7, he ignited another bout of criticism for wearing a ridiculous white trucker hat with “USA” emblazened on it and “45-47” on the side while flag-draped coffins passed by containing the remains of servicemembers killed because of military actions he instituted. Removing one’s hat is widely considered a sign of respect and honor, in case everyone has forgotten.
Instead of airing this footage, Fox News decided to dig up an old clip of Trump attending a dignified transfer years ago when he wasn’t wearing a campaign hat. When called out for it, the network issued a tepid apology, claiming they “inadvertendly aired” video from an older dignified transfer.
Remember the sustained outrage when Obama wore a tan suit, or when Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy didn’t wear a suit to a meeting with Trump and Vance? But Trump wearing a campaign hat while slain servicemembers pass by doesn’t seem to move the needle at all, I guess.
No matter what way you slice it, this is one hell of a distraction from the fact that Trump is all over those Epstein files.
What’s on at the Panida
By Soncirey Mitchell and Zach Hagadone Reader Staff
Amateur Hour Racing
Filmmaker Nick Hyphen and Baja Ironman Finisher Kevin Clyde will take the Panida stage on Thursday, March 12, at 7 p.m. for the world premiere of Amateur Hour Racing, a documentary following two local competitors in the biggest race in North America. Tickets are $17.50 online at panida.org or $15 at the door (300 N. First Ave., in downtown Sandpoint).
Hyphen and Clyde filmed their experiences racing on four wheels in the Baja 1000, a dangerous offroad journey covering nearly 1,000 miles of rugged desert terrain in Mexico’s Baja California Peninsula. After the 45-minute film, the creators will sit for a Q&A with the audience, exploring their motivations and experiences tearing through the sand, dust and mud of that unforgiving wilderness.
Train Dreams
With the 2026 Oscars set to air Sunday, March 15, now is the perfect time to catch Train Dreams on the big screen before it vies for Academy Awards in the Cinematography, Music (Original Song), Adapted Screenplay and Best Picture categories.
The Panida Theater will screen the film — which is set in the forests surrounding North Idaho and filmed in eastern Washington — on Friday, March 13 with doors at 6 p.m. and the show at 7 p.m. Tickets are $15, available at the door or online, with proceeds benefiting the Panida.
Sponsored by Sandpoint Books and Sandpoint Magazine, the event features a discussion of both the movie and the novella by Denis Johnson on which it was based.
Train Dreams begins at the turn of the 20th century in the Inland Northwest, when railroads and logging dominated, and amid profound changes that affected the lives of the people and landscapes in the region.
Centered on railroad and timber worker Robert Grainier (Joel Edgerton), whose difficult, dangerous labor and personal heartbreak set him on a lonely course through a shifting world, Train Dreams is a rumination on tragedy, fate and grief.
Published in 2011 and short-listed for the Pulitzer Prize, author Johnson owned a home on the Moyie River, where much of the story takes place.
Spokane-based writer Jack Nisbet, who has authored multiple books on the human and natural history of the region, scouted North Idaho locations with Train Dreams director Clint Bent-
ley and co-producer Greg Kwedar in 2021. He will discuss both the local context of the story and the transition from book to film. Nisbet will be joined on stage by Barb Rawlings, a longtime family friend of Denis and Cindy Johnson. Sandpoint Magazine Publisher Chris Bessler — also an acquaintance of Johnson — will moderate.
Copies of the novella Train Dreams are available at Bonners Books (7195 Main St., in Bonners Ferry) and Sandpoint Books (321 N. Second Ave.).
Far and Away
The Panida will celebrate an early Saint Patrick’s Day on Saturday, March 14, with a showing of the 1992 romance Far and Away, starring Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman. Tickets for this 7 p.m. show are $9.50 for adults or $6.50 for students and seniors at the door or online. Arrive anytime after 6 p.m. to enjoy Irish tunes with 4 Saxes, a local saxophone quartet.
Set in 1800s Ireland, Boston and Oklahoma, the story follows the triumphs and tragedies of tenant farmer Joseph (Cruise). After the death of his father, Joseph flees to America with his former landlord’s daughter, Shannon (Kidman), in hopes of claiming free property in the Land Rush of 1889.
The two fall in love after landing in Boston, where they find themselves trapped in the city’s seedy underbelly of burlesque and bare-knuckle boxing. Violence and poverty follow them west, where family, jealousy and the perils of Oklahoma’s landscape threaten to tear them apart.
A screenshot from Amateur Racing Hour, a locally produced film showing March 12 at the Panida. Courtesy photo
Panida board addresses rumors of rental policy changes
By Ben Olson Reader Staff
The Panida Theater board of trustees’ monthly meeting March 5 drew a few more spectators than usual. The Little Theater was filled to capacity, with others standing along the back and side walls to participate in a discussion about rumors circulating online regarding a potential change in Panida rental policies limiting availability of the theater for local presenters.
Prior to the meeting, social media buzzed with talk that Panida Executive Director Heather White was considering a policy allowing local presenters to book the theater for only one weekend per month.
Board President Sean Behm gaveled in the meeting and immediately opened the floor for public testimony on the matter.
Connie Kiehn spoke first as the founder of Honey Pearl Productions, which has produced the plays The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and Cheaper by the Dozen at the Panida. Kiehn shared appreciation for the historic theater being a venue for her largescale productions and outlined some examples of ticket sales and costs to her production company.
“I was told by Heather [White] that the long-term vision was to limit local presenters to one weekend a month,” Kiehn said. “She said it was inspired by another
theater which used the same model. ... It would just be great to get some clarity.”
Veteran local thespian Kate McAlister shared that it was “disheartening” if the rumor was true.
“As Connie said earlier, when we put shows on, the costs can be $20,000 to $25,000 and we cannot make that money back in one weekend,” McAlister said, adding that the Panida exists due to the “blood sweat and tears of all of us local organizations who have kept this theater going.”
She concluded by offering free board training and consultation for the Panida Board.
Former-Board Member Tari Pardini spoke about what the term “community theater” means.
“I think you need to maybe remember why we’re here and what we’re here for,” Pardini said. “We call the Panida ‘Sandpoint’s Living Room,’ and that really means something. It means that people feel comfortable coming here — always — and I don’t want to see us lose that.”
Other members of the public testified that they’d experienced rudeness from White, and that some volunteers had quit over hurt feelings.
Several, such as Ellen Weissman, spoke of an incident where a longtime volunteer was trespassed from the Panida and later banned, urging the board to consider lifting the ban.
Speaking for POAC, which
produces numerous events at the theater, Dyno Wahl pointed out that the Panida was bigger than just a theater; it was a manifestation of a community that cared.
“We need the community, POAC needs the community. The Panida Theater needs the community,” Wahl said, sharing that if the community feels “alienated” from the theater, they might not support it as much as they have in the past.
Holly Sharp shared that while the board was calling for more volunteers, she was concerned that current volunteers were not being treated well.
“What I might suggest is to stop pushing them away,” Sharp said. “Our community would love to support you, but we don’t feel like you want our support most of the time. ... Some of us have a lot of passion. What I’m asking is to put that aside and listen to what we say, not how we’re saying it. We’re all trying to make the same wonderful idea succeed.”
After about an hour of sometimes heated testimony, Behm retook the floor to dispel the rumors.
“There is no policy that says locals can only use the theater once a month,” Behm said. “That’s not an official policy at all.”
Behm said the Panida Board and staff continue to “look at different options to make money” and offered details about the issue of deferred maintenance that continues to gobble up the
Panida’s revenue.
“Every dollar we get goes back into this building,” he said. “To sit there and condemn us that we’re not passionate about this theater? I put in 40 hours a week in addition to running a business. We come to this meeting every month and there’s nobody here. No one from the community comes to us until they hear or think something’s going on.”
“The Panida Theater is excited with the community input and offers to help keep the Panida alive and well for the next century,” White wrote to the Reader in an email after the meeting. “This is a special community with a special theater. The Panida continues to explore all opportunities in order to financially sustain itself into the next 100 years. There is no formal booking policy at this time.”
Behm wrote to the Reader that he is seeing the meeting as a positive for the Panida: “We want to harness the energy from the meeting and turn it into a proactive movement for the Panida.”
Along with forming new ad-hoc committees with local arts organizations as members, Behm said the Panida board would accept McAlister’s offer of board training and is committed to offering articles in the Daily Bee and Reader, as well as interviews on KRFY and KPND radio stations, to update the community on Panida happenings.
A snapshot of notable live music coming up in Sandpoint
Little Live Radio Hour: Celtic show, The Hive, March 17
Panhandle Community Radio KRFY 88.5 FM will devote this month’s Little Live Radio Hour to celebrating Celtic sounds in honor of St. Patrick’s Day, which falls on Tuesday, March 17.
The monthly presentation from KRFY and the Festival at Sandpoint will this time feature two Celtic-influenced local bands on the stage at
The Hive: Brendan Kelty and Friends, and Bridges Home. Kelty — who is well known for performing with a variety of musicians around the area — will play alongside fiddler Andy Ohlrich and banjo player Chloey Davis, providing the tunes at the top of the hourlong show. Bridges Home will close out the evening, with trio
Dave, Tami and Paul Gunter playing selections from their extensive catalog, which includes The Celtic Album, released in 2014.
Interspersed throughout the event will be limericks written and performed by a slate of local poets and writers, broadcast live at 88.5 FM and krfy.org.
To attend the live record-
This week’s RLW by Soncirey Mitchell
Anyone looking to grow their own food, but with no idea where to start, should pick up a copy of Rodale’s Basic Organic Gardening: A Beginner’s Guide to Starting a Healthy Garden by Deborah L. Martin. The illustrated how-to manual is easy to digest and covers all the basic foundational information, from how to lay out a garden, no matter the space constraints, to ways to care for your soil’s health. Find it at the library.
ing at The Hive, arrive at 6:30 p.m., as the broadcast begins at 7 p.m. All ages are welcome.
— Zach Hagadone
Doors at 6:30 p.m., show at 7 p.m., FREE. The Hive, 207 N. First Ave., 208-920-9039, livefromthehive.com.
LISTEN WATCH
Nowadays, the Arctic Monkeys are more famous for their 2013 release AM, which made them international sensations; but, in my opinion, that later success took the spotlight away from their best (and my favorite) album, Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not. The post-punk narrative masterpiece delivered innovative songs that still stand up 20 years later, turning mundane anecdotes about taxis and traffic into irresistible stories. Stream it anywhere.
The anime Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End is a delightful, cozy exploration of mortality, friendship and the importance of staying grounded in the present. The story follows what happens when a typical Dungeons & Dragons game comes to an end. After saving the world, a 1,000-year-old elf goes on with her life until she realizes her mortal friends are fading. Finding love and grief intermingled, Frieren must learn to cherish each small moment. Watch it on Netflix.
From Northern Idaho News, March 12, 1918
‘I
AM A GOOD CITIZEN’ SAYS MIKE LAUTER
Because Mike Lauter carried an ugly looking .38 calibre revolver while at work near Priest River, besides becoming angry at other workmen and tearing up their bedding and clothing, Mike today occupies a cell in the county beanery.
Now the story of Mike, as told in court this morning, reads something like this: Twenty-two years ago he left Germany, owning to oppression, and located at Buffalo, New York, at which place he had lived and raised a family.
About two years ago, however, he decided to come west and follow the advice of Horace Greeley, and since has been roaming around from place to place, working here and there, with the hopes one day of locating on a homestead and spending the remainder of his days amid the luxuries of a modern suburban home.
Mike stoutly maintains that he is one of Uncle Sam’s best citizens and says that he didn’t mean to do any harm. Mike stated that he has repeatedly told other Germans if this country was not good enough for them they should get out but not to bother him.
Trial in the case was delayed as Lauter wanted to get his citizenship papers here before proceeding, which the court granted. The prosecution meanwhile will get in touch with the authorities in every locality where the man claims to have worked during the past two years and learn what kind of a citizen Mike really is.
BACK OF THE BOOK
Battle of the burger dorks
By Ben Olson Reader Staff
Occasionally, amid the constant drumbeat of negative stories about our crumbling world, the spotlight shines on something truly absurd to provide much-needed comic relief.
Enter McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski.
It all started when Kempczinski posted a video of himself eating the fast-food joint’s new Big Arch burger. Kempczinski — who resembles what would result if you typed “clueless vanilla dork CEO” as a generative AI prompt — sat down with the new burger and recorded himself giving it a taste test. Or trying to, at least.
Like a dad trying to manipulate his mouth to say Gen Z slang, dressed in a corporate sweater over a collared shirt, Kempczinksi’s promotional video was destined to go viral from the first moment. His unenthusiastic enthusiasm was evident as soon as the cameras began rolling.
“Holy cow!” he said. “God, that is a big burger. ... I don’t even know how to attack it.”
He then calls the burger a “product” several times like it’s a new insurance plan they’re unveiling before finally launching into his first “bite.”
“All right, the moment of truth,” he said, then took a tiny bite of the burger, er, product, and said, “Mm, that is so good,” with all the gusto of a fledgling actor auditioning for a role in an adult diaper commercial.
The video immediately went viral, inspiring hundreds of social media users to film themselves mocking Kempczinski’s “tiny bite” video. Each was more ridiculous than the last.
STR8TS Solution
Then, the other burger CEOs entered the chat.
Burger King President Tom Curtis posted a video of himself eating his company’s product, this time taking a bigger bite. Wendy’s President Pete Suerken recorded his own clapback, taking not one but four chomping bites and saying, “Now that’s a burger,” with his mouth full.
A&W spokesperson Allen Lulu filmed himself eating the oddly named Teen Burger from their menu, saying, “We love this burger product, which most people call a burger.”
Kempczinski pushed back at some of the burger shade he’d received, clarifying that he’d already eaten lunch the day of the taste test, which is why he didn’t take a bigger bite.
But the internet refused to let it go, piling on more parody videos.
From a marketing perspective, Kempczinski’s video was very effective, because even if people were gently making fun of his performance, they were still talking about the Big Arch.
It’s worth noting that the biggest flop in McDonald’s history was the release of the Arch Deluxe in 1996. That burger, intended to appeal to adults, was introduced by McDonald’s spending a whopping $300 million (equivalent to $621 million in 2026 dollars) to market it. The marketing campaign didn’t work, though, and the Arch Deluxe was quietly discontinued shortly after launch. This was not only McDonald’s worst blunder, but is largely considered to be the most expensive product fail of all time.
All that said, Kempczinski should have been pleased that his dorky video was generating interest, even if it was mocking, but he just couldn’t leave
Sudoku Solution
well enough alone.
“You guys are dragging this way too far,” Kempczinski wrote on social media. “I took a normal bite and somehow the internet turned it into ‘he didn’t even bite it.’ Everyone’s bite is different — not everybody needs to unhinge their jaw for the camera. Also, calling it a ‘product’ is normal. Every restaurant in the world calls their food products internally. Relax. It was lunch, not a competitive eating contest.”
That post, in turn, drew a jab from Burger King’s X account, which wrote, “Relax, Chris. Nobody asked you to unhinge your jaw! We just asked you to actually eat the burger. If one normal bite turned into a whole LinkedIn essay about ‘products’ and sensitivity, maybe the burger wasn’t the thing that was weak.”
That’s a charbroiled burn there.
In the 1993 sci-fi film Demolition Man, set in a dystopian future, the “Franchise Wars” were a fictional series of corporate battles that led to all chain restaurants dying off except Taco Bell, which became a fine dining experience.
Perhaps Kempczinski’s wee bite of a new product is the opening salvo leading to eating filet mignon at Taco Bell someday. Probably not, though. It’s just another absurd entry in the “is this real life?” era in which we live.
I suppose I’d rather have burger joint CEOs battling over who has the least mediocre hamburger than watching footage of U.S. and Israeli missiles killing school children.
But I’m an old fashioned guy who doesn’t call his burger a “product” and actually eats the whole thing, one bite at a time.
Laughing Matters
Solution on page 26
By Bill Borders
vade mecum /VEY-dee MEE-kuhm/
Word Week of the
[noun] 1. something a person carries around for frequent or regular use
“When asked if anyone had a lighter to start the fire, Bob produced his vade mecum: a gold Zippo he carried with him everywhere.”
Corrections:
In the March 5 article “Sandpoint P&Z discusses downtown code changes,” we misreported that the updated changes include a prohibition on ground-floor offices. The current draft actually lifts that prohibition, which was in a previous draft. We apologize for the error.
When people say that the desert is lifeless, it just makes me want to grab them by the collar and yell, “Why you stupid, stupid bastard!” Then I drive them out into the desert to where the circus is, and point out the many forms of zebra and clown life.
CROSSWORD
ACROSS
1. An abandoned calf or lamb
5. Put out
Metal money
Anagram of “Bale”
Hides 16. Ammunition 17. Inflammation of body tissue 19. Small mouthfuls 20. Make lace 21. Talking bird of poetry
Pantywaist
23. Form a mental image 25. Casual wear 27. Additionally 28. Steals 31. Astound 34. Eagle’s home 35. Petroleum
36. Minute opening 37. Landslide detritus
38. One single time 39. N N N 40. Plant louse 41. Enclosed 42. Epitome of deadness 44. Tavern 45. French for “Our” 46. Long racing sled 50. Long stories 52. Contrariwise
