Save Selle Valley group challenges SpaceX FCC application
By Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Staff
A group of concerned Selle Valley residents have filed a petition challenging an FCC licensing application from private aerospace manufacturer and space transportation company SpaceX, which would allow the permanent operation of a gateway earth station housing satellites to support the company’s space-based internet service, Starlink, on Colburn Culver Road.
Further legal action possible regarding failed appeal of Bonner County building location permit been inaccurate in its analysis of the surrounding community, and that when all facts are considered, the facility’s current location is inappropriate.
The petition’s main points include a failure to accurately measure population in the area, to recognize the existence of major highways nearby, as well as to log the regular passage of an Amtrak passenger train through the immediate area.
The group, which calls itself Save Selle Valley, first filed a petition against SpaceX’s application for temporary operating authority. That temporary license expired Sept. 28, before the FCC could rule on the group’s petition.
The new application from SpaceX, filed Sept. 30, seeks permanent authority to operate it’s satellite facility on Colburn Culver Road, located just a short distance from the Highway 200 intersection. Save Selle Valley alleges in it’s petition against the new application that SpaceX has
“All of this, and the associated potential health and environmental effects prompted by the site’s location, warrant a detailed environmental review under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), which the applicant has failed to conduct,” Norm Semanko, an attorney representing Save Selle Valley, told the Sandpoint Reader in an Oct. 28 email.
“Quoting Benjamin Franklin, ‘A place for everything, everything in its place.’ Colburn is not the appropriate place for an Earth Station,” Semanko continued. “SpaceX needs to look for another location that complies with the
FCC rules. It is as simple as that.” Semanko said SpaceX will have a chance to respond to the petition before the FCC issues its decision, and that without authorization, “the project will need to be shut down and/or moved to a location that complies with the FCC rules.”
Representatives from SpaceX did not respond to requests from the Reader for comment before press time.
If Save Selle Valley’s petitions to the FCC are one facet of the group’s active opposition to the facility, the other is happening at the county level. The group filed an appeal against the building location permit — which Bonner County Planning and Zoning issued July 10 — on the grounds that it inaccurately defined the earth station satellites as solar fixtures, rather than communication towers, because they are fixed to the ground.
Had the SpaceX equipment been categorized as communication devices, county code dictates that the site be subject to
analysis under Title 12, requiring a conditional use permit, public hearing and formal review against the comprehensive plan. Because the county opted to define the structures as a “solar array” under Title 11, the project required only a BLP.
The members of Save Selle Valley allege that defining the SpaceX site under Title 11 ignores the possible health and environmental threats posed by such a facility, and also disregards the comprehensive plan that the Selle-Samuels Sub-Area Planning Committee has been working on for more than three years, which emphasizes the community’s desire to keep the area largely rural.
At an appeal hearing Aug. 14, the board of Bonner County commissioners voted to uphold the BLP. Save Selle Valley filed a request for reconsideration with the BOCC in late August, and commissioners had until Oct. 27 to respond. The request went unanswered, and appellants have 28 days as of that Oct. 27 deadline to file an appeal in state court.
Idaho seeks to dismiss CARES Act suit
Bonner County Commissioners lay out position in press release
By Lyndsie Kiebert Reader Staff
Bonner County commissioners reiterated their stance on the CARES Act in a press release Oct. 23, responding directly to the state’s motion for dismissal of a case in which the county seeks declaratory judgment on the legality of Idaho’s disbursement of the coronavirus relief funds.
Commissioners voted 2-1 — Dan McDonald and Steve Bradshaw for, Jeff Connolly against — in mid-July to pursue a lawsuit against Gov. Brad Little and other state officials, seeking a court’s opinion on “the rights, duties and obligations of the county and defendants in relation to the funds that are currently in defendants’ possession and control.”
The funds are part of the U.S. Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act, which are distributed from the federal level to the states and, in turn, given to municipalities within the state to help mitigate the negative effects
of the ongoing novel coronavirus pandemic.
In the original complaint, commissioners alleged that the state was “generally prohibited” from attaching conditions to the funds, according to Treasury Department guidelines. Those conditions included how the money must be spent, and a requirement that the county waive the right to increase taxes or take foregone funds in the upcoming fiscal year.
Counsel for Bonner County argues that U.S. Treasury directives require Idaho to distribute 45% of its share of CARES Act funds — $1.25 billion — to municipalities. That $560 million should be distributed according to population, the county argues.
McDonald told the Sandpoint Reader in July that the county was also interested in receiving indemnification from the state in the event that Idaho’s interpretation of CARES Act guidelines was flawed.
“[W]ithout the indemnification, we would end up having to
pay back all the money plus any interest and fees, and you would see the commissioners, clerk and treasurer charged with crimes,” McDonald said.
Counsel for the state filed documents in early October seeking dismissal of the case, calling Bonner County’s desire to see the funds provided based on population as “misguided and legally flawed,” since not all areas are equally affected by the virus, according to the Associated Press. Deputy Attorney General Leslie M.Hayes, representing the defendants, also argued that because Bonner County did not sign up for CARES Act funds before the state-mandated deadline, “claims are moot due to the county’s own decisions and inaction.”
Bonner County doubled down on its stance in a statement shared Oct. 23 with the Reader, responding to the motion to dismiss the case. In the statement, the county’s allegations are three-fold: the state government is “leaving small town America out in the cold” by in-
Idaho DMV issues extension on expiring registrations and driver’s
licenses
By Reader Staff
The Idaho Transportation Departments Division of Motor Vehicles is providing an extension on expiring vehicle registrations and drivers licenses. In an effort to reduce wait times at county DMV offices, non-commercial vehicle registrations and driver’s licenses that expire between September and December 2020 now have until Jan. 31, 2021 to renew.
In mid-October, ITD implemented the fourth and largest phase of the state’s DMV modernization project, moving the vehicle registration and titling system from a 1980s mainframe to an updated computer program. Eight million records were integrated into a one-person, one record system, linking each Idahoan’s registration and title information with their license.
terpreting the CARES Act to only provide direct funds to towns and counties with populations greater than 500,000; that the governor is “using federal funds for political propaganda” by requiring a line item on all Idahoans’ property tax bills which says, “Your bill includes Gov. Little’s one time reduction of [blank]”; and the governor’s interpretation of the funding guidelines is “pro-spending, not pro-saving” by using the money meant for localities to increase “the size and budget of his State programs.”
Bonner County contends that, based on Treasury guidelines, Congress intended for the county to have approximately $14.4 million in relief funds, without conditions.
U.S. Chief Magistrate Judge Ronald E. Bush will hear cross motions for summary judgment and the state’s motion to dismiss the case during a virtual hearing on Wednesday, Dec. 9 at 1:30 p.m.
The new system has temporarily slowed vehicle registration and title processing, and ITD is working diligently to speed up transaction times. COVID-19 social distancing measures with limited hours and appointment times also contribute to a backlog in service. The extensions will allow customers more time to safely complete their business.
ITD is doing everything possible to reduce wait times, especially as temperatures drop this fall and winter, officials stated in a Oct. 29 press release.
“People with expiring registrations and licenses don’t need to rush to the DMV. These extensions should give them some relief, help reduce crowd sizes and also open up appointment windows where available at county offices,” said DMV Administrator Alberto Gonzalez. “We also encourage Idahoans to renew their registration online, by mail or use drop boxes at county offices.”
DMV online services, including drivers license and registration renewal, are available 24/7 at dmv. idaho.gov. Please note, county DMV office hours are determined by county sheriffs and assessors, and vary statewide. Hours and contact information can be found at dmv.idaho.gov.
ELECTIONS FEATURE Sound and fury signifying nothing
Idaho electoral results return incumbents up and down ballot
By Zach Hagadone Reader Staff
Wagnerian opera dictates that it ain’t over until the fat lady sings. As of press time she’s staying mum as far as the U.S. presidential race goes, but she sang loud and clear in the key of R in Idaho. In summing up what transpired Nov. 3 in the Gem State — an election that every thinking person regarded as an historic one — a phrase from William Shakespeare came to mind: “Sound and fury signifying nothing.”
As the nation waits anxiously for the result of the race for the White House, Idaho politics watchers couldn’t have been too surprised by the results, which trickled into the wee hours of Nov. 4.
As the dust settled, incumbency ruled the day, with Republican Sen. Jim Risch besting his Democratic challenger Paulette Jordan 62.58% to 33.28%. That vote broke down to 537,456 to 285,824 — a huge turnout that mirrored (almost to the number) the state’s participation in the presidential race between Republican incumbent Donald Trump and Democratic challenger, former-Vice President Joe Biden.
Incumbent Republican Rep. Russ Fulcher won a second term in Congress against Democrat Rudy Sotoe, 67.78% to 28.63%, pulling 310,737 votes to 131,268 districtwide.
Down ballot, in the state races, results were similarly red-hued. Incumbent District 1 Sen. Jim Woodward, of Sagle, dominated his race against placeholder Democrat candidate Vera Gadman 77.4% to 22.6%, accounting for 19,662 votes to 9,245.
Lightning rod Republican
Blanchard Republican District
1A Rep. Heather Scott — whose tumultuous career in the Statehouse has spilled more ink than anyone in recent memory, not least of which for inclusion as a participant in “domestic terrorism” activites, according to a state-commissioned Washington report earlier this year — handily beat Democrat placeholder Gail Bolin with 68.02% of the vote to 31.98%.
Scott’s victory isn’t as surprising as the strong showing of her challenger. Bolin ran no campaign, yet, pulled 7,859 votes to Scott’s 14,911 — the former taking all Sandpoint precincts. Scott dominated overall, but received a little more than 50% in the Airport and Hope precincts.
Incumbent Republican District 1B Rep. Sage Dixon won out over Democratic challenger Stephen Howlett by a similar margin: 71.36% to 28.64%, pulling 20,212 votes to his opponent’s 8,113. Unlike his fellow Democrats in the district, Howlett actually ran a campaign, responding to media questions and participating
in candidate forums. Yet, his name recognition in Boundary County didn’t translate into a win in Bonner.
As it stacked up, Dixon drew more votes than Scott, and Woodward drew more than either — for Scott, the message in the populous areas of the district was that her extremism and focus on out-of-area political issues turned off voters enough to cast their ballots in large numbers for a candidate who never even mounted a campaign.
Bonner County Commissioner Steve Bradshaw, a Republican, handily won reelection over Democratic challenger Steve Johnson, 17,566 votes to 8,999. Johnson carried all the most populous precincts in the county, while Bradshaw commanded the rural areas.
Commissioner Jeff Connolly, also a Republican — though frequently the more moderate, dissenting voice on the three-member commission, led by Commissioner Dan McDonald — ran unopposed. Likewise, County Prosecutor Louis Marshall.
Among the more heated
contests on the ballot, the office Bonner County sheriff goes again to incumbent Daryl Wheeler by a wide margin against challenger Cindy Marx.
Marx ran as a write-in during the spring primary, garnering enough support to make it to the 2020 General Election ballot. She ran on a platform of depoliticizing the sheriff’s office, as Wheeler — a selfstyled “constitutional sheriff,” which he describes as one that disregards laws he deems at odds with the original intent of the U.S. Constitution — has put himself front and center in various partisan battles over the past year.
Wheeler was a plaintiff in the lawsuit between Bonner County and the city of Sandpoint over The Festival at Sandpoint’s weapons ban, claiming concerns over a violent “affray” if the concert series continued to bar firearms from publicly owned War Memorial Field. The judge in the case called that argument “unpersuasive” and “speculative,” dismissing it earlier in the fall. The county in recent weeks has
appealed the case to the Idaho Supreme Court, though Wheeler is no longer a party.
Meanwhile, the sheriff has also interceded in statewide politics by vocally opposing Gov. Brad Little’s efforts to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, the virus caused by the novel coronavirus that has killed more than 250,000 Americans since the spring.
As with other contested races, Marx carried the most populous precincts in the county, including all Sandpoint and portions of Ponderay.
Elsewhere in the state, Republicans dominated their races, though a handful of Democrats did win in precincts in the capital city of Boise.
Finally, the constitutional amendment on the ballot — HJR4 — which would set the number of Idaho legislative districts at 35 passed 67.96% to 32.04%, with 525,766 in favor and 247,897 against.
As for the fat lady, we’ll all have to wait to hear her swan song.
To forgive is divine
PPP loan forgiveness applications now being accepted
By Ben Olson Reader Staff
For many small businesses in the Sandpoint area, the PPP — or Paycheck Protection Program, passed by Congress in spring 2020 as a part of the CARES Act — was a lifeline to keep many businesses operational and employees paid without interruption during the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, the forgiveness process has begun for business owners to document where their PPP loan was utilized, and if businesses followed the right procedures by applying funds to payroll, rent and utilities, the potential is high for most or all of the funds to be forgiven.
Eric Paull, vice president of Washington Trust Bank’s commercial banking division in Sandpoint, said the program was a game changer for small business owners in Sandpoint.
“I think people by and large were grateful that the money was available,” Paull said. “I think truly here in Sandpoint it bridged that gap for some businesses. It was definitely make or break for some.”
Paull said the Sandpoint branch of Washington Trust processed more than 70 PPP loans. Across its branches in Idaho; Washington; and Portland, Ore., Washington Trust handled more than 5,500 loans during a 10-day period in the spring for a whopping $1.25 billion in assistance. Keeping in mind that Washington Trust is just one of the many banks that processed PPP loans, it’s easy to see the real impact of the CARES Act on small business owners throughout the nation. The Small Business Administration reported that between April 3 and Aug. 8, more than 5 million PPP loans were approved, accounting for $525 billion in direct financial aid.
Now, as business owners begin the forgiveness process, Paull said it helps immensely to prepare the necessary documents.
“Have very good detailed records of your payroll,” Paull told the Reader There was a potential for Congress to pass another round of stimulus, but Senate leaders redirected their attention to confirming President Donald Trump’s
Supreme Court Justice nominee Amy Coney Barrett, pushing off stimulus talks until after the election. There have been discussions to include clarifications and possibly streamlined or automatic forgiveness for loans under a certain dollar amount — either $150,000 or $50,000 — but the total was never agreed upon and the stimulus talks ended with no results.
The Small Business Administration did roll out a simplified application, called Form 3508S, in October for businesses that received a loan of $50,000 or less.
Paull said those who received loans of $50,000 and under will not have to certify the full-time equivalent, which refers to retaining the same number of employees as before the pandemic.
“You don’t have to supply the documentation, but if you ever get audited, you’ll have to prove it,” Paull said.
When the CARES Act first passed in spring, the PPP loan provided eight weeks of support to cover payroll, rent and utility costs for a business to remain operational. Later, the eight-week period was amended to cover 24 weeks so businesses could use all their PPP funding to cover payroll costs.
“I think when the CARES Act first passed in spring, they chose an eight-
week time frame because they believed everything would be done in eight weeks,” Paull said. “The second levy of funds had a 24-week window in it. So everybody had the option for 24 weeks or eight weeks.”
Paull said it’s important to include detailed payroll reports when applying for forgiveness, including the most recent 941 document, which denotes the quarterly payment of taxes.
While there is no immediate rush to apply for forgiveness — applications need to be processed 10 months from the date of the end of the covered period or loan payments will begin to be due — Paull said he encourages his clients to start the process now rather than waiting for potential new legislation from Congress that might streamline the process.
“It’s best to get it out of the way now,” he said. “Any client that is at $50,000 or under should apply for forgiveness to get it off their desk. The application is a shorter application, just one page, but you’ll still have to provide supporting documents.”
Washington Trust has set up an online portal for its customers to navigate the process. Paull also said that anyone who has questions about the process should discuss it with the banker who processed their initial application.
Bonner General Health Community Hospice welcomes Dr. Jade Dardine
By Reader Staff
Bonner General Community Hospice is expanding its team to include Dr. Jade Dardine.
Dardine moved to Sandpoint at the age of 13 and attended Sandpoint High School. She has fond memories of spending summer nights camping on her family’s property up Rapid Lightning Road.
Previously her parents and now brother own the Pack River Store. She has another brother here in town, and they all have kids around the same age.
“It’s wonderful to be able to raise our children with the support of extended family,” said Dardine. As a family, Jade, her husband and two children love soccer, skiing, hiking, backpacking and yoga.
Dardine attended medical school at the University of California, San Francisco, and completed family medicine training in a community hospital in East Los Angeles.
Additionally, she lived and worked in northern India in 2004 and 2008, serving alongside a local community doctor to help develop a program to train rural health promoters.
“It was during this time that I was first able to truly experience birth, death, ceremony, trauma — all of the parts of life that require us to stop and bear witness and to come to understand the privilege of doing so,” said Dardine.
Between medical school and residency, Dardine completed a postdoc at UCLA in a biochemistry research lab and was recently published in the journal Science.
“Both during medical school and residency, I was fortunate to have excellent exposure and mentoring on my palliative care rotations and have always had an interest in end-of-life care,” said Dardine. “My specific interest is being a strong patient advocate and translating the patient’s condition to the patient and their family culturally and sensitively. What I have learned about the dying process from my experiences worldwide is how many different ways there are to experience death. We meet people where they are.”
She added: “I see the role of hospice as supporting people and their families through this final phase of life, and I’m excited to be able to support this interdisciplinary team in their work.”
Visit bonnergeneral.org or call Bonner General Health Community Hospice at 208265-1179 for more information.
Dr. Jade Dardine. Courtesy photo.