“I hear you calling from the other side/ Begging me to get down in the dirt/ ’Cause that’s the only way to come clean.”
— The chorus of “The Other Side” by Ed Prosek, a really great song my little sister Leslie sent me last week.
symmetry
My other little sister, Ellie, started classes at the University of Idaho in Moscow this week. In the lead up to her move, I told her about some of my favorite little-known places on campus from my time as a student there, including a small room in one of UI’s busiest buildings called Cedar Grove. It has comfy chairs, a fireplace and a piano. Music students regularly used the piano for practice. I spent many hours there, studying and writing for the university’s newspaper. Ellie texted me from Cedar Grove Monday morning to let me know that a piano student had come to play while she was there. It feels good that even as time passes, we can share our favorite places with people, and, in some way, also pieces of ourselves.
that reporter smell
DEAR READERS,
As our cover photo points out, fire season is not over in North Idaho. Let’s be thankful for the reprieve we’ve had so far, though thunder and lightning is in the forecast. I remember a few years back when Sandpoint had the nation’s worst air quality over Labor Day weekend. Someone shared a picture of crossing the Long Bridge and you could barely see the car in front of them. There are currently no fire restrictions, so please take special care while recreating in the backcountry. Make sure to drown all campfires when leaving them and refrain from tossing cigarette butts outside your vehicles.
Special thanks to Chelsea Mowery for snapping this week’s cover photo. Chelsea has contributed a fair number of photos for Reader covers over the years. You can check out her work here: chelseamowery.com.
Have a great weekend, everyone.
–Ben Olson, publisher
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It has recently come to my attention that the Bonner County Museum Guild Gift Shop is selling candles inspired by local scents, and one of those candles is called “The Reporter.” The label features a photo of a man smoking a pipe and reading a magazine with his feet propped up on a desk. While I certainly love the nod to my profession and reporters come in many aesthetics and scents, I have smelled this particular candle and it smells far too good to accurately represent me.
My reporter candle would feature a photo of myself hunched over a Macbook, my hair in a disheveled nest atop my head and the contents of my purse strewn across the desk: recorder, wallet, notes, half-eaten granola bar. Light that candle and you’d be met with aromas of a Secret Thai lunch; aging, sunbleached notebooks; Old Spice deodorant on the verge of no longer deodorizing; and the last dregs of a deadline beer, warmed in the bottom of the can while I try desperately to write a lede for my last news story of the week.
All jokes aside, check out the many locally inspired goods at the museum’s shop, located in the north storefront of the Panida Theater.
dad joke
I was in a particularly sour mood while checking out at the dentist last week when a man asked me if I could “use a dad joke.” I was not in the mood, but accepted. I don’t remem ber exactly, but I think he asked me, “What do you call a line of bunnies hopping backward?” After a few moments of silence, he said: “You’re looking right at it: a receding hare line.” He then promptly exited, and, despite myself, I cackled. I guess I needed that dad joke. Thanks!
Web Content: Keokee
The Sandpoint Reader is a weekly publication owned and operated by Ben Olson and Keokee. It is devoted to the arts, entertainment, politics and lifestyle in and around Sandpoint, Idaho. We hope to provide a quality alternative by offering honest, in-depth reporting that reflects the intelligence and interests of our diverse and growing community.
The Reader is printed on recycled paper using soybased ink. Leftover copies are collected and recycled weekly, or burned in massive bonfires to appease the gods of journalism. Free to all, limit two copies per person
SandpointReader letter policy:
The Sandpoint Reader welcomes letters to the editor on all topics. Requirements: –No more than 300 words –Letters may not contain excessive profanity or libelous material. Please elevate the discussion. Letters will be edited to comply with the above requirements. Opinions expressed in these pages are those of the writers, not necessarily the publishers.
Email letters to: letters@sandpointreader.com
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About the Cover
This week’s cover photo was taken by Chelsea Mowery. The photo shows a smoke plume from the Eneas Mountain Fire near Porthill in Boundary County.
Director steps down amid political pressure on Boundary Co. Library
Idaho
Library Association, E. Bonner Co. Library Board chair weigh in on the 9B library district’s woes
By Lyndsie Kiebert-Carey and Zach Hagadone Reader Staff
Boundary County Library Director Kimber Glidden announced her resignation Aug. 16, effective Saturday, Sept. 10, following months of mounting pressure from a recall effort, as well as what the district called “an increase in harassing behavior, derogative accusations and a purported threat of violence” in a notice for a canceled meeting in July.
“I want to thank the Boundary County Library Board of Trustees for providing me the opportunity to serve as Director of the Boundary County Library,” Glidden wrote in her resignation statement.
“My experience and skill set made me a good fit to help the district move toward a more current and relevant business model and to implement updated policy and best practices.
“However nothing in my background could have prepared me for the political atmosphere of extremism, militant Christian fundamentalism, intimidation tactics and threatening behavior currently being employed in the community,” she continued.
A group of citizens launched a recall effort earlier this year, targeting four members of the board of trustees who voted to adopt a new material selection policy that states, in part, “the Boundary County Library Board of Trustees recognizes that given the increasing emphasis on frankness and realism of materials including those that explore social, sexual and ethical ssues, some members of the community may consider some materials to be controversial and/or offensive,” and that “selection of materials will not be affected by any such potential disapproval.”
Glidden has also come under fire for having the library district rejoin the American Library Association, which holds a similar
philosophy regarding the inclusion of diverse viewpoints in library collections. Meanwhile, according to the recall effort’s online presence, the group fronts a mission to “protect children from explicit materials and grooming.” An email to the recall group’s Facebook page seeking comment went unanswered as of press time.
Boundary County library officials counter that such explicit materials are not even in circulation — and certainly not available in the children’s section.
“The library does not carry a single title being circulated to generate fear and hate,” according to a statement on the homepage of the Boundary County Library District website, which was also shared Aug. 16 on the district’s Facebook page.
“This narrative has been crafted and executed to incite a group of people to act against their own experience and judgment, or worse, to act within narrow self-interest,” the district stated. “So, if the library doesn’t have the materials in question, what is the motivation in pursuing an action that will only succeed in creating division and eroding our community? This is about control of what information our community is allowed access to.”
Glidden, who has held the directorship since 2021, told the Spokesman-Review that “a constant barrage of the same rhetoric and people not listening to my answers” pushed her to resign — that “rhetoric” including veiled threats “with fire-and-brimstone language of her imminent damnation,” according to the Spokesman.
County Library District Board of Trustees, told the Reader in an email Aug. 24 that she doesn’t blame Glidden for resigning.
“No one should have to deal with the level of stress she has experienced at the Boundary County Library. Ironically, their library doesn’t even have any of the materials identified as concerns,” Flint wrote. “Obviously, it’s not really about the books.”
Rather, she added, “The group demanding a recall seems unwilling to acknowledge or accept the fact that libraries are legally bound to encourage intellectual freedom, not deny it.
“Unfortunately, some ideologically extreme groups are attempting to circumvent libraries’ ability to provide a wide assortment of materials representing a variety of viewpoints. They don’t seem to understand — or accept — that libraries cannot and should not censor materials based on individual patron preferences.”
“... nothing in my background could have prepared me for the political atmosphere of extremism, militant Christian fundamentalism, intimidation tactics and threatening behavior currently being employed in the community.”
—Outgoing Boundary County library director
Kimber Glidden.
Amy Flint, who serves as chairperson of the East Bonner
Boundary County isn’t the only place where librarians and library collections have come under political pressure. The targeting of libraries over supposed inappropriate content has expanded on a statewide level in recent months, illustrated best by House Bill 666, which meant to repeal legal protections for librarians, educators and similar figures for making available materials deemed “harmful to minors.” The bill passed the House on a 51-14 vote in March, but was never heard in the Senate. Opponents of the bill saw it as
an effort to criminalize the public availability of media featuring LBGTQ+ characters — a conclusion that support from Family Watch International made all the more probable. The group is categorized as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center for its teachings that “homosexuality is a mental illness” and support for “severe criminal penalties for homosexuality both in the U.S. and abroad,” according to the Idaho Statesman
The Idaho Library Association weighed in on HB 666 during the 2022 legislative session, arguing that “harmful material” was too vague a descriptor. Asked to comment specifically on the situation in Boundary County following Glidden’s resignation announcement, ILA Intellectual Freedom Chair Erin Kennedy told the Sandpoint Reader that ILA “fully supports Idaho librarians,” and that the association’s board is “deeply dismayed that any library worker in our state would be harassed for doing their job.”
“Library materials in all Idaho communities are selected by local librarians following locally created collection development policies,” Kennedy continued. “ILA stands behind the rights of
communities, parents and individuals to choose what information they access in the library.”
Despite the broader furor over library materials, Flint wrote that the East Bonner County Library District has not experienced similar intimidation or pressure to censor its collection. When patrons do occasionally express concerns about materials, they are referred to the Collection Development Policy, which states:
“The Library upholds the right of the individual to access information even though the content may be controversial, unorthodox or unacceptable to others. Race, nationality, religion, gender, sexual orientation and political/social view will not be used as criteria for exclusion of materials.”
If necessary, patrons may be provided with a Request for Reconsideration of Materials form.
“These individuals are reasonable, respectful and often attend board meetings,” according to Flint. “They do not threaten library staff or otherwise create a library environment that feels unsafe. It sounds like the situation is very different in Boundary County.”
Flint emphasized that regard-
< see LIBRARY, Page 5 >
The Boundary County Library in Bonners Ferry. Courtesy photo.
Bonner County adopts FY 2023 budget
ARPA funds, solid waste loan contribute to $81M total
By Lyndsie Kiebert-Carey Reader Staff
Bonner County commissioners voted to adopt a $81 million budget for the upcoming fiscal year at a public hearing on Aug. 22, making official a nearly $19 million increase over FY 2022 owing in large part to two one-time boosts: a $8.7 million voter-approved USDA loan for Bonner County Solid Waste, and nearly $9 million in federal stimulus monies from the American Rescue Plan Act.
“The most notable thing about this budget is that it is much larger than last year’s budget,” county clerk Mike Rosedale said during the second of two public hearings hosted Aug. 22, adding later: “Fortunately, that is not reflected in the taxes.”
On the average, county taxpayers will see a 3% increase on their property taxes, as Bonner County opted to raise taxes the statutori-
< LIBRARY, Con’t from Page 4 >
ly allotted annual 3% while also taking taxes on new construction. This average applies despite what Rosedale called “sky-high” property valuations. Some property owners will see increases over 3%, while others will pay less, he said.
“The most the taxes can go up is 3% of [last year’s] dollar amount,” he said. “Everybody’s valuations could quadruple, but the most the taxes can go up overall is 3%, dollarwise, over last year’s levied dollars.”
Bonner County Solid Waste will see a total budget increase from about $8 million to $14.5 million in FY 2023 thanks to the $8.7 million USDA loan already approved by voters via special revenue bond in 2021. That loan — which is meant to fund a 10-year solid waste infrastructure improvement plan — will be paid back using annual solid waste usage fees, which were increased in 2019 in order to cover the cost.
less of where a library is located or what some patrons may think or feel about its offerings, the mission of any library is to support intellectual freedom.
“Certainly, parents and caregivers are responsible for monitoring and approving materials for their children; however, it’s not appropriate to expect libraries to deny all patrons’ access to the materials certain individuals or groups perceive as questionable,” she stated, later adding:
“As public institutions that utilize a democratic approach to materials selection, libraries must avoid catering to extremist views and continue to provide a wide range of materials representing a variety of viewpoints. It’s a threat to our freedom — and therefore our republic — when certain groups or individuals attempt to call the shots for all of us.”
The Boundary County Library District is reaffirming its core mission, and not mincing words.
“Now more than ever it is imperative that we guarantee the freedom to read, the freedom of expression, the freedom of information and the right to a fair and balanced education,” officials shared on the district’s website and Facebook page. “The library will stand to protect the rights of all people. It is time to take a stand against false narratives. Thank you and spread the word.”
Other notable line item increases are occurring in the General, Justice and Road and Bridge funds. ARPA is being used for one-time technology improvement projects and revenue replacement, causing part of that financial spike, while other money is being channeled toward increasing wages for positions that Bonner County has had difficulty filling due to employees — particularly sheriff’s deputies and specially licensed truck drivers — seeking jobs in neighboring counties and states with better pay and a lower cost of living.
“We’re trying to keep all those people here,” Rosedale said. “That’s been one of the big pushes.”
ARPA funds are also being funneled into the county’s Emergency Medical Services budget, which will rise from about $5 million to $7 million in the coming fiscal year.
Commissioners adopted both budgets with a unanimous vote, marking the last time Commissioners Dan McDonald and Jeff Connolly will approve a budget while in office. While McDonald opted not to run for a third term this past primary season, Connolly lost his race to Republican challenger Asia Williams.
“Jeff and I have been in office now for six years,” McDonald said ahead of the Aug. 22 budget vote. “This has been probably the most difficult budget to try to balance we’ve ever had.”
was a long, difficult process.”
McDonald noted that at the start of the FY 2023 budget process, the board thought the county was “in the hole a bit” and “might need to furlough employees” due to inflation.
“Some of this additional money that came in to support departments gave us some breathing room,” McDonald said, “but it
He encouraged the public to get involved in the budget workshops that begin annually in July, where commissioners go through the budget “line by line” and ask questions of the various department heads about how their money is spent.
“That’s really the best time to come and watch how the sausage is made,” he said.
City of Sandpoint invites responses to survey on Comp Plan vision
By Reader Staff
Growth and its attendant development has been the central concern for Sandpoint residents during the past few years, and how best to manage it has dominated City Hall discussions for just as long. A critical piece of policy for the city to address Sandpoint’s rapid pace of change is the Comprehensive Plan, which had remained in limbo amid a long-delayed update.
Now, after a pause during the pandemic, city officials are relaunching efforts to revise the plan and bring it more into line with current conditions — especially urgent as the last update occurred in 2009.
Among the important steps to accomplishing the update is collecting citizen feedback, which the city is gathering through a survey titled “What is your vision for Sandpoint’s
future” at opentownhall. com/12151.
The survey will remain open until 11:59 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 2, and asks respondents to gauge their level of agreement or disagreement with a variety of vision statements, such as:
•“The city of Sandpoint celebrates our local culture, character and connections with our scenic surroundings, and cultivates a vibrant community for generations to come”;
•“A diverse mix of businesses and nonprofit organizations benefit from the quality education, versatile workforce, fair taxes, sensible regulation, and reliable connections to the region and the world”;
•“Development should be based on principles that assure good stewardship of resources and responsible outcomes relative to the built and natural environment”;
•“Development should provide connections among people through a diverse mix of housing, walkable and bikeable neighborhoods that are safe and secure, ready access to recreational facilities and public spaces, and robust street and digital infrastructure”;
•“The Sandpoint community should be inspired to create, experience and support our history, social events, recreational pursuits and art of all kinds.”
In addition to the vision statements, the survey includes more specific policy priorities, as well as opportunities to provide detailed written comments.
“Sandpoint’s desirability and high quality of life means the city will continue to see pressure to grow and change,” the city stated on the survey website. “Having a commu-
nity-vested vision helps guide and inform the decision-making process to define and manage the city’s future.”
As of Aug. 24, 140 visitors had provided 83 responses.
“Your feedback will help us determine what parts of the vision statements to keep and what may need adjustments to ensure the Comprehensive Plan reflects the community’s desired vision for the future,” the city stated.
The survey takes a few minutes to complete, and includes a variety of options for maintaining respondents’ privacy, while giving the opportunity to see how others have answered. Once the survey has closed on Sept. 2 and city staff has reviewed the feedback, it will be posted under the “Outcome” tab on the site. Respondents may also sign up to receive email updates about the Comprehensive Plan revision.
Steve Johnson announces write-in campaign vs. Dist. 1 Senate GOP nominee Scott Herndon
By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff
Once the Democratic contender for the Idaho House 1A seat being sought by Republican nominee Mark Sauter, Steve Johnson has dropped out of that race and announced his intention to run as a write-in for the Idaho Senate against Republican nominee Scott Herndon.
Johnson, a retired educator, farmer, rancher, business owner and Sagle resident since 1957, kicked off his campaign Aug. 10 before a packed gathering at 113 Main St. (a.k.a. the former Truby’s building) in downtown Sandpoint.
“I’m running because Scott Herndon does not represent the values of North Idaho. When I am elected, I will do real work for the real issues North Idahoans face every day,” he said.
Johnson will face high hurdles at the ballot box — first with a Democratic background running in deep-red District 1, and second as a write-in candidate, meaning voters will have to remember his name and what he’s running for when they cast their votes in November. None of his information will appear on the ballot or in official election guides.
Herndon bested two-term incumbent Sen. Jim Woodward, R-Sagle, in the May primary, and he remains unopposed on the Tuesday, Nov. 8 general election ballot.
The Herndon-Woodward primary contest featured what was widely considered as an overtly aggressive campaign on Herndon’s part, which included flurries of fliers mailed to area residents fronting a raft of claims that Woodward was obliged to debunk as misleading or outright false.
Still, Herndon garnered 7,771 votes to Woodward’s 6,064, or 56.7% to 43.83% of the vote, respectively. In a statement to the Reader in May, Herndon said that his was likely “the leading fundraising campaign in a Republican race for any state legislative seat.”
According to Herndon’s July 2022 finance report to the Idaho Secretary of State’s Office, the campaign had received more than $100,000 during the calendar year, while Woodward’s filing in July 2022 listed more than $127,000 in contributions during the same period.
In a news release announcing his candidacy, Johnson’s write-in campaign referred to Herndon as an “extremist” and made note of his hiring of Nevada-based political consultancy firm McShane LLC during the primary, which his campaign paid nearly $67,000 for
services including management, advertising, operations, printing, postage, surveys and polling between July 2021 and June 2022, according to campaign finance filings.
McShane LLC has made headlines in recent years for its work with far-right wing Nevada gubernatorial candidate Michele Fiore and Arizona Republican Congressman Paul Gosar, as well as with the Nevada Republican Party to “check the validity” of 2020 election ballots in Las Vegas.
According to media outlets in Nevada, as well as The Washington Post, McShane Vice President Woodrow Johnston sought to recruit members of the Proud Boys extremist group to participate in a 2020 election protest rally in Las Vegas, though the company stated that Johnston acted on his own and “sees the error of what he did.” He remains on the McShane website as vice president of the firm.
Herndon has also been a controversial figure in local politics, triggering the legal tussle over the weapons ban at publicly owned War Memorial Field during the weeks it is rented by the Festival at Sandpoint. Herndon and another local resident were turned away from the field when they attempted to enter with a firearm during the 2019 concert series. The incident prompted two lawsuits against the city of Sandpoint — which rents the field to the Festival — both of which were thrown out by a judge, but not before costing hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal fees for the parties involved, including Bonner County and the city of Sandpoint.
However, Herndon is best known for his “abortion abolition” activism, advocating for a total ban on and criminalization of abortion — including in cases where the procedure would save a mother’s life. As chairman of the Bonner County Republican Central Committee, Herndon made that hardline anti-abortion argument at the Idaho GOP’s state convention in Twin Falls in July, where the party voted on a 2-1 margin to reject “life of mother” language in its abortion platform, according to the Idaho Capital Sun.
“While Scott Herndon has made it clear that he intends to focus on his personal agenda, I’ll focus on the issues that matter to all of us: affordable property taxes, quality education for our children and grandchildren, and the preservation of our rural lifestyle,” Johnson stated. “As your state senator, those issues will be my top priorities.”
For more information visit stevejohnsonforidaho.com.
Bits ’n’ Pieces
From east, west and beyond
East, west or beyond, sooner or later events elsewhere may have a local impact. A recent sampling: Ultra-rich tax evaders under-report their income by an estimated $600 billion a year, NPR reported. The recently signed Inflation Reduction Act has allotted $80 billion for the IRS for helping them address big-timers’ tax dodging. The return is expected to be $220 billion in tax revenue over the next decade, according to The Washington Post. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen stated that IRS audits on small businesses or households earning less than $400,000 annually will not increase. According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, the top 1% of tax filers “account for 28% of the tax gap.”
According to Global Forest Watch data, the amount of trees burned has doubled over the past 20 years. Causes are higher temperatures and drier conditions due to climate change. Most of the loss was in Russia. A GFW analyst noted that about 50% of national fire budgets are dedicated to responding to fires, with less than 1% dedicated to preparing and planning. The UN predicts a 50% increase in extreme fires by the end of the century. Alzheimer’s research is in question after it was revealed that a 2006 Nature paper may have been “deliberately manipulated,” The Guardian reported. Attempts by scientists to replicate the research that has underpinned studies since then have not been successful. According to the National Institute on Aging, 6 million Americans are believed to be diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. While conventional doctors regard it as untreatable, there are people who have reversed their Alzheimer’s and their stories can be found in The First Survivors of Alzheimer’s, with information about the program’s peer-reviewed studies.
Weather whiplash is the latest term for climate change events that include flash flooding and “flash droughts.”
Rain in Texas recently fell at the second highest rate since 1932, triggering floods and rescues. Earlier in July, extreme heat and drought in Texas killed corn crops. According to numerous media reports, people across Louisiana, Arkansas and Texas are under flood watches.
Meanwhile, the ongoing drought in Europe is deemed the worst in at least 500 years, and China is suffering record high temperatures and severe drought, crippling the economy due to compromised hydropower production and the
By Lorraine H. Marie Reader Columnist
shutdown of many factories.
The longtime chief financial officer for the Trump Organization pleaded guilty recently to conspiring with former-President Donald Trump’s company to commit numerous crimes, including tax evasion, The New York Times reported. To reduce his prison time, Allen Weisselberg will share information about the Trump Organization, but not about Trump.
In recent months, Trump attorneys have talked with the FBI about returning documents stolen from the White House and moved to the former-president’s Florida residence Mar-A Lago.
Two witnesses have claimed that Trump refused their return, claiming, “It’s not theirs, it’s mine,” The New York Times reported. A National Archives review of the material seized from Trump’s home showed hundreds of classified and improperly retained documents, according to The Guardian. Security camera footage is also being reviewed, which shows people taking boxes in and out of the storage area in question. The Justice Department wants to look at more of that footage.
After bragging that his father “killed” the Bushes and Clintons, Eric Trump said, “Last night he killed the Cheneys,” referring to Wyoming Republican Sen. Liz Cheney’s recent (sizable) primary loss. Financial Times writer Edward Luce noted that in his career of covering extremism and violent ideologies worldwide, he’d never come across “a political force more nihilistic, dangerous and contemptible than today’s Republicans. Nothing close.” Former CIA Director Michael Hayden affirmed, “I agree. And I was the CIA director.”
Blast from the past: The U.S. ended its longest war a year ago. Tens of thousands of Afghan people fled, some on foot. TIME magazine provided bios of how seven Afghan women have adjusted to their new lives, leaving behind freedoms (getting an education, participating in society) they had enjoyed for 20 years, but lost when the Taliban took over. One of those who fled asked, “How can a regime that ignores half of society survive?” Another woman, now living in London, is surprised by how the government accepts people from different backgrounds and “everyone seems to love each other.” A 31-year-old woman now in France managed to arrange for her family to go to Canada, but doesn’t know if she’ll see them again. All wish they had been able to stay — Taliban-free — with family and loved ones in Afghanistan.
Steve Johnson. Courtesy photo.
Gov. Brad Little calls for special session of Idaho Legislature
Lawmakers will return to Boise on Sept. 1 to discuss tax cut, education funding bill
By Clark Corbin Idaho Capital Sun
Gov. Brad Little has officially called for a special session of the Idaho Legislature beginning on Thursday, Sept. 1 to consider a bill aimed at cutting taxes and increasing education funding.
“Inflation is at a 40-year high, putting gas, groceries and other necessities out of reach for many Idahoans,” Little said in a proclamation issued Aug. 23 authorizing the special session. “Idaho taxpayers and the education system are especially imperiled by the consequences of historic inflation.”
The Idaho Legislature adjourned for the year on March 31, and the 2023 legislative session is not scheduled to begin until Jan. 9.
Idaho legislators to consider tax cut, education investment bill
Legislators will consider a bill that Little’s advisers said would provide the largest tax cut and the largest investment in education funding in state history. The 14-page draft bill, which Little’s office released Aug. 23, would provide $500 million in one-time tax rebates, lower the income tax rate from 6% to 5.8%, establish a flat tax rate for all income tax filers and exempt the first $2,500 of income. Under the bill, individuals would receive a onetime, minimum rebate of $300 while joint filers would receive a minimum of $600. The state would use some of its budget surplus, which Little said could reach $2 billion, to pay for the rebates.
The bill would also provide $330 million in ongoing, annual funding for K-12 public schools and $80 million for in-demand career training, with that portion of the money available for career-technical education, community colleges or higher education.
The bill would use the sales tax to pay for the increase in education funding each year, with the amounts increasing by 3% each year.
Little’s advisers said the bill already has support, with 60 of the 105 legislators signed on as cosponsors, and the governor
and his team worked with legislators and education groups over the past two weeks to build support for the proposal.
Bill from special session would repeal, replace Reclaim Idaho’s Quality Education Act
Passage of the education funding bill would also result in effectively repealing and replacing the Quality Education Act ballot initiative that will go before Idaho voters during the Nov. 8 general election, Little’s aides said. If a majority of voters approve the Quality Education Act, that initiative would be set to take effect Jan. 1.But the bill up for consideration during the special session includes language that would make it effective two days later on Jan. 3. That means it would wipe out any changes from the Quality Education Act.
Volunteers and organizers with the group Reclaim Idaho promoted and gathered signatures to qualify the Quality Education Act for the general election. Supporters say passage of the Quality Education Act would raise about $323 million per year for a new education fund by raising the corporate income tax from 6% to 8% and by creating a new top tax bracket at 10.925% for individuals making more than $250,000 per year and families making more than $500,000 per year. The Quality Education Act would not change property or sales tax rates.
On Aug. 23, Reclaim Idaho co-founder Luke Mayville told the Sun volunteers will continue to promote the Quality Education Act. He said he can’t be certain that a majority of legislators will vote to pass Little’s proposal. He also said he has unanswered questions about whether Little’s education proposal would repeal the Quality Education Act if they both were to pass.
Mayville said the more than 70,000 Idahoans who signed the Quality Education Act petition and the volunteers gathered signatures deserve credit for pushing the state to act on education funding.
“In the big picture, we see the $410 million education investment as a victory for the thousands of petitioners and petition signers who worked to build support for large-scale education investments,”
Mayville said.
Mayville also said that Little’s proposal and the Quality Education Act take different approaches to increasing funding for education. Little’s plan relies on sales tax dollars, while the Quality Education Act would increase taxes on corporations and individuals making more than $250,000 and families making more than $500,000 to pay for it.
Little’s aides said the new bill allows the state to raise even more funding for education while cutting taxes.
The proposal will also go before voters via a non-binding “advisory vote” on the Nov. 8 general election ballot. The advisory vote question will ask voters whether they approve or disapprove of using the record surplus to pay for tax rebates and increasing education funding.
Idaho Democrats say increase in education funding is necessary
Two prominent Idaho Democratic legislators said they are supporting the proposal because of the education funding increase, which they say they
have pushed for years. In interviews Aug. 23, House Minority Leader Ilana Rubel and Ward-Engelking, both D-Boise, said they would work to ensure that if legislators approve Little’s proposal during the special session that that money will be protected as additional, ongoing money above and beyond the base education budget that the Legislature sets.
Rubel and Ward-Engelking also said they have assurances from Little that if he is re-elected Nov. 8, he would not allow the Legislature to undue or reduce funding increases during the upcoming 2023 session.
“The reality is, my Democratic colleagues and I have pushed for increased education funding for years, and this is a way to get it done right now,” Ward-Engelking said.
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:
• Last weekend, I was driving past the roundabout and noticed an elderly woman struggling across the crosswalk. A baseball team of middle school kids was holding a fundraiser car wash at Super 1, and one of the players ran over to help the woman cross the street, holding her hand and making sure traffic stopped for her. I made sure to thank him for his good deed and told his coach what an exemplary kid he had on the team. I wish I’d gotten the kid’s name, but the car wash had already wrapped up when I returned with my notepad. Way to set an example and look out for our elderly community members.
GUEST SUBMISSION:
•“A bouquet suggestion: Just a quick thanks to all those who put out/ refresh water bowls for the canines of Sandpoint. Walking/biking our pup in South Sandpoint is a lot easier thanks to this small act of kindness!”
— Submitted by Barry Campbell
Barbs:
• The geniuses in Boundary County who are trying to recall the Boundary County library trustees need to read some history books (or have they censored those, too?). Banning books means that we’re fine with raising children who don’t think for themselves. Face it: Just because you live your life according to some narrow religious doctrine doesn’t mean everyone else has to believe in and follow what you do. Have we forgotten the very first line of the First Amendment: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion”? How is it that those who bitch and moan about censorship, freedom and liberty are the very first ones to support banning books because they find some content offensive? How about taking some “personal responsibility” (another right-wing buzzword) and monitor your own children’s reading habits? Nazis banned books. Communist China bans books. North Korea bans books. Is this the company we want to keep? If you’re for freedom, just like if you’re for the Constitution, you have to support the whole bundle, not just cherry-pick those little parts you like and leave the rest.
Inappropriate endorsement…
Dear editor,
It is inconceivable to me that Kate McAlister appears to endorse one particular Sandpoint business while sitting on the Sandpoint City Council and serving as the executive director of the Chamber of Commerce. (See the advertisement on Page 2 of the Reader, Aug. 18, 2022). Is she going to do the same for all of the other internet-providing businesses in Sandpoint? Is the city a customer of this particular provider? Is the chamber?
What has become of ordinary common sense and ethical behavior?
I believe that both the city and the chamber need to make very strong statements that Ms. McAlister overstepped her bounds and absolutely does not speak for either the city or the chamber in promoting a singular business.
Helen Newton Sandpoint
Trump’s blame game shirks responsibility…
Dear editor,
There are federal laws regarding possession and control of presidential records and laws regarding secret documents. Donald Trump left the White House with boxes of presidential documents.
The possession of these documents was brought to the attention of the federal authorities, who requested the documents be returned, which he did but not all of them. The authorities met with him and requested the return of the remaining documents. He had his attorney send a letter stating there were no more documents. The authorities did not believe him and presented their evidence to a federal judge, who agreed with them and issued a search warrant.
Upon the completion of this warrant, boxes of documents and secret documents were found. Donald Trump’s response was to blame the Justice Department and FBI for conducting the search.
Blame is another way of refusing to take responsibility for your actions.
Marvin Lambrecht Sandpoint
‘The modern Dark Ages’… Against Herndon’s stance on abortion…
Dear editor,
Good news, all you Idaho women of childbearing years! Do not be distressed about that unplanned or unwanted pregnancy… Gov. Brad Little and the Republican-controlled Legislature have your interests at heart. They will support you and “lift you up” as you are forced to bring the pregnancy to term, regardless of circumstances.
You may be an adult and mentally competent, but you are still a woman. As a woman, you cannot be trusted to control your own reproduction. Therefore, those medical decisions will be made for you.
Welcome to the modern Dark Ages!
Georgia York Sandpoint
Dear editor, Scott Herndon states in his YouTube video that every female who has an abortion should be charged with murder. Every female who gets an abortion — including the 10-yearold girl who was raped in Ohio by a 27-year-old man, was six weeks pregnant and traveled to Indiana for proper medical care — should be charged with murder. Scott Herndon says in his YouTube video that a fifth-grader who was raped should be charged with a felony.
In that same video, Scott Herndon said that the doctor and whoever helped the girl get to Indiana were accessories to murder. Whether someone has been raped, is a victim of incest or if their pregnancy
SKATE’S UP
becomes life-threatening, Scott Herndon believes they should not have the option of abortion — even if the pregnancy kills them. He states this proudly on his YouTube video. Scott Herndon is a candidate for state senator for Bonner and Boundary counties.
I strongly disagree with Scott Herndon. I am an independent write-in candidate for state senator for District 1, Bonner and Boundary counties, and I will support people getting the medical care they need.
Steve Johnson
Sagle
Got something to say? Write a letter to the editor. Send letters under 300 words to letters@ sandpointreader.com. No libelous statements, no trolling and please elevate the conversation.
While staring blankly out the window on a Monday morning, I noticed these four skaters doing their thing in the parking lot across the street. Left: (From left to right) Oscar Williams, 13; Russel Reed, 11; Dustin Sutto, 13; and Kougar Kyllonen, 14. Bottom: Russel Reed ollies off a curb while his friends wait for their turns. Photos by Ben Olson.
The bear in the yard
Tips for living in bear country
By Brad Smith Reader Contributor
One evening my mom opened the front door at our home in West Yellowstone, Mont., to head out and meet up with some friends. After taking one step out the door, she promptly turned around, came back in the house, and closed the door.
“Did you forget something?” my dad asked.
“Nope,” my mom said pointedly. “There is a bear in the yard.”
These kinds of stories are increasingly common in Bonner and Boundary counties. You may have read recent news reports about bears killing livestock in Naples and Porthill. Unwanted bear encounters pose a threat to both bears and people. As residents, we need to educate ourselves about steps we can take to limit the potential for bear encounters.
While bears generally tend to avoid people, that can change when bears are rewarded with something tasty. Grizzly bears used to come into West Yellowstone to raid trash cans for table scraps. Only when residents started storing their trash cans in a secure location like their garage and began using bear-proof garbage cans and dumpsters did that behavior end. Residents also refrained from putting their trash cans out until the morning of trash collection.
If you like to barbeque, then make sure to store your barbeque in your garage or another indoor location when it’s not in use. Keep the grill, drip pan and grease can empty and clean. Do not leave food, dishes or utensils unattended at any time.
Owners of livestock large and small should keep their animals in secure locations. It’s a good idea to keep livestock in a locked barn or coop during the night. Electric fencing should be used to keep bears out of pastures and runs. Grain, mash and other livestock feed should also be stored in a secure location that is separate from
your animals. It is often the failure to secure pet and livestock feed that initially attracts bears, but results in livestock or animal depredations.
Orchards, berry patches, gardens, beehives and compost piles also attract bears. Produce should be harvested as soon as it ripens. Avoid using fish-based fertilizers, blood meal and deer repellent, as these products can attract bears.
As with livestock, consider installing an electric fence in order to keep bears out of these areas and out of trouble.
If you like to watch birds, then you may be sad to learn that it is not a good idea to fill bird feeders with seed, soot or nectar between April 1 and Dec. 1. Bird foods and nectars are very high in calories and are very attractive to bears. Consider using bird baths instead, or limit feeding to the winter months. Placing salt blocks to attract deer, elk or moose may similarly draw bears into your yard.
I understand that cost is a consideration when it comes to implementing some of these measures, especially electric fencing. If you need to install electric fencing, then you may be eligible for assistance. Idaho Fish and Game and Defenders of Wildlife have programs to aid landowners with installation. You may even be eligible for financial assistance to help cover some or all of the costs. Contact these organizations for more information.
Black bear hunters should know that bear-baiting is illegal in Game Management Unit 1, which includes all portions of Bonner and Boundary counties north of Lake Pend Oreille and the Pend Oreille and Clark Fork rivers. I have heard but have not been able to confirm that the bear that killed the llama and the pig in Naples this spring had visited an illegal bear-bait site near Clark Fork several times in the last year. If so, it is these kinds of situations that cause bears to seek unnatural sources of food placed by people, putting both the bear and people in danger.
As the populations of people
and bears in Bonner and Boundary counties continue to grow, it is increasingly important to take these kinds of precautions. If you live in a rural location such as Priest Lake, the Selle Valley, Pack River, Rapid Lightning, the Kootenai Valley or the North Bench, then these mea-
sures are especially important.
After the slate of news reports involving bears in our area this year, it is evident that the problem will only grow worse unless we take action as a community to limit the potential for encounters between people and bears.
Brad Smith is the North Idaho director of the Idaho Conservation League.
A grizzly bear in Idaho. Photo by Jim Mellen.
Science: Mad about
microscopes
By Brenden Bobby Reader Columnist
Think about a microscope for a moment. What does your mind’s eye illuminate?
Are you imagining a doctor in a white lab coat leaning over a high-tech-looking tube surrounded by computers, beakers and slides? Would you believe that the first microscope was developed 700 years ago and has been regularly used by scientific minds ever since? There is even some historical record of the ancient Romans working on a form of microscope 2,000 years ago.
Crude glassmaking was a relatively common practice in Europe around 1200 CE. Artisans even figured out how to grind glass with an abrasive surface to coax light into a focused area to create very crude spectacles and magnifying glasses, likely for monks and scholars that worked to pen copies of the Bible and historical records. Working in an age before electric light was likely hard on the eyes of folks who spent their entire lives as scribes and scholars, so having a little ocular help must have been a necessity.
At some point in the 13th century, someone figured out that they could place a crude lens in a tube and, when aligned properly, could magnify the image that passed through. This was two inventions in one: the telescope and the microscope.
Due to the imprecise nature of early glass grinding, microscopes developed more slowly than telescopes. Three centuries passed before the first intentional microscope was invented by someone who’s hardly known for the microscope, but very famous for his use of telescopes. Galileo Galilei developed the first real microscope in 1609, a device he named occhiolino, which according to various
English translations means “wink” or “small eye.”
Though none of his devices survived to the modern day, a number of diagrams were found of the occhiolino. Based on those renderings, the invention looked almost like the base of a candle sitting on a metal tripod — nothing too fancy, but pretty remarkable for its time.
Historians suspect the occhiolino could produce around 30x magnification, meaning Galileo wasn’t going to see any cells with his “little eye,” but it helped pave the way for other inventors to improve on the design. It was around this time that eyeglass makers in the Netherlands and Germany began to work on developing microscopes of their own, placing two lenses in opposing ends of the scope to create the first compound microscope, similar to what’s used today.
In 1665, Robert Hooke, at the age of 30, published the illustrated book Micrographia. Using a microscope, an oil lamp and a globe filled with water to create a light condenser, he made a number of observations of the natural world using the microscope and printed them for the world to see. Among these observations: the eye of a fly and a flea, something too small for the average person to see in detail.
Hooke was also the first person to discover and name a cell while observing cork under a microscope. In case you were wondering why he named it a “cell,” it’s because he believed it looked like a cellula, the Latin word for a small room or compartment, and used to describe spaces ranging from a monk’s chambers to a prostitute’s workplace to a prison cell. I suppose when you discover the basis of all life, you can name it whatever the heck you’d like, even if it’s after the office of the oldest profession in the world.
Though Hooke may have been
the first human to discover a cell, the title of “Father of Microbiology” goes to another man, Antonie van Leeuwenhoek — a Dutch scientist and entrepreneur with a wild name and even wilder hair.
He developed more than 40 different lenses and other additions for microscopes that allowed him to view the world at up to 275x magnification. This allowed him to see larger bacteria and protozoa. Since then, microscope technology has exploded. You can easily purchase a digital microscope with 1,200x magnification for less than $150, and which requires virtually no training or calibration to use.
If you’re reading this article, you know we like to visit extremes, so you may be waiting for me to spill the proverbial beans on the most powerful and extreme microscope ever invented.
It’s important to know how a regular microscope works before we travel onto the more powerful ones. Photons are light particles. When a photon bounces off something and travels to our eye, our eye transmits that information to our brain, which decodes it and forms an image that we recognize. Photons that travel through microscopes are focused by the lenses, allowing us to see more of a smaller space.
An electron microscope works in a similar way, but it uses electrons instead of photons and electromagnetic coils instead of lenses. Scientists fire a beam of electrons into a vacuum chamber, and that beam is morphed by an electromagnetic field emitted by the coils. This morphed beam passes through the specimen and travels through another magnetic field to magnify the image even further. The electrons hit a fluorescent screen at the bottom of the scope and produce an image that can be as small as the diameter of a single hydrogen atom.
This type of electron microscope is called a transmission electron microscope, or TEM. There are other types of electron microscopes as well, so you should ask a librarian if you’re curious about others.
If you’d like to get an up-close look at the microscopic world, you should stop by Pine Street Woods on Friday, Aug. 26 from 10 a.m.-1 p.m., where I’ll be hanging out with the STEM trailer and the library microscopes — along with
sample collectors, glass slides and a community observation board that will allow you to be a citizen scientist for the day.
See what plants and animals you spot on the trails, or bring back water and soil samples to check under the scopes. If you have a library card, you can even check out a pair of binoculars for your hike — just be sure to bring them back, I’ve only got four sets.
Stay curious, 7B.
Random Corner
America has a sordid history with banning books. Unfortunately the trend is ramping up again. Here are some facts about books being banned not only here, but around the world:
•China banned Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll because the censor believed representing animals with human intelligence insulted humanity. Nazi Germany banned All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque because they considered it a “degenerate book” that detracted from the fighting spirit of the army. George Orwell’s Animal Farm was banned in the USSR, United Arab Emirates, Cuba, North Korea and China.
•Dr. Seuss’s Green Eggs and Ham was also banned in 1965 in China because of its “portrayal of early Marxism.” The ban was lifted after the author’s death in 1991.
•According to the American Library Association, someone needs to raise objections to a book in order for it to be banned. Only about 10% of books that are challenged ever end up being banned. Nearly
half of all challenges involve schools or libraries and 85% of challenges come from parents.
•Several literary classics have been banned throughout history, including The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, Ulysses by James Joyce and many others.
•In 1982, Banned Books Week started in order to bring attention to works that have been challenged throughout history.
•Allen Ginsberg’s Howl paved the way for one of the most famous censorship trials of the 20th century. Lawrence Ferlinghetti, who published Howl, was on trial after customs officials seized books because they contained “queer content” and “you wouldn’t want your children to come across it.” The judge ultimately ruled in Ferlinghetti’s favor, finding that authorities had no right to censor the work.
•The First Amendment not only protects free speech and assembly, but also the right to read what we like in America.
Courtesy photo.
OUTDOORS
Dirt-y Secrets
Tips and tricks for maintaining a healthy backyard ecosystem this August
By Ranel Hanson Reader Columnist
“Make hay while the sun shines.” — Proverb
No truer words were ever spoken. Now is the time to celebrate all growing things and to bask in the life-giving sunshine. And water. Lots of water. Celebrate our beautiful lake by jumping in it!
Speaking of water, I want to talk about watering lawns, especially. I have noticed many sprinklers running in the heat of the day, and in the wind. I want to point out that most of the water used at those times is lost to evaporation or blown away. We are so lucky to have our beautiful lake and abundant rivers and streams, and it is tempting to think that losing water is no big deal. But, for the planet’s sake, it just makes sense to conserve. Water in the early morning or in the evening. If you have automatic sprinklers, set them to come on at night. Your plants and lawn will thank you.
Recently, a reader wondered what mama hummingbirds eat while nesting. I don’t know for sure but, from what I have read and observed, they nest near nectar sources and make short forays to sip nectar. But, their main source of nourishment is bugs. They need the protein to maintain energy and raise those adorable chicks. Those babies are counting on mom to show them the ropes and it takes a while for them to distinguish the right flowers for feeding, and to find water. You can buy a small solar fountain for a birdbath and watch your hummingbirds play in the spray. Delightful! Recently, I saw a baby playing in my sprinkler water. Adorable. The babies are even smaller than their parents and have big heads — like human babies.
Now is the time to trim your leggy or dried out plants. Petunias need a haircut in order to stay vibrant into the fall. Most hanging baskets can benefit from a trimming and a dose of fertilizer right about now. This will take them into September in good shape. Also, choose a cool evening to fertilize (organically) your lawn. Then, turn on sprinklers to water it in.
You’ll be rewarded in spring with a greener lawn.
Spiders, spiders, everywhere! They are abundant this year and want to cover everything with their webs. It is tempting to get rid of them chemically, I know. But, remember: They are garden helpers. They eat pests like aphids and are themselves food for hungry birds (including hummingbirds). Sweep them away, squirt them away, curse them when you run into a web, but try not to eradicate them.
Now is prime time for oriental lilies and sunflowers. Deer love lilies and sunflowers, but a sprinkling of blood meal seems to help keep them at bay. As a reader says, though, another good deterrent is a solar sprinkler. Of course, the best deterrent is a tall fence. I planted loads of sunflowers this year as a private support for Ukraine, and I am rewarded with their beauty and their abundant food for the bees.
On the bee front: If you want to help our essential bees to survive, I suggest planting mint and allowing it to flower. All the mints attract huge numbers of bees. And, no bees means little food for us humans, or for the animals as well. Butterflies and hummingbirds love mint, too.
A note about protecting your pets during hot spells: First, be sure they have ample water on these hot days and give them shade outside or, better yet, a cool inside spot. Also, if you grow grapes, keep pets away from them. They are poisonous to dogs and cats and even a few can kill. Lilies are also extremely poisonous to cats.
In my neighborhood, we have a regular magnificent moose visitor. He is about six feet tall at the shoulder, has a huge set of antlers and a beautiful, glossy coat. He likes apples and apple trees. Mostly, he munches the apples and branches and then finds a comfortable spot to rest anywhere he wants. Your lawn, your bushes, your driveway, under your trees. I have noticed that the damage he does is mostly minimal and the chance to observe this
beautiful animal is worth sacrificing a few tree limbs. But, remember, moose are wild and can be dangerous if provoked. Keep dogs away and do not try to get too close. They look slow and clumsy, but can move surprisingly fast. We can all soak in this beautiful season and store it up for later!
Really
"We live and work in a town with less than 10,000 population, and we have fiber internet to our home and business. Sometimes we have to do a speed test to make sure that we aren't dreaming."
-Kennden & Andrea, Matchwood Brewing Company
946-5404.
Courtesy photo.
BNSF nearing completion on second rail bridge over Lake Pend Oreille
By Reader Staff
BNSF announced that contractors have installed the final deck girder segment on the second rail bridge over Lake Pend Oreille during the first week of August, bringing the project into the home stretch.
Begun in March 2020, the new bridge parallels BNSF’s existing span, originally completed in 1904. It’s part of a $100 million project aiming to improve traffic flow on the eastern leg of BNSF’s busy corridor between Spokane and Sandpoint. Also included in the project are two smaller bridges over Bridge Street and Sand Creek — both completed — as well as two miles of new track that has yet to be laid.
BNSF External Corporate Communications Manager Ben Wilemon told Railway Age the next phases of the project will advance quickly now that the principal bridge components are in place.
“All girders on the new bridge over Lake Pend Oreille have been set,” Wilemon told the website. “We have plans to proceed with pouring bridge decks and associated work. The bridges over Sand Creek and Bridge Street are complete.”
Wilemon said BNSF’s current schedule is to begin laying track in October.
According to BNSF, the second main track installed between East Algoma and the Sandpoint junction will allow for trains to move more freely to and from
the northern corridor toward Chicago and Montana Rail Link’s route across southern Montana. By that time, it’s possible that the Montana Rail Link route will be fully integrated into the BNSF system.
BNSF said it has undergone upgrades on the existing bridge over Lake Pend Oreille since 2008, installing new piers and deck girders as needed. Once the new bridge is operational — which is estimated for 2023-2024 — the work on the existing bridge can continue with less
Ting fiber internet goes live in Kootenai
By Reader Staff
Local fiber internet company Ting announced Aug. 17 that the first Kootenai addresses were hooked up with Ting fiber internet earlier this month. More addresses will be added throughout the year, but this milestone promises local residents, businesses and enterprises faster and more reliable connectivity made possible by Ting’s fiber-to-the-home service.
“I am thrilled for us to officially be servicing Kootenai with Ting’s fiber,”
said Kari Saccomanno, Ting city manager for the Sandpoint area. “I know how important fast, reliable and affordable internet access is, and am confident in the benefits that next-generation connectivity will bring for our broader community.”
Residential pricing for Ting internet comes in three tiers, with 50 mbps offered at $39 per month, 200 mpbs at $69 per month and gigabit fiber at 1,000 mbps at $89 per month. Locals can check if they can access Ting at home or work by entering their address online at ting.com/ greatersandpoint.
interference from train traffic.
After the completion of the second bridge, BNSF will be left with a small section of single track totaling about four miles in length to be resolved on its
Spokane-Sandpoint route. This, as well as a single-track section near Otis Orchards, Wash., continue to be the last remaining choke points to be resolved on the route.
Angels Over Sandpoint community grants available
By Reader Staff
Thanks to the generous donations from the community, the Angels Over Sandpoint nonprofit organization is able to continue their Community Grant program for the September cycle.
Grant requests for eligible applicants are open until Sept. 5. The Angels Over Sandpoint grants are for $250 to $2,500 to charitable and educational organizations in Bonner County. All services must be for the benefit of Bonner County residents.
Applications can be found on the Angels Over Sandpoint website at angelsoversandpoint.org under the “grants” tab. Instructions and a complete description of the grant are under Community Grants. All requests must be received by Sept. 5.
Organizations eligible to apply must meet one of the following criteria:
An organization holding a current tax-exempt status under Section 501(c) (3), (4), (6) or (19) of the Internal Revenue Code;
•A recognized government entity: state, county or city agency including law enforcement or fire departments, that are requesting funds exclusively for charitable purposes;
•A pre-kindergarten to grade 12 public or private school, charter school, community/junior college, state/private college or university;
•A church or other faith-based organization with a proposed project that benefits the community at large;
•A children and/or youth program
The Angels Over Sandpoint looks forward to your wonderful ideas on how to enhance the lives of our children, seniors, veterans and all Bonner County citizens. Each request will get careful consideration. Deadline to apply is Sept. 5
Photo courtesy BNSF.
Reasons for hope in the housing crisis
By Cate Huisman Reader Contributor
Anyone who reads the “Bouquets and Barbs” column of this newspaper may recall a recent rant by Ben Olson, who serves our community both as the paper’s publisher and as lovable (if premature) community curmudgeon. (Technically, he is too young to be a curmudgeon.)
Ben had suffered that week from working in an office just half a block from where retail tenants were moving out in tears from their erstwhile shops on Cedar Street Bridge. The bridge is a local phenomenon — Sandpoint’s counterpart to Florence, Italy’s Ponte Vecchio. For many years it was the flagship store of women’s clothing retailer Coldwater Creek, a company started at a Sandpoint kitchen table and at one time a significant employer in town. Then it was taken over by Sandpoint Realtor Jeff Bond, who had painted it decades before as a young contractor and later resurrected it as a retail space. Now its latest owners, whom no one has met but who apparently live in Los Angeles, have raised rents beyond what local retailers can handle, and its future is unknown. (It doesn’t bode well that the new owners have closed the public bathrooms.)
Ben’s column that week decried the loss of both living and working spaces that are affordable to local people. He implored the public to get government to do something about it:
“Petition the city council for rent control for residential and commercial tenants. Plea for a moratorium on new housing developments for a year. Advocate for a new system where out-of-town buyers pay an added tax when buying homes or property in Bonner County, so locals can actually compete and — gasp — own a home in their own town.”
Ben’s suggestions may or may not square with the Idaho Constitution, but he was right about one thing: Forces outside the free market are necessary to address our town’s real estate concerns. The market, left to its own devices, will just continue building houses we can’t afford. The authors of a recent analysis of land use in Sandpoint, Leland Consulting Group, said as much in the presentation of their report on July 12.
This confirmation of what many of us
who are neither real estate developers nor analyst-consultants have long suspected is reassuring. We can move forward knowing that we must do something.
And the hopeful thing is, many of us already are:
At long last, the city’s Planning and Zoning Commission is working again on the long-delayed process of updating our comprehensive plan, which will help us direct and manage growth. The plan lay fallow for all of last year while the city went without a planning director and came under unprecedented pressure from land developers. The commission covered the first three chapters of the 17-chapter plan at its Aug. 2 meeting, and another three on Aug. 16. It will continue as staff provides updated drafts throughout the fall.
In reviewing chapters thus far, the commission has shown concern about how well the plan still reflects community concerns, given the enormous changes of the past two years. To address this concern, a survey has been posted on the Open Town Hall website, on Sandpoint’s Facebook page and on its Engage Sandpoint app to assess current citizen sentiment. The survey will only be up through Sept. 2, so now is the time to let the powers that be know that your vision does not include, for example, yet another set of high-end condos.
More opportunities for engagement will come in October and November, when public workshops are in the works to address Chapters 4 and 5 of the plan, which cover the difficult issues of housing and growth.
Meanwhile, members of the commission appear to want to take direct action to speed the process. Commissioner Luke Omodt introduced a motion at the Aug. 17 meeting that he hoped would provide a nearly immediate increase in housing capacity: He proposed changing the regulations for accessory dwelling units to allow for up to two bedrooms in each unit, instead of just one, as the regulation is currently written. After some discussion about the limitations of the proposal and the difficulty of scheduling the two public hearings that would be necessary for such a change, the commission voted in favor of it anyway, suggesting that such immediate relief was worth the effort. Due to a procedural error, this vote turned out to be invalid, but the commission cor-
rected the error with a subsequent vote on Aug. 23.
And here’s one final ray of hope: A housing land trust is in the process of forming. This approach to providing affordable housing to working citizens has been successful in other communities like ours. More on that in a future piece.
Cate Huisman is a writer, editor and journalist who served for 13 years on the city of Sandpoint’s Planning and Zoning Commission.
You can share your vision for our future, but only until midnight Thursday, Sept. 2, when the survey closes. Use the
Engage Sandpoint app on your phone. Or find the survey on your laptop at opentownhall.com/portals/287/Issue_12151. Or link to it from the city’s Facebook page at facebook.com/cityofsandpoint. You can use the Engage Sandpoint app on your phone to fill out the survey, but you cannot get to it from the Engage Sandpoint page on your laptop.
Drive-thru art
By Ben Olson Reader Staff
Sandpoint is fortunate to have so many talented artists living in the community, each with unique works in media including painting, sculpting, photography, jewelry, pottery, glass and more. For those interested in seeing exactly how these pieces go from concept to completion, the 19th annual Artist Studio Tour is a prime opportunity for art lovers to visit the working studios of our local creatives. Visitors can interact with the artists, see their other works and perhaps purchase works directly from the source.
The self-guided tour runs from Friday, Sept. 2 through Sunday, Sept. 4, with studios scattered around the county opening their doors to visitors from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. each day. The tour is free of charge and participants can set their own schedule. Just hop in the car and drive the backroads of Bonner County to the locations you’d like to visit, then witness first-hand where and how artists create the works you love.
There are plenty of stop-off points in towns throughout the tour for lunch, fuel, snacks or any other needs while on the tour.
For many local artists, the tour is a great chance to promote their work with locals and out-of-towners, as well as newcomers to the area.
“I’ve been doing it for around 10 years now,” said Connie Scherr, who is showcasing oil paintings at her studio in Sagle. “When I first started, I didn’t know what to expect; but, over the years, it
has become quite fun. Larry Clark is a longtime potter here, and he’s always at my studio, too.”
The following artists’ studios are included in the tour, with numbers corresponding to the map on this page. For more information, visit arttourdrive.org.
1.Lori Salisbury (oil, acrylic, bronze) 135 Artist Way or 1121 Schneiders Road, Sagle
Right: Various photos from the 16th annual Wings Over Sandpoint EAA Chapter 1441 Fly In at Sandpoint Airport on Aug. 20.Regional pilots gathered for breakfast, followed by a show-and-tell period with their aircrafts at the airport.
The event is a fundraiser for the North Idaho High School Aviation program, which helps students find careers in aviation.
All photos by Rich Milliron.
Rock Creek Alliance celebrates 25 years with annual party
By Reader Staff
For many locals, opposition to the Rock Creek Mine in Montana has occupied a majority of their adult lives. One of the loudest — and most effective — voices in the fight is the Rock Creek Alliance, which is celebrating its 25-year fight to oppose the mine because of its position near the Cabinet Mountains and the headwaters of Lake Pend Oreille.
The party has become an annual affair to both celebrate the continued fight against the mining companies, as well as an educational event to help share news with the community at large.
This year’s event will take place Thursday, Aug. 25 under the tent at Trinity at City Beach from 5-8:30 p.m., featuring a no-host wine and beer bar, complimentary appetizers, live music by local string band Headwaters, a stone skipping competition, silent auction and the latest updates by Bonnie Gestring of Earthworks, an advocacy group tasked with preventing the destructive impacts of the extraction of oil, gas and minerals.
Attendees are encouraged to bring a blanket and chair.
RCA members hope to raise additional funds through the sale of commemorative wine bottles from Pend d’Oreille Winery, as well as specialty RCA coffee at Evans Brothers Coffee Roasters. RCA is also a featured nonprofit at Winter Ridge’s “Bags of Change,” where shoppers can donate to a nonprofit of their choice by bringing their own shopping bag.
According to plans shared by mining companies, Rock Creek mine would require blasting and hauling rock to a mill facility within a grizzly bear habitat, which would result in more than 10,000 tons of rock moved every day. Also, approximately 3 million gallons of wastewater would be discharged into the Clark Fork River — and thus the lake — every day. Finally, a half-square-mile, 300-foot-tall mountain of tailings containing arsenic, lead, copper, zinc and blasting-compound nitrates would leach into groundwater, as well as create a 64-acre reservoir of polluted mine water.
The Rock Creek Alliance believes this mine would have catastrophic impacts
on the Cabinet Mountains Wilderness, Clark Fork River and downstream communities, damaging water quality, fisheries, and animal populations and habitats.
All funds raised at the annual party will help build a war chest to continue the fight.
“It’s important to remember that as long as a mining company holds subsurface mineral claims there is a very real threat of development,” said Mary Costello, executive director of RCA. “An ideal solution would be for the company to relinquish its claims.”
Visit rockcreekalliance.org for more information.
A map showing the proposed location of Rock Creek Mine facilities. Courtesy TerraPen Mapping.
COMMUNITY
Traveling bike group passing through Sandpoint helps out local organization
By Reader Staff
The First Presbyterian Church of Sandpoint was pleased to host 17 riders from Bike & Build, a traveling bicycle advocacy group that has been advocating for affordable housing since 2003. The group arrived in Sandpoint on Aug. 17 on a cross-country ride from New Hampshire to Bellingham, Wash., and stayed for a couple of days to provide some help. On their way across the country, the riders stop in small towns and volunteer for projects associated with local needs for affordable housing.
FPC provided overnight lodging, dinner on their first evening and breakfast for the two mornings the group was in town, as well as helped them procure access to showers and other services such as bike repairs or health care, should the need arise.
The group volunteered with Bonner Homeless Transitions on Aug. 18 and hit the road again on the morning of Aug. 19. While at Bonner Homeless Transitions
— working in extremely hot conditions — members of Bike & Build cleared a storage area and hauled multiple loads of material to Habitat for Humanity and the Bonner County Solid Waste facility. According to Program Manager Joanne Barlow, Bonner Homeless Transitions is considering options for use of the space, including renovations for making it usable for housing the homeless.
The mission of the First Presbyterian Church — “Loving, Living, Learning the Joy of Faith” — encourages engagement with projects that match volunteer efforts with community needs. Many members and friends of FPC participated in hosting this ministry to promote affordable housing.
Bike & Build, Inc., is based in Philadelphia, Penn. The organization’s mission states: “Through service-oriented cycling trips, Bike & Build benefits affordable housing and empowers young adults for a lifetime of service and civic engagement.”
Learn more at bikeandbuild.org.
"Before we had Ting we had dropouts in service for up to a day. Since we got Ting, there are no dropouts; we haven’t had any interruptions in service."
Bike & Build members gather for dinner at the First Presbyterian Church of Sandpoint before getting to work. Courtesy photo.
-Stuart, remote worker
Visit to place your order or give us a call at (208) 946-5404.
Mention promo to receive
standard install, $200 credit, $100 Visa card, plus we will donate $50 to the Angels Over Sandpoint Backpack Program.
events
August 25 - September 1, 2022
THURSDAY, August 25
Rock Creek Alliance 25th anniversary party
5-8:30pm @ Trinity at City Beach (outside)
Live music by Headwaters, silent auction, rock skipping contest and legal update on the fight to stop Rock Creek Mine. rockcreekalliance.org
Live Music w/ Doug Bond and Marty Perron
6pm @ The Blue Room
Magic Show
5-6pm @ Sandpoint Library
A free show with Cecil the Magician! Fun for all ages
Live Music w/ Maya, Dave and Mike
5-8pm @ Pearls (Beyond Hope)
FriDAY, August 26
Live Music w/ Maya, Arthur Dave & Mike
5-8pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery
Bluegrass, Celtic and folk music
Live Music w/ The Hamiltons
6pm @ Connie’s Lounge
A musical duo (read more on Page 21)
Live Music w/ Liam McCoy Blues Trio
7pm @ Eichardt’s Pub
Karaoke
8pm-close @ The Tervan
Live Music w/ Bright Moments Jazz
5-8pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery
Live Music w/ Cosmic Wagon
6:30-9:30pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall
Old country, bluegrass, folk, classic rock
The Sweet Lillies in concert
7pm @ The Heartwood Center
Colorado-based band, with local Brenden Kelty opening. Tickets $12/advance, $15/ door. mattoxfarm.com
Live Music w/ Mike Thompson
6pm @ The Blue Room
SATURDAY, August 27
Live Music w/ Chris Lynch and Lauren Kershner
5-8pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery
Live Music w/ Dammit Lauren!
9pm-midnight @ 219 Lounge
Big Sky-based quartet with a soulful alternative rock sound. No cover. 21+
Live Music w/ Runaway Symphony
7-10pm @ Matchwood Brewing Co.
Dynamic band with perfect harmonies
Old-Time Fiddlers acoustic jam session
3pm @ Sandpoint Library
This fun, informal group includes 20 fiddlers, guitarists, banjo players, mandolins, ukes and a string bass player. Acoustic musicians and music lovers alike are welcome to join the fun. 208-263-7234
Sandpoint Chess Club
Mobius Planetarium
12-1:30pm @ Sandpoint Library
Join this 20-minute ocean-themed planetarium show. Fun for the whole family
Live Music w/ Headwaters
6pm @ Bottle Bay Resort
Live Music w/ Bright Moments Jazz
6-8pm @ Arlo’s Ristorante
Live Music w/ Nefftones
6pm @ The Blue Room
Sandpoint Farmers’ Market
9am-1pm @ Farmin Park
Fresh produce, artisan goods, live music by Bridges Home
Karaoke
8pm-close @ The Tervan
SunDAY, August 28
9am @ Evans Brothers Coffee
Meets every Sunday at 9am
Karaoke
8pm-close @ The Tervan
monDAY, August 29
Monday Night Blues Jam w/ John Firshi
7pm @ Eichardt’s Pub
Group Run @ Outdoor Experience
6pm @ Outdoor Experience
3-5 miles, all levels welcome, beer after
wednesDAY, August 31
Sandpoint Farmers’ Market
3-5:30pm @ Farmin Park
Open Mic with Fritz
6-10pm @ The Tervan
Benny on the Deck • 6-8pm @ Connie’s
Featuring Ali Maverick Thomas
Live Piano w/ Annie Welle
5-7pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery
ThursDAY, september 1
Artist Reception for Susan Gallo • 5-7pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery
Susan presents a lovely variety of acrylic paintings, giclee and collage
Game of Thrones prequel House of the Dragon debuts with more ice than fire
By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff
A little more than three years after Daenerys Targaryen firebombed King’s Landing atop her dragon, got shanked by her erstwhile lover-nephew John Snow and opened the way for King Bran to rule Westeros, the world introduced by author George R.R. Martin’s fantasy phenom Game of Thrones is back on the small screen.
Never mind that the GoT series on HBO ended in May 2019 with Martin having failed to finish his novel series, which is technically titled A Song of Ice and Fire — and never mind that he still hasn’t delivered those final books — the prequel series House of the Dragon arrived on the scene Aug. 21 with its Episode 1 premiere on HBO.
Based on the fictional history book Fire and Blood, published in 2018, HotD (as it’s come to be known) is focused on the dynasty of House Targaryen at the height of the family’s power 172 years before the events of Game of Thrones.
For the uninitiated, almost none of the above, nor anything below, will make much sense. By way of simple explanation: the Targaryens are a brood of incestuous silver-haired aristocrats who alone possess the ability to hatch, raise and ride dragons, making them the superpower of the seven kingdoms of Westeros, which they conquered using their winged
weapons of mass destruction.
Where HotD begins, the Targaryens are experiencing a period of transition, with King Viserys I in weary decline while lacking a male heir. His brother Daemon (whose name indicates his personality) is technically next in line, but he’s an arrogant, misogynistic psychopath, and no one but him thinks he’s fit to wear the crown.
Meanwhile, the king’s headstrong, intelligent and brave teenage daughter, Rhaenrya, is more than qualified to ascend the Iron Throne, but she’s a female, and hitherto no queen has been allowed to rule the kingdoms.
This sets up a viper’s nest of competing inter-family interests, loyalties and betrayals, which anyone with even a passing familiarity with GoT will recognize as stock-in-trade for George R.R. Martin’s vision of a feudal Dallas with dragons.
So far, the reviews have been overwhelming in their praise.
Imdb gives the show a 9/10, 90% of Google users liked it and Rotten Tomatoes rates it at 83%.
Still, there are skeptics. The New York Times wrote that HotD is “saddled with respectability. It wants to be taken seriously, or at least not give undue offense.”
The Times also called it, “Game of Thrones as Masterpiece Theater.”
Slant Magazine went further, writing that while HotD may mature into “a good show,” “its current incarnation is a colossal bore.”
As one of those fans who read
all the Song of Ice and Fire books, eagerly watched every episode of GoT, bought his wife a copy of Fire and Blood, and still listens to lengthy podcasts about all of the above, it pains me to say that I may be leaning toward House Naysayer. There is a lot to like about House of the Dragon. It is indeed gorgeous, with each episode reported to cost more than the finale of GoT. The set design, costuming and action — in all their lurid, bloody, opulent glory — are impeccable. The dragons are spectacular, too. Yet, after having watched the premiere twice in as many days, I couldn’t shake it that this vision of Westeros felt flat.
Whereas GoT built its world of power-mad dynastic hustlers on a global
scale, jumping across seas and continents to develop rich stories swirling around a massive cast of characters, HotD feels confined by the centrality of the Targaryens to its narrative. Episode 1 consisted in large part of attractive rich people bickering and whispering in low tones. Sure there were some good-old GoT bursts of ultra-violence — a gory jousting match, a limb-chopping raid on criminals in the capital city and a Cesarean birth performed without anesthesia — as well as the requisite brothel scenes, but again, these incidents unfolded with little vim.
Beyond that, a sense of humor seems entirely absent. For all its blood and guts, nudity and
essential shock value, GoT was frequently really funny and even emotionally affecting. By contrast, House of the Dragon so far lacks any characters to compare with the likes of Tyrion Lannister, much less side characters like Lord Varys, Davos Seaworth and Sandor “The Hound” Clegane, who chewed up their every scene.
We’re only one episode in — with subsequent installments streaming on HBO every Sunday — and I’m holding out hope for something with more fire; but, so far, HotD often comes off as cold as a midnight trudge around Winterfell.
Courtesy photo.
By Marcia Pilgeram Reader Columnist
The Sandpoint Eater To Laura with love
dinners and Easter brunches.
This week’s column was supposed to be about food trucks. I love food trucks. I seek them out everywhere I go and couldn’t wait to tell you about some of my favorites. But, alas, this week my heart isn’t into these mobile eateries.
Instead, I would be remiss if I didn’t tell you about Laura. Our sweet Laura passed away nearly two weeks ago from childbirth complications. She left a grieving family — her fiancé Bryce, two precious little girls (newborn Hadley and toddler Mabel), parents Mary and Bob, and a heartbroken community.
Laura was a rare combination of quiet yet fierce determination with a profoundly loving and warm heart who passed away during the happiest period of her life. A young life that should have been filled with years of promise.
Laura was my daughter Casey’s classmate and, early in their middle school friendship, I forged a relationship with Laura’s mom, Mary. We’ve been the best of friends ever since. Back then, I was a single, workaholic mother and, if it wasn’t for Mary, our third partner-in-crime Darcy, and other assorted, caring parents, Casey (and I) would have never made it through middle school — nor built the bonds that still connect us like kin.
Since we had no family nearby, we made our own. For the past 20-plus years, we’ve shared countless Sunday dinners and celebrated holidays with Christmas buffets, Thanksgiving
In addition, we hosted engagement parties, wedding and baby showers, and myriad birthday celebrations for one another’s family members. When they were younger, Casey made countless road trips with Laura’s family, including to far-away family weddings.
Laura, Casey and I traveled to many places, too. I took them to see A Christmas Carol in San Francisco, where I had to convince ever-so-practical Laura to splurge at the concession stand (never a problem for Casey).
Once Laura and I went to Ireland — just the two of us — when a friend couldn’t join her at the last minute and Laura was still aching to go. We climbed to the top of Blarney
Castle and crawled into the burial chambers at Newgrange. On one chilly evening in Watergrasshill, we shared a bed and our host provided us with a hot water bottle to warm the covers. We placed it between us and whispered into the night about the black-and-white pudding (blood sausage) that Laura had politely consumed that morning. It was her introduction to a full Irish breakfast.
I’ve been pouring through all sorts of ephemera — pictures, clippings, old emails and text messages — searching out favorite memories of my Laura. She had many great women in her life, but Laura and I had a special bond, and I’ll forever cherish my collection of emails and notes that start, “Dear
Mama Marcia.” Laura loved to cook and often reached out for a recipe or cooking advice.
Most of my holiday photos include at least a couple pictures of Laura helping out in my kitchen or donning a chef’s hat in hers, to teach my young grandchildren how to make her Aunt Doreen’s pizza. Laura had many jobs in the food industry, and it never took her long to receive a promotion. She knew her way around a kitchen and worked circles around the rest of the crew.
The week before she passed, Laura was putting the final touches on her dream kitchen. So it’s bittersweet that Laura, Bryce and their girls spent but one short week in their newly completed home in the moun-
tains near Rathdrum.
I can only imagine how special the first family holiday meal she hosted would have been. No doubt it would have been Thanksgiving. One of my fondest Laura memories occurred before a Thanksgiving dinner I hosted years ago. She called to make sure I would be serving her family’s favorite holiday vegetable.
Sweet Laura, there will always be a place at my table for your family. We’ll share stories of the enduring friendships and family bonds you forged and the love you found with Bryce that only strengthened and grew with motherhood. And I promise to always serve Brussels sprouts at my holiday table.
Brussels sprouts with pistachios and Parmesan
These are a great addition to any dinner. For a vegetarian option, skip the bacon and use half butter/half olive oil (1 tbs each) to sauté the onions and garlic.
INGREDIENTS: DIRECTIONS:
•1 ½ pounds of Brussels sprouts
•½ yellow onion, peeled and coarsely chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 4 strips of partially frozen bacon, sliced into thin strips
• ¼ cup shelled pistachio nuts coarsely chopped
• ¼ cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
• Salt and pepper
Wash the Brussels sprouts, removing any loose or brown leaves. If brown, trim the stems. Set aside. In a sauté pan (with a tight-fitting lid), cook the bacon on medium-high heat until crisp. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon, drain on a paper towel and set aside. Turn down heat and add onions to bacon grease, stirring until browned and beginning to caramelize, add the garlic and cook until soft. Add the Brussels sprouts and cover. Continue to cook about 10 minutes, occasionally shaking the pan. While the sprouts are cooking, toss together the bacon, nuts and cheese. Remove lid from pan, stir and scrape up any bits in bottom of pan, and add salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat and transfer to serving dish. Sprinkle bacon/nut/ cheese mixture on top and serve.
MUSIC
A storied love
By Lyndsie Kiebert-Carey Reader Staff
Separately, Phil Hamilton and Erica Perry blazed their own trails on the Texas music scene, offering up musical flavors of country and rock, and finding individual success in doing so.
However, the past several years have marked a considerable change for the artists, as their marriage and the birth of their first child introduced new elements to that musical journey. As a result, they’ve joined forces as The Hamiltons, a duo made memorable by the easy way the artists compliment their respective strengths.
“We definitely feel super comfortable on a stage, just her and I and two guitars,” Phil Hamilton told the Reader in a phone interview from the road, where that journey is taking on a literal form as he and his family make the trek from homebase in New Mexico up north to Sandpoint and a gig at Connie’s Cafe on Friday, Aug. 26 at 6 p.m.
Hamilton said they have a “storyteller show” planned for this particular show, which came about because his best friend and former manager recently relocated to the area. The Connie’s performance will be an intimate, acoustic set.
wrote, and who we wrote them with,” he said. “We like to share the stories behind the songs. It’s a fun, up-close-and-personal show.”
The Hamiltons released their first joint record, Volume 1, in 2020, but Hamilton and Perry were longtime collaborators before that. Vocals from both can be heard on “Brazos Wind,” the title track from Phil’s 2016 album, which has since amassed more than 2 million streams on Spotify. He told the Reader that it marked a changing of the artistic tides in their lives.
“It was a song we all loved,” he said, adding later, “It [marks] the turn of when I started writing better music and doing things the way I wanted to do them.”
The Hamiltons lean into classic rock influences, bordering on a country sound, while remaining true to the storytelling nature of Americana. The result is an elevated brand of down-home comfort, perfectly showcasing the songwriting talent of each musician.
The Hamiltons
Friday, Aug. 26; 6 p.m.; FREE. Connie’s Cafe patio, 323 Cedar St., 208-255-2227. Listen to The Hamiltons on YouTube, Spotify and other streaming services.
“We’ll talk about the songs we
“When you’re more of a storyteller artist, like we are, you’re taking people through a little journey and each song has this way about it,” Hamilton said. “That’s a standard for Americana. It can sound many ways — lean more rock ’n’ roll or country and this and that — but it tends to have a story.”
Americana duo The Hamiltons to play acoustic show at Connie’s on Aug. 26
Hamilton said the Sandpoint show will feature new and old songs from both of their catalogs, as well as some covers. Stories, especially about the last few years of parenthood and everything else that’s come with becoming The Hamiltons — both in life and as a band — will take center stage, he said.
“Her and I, what we have on stage, it’s very special,” he said. “We’re a couple. We’ve been through all the same struggles and everybody else goes through, and we have this thing that we do, and we were meant to do.”
A snapshot of notable live music coming up in Sandpoint
Dammit Lauren!, 219 Lounge, Aug. 27 Cosmic Wagon, MickDuff’s Beer Hall, Aug. 26
Based in Big Sky, Mont., the soulful alt-rock trio Dammit Lauren! hasn’t been around too long, but already boasts an impressive resume. Lead vocalist Lauren Jackson, guitarist Brian Stumpf and drummer Casey Folley have released two albums (the latest being Electric Restlessness in July) and performed around their home state at events including the Western Montana Fair in Missoula, Yellowstone Harvest Fest in Livingston and the Under the Big
Sky Festival in Whitefish. The band has done all that from the self-described “middle of nowhere” — proof that great things can come from small places. Dammit Lauren! will be a damn good show at the 219, deserving of its exclamation point.
— Zach Hagadone
9 p.m.-midnight, FREE, 21+. 219 Lounge, 219 N. First Ave., 208-263-5673, 219.bar. Listen at dammitlauren.com
String music is the music of working, rural people. One of the local bands sharing those sweet string sounds in North Idaho is Coeur d’Alene-based Cosmic Wagon, which plays bluegrass, country, folk and classic rock tunes all over the panhandle.
Cosmic Wagon combines the instrumental and songwriting talents of Matt Renner, Robert Artz, Ella Ellinghausen and Clayton Howard. Each artist brings years of experience to the mix, which
This week’s RLW by Lyndsie Kiebert-Carey
READ
I’ve just begun reading John Green’s The Anthropocene Reviewed, which is a book spin-off from Green’s longtime podcast of the same name, on which the best-selling novelist “reviews different facets of the human-centered planet on a five-star scale.” I’m a huge fan of Green’s prior writings — The Fault in Our Stars and Looking for Alaska, in particular. So far, I’ve enjoyed reading his latest work, which is far more personal, but still full of good-hearted quips.
LISTEN
includes guitars, fiddle, mandolin and bass.
The band’s name is a reflection of its ambitious philosophy: old-fashioned string music meant to reach audiences far and wide. Cosmic Wagon is playing tunes for the universe, one gig at a time.
I don’t often stumble across music that evokes a visceral response upon first listen; so, when I do, I know I’ve found something special. If you ever take the time to set down this newspaper and search up a song that I recommend, let it be now, and listen to “Alleyway” by Anna Tivel. The craftsmanship behind it, from the vocal inflection to the lyrical content, makes it one of those gems that now sits on its own playlist on my Spotify account because I can’t seem to find another song I like enough to listen to after it.
WATCH
Local backcountry survivalist and teacher Karie Lee Knoke came in second on season nine of the History Channel series Alone The entire season is now available to watch on history.com. Karie Lee did Sandpoint proud by not only doing so well in the competition, but, in my opinion, in the way she shared her connection to the land. Her vulnerability, tenacity and playful spirit are all admirable traits.
Erica Perry and Phil Hamilton of The Hamiltons. Courtesy photo.
From Northern Idaho News, Aug. 23, 1923
PIONEER INDIAN SCOUT LOCATES OLD HOUSE
A perfect day and an ideal place for a picnic on the clean white sand at the mouth of the Clarks Fork river helped to make a success of the second annual picnic of the Pioneer society. More than 200 people were in attendance.
One of the features of the day was the discovery by Duncan McDonald, noted Indian scout, of what remains of the chimneys of the old Kullyspell House, one of the first houses erected along the shores of Lake Pend d’Oreille. McDonald’s grandfather assisted in teh erection of the building in the year 1809. McDonald had but little trouble in locating the chimneys notwithstanding the fact that others had searched for them many times, he being invited to make the search by organization.
Compton White of Clarks Fork, president of the society, introduced Congressman Burton L. French, who had come in the Farmin launch from Sandpoint. French spoke of his boyhood in Idaho where he has lived since 1882 and remarked in looking over the register that he noticed but one who had lived in Idaho longer than he. He related how he received his early schooling from his father and how he learned the multiplication table from a card tacked up over his father’s work bench. He compared the ease of obtaining an education now with then.
He also told of seeing trees in the Yosemite valley that are 2,000 years old, standing there when Caesar was fighting the Gauls. He then told how the Northwest Fur Trading company and its rival, the Hudson Bay company, had sent their men into the northwest subsequent to the Lewis and Clark expedition to establish posts to trade with the Indians.
BACK OF THE BOOK
Finding Schitt’s Creek in ‘the Caribbean of the Rockies’
By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff
It has taken 10 years, many miles and more car barfs, backseat brawls and emergency roadside pit stops than I care to recall (including an apocalyptic diaper eruption six years ago that devastated the bathroom of a Flying J truck stop east of Twin Falls), but this summer my kids became road tested and road approved.
My 10-year-old son wrote his fourthgrade Idaho history report on Bear Lake and, being the engaged and supportive parents that we are, my wife and I promised to make our big summer vacation a road trip to see what is often referred to as “the Caribbean of the Rockies,” owing to its vibrant blue waters.
Those who are familiar with Idaho geography will know that Bear Lake straddles the Idaho-Utah border, almost within spitting distance of Wyoming. It’s also 700 miles away, making it just about as far from Sandpoint as you can go while still remaining in the state.
The “Caribbean” thing got us. My wife and I celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary in the U.S. Virgin Islands, and so the idea of basking on a beach beside clear blue waters sounded pretty appealing. Better still, I’d found and booked us accommodations on the Utah side at what was described online as a “resort” and “lodge.”
Perusing the website, I saw clean and comfortable rooms with nearby access to the beach. All manner of amenities were promised — best of all, a suite was available with two beds in a separate room, meaning my wife and I wouldn’t have to end up sharing a bed with a kid.
So we splurged on the “resort” and looked forward to indulging in the suite life after two days of six-plus-hour driving.
There were a lot of great things we
STR8TS Solution
saw between Sandpoint and Bear Lake (as well as on the rest of our 1,600-mile trip through Boise and Pullman, Wash.), but there is neither the space nor interest to hear about them. Next to dreams and health problems, other people’s vacation stories are the most tedious topic of conversation.
That said, I have to tell you that our lodging was less resort than lodge, and more “motor lodge” than lodge. And by that, I’m talking Schitt’s Creek. I’m talking “place you stay when you just got out of jail and no one wants you sleeping on their couch.”
For instance, our rooms had no air conditioning — just a box fan that had to be plugged into the only outlet in the main bedroom. The deadbolt had a chain but no receiver. The kitchenette featured an ice box from the 1960s and contained two half-consumed raspberry milkshakes left by the previous occupants.
Three bathroom wall tiles lay broken on the floor behind the door, and the bathroom window had a window that wouldn’t stay shut. Bonus: It opened onto the patio of a restaurant next door, which played early-2000s pop hits on a loudspeaker all night long. The courtyard featured a rundown playground set, a few mismatched (and many broken) lawn chairs, and a hammock that looked like it had been used to store bowling balls.
As it turned out, the “resort” I saw on the internet won’t be built until September 2024, which means the place we were staying would soon be demolished. As such, we enjoyed a view of the construction site sprawling between our rooms and the beach. Lesson learned: Read all the way to the bottom of a motel website.
Suffice it to say, Bear Lake and surrounds is one of the strangest places I’ve been. The lake covers about 110 square miles and is seven miles across. It is also about four feet deep for what felt like a mile out from shore.
Sudoku Solution
The water was indeed vibrant blue and crystal clear, but felt about 70 degrees. The only aquatic life we encountered was one fish and mounds of snail shells heaped on the beach, which looked like a miniature Jersey Shore, with hundreds of pop-up tents erected next to trucks and cars parked at the water’s edge. A vast swamp separated the town from the lake, meaning boats had to be towed there by tractors.
We made the best of all this — the kids reveled in the giant bathtub-feel of the lake, but I was less enthused about the fact that no restaurant we ate in had a beer or wine list. Watching people wash down steak with 32 ounces of Mountain Dew is simply barbaric.
Through all this, my children were expert travelers and I commend them. Bear Lake is one of those places we never would have visited if not for my son’s fourthgrade report, and for that I’m grateful. But I’ve also rarely felt so fortunate to call Sandpoint home.
Crossword Solution
I think a good way to get into a movie is to show up where they’re making the movie, then stick a big cactus plant onto your buttocks and start yowling and running around. Everyone would think it was funny, and the head movie guy would say, “Hey, let’s put him in the movie.”
Solution on page 22
Laughing Matter
By Bill Borders
CROSSWORD
ACROSS
1.Incorrect
6.Winglike
10.Beseech
14.Levitate
15.A rounded projection
16.Indian music
17.Drama set to classical music
18.Old stories
19.Not under
20.Relating to menopause
22.Await judgment
23.Terminated
24.Pennies
25.Dry riverbed
29.Universal
31.Improved
33.Graduation certificate
37.Pertaining to teeth
38.Rubbernecked
39.Intestinal
41.Intoned
Word Week of the
[noun]
1. the doctrine that the world tends to become better or may be made better by human effort.
“He tends to oppose meliorism, feeling as if everything humans touch actually has a negative effect on the world instead of positive.”
Corrections: “Man approaches the unattainable truth through a succession of errors.”
