Reader_August16_2018

Reader

compiled by Susan Drinkard

DEAR READERS, (wo)MAN on the street

Which site do you prefer for the arts and crafts fair — downtown or City Beach?

“I thought the City Beach location was unique because you could jump in the water to cool off. One advantage of having it downtown is that it is more protected from the elements.”

Dee Kosse

Client associate, D. A. Davidson Sandpoint

“I like it downtown. Parking is easier for people, and the vendors seem to like it. Even the belly dancers like it. And the fountain is here for kids. It’s all positive.”

Doug Bond Musician Sagle

“I have been a vendor at this fair for at least 25 years, and I love it here (downtown), but it’s not as nice as having it on the lawn.”

Leatta Judd Artist Sandpoint

“The loading in and out is really good here (downtown); at the beach it was chaos due to parking. When people were trying to load their vehicles you couldn’t get around them. People have said it is hot here, but I actually had some of my artwork melt at the beach. I have sold more here than I did at Art on the Green in Coeur d’ Alene, a much bigger fair, and better than last year at City Beach.”

Randy Wilhelm

Art teacher at LPOHS Laclede

“This is my first time at the arts and crafts fair and I have lived here a long time. It is safer here for my (young) sons because there is no traffic allowed through here.”

Misty Schubert

Mother of three boys Sandpoint

Every week on deadline day, I turn to this little box I must fill and look outside my second floor office window to find inspiration. This week, the inspiration isn’t there. It’s been obscured by smoke. Somewhere up there in the haze are the mountains I regularly seek for solace. Somewhere out there is a blue sky. It’ll be back after another week or two, but for now, these hazy days have become the norm for August through September, and we must deal with it in the best way we know how.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t remember summers being like this when I was a child in Sandpoint. I remember a handful of years where fires broke out, but this every single year thing is getting a little old. The problem is, the moment you talk about climate change, the political lines are drawn and the conversation shuts down. That’s unfortunate, especially because our nation has always confronted its challenges headon and persevered through all odds. I long for the days in the future when science is treated as fact and not activism. For now, I’ll continue to stare longingly out my window, trying to catch a glimpse at the mountains through the smoke.

-Ben

Olson, Publisher

READER

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

www.sandpointreader.com

Publisher: Ben Olson ben@sandpointreader.com

Editor: Cameron Rasmusson cameron@sandpointreader.com

Zach Hagadone (emeritus) John Reuter (emeritus)

Advertising: Jodi Taylor Jodi@sandpointreader.com

Contributing Artists: Ben Olson (cover photo illustration), Adrian Sanchez-Gonzalez, David Marx, Will Harrison, Lyndsie Kiebert, Craig Baldwin.

Contributing Writers:

Cameron Rasmusson, Ben Olson, Lyndsie Kiebert, Nancy Dooley, Emily Erickson, Brenden Bobby, Ammi Midstokke, Marcia Pilgeram

Submit stories to: stories@sandpointreader.com

Printed weekly at: Griffin Publishing Spokane, Wash.

Subscription Price: $95 per year

Web Content: Keokee

The Sandpoint Reader is a weekly publication owned and operated by Ben Olson and Keokee. It is devoted to the arts, entertainment, politics and lifestyle in and around Sandpoint, Idaho. We hope to provide a quality alternative by offering honest, in-depth reporting that reflects the intelligence and interests of our diverse and growing community. The Reader is printed on recycled paper using soy-based ink. Leftover copies are collected and recycled weekly, or burned in massive bonfires to appease the gods of journalism. Free to all, limit two copies per person.

SandpointReader letter policy:

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

Requirements: –No more than 400 words –Letters may not contain excessive profanity or libelous material. Please elevate the discussion. Letters will be edited to comply with the above requirements. Opinions expressed in these pages are those of the writers, not necessarily the publishers.

Email letters to: letters@sandpointreader.com

Check us out on the web at: www.sandpointreader.com Like us on Facebook.

About

the Cover

This week’s cover features a commercial-free use image of Shakespeare which publisher Ben Olson worked into a snazzy cover. Yeehaw.

Enforcement ramps up on dogs in breweries, coffee shops

By Cameron Rasmusson Reader Staff

Sandpoint loves its dog-friendly businesses, but more rigorous enforcement of Idaho law may exclude eating and drinking establishments from that category.

Up until recently, businesses like MickDuff’s Beer Hall and Evans Brothers Coffee that serve drinks but not food have allowed dogs indoors and outdoors without issue. But with new businesses finding that similar options aren’t available to them, Panhandle Health District is cautioning local establishments that dogs on the premises of any food-and-drink outlet is out of compliance with state law.

“The dog issue has been frustrating for many local establish-

ments, and I understand it; but, the role of a licensed facility is to comply with the Food Code, and our job is to inspect you all in relation to the Code,” wrote PHD Program Manager Kathryn Kolberg in a letter to MickDuff’s. “If we see dogs in an establishment, we are required to issue a violation. If we get complaints about the issue, we will be following up on them.”

of their appeal. As a result, the statewide brewing guild Idaho Brewers United is planning a Pooches On Porches initiative seeking to introduce a bill in the 2019 Idaho legislative session that would permit animals in outdoor areas.

“Breweries with no food operations have been told absolutely no dogs, no matter what (exception: service dogs!) while less than a mile away, another brewery has been told nothing when dogs have been present during a health department visit,” the brewing guild explained in a newsletter. “There is an effort to legalize dogs on patios, and it will affect breweries.”

Sandpoint shooting victim identified

By Cameron Rasmusson Reader Staff

The victim in a shooting at the Meandering Moose last week has been identified, while the suspect remains at large.

According to the city, Blas Salvador Alonzo “Duke” Dias, 34, is the man who was shot in an altercation that took place shortly before 7 p.m. Aug. 6. Police arrived on the scene that evening to find Dias with a gunshot wound to the chest and his assailant already gone. Dias was transported to Bonner General Health, where he died of his wounds.

According to Sandpoint Police, Dias was shot at the front door of his apartment at the Meandering Moose located at 317 Marion Ave. The shooter made his escape on foot after shooting Dias when he opened

Idaho’s enforcement of laws concerning animals at food establishments has been inconsistent at best. It was generally accepted that restaurants serving food were obligated to prohibit pets with the exception of service animals. However, breweries and coffee shops that don’t serve food often allowed dogs as long as processing areas — brewing and coffee-roasting rooms, for example — were separated from seating areas. After state and health officials began receiving complaints, officials began more consistent enforcement. And that includes not only dogs indoors, but also outside or anywhere else on the premises.

his door.

The investigation into the shooting is ongoing, with a handgun located at the scene and believed to have been used in the shooting set to be shipped to a lab for testing. Police are also interviewing and collecting DNA samples from individuals believed to have been involved. The victim’s preliminary autopsy results indicate he died of a single small-caliber gunshot wound, and his toxicology results are also yet to be released.

The perpetrator is described as a darker-skinned male 20 to 40 years old, 5 feet 6 inches to 6 feet tall and wearing a lightblue T-shirt and tan shorts. He remains at large.

It’s a move that has received some push-back, particularly from businesses that consider dog-friendliness to be a big part

Sandpoint council OKs $44.5 million budget Ting begins phase-two construction

By Cameron Rasmusson Reader Staff

With phase one complete, Ting is rolling out construction for its phase-two network construction targeting southern Sandpoint.

While phase one covered neighborhoods between Fifth and Division avenues, phase two focuses on South Sandpoint, spanning from Pine Street and Highway 2 to the lake and neighborhoods along Ontario Street and beyond. Customers can expect to have service lit up this fall. The deadline to preorder Ting is Nov. 30.

According to Ting, the company will continue its expansion into more neighborhoods following phase two.

By Cameron Rasmusson Reader Staff

The Sandpoint City Council approved a budget Wednesday night with total expenditures amounting to $44,538,939.

The final budget is the result of months of work, with additional fine-tuning in a council workshop readying the financial plan for passage this week. It revolves around the theme “a framework for the future,” with projects targeting five top-priority goals: responsive government, resilient economy, sustainable environment, vibrant culture and livable community.

The budget further specifies 16 priorities fitting into those five broader goals. These include: refining city codes, expanding citizen engagement, embracing performance management and continuous improvement, refreshing commissions and advisory group charters, optimizing storm water management, optimizing fire protection, optimizing police

services, strengthening financial forecasting, diversifying housing mix, considering the acquisition of the University of Idaho Boyer property, completing the renovation of Memorial Field and sports complexes, updating the city’s comprehensive plan, completing a watershed management master plan and developing master plans for downtown revitalization, the arts and infrastructure.

The council passed the budget with little controversy or discussion. In a public comment period prior to the vote, the only feedback came from Sandpoint business owner Anita Aurit, who worried about the growth of the budget but praised the city for the openness of the process.

“(The budget size is) a little concerning, but … I do greatly appreciate that transparency is coming in,” she said.

Heat and wind fan regional flames

By Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Staff

The Cougar Fire made substantial moves over the weekend, as the blaze jumped Lightning Creek headed northeast and tripled in size.

The fire, located five miles east of Hope, was a reported 3,700 acres on Wednesday afternoon, according to Idaho Panhandle National Forests officials.

Officials on the Cougar Fire initially intended to use Lightning Creek as a fuel break, but windy conditions Friday night into Saturday morning caused the rapid spread of log-to-log burning and group torching. Fire Bosses — small planes that can pick up water — have been utilizing Lake Pend Oreille and dropping on the Wellington Creek ridge to slow northern fire growth.

The west side of the Cougar Fire, facing Hope, is being monitored but not making any substantial moves.

An area closure was imple-

mented Wednesday in response to the Cougar Fire. The closure’s general boundaries are along Forest lands from Scotchman Peak to East Hope, from East Hope to Wellington Creek to Rattle Creek, from Rattle Creek to Lightning Mountain, and from Lightning Mountain to Scotchman Peak, according to InciWeb. Find a map of the closure area under the Cougar Fire incident page.

“Fire-fighting resources are very limited due to fires in the west, and steep rugged terrain is limiting direct suppression,” officials on the Cougar Fire report.

The Alpine Fire, 11 miles northwest of Sandpoint near Caribou Lake, was contained Friday. Around 32 fire personnel continue to work on the fire lines to keep smoldering activity contained.

The Smith Creek Fire, seven miles north of Priest Lake, was over 835 acres as of Tuesday.

The slow-moving blaze is not expected to grow substantially, and is contained mostly to timber

litter and understory brush, InciWeb reports.

The Copper Mountain Fire, on the Canadian border near Eastport, was reported at 182 acres and 25 percent contained on Wednesday morning. U.S. and Canadian resources are being used to control spotting on this fire.

The Surprise Creek Fire, near Lakeview, used the recent heat and wind to jump to 1,800 acres

on Wednesday. Several road and trail closures are in effect around the Surprise Creek Fire. A list is easily accessible on InciWeb.

Another fire on the southern end of Lake Pend Oreille is the 1,100-acre Rampike Fire, located near Shoshone Creek. IPNF reported Wednesday that the Rampike Fire has crossed into Montana, so Idaho Panhandle and Kootenai National Forest

personnel are currently working on a course of action to fight this fire. Fire managers are also considering aviation support in order to get a better look at the fire’s natural barriers.

IPNF reports a risk for lightning strikes in the Idaho panhandle Thursday, and an increased risk Thursday night into Friday morning.

Air quality has taken a dive due to a combination of local and regional fires. Sandpoint was sitting at 159 Wednesday afternoon — categorized “unhealthy” by the Environmental Protection Agency on airnow.gov. “People with heart or lung disease, older adults, and children should avoid prolonged or heavy exertion. Everyone else should reduce prolonged or heavy exertion,” the site reports.

At 200, the air quality becomes “very unhealthy,” meaning everyone is at risk for serious health issues. Air quality is predicted to remain poor for the next several days.

Bonner County budget sees salary, tax increases

By Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Staff

The 2019 Bonner County budget was finalized last week, boasting increased salaries in several departments and introducing a 3-percent tax increase.

Going into effect this October, the budget features an overall general budget cut from $59.8 million to $54.2 million, and an EMS budget cut from $4 million to $3.7 million. Last year, over $8 million was cut from the previous budget.

“Once again for this next budget we created over $3 million in cuts in an effort to push the budget back down to where it meets revenues,” Commissioner Dan McDonald said. “Our figures show us we will have one more year of cuts before we reach a balance to revenues.”

McDonald said a “wage study and market pressures dictate the various salary adjustments.”

That wage study, done by AmeriBen Consulting out of Boise and commissioned by the Bonner County Human Resource department in spring 2015, was requested in order to create an “updated compensation methodology,” according to HR Risk Management Director Cindy Binkerd. She said the last time the county had conducted a salary study prior to 2015 was 2001.

The AmeriBen study was completed in November 2015, so changes to salaries were not implemented until the 2016 fiscal year’s budget. Binkerd said it was projected at the time that it would take the county approximately three years to “reconcile salary gaps” in comparison to other counties, and McDonald

said the county is on track to meet the three-year deadline.

Despite difficulty balancing the budget this year, McDonald said “we’re not going to balance the budget on the backs of employees” — meaning salaries would continue to increase in accordance to the AmeriBen study.

On average, county employees saw a 3-percent merit salary increase, with variations depending on market adjustments and compression, McDonald said. Road and Bridge, Planning and EMS “had a total of 18-percent increases over last year” McDonald said, and commissioners saw a 7-percent salary increase in the new budget.

“Elected officials salaries were increased, I believe, by $10,000 a year the year before I came into office, as the wage study showed a huge gap in the

salary position compared with other counties our same size,” McDonald said. “We made a small move last year to try and correct but it was still short and actually caused us to fall further behind.”

Road and Bridge, Planning and EMS saw salary increases in an effort to keep wages competitive and keep good personnel with the county. Losing good employees was a recurring issue, McDonald said, especially with operators in Road and Bridge.

McDonald emphasized that the county avoided cutting services while creating the new budget. In making that decision, the commissioners chose to take the 3-percent tax increase allotted by the state per year.

“The fact is that we had two options: either cut services — which will really make people

scream — or take the three percent,” McDonald said. “If it were up to me, I wouldn’t take it, but then what are we going to cut?”

McDonald said going forward the commissioners plan to work with department heads more closely and on a regular basis to control spending.

Steve Lockwood, the Democratic candidate for the District 3 commissioner seat in the upcoming November election, has been following the budget workshops closely.

“Last year they did lower the budget, but not expenses,” Lockwood said. “They should control costs through the year, and they have not done that consistently.”

Find further analysis of the 2019 Bonner County budget in next week’s Sandpoint Reader

The platforms of Idaho’s GOP and Democratic Parties

By Cameron Rasmusson Reader Staff

Over the summer, the Idaho Republican and Democratic parties went to work on their platforms. What emerged were revised documents that both, in their own way, reflect evolving partisan identities on the national stage.

In July, Idaho Republicans gathered in Pocatello to pass a platform that reflected the national party’s focus on free-market economics, limited government and socially conservative values as dominating priorities. The Idaho Democratic Party, meanwhile, adopted a platform this summer considered by many to be one of the most progressive in the nation, with legal recreational marijuana and living wages among its concerns. In many ways, it echoes the rhetoric of class-conscious Democrats pushing the party in a more progressive direction.

Idaho Democratic Platform

One of the biggest surprises of the Democratic platform this year was a call for fully-legalized recreational marijuana. That’s a step further than many established Idaho Democratic politicians are willing to go, including governor candidate Paulette Jordan. In a debate with primary opponent A.J. Balukoff, she supported legalizing medical marijuana and decriminalizing possession but stopped short of endorsing legalized recreational marijuana. Balukoff opposed recreational use outright.

The party platform calls for cannabis to be considered as a legal medical option and a recreational choice for individuals 21 and older. It recommends that agricultural hemp be available for cultivation by Idaho farmers and that tax revenue from cannabis be directed toward statewide improvements.

“We believe all cannabis tax revenue should be directed to additional educational funding and infrastructure improvement in our state,” the platform reads.

The ongoing campaign to expand Medicaid for Idahoans unable to secure health insurance made its way into the Democratic platform, too. It was one of many health care-related platform items, which also called for increased mental

health care availability, the legalization of CBD oil, access to reproductive medical care and abortion. On the whole, affordable and easily-accessed health care is the defining theme of the plank.

“We believe that no one in Idaho should die from a preventable illness or go bankrupt due to medical expenses and prescription drug costs,” the platform states.

Economic policy in the platform emphasized a sustainable wage and cost of living for working- and middle-class Idahoans while asking more from wealthy residents and businesses. Among the specific planks are support for a graduated corporate tax rate and “job creation through sustainable agriculture, mining, timber and manufacturing, while expanding industries such as technology, clean energy and tourism.”

Other issues in the platform include a fully-funded education system complete with competitive compensation for teachers and support for compassionate, comprehensive immigration reform. View the full platform at https://idahodems.org/about/platform/.

Idaho GOP Platform

The Associated Press reports that in discussing revisions to the GOP party platform, Republicans clashed over immigration in particular. The GOP platform already stated that “securing the national border must be a priority for our country.” But in keeping with the no-tolerance tone for illegal immigration set by President Donald Trump’s administration, many Idaho Republicans argued that the party should take a harsher stance against illegal workers.

Idaho’s reliance on illegal labor in various agricultural operations is a wellknown issue, and some Republicans argued that those employers should be held accountable, the Associated Press reports. It was an argument that triggered heated push-back from Republicans who emphasized protecting Idaho agricultural operations. Ultimately, the proposed amendment was scrapped in favor of maintain the platform’s existing stances on immigration.

Another issue of concern was the party’s continued opposition to same-sex marriage. The Associated Press reports that Dom Gelsomino, an openly gay Republican legislative candidate, argued for removing the platform plank because the government should have no involvement in marriage. Gelsomino’s effort failed, and the following was added to the party’s opposition to same-sex marriage: “We recognize that the definition of marriage and its administration is not subject to federal authority and that Idaho is authorized to nullify any federal congressional act, federal mandate or court opinion that is contrary to traditional marriage.”

Otherwise, the Republican platform is much the same as its previous iteration. Aside from cleaning up a few typos, the other changes of note include a declaration that the Unites States is founded on Judeo-Christian values and that early education choices are best left to the family and private enterprise, the Associated Press reports.

View the full Idaho GOP platform at http://www.idgop.org/wp-content/ uploads/2018/07/2018-Idaho-GOP-Platform-Updated.pdf.

LETTERS

Dear Editor,

Donald Trump said his supporters would let him commit murder. I DON’T BELIEVE IT! My question is where do you, Trump supporter, draw the line?

I’ve heard Trump praised for being an honest liar. His shameful performance in Helsinki was described in a letter as the act of a good father. Too bad he isn’t polite to our allies. He threw Theresa May under the double decker bus, and Canada is our enemy while Russia is not.

So where is the line? Another Trump supporter said she would let him do anything if she likes his policies. She hated Obama’s executive orders but is fine with sabotaging the health care system with executive overreach. How does she feel about the president waving his executive pen and deciding terrorists can print their own untraceable, undetectable plastic guns?

How about Trump’s lies about sex? Trump said he didn’t have sex with those porn stars while married. OK, he did, but he didn’t pay to cover it up during the election. OK, he did, but that isn’t a crime, or if it is he’s above the law and can’t be prosecuted.

Russia? My team didn’t meet with Russia, said Trump. OK, they did, but it wasn’t about Hillary. OK, it was, but they didn’t get anything, so meeting with a foreign government to throw an election is OK.

Trump has suggested removing citizen’s voting rights, attacking journalists and imprisoning Hillary. Where is there a line you won’t let him cross?

Mar y Haley Sandpoint

Lockwood for Bonner Co. Commissioner...

Dear Editor,

There is a long-time friend of the community, who will work for ALL county residents and will bring a breath of fresh air to our County Commission. His name is Steve Lockwood.

Some highlights:

Steve is a strong advocate for public education and has served on the Lake Pend Oreille School Board.

He supports Medicaid Expansion. Not only will it help workers and families who need medical insurance, but it will save money by bringing back more federal dollars to Idaho’s counties.

He will work to promote good-paying jobs and affordable housing for working families.

He wants to ensure that our county has a strong seat at the table and to find out how our airand water-quality might be adversely affected by the Newport Smelter.

As a problem solver, Steve says there is no Republican nor Democrat way to fix roads and bridges –only an effective way. He is a fiscal conservative, and with his valuable management experience, he can give tax payers the best service at the lowest cost.

Finally, it’s time for transparency of the County Commission. Steve promises to open the doors and windows! It’s time for a change for the better, so get out and vote for Steve Lockwood as your new Bonner County Commissioner this November.

Philip Deutchman

Sandpoint

Dear Editor, A question of how the county decides which roads are improved has recently been raised.

Road improvements by Bonner County need to be based on objective, consistent criteria. Those criteria, understood by all, should include traffic counts, current road condition, school bus routes, safety, and connectivity in the system.

If property owners want to pay the costs of improvement, that should be allowed, but tax money should be spent based on objective criteria. That is the only way to be fair to all county residents.

Steve Lockwood Sandpoint

True Colors...

Dear Editor,

Greetings. I am confused by the colors assigned to the major parties in the elections: blue for Democrats and red for Republicans. I have always thought the Democrats were the Reds, the Commie sympathizers. How did this get turned around?

But wait. Maybe the colors are prescient of the future. After all, we have a President who shuns our NATO allies and claims as his true friends “strong” dictators of Russia, North Korea and China. He trumpets, “The press is the enemy of the people,” a Stalinist proclamation for sure. So maybe the new face of the Party of Lincoln is actually in line with their being “Reds.”

Cheers,

John Harbuck Sandpoint

Witches Got a Bad Rap...

Dear Editor,

The political cartoon by Bill Borders in last week’s issue did elicit a chuckle from me, and as I gave it ground in my mind’s eye to see the house falling, the socked feet curling and all of Munchkin Land rejoicing, my chuckle grew to a hearty laugh.

A few moments later, I became bothered by my own expression. I asked myself; What is this feeling knocking at my door? Shame? Guilt? No, it didn’t exactly feel like that. I know, how insensitive of me. It was something closer to a state of panic in my heart space caused by the terminology of “witch hunt.”

“Witches” have typically, throughout history (herstory), been the healers of their tribes, villages, cultures. The midwives, the herbalists, the foragers of necessary edibles and medicinals. For these abilities, knowledge, wisdom they were hunted down and executed.

Not just in this country, but globally and for generations.

This man is most certainly not a witch. It is in my opinion that such a title does not befit his current qualifications. He may feel hunted, and alas for him, it is the hunting season for sordid, divisive denigrators, but may it never be the hunting season for witches, as they, healers as they are, are part of the solution for this out of balance madness.

Respectfully, Elizabeth Iha

Sandpoint

Dear Editor,

Bonner County needs the right county commissioner.

Steve Lockwood has observed what is going wrong, he cares and he has the know how and experience to help address our needs and set it right.

We need our property value protected by appro-

priate zoning to prevent unwanted and destructive uses next door. Roads and bridges need maintenance with more funds appropriately allocated county-wide. We need all of our children to be well educated to insure their future happiness and prosperity. The quality of our air and water needs to be safe-guarded to protect our health and well-being.

Steve had proven he cares. He has served on the Lake Pend Oreille School Board, Sandpoint City Council, Sandpoint Planning and Zoning Commission and is currently on the Sandpoint Urban Renewal Board.

Steve came to Sandpoint following a very successful career, starting out climbing telephone poles and then climbing up to a top technical and managerial position at AT&T. There he delivered high-quality service at low cost.

Be sure to vote on Nov. 6 for Steve Lockwood, by far the top candidate for Bonner County Commissioner.

Sandra Deutchman Sandpoint

Dear Editor,

The Daily Bee headline about Mr. Patrick Little’s plans to come to Sandpoint to spread his feelings of hatred toward Jews weighs heavy on my heart. I had a twinge of disgust that the Bee would even print anything about him because it gives him credibility. But it is good that we have a free press that keeps us informed. And he must be taken seriously because he has a following that is growing. We who have lived in Sandpoint for a long time and those who have more recently moved here know deep down how incredibly open and

caring our community is. As my mom taught me (and as I say in my campaign for the Idaho State Legislature, District 1A), “We can disagree without being disagreeable.” We can have civilized educated discourse. Except now, we have folks like Mr. Little who want to change our history books and say the Holocaust never happened or try to re-enact it (I’m not fully clear on which!).

So what do we do? Do we just ignore him? Do nothing (keep in mind Martin Niemoller’s quote, “... and then they came for me.”)?

Do we meet him head on with a protest? Is that giving him too much credibility? Is there the potential of someone getting hurt?

I suggest that we educate ourselves by listening to the voices of Holocaust survivors (go to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, www. ushmm.org). Then make signs that spread love, kindness, tolerance and acceptance of diversity. Then get together with two or three of your friends and find a prominent corner downtown and stand there as often as you can with your signs held high.

Email me (ellenweissmanwins@gmail.com) which location you’ll “adopt” and when you can be there. When all of the corners in the area are adopted, we’ll take to the Long Bridge and Rts. 2, 200 & 95 (or maybe we should go there first?).

We can also look at legal methods such as recent efforts in Charlottesville to prevent marches with “unauthorized paramilitary activity.”

Please email me other ideas as to how to deal with this behavior. Mr. Little and his followers need a clear message that north Idaho is a place of love, not hate. Thank you.

Ellen Weissman Sandpoint

PCT hiker taking pledges for North Idaho Crisis Line

By Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Staff

NAMI Far North Board Member Kim Kempton is hiking 70 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail starting Aug. 18 and is accepting monetary pledges for each mile to support North Idaho Crisis Services and specifically the after-hours crisis hotline they offer.

“The idea was brought up to make my hike have more meaning,” she said. “I am hoping to inspire others and to bring attention to this much needed resource in our community.”

The hotline (accessible at 208-9465595) is staffed by licensed mental health professionals and is available 5 p.m.-8 a.m. Monday-Thursday and 24 hours a day on weekends and holidays. Kempton said NICS is “very low on funds and is facing possible closure without additional financial support.”

Learn more about NICS and pledge toward Kempton’s hike by visiting northidahocrsis.org.

Bouquets:

• A Bouquet goes out to all those hard-working firefighters helping to contain the blazes in our region. It’s grueling, hot, dirty work that a select few can handle. My hat goes off to them. If you see any of them around Sandpoint, give them a pat on the back.

• We received another couple of donations this week that really touched me. Eilene Buescher sent a check for $50 out of the blue along with a really nice note, and John and Sara Donnelly mailed us a check for $100 to thank us for making the Reader happen each and every week. Also, from our Patreon donation page, Barbara Schriber signed up to donate $50 per month. I’m so appreciative of our community members that go out of their way to support the Reader. It does not go unnoticed!

Barbs

• U.S. Interior Secretery Ryan Zinke recently claimed that the uptick in wildfires has nothing to do with climate change, but rather, he blamed “extreme environmentalists” for more prevalent wildfires due to a stance some have taken against logging.

The comments are yet another example of the backwards thinking employed by those at the top of our government when it comes to climate change. Instead of relying on scientific data and trends that point very clearly to human caused climate change warming the earth for the past 400 months straight, Zinke instead pins the blame on the convenient straw men: environmentalists.

Don’t get me wrong, forest management is important, especially for us here in North Idaho, but to stick your head in the sand and deny that climate change is happening at an alarming rate is literally playing with fire.

Don’t forget to pay attention to scientists, not politicians. Remember to ask the question, “Who has the most to gain from these claims?” What possible gain would thousands of scientists get by falsifying their conclusions about climate change?

To learn more, contact Sandpoint’s local climate change group Sandpoint350.org.

COMMUNITY

101 Women awards grant, welcomes new applicants

By Nancy Dooley Reader Contributor

A program that provides books to local school children recently won a grant award to the tune of $10,000 from 101 Women, Sandpoint.

The Village Green Book Trust, a local non-profit organization, won the grant award at 101 Women’s bi-annual membership meeting. The group received more votes than the other two finalists to bring home the $10,000 award.

Village Green provides over one thousand Lake Pend Oreille School District kindergartners through fourth graders with one free book each month throughout the school year to celebrate literacy and the love of learning. Village Green works in conjunction with Book Trust, a national organization based in Denver, whose goal is to empower elementary-aged students to become life-long readers and learners.

Thanks to the generous grant from 101 Women Sandpoint Members, this local book trust will continue to enrich the lives of the students, teachers and their families.

“Children learn to read from kindergarten through third grade and read to learn from fourth grade on,” said Karen Quill, Book Trust board member. “These four years are crucial in developing the strongest foundation of literacy possible for our students.”

Quill added, “We are changing the course of student’s lives by giving them a foundation of literacy that will ensure a more successful academic and working future. Basically, we are giving students the tools to improve their lives — the joy of reading is the joy of life.”

Village Green is 100-percent supported by the community and 100 percent of donations to the group goes directly to help fund the program. More information about the group can be found at

www.villagegreenproject.org. Donations to the group can be made by contacting Karen Quill at 808-280-6516 or emailing her at karenquill@villagegreenproject. org.

101 Women, Sandpoint is a local organization that awards two $10,000 grants a year to Bonner County nonprofit organizations. It provides funding for a wide focus area with only religious and political groups excluded. The next grant cycle is now open. The group is encouraging Bonner County non-profits to submit an on-line application for the upcoming fall grant award through their website: 101WomenSandpoint. com. The deadline for applications is Sept. 1.

The other two finalists at the group’s Spring grant event included Priest River Ministries Advocates for Women — a non-profit that provides no-cost support for women and children in our region who are victims of domestic

violence, sexual assault and trafficking and the Sandpoint Youth Center, whose goal is to help Sandpoint’s youth turn high-risk afternoons and summer months into opportunities for success through worthwhile programming and relationship building. The Youth Center is currently seeking a new location and needs funding to help with the transition.

To learn more about 101 Women Sandpoint’s two other non-profit finalists or to donate to these organizations, go to their individual websites.

Priest River Ministries - prm. afw@gmail.com or call: 208-4482800.

Sandpoint Youth Center - sandpointteencenter@yahoo.com or call: 208-448-2800.

To find out about upcoming 101 Women Sandpoint’s grant opportunities or to learn how to become a member, visit 101 Women Sandpoint’s website at www.101womensandpoint.com.

Tree experts to lead Friends of Scotchman Peak hike

By Reader Staff

Friends of Scotchman

Peaks Wilderness is hosting a whitebark pine focused hike on Scotchman Peak on Sun., Aug. 19. The hike will go off trail looking at these unique trees while talking about their important role in the ecosystem and why they are in danger as a species.

“We will hike to stands of mature whitebark pine and will (discuss) ecological and morphological information about whitebark pine from habitat needs, current threats and recent restoration efforts in the area,” hike co-leader Mike Giesey describes. “[We] will also discuss restoration efforts the Whitebark Pine Ecosystem Foundation is engaged in.”

Giesey is a current board member of the Whitebark Pine Ecosystem Foundation and retired silviculturist on the Kootenai National Forest. He will be joined by co-leader Jeff Pennick,

FSPW veteran volunteer and retired forester on the Idaho Panhandle National Forest.

This hike is classified as “strenuous” and will be approximately eight miles round trip with around 4,000 feet of elevation gain. Hikers are encouraged to bring hiking poles in addition to plenty of water, food and gear for changing conditions for hikes in North Idaho.

To sign up for this and other hikes, visit www.scotchmanpeaks.org/hiking/current-hiking-schedule/ or email britta@ scotchmanpeaks.org.

A hiker admires a whitebark pine tree in North Idaho. Photo courtesy Friends of Scotchman Peaks Wilderness.

By Emily Erickson Reader Columnist

Joe is a patron at the bar I regularly tend. He is an 87-year-old Italian man, who, at full standing height, reaches just above my shoulders. He orders a “drambuie on the rocks,” by shouting across the quiet, subdued bar room, and follows his request with a booming, “Thank you!” Joe has hearing aids, but he prefers not to wear them.

Being someone who thrives on conversations with the folks sipping cocktails across from me, I’ve learned quite a bit about Joe in my time as a North Idaho bartender. He was happily married to Evelyn until her passing almost 10 years ago. Evelyn, he described, was “the kindest woman he’d ever known,” also sharing, she “had little boobs, but a huge heart.” (So there’s hope for me, after all).

Joe is a retired veteran originally from New Jersey, who lives with his hound Dukey in the country. He likes the quiet and the wild animals, and loves that Dukey greets him upon arrival by playfully licking his ears.

A few weeks ago, Joe insisted on taking me out on a “date.” He offered to pick me up, but imagining his little shoulders barely reaching the steering wheel, I opted to drive myself. We met at Ivanno’s, and after sipping wine and nibbling on freshly baked bread, the conversation turned to me. In his hearing aid-less voice, he shouted, “WHY AREN’T YOU MARRIED?” Followed by,

Emily Articulated

A column by and about Millennials

Dinner with Joe

“DON’T YOU WANT KIDS?”

Feeling my cheeks flush, I giggled at the amused faces of the nearby customers in the dining room with us. Way to be discrete, Joe.

I replied, “I’m still young! And I am in no rush!”

“You’re not that young,” he boomed. Oh, to be the age of socially-accepted brutal honesty.

Joe couldn’t wrap his head around my soon-to-be-27-yearold ring finger hanging emptily off my hand and was fearful I’d miss my chance at wedded bliss by being too picky. But here’s the thing. Like much of my generation, I’m actually in no rush.

According to a PEW Research study, the median age for millenial matrimony is 27 years old for females and 29 for males, up from 20 and 23 years old in 1960, with as much as 25 percent of millennials opting to forgo marriage altogether.

As my dinner date with Joe proved, this new paradigm of postponed marriage is hard for other generations to comprehend, and is largely seen as deviant from what was under-

stood as normal in the past. Deviance in sociology is as an action or behavior that violates socially accepted norms, and according to French sociologist Emile Durkheim, serves an important purpose in the healthy functioning of society Durkheim’s theory of deviance contends that acting outside of what is socially accepted is a necessary element of a society because it contributes to establishing social order. For example, when a person acts criminally, it affirms what we believe culturally to be right and wrong. It also brings people together, through sharing a belief in the behavior as being deviant or undesired (think shoplifting, arson, slow left lane driving, close-talking, etc.)

According to Durkheim, another function of this deviance is to promote social change. It can encourage the dominant society to consider alternatives to the norms and values currently in place. Rosa Parks promoted social change through her act of personal deviance when she stayed in her seat, and perhaps, Millennials are doing the same (if less profound) by challenging the standing institution of marriage in their waiting longer or opting out of matrimony altogether

In the Psychology Today article “Millennials are Changing the Rules of Marriage,” author Susan Pease Gadoua wrote, “Rather than having only a choice to marry the same old way, or to not marry, let’s get a little imaginative and come up with marital options that would be better suited to a variety of people, including a short-term

trial union for younger couples (or) a child-rearing marriage for those who’d like to be nothing more than co-parents.”

Imagine if “‘til death do us part,” became, “until we renew our marriage license in five years,” or if you didn’t lose your economic benefits when your husband is demoted to merely your baby-daddy.

Admittedly, being a lover of classic fairy tales, the idea of shifting the institution of marriage definitely lacks romance,

but as our society changes, with Millennials leading the charge, the systems we view as stagnant will inevitably change too. And I can only imagine what Joe will have to say when it does.

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

Retroactive

By BO

Science: Mad about

artificial intelligence i: the present

By Brenden Bobby Reader Columnist

If you’ve made it this far and didn’t scoff at the title, welcome to the present! After last week’s antics we know the basics of how AI works. You input constants, it runs them through algorithms and cross-references them over past results to tailor future results to your personality and desires. Kind of like how your grandma gets you slippers every year because you liked those slippers she got you when you were five, but with the internet as grandma’s brain.

AI comes in several distinct forms, but the kind we interact with the most today is called weak AI, or narrow AI.

This type of AI exists to execute a specific function. Search engine results, most notably. Personalized ads on those search engines.

Predictive text, depending on your phone’s operating system, is one of the most interesting AI developments we’re experiencing now, in my opinion; but hey, I’m a word nerd so what do I know? Predictive text and autocorrect (artificial unintelligence, am I right?) will record your typing habits and offer suggestions or straight-up edits based on how you’ve talked to people in the past. Human speech is an incredibly nuanced thing, and the fact that my personal style can be predicted by a machine that’s watched me complain about bad drivers is awesome to me.

Similar to predictive text, AI’s ability to adapt and learn is being applied to finances, from small business to giant mega-corporations for sniffing out errors or financial misdeeds. Search engine algorithms are

the biggest way weak AI influences our lives now. Companies like Amazon, Google and Netflix almost know you better than you know yourself. The computer can go as far as deducing what you enjoyed more than other items based on how much you searched for it, how long you searched for it and how much you consumed, then making predictions and guiding your future interests based off that. In a way, you’re allowing the computer to manipulate your tastes. This kind of AI gets even freakier. If you have kids that have spent as little as an hour on Youtube, you’ve probably been subject to an avalanche of questionable knock-off videos featuring popular animated characters. Why is “Peppa Pig” getting blown up by “The Avengers” on the back of “Garfield”?

Many of these videos are actually created from start to finish by AI, mashing seemingly random characters and audio files together based entirely on their search popularity. This may seem like a completely frivolous exercise to an adult, but it’s causing an immense stir among parental groups online. Between the mix of random gratuitous violence the computer sometimes picks out and the nonsensical brain-melting gibberish the computer decided to make Thanos say, these videos are shaping the tastes and interests of children in ways we’ve never seen before. Sure, “Scooby-Doo” probably influenced some of your more annoying go-to lines as a kid, but the show was overseen by humans, approved by humans, made sense because of humans. Now we’re talking about a computer picking everything based entirely on search popularity.

Not to be alarmist, but what impact does that have on our society or our culture when an entire generation is raised on that?

Other relatable, less-apocalypse-y AI uses in our lives come in the form of personal assistants: Siri, Alexa, Google, Cortana, et cetera. These personal assistants use multiple layers of AI, from learning how to decipher your voice to communicating with satellites based on your location to find your most relevant results. The sheer power of the phones in our pockets is staggering, yet it’s basically just an extra appendage for us now. It’s become so normalized by use that we don’t even think about having HAL 9000 in our pocket.

Self-driving cars are at the cutting-edge of AI research as well. We’re just dipping into this now, so there’s no way we can even comprehend the totality of implications this kind of invention can have on our lives. We’ve seen human fatalities can still occur, so they’re not infallible, but does that really mean we need to completely stop researching them? What sort of implications might that have on our careers if our employers decide you can get an extra 40 minutes of work done on your commute? What if humans can never drive again?

Healthcare is perhaps one of the biggest beneficiaries of artificial intelligence. AI is capable of aiding your health from the moment you step into an office to the end of an arduous, but successful cancer treatment. AI has been developed to comb through health records, cancer records, drug trials and much more to present effective

treatment options to your doctor tailored to your body. We’re not talking WebMD here, we’re talking comprehensive, AI-crafted treatment plans from start to finish with shockingly effective track records. Doctors have even begun to apply AI-controlled robots to complete difficult surgeries that require precision a

human hand may lack.

This is the snowflake at the tip of the iceberg when it comes to AI we’re using right now. Next week, I’ll talk about what could lie in store for us in the future, and why that does a fantastic job at scaring the pants off us and redefining us as a species.

Hasta la vista, baby.

Random Corner

Don’t know much about robots? We can help!

• “Robot” comes from the Czech word robota, meaning “drudgery,” and first appeared in the 1921 play R.U.R. (Rossum’s Universal Robots). The drama ends badly when the machines rise up and kill their creators, leaving a sole lonely survivor.

• They say it was an accident. The first known case of robot homicide occurred in 1981, when a robotic arm crushed a Japanese Kawasaki factory worker.

• More than a million industrial robots are now in use, nearly half of them in Japan.

• Archytas of Tarentum, a pal of Plato’s, built a mechanical bird driven by a jet of steam or compressed air—arguably history’s first robot—in the fifth century B.C.

• The Mars robots, Spirit and Opportunity, have logged 10.5 miles trudging across the red planet for more than three years. The unstoppable droids were built to last 90 days.

• The United States’ military corps of 4,000 robots includes reconnaissance Talon bots that scout for roadside bombs in Iraq and PackBots that poked around for Osama bin Laden’s hideout in Afghanistan. PackBot’s manufacturer, iRobot, has also sold more than 2 million Roomba robotic vacuum cleaners, with the same environment-sensing technology.

• Elektro, the world’s first humanoid robot, debuted in 1939. Built by Westinghouse, the seven-foot-tall walking machine“spoke” more than 700 words stored on 78-rpm records to simulate conversation. Life is tough in Tinseltown: Elektro later appeared in the 1960 B movie “Sex Kittens Go to College.”

Laughing Dog enters teen years Bonner Dems urge Inslee to stop smelter

Celebrate the local brewery’s 13th anniversary on Aug. 25 at their taproom

By Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Staff

It’s been 13 years since Laughing Dog Brewing got its start in a garage, and since then the happy canine face that graces the company’s cans has seen substantial local expansion, distribution in 14 states and garnered several awards.

Brewery co-owner Lewis Patrick said all that growth has led to a better-than-ever product.

“We strive for excellence and continue to grow every single day,” he said. “With our newest move, we have been able to implement new processes, add equipment and hire brewers that have made Laughing Dog the best it has ever been.”

Celebrate Laughing Dog’s 13th anniversary on Saturday, Aug. 25 at the brewery’s taproom at 805 Schweitzer Plaza Drive from 12-8 p.m. Patrick said the shindig includes a food truck, music from Melissa Forrette from 4-6 p.m., and the tapping of a special 13th anniversary beer at noon. He said there will also be surprise beers on tap and giveaways throughout the day.

To learn more about Laughing Dog and to look up places their brews are sold, visit www.laughingdogbrewing.com.

Laughing

Find Clearwater Gear insulated growlers, glass growlers, pint and taster glasses along with t-shirts and hats at both the taproom and on the brewery’s website, and find an up-to-the-minute list of what’s on tap at www.untappd.com.

“We offer something for everyone in the taproom, from our award-winning beers to our Summer Hefeweizen, a nice cab, chilled chardonnay, hard ciders and seltzers,” Patrick said.

Matter

By Bill Borders

By Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Staff

With over 20,000 additional trucks and over 15,000 additional train cars moving through our communities every year, we recognize that the collective impacts of the proposed Newport silicon metals smelter immediately across our western border will have a greater effect on our Bonner County citizens than even those impacted in Newport. Therefore, the Bonner County Democrat Central Committee has written a letter to Washington Governor Jay Inslee urging him to put a stop to this travesty.

We want the governor to understand that Sandpoint and the upper Idaho Panhandle also will be hard hit by this increased train traffic carrying the raw materials of coal from either Kentucky or Columbia, S.C. and the crystalline silica from Canada and the charcoal from Indonesia. PacWest is bringing it all in by train.

Consider the staggering numbers of trucks and trains to run through our communities if the smelter is to become a reality:

A) Pac-West’s own data shows – for just one stack and two furnaces – the amount of raw materials transported to be: 7,860 train cars per year (151 per week; 22 per day). So double that for the two stacks and four furnaces that the Newport plan calls for. That’s 15,720 additional train cars a year (or 302 per week; 44 per day) coming through our communities.

B) Now add the truck traffic! Pac-West’s data shows 10,833 woodchip trucks per year (or 417 per week; 60 per day), again, for only the one stack/two furnaces. Double that, too, for the two stacks, four furnaces planned. That’s 21,666 additional TRUCKS coming through our communities in just one year (or 834 a week; 120 a day)

That’s way too much traffic for our current infrastructure with NO promise to pay for the damage and NO economic benefit to our communities.

In part, our letter to Governor Inslee reads:

”Although we live, work and breathe in Sandpoint, Priest River, Spirit Lake and the environs of North Idaho and the Panhandle, the smelter – as proposed –will greatly impact the quality of life for each and every citizen here. Even though you are governor of adjacent Washington State, we implore you to consider what this smelter will do to us just across the border. . . . There is, truly, NO separation as far as natural geographical reaches and prevail-

ing winds are concerned. Consider these concerns:

1. “Truck traffic and infrastructure: Nearly ALL of the trucks that haul hazardous materials to the smelter will be moving through Boundary and Bonner Counties, along Highways 95 and 2 through the towns of Sandpoint, Dover, Laclede, Priest River and others, with the final destination of Newport. Our collective county infrastructure – roads, bridges, small communities – simply cannot handle that kind of increased traffic with virtually NO economic benefit to improve or repair those roadways or to mitigate the severely impeded traffic.

2. “Water and air safety and quality: The air pollution issue is one of grave, grave concern to us all. One of the reasons many of us live in the Idaho Panhandle is because of the cleaner air and water; because of the “green” we can enjoy as citizens. The air pollution generated by the proposed smelter would definitely impact our health and well-being here in Idaho.

3. “Economic impact: We won’t even be beneficiaries of the promised positive economic impact touted for the Washington plant. We will, instead, be responsible for paying for all of the added negative impact to our area – from transportation damage to infrastructure to healthcare and environmental blows on our citizens.”

Our letter also says:

“It is a known fact that Golden, British Columbia, DID NOT WANT the smelter in their community . . . so what happens? HiTest (now PacWest) decides to take all of its pollution and destruction to us in the Pacific Northwest. No thanks.

“I am certain that you know the negative impacts on this project – at least I HOPE you have studied these vital health and financial issues. We believe that you, with your stellar stand on the environment and quality of life, would be strong in your stance against this blight on our beautiful part of the world.

“In good faith, we send this plea to you to weigh in on this smelter project and help put an end to it. Real people with real lives call North Idaho home . . . and we absolutely DO NOT WANT THIS SMELTER POLLUTING OUR LIVES, OUR FAMILIES, OUR WELL BEING AND OUR ENVIRONMENT.

“Thank you, Governor.”

Sylvia Humes is the chair for the Bonner County Democrat Central Committee.

Dollar Beers!

bark to school. don't forget to update and

16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23

8pm @ Eichardt’s Pub

Good until the keg’s dry

Girls Pint Out

5-7pm @ Idaho Pour Authority

Cool Chicks! Great Beer! No Dudes!

Join Vicki at the big table for an evening tasting and talking about summer beer

Live Music w/ Bright Moments Jazz

5-7pm @ Idaho Pour Authority

Live Music w/ VanityVanity Band

6-9pm @ SKåL Tap Room

Local female band playing original music

Live Music w/ Bill Price

5-8pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery

Intimate folk / rock singer songwriter

Live Music w/ Bright Moments Jazz

6-9pm @ Trinity at City Beach

Live Music w/ Michael and Shanna

4-6pm @ Laughing Dog Brewery

A great Sandpoint duo!

Live Music w/ Brian Stai and Anthony Birkel

5-7pm @ Idaho Pour Authority Americana duo

Live Music w/ Sadie Sicilia

5-8pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery

Vocalist and songwriter Sadie Sicilia will be accompanied by classically trained piano player Desiree Bernhard

Sandpoint Chess Club

9am @ Evans Brothers Coffee

Meets every Sunday at 9am

Open Mic Night at the 6-9pm @ MickDuff’s Beer

Come out for a positive share your passion or just all in! All levels of performers come. Food by Twisted

Live Music w/ Devon Wade

6:30-9:30pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall

Independent Sandpoint country music artist

Live Music w/ Marshal McLean and the Holy Rollers Band

9pm-12am @ 219 Lounge

Marshall McLean and his indie rock band are a force to be reckoned with. Don’t miss!

Live Music w/ David Walsh

8-10pm @ The Back Door

An eclectic Flamenco guitarist

King of the Kongcrete Skateboard Comp. 12pm @ The Concrete Lake (Travers Park) $15 entry fee; helmets required for all competitors. Register with Parks and Rec.

Live Music w/ Beat Diggers 9pm-12am @ 219 Lounge

Bring your dancing shoes and enjoy one of Sandpoint’s favorite rock bands

Piano Sunday featuring Annie Welle

4-6pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery

Annie Welle plays live piano jazz at the Winery

Monday Night Blues Jam w/ Truck Mills

7:30pm @ Eichardt’s Pub

Night-Out Karaoke

9pm @ 219 Lounge

Join DJ Pat for a night of singing, or just come to drink and listen

Wind Down Wednesday

5-8pm @ 219 Lounge

With live music by blues man Truck Mills and guest musician Dan Lavoie

Grief Support Group

5:30pm @ Bonner General Health

Meets in the BGH Community Hospice conference room at 520 N. Third Ave. (208) 265-1185 for more info

Wednesdays w/ Bennie

5-7:30pm @ Connie’s Lounge

Weekly music on Connie’s deck with Bennie Baker. This week’s special guest: Reese Warren

American Operetta in Revue

7pm @ Panida Theater

Live musical theater with all the song, dance and entertainment you will ever find under the roof. $15/adults, $10/seniors/students. Panida.org for info

Magic Wednesday

6-8pm @ Jalapeño’s Enjoy close-up magic shows right at your table with resident magician Star Alexander

Live Music w/ Daniel Hall

6-8pm @ MickDuff’s Beer Hall

Daniel recently completed his first solo album entitled “Finally” and is a progressive folk and rock original songwriter and guitarist

Pop-Up Open

6-8pm @ Whet your pairing of wine and rytelling,

ful

Night at the Beer Hall

MickDuff’s Beer Hall

a positive environment to passion or just come to take it

levels of performers are welby Twisted Kilt food truck

Hall music artist

and the

band Don’t miss!

August 16 - 23, 2018

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

Live Music w/ Leigh Guest

9pm - 12am @ 219 Lounge

Playing acoustic guitar, Guest (from Sacramento) performs a mix of original music and cover material that spans mostly country and singer-songwriter artists. Free music on the patio!

Rock Creek Alliance Annual Party and Fundraiser

5-8pm @ Evans Brothers Coffee Roasters

The event includes an update on the RCA’s efforts to protect Lake Pend Oreille, and the premier showing of a film by guest speaker and staff scientist Guy Archibald with Southeast Alaska Conservation Council. Wine, beer, and snacks available

A Night of Comedy: Gabriel Rutledge

7:30pm @ Panida Theater

past winner of both the Seattle International Comedy Competition and The Laughing Skull Comedy Festival in Atlanta. Tickets are $13 at the door

Comp. Park) competi-

Sandpoint Farmers’ Market

9am-1pm @ Farmin Park in Sandpoint Shop for locally grown produce, artisan wares and more, while enjoying live music featuring Coeur d’Alene Kids’ Marimba. A Sandpoint institution

enjoy one of

Jr. Ranger Program: Fire Safety Is Catching On!

3pm @ Round Lake State Park

Learn what you need to know to keep everyone and our land safe from fires. Free program

Reader recommended

Adult Grief Support Group

6pm @ BGH Classroom

Held on the first and third Thursday of every month. Call Lissa at 208-265-1185 for more info

The Basics of Birding

10am @ Round Lake State Park

Learn about what to look for to be able to identify birds. Program is free of charge but there is a $5 entrance fee to State Park

Movie in the Park: “The Goonies” Dusk @ Lakeview Park

Admission is free, and concessions will be available with proceeds benefitting the Bonner County History Museum

Yoga on Tap

10:45-11:45am @ Laughing Dog Brewery

One hour class that ends with the group having a beer together. $12 includes your first beer

Dutch Oven Cooking Event

6pm @ Round Lake State Park

Learn how to cook with a Dutch oven

Harris the III Master Illusionist

6pm @ Panida Theater

Curiosity comes alive! Tickets $1a/adult, $4 kids under 12. Proceeds benefit Promise Child.

Shakespeare in Sandpoint: Othello (FREE SHOW)

6pm @ Bonner County Fairgrounds (gates open at 3 p.m.)

Shakespeare’s tragic tale of jealousy and deceit. Arrive early to visit with friends and neighbors, Bring chairs, blankets, picnics

Hike with a Master Naturalist • 9:30am @ Round Lake State Park discover the diversity of species that call this park home

Lifetree Cafe • 2pm @ Jalepeño’s Mexican Restaurant

An hour of conversation and stories. This week’s topic: “Out of Anger”

magic shows with resiAlexander

Sandpoint Farmers Market

3-5pm @ Farmin Park

Shop for locally grown produce, shop artisan wares, eat good food and enjoy live music by Patrice Webb

Pop-Up Open Mic Night (FREE)

6-8pm @ Pend d’Oreille Winery

Whet your palette with an immersive pairing of your favorite Pend d’Oreille wine and a mélange of fiction, poetry, storytelling, and creative nonfiction readings

Live Music w/ Bridges Home

8-11pm @ 219 Lounge

Sandpoint’s popular singer songwriter duo of Dave and Tami Gunter making their 219 debut with Americana, Celtic, roots and many originals

August 24

Movie in the Park: “The Greatest Showman” @ Lakeview Park

August 25

Laughing Dog

Brewery 13th

Anniversary @ Laughing Dog

August 29 NW BachFest

Concert @ The Heartwood Center

Friends of Scotchman Peaks Wilderness: Same mission, new logo

“Goat” logo retires after 13 years of faithful service

By Reader Staff

In part to symbolize their continued commitment to achieving Wilderness designation for the Scotchman Peaks of Idaho and Montana, Friends of Scotchman Peaks Wilderness today announced the adoption of a new logo. The new, more colorful symbol contains a profile of the namesake peak backed by a blue sky and white clouds, emulating a scene often observed in the area surrounding the mountain.

“We’ve talked about a redesign for quite a while,” said FSPW executive director Phil

HEALTH

Hough, “and our media guy (program coordinator Sandy Compton) came up with one that was a big departure from the old, with more color and a very recognizable graphic element. We think it will serve us well in the years to come.

The goat is gone, but not forgotten. “The original logo with the goat and stylized mountains was designed by Jared Johnston of Selle Design Group,” said Compton. “It has been a good symbol for us, but we thought it was a good time to do a little ‘rebranding’ as a sign of our determination to stay the course.”

With a small organization

like FSPW, it’s impossible to switch symbols completely and instantaneously, so both old and new will coexist for some time.

“Who knows,” said Compton,

IN FINE FETTLE

Smoke:

It’s not just ruining the view

By Ammi Midstokke Reader Health Columnist

SMOKE. You can’t avoid it right now. It’s in your neighborhood, your car, your office, your eyes, lungs, everywhere. Even your clothes smell like stale campfire. By now, you probably are feeling some of the obvious impacts. There are some other unseen, potentially unrecognized impacts that are unavoidable on these days resulting from the exposure.

The air around us is currently chock full of something called Particulate Matter. If you’re reading air quality reports, they say PM 10 or PM 2.5 - a reference to the size of the particles and thus their ability to affect or infiltrate different tissues. Both are associated with many symptoms of unhealth, but the PM 2.5 has a longer rap sheet.

Breathing in these toxins throughout the day, as we all are this fire season, dramatically

the workload to several

our systems. PM is directly associated with some surprising biological changes including:

•anxiety

•depression

•insulin resistance

•raised systemic inflammation markers

“the goat might come to visit from time to time in the future. We’ll hold him in reserve. His image can be inserted into the new logo whenever we wish, and he will be making cameo appearances, for sure. After all, a number of our supporters have suggested the tag line ‘Don’t give up the goat!’ ”

•raised cortisol levels

•epigenetic changes to DNA (such as cancer mutations)

•All the stuff you feel right now: sore lungs, throat, itchy eyes, fatigue, general malaise, headaches

Exposure like we are currently getting is significant enough to cause any and all of this (though cancers are associated with prolonged exposure, it seems this pattern of smoky summers might be here to stay). So what does this mean for us if we can’t take a two month vacation in the arctic?

Heed the warnings. Limit your exposure as much as

possible. Keep children, animals, grandparents inside. Enjoy a break from your workout regimen (opening your bronchial with intense breathing is the last thing you need). Support your body’s efforts in managing this huge stress load by:

•Sleeping as much as you need right now (you need more)

•Drink more water to help your body continually flush the rubbish

•Eat as clean as possibleyou don’t need more toxins from your food

•Accept that if you are feeling rather crummy right now, it is normal

•Know that after the smoke clears, you’ll have lingering effects so be gentle with re-introducing your work load, training load, etc.

Most of all, take care of yourself. Eat your vegetables (the toxins need fibers to attach to for safe excretion). Up your fish intake to help your natural barrier systems with essential fatty acids. Take a bunch of turmeric or other antioxidants to help your body with the stress load. And if your yard isn’t currently on fire or under water, take a moment to be grateful.

Shakespeare in the Park: A free activity for the whole family

By Ben Olson and Cameron Rasmusson Reader Staff

Scoundrels, knaves and thespians alike, gather ye to the Bonner County Fairgrounds Sunday, Aug. 19 for a free performance of William Shakespeare’s “Othello.”

The show is produced by Montana Shakespeare in the Parks, a theatrical company that has brought the works of Shakespeare to rural communities across Montana, Wyoming, North Dakota, Washington and Idaho. In the company’s 46 year history, they have never performed “Othello,” so this year’s show will be a special one.

“Othello” is a tale of love, jealousy and betrayal centering around the titular character, who is a Moorish general in the Venetian Army and Iago, Othello’s devious but envious and treacherous ensign.

With themes like race at the center of this Shakespearean classic - a rarity for Elizabethan-era theater - “Othello” feels as relevant and timely today as it did in the 16th century.

This year’s performance will

also be filmed by a PBS crew gathering material for a documentary on Montana Shakespeare in the Parks to be shown on both Montana PBS and nationally.

Directed by Kevin Asselin, “Othello” is one of the highlights of this year’s Montana Shakespeare in the Parks’ tour across five different western states. The troupe will also be performing “Love’s Labours Lost.”

Thanks to Montana Shakespeare in the Parks’ mission of bringing top-level theatrical productions to the broader public and local sponsorship by Lost Horse Press, “Othello” is free to attend. The Fairground gates will open at 3 p.m. and the play will begin at 6 p.m. It’s a good idea to arrive early to claim a good blanket spot, meet the actors and enjoy refreshments before it begins.

Brietta Leader, Hallie Owen and Titina VanHoorn will also be bringing their local dance troupe, the Gypsy Divas, for a performance. The Divas blend various influences of dance, music and costuming, infusing a spirituality and joy to their dance performances.

The Music Conservatory of Sandpoint will also provide its young students to perform the opening concert for “Othello.”

This is the second year MCS has teamed up with Montana Shakespeare in the Parks.

For more information on the play and touring schedule, visit www.shakespeareintheparks.org.

host Lost Horse Press at (208) 255-4410 or email losthorsepress@mindspring.com.

For information about Shakespeare in Sandpoint, contact

The Festival at Sandpoint Week two in photos

E.Bonner Co. Library District named business of the month

By Reader Staff

The Greater Sandpoint Chamber of Commerce would like to congratulate East Bonner County Library District as the Business of the Month.

The East Bonner County Library District, made up of three locations, is a long-standing staple in our community Their mission: to provide opportunities for discovery, connection, and lifelong learning. Their vision: to engage community, excite curiosity and enhance personal growth. They see an average of 800 people walk through the doors, over 250 website visits, and 200 wi-fi users per day.

The East Bonner County Library has had a big year. They have an extremely talented and knowledgeable staff of 40-45 employees.

Library Director Ann Nichols was recently awarded the 2018 Idaho Library Associations Idaho Librarian of the Year. While Amanda Ruff won Paraprofessional of the Year and Suzanne Davis was awarded the ILA scholarship. In addition

to these great employees, nearly 300 volunteer hours are clocked each month.

With an 8,000 square foot addition and remodel, bringing the Sandpoint library to nearly 40,000 total square feet, the place

has been buzzing since the grand reopening. New features include an expanded children’s area with a glass-enclosed program center, kid-friendly restroom, customer service window, and a forest discovery theme. There is a teen/multipurpose room for chillin’ after school, STEAM programs, workforce skills development initiatives for all ages, an enhanced community room, a new IT Help Desk, a virtual reality room, more books, reading room, tutoring rooms, a community education garden, and free Wi-Fi/high speed internet.

“If you have not been to the library

yet, you absolutely have to go. It is not like the library your grandparents went to, or even the library you grew up going to. You must come see it and experience it to know what I’m talking about,” said IT Manager Gina Emory, when accepting the award on behalf of the library.

The fundraising goal for Your Library Transformation of $700,000 was met without passing a bond. Much of the funds came from small private donations of $100 or less demonstrating the public’s support on an individual level.

The library offers a wide variety of classes, workshops, and events for all ages. They had over 1,500 people attending their literacy, STEAM, and enrichment/entertainment events in June alone. Their robust summer reading program keeps kids learning over the summer and positively impacts literacy levels and back-to-school readiness.

For more information and to sign up for the monthly newsletter visit www. ebonnerlibrary.org.

Chamber welcomes MacNeill Family Dental with ribbon cutting

By Reader Staff

The Greater Sandpoint Chamber of Commerce welcomed MacNeill Family Dental to the Chamber with a ribbon cutting ceremony on Wednesday, Aug. 1.

Dr. Joni MacNeill moved here with her husband Matt and two daughters in November 2015. Born in small town Wyoming, and raised in Seattle, she received her B.S. in Biology from the University of Washington, then completed her dental degree in 2005 at the University of the Pacific School of Dentistry in San Francisco. After returning to Seattle, she practiced dentistry for 10 years with her mentor, who encouraged her to complete a series of comprehensive continuing education courses at the distinguished Kois Center for Advanced Dental Studies, which she graduated from in 2011. Dr. MacNeill and her family made the move to Sandpoint and purchased their dental practice from Dr. Robert Harrison.

The MacNeill’s love the beauty and recreational opportunities North Idaho has to offer, but “it was the chance to raise their girls in such an amazing community that called them to Sandpoint,” says Dr. MacNeill. The patients and friends they have met have been incredibly welcoming. The way people talk with such love

for their town makes them grateful to call Sandpoint their home.

Dr. MacNeill feels that the most enjoyable aspect of her job is building relationships with her patients and their families. She takes time to listen to each one, so she can understand their oral health goals and be better able to help them achieve those goals. She and her staff believe in prevention, gentle dentistry and keeping you on the path of health and a beautiful smile.

You can find MacNeill Family Dental on the corner of Hwy 2 and Ontario St. The inviting chalet style brown and white building is hard to miss. They are open Monday-Thursday, 8 am- 5pm. For more information visit them online at www.macneillfamilydental.com or call (208)263-4353.

Unknown Locals’ Herron pens another original play: “Blind Panic”

By Cameron Rasmusson Reader Staff

The folks at local theater company Unknown Locals are at it again, and this time, they’re going in blind.

“Blind Panic,” the latest play by writer and director Chris Herron, opens this weekend at the Heartwood Center. Firmly established as one of the leading creative voices in local theater, Herron focuses this time around on a comedy about social anxieties — and the lengths misguided friends will go to help.

The play has a simple premise that quickly spirals into comedic farce. The main character, Tim, has become overly reclusive due to his social anxieties, so his friends figure the solution is to set him up on a blind date. One problem: In order to make him attend the date, they essentially “reverse kidnap” him. It only gets crazier from there.

For Herron, who has developed a reputation for tackling serious themes with a light comedic touch, it’s a deeply personal play. Social anxiety is something he has struggled with most of his life.

“Part of that process (of dealing with my social anxiety) has been writing ‘Blind Panic’ and using the play to purge and examine those issues,” Herron said. “But, as is always the case, I wanted it to be a funny show more than anything.”

Herron wrote “Blind Panic” over the course of a year beginning in spring 2017. Once Unknown Locals wrapped up its previous projects, attention turned to producing “Blind Panic” for the stage. The first step was casting, and Unknown Locals found some comedy veterans just right for the task.

“The goal is always to get people who will bring a lot of ideas and humor to their role,” said Herron. “After working with (Steve and Wesleigh Hammond) in ‘Death of a Small Town in the West,’ I knew that they were the epitome of ideas and humor. Mike Clarke is always hilarious and (Maddie Elliott Herron) is my favorite actress.”

“Blind Panic” is just the start of an exciting time for Unknown Locals, which has produced plays at a steady clip of the past four years. Later this year, they will collaboarate with the Panida Theater to produce a series of one-act holiday plays. Auditions for the project will take place Aug. 27 and 29, with the show taking place in November. Next comes Herron’s “pre-post-apocalyptic comedy” “First Wave,” to hopefully be produced in the spring. A much bigger musical project still under wraps may come through for 2020. And late this year or next year, Herron’s first original play “Quick Exit” is slated to be published.

“We are really grateful that we’ve been able to do this in Sandpoint for the last four years, especially considering we produce so many originals,” Herron said. “We feel very

Live musical theater at the Panida

By Reader Staff

The Panida Playhouse Players bring to Sandpoint live musical theater with all the song, dance and entertainment you will ever find under the roof of our historic Panida Theater. The numbers in the upcoming production of “American Operetta in Revue” are right at home in the Panida and hale from the same are as when our grand old lady was new.

“Before Oscar Hammerstein met Richard Rodgers and created the wonderful productions of ‘Oklahoma,’ ‘South Pacific,’ and ‘The King & I’ during the golden age of the American Musical; a younger Hammerstein teamed up with early American composers Sigmond Romberg and Rudolf Friml,” said Deanna Benton, artistic director and choreographer of “American Operetta in Review.”

“A decade earlier America’s most prolific musical composer, Victor Herbert, led the pack into what became the great American musical,” said Benton. “Back in the early 1900s musicals were more properly referred to as Operetta. These four early composers

The early works by Hammerstein launched him onto the path of great success in the 1940s and ‘50s which ushered in the golden age of musicals; many that are still loved and well known today.

If you love song, dance and high variety, American Operetta is the show for you. It contains everything from military drill to lyrical ballet, tap and even the Can Can. There are beautiful solo arias, comedic duets and trios, and several chorus line numbers.

You can see “American Operetta in Revue” from Aug. 23–25 at 7 p.m. and Aug. 26 at 3 p.m. at the Panida Theater. The cost is $15 for adults and $10 for seniors/ students. Tickets can be purchased online at www.panida.org or at the door.

“The show is family friendly and has enough fun and frivolity for both children and adults,” said Benton. “Bring your smile because you won’t be able to keep a straight face. We have a number of very talented locals singers and dancers performing.”

Catch “Blind Panic” Aug. 17, 18, 24 and 25 at the Heartwood Center. Doors open at 7 p.m., and the performance starts at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $12 for general

audiences and $10 for seniors and are available at Eve’s Leaves, La Chic Boutique and at the door. The play features adult language, so viewer discretion is advised.

saturday, August 18 @ 6pm Aug. 23,24,25 @ 7pm | Aug. 26 @ 3pm Friday, Aug. 30 @ 7pm saturday, aug. 31 @ 6pm Sept. 1 @ 7:30pm | Sept. 2 @ 3:30pm friday, September 21

By Marcia Pilgeram Reader Food Columnist

The Sandpoint Eater

I just finished unpacking my backroads-dusty car from our annual family gathering in Montana. And thanks to my son-in-law (and new father) John, I brought home quite the selection of left-over beer. John’s a super-serious hobby-brewer in Chicago and his favorite pastime, when traveling, is loading his suitcases with local beers to take home and share with the boys. But for the near future, the only bottles filling his suitcase are loaded with breast milk and the required trappings, and thus I made out like a thirsty bandit.

As hard as John has tried to educate our bunch, there’s a lot I don’t get about his passion for these hoppy-fermented beverages, although my son Zane seems to be catching right on. In fact, according to family beer connoisseurs John and other son in law Russ, Zane has graduated from crap beer to (Coors Light) to craft beer (IPA), and we’ve all learned about the dangers of letting beer go from chilled to warm and chilled again (aka skunked beer).

When we gather for our pilgrimage to Montana, much thought and talk goes into the beer menu, so it’s kind of ironic that our mountain retreat was originally the gold mining camp of Nicholas Kessler, who took his gold fortune and founded Kessler Brewery, in Helena, in 1865. The brewery operated for more than 90 years (and the mountain retreat is still owned and lovely maintained by his ancestors).

Though I’ve cooked with beer for as long as I can remember (beer bread, barbecued beerbutt chickens, and piled Guinness-grilled onions high atop my favorite steaks), my drink of choice was always wine. I remember many business trips to Portland in the early nineties, that always included a trip with clients, to either BridgePort Brewing or Portland Brewing and I was sure these flash-in -the-pan micro-breweries would be a short-lived fad (there are now nearly a hundred breweries in the Portland metro area).

I admit, I may have been wrong, because now, microbrewers are giving big beer companies a run for their money and market share. In fact, at

Something Brewing Guinness Caramelized Onions

many fine restaurants, you can even call on the resident cicerone (think beer sommelier), to help you select the perfect beer to pair with your meal.

Thanks to John and Russ, I’ve been tasting my way through not only ambers and ales, and porters and pilsners, but also learning to savor the flavor of meads and sours. Thanks to John, I also know about the not-so-simple basics of beer stemware, including proper pouring and storing of said glassware. And kudos to the helpful and patient crew at Idaho Pour Authority, where I’ve tasted some great ambers (which isn’t hard to do, given they have 12 rotating craft beers on tap and more than 300 tasty bottles

These onions are so easy and a great accompaniment for all your summer BBQ’s. I especially like them heaped with Irish Cheddar or Gruyere cheese in a grilled cheese on rye.

Watch carefully to avoid scorching while the onions are caramelizing.

INGREDIENTS:DIRECTIONS:

• 3 Walla Walla Onions (or Vidalia) -Sliced thin

• 1/4 cup butter

• 2 tbs brown sugar

• 1 tbs rice wine vinegar

• 2 tsp soy sauce

• 1 tsp sea salt

• 1/2 tsp course black pepper

• 1 cup (250 ml) of Guinness (or Murphy’s)

Heat large fry pan to medium heat and add butter to melt.

Add onions and fry at medium heat, stirring often, until soft, about 10 minutes.

Add brown sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, salt, and pepper; continue to cook for about 5 minutes (stirring constantly to avoid scorching).

Add Guinness and bring to a boil; reduce the heat to medium-low.  Cook uncovered and occasionally stirring until onions are golden and liquid has evaporated.  Approximately 30 minutes. Pour into non-metal container to cool. Once cooled, cover with airtight lid and refrigerate. Onions will keep well for several days. Warm up before serving.

for our drinking pleasure).

My beer palette has certainly matured since my misspent youth in the 70s, when a car load of us would drive from Helena to Coeur d’ Alene to buy the best beer ever (not available in Montana); unpasteurized Coors Banquet beer. I’m sure there were coolers back then, but for some reason, the guys would load the beer into icefilled gunny sacks for the return trip to Montana with the coveted Banquet beer. If memory serves me right, a case cost them about five dollars, and they’d resell a couple extra cases for ten, which covered their gas.

We’ve come a long way since those Idaho beer-buying road trips, and the dancing

Hamm’s bear and wild Rainer beers. I haven’t had a Coors in 20 years, and I still have lots to learn about craft beers, though I have decidedly found my favorite (not surprisingly, it’s McDuff’s Irish Redhead)!

I still love beer commercials, especially the Budweiser Clydesdales, and my go-to cooking brew will always be Guinness Stout, or Murphy’s, when I’m cooking in Cork. Either will do for this great recipe for caramelized onions that I use all summer long –best BBQ companion ever created for bratwurst, steaks and burgers. Or even just as a companion to Irish Cheddar, for a tasty grilled cheese sandwich. Cheers.

Yield 2 cups

By Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Staff

Whenit comes to bluegrass music, Missoula five-piece the Lil Smokies are a staple of the region. But when asked, “Why bluegrass?” lead singer, songwriter and dobro player Andy Dunnigan takes a moment to think.

“It’s almost like it picked us,” he said. “There’s a definitely a community in this music. It’s sort of how (our band) met each other.”

Since forming the Lil Smokies, the band has taken the western bluegrass scene by storm, even having visited Sandpoint a number of times over the last couple years. They’ve played both the Hive and the Panida, Dunnigan said.

“Both those experiences have been incredible,” he said. “The Panida has its own unique

feel. It’s got a listening environment — I remember that show being intimate.”

Prepare for another intimate jam session on Thursday, Aug. 30 as the Lil Smokies take the Panida stage again on a night hosted by Mattox Farm Productions.

The Lil Smokies define themselves as a “progressive bluegrass” group. What that means, exactly, is up to the listener’s interpretation, Dunnigan said.

“I would just have to encourage people to come out to show and define it yourself,” he said. “Everyone in the band at a certain moment in their life dove into traditional bluegrass … (but) we’ve sort of pushed the boundaries a little bit.”

The band is Scott Parker on bass, Jake Simpson on fiddle, Matt Rieger on guitar, Matt Cornette on banjo and Dun-

nigan on dobro. On the surface, their bluegrass-y vibes are strong. But to hear them play live is a testament to the “progressive” nature of their style. Dunnigan said they’re going for a “rock show” feel in their live performances.

Part of that stems from the band’s humble beginnings, according to Dunnigan. He said the Lil Smokies used to play a lot of ‘80s and ‘90s rock covers at their bar gigs, giving the songs a bluegrass twist. He said audiences resonated with the covers. As a result, he hopes the band can release an EP of four or five of their favorite covers sometime over the next year while they continue compiling their next full-length album of originals.

“You (can) make a cover your own,” Dunnigan said, noting that he enjoys a good cover song when he attends other

This week’s RLW by Lyndsie Kiebert

READ

As part of the Spokesman-Review’s Summer Stories series, my homegirl Kim Barnes wrote a piece titled “Queen of the Road.” The short story follows two female hitchhikers who stow away on a car-hauler and make their way from truck stop to truck stop in a brand new Ford Focus. With very few words, Barnes is able spin a dark and troubling — but somehow hopeful — tale within the setting of her beloved Inland Northwest.

Find

“Queen of the Road” on www.spokesman.com.

LISTEN

Every once in a while, I find an album that becomes a microcosm of my current circumstances.

bands’ shows. “Even if it’s a band with an incredible repertoire of original music — I love when they throw in a well-done cover song.”

So why bluegrass? Aside from the community the music creates, Dunnigan said the genre itself is something he and the rest of the band love.

“We all respect the music so much,” he said. (And) it’s fun for us to be able to take the music to new boundaries and redefine it a little, all while paying homage to the roots.”

Seeing the Lil Smokies play the Hive is part of what inspired Mattox Farm Productions founder Robb Talbott to start inviting Americana bands to play Sandpoint.

“I remember thinking, ‘This could work,’” Talbott said. “That was a fun show … Just seeing how much they love to

Seemingly at the perfect time in my life, I’ve discovered Mt. Joy’s self-titled album. The five-piece indie rock group is gaining momentum right now, and I’m willing to attribute the success to their honest and original songwriting. My favorite tracks are “Sheep,” “Astrovan” and “Cardinal.” Oh, and “Younger Days.” And “Julia.” OK actually just listen to the whole thing, please.

WATCH

One of my favorite videos circulating the internet as of late can be found by Google searching “Fan Makes Britney Spears Laugh.” At a New Jersey show on July 20, Spears superfan Zachary Gordon-Abraham filmed part of the show where the pop singer is about to deliver her famous “It’s Britney, b*tch,” line, but during the suspenseful silence and before she can get the words out, Gordon-Abraham shouts “Who is it?!” Spears can’t help but crack up, and the result is a pretty adorable moment from an often untouchable celebrity.

From Northern Idaho News, April 6, 1938

BEER PARLOR OWNER IS FINED BIG SUM

William Mason was found guilty of disturbing the peace and fined $100 and costs this morning in probate court by Judge Francis J. Long.

The action grew out of noise early Sunday morning, March 27, at the Wayside Inn on the highway east of Sandpoint, operated by Mr. Mason.

Complainant in the case was C. M. Sames of Ponderay. Residents of Ponderay and persons residing near the Wayside were called by Prosecuting Attorney Allen H. Asher to testify as to the noise, shouting and blowing of horns early Sunday morning.

On the other hand, Attorney O. J. Bandelin for the defense contended that the noise emanated from the parking lot and outside the Wayside Inn. He contended none of the noise was made by Mr. Mason.

Said the Prosecuting Attorney after the decision was rendered, “I believe the decision of Judge Long was a real step toward law enforcement and the regulation of dance halls and beer parlors.”

Attorney Bandelin said he would file notice of appeal to district court.

play their instruments and their music … Being a part of bringing them back to a crowd that I know loves them is just an honor.”

Thanks to good response, Mattox Farm has been able to average a show per month over the last year.

“(The positive response) has really motivated me to push and create events and create the opportunity for people to come to shows,” he said, noting Mattox Farm’s recent participation in SummerFest. “That was a blessing.”

Purchase tickets to the Lil Smokies

Aug. 30 show either online at panida. org or mattoxfarm.com, or in person at Eichardt’s, Evan’s Brothers, 7B Grooves or at the door the night of the show. Advance tickets are $16.09, tickets at the door are $18. Doors open at 6 p.m. and openers Moonshine Mountain will start playing at 7.

Mattox Farm Productions is teaming up with the Best Western Edgewater Resort to offer 20 percent of room prices for those attending the show. Use promo code MFP.

If a kid asks where rain comes from, I think a cute thing to tell him is “God is crying.” And if he asks why God is crying, another cute thing to tell him is “Probably because of something you did.”

CROSSWORD

ACROSS

1. Association

5. Behold, in old Rome

9. A short strap of leather

Hindu princess

Unit of gold purity

Adept

Keen

18. Overact 19. Codger 20. Prison-related

Week of the

1. a flourish made after a signature, as in a document, originally as a precaution against forgery.

“There goes Jeeves putting his fancy paraph at the end of his name.”

Corrections: Nothing to report this week, except one reader wanted me to know in an email that I was an idiot and a terrible writer. So it goes. -BO

Pictures 24. No charge 26. Famous 27. Food preparation 30. Cave 33. Agricultural 35. Not dull 37. Vigor 38. Kiss lightly 41. Brassiere

42. What’s happening 45. No longer legally acceptable

48. Invented the light bulb 51. Noblewoman 52. Domesticates 54. Dampens 55. Surpass

59. He plays the bagpipes 62. Opera star 63. A thin porridge 65. Kind of bean 66. Weight loss plan 67. Monastery

Solution on page 22

68. Ripped

69. “Your majesty” 70. Harvard rival 71. Catch

DOWN

Poop

Wash

Ignorant

Kayak

Barely manage

Temporary living quarters

Frog sound

Dining 9. A red transparent zircon

10. Black, in poetry

11. Plod along 12. Collections

15. Adult male singing voice

21. Lascivious look

23. 2 2 2 2

25. Twin sister of Ares

27. Grotto

28. Pointed arch

29. Sweet potato

31. Bigger than a teaspoon

32. German iris

34. Indian bread

36. Cushions or mats

39. Policeman

40. Was cognizant

43. Nitrify

44. Russian emperor

46. Vice President

47. Creative persons

49. Alpha’s opposite

50. Close

53. Aqualung

55. Probabilities

56. 8 in Roman numerals

57. Always

58. Part of a foot

60. Tropical American wildcat

61. Telephoned

64. Alkaline liquid